It would be her choice. He was absolutely determined that she would choose wherever things went between them. But still, he wanted to at least let her know what was on the table… “You know I’ve thought about getting you undressed…laid out…legs spread…” He wet his bottom lip as he watched her expression go from heated to positively primal.

  “I want that,” she whispered, her voice hoarse. “I want it so much. I just…”

  Yes. There it was. The hesitation he’d been sensing at the edges of their kisses. Even though she’d gotten lost in the passion beside him, she had a tether. Unlike him.

  “What is it?” he urged.

  “I think we should take it slow,” she whispered. “I’m worried about Mollie. I mean, not about her, I just…I don’t want her to find us…or walk in on anything…or get confused…” She gnawed at her bottom lip. “She doesn’t sleep very well at night, and she might wake up, and if she comes down here…”

  Blake nodded, smoothing his hands over the tops of her thighs. “I get it. Don’t worry.”

  “But I want…this,” Michelle added, nuzzling the side of his face. “I want you.”

  Blake took Michelle by the chin and stared into eyes. “I want you too, Michelle. And I’ll wait as long as you need.”

  He didn’t know where those words had come from. Blake wasn’t a man who waited for much.

  But this wasn’t him playing her. He wasn’t feeding her lines.

  He really wanted to see where this might go. Just this once. Just to know.

  8

  A few days later, Blake was scheduled to deliver the workout equipment he’d selected for donation to the local nonprofit that Michelle had suggested. And as usual, he’d turned this into yet another opportunity for them to see each other.

  Michelle would be arriving on her own from work. Blake had offered to pick her up, but she’d told him that she needed to run an errand before meeting him. Delaying their reunion even slightly longer than necessary felt like a type of torture, since he’d been barely containing his excitement to see her again ever since his birthday.

  He paced the cement walkway outside of the nonprofit building when his phone buzzed in his pocket. A text from Grayson had arrived on their group thread.

  “Hey, buddy. Haven’t heard from you recently about the bet. What’s the scoop?”

  Blake sighed, pausing before he wrote back. He checked again for Michelle before responding.

  “Everything’s on track. Don’t worry your pretty little heads.”

  He stuffed his phone back in his pocket then, determined not to elaborate further with them. He didn’t know how to explain what was happening, other than the only thing he wanted was more time with Michelle. Which meant that the bet was, if anything, simply on hold.

  Even if he didn’t share what had happened on his birthday, this meeting today would have been the perfect fifth and final opportunity to prove to his friends that he’d won the bet. But he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to end it yet. He still had to figure out the best way to handle this new, unexpected side of things.

  He had completely disobeyed his own parameters of the bet and had kinda, sorta, basically started feeling a certain way for Michelle.

  He needed to pace himself. That was all. If he gave himself some more time to figure out what this was—whether he was just driven wild with the fantasy of getting her in bed after so much abstention, or maybe this was something much more serious than that—then he’d be able to figure what his next step should be.

  Which would be a whole lot easier if he could stop thinking about Michelle constantly.

  “There you are!” Michelle’s sweet voice punctuated his thoughts and he turned, finding her coming up the sidewalk, purse slung over her shoulder. He grinned, fighting the urge to sweep her into his arm and coax a heart-stopping kiss from her.

  “You ready for the donation of the century?”

  The Gray House Foundation was sort of a halfway home for men who were recovering from issues related to addiction and/or mental illness. They provided a safe living space that offered healthy habits and structure while the residents regained their foothold on life, and a gymnasium and weight room had been on their wish list for quite a while. Once Blake had reached out, they’d been more than happy to clear out and organize a space for the donated equipment.

  “Of course,” Michelle said. “I’m glad you went with these guys. They’re a great foundation.”

  “All on your recommendation,” Blake said with a smile, leading the way around the building where a semitruck was parked by the back of the building. The double doors to the new gymnasium were open, which allowed workers to funnel in and out of the building, unloading the equipment. Blake had arranged for all the replacement equipment to be delivered to the Seagulls weight room today, so there would be no interruption in the training of the baseball team.

  Normally, if he was doing something like this, he wouldn’t bring along extra personnel. Hell, he wouldn’t even normally show up himself. But this sort of donation required an additional touch. And once the machines were dropped off, he wanted Michelle to teach the workers at the facility how to use them properly—an idea she’d been thrilled by.

  “I’m excited to see the new gym they have for the residents,” Michelle said. “I know they did their best to have spaces where people could do cardio or yoga, but it’s great that they’re finally going to have a fully stocked weight room.”

  “Weight training changes lives, here and otherwise,” Blake said.

  “Is that why you don’t stick to a regular weight training routine?” Michelle teased, nudging him in the side.

  He smirked, sliding his hand over the small of her back and around to the dip in her waist. He gently squeezed once before releasing her. “Hey, now. You got a problem with the way I look or something?”

  “Not at all,” Michelle said sweetly, tipping her chin up to look at him. “I thought I made that clear the other night?”

  He laughed. “I don’t know. I might need a little more reassurance. Maybe another evening on your couch.”

  “I’d be okay with that.”

  “Good. And, I forgot to tell you…” He slowed his steps as they neared the semitruck. He jerked his chin toward the equipment being unloaded. “I saved the rowing machine for you. If you want it.”

  Her eyes widened. “You want to gift me the rowing machine?”

  “Yes, of course. You deserve it. Besides, you said it was your favorite.”

  She blinked rapidly, her gaze shifting to the men carrying a bench press down the ramp off the semi. “Blake, that’s…that’s so sweet of you. I really appreciate it. I just—”

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t think I have anywhere to put it.”

  Blake grimaced, nodding as he mulled it over. He ran over her townhouse in his mind’s eye, and she was right—save sticking it in the backyard, where it would rapidly deteriorate, her house wasn’t big enough to receive something like that. A fact he had sort of overlooked in his eagerness to do something nice for her.

  “I really wanted you to have it. But you’re right.”

  She smiled up at him, squeezing his arm. “That’s very nice of you, though.”

  “Can we just pretend that you accepted my gift, and it’ll fit nicely in your home gym?” he asked.

  “Absolutely. And trust me, in this imaginary home gym, it fits wonderfully.”

  He grinned, getting lost in the contours of her face again. “Fine. But I still need to do something nice for you.”

  She swatted at his arm. “No, you don’t.”

  “But I want to,” he insisted, stepping closer to her. Michelle had a magnetic quality to her. He couldn’t ignore it, much less step away. It was like wherever she was, he wanted to be there too. Their few days between each visit had started feeling more and more like an eternity.

  “Well, that’s sweet of you.”

  “How about I just move on to the next nice thing I was trying to plan for you?” he asked, reaching for her hand. He started swaying slowly, almost like they had on the dance floor at dinner last week.

  A blush stained her cheek, and she watched him shyly. “What could it possibly be?”

  “I remember a certain someone told me they’d run a 5k a day if they could,” he said, finally sliding his hands over the tops of her hips. They were mere inches away, but he still craved more. Closer. All of her. “Well, I found out there’s a 5k coming to a neighborhood near us this Saturday. Wanna do it?”

  She gasped. “Really? Do you know what the entry fee is?”

  He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’m paying.”

  “Blake—”

  “Don’t you naysay me. I have money, and I’m going to spend it on you.” When her blush deepened, he added, “On things that you want to do, and make you healthy and all that shit. So, yes. If you can find the time to run the 5k, and childcare for Mollie, I say we do it.”

  Her eyes lit up. “We?”

  He laughed. “Oh, didn’t I mention? I’m going to struggle through this 5k as well. If you’re doing it, I might as well give it a shot and try something new.”

  She squealed, tossing her arms around his neck. “Blake! This is going to be so fun! You’re going to like it. Even if you walk the whole thing.”

  “Thank you for the early vote of confidence.”

  She giggled into his shoulder. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just a nice activity, whether you walk or run.”

  “Uh-huh,” he said, squeezing the tops of her hips. “Cover your tracks all you want, I know what you were trying to tell me.”

  She shook her head, tenderness shining in her eyes as she looked up at him. “Blake, you are a very special man.”

  And with the way she was looking at him, he was tempted to believe it. It wasn’t that he thought poorly of himself, but for some reason, when Michelle said it, it really meant something. She had a way of lifting him up, higher than even he could lift himself.

  The truth was that he only wanted more of her.

  And for however exciting it all was, it scared the shit out of him.

  9

  Saturday morning at seven, Blake was knocking on her door.

  Michelle raced to answer it. She’d been waiting for a half hour already, jumpy with nerves and caffeine. It wasn’t that the 5k scared her. No, it was Blake.

  He was proving himself left and right. Showing up as a thoughtful, well-rounded gentleman who was insanely gorgeous and who just happened to have more money than she’d probably ever seen in a bank account at one time. Really, Blake was everything that she’d ever dared to want and then some. He was everything she needed. Part of her was still scared that he was a little too perfect—that there was a flaw she was missing or overlooking, and that her trademark horrible taste would come back to bite her in the end. But another part of her—a part that was growing stronger every day—wanted to believe in him. In them. Which meant that she had a lot of decisions to make, and soon.

  Blake’s smiling face behind her front door dissolved some of the nerves that had plagued her since waking up. She’d barely slept the night before from anxiety—waiting to see Blake again, eager to start the race, wondering what might happen next for the two of them—but now that he was here, his presence took the edge off of things.

  “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “Born ready.” She slung her waiting backpack over a shoulder and stepped out the front door.

  “Where’s Mollie?”

  “She’s spending the weekend at a friend’s house. She went yesterday.”

  He arched a brow. “Which meant Mollie wasn’t here last night, and you had the house to yourself…?”

  She laughed, pushing up onto her toes to plant a quick kiss on his lips. “Yes. But don’t worry that you missed out on anything. I dropped her off in Sonoma myself, and didn’t get home until midnight. I was so tired that I went straight to bed.”

  He frowned. “Hm. Next time, let me know, and I’ll go with you. Hell, I’ll drive.”

  Her cheeks already hurt from grinning so hard. This man was sent from heaven. “Deal. Now we better get a move on, or we’ll miss getting our packets.”

  Blake led the way to his waiting SUV, her hand in his. “Packets?”

  “Yeah, with our numbers and all that. I’ll show you how to do it all.”

  “You know I’m going to have a twenty-minute mile, right?”

  She giggled. “It’s okay. Nobody will judge you except God himself.”

  “Very reassuring, Michelle.”

  The two shared a warm smile as they hopped into the car, chatting easily on the drive to the park where the race started. The day was gorgeous, with crystal clear blue skies and tons of rolling green hills filled with trees and flowers and shrubs. The morning air was crisp and invigorating. This was what Michelle loved most about morning runs. The chance to start a brand-new day on the right foot.

  Michelle acted as Blake’s guide through the registration process, and soon they were beaming at each other with their very own race numbers pinned to their chests and backs. Blake looked like a natural in his black running pants, skintight running shirt and trendy black running sneakers.

  “You know, I’d have never guessed that you didn’t regularly run 5ks,” she said, nudging him in the side. “You look good in the number 3649.”

  He smirked. “I just know how to fake it.”

  “We’ll see about that. I wouldn’t be surprised if you can add ‘5k winner’ to your resume here soon.”

  The heartbreaking grin that crossed his face made her heart beat a little faster. God, he was so easy to look at and get lost in. He’d willingly offered to be her 5k companion, which was an unheard-of offer when it came to her romantic partners. She’d never been with a man who shared the interest, and her ex had always criticized her desire to run and be in the fresh air. She’d always thought that if she could find someone willing to run a 5k with her, she’d die a happy woman.

  Looks like that day has come.

  The thought rang through her as she and Blake lined up for the start of the race. At the same time, while it was easy to get excited about Blake, she didn’t want to lose her head, either. After all, she’d been plenty excited about her ex in the beginning, and that had not ended well at all. It made her wonder if Blake might pull the same manipulative tricks down the road, the same bait and switch that her ex had, and slowly transform into a master manipulator and liar.

  But damn, it was so hard to stay levelheaded when he did things like this. When he looked at her like he wanted to smother her with kisses midway through a sentence. When he showed up willingly at seven a.m. on a Saturday just to run a race he already was planning on losing.

  The L-word floated dangerously close to her lips, but she wasn’t ready to think about that. Not when they still had so many other obstacles to overcome and elephants in the room. She had a lot of baggage to address. Blake deserved to know the truth about her history. About why Mollie’s father wasn’t in the picture anymore. What, exactly, Michelle had suffered with that gaslighting, emotionally abusive prick. Why she secretly expected the other shoe would drop when it came to Blake himself. Blake needed to know all of that before he decided if he wanted to move forward in a relationship with her.

  And, of course, they still needed to have sex.

  Which, if she had her way during her child-free weekend, would be happening as soon as possible.

  Blake pinched her side, jostling her out of her thoughts. He waggled his eyebrows. “You ready to win?”

  And there it was—the smile to wipe away all her doubts. All her tension.

  The smile that might forever hold her heart captive.

  Michelle finished the race with a seven-minute mile average. It was almost her personal best time, and she attributed a lot of her success to Blake’s unfailing support and confidence in her. She hung around the finish line, drinking water and keeping an eye out for Blake to run through. Finally, she spotted his red face. He was jogging slowly, but dammit, he was jogging. She clapped for him as he crossed the finish line, and his official time was recorded.

  “You did it!”

  “Oh, my God, I wanna die,” Blake groaned, receiving the water bottle she offered. He squirted at least half of it on his face, and then guzzled the rest. She guided him away from the finish line by the hand, beaming at him as they found a shady spot under a big oak tree.

  “So what now?” Blake asked. “We’ve finished punishing ourselves through racing so now we continue on with our lives?”

  She laughed. “Exactly. Some people start day drinking immediately, which I wouldn’t be opposed to.”

  “That’s the winning idea right there.”

  “How about we cool off with a lap around the park first?” Michelle asked.

  His breathing had regulated somewhat, and he wiped at his face with the collar of his shirt. “Sure. Now that I can feel my legs again, I’m pretty sure I remember how to use them for something other than running.”

  “You’re a 5k Drama King,” she teased.

  “That’s going to be the new entry on my resume,” he said.

  She laced her fingers through his as they started a slow, sometimes-limping walk along the asphalt path carving through the park. Other racers had chosen to do the same thing, or were camped out on blankets enjoying the cool morning air and the view of the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. Blake suggested they sit on a bench after a little while, and he pulled her onto his lap as they sat down.

  “I need to keep my lap warm,” he explained. “Post-race procedure.”

  She giggled, welcoming the kiss he pressed to her lips. “I must have missed that info in my welcome packet.”

  “It’s okay. But the penalty for ignoring the procedure is you get ten minutes added to your finish time,” he said, squeezing his arms around her waist. She laughed, more of her heart melting in the process.