Wine and Whiskey (Surviving Absolution #1) (2 page)

They lie on their stomachs stretching when she yelps and rolls
onto her side. Nick’s chest constricts at the sight of her curled in a ball
with her eyes squeezed shut.

Jason kneels down next to her. “Are you okay?”

“It’s my back.”

Jason glides his hand across the bottom of her shirt. “You have
a huge knot. Let me take a look.” He pushes up the fabric a few inches, revealing
black and blue welts covering her torso. “Oh, Shae.” Anger flashes in his
voice. “Not again.”

“I’m okay. Give me just a second, and I’ll be ready.”

Nick closes his eyes, trying to suppress the memories flooding
his mind from seeing her bruised body. It’s unfathomable someone could hurt her
like this, but his own life is filled with the harsh reality of abuse and
regret for the woman he couldn’t save. He inhales deeply before opening his
eyes again.

“I know it’s going to hurt, but you need to stretch your back
out. Otherwise, it could lock up on you tonight.”

Kneeling on her mat with her bottom resting on her heels, she
presses her body downward and stretches out her arms in front of her. Nick’s
face burns hot at her eyes welling up with tears. Unwilling to watch her
suffer, he picks up his hand weights and walks over to the racks. He rolls his
head side to side, trying to calm his fury before turning back to them. He has
got to get her away from the asshole who’s hurting her.

Relief washes over her face as she lifts up. Jason rubs her back
before nodding. “There you go. I don’t think it’s quite as tight.”

“Thanks. I feel better.”

Jason stands up and extends his hand to Nick. “I know this has
been an unusual training session, but I hope we can work together again. Let me
know if you want to schedule another appointment.”

“Yeah, thanks, I’ll be in touch.”

Jason pauses and looks at Shae. “If you need me, let me know. I
can work on your back again if it locks up.”

She gives him a shaky smile. “Thanks. I will.”

After the trainer walks out of the room, Nick drops down next to
her. “I enjoyed working out with you. You’re pretty tough.”

“So are you. Jason gives a hard workout. Not everyone can keep
up.”

“Yeah, he’s a beast. But, he seems like a good guy. I can tell
he cares about you a lot.”

“I’m lucky to have a good friend like him.” She wipes off her
forehead before rubbing the towel between her fingers. “Would you mind giving
me a hand up? I don’t know if I can do it by myself.”

Flames shoot through his body at the feel of her silky skin
under his fingertips. At her cringe of pain, he cups his hand around her elbow
and lifts her up, bearing all of her weight and standing her on her feet. A
shudder runs down his body at her delicate hands resting on his forearms, her
gaze meeting his before pink stains her cheeks and she tucks her head down. It
would be so easy to slide his arms around her waist and press his mouth against
her sweet lips.

“Thank you…for everything. I appreciate you helping me.” Her
voice, soft but steady, brings him back from his growing desire.

“Let me take you out for lunch.”

“Thank you, but I can’t.” She steps back, leaving him aching for
her touch again, and starts walking toward the door. Glancing over her
shoulder, she smirks, mischief dancing in her eyes. “Besides, how do you know I
don’t have a boyfriend?”

Falling in beside her, he reaches for the door and lets his hand
rest on the handle before looking down at her. “It’s not that I don’t know. I
just don’t care.”

He deserves a smack, but maybe she’ll find him irresistible
instead. After a few seconds, she smiles and shakes her head. “It’s a good
thing you’re cute. Otherwise, you’d never be able to get away with a line like
that.”

Damn
. She could own him with that stunning expression. ”How about
dinner?”

“No.”

“Breakfast tomorrow?”

Her eyebrows fly up at his tenacity. “No.”

“Work out with me?”

She takes a deep breath, her internal argument playing out on
her face. He doesn’t know what is wrong with him for trying so hard, but he has
to find something she’ll agree to.

“You think you’re pretty slick, don’t you?”

His head falls back with laughter. She’s not falling for his
charms. “I guess not if you’ve figured me out.”

“Okay, fine. It has to be in the afternoon. I’m going to have a
late night tonight.”

Anything to see her again. He pulls the door open and gestures
for her to go first. “Three o’clock. I'll set it up with Jason.”

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.” She walks away shaking her
head.

The pleasure of anticipation is an emotion he hasn’t experienced
in a long time.

* * * *

She should have said no.

Declined his offer to work out. Refused his repeated attempts to
make a connection, however precarious it might be. Then, she would be at home
doing absolutely nothing for the first time in months instead of sitting here
pretending she isn’t excited about seeing him again, ignoring the butterflies
taking flight in her stomach as the clock ticks closer to three.

She shakes her head. It’s silly to be nervous. They’re just two
people training together. Mutual victims of Jason’s hardcore workouts. That’s
all. Yet, as much as she wants to believe this little fib, it’s more than that.
Nick’s more than that.

As she stretches in the workout room, a smile curls on her lips
in spite of herself. Of course, he’s sexy and buff, perfect caramel hair with
the slightest hint of curl, and eyes so blue she could swim in them. An
intriguing jagged scar on his temple, which probably has an even better story
behind it. Yet, something besides his good looks draws her to him.

Maybe it’s his protective nature, which makes her feel safe even
though she just met him. His charm that’s arrogant but adorable. Or, the fact
he doesn’t seem to know who she is. Doesn’t want anything from her.
At least for now
, murmurs the tiny voice
of doubt worming its way into her mind. Things will change once he finds out
who she is. Just like always.

For the last twenty-four hours, all of her thoughts drifted to
him. Even on stage last night, she found herself thinking about him, which has
never happened before. She tries pushing him out of her mind, ignoring the feelings
he evokes in her. Emotions she didn’t think were possible for her anymore.

The butterflies turn to stones, falling to the pit of her
stomach. If she hadn’t been at Jason’s, she would never have agreed to meet
him. She’s safe here without bodyguards. Or, so she thought until yesterday. No
one had ever bothered her here before.

Stories of crazed fans have been drilled into her head for
years. Team Shae complains all the time she’s too lax with her security. All
she wants is to feel normal sometimes, and the gym has always been her
sanctuary. The one place she can relax. If Nick hadn’t been here yesterday, it
may not have been true any longer.

Before she can scare herself with what might have happened, he
walks into the room, and she can't suppress an enormous smile. Her reward is
the same elated expression mirrored on his face.

“You made it."

She laughs at his surprised tone. “You didn’t think I would? I’m
the fanatic, remember?”

He runs his hands up and down his arms, massaging his biceps.
“You and Jason both. My arms are killing me from yesterday. Your friend doesn’t
show any mercy.”

“What about my planks?”

He winks before nodding. “Those too.”

Jason jogs up as they talk. “I heard your grumbling.” A smirk
plays on his lips as he raises his eyebrows at Nick. As always, he takes too
much pleasure in his hard-nosed reputation. “I'm going to take it easy on you
today because Shae’s tired from last night. But, I'll make up for it next
time.”

As they Russian twist, Nick sneaks glances at her. Or, maybe it’s
the other way around, since her eyes keep wandering to him. Each time, he
smiles, seemingly amused by her inability to keep focused on her exercises.

Jason pats Nick on the back after they finish. “Good workout. By
the way, Shae told me what happened yesterday. Thanks for helping her. His
membership has been revoked, so she doesn’t have to worry about him anymore.”

“Good.”

“Shae and I are going running tomorrow morning if you’d like to
join us. We meet here at seven.”

A tiny flip-flop whirls in her chest at Jason’s unexpected
offer. He won’t even let Carrie run with them, complaining her endless chatter
distracts him.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Nick nods and smiles at her.
“Sounds good. Thanks.”

Now, her heart tremors after missing a few beats. Forcing
herself out of bed at six a.m. might be a little bit easier knowing he’s going
with them.

“Okay, see you tomorrow.” Jason holds out his hand to her. “I
want to show you these new brochures we’re working on. You can give me your
opinion about the graphics.”

He’s nonchalant, yet so obvious. She can manage a conversation
with another man without his supervision. “Let me take a shower first, and then
I’ll come take a look.”

Jason tilts his head before shrugging his shoulders, feigning a
casualness she knows he doesn’t feel. “Okay, I’ll see you in a few.”

They follow Jason down the hallway and pause at the ladies’
locker room. Warmth radiates from her cheeks to the rest of her body from
Nick’s gaze skimming her features before settling on her eyes. The intensity
burns through her, flailing her confidence. She looks down and brushes away an
invisible wrinkle on her tank top. “I know Jason said it already, but I want to
say thank you too. I was kind of flustered yesterday, and I don’t remember if I
thanked you for your help.”

“Yes, you did. You were perfect.”

A shiver runs through her at his husky voice suggesting he means
more than her intention to be polite. “Perfect? I don’t know about that.”

He leans against the doorframe, close enough for her to see the
gray flecks in his dark blue eyes. More than a foot of space separates their
bodies, but it isn’t enough to quell the longing he ignites in her.

“I do.”

“Anyway, you should know how impressed I am. Jason’s very picky
about who he runs with, so he must think you’re okay for him to invite you to
join us.”

Feather light tingles race down her neck as he tips his head
closer to hers, his lips only a breath away from her ear. “Just ‘okay,’ huh?
What about you? What do you think?”

She licks her lips, trying to bring some moisture back to her
mouth and push away the thought of how they would feel touching his. “Maybe a
little bit more. You were my hero yesterday. So, how about ‘good’?”

“I’ll take it. For now.”

Shocked by her uncharacteristic flirting with a man she hardly
knows, she seeks an escape. Pushing the door open, she shivers at the heat from
his gaze following her as she enters the locker room. “See you tomorrow.”

When she comes out about half an hour later, her stomach
flutters. He waits for her, his hair still damp from his shower, curling
slightly over his ears. Casually dressed in a green polo shirt and low-slung
jeans, he radiates an effortless confidence few men possess. She blushes at her
desire to nuzzle his neck, wanting to get closer to his clean, citrusy scent.

Heat flushes her body again at his sexy smile, ruining her
efforts to get her desire under control with a stern self-lecture during her
shower. Reminding herself this isn’t who she is, not who her mother expected
her to be.

“I know
it’s
last minute, but I was
wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me.”

Nervousness and excitement battle in her stomach at his
invitation. Politely declining and running away as fast as she can is her
normal response to such requests, but the words fly out of her mouth before she
can stop them. “This again? Didn’t we have the same discussion yesterday?”

His eyes dance at her teasing. “What can I say? I’m one of those
crazy people who believes in eating every day.”

Guilt courses through her. This is wrong. All the warnings she’s
been given over the years circle through her mind. She holds her head up and
gives him her practiced smile reserved for overeager fans and stalking
paparazzi. “Thanks, but I should go. I’ll see in you in the morning.”

“It’s just dinner. I promise I’ll bring you back to your car
right after.” His eyebrows knot as he studies her, probably wondering why she
acts so strange over a simple invitation. A request she wants to accept more
than he’ll ever understand.

She takes a deep breath along with the plunge. “Okay. I need to
call my friend. She’ll be worried if I don’t come home when I’m supposed to.”

The grin lighting up his face chips away at some of her doubt.
He’s excited too. “Sure. I’ll wait for you out front.”