Page 37 of Colton
Becca finally extends the olive branch. “Three o’clock. Our place.” Then she points a finger at me. “No takebacks Evie. I’ve been waiting for this for a fucking month.”
Hiding my smile, I give her a nod. Satisfied, she hauls Kade back to the elevator, planning her time with my daughter. Ransom and Declan trade glances, mumble quick goodbyes and hurry to catch up, already shouting their suggestions for tonight.
“Your family is weirdly wonderful,” I tell Colt.
“I know.”
My palms are damp.I casually wipe them down the side of my pants as the elevator doors open in the gym. “Holy crap,” I mutter as I take it all in. In between me and the floor-to-ceiling windows is a gym, unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It has all the same equipment as a regular gym, of course, all spaced out creating zones, but all the equipment is top of the line, shiny and clean. The entire floor is made up of that cushy material. But the part that grabs my attention is the two-lane track running around the outside, right near the windows.
The only enclosed area in the gym is the showers and bathrooms. Peeking in, I see a wide-open shower with five shower heads. There’s a single-stall toilet on the other side of the room, and two urinals opposite. “So, co-ed showers, huh? Very forward thinking of you guys.”
Colt winces and rubs his beard. “I guess we never thought about that. When we built it, it was just us, you know? We’ve seen each other’s junk so often, it barely registers.”
My eyebrows lift. “Dare I ask?”
“Ah…nope.” He says, ears bright red. “Not at all interesting. Hey, did you see the track?”
My grin widens, but I follow him to the windows. “I’m never going to get tired of that view,” I say, looking out over the lake. Colt hums in agreement, but when I peek at him, he’s looking at me, not out the windows.
I have to force myself to keep my hands relaxed. I ran out and bought some new workout clothes, but in my rush, I didn’t try them on. They’re tighter than I would like, and show off a lot more boob than I’m used to. I want to tug and adjust, make sure that all the bits I’m uncomfortable with are covered, but it’s stupid. It’s not like I have anything unique under here.
But the way Colt is looking at me when he thinks I can’t see is…enticing. So is his reaction to the idea of my losing weight. I am a product of my society, so I still fall into this idea that the ‘beautiful’ people should be together, while the regular people like me end up with Joe next door.
Maybe that’s why I find it so hard to believe Colt might actually have more than friendly feelings for me. He’s the complete package, and I’m just…not.
But the way his eyes gleamed when I told him I’d probably go back to my old size was surprising. But my fucked up brain is also wondering if he’s one of those guys obsessed with bigger women. Weirdly, that would make more sense than him actually just liking me for…me.
Colt claps his hands, rubbing them as he looks around the space. “Ok. So, I love the gym, but I’ve never put together a plan for…” His hands lift and squeeze imaginary breasts, then flap around. I choke, slapping my hands over my mouth to hold in my laughter. “Ah fuck,” he mutters, pressing his palms into his eye sockets.
“What I was trying to say,” he says, looking at the ceiling, face red, “is that we’ll have to figure out a plan to meet your goals.”
I’m still giggling as I study him. He usually dresses casually around me, but this is the first time I’ve seen him in a tank top, and I’m a little obsessed. His shoulders are mountains of muscle covered in intricate tattoos. There’re swirls and shapes and I want to have the chance to study them in detail…someday.
He clears his throat and I snap my eyes back to his. His raised eyebrows tell me I’ve been zoned out a little longer than I thought. “Sorry. Could you repeat that?”
He smiles. “What do you want to accomplish?”
“Be stronger,” I say dumbly.
He chuckles. “That’s a good goal. But physically, do you want to build muscles like mine or-“
“No!” I yell, then close my eyes in embarrassment. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry…” I trail off as he roars in laughter. He’s bent over, massive shoulders shaking, then just drops his butt to the ground, planting his elbows on his knees. I guess he’s not offended.
He doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere, so I sit too, facing him, lining my feet up with his, the toes of my size eleven sneakers touching his much bigger ones.
When he winds down, I apologize again. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. Your muscles are…nice.” More chuckles roll through him at that.
“I just meant,” I say, over the sound of his laughter, “that I’m not looking to be a bodybuilder. I just want to feel like I have endurance again. And I want to pick Mia up without grunting.”
He takes a deep breath, letting it out with a sigh. His eyes are still creased with laughter. “Those are great goals. What did you like doing for exercise before everything crashed down around you? What was your life like?”
“You want to know about my exercise routines, or what life was like?”
“All of it. I want to know everything.”
I cross my legs and rest my hands on my knees. “I feel like I can break my life into different phases, and I was a completely different person in each of them.”
“Different how?” He asks, stretching his legs out and leaning back on his hands.
