Series: Little Cakes Series by Pepper North
Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 46077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
“Let me grab my tablet at the front desk.” Davis waved her to follow him. After grabbing the device, he led her toward the far wall. “Okay, we’ll start where no one wants to start and get that over with. Come step on the scale.”
She watched him walk over to a secluded area of the gym where a large, old-fashioned scale waited. After a second’s hesitation, she followed him. “Is this really necessary?”
“I’m afraid it is. Don’t worry. Only you and the form will know. I’ll forget as soon as I file it away for you,” Davis assured her.
Closing her eyes in shame, Sue stepped onto the scale and waited for a snide comment.
“Got it. Okay, take a seat on the chair and I’ll check your blood pressure.”
Sue opened her eyes in surprise. He wasn’t going to say anything. She glanced at the sliding levers and found that he had moved everything to zero. Her shoulders relaxed back into place as she followed his directions and sat down.
“A little high.”
“I’m a bit nervous,” she confessed.
“I definitely don’t bite,” Davis assured her.
“You could bite me,” Elizabeth volunteered as she walked by. Obviously deliberately going out of her way to pass Davis.
“Never going to happen. Careful with your form on the elliptical. Your feet are going to slide off the pedals,” Davis warned with a blank expression.
“Could you show me?” Elizabeth asked.
“I’ve got time,” Tom volunteered to the young woman’s disappointment. He ushered her ahead of him toward the machines.
Davis finished the preliminary assessments, including measurements and health goals and had Sue enter a password so she could check her stats when she started. “Okay. Everything is housed in the system now. You’ve got a green rating, which means you don’t need to get a doctor’s release to work out. I definitely encourage you to speak to your healthcare provider to keep them up to date with your progress.
“Let’s get started with your first workout. You may be a bit sore tomorrow, but if you’re ever over the ouch level, we need to adjust your exercises,” he counseled.
Carefully, Davis coached her through the machines. He modeled each before she tried it, and Sue tried not to stare as his muscles bulged so powerfully. By the end of the workout, she felt like a wilted mess.
“Okay, one last stop and you’re finished for the day. You need to cool down. Let’s walk on the treadmills,” he suggested.
“Let’s?” she echoed.
“There are two together here. We can cool down and talk.”
“O-okay,” she answered hesitantly. Why is he going to walk with me? Maybe’s he’s checking to see if I get out of breath?
Sue stepped onto the platform and leaned to the side to get out of his way as he set the time and speed for her. To her relief, it really was a cool down. She watched as Davis stepped onto the treadmill next to her and selected the same options. Soon, they walked companionably next to each other.
“So, tell me what you enjoyed today and what you didn’t,” he inquired.
Turning her head to look at him, Sue got disoriented and stumbled. Instantly, Davis stood on the immovable side rails of the machine to steady her and turn off her treadmill.
“Sorry, that was stupid of me. It takes a while to get used to the movement. If you look sideways, it makes everything go wacky at first. Here, try again and I’ll stand in front of you.”
“I’m sure I’m cooled down,” Sue assured him quickly, wanting to escape. The feel of his hard body pressed against her sweaty body was heavenly and embarrassing at the same time.
“Not yet,” he corrected her. Quickly, he had her restarted. He hopped off the machine and circled around to face her over the display. “Better?”
Sue relaxed into the gentle pace and nodded. “Yes. Sorry. I really am totally uncoordinated.”
“You’re doing great. That was my fault. So tell me, which was your favorite machine?” Davis refocused her on his previous question.
“I liked that one.” Sue pointed to a machine where she’d done abdominal crunches before waving at the overhead bar. “But that one was tough.”
“Shoulders are tough,” he agreed.
“You’re not going to make me look like a weightlifter when I get finished, right?”
“Not unless that’s your goal.”
“No way.”
“Are you coming back?” he asked, meeting her gaze directly.
Sue swallowed hard. How did he know she was considering not returning? “Well… I’m quite a project. Perhaps I need to lose some weight before I work on getting in shape.”
“Your weight is fine. You look amazing. Can you be healthier with more exercise? Yes. Do I think you need a complete overhaul? No way. You’re lovely as you are and whoever filled your mind with garbage should have their head examined.”
Staring at him, Sue felt her jaw drop in astonishment. Did he just compliment her? Closing her mouth with a snap, she looked around to see if anyone was listening. No one was nearby and the music filling the space covered his soft tone.