Chapter Twelve
JOSHUA
I deliberately pushed thoughts away of Nash fucking me out of my mind, trying to think of my family instead, and how much I missed them.
Even though it hadn’t even been a full day, just knowing I wouldn’t be going home to them hurt like hell.
What made matters worse was that I had no idea how long it would be before I got to see them again.
I loved my family. They were what I lived for, so not being able to see their smiles and pick them up and dust them off when they got a skinned knee felt like torture.
I couldn’t understand how people in witness protection could walk away from parents and other extended family and not look back. It had to be heartbreaking.
“You want to do weights?” Nash asked after finishing up three reps.
He glanced over at me and smirked. “Yeah?”
I stared at him, trying not to look shocked. “How many reps?”
“Ten. Why? What do you normally lift?”
I shrugged. “One-fifteen.”
He smiled broadly. “For a guy of your stature, that’s a respectable number. You can’t compare yourself to the way I work out since I do it every single day, Joshua. It’s part of my training.”
I nodded. “How tall are you?”
“Six feet.” He looked me up and down. I felt myself heat under his scrutiny. “And I’m guessing you’re about five seven?”
“Five eight…and a quarter,” I muttered, straightening my back, standing to my full height.
I wasn’t tall and I definitely wouldn’t consider myself scrawny, but I had to admit, Nash’s workout routine was inspiring.
He lifted an eyebrow but didn’t say anything as I turned away, trying to ignore his smirk and put a single plate on each end of the bar before stretching out on the bench.
Nash stood behind my head, looking down at me.
I had to admit, the view of his shorts from this angle, was pretty awe inspiring. I almost wanted to sit up and applaud.
“Thought I’d spot you,” he muttered, probably realizing the same thing as he broke eye contact, glancing quickly away.
“Thanks.” I tried not to focus on the outline of his dick as I lifted the bar from its cradle and began my lifts.
I was sweating and winded by the time I’d finished my reps.
Lifting the bar for the last time, I felt familiar tremors in my arms as Nash helped settle it back into the cradle.
Sitting up, I smiled at him, wiping my face and taking a sip of my drink.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done that. ”
“You did well…for someone who hardly has the time to work out.” Nash moved over to his own bench a few steps away.
He glanced around and picked up his shaving kit, handing it to me as I joined him.
It was heavier than I expected. Then again, I knew what was inside.
“You’re going to have to hold this and keep an eye out as I do my lifts.
” He glanced at the two men doing deadlifts in his peripheral vision before looking back at me with a serious expression on his face. “You understand what I mean, right?”
I nodded quickly, frowning a little. “Yeah.” I paused for a second before leaning down. “Aren’t you going to need a spotter?”
He eyed me critically. “No offense, but I doubt you’d be able to spot me, Joshua.” The way he followed his comment with a lazy smile made me feel a little better. I was beginning to think my protector was genuinely a nice guy.
“I’m not insulted. You’re right.” When one of the big, burly guys walked over, Nash spun toward him so fast, he stepped back. The guy held up both hands in a placating gesture.
“You need a spotter?” he asked Nash.
“No need, thanks.” I noticed Nash wasn’t even trying to be friendly.
The guy looked over at me and smirked before turning back to Nash. “I’m only asking because I don’t think your friend here is gonna be of much help.”
I flushed with embarrassment as Nash glanced at me. He turned back to the man, narrowing his eyes at him.
“No, really, I don’t need your help, thanks,” Nash repeated. His tone was borderline rude as he gave him the brush off.
“Okay,” the guy growled. “No need to bite my head off.” He turned and walked away, rejoining his companion about ten feet away.
I leaned close to Nash. “Maybe we should just go,” I whispered.
He reached out and put a hand on my shoulder.
“It’s fine, Joshua. You worry too much.” He patted my cheek so softly it was almost a caress.
I stared into his beautiful eyes and swallowed.
He was close enough to kiss. The touch of his hand and his proximity relaxed me more than I wanted to admit.
When he broke eye contact and dropped his hand—immediately breaking the spell—I mourned its loss.
He sat down on the bench and began to lift as I stood behind his head. Every so often, I caught him glancing at my bulge just like I’d done. I really hoped I hadn’t been as obvious as he was being.
I held onto the shaving kit as Nash did his reps, trying not to stare at his gorgeous body.
The way the cords stood out on his neck and the sweat wetting his shirt, was sexy.
In fact, I found everything about him sexy.
I tried not to stare at him but by the time he’d finished at the bench press, I needed a cold shower.
Nash was red faced when he finally set the bar back in its cradle and sat up, straddling the bench. He nodded thanks as I handed him his Gatorade. He drank deeply and after watching him swallow several times, I forced myself to look away. I needed to get away from him.
“Joshua?”
I glanced back. “Yeah?”
He frowned. “You doing okay?”
I swallowed hard. “Oh…yeah, sure. Just a little tired.” I lifted my arm and deliberately sniffed my pit. “And a little gamey, you know?”
He chuckled as he stood up holding out his hand. I blinked at him. “My shaving kit?”
“Oh, shit.” Apparently, my brain was leaking out of my skull as I struggled not to get hard just from the smell of his sweat.
I handed him the kit, and he eyeballed the room before leading the way back to the locker room.
I went directly to the locker where I’d stored our packs but he stopped me with a hand on my shoulder.
“You don’t want a shower?” He held up his towel.
I glanced around the empty locker room before frowning at him. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
He nodded at the shaving kit in his hand. “I’ll protect you.”
I shrugged. “Okay, if you’re certain.”
He stepped closer and looped an arm over my shoulders. “If you’d rather wait, it’s fine. I always shower because when I come out of the gym, I stink like a pig and the seats in the Jeep are leather.”
I wanted to tell him he smelled amazing to me, but I simply nodded. “Sure. That only makes sense.” I opened the locker and after we’d gathered fresh clothes from our bags, followed him to the showers. He handed me the kit, and I smiled at him.
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s just funny that we keep trading this gun back and forth as if I could do anything with it.”
He nodded. “Just keep an eye on the door. If the time comes when that weapon is necessary…well, let’s just say I don’t want to test that theory.” The expression on his face, told me he wasn’t kidding.
“Of course.”
“I’m just going to rinse off,” he said, draping his clean clothes over the tile wall.
“Sure.” I hefted the weight of the kit as he stepped into the cubicle.
There were no doors and the walls were low enough to look over, so I inched closer to the exit to give him privacy.
I kept an eye on the door but looked over at him as the shower turned on.
He had his head under the spray as the water pelted down over his broad shoulders.
I watched for just a second, trying not to stare too hard as I gave the door another look.
Turning back to him, I caught sight of something I hadn’t glimpsed before.
I frowned trying to figure out what I was seeing.
At the top of his left shoulder, smack dab in the center of his thick trapezius, was some sort of mark.
It wasn’t very large, and since I was standing a few feet away from him with the cascade of water, I couldn’t tell what it was.
When he turned and met my glance with hazel eyes, the glare he shot me was surprising.
The expression was so foreign to me that I quickly averted my eyes.
He shut off the spray and stepped out of the shower a few seconds later. He was wearing a towel slung low on his hips. I tried my best to ignore the outline of his dick under the thin, terry cloth fabric, but it wasn’t easy. Nash Hampstead was a well-built man. He held out his hand.
“Go ahead.”
“What?”
He frowned. “You want a shower, right?” When I continued to stare, he gave me an exaggerated roll of the eyes. “Earth to Joshua. Give me my weapon and my bag then.” He wiggled his fingers.
“Oh, sorry…I was just distracted.”
“By what?”
“Um…how I could spend the whole day washing my clothes on your abs.”
“Smart ass,” he said, grinning.
I handed him the gym bag and shaving kit before stepping into a stall and stripping off my clothes.
It only took me a minute or two to wash off and towel down before dressing in a fresh pair of shorts and a tee.
I climbed into my shoes and left the stall.
He wasn’t in the empty room. I walked around the corner and found him standing at the sink, running his hands through the short, brown hair on his head.
He’d redressed in clean clothes, but I couldn’t drag my eyes away from his hair.
It looked soft and the way it stood up in little spikes was sexy.
He really was a stunning man. Our eyes met in the mirror. “Ready?”
When he turned around, the earlier glare had been replaced by a softer expression. “Feel better?”
“So much better.” I was relieved to see that Nash’s friendlier side was back. “I hope your boss will let us do a workout every day.”