Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
T hat Friday, when Dallas showed up on the strength training course, his breath turning to fog in the cold November air, he wasn’t quite sure Ronnie would actually show.
But when she rounded the corner and paused mid-stride at the sight of him waiting there, his every muscle seemed to sag with relief even while his chest tightened and his heart started to pound with excitement.
She came.
“Hey, stranger,” she called. “I wasn’t sure you’d be able to get away.”
He grinned as he met her on the grass. “Well, Bailey is a slave driver, but luckily for me, she doesn’t need me to cover until tomorrow.”
Ronnie nodded. “Right. The bachelorette party.”
There was a new tension in her expression at the mention of her sister’s party, but before he could ask her about it, it was gone and she was rolling her shoulders, starting to stretch. “You ready for a rematch?”
He threw his arms out wide with a cocky grin. “The question is, are you?”
She rolled her eyes, but the twitch of her lips made him feel like he’d already won a gold medal.
She was so ready to beat him, he could feel it.
And as much as he’d hate losing to her, he could handle it, because more than the competition…was the chance to just be with her.
Starting a timer, she glanced his way, then quickly rushed out, “Ready-set-go,” and took off.
“Hey!” Dallas ran to catch up, loving the sound of her teasing laughter.
“Come on, old man.”
“I’m one year older than you.” He caught up to her. “ Less than a year older.”
“So act like it, then,” she goaded him, running backward and winking at him before doing a quick spin and taking off like she had turbocharged Wheaties for breakfast.
He laughed and picked up his pace, determined to prove he was a worthy adversary. They reached the first station and he dropped down beside her, pumping out push-ups like his life depended on it.
She finished first and gave his hip a little nudge with her knee before running past him.
He laughed again, finishing his final two and jumping up. “Oh, you’re gonna pay for that one, champ.”
Chasing after her, he was trying to remember the last time he’d had this much fun.
“Promises, promises!” she called over her shoulder.
It was her impish little smile that made his feet falter, and he lost his speed for a moment.
Man, she was freakin’ hot when she was all sassy like this.
It suited her. She clearly thrived on competition, just like he did. This was the spark he’d been trying to draw out that first time they’d run into each other.
And he reveled in every second of her determination, her teasing, her laughter…and watching that sleek body of hers prove just how strong and capable it was.
When they were close to the finish line, she shot out a foot, trying to trip him, but he’d been expecting it, and he tackled her so they both went down, tumbling and laughing until they came to a stop on the grass next to the path.
They were out of breath, panting and laughing into each other’s faces. But the sound quickly died out.
Just like last time, he felt it. This thick, heady awareness that seemed to fill the air between them, wrapping them together in a tight cocoon.
It was just them. And everything in him was drawn closer, closer…
Her chest rose and fell rapidly beneath his. Their eyes connected and held.
And he saw it.
The same answering awareness.
She felt it too.
And suddenly, like a man dying in the desert, he was desperate for a taste of her lips. He dipped his head down slowly, holding her gaze, waiting for a protest.
But it wasn’t until he was so close that he could feel her breath on his lips that she stirred.
She pushed against his chest so suddenly he let out an oof as he rolled aside. And then Ronnie was scrambling to her feet and…
Crossing the finish line.
He rolled over into a sitting position with a huff of laughter. “Nicely played, you little siren.”
She ducked her head, but not before he caught a fresh rush of pink in her cheeks and a shy smile that was just plain adorable.
Not that he’d tell her that. Something warned him the word adorable would land him a punch in the nose.
So he rested back on his hands and watched her scramble to collect her water bottle and discarded sweater. “I should go. I’ve gotta help prep for the party tomorrow.”
He nodded. He had the sense she was running away from him—from that almost kiss. But that was fine. Honestly, he was a little shaken too.
He’d been in a long relationship. He’d had his share of intimate moments. But this…
This felt different.
And he was completely aware of how weird it was that he’d felt it with her . Ronnie Colbert.
Bailey’s longtime friend.
So he didn’t try to stop her as she fled. But his heart gave a little kick of excitement when she stopped and turned back.
“The ski lodge opens this weekend,” she called out.
He nodded. Bailey was already stressing about the influx of ski tourists and how to market to them.
“I was thinking of going on Sunday.” She offered a wry little smile. “I’m gonna need something to shake off this bachelorette party.”
He smiled. He could picture his sisters and Giselle getting into the girlie-girl vibe of a bachelorette party. But Ronnie?
He opened his mouth to make a joke about it, but she cut him off. “Do you want to come?”
He was so startled, and so…what?
Excited? Touched? Happy?
Whatever it was, he gave her a thumbs-up, a dopey smile, and was no doubt nodding like an idiot.
Now it was her turn to laugh—at him—as she walked away.