Chapter 23
ALEX
“You just brace your arm on the cushion and then lift it up with a pronated grip…”
“What the hell is a pronated grip?”
“Just move your wrist to the right.”
The weight feels a little too heavy in my hand as I turn my wrist, but I lift the dumbbell and squeeze my bicep as I bring it to the top of the cushion.
“Yeah, that’s it. Good job, Ace,” Logan says, patting me on the shoulder like I’m one of his bros.
I burn at the spot where Logan touched me, but I keep my focus on my form and lift the weight like a hammer.
My bicep begins burning after a few more reps, but Logan keeps me going.
“Just a few more. You got this. Stay focused.”
I squeeze my eyes shut as my bicep burns. I want to let the weight crash to the ground as my arm trembles, struggling to lift it again.
Logan steps in front of me and bends down to meet my eyes.
His emerald eyes shine as they lock onto mine while I lose the will to lift the weight again. It feels like my arm is about to fall off.
“One more, Alex. Come on. One more,” he says, still staring into my eyes.
Logan’s arm muscles bulge in front of me. I want to reach out and squeeze them myself. I want to feel the hard muscle beneath my hands.
But this is a horrible time to be thinking about that. I have to lift the weight myself, and staring at Logan’s arms and... everything else about him isn’t going to make that any easier.
Especially since we’re both seemingly pretending I almost didn’t kiss him a few days ago.
I look away from his eyes and his arms and try to focus on the weight in my hand.
I groan as I grind out one more rep.
“Yes, Alex! Let’s go!” Logan cheers, sounding like he’s hyping up his teammates in the most macho voice I’ve ever heard from him.
I grunt and let the weight fall to the floor.
“That was sick!” Logan says, slamming his hands onto my shoulders from behind and giving me a shake.
I stand up from the seat, forcing Logan to take his hands off me, even though part of me wants him to squeeze my shoulders even harder.
I swing my arm back and forth, trying to ease the ache in my muscles.
I grimace and rub my arm. “That was agony.”
He shakes his head. “It only feels like that at first, but this exercise will truly make your arms pop,” he says with the energy of a firework.
I smile at his enthusiasm. I feel like this is how he used to be when he was on the football team.
I’m glad I’m giving him a taste of what he used to have, even if my arms are only a weight class above a toothpick.
“How long until my arms look like yours?” I ask, angling my chin toward his biceps, which could probably crush my head.
He flexes his arm, and his bicep bulges.
My brain short-circuits as I process that he’s actually flexing his huge arm in front of me like he’s putting on a show.
“Probably a few years, but don’t let that stop you. Once you get going, you’ll get addicted to lifting. Trust me, bro.”
I internally flinch at Logan calling me “bro,” but I try to ignore it.
I take another sip of water and let my gaze rest on Logan’s veiny, hairy forearms as he messes around on his phone.
I really should stop looking so much, because the more I look, the more attracted I become, and I can’t let that go any further.
I can look, as long as he doesn’t touch.
“Logan?”
I turn to see Callum Brown walking toward us, wearing an equally revealing tank top and black sweatpants.
Logan looks up from his phone and does some kind of bro handshake with Callum.
“Cal. Hey.”
“What’s up?” Callum asks, smacking a hand against Logan’s shoulder.
Logan glances at me. “Just working out with my friend.”
Callum turns to meet my eyes, his eyebrows lifting with curiosity.
“Hey, Alex.”
“Hi,” I say meekly, my cheeks burning under Callum’s scrutiny.
“Logan’s showing you the ropes, huh?” Callum asks with a smile.
Logan’s showing me more than just the ropes, but I keep that to myself.
“Yeah. He’s putting me through hell.”
Callum snorts. “He better be.”
Logan rubs the back of his neck. “What are you working today?”
Callum rubs his chest. “Chest and shoulders.”
Logan nods but avoids Callum’s eyes for some reason.
“Nice.”
“How’s Mason?” I ask.
Callum’s smile falters slightly. “He’s good. Just dropped him off at class. We’re going out to dinner tonight.”
He lifts a finger to his lips.
“I got him some flowers, but don’t tell him that.”
I think about what Mason said yesterday regarding Joel causing strain in his and Callum’s relationship. If Mason is affected by it, I can only imagine how much it’s messing with Callum, considering he’s on the team with Joel and all those bigoted players.
“Sounds romantic. My lips are sealed,” I say.
Callum lightly smacks my shoulder. “Thanks.”
“What about you, bud? Any plans for tonight?” Callum asks Logan.
Logan looks at me and clears his throat.
“Nothing. I was just, uh, gonna study at the library with Alex. Got a lot of stuff to catch up on.”
“Cool,” Callum says.
He gives Logan a hard stare, like he’s trying to get something out of him. But for some reason, Logan isn’t looking at either of us.
“Well, I’ll let you guys get back to your... workout,” Callum says, grinning at me before walking past us.
Logan glances at me, then immediately drops his gaze to the floor, bowing his head like he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t have.
“See you, Callum,” I say.
“Bye, Cal,” Logan mutters, still staring at the ground.
I want to ask Logan what his problem is. I know it’s not that he has an issue with Callum, but there’s definitely something else going on. Mason mentioned the rumors, but Logan probably won’t want to talk about them anyway.
I clap my hands, pulling Logan out of his thoughts and back to the present.
“So,” I say, “what arm-breaking exercise is up next?”