Chapter Four
Nate
Liz was my last client for the evening, and I decided to head out rather than hang around and tackle more paperwork.
The background work required to keep a business running was mind-numbing at the best of times.
When my brain wouldn’t stop replaying the feel of Liz pressed against my chest, I knew I wouldn’t get shit done.
I walked out the door and right into Liz’s retreating form.
She jumped as her back hit my chest, and I reached out to grab her before she fell.
She whipped around, her eyes were wide, but her shoulders dropped when she saw me.
Either she was a really jumpy person, or something had her spooked. “Everything okay?”
“What? Me? Yes, oh yes. Just fine.” Her arms were wrapped tightly around her chest, but her face said defiance.
I frowned. “What happened?”
She shook her head. “I just thought I saw something and freaked myself out.” A car drove past us and her eyes followed the motion.
She was holding back. I was sure of it. If she wasn’t ready to tell me the whole story, then the least I could do was give her a ride home.
It didn’t take much to convince her. She was an independent woman, so watching her stick close to my side as we walked to the parking lot strengthened my suspicions.
I stopped next to my bike and started stashing my stuff.
Luckily, I had a spare helmet. She looked it over and I followed her gaze.
It was a basic black sport bike. Two wheels and an engine.
Nothing high-end or high-powered. It was cheap on gas and easy to find parking for.
If I didn’t have Paisley, I preferred it over my truck.
By the time we’d made it to the parking lot Liz had rallied her confidence but she didn’t look impressed by my bike.
“You have to be joking.” She planted a hand on her hip. She was still wearing her little gym shorts and her hair was pulled off of her face.
“What? You don’t like bikes?”
“I mean, I’m used to dump trucks and excavators. This thing looks like a toy.”
“It’s not the size, it’s how you use it Liz.” I flashed her a grin. She rolled her eyes.
“That’s something someone with a small … vehicle would say.” Never missed an opportunity this one. “ Besides, I’ve never ridden one of those before.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take it slow. ”
She looked towards the darkening street then pulled her shoulders back. “Okay, how exactly do I…” She trailed off.
I threw one leg over the bike and gestured for her to get on behind me.
Not really an option to be shy when riding double.
We would pretty much be chest to back and crotch to ass for the remainder of the ride.
No more intimate than what we did at the gym, except for the addition of the vibrating engine.
She shot me a look that was half help me and half fuck you then copied my motion, throwing one leg over the bike and nestling into the seat behind me. “How do I hold on? Am I, like, clinging to your neck, or gripping around your chest like an awkward sports bra or—”
I almost choked on my tongue. “Just grab around my waist and hold on tight.” She took my advice a little too seriously and I found every ounce of breath forced out of my lungs. Still, I wouldn’t ask her to ease up if my life depended on it. Which, if she tightened her arms anymore, it kind of did.
I was still warm from the workout but adding her heat wasn’t unwelcome against my back.
I had no intention of scaring her. I couldn’t say I didn’t like it when I revved the engine and she pulled her chest tighter against me.
She gave me turn-by-turn directions and we arrived at her condo building sooner than I liked.
She instructed me to pull my bike into her parking spot next to her car, and I killed the engine.
As she carefully brought her leg over and off my bike it felt like dropping someone off after a date.
Although maybe it was only me who felt it.
She stood awkwardly for a moment, saying nothing.
Did she think she should invite me in? Did I want her to invite me in?
It had been a year since my wife and my best friend revealed that they were in love with each other.
That was a long time ago. Still, there was a little tickle in the back of my brain that wasn’t sure I was ready to move on.
Regina was the mother of my child. We would always see each other.
Always talk to each other. I had been in love with her for most of my adult life.
How do I move on from something like that? How do I not end up with trust issues?
I was a mental train wreck at the idea of someone new.
Everything below the belt was eager to get to know Liz better, but my brain hesitated.
Not to mention the fact that I was her instructor.
She trusted me with her training. That was something I took seriously even if she was hesitant to tell me the real reason why she wanted to train.
Fuck, then there was Paisley to think about.
She had known Kevin before he got together with Regina but introducing her to someone new? What if it didn’t work out?
I needed to go home. “See you next class. Have a good night.”
“Yeah, sure.” There was maybe a little disappointment on her face as I prepared to start the engine.
“Thanks for the lift. Even if it did scare the crap out of me, and you’re lucky I didn’t pee my pants.
” She rambled for a moment before heading towards her front door.
I watched her get inside before starting the engine.
******
I was on my back on the gym floor. The blue vinyl mat clung to the backs of my thighs, and I adjusted to unstick my skin.
She dropped to her knees next to my chest and threw one leg over my hips.
The bottoms of her feet grazed my calves as she tucked her legs in tight to my sides.
Tentatively, she let her full weight rest on me.
No way to be shy about this. Her ass was nestled against my dick, the heat of her core against my stomach.
We were already a half hour into our session. Despite that we were both red and sweaty, she still smelled amazing.
“Wrap your hands around my neck.” My words came out in a husky murmur, and I struggled to clear my throat without jostling her. Every inch she moved added friction, and I couldn’t afford to get hard right now.
“Okay.” Her cheeks reddened even more, but she did as I instructed. Her smooth skin rasped over my stubble and her thumbs settled over my throat.
Fuck.
Not saying I liked to be choked, but if this was my view, I would sure as hell consider it.
Her eyes bore into mine, and I knew she could feel how fast my chest rose and fell.
After a moment, I realized she was waiting for my next instructions.
Right. Self-defence. Ever since our first session, I had her play the part of the attacker first and then switched roles.
A client I’d had years ago had asked for her to be trained this way and I had employed it with many of my clients since.
Especially the female ones who seemed nervous with a man as a trainer.
I had no idea what she had experienced in her past, but when I suggested the idea, she had latched onto it. It seemed to work well.
The byproduct of this was that I had her over me, under me, behind me, and in front of me for an hour twice a week.
It was a bit of torture but knowing that every time I saw her resulted in her being more able to defend herself kept my thoughts where they belonged…
mostly. She had me in a position ironically called a full mount in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I swallowed.
“The first way to get out of this position is for me to plant my hands on your hips and try to push you off me.” As if I would ever want her off me. “At the same time, I will thrust my hips up to add more leverage.”
Her tongue ran over her bottom lip, and she nodded.
I did as I had explained. Hands on her hips, I dug my heels into the mat and drove my hips up, dislodging her off my body and sliding out from under her.
There was silence between us as we reset and prepared to start again.
The silence was inexplicably awkward, and when I looked at her, her gaze looked through me.
“Your turn.” I got up on one knee and gestured for her to lie down on her back.
She blinked a few times and glanced between me and the floor but didn’t move.
“Something wrong?” To be a fighter, I had to be able to read body language. A lot of fighters have a tell or a weakness you can pick up on. Even without that skill, the tension in her shoulders was obvious.
She shook her head and started walking backwards towards the door. “I can’t do this.”