Chapter Ten
Ten
Tegan
“Uh, hi,” Atlas said in that low, growly voice, his body swaying slightly with each wag of his tail. “I never got a chance to thank you for hanging out with me at the wedding the other day.”
I launched right into the apology I’d rehearsed in preparation for this moment. “Look, about that. I’m sorry my—”
He held his hands up, stopping me mid-apology. “It’s totally fine. If I had a sister, I’d be protective over her, too. I get it.”
“Yeah, but that’s no excuse.”
“It’s fine.” The soothing way he said it conveyed that it was, in fact, fine. It made me feel a little silly for dwelling on it so much. “I had a great time,” he added.
“I did, too.”
A beat of silence echoed between us, like we weren’t sure where to go from here.
“Is there something I can do for you today?” Atlas finally asked. “Did you need help with a cake?”
I snorted a laugh and placed my hands on the desk, leaning closer to him. “Actually, I wanted to sign up for a membership. After what happened with the cake the other day, I figured I should probably try to build some muscle.”
His eyes widened and he stood straight up, still as a statue, before speaking. “Oh, uh, sure. Yeah, I can definitely help you with that.” He crouched down behind the desk before passing two sheets of paper and a pen across the counter.
He leaned closer to me and pointed at the paperwork. “This one is the liability waiver. It basically states that if you’re injured at the gym using the weights, equipment, or facilities, we aren’t liable.”
A tantalizing aroma distracted me.
It was Atlas.
He smelled exactly like he did at the wedding—like smoked patchouli and sandalwood. He was musky and masculine in the most delicious way. In a way that made me want to rub my face all over him and purr like a contented kitten.
That, or climb him like a tree; I couldn’t be too sure.
I scribbled my signature and the date onto the paper and turned my attention to the next sheet.
“And these are the packages we offer,” he said, pointing to a table with prices and amenities. “You get a two-week free trial, then your card will be charged monthly depending on what package you pick.”
I scanned the list of options. I didn’t want to seem cheap, but who knew if this whole gym thing would even stick?
It was a well-known fact that when it came to working out, I was a quitter. Physical fitness just wasn’t my jam.
It’s who I was.
And wasn’t this really just a way for me to get closer to Atlas?
“I think I’ll start with the silver package,” I said, signing my initials. It was the second-cheapest option, and honestly, it seemed like a good deal for twenty bucks a month. “I’d like to try some classes, but I need to be sure I can make this a habit.”
His thick tail started to wag again. “Well, you know. I’m here every day. I can help keep you accountable.”
“Oh yeah? You’d do that for me?” I laughed and batted my eyelashes.
He had a team of personal trainers who worked for him. There was no way he offered this to everyone who signed up.
He confirmed it for me when he said, “For you, yes. If you have goals, I’ll help you get there.”
What if my goal was to have him on top of me? Could we get there, Atlas?
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said with a smirk.
After some struggling, I pulled my bank card out of the pocket of my leggings and passed it across the counter to him.
He ran my card through the machine, passing it back to me with a copy of the agreement and my receipt.
“Welcome to Leviathan Fitness, Tegan.” The sultry smile he gave me made me feel like I was going to spontaneously combust. “What size tank top do you wear? I have a few different colors. I really like the white with the neon logo. It has a real ’80s vibe. ”
“Oh, I love neon. I’ll take a large.”
“Neon it is.” He smiled at me again before turning to rummage through a box of tank tops. When he did, his tail started wagging, knocking over his shaker bottle and spilling his protein shake all over the counter.
“Shit. Stupid tail,” he huffed while reaching for a roll of paper towels to clean up the mess. Even when he was irritated, he was still so cute.
“Let me help. It’s the least I can do after the whole wedding-cake debacle.” I held out my hands and motioned for him to give me a few paper towels.
“Thank you,” he said as he bent over the counter.
I leaned in to help him. As I wiped up the protein shake, my hand brushed against his.
Slowly, we looked up at each other, our gazes connecting.
I could see my freckles and messy bun reflected back at me in his full-moon eyes.
Our faces were so close that I could feel his warm breath against my face and I desperately wanted him to close the distance between us.
Kissing him with that long muzzle of his would be interesting, but I’m sure we could make it work.
There were other things we could do with our mouths.
But just like at the wedding, it was over just as quick as it began.
Atlas stood up and looked away, running his hand over his ear and along the back of his head as he puffed out a breath.
Did he feel this, too?
He shook his head, like he was shaking off what just happened.
Yeah, he felt it, too.
He cleared his throat. “Did you, uh, want a tour?”
“I’d love that. I’m really curious to see what you did with the place.” That, and I wasn’t in any particular rush to get away from him, and in even less of a rush to start my workout.
“Cool.” He set a Back in Fifteen sign on the counter and made his way around the desk.
Standing next to him made me feel butterflies all over again. I would really have to focus if I wanted to retain any of the information he was going to tell me.
“Obviously, this is the main floor,” he said, strolling out into the middle of the gym.
Instead of a traditional gym, Leviathan Fitness had more of a modern-athletic-club feel.
Yes, there were rubber floors made for dropping weights, mirrors lining the walls to check your form, weightlifting benches, machines, and free weights—but it was also bright and open.
A far cry from the rec center of my childhood.
“I think this used to be a basketball court?” I said, noticing the exposed-brick wall that ran along the side of the building.
“Yep. The ceilings in the old building were really high, so we added a second story for more space,” he said proudly. “Did you come here often as a kid?”
I nodded. “Summer camp. Birthday parties. It was the cheapest way to entertain kids in a small town.”
“Why do I feel like we had the same childhood? I spent a ton of time doing rec activities when I was a kid.”
The difference was that he actually stuck with the sports he tried. My parents never made me stick with anything.
“Speaking of swimming,” he said, leading me through a doorway in the back of the room. It led to a corridor with a few doors on each side. “These are the offices and locker rooms. And this,” he said, pushing open another door, “is the pool.”
It was huge. Much bigger than I remembered. The most surprising part was that it didn’t have that public-pool smell—no overwhelming sting of chlorine lingering in the air.
“It’s saltwater,” he said, like some kind of mind reader. “I can’t stand the smell of chlorine, and I have a kraken friend who needs to soak in saltwater regularly, so it seemed like the right move.”
“You have a kraken friend?” I asked in awe.
They were one of the rarest monster species, and I’d never had the opportunity to meet one before.
Atlas nodded. “He’s one of my best friends. You might see him here every once in a while.”
I stared at the shining water, imagining a kraken swimming beneath the surface. “I hope so.”
“This way,” he said, motioning for me to follow him through yet another door.
This one led to an open staircase, giving us a view of the gym floor as we climbed up to the second story.
“And up here we have the cardio machines, a few studios for classes, and another set of locker rooms.” He leaned against the railing, glancing down at the gym below.
“This place is so nice,” I said, leaning next to him so close that our arms were touching.
“Thank you. It took a lot of work but I’m happy with how things turned out.” The way he smiled when he talked about the gym told me as much.
“I hope this doesn’t come off as rude, but where did you get the money to do all this? Do you have investors or…?”
He laughed. “When I was still in college, my grandmother passed away and left me a good amount of money. My older brothers are financial advisers, and they convinced me to invest it. At the time, I didn’t think I was making the right choice, but it paid off in the long run.
Thanks to the mayor’s grant program, I got the building for pretty cheap, and I used the gains I got from investing to remodel and buy all the equipment. ”
“Wow. That’s wild.” Meanwhile, I was scraping by in the hopes I could buy an industrial deep fryer to increase Selene’s donut production. “Are your brothers taking on new clients?”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “I’d be afraid to introduce you to them.” His body stiffened, like he couldn’t believe he’d just said that. “Anyway, I should probably get back to the front desk. New clients aren’t going to be able to sign up themselves.”
“Okay,” I said quietly.
I followed him down a different staircase, one that led right back to the entrance of the gym.
“Do you need me to show you how any of the equipment works or anything?” he asked while avoiding eye contact and focusing his golden eyes on something on the other side of the gym.
My cheeks reddened and I shook my head, refusing maybe just a little too vigorously. “Nope. I am good. I totally know what I’m doing.”
“Well, uh, okay, then.” He nodded his head and rubbed the back of his neck as he stretched, his tank top riding up just enough to show off his fur-covered Adonis belt.
He looked so fucking good.
And I was staring.
I had to get out of there.
“I’ll see ya,” I said as I quickly glanced away and hefted my gym bag onto my shoulder.
“See ya.” He wiggled his claws at me as I turned on my heel and headed toward the locker room.
Why was walking away from him so hard?