Everyone did it.
Everyone would continue to do it.
But I should’ve used my own brain and made sure.
Yet I didn’t.
And I would forever live with that.
“All of you need to gather around and grab a PVC pipe!” Taos called, saving me from talking any more to Maria, the woman that I knew for some reason hated me.
I didn’t know why.
I mean, other than the obvious of catching me looking at her ex.
Whatever the reason for her automatic hatred of me, I chose to let that flow past me, too.
I didn’t have the time, or the inclination, to deal with drama.
I didn’t do drama.
Drama was for high school.
I was an adult now.
“What we’re going to do is called pass-throughs,” Taos said when I arrived with my PVC pipe.
He then showed us how he straightened his arms and then passed the pipe over his head to the back, stretching and warming up shoulder muscles as he did, without bending his elbows.
I followed his movements, making sure to do exactly like he did, and realized rather quickly that this hurt a whole lot worse than it looked like it should.
Five minutes later, I was working on what was called a ‘snatch.’
It was when you got the bar from around shin level, straight up over your head.
And I was absolute shit at it.
When I was my fittest, I never did any barbell work.
I always did machine weights, which didn’t have any technical movements.
It also didn’t help that Maria picked up on it like a fish to water.
I wanted to shove my new CrossFit shoes into her vagina.
Except I didn’t want to ruin my brand-new shoes.
My luck, she probably had acid instead of regular vagina fluids.
I’d probably have to amputate…
“No, like this,” Taos corrected.
He then came right up beside me, bent down as if he was about to pick the bar up, and then dropped his butt.
I frowned and followed suit, finding a completely different lifting platform when I did it like he showed me.
“Now, up. Knock your hat off with the bar,” he ordered.
I didn’t point out that I wasn’t wearing a hat.
Instead, I did what he suggested, feeling the bar move to where it needed to, bumping against my hips, before the bar sailed over my head.
I squeaked in surprise when I did it exactly how it was meant to be done.
“Great,” he smiled.
I felt my heart skip a beat.
His eyes lingered on my face for a few seconds, kind of like a long time ago they’d done when he’d been inspecting my face, trying to see if there was any damage other than the obvious bruising and swelling.
He’d looked at me with such intensity then as he held me in his arms that it was life changing.
Even now, with him inspecting my face, I could tell that he felt like he knew me.
It was somehow bothering him enough that I knew he would eventually figure it out.
The question was whether I would get the courage to tell him the story.
I hadn’t had the courage to tell anyone since that day.
That day being the worst of my life. That day staying on a constant loop in my dreams. Or nightmares.
“Coach Taos,” came Maria’s sweet, sappy, disingenuous voice. “Would you mind critiquing my form?”
“Your form is perfect, Maria. I taught you how to do it already,” Taos disagreed, rolling his eyes at me.
My lips twitched and I couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up my throat.
He really didn’t like her.
Duly noted.
“Keep the weight there, and work on form,” he ordered as he started toward another person.
I smiled as I watched his ass in his thin knit shorts move away from me.
That was when I realized that not once had I looked at the front of those shorts.
Likely, my mind had shielded me from the magnificence. That, or it knew that once I’d seen the front, I wouldn’t stop looking.
I had a weakness for men in knit shorts.
I mean, yes, gray sweatpants were really fucking hot on men. But they weren’t the bee’s knees. Knit shorts were. They were thinner. Showed off more dick surface area and were seriously the best thing since sliced bread.
“Hey, Coach!” Maria called again.
I gritted my teeth and tried another snatch, this time feeling like I might actually be getting it.
“Hey, Coach…” Maria called one more time.
That’s when I saw Taos’ head whip around, and a lethal glare come rolling over his face.
I bit my lip to hold in the snicker, but it didn’t help.
The laughter bubbled out, and Taos’ glare rolled to me.
His face softened at the smile on my lips, and he was just about to say something else when my phone rang.
My head whipped around way faster than Taos’ had when he’d been glaring at Maria, and I dropped the bar unceremoniously to the ground. It bounced wildly to the side and barely missed the person to my left.
I didn’t pay it much mind seeing as it was Maria. She would’ve deserved the beating.
I ran over to my phone as fast as my poor, sore body could manage, staring at the readout.
Mavis.
Mavis: can you come get Vlad? They called me into work, and I’ve already said no too many times.
Me: Sure. Now? Or can I finish my class first?
Mavis: Now? I’m so so sorry. I really am.
I grinned.
Me: I’ll be there in ten. Is he even up yet?
Mavis: No. He was allowing me to sleep in. They are assholes for calling me in on a good day.
I laughed and gathered my things, shoving them unceremoniously into my bag with no rhyme or reason. Nor order, apparently. I wouldn’t find those wrist wraps at all when I next needed them.
“Everything okay?”
The sound of Taos’ voice behind me had shivers dancing down my spine.
“Yep.” I smiled. “My sister just needs to go to work, and I have to go watch my nephew.”
Taos’ frown deepened as he helped me pick up and shoulder my bag.
I gave him a grateful smile and headed for the door.
He came with me, walking me to my car.
A profound sense of thankfulness rolled through me.
I hadn’t realized that even the walk to the car had stressed me out earlier until now, with him walking at my side.
Only when I was in my car and completely driving off did he go inside.
I didn’t stop watching him until I almost ran into a parked car.
CHAPTER 5
Life is short. Smile while you still have teeth.
-Taos to Madden
TAOS
I hadn’t expected to see her again that day.
In fact, I’d more than expected not to see her again for two days because that was when the next bootcamp was scheduled.
But there I was, walking through Target heading for the supplement aisle, when I heard her voice.
I couldn’t stop myself from walking toward it, either.
I found her on the aisle for dog food, struggling to get the fifty-five-pound bag into the cart while also not sending the cart sailing.
“Need help?”
At the sound of my voice, Fran slammed her hand down on her chest and nearly busted her ass as she backpedaled to get away from me.
I instantly felt horrible.