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  “Because I know you do smile.” She indulged him with a playful smirk. “I’ve seen you do it, and it’s a very nice one. You should do it more often.”

  Allowing the smile to spread across his face this time, had the voice in his head going ape shit. “I’ve never noticed, but it could be,” he lied just to move this along again ASAP. “Is this part of your interview, because I hate to have to remind you again.” He glanced at his watch. “Tick tock.”

  Her smile flattened, and she straightened out again, clearing her throat yet again then chasing whatever was stuck in that sweet throat with another long swig of her drink. He’d been doing it again. With every question she posed, every expression he’d been indulged with, he took in each of her delicate features: her perfectly groomed fingernails and slender fingers, the swell of her bottom lip, and the dramatic way her lashes draped over her big dark eyes each time she blinked, especially when she seemed rattled.

  “Okay, so, where were we?”

  She glanced down at her notebook; then there it was when she looked up and their eyes met again: that cute tilt of her head and the ever-curious twinkle in her eyes. His head was once again screaming the reminders at him as his heart thumped in his chest.

  “No fucking way?”

  With no other recourse because they were back to this, Leo nodded but said nothing, regretting now that he’d elaborated on that.

  “And you’re referring to a girlfriend?” she added.

  He was going back to his curt answers. No more elaborating on anything. So, he simply nodded.

  “Why’s that?’

  “Because I don’t do girlfriends.” Before she could think otherwise, he added, “I haven’t had a relationship with one in years that is, and I won’t ever again.”

  Alright, that’s enough. What the fuck happened to not elaborating? Oh, that’s right. His stupid ass just had to make sure she didn’t think he’d meant he did boyfriends. Like it mattered. Fucking idiot! That only added to her already too curious eyes.

  “May I ask why?”

  Once again, the voice in his head was cursing at him to say no—begging him to just shake his head and leave it at that. But as usual, instead of listening to those voices, before he could think it through further, the words—the scornful thoughts so full of contempt that were supposed to stay in his head—spewed out. “Because women are poison.”

  Seven

  Allison

  There were a couple of things about Leonardo that Allison had begun to pick up on. Aside from the subconscious habit she’d asked him about, there was something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but she’d seen it in his eyes more than once now. Not just today but that first day she interviewed him.

  Something made him nervous. Almost panicked him. Each time it’d been fleeting because it was obvious he did his best to hide it, but there’d been no missing it the few times Allison had caught it. Like now for instance. He’d made that last declaration with such conviction as if it were fact. Then just as quick, the panic flashed in his eyes as if he might take it back.

  Only he didn’t.

  There was no way Allison wasn’t biting now. “Women are poison?” She tried not to sound derisive since he was clearly serious.

  “They are,” he said with finality and without any trace of humor. “But again, I don’t think we have time to get into that, and I know it’s not anything you wanna hear about or need for your story.”

  “No, it wouldn’t be in the story,” she agreed, clearing her throat then taking another big sip of her drink as she glanced down at her notebook. “But I wouldn’t mind hearing you explain why you think that.” She cleared her stubborn-ass throat again then downed another sip before adding. “Not sure if I should be insulted or not.”

  “Do you realize you do that?” His question had her looking up, and to her surprise, his expression had gone soft again. “Is clearing your throat so much then taking a big swig of your drink your subconscious habit?” Just like earlier when he’d smiled the first time, her heart pitter-pattered seeing him do it again. “You do that a lot.”

  She nodded, needing a moment to catch her breath. That smile didn’t happen often, but having admitted to him that it was a nice one was a gross understatement. Good Lord, when it did happen, it was all-consuming. Just like earlier. Just seeing him walk into the gym had had her heart pounding erratically. All week she’d chickened out about approaching him. Obviously, he’d been ignoring her calls and texts, but she really was desperate to nail this story. So, she’d sucked it up today and just done it. Then they were caught in that . . . She wasn’t even sure what to call it, but she’d felt the air completely sucked out of her. Now the smile was doing the same thing to her all over again.

  Unlike when he was being all broody and it was difficult to make out, believe that something she’d done or said would spawn the puzzling hardened tone, there was no doubt about this. His smile was genuine. It was tender, and it was absolutely because of her. But had his amusement with her stupid dry throat really caused this complete change so suddenly?

  Just like the panic that had flashed in his eyes more times than Allison could keep track, now there was also something vulnerable about the way he—dare she even think it? Gazed at her now. Once again it was fleeting. His gaze didn’t morph into a hardened glare this time, but he did seem to catch himself, toning it down significantly.

  Letting out a slow subtle breath, Allison lifted her chin, and to her surprise, the amused gleam she’d seen in his eyes before made an appearance again.

  “I, uh . . .” She touched her hand to her throat as she annoyingly had to clear it again. “I get dry mouth sometimes, and it spreads to my throat.”

  Not sometimes. Only when she was incredibly unnerved, but she’d keep that part to herself. Now his smile flattened as his eyes lowered.

  “Are you okay?”

  Allison glanced down at her hand that was midway to her mouth, holding the can of energy drink, and felt embarrassed when she saw it. Her hand was shaking so visibly there was no way she could deny it. She set the can down a little too hard and it hit the table loudly.

  “I’m fine.” She touched her clammy forehead because she was suddenly feeling lightheaded, and her thumping heart could no longer be ignored. She’d chalked it up earlier to Leo being the reason it was racing so fast, but there was more to it now.

  “You sure?” The concern in his eyes warmed her as much as it mortified her. “You’re sweating—a lot.”

  Allison grabbed a napkin from the dispenser on the table and dabbed her forehead then her neck. Jesus, was she really going to do this? Pass out on the guy? From her rapidly speeding heartbeat, she could tell something was wrong.

  “How much caffeine did that thing have in it?” Allison motioned to the can in front of her.

  Leonardo’s eyes were immediately on the can; then he picked his up. “I don’t know, but the girl said it was just like Red—” He stopped when the girl walked by, clearing up the table next to them. “Paulina? You said this was just like Red Bull, right?”

  The girl turned to him then to Allison, who was still wiping her profusely sweating forehead with what she knew was a shaky-as-shit hand. The girl’s eyes widened a bit. “I said it tasted almost the same, but the biggest difference was it had the highest amount of caffeine of any energy drink on the market. I warned you—”

  “Oh God.” Allison stood up in a hurry. “I’m gonna be sick.”

  As if she wasn’t mortified enough, she rushed to the nearby trashcan because there was no way she was making it to the ladies’ room. Barely able to make it to the can, she proceeded to hurl into it loudly. The moment she felt a break in the nausea, at least long enough for her to make it to the ladies’ room, she made a mad dash there.

  Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! That didn’t just happen!

  Before she could give it another thought, she was on her knees inside one of the stalls, puking her brains out. When it felt safe to finally ju
st sit her ass down on the cold floor, she did and grabbed toilet paper from the dispenser to wipe off her mouth.

  “Are you gonna be okay?” Allison glanced up at Paulina from the juice bar, whom she hadn’t even noticed standing at the door of her stall. “Your boyfriend is really worried. He wants me to call someone to come in here.”

  “No, no, no!” Allison said, straightening out and attempting to get up but felt lightheaded again.

  Paulina grabbed her by the arm. “Are you sure?” Paulina asked again. “I could get Nellie or Ella for you. They’re both here right now.”

  “No.” Allison shook her head adamantly, regretting it instantly when it only made her dizzier, so she stopped. “I’m fine. Really. Between my meds and a protein drink I took before I got here that already had added energy inducers to help with my work out, drinking that energy drink was obviously not a good idea.”

  She’d leave out that not only had she drunk it, she’d guzzled it each time she’d needed to calm her nerves. The last thing she wanted was for any of this to get back to her worrywart sister, so getting two of the gym’s owner’s wives involved in this was out of the question.

  “I just need to wash my face, and I’ll be fine. This isn’t the first time this has happened.”

  Technically true. She’d felt lightheadedness and jitters before from too much caffeine but never anything like today. God, how could she be so stupid? Even a Red Bull, she drank slowly and never finished. Anything with caffeine, she drank sparingly. She just figured today a little pep might help with her altered nerves.

  “And he’s not my boyfriend by the way,” Allison explained as she glanced up from the sink, slightly flattered that anyone would even think it. “I was actually interviewing him for my college paper. I’m good now,” she added, aware she was still talking a mile a minute. “Can you just please tell him I’m fine and he can go to his training. I’d hate to make him late on my account.”

  “Okay,” Paulina said, not looking the least bit convinced, but Allison was feeling a little better.

  She smiled at Paulina, trying to reassure her, then looked down at her hand the moment she was alone. Her stupid hand was still shaking, and she took a deep breath. When she looked up into the mirror, she groaned. In her haste to bathe her face in the heavenly cold water, she didn’t even think of her makeup. She wasn’t wearing a whole lot to begin with. Lila was always very vocal about her annoyance with the girls that got all done up to work out. Clearly, they weren’t anticipating working up a sweat as much as they were anticipating trying to pick up guys.

  Allison had every intention of getting good and sweaty. She wasn’t exaggerating when she’d mentioned Nester working her out good. But she had wanted to look decent in case she finally got the nerve to approach Leonardo again. So, she’d applied a little eyeliner and blended in lip liner. Now any trace of makeup was washed completely clean.

  Oh well. She supposed it didn’t matter. Leonardo had likely already left to report to his training. He had seemed adamant about not having too much more time. Rinsing her mouth out a few times then wiping the few traces of smeared makeup from the corner of her eyes, she finally walked away and out of the ladies’ room.

  To her utter surprise, Leonardo was standing just outside the ladies’ room, holding her duffle bag. She’d been privy to many of his expressions, but the one on his face at that moment was a new one. Once again, the flash in his eyes was too noticeable. He seemed troubled at first glance, but as he took her in a little more, something changed, and as usual, she had no idea what to make of the odd way he stared at her. “I’m so sorry.”

  “About what?” she asked at a loss.

  “Paulina. She said she warned me more than once that for some people that shit can be way too strong.” He shook his head, looking almost wretched. “I don’t know how I missed that. I could’ve warned you.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Allison said, attempting to reassure him because he really did look sorry. “I should’ve known better. I never drink an entire Red Bull much less down it the way I did this drink. It just snuck up on me, I guess, but I’m fine now.”

  His eyes followed her hand as she attempted to run her fingers through her hair. Then to her surprise, he reached out and helped pull a strand of hair behind her ear. His hand lingered there for a moment until he moved it away, grazing her cheek and making her shiver in the process.

  “No, you’re not.” His concerned eyes went from where he’d just touched her, to her hand, then back to her eyes. “Your hands are still shaking. Maybe you should skip that Cross-Fit thing. Just for today.”

  Allison had to breathe in deeply to get over what something as simple as his touch did to her. Focusing on what he’d just said, she considered arguing that she was fine enough, but truth was she wasn’t feeling it. “Maybe I’ll just wait a little. Start the class a little late today.”

  “I don’t think you should.” The urgency in his tone surprised her. “I mean . . .” This time he did the throat-clearing thing. “You were sick, Ms. Allison. Scared the shit outta me. I mean—”

  “Ms. Allison?” She lifted her brow though she couldn’t help but smirk. “Really, Leonardo? I thought we were past this.”

  “Hey, Ali!”

  They both turned to Nester’s voice. He stuck his head out of the training room where she normally did her training.

  “We’re just waiting on you. You ready?”

  Allison and Leonardo exchanged a glance before she turned back to Nester. “I think I’m gonna pass today.”

  “What?” Nester asked, as surprised as she’d expected him to be. “It hasn’t even been a week.” He pushed the door open further then walked all the way out of the training room and toward them. “I know it’s hard at first, but I promise you it gets easier.”

  “I’m just not feeling too well suddenly.”

  Nester looked her over a bit guardedly, and she suspected Leonardo standing there with her had everything to do with it. “You look fine to me.” He smiled a bit suspiciously. “You sure you’re not just trying to get out of—?”

  “She’s not feeling well,” Leonardo reiterated for her in a tone so hard it had Allison’s head jerking in his direction. “I can vouch for her if there’s any doubt, but she’s not doing the class today.”

  There was a quick awkward silence, but Allison killed it before it got too uncomfortable. “I was sick to my stomach just now.” She motioned her still shaky thumb to the ladies’ room. “And I’m just not feeling up to working out anymore.”

  Nester’s expression changed from stunned by Leonardo’s lethal declaration, to concerned. “Are you sick?” He reached out and touched her shoulder. “You okay to drive home?”

  “I’m fine. I can drive. I just don’t feel up to a major workout.”

  “Understandable,” Nester said immediately then turned to Leonardo. “Didn’t mean to imply she was faking it.” He laughed nervously then glanced back at Allison. “But you’ve seen for yourself what the dropout rate has been so far, and it’s only the first week.”

  Allison shook her head with a smile. “Remember I’m a stubborn one. I’m determined to finish this even if it kills me. I’ll be here tomorrow, ready to go.”

  “Good.” Nester started to walk away still looking at her. “Not to scare you or anything, but you’ll be making up for today.”

  With a wink, he turned around and rushed back to the training room. Allison turned back to Leonardo, who eyed Nester then turned to her. “Shouldn’t you be at your training?” she asked, suddenly concerned. “I don’t wanna get you in trouble.”

  Leonardo shook his head. The softer concern in his eyes from earlier was gone now, replaced with his usual hardened expression. “I’m good. Trainers never get there on time anyway. We usually have a good fifteen to twenty minutes to warm up before they show up.”

  “Still.” Allison shook her head. “I’m okay now, and with my luck, today will be the first time they’re there on time. I d
on’t want to cause you any problems. Thank you for waiting to see if I was okay. I really am.”

  “And you’re sure you’re okay to drive?”

  “Absolutely.” She took a deep breath, grateful that she really was feeling better. “But lesson learned. I’m done with energy drinks. Never again.” She saw him wince, but before he could start apologizing again, she remembered something else. “Listen. My sister worries, like too much about everything when it comes to me. Can you, uh . . . not mention what happened today to anyone? You know like Gio or anyone that might mention it to her?”

  “I’m not much for talking.” His expression softened. “I don’t usually do too much chatting with anyone about anything other than what’s necessary.”

  Allison smiled as he nodded a silent goodbye and began walking away. Good to know. Not just because she didn’t want today’s mortifying incident to get back to Lila but all of this. This was way too close to Lila’s big fight, so Allison didn’t want any of it getting back to her: their texting, her continued interaction with this man, every bit of it, which reminded her . . .

  “Leonardo,” she called out, going after him.

  He slowed and turned to her. His expression wasn’t exactly an inviting one now. Then she remembered another thing and smiled big. “Uh . . . I mean Beast.” She caught up to him where he stood peering at her with a vacant expression. “Will you be here early again tomorrow? Or would you rather we finish the interview via text?”

  Assuming.

  She was doing it again, using the skills she’d been taught by her journalism professor and teachers since high school. You never confirmed whether you had the go-ahead to interview or further question a source. You only confirmed when and how would be best to move forward with it. Was it pushy? Yes, but it came with the territory. If she wanted to be successful in this business, compete with the multitude of other journalists out there trying to get the story first, she had to perfect the art of subtle aggression.