Ahead of the Darkness by Simone Nicole Page B

have me up half the night after all,” Did I just say that? It wasn’t a lie as such, but the look on the girls face was complete disbelief. I could almost see her heart jump out of her chest and shatter on the floor. I internally sniggered at the cow. Drew eyes lit with mischief as he winked at me, his dimpled smirk making its first appearance.
    “Aye, who kept who up? Get on with ye. Ye’ve got five minutes before I come in after ye. I’m going to work ye even harder.” He slapped my bum, and I yelped. The poor girl; she looked like I’d just crushed her dreams. Oops.
    ~~~~~~
    I emerged from the change room to find Drew stretching on the mats. His impressive frame was exaggerated in a similar fitted tank top and shorts to what I’d seen him wearing the first time I met him. I could see all the muscle in his forearms as he stretched out his legs, and I wished I stretched before I came out. I felt exposed in my gym shorts and Lycra top. I hadn’t been thinking I would have an audience this early on a Sunday.
    I stopped watching Drew and found my own spot, a safe distance from Drew on the mat, and began my warm up.
    “I was beginning to think I would have to come and get ye. Ye took long enough.”
    “I tied my laces extra tight this time.” I smiled at the stupidity of that statement, but Drew laughed heartily. The daggers directed my way grew in intensity and I just shook my head.
    “That poor girl. Drew, you probably broke her heart.” I imitated the way she batted her eyelashes at him, and he rolled his eyes.
    “How was that my fault? Ye started it, I just ... played along.”
    “I didn’t lie, exactly. It’s not my fault if she misinterpreted what I said. Besides, it served her right for blowing me off the minute she caught sight of you.”
    “Aye, jealousy makes people do daft things.” I frowned at his subtle implication. Jealous, how absurd. I got up and headed for the treadmills, leaving Drew chuckling quietly to himself.
    “Hold up, what’s ye regular routine?”
    “I don’t have one. I run or bike mostly, but if there is a punching bag I play around with that.”
    “I dinnae pick ye for a sporadic trainer.”
    “You would have been wrong. I, however, did pick you as the anally-inclined exerciser.” His apartment was too orderly. He frowned, but didn’t argue.
    “Aye, we’ll do it yer way today.” I looked at him, confused. “Tomorrow, we do it my way.”
    “Who says I’m coming tomorrow?” He smirked at me as we powered up our treadmills. “Damn it.” I’d left my music in the lockers, but I wondered if it would be rude to tune out Drew with headphones. It was why I came to the gym, after all. “There’s no music ...”
    “Aye, it dinnae work yesterday, mind.” I pouted. “I’ll keep ye entertained.” Well damn .
    I sighed and turned the machine up to a brisk jog, and hoped if I was running that he wouldn’t expect a conversation out of me. He matched pace easily, looking like he was out for a friendly stroll.
    I kept glancing sideways at Drew. Neither one of us talked, but gradually increased our speed until I was at a run and Drew was at a brisk jog. After twenty minutes of this, Drew reached over to turn mine up faster. I tried futilely to swat his hand away, but the increasing pace was making it hard to do anything but move my feet.
    “Drew, what are you, trying, to do? Kill me?” I huffed out between my increasingly ragged breaths.
    “I want to see how fast ye can run. Ye legs look pretty powerful. Show me what ye got, Green.” Damn it. The bastard had me. I couldn’t turn down the challenge. He matched pace, finally running himself. Did he say he liked my legs?
    “That’s. Not. Fair. You. Have. Longer. Legs. Faster. Go faster. ”
    “I thought ye’d never ask.” He winked, and laughed at his own sexual innuendo.
    Concentrate, damn it! I admonished myself. Falling on my face at this speed would not be ideal. I powered through ten minutes, fifteen, and