Once More (Mercy Heart #1) by Madeline Rooks Page A

planned on coming to work out after their all day meeting, so the guilt he had for listening in on Katelyn and Marc’s conversation earlier wasn’t made worse by feeling like a stalker.  From his vantage point, she hadn’t spotted him yet.  Though there were unoccupied machines on either side of her, he stopped himself from running up to one and hopping on.  Instead, he went to the free weights and started lifting while he watched her in the mirror.  She appeared to be concentrating very hard as she exercised.  It was no surprise to him that she looked even better than he remembered, especially with the way she was pounding it out on the treadmill.  Her muscular legs were showcased in running shorts, and she wore a sleeveless shirt that was wicking the moisture away from her skin, highlighting damp trails of perspiration.  She wore her curly hair longer now, and at this moment it was in a ponytail that bounced with the rhythm of her gait.  God, she is so gorgeous. Absolutely breathtaking. In that moment, Clem realized that, in fact, he had stopped breathing, and he was frozen mid-rep, holding two thirty pound weights up by his shoulders.  He blew out a breath and dropped the weights on the rack, shaking out his arms as he laid down for some bench presses.   Once he completed his reps, he sat up just in time to see her stop running.  She checked her watch and bent over to gather her things.  A man that looked like he had walked off the cover of a fitness magazine wearing skin tight athletic shorts and a very loose tank top that left a large portion of his smooth, muscular chest and defined arms exposed came up behind her, seeming to suggestively press his front to her back while he placed his large hands on her tiny hips.  Clem clenched his fists and shot up off the bench, but before he could get to her, she turned and smiled instantly.  Katelyn wrapped her arms around the man’s neck, and he hugged her back as he lifted her off the ground.  Her laughter could be heard across the gym.  Who is this guy?   He had assumed she was in a serious relationship with Marc, but this guy was extremely familiar with her as well.  Too familiar.  Who the hell is this guy?  Clem watched until the man put her down, fighting the urge to go to her and find out the identity of the asshole with his hands all over her.
    Katelyn looked her friend, Liam, up and down, and then checked his face for signs of fatigue.  “I’m surprised to see you here.  I figured you’d be slaving away on twenty-four hour shifts, sustaining on Red Bull and chocolate covered coffee beans since you have boards coming up.”  Katelyn tried to make light of it, but she was worried about him.  Liam Snow was in his residency here at Mercy Heart, a transplant to Fayetteville from the United Kingdom, and was in a very serious relationship with Sawyer, the ex-husband of Katelyn’s best friend, Janie, who, thankfully, all got along very well after the divorce.  Katelyn had been around the hospital long enough to see the sacrifice that the residents made to get through their internship and pass their boards, and, with no family here to watch over Liam, she was concerned he would work himself to death.
    “Love, you mustn’t worry so much.  I can see the light at the end of this vastly long tunnel.  And devouring any kind of chocolate is no way to keep this body in tip-top shape.  I work far too hard for this.”  He flexed as he spoke, and Katelyn laughed as she placated him, reaching up to squeeze his bicep.  Over his shoulder, she spotted Clem, looking delectable in a pair of athletic shorts and a form-fitting t-shirt with a towel draped around his neck.  If looks could kill, Liam would have already coded.  The jealousy on Clem’s face was more than evident.  Is he spying on me?  Surely not.  He couldn’t have known that she was going to be at the gym.  Could he?  
    “Kat, dear, is everything alright?  You have gone ghostly