muttering something below his breath. “We need to work on the machines now, so are you going to behave?” He nodded again.
Jena let go slowly, watching Tom carefully; he seemed disinclined to attack again so she handed him his crutches and helped him hobble to the first machine. The rest of the session went well, though half of Jena’s attention was always following Travis and Nicholas around the room. Finally the routine was almost over, and Jena was anticipating a quick dash to the changing room to hide until Nicholas was gone when the Lickin’ Loser decided to try again.
“Okay, last set.” As she turned toward the last machine, Jena’s head jerked back slightly. She sighed as she realized that Dumbass had grabbed her braid. “Damn it, Finley! I’ve had enough of this crap. Let me go now.”
He shook Jena’s braid and pulled her toward him, chuckling. “What if I don’t want to, honey?”
Enough screwing around , Jena thought.
“Tom, this is your last chance. I know the coach has been ordered to cut you from the team if there are any more incidents of sexual harassment, and this qualifies, stupid.”
He just tugged her back a little more. Jena glanced across the room, and spotted Nicholas and Travis watching closely, Nicholas with concern. Travis knew better than to step in.
“Dumbass,” Jena muttered, turning quickly and grabbing the wrist of Tom’s clutching hand, pressing on a nerve that she knew would cause his fingers to immediately relax. The excruciating pain was just a side benefit. She almost felt sorry for him as his high, drilling shriek rang out, and he clutched the hand to his chest. Problem solved.
Jena almost forgot her audience as she checked Finley’s hand and sent him on his way. Just in case he rediscovered he had balls, she quickly wrote up the incident and reminded herself to get Travis to include a verifying note.
The tiny hairs that had escaped from Jena’s braid during the fracas suddenly stiffened, and she was surrounded by a very familiar scent.
“Jena?” Nicholas’s voice was low and rich, and in this moment, unsure.
Jena felt her shoulders slump forward a tiny bit more before she gathered her courage, raised her head, and turned to face him.
Her dreams hadn’t even begun to do him justice. Even her memory fell short. When she had last seen Nicholas in college, he was a beautiful young man, lithe and lean. Her memory of their New Year’s Eve tryst was clouded by booze, darkness, and lust. Now Jena had her hands full just trying not to stare.
Oh, my Lord , Jena thought. I slept with that. Fuck me.
Jena realized she had stared a second too long, because his already tentative smile began to fade. Oh, right. He was talking now.
“You are Jena Baker, right? I saw you across the room, and I’ve been trying to decide,” Nicholas said in a rush. “I asked…Travis, right? He said you went to UO…” Nick’s words trailed off, to be replaced by an awkward silence as color began to rise from his shirt collar.
Time to stop staring at him. Speak, stupid!
She shot a grinning Travis a death glare before shaking her head slightly and answering Nicholas, looking somewhere in the region of his chin to avoid his eyes. “Oh…yeah. Hi.”
Nicholas’s smile widened, and he reached out for an awkward left-handed shake. “Wow, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” He held Jena’s hand for a second longer than normal before dropping it.
She felt herself flush. New Year’s had been a while ago, true, but not so long that Jena had forgotten the feel of his stubbly chin on her stomach, or his tongue, or…
“Yeah, it has.” Jena shifted uneasily, regretting her decision to stare at his chin. It was simply too close to his neck, where she found her attention focused on the tendon she had nibbled on until he moaned.
Dragging her eyes upward, Jena smiled. “What have you been up to, Nicholas?”
He shrugged, leaning against the machine behind him. “I’ve been
Jena let go slowly, watching Tom carefully; he seemed disinclined to attack again so she handed him his crutches and helped him hobble to the first machine. The rest of the session went well, though half of Jena’s attention was always following Travis and Nicholas around the room. Finally the routine was almost over, and Jena was anticipating a quick dash to the changing room to hide until Nicholas was gone when the Lickin’ Loser decided to try again.
“Okay, last set.” As she turned toward the last machine, Jena’s head jerked back slightly. She sighed as she realized that Dumbass had grabbed her braid. “Damn it, Finley! I’ve had enough of this crap. Let me go now.”
He shook Jena’s braid and pulled her toward him, chuckling. “What if I don’t want to, honey?”
Enough screwing around , Jena thought.
“Tom, this is your last chance. I know the coach has been ordered to cut you from the team if there are any more incidents of sexual harassment, and this qualifies, stupid.”
He just tugged her back a little more. Jena glanced across the room, and spotted Nicholas and Travis watching closely, Nicholas with concern. Travis knew better than to step in.
“Dumbass,” Jena muttered, turning quickly and grabbing the wrist of Tom’s clutching hand, pressing on a nerve that she knew would cause his fingers to immediately relax. The excruciating pain was just a side benefit. She almost felt sorry for him as his high, drilling shriek rang out, and he clutched the hand to his chest. Problem solved.
Jena almost forgot her audience as she checked Finley’s hand and sent him on his way. Just in case he rediscovered he had balls, she quickly wrote up the incident and reminded herself to get Travis to include a verifying note.
The tiny hairs that had escaped from Jena’s braid during the fracas suddenly stiffened, and she was surrounded by a very familiar scent.
“Jena?” Nicholas’s voice was low and rich, and in this moment, unsure.
Jena felt her shoulders slump forward a tiny bit more before she gathered her courage, raised her head, and turned to face him.
Her dreams hadn’t even begun to do him justice. Even her memory fell short. When she had last seen Nicholas in college, he was a beautiful young man, lithe and lean. Her memory of their New Year’s Eve tryst was clouded by booze, darkness, and lust. Now Jena had her hands full just trying not to stare.
Oh, my Lord , Jena thought. I slept with that. Fuck me.
Jena realized she had stared a second too long, because his already tentative smile began to fade. Oh, right. He was talking now.
“You are Jena Baker, right? I saw you across the room, and I’ve been trying to decide,” Nicholas said in a rush. “I asked…Travis, right? He said you went to UO…” Nick’s words trailed off, to be replaced by an awkward silence as color began to rise from his shirt collar.
Time to stop staring at him. Speak, stupid!
She shot a grinning Travis a death glare before shaking her head slightly and answering Nicholas, looking somewhere in the region of his chin to avoid his eyes. “Oh…yeah. Hi.”
Nicholas’s smile widened, and he reached out for an awkward left-handed shake. “Wow, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” He held Jena’s hand for a second longer than normal before dropping it.
She felt herself flush. New Year’s had been a while ago, true, but not so long that Jena had forgotten the feel of his stubbly chin on her stomach, or his tongue, or…
“Yeah, it has.” Jena shifted uneasily, regretting her decision to stare at his chin. It was simply too close to his neck, where she found her attention focused on the tendon she had nibbled on until he moaned.
Dragging her eyes upward, Jena smiled. “What have you been up to, Nicholas?”
He shrugged, leaning against the machine behind him. “I’ve been
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