Ten torturous minutes later, the class was over. Students milled around chatting. A few people smiled at Kay where she was still collapsed in a heap next to the wall.

She looked up to see Eli in the doorway. He’d pulled on an oversize sweatshirt, but he still looked like he was all muscle. The teachers all greeted him, but the blond one especially looked like she wanted to gobble him whole. Eli smiled at her and she placed a hand on his arm and leaned forward. She couldn’t have gotten any closer unless she crawled inside his sweatshirt with him.

Guess I was right.

Eli motioned her over. Kay struggled to her feet, too tired to even care if they saw. She crossed the room, dodging the other students who milled in small groups, chatting and laughing.

“Kay, I want you to meet someone.” Eli took her arm and pulled her against his side.

She immediately tried to pull back, not wanting him to feel how sweaty and gross she was. The blond instructor was still hovering near his elbow, so Kay fixed a smile on her face and turned toward her, ready to do the whole hi-how-are-ya thing, but to her surprise, Eli steered her in the opposite direction.

The brown-skinned girl with the seductive hips stepped forward and pulled Eli into a hug. “Where have you been, stranger?”

Eli shrugged. “Around. I’ve had a couple of jobs in the southern part of the state. You know how it is.”

“Unfortunately, I do.” The girl turned to Kaylee with a friendly smile. “This must be the friend you were talking about. Hi, I’m Janet Reed.” She stuck out her hand and Kay took it automatically.

“Um, hello,” Kay said finally, sure she sounded like an idiot. But the other woman wasn’t paying attention, already absorbed in a conversation with Eli about the recent changes he’d made to the gym’s security system.

They tried to include her in the conversation, but Kay couldn’t do much more than smile and make appropriately vague noises of agreement. Her mind was in too much of an uproar for her to make conversation. She surveyed the other woman with open curiosity. This was Janet Reed? The girl with the big hips and the even bigger smile? She glanced up at Eli. He didn’t seem to notice her befuddlement because he was too busy chatting with Janet.

Finally Janet hugged Eli again and waved good-bye to Kay before trotting over to one of the other students. Eli watched her go with a wistful smile before turning to Kay. “Are you ready to go?”

She shrugged and took another pull of her energy drink, trying desperately to get her thoughts together. As they walked out of the gym toward the nursery to pick up Hope, she finally said, “So, that’s the Janet Reed, huh?”

He winked and leaned down to whisper, “I told you she was perfect.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

“SO, DID YOU enjoy the class? It’s pretty intense at first,” Eli asked as they drove away from the gym, Hope safely buckled into the backseat.

Kay shot him an incredulous look. “Intense is walking up a few flights of stairs. That was taking my life in my hands. I could barely breathe, and I didn’t even do the whole class. It was still fun though.”

They shared a chuckle at the thought. He’d noticed her slumped down in the corner when he’d first entered the studio but had chosen not to mention it. He’d assumed she hadn’t enjoyed the class due to her murderous look when he’d first seen her.

“Janet’s been teaching dance classes for years. She always loved to dance, even in high school.”

He could feel Kay’s eyes on him, but he didn’t dare turn to look at her. Just the heat of her gaze on his skin was dangerous enough.

Eli knew he’d shocked Kay. Her face was so expressive. She’d been completely stunned when he introduced her to Janet. She’d also seemed a lot more relaxed and comfortable after meeting her. Janet had given him a sly look behind Kay’s back and a thumbs-up. She’d apparently figured out the real reason he’d wanted her to meet Kay. Not that he minded.

“That’s your idea of perfect, huh?” she whispered.

He knew what she was really asking. If that was his idea of perfect, then how did he feel about her? Was she perfect?

“It is. Healthy, strong, curvy, and loving life. It doesn’t get any better than that.” His fingers tightened around the steering wheel, the truth making him feel uncharacteristically vulnerable. His answer was way too revealing, but Kay needed to hear it more than he needed to protect himself.

Kay was quiet for a few minutes. They turned off the highway and onto the quiet residential streets leading to his house.

“I need to understand why.”

Her quiet plea got his attention. “What?”

“The why of it. I need to know why we can’t be together. You can’t just keep telling me that you’re not good for me. Because as soon as you do that, you turn around and do things like this. Perfect things. Things that make me fall for you all over again.”

Eli’s heart banged an extra rhythm in his chest. The ache in her voice was a killer. Second only to the tears sparkling in her eyes.

“Kay—” Her name from his lips was a ragged plea. For her to stop, for her to keep going. Hell, he had no idea.

“Do you know what Danny and I were talking about in the restaurant that night? Before everything happened?” she interrupted. She turned from the window to face him. Damn, she was magnificent, so strong and resolute as she faced off with him.

He shook his head.

“We were talking about how much it sucks to have your heart held hostage. To be stuck in a holding pattern, waiting to see if the person you care for will ever see you the same way. Will ever want you the same way.”