What Would It Take

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The treadmill beeped, indicating Sailor was reaching the peak of her workout.

She pumped her arms and legs faster still, trying to run off the frustration Saxton caused her.

She let out an audible ugh and kept going. She wouldn’t think of him.

She’d woken up this morning feeling better. Her friends had been great as they’d binge watched Outlander and pigged out on Chinese food. No one had mentioned Saxton or anything serious at all. It had been exactly what she’d needed. Just a good

old-fashioned night with the girls, vegging out. Then Saxton had gone and ruined her morning by looking like he did and being so God damn sexy. The gym’s TV was muted, but on a sports channel, Saxton’s face flashed on the screen.

“Ugh!” she screamed just as the gym door opened.

“What did that poor treadmill ever do to you?” Saxton asked with a little laugh.

At the sound of his voice, Sailor lost her footing and slipped, smacking hard into the treadmill before it threw her onto the gym floor. She cursed loudly and stayed there, breathing hard.

Saxton had rushed to her side and lifted her from the ground. As he placed one strong arm behind her back and one under her legs, her arms slipped around his neck on their own accord and she laid her head on his chest. Got Damn Saxton Crawford. He lifted her with ease and carried her to a bench in the corner of the room. Instead of setting her down, he sat with her in his lap. His face pinched in concentration as he examined her for injury.

“Are you okay?”

Feeling mortified, Sailor buried her hot face into his broad chest, breathing in the scent of him. It was like spices and male. All masculine and unique to him. Why did he have to smell so good? She cursed under her breath, and he tensed.

“I’m fine. No physical injuries. Just a tremendously bruised ego.” Her voice sounded muffled. She felt his breaths and heartbeat because, of course, the sexy bastard wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his tanned skin felt smooth.

“You sure about that, beautiful?”

Sailor nodded into his chest, and his arms tightened ever so slightly. Her traitorous body involuntarily relaxed against him. Why did he have this effect on her? Oh, wait, she knew why. Because he was Saxton fucking Crawford. Sexiest man alive.

Momentary silence fell between them, their breaths the only sound in the room until Saxton spoke. “Can I ask you a question?”

What the hell? Why not?

She silently nodded into his chest again. “Why do you hate me so much?”

Sailor unlaced her arms from around his neck and sat up, looking into his turquoise eyes. “I don’t hate you, Saxton.”

He raised one eyebrow as if to say really. “Okay, Sailor. If you don’t hate me, then what’s with all the hostility?”

Sailor pushed at his chest. “I’m not hostile, Sax.” He grinned at her. “You called me Sax.”

She gave him a pointed look. “Are you going to let me finish?”

He pursed his lips in a way that looked as if he were trying to stop grinning.

With a nod, he gave her the go-ahead to keep talking.

Sailor blew out a breath and began again. “You just make me nervous, and I react badly. Also, for the record, until you showed up, I was a perfectly normal, walking- talking human being. No spontaneous and uncontrollable foul mouth or stumbling or dropping stuff.”