Two Steps Back (Hunter Hayes fanfic Bk.3)

Too Much for Britt

"Jill! Ash! Britt! I'm going to the benches, okay?"

Bethany stumbled out of the Zumba class she and her gym buddies were attending. Unfortunately, her knee was protesting the high-impact exercise too much for her to stand, so she opted instead to work on her upper body some more. She hadn't quite reached her goal with bench pressing yet, but she felt like she was definitely close.

She hadn't thought about it before she was stacking the weights on the end of one bench's bar, but she really shouldn't bench press without a spotter. She groaned, but limped over to the front counter anyway to ask if a personal trainer was available to assist her.

"Hey, yeah. Do you think I can get a spotter over at that bench over there?"

The lady behind the desk smiled and nodded, but a man's voice from behind Bethany answered.

"No need, Rae," he said. Bethany turned to see Jordan smiling at the lady behind the counter as he handed her his member card. "I'll spot her."

Bethany cocked her head to the side questioningly.

"Jordan? I didn't know you used this gym."

Jordan shrugged. "I don't, usually. Last week, my membership ran out at my previous gym, and I was ready for a change. Rae told me she worked here, so I figured it would be worth it to check it out."

Rae laughed. "Jordan's been a member of every gym in town, practically."

Jordan chuckled, too, but felt the need to explain, so he said to Beth, "Rae used to work at the clinic with me, but she decided to pursue her side job instead. She's a damn good personal trainer, though, so who can blame her?" He smiled warmly at Rae. "It's good to see you, Rae. C'mon, Beth, I'll spot you."

Bethany followed him over to the bench she'd prepared, and Jordan worked diligently with her. He managed to have her lift more than she'd loaded, but she still was going to need a while longer to reach her ultimate goal.

When she had finished with the bench, Jordan packed a few extra weights on the end and asked her to spot him as well.

"I'm not sure I'll be much help if it turns out you can't lift this," she laughed. "You may end up crushed!"

He grinned, laying down anyway and placing his hand on the bar.

"I think between the two of us, we'll be fine. Besides, I wouldn't mind being crushed here as long as your face is the last thing I see." He winked, but starting pumping the iron up and down before Bethany had a chance to even blush.

She lay in wait beside him, holding her breath every time he struggled. He never needed her help though, and twenty or thirty reps later he was off the bench, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. Bethany helped him wipe the bench and replace the weights, then they moved on to the hand held weights.

Working out with Jordan was nice. It was different from working with the girls. They were great, but were too often checking their imperfections in the mirrors on the wall or complaining that they weren't losing enough weight, or laughing over how awful someone looked all red and sweaty. They were great girls, but sometimes Bethany just wanted the chance to get really into her workout without judgment.

Jordan pushed her to do better. When she would stop for a moment, he would shake his head and give her a taunting look, or tease her. She had never been one to back down from a dare, and his teasing was a definite dare.

Before she knew it, Brittany, Jill, and Ashley had returned from their Zumba class and were searching the gym for Bethany.

"There you are," Britt said, wiping her brow and smiling at Beth. "We're getting ready to go. Are you ready?"