Just One Night Together (Flatiron Five Fitness #3) - Deborah Cooke Page 0,50

he asked.

“Wednesday,” she admitted.

“Was it a good class?”

“Yes. I learned about meridians.” She turned to study him when he nodded. “I thought maybe you taught the class.”

“No. We hire experts whenever we can. I mostly do personal appointments. I step in when necessary. And I do a lot of weight-lifting programs and coaching.”

“Is that your area of expertise?”

“Kind of.” Damon knew the cab driver was listening and also understood that Haley needed him to surrender more personal information to her. “I specialized in personal weight training before I joined F5F. I met Kyle at a gym where I used to coach.”

“Did you compete? Is that why you coach?”

He shook his head. “No, I needed a job, and training was something I understood. I had to prove myself at that gym, but that didn’t worry me. Training is all about persistence and consistency, keeping your stance, pushing a little bit harder every time. You have to make a commitment to succeed and there are no overnight successes.”

“Why’d you understand training so well?”

“I always lifted weights.”

Haley nodded. “Oh. I thought maybe you’d learned that in the service.”

Damon turned to stare at her, but she had leaned forward to direct the driver to her building. He pulled out his wallet, but she’d already paid the fare and gotten out of the cab. The driver was watching him in the mirror, so Damon got out, wondering what she had planned.

Was she changing her mind?

And how had she known that he’d served?

The cab pulled away and he strode to the curb, fighting the sense that she’d snuck through one of his checkpoints. “Changing your mind?” he asked gruffly.

“No, but I thought you might be.” She smiled up at him. “I think I found a secret.”

“It’s not a secret.” He felt defensive, though, and exposed. Surprised.

“Just one of those things you don’t tell anybody. Do your partners know you served?”

“I don’t know. I never told them I did.”

“Why not? Aren’t you proud of it?”

Proud didn’t begin to describe how Damon felt of his years of active service. He gave her a hostile look. “It’s over and it has nothing to do with F5F.”

“But it has a lot to do with you, and why you are the way you are,” she said. She unlocked the security door. “And really, if you want it to be that big of a secret, you should slouch.”

He was left staring after Haley as she walked into the building. He admired the bounce in her step and the confidence in her claim—and her conviction that he’d follow right behind. She could have led him just about anywhere and Damon would have followed. That was a warning and he took note of it. There could never be more between them than there was now, so this had to really be the last time with Haley.

Damon would make it count.

He’d give her a night to remember.

Damon didn’t say anything more until they were inside Haley’s apartment. He didn’t even speak then and she wondered if she’d really shaken him by making one good guess. She turned on the light and was closing the blinds when she heard his coat drop to the chair.

She glanced over her shoulder to find him close behind her, intent hot in his eyes. He caught her in his arms and spun her around, his grip gentle but resolute, then bent to kiss her.

And the tom jumped him from behind.

She’d actually forgotten about the cat, particularly as he hadn’t been in sight when they entered the apartment. He moved quickly, lunging out the shadows, and she was amazed by how high he could leap. He was on Damon’s shoulders, digging his claws into the skin, teeth bared as he hissed.

“What the...?” Damon cried as the cat clawed his ear. He seized the cat by the scruff of his neck and tossed him to the floor. The tom landed on his feet, then hunkered down and hissed. There was venom in that sound and his tail lashed.

Well. She had a protector. Apparently, fish was the way to the tom’s heart.

“New roommate,” she said lightly as the pair glared at each other, each poised to thrash the other. “He’s still learning his manners.”

“I’ll say.” Damon eyed the cat with suspicion.

The cat glared at Damon with even more.

“It should be illegal for there to be so much testosterone in the air,” she said and Damon flicked a glance at her.

“Does it attack everyone?”

“Him, not it. I don’t know. I’ve only had him since