“You can. But it will be a lot easier without a hangover. Not to mention people do stupid stuff when they’re drunk.”
“Speaking from experience?”
She digs her shoe into the sand and shrugs.
“The dickhead?”
She nods.
“What can I say? Guys can be assholes.”
She studies me. “Are you an asshole, Liam?”
“You tell me.”
“I’ve only known you for a short time. The jury is still out, but you came dangerously close last night.”
Guilt twists my insides. “Shit, Ella, I put the moves on you, didn’t I?”
“No, but you ran off a guy who did.”
I run a hand through my hair. “Someone tried to pick you up last night?”
“I thought it was kind of ballsy, considering I was sitting at a table with mostly men, not to mention Thor was standing close by.”
“Did you want to hook up with him?”
“Of course not. I told you I’m down here to forget about a man, not have a fling with one.”
“Well, as my friend I give you permission to tell me if and when I cross the threshold to assholery.”
“So if we’re out drinking, and you get out of control, I have the authority to make you stop?”
I think about all the stupid shit I’ve done when tying one on, Ronni being the most recent of said shit. Then I think about what Ronni said about me being reckless. Maybe having someone around to keep me grounded is exactly what I need. Plus, it might be refreshing to actually remember everything about my nights for once. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
A smile lights up her face. “This could be fun. It’ll be like you’re my bitch. You have to do everything I say.”
I take a step closer. “Let’s make this clear. Nobody is the boss of me. I’m only talking about the drinking, Ella.”
“I was joking, Liam.” She looks guilty, and I feel like a goddamn douche.
“Come on. I’m ready now.”
A little farther down the beach, my phone vibrates. I use it as an excuse to stop again.
“You’re never going to be able to do this if you don’t push yourself,” she says.
I hold up my phone. “Text from Queen Bitch of the universe.” Ella jogs around me in circles as I read it. “Holy shit!”
“What is it?” She stops and her head brushes my shoulder as she peeks at my phone.
I ignore the shockwave coursing through me. “She’s lined up an interview at a radio station in three hours.”
“Sounds exciting.”
“Hell yes, it does. We should head back to get ready.”
She shoots me a scolding stare. “We have three hours, Liam. I’m not letting you bail. I know running isn’t fun at first. But if you give it a chance, you may come to crave it. It’s exhilarating. It’s even relaxing in some ways. It’s freeing.”
While my body wants me to quit, I can’t deny her passion. I’d be a douchebag if I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain. “Fine, let’s go.”
We run. She tries to make conversation, but I’m just trying to fucking breathe.
“Back there, you said we had to get ready. You don’t really want me to go with you to the interview, do you?”
“You’re … going,” I huff.
I make her stop several more times before she concedes we’re done for the day. “Two miles,” she says. “Not bad for your first try.”
“Yeah, but I could only run twenty damn feet at a time.”
“That’s not true. You ran eight quarter-miles. You’ll improve quickly. I bet tomorrow you’ll run a half mile without stopping.”
“We have to do this again tomorrow?”
“At least three days a week, remember? Your legs probably feel like Jell-O right now, and you might wake up sore, but that just means it’s working. We’re going to whip you into shape in no time.”
“You don’t think I’m in shape?”
She peruses my body. I’m not wearing a shirt—we are on the beach, after all. She looks at my shoulders, arms, and bare middle. When her eyes track across my shorts to my legs, my dick jumps.
Her eyes snap to mine. Yeah, she saw it.
“I’m, um, talking about making you healthy on the inside.”
“Because my outside is already perfect?”
She rolls her eyes and starts toward the hotel. “Narcissistic musicians.”
I stand behind her in the elevator as we ride up to our floor. She has an incredible body. I can see every curve of it through her spandex shorts and running bra, and she’s one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met. She doesn’t feed me