acceptance of it—gave him hope. He was beginning to feel emotions for Victoria that he had never felt for any woman. Maybe it was time to act on those emotions. Unlike Tanner Jamison, he had no problem claiming her as someone he wanted in his life.
“It’s time for me to let you leave here, while I have a mind to do so,” he said, dropping his arms to his sides and taking a step back.
She nodded and when he opened the car door for her, she quickly got inside. “We’re still on for breakfast in the morning?” he asked her, hoping their kiss wouldn’t scare her off.
“Yes, we’re still on for breakfast. Good night, Roman.”
“Pleasant dreams, Victoria.”
As she drove off, he stood rooted in place until her vehicle was no longer in sight.
* * *
VICTORIA LICKED HER lips all the way home, certain she could still taste Roman on them. That had been some kiss and she had enjoyed every single moment of it. He’d said it had been something he’d wanted to do, and she’d been honest by letting him know it was something she had wanted him to do, as well.
A short while later she arrived home and was getting ready for bed. All types of emotions began taking over. Had that kiss meant anything? Where would it lead? Did she want it to lead anywhere? It hadn’t bothered her that she’d shared a hot kiss with Roman and not Tanner.
As she slid between the sheets, she was still thinking about the kiss. It had been everything she’d dreamed it would be and then some. Now the major question was how they would handle the morning after, when they met at the café. She hoped she’d made it clear that she didn’t regret tonight. If she needed to make it clear again, she would.
CHAPTER TWELVE
EARLY FRIDAY MORNING, Tanner walked through the doors of Evans’s Gym with his duffel bag in hand and glanced around. Over the last two days he had done his research, and now concluded the gym located in downtown New Orleans was owned by Lyric Evans’s parents, Jack and Leigh Ann Evans. And thanks to a rather chatty blonde he’d met when he had dropped by the NOFD yesterday to file the compliance paperwork, he learned that as a code enforcement inspector Lyric Evans worked out in the field ten hours a day, four days a week, and was off every Friday. He took a chance that he would find her here.
“Welcome to Evans’s Gym,” a smiling older woman said at the front desk. Her name tag said she was Leigh Ann. So this was Lyric’s mother. He could see the resemblance around the eyes. “Are you a member or do you want to sign up for a membership?”
What he really wanted was to see her daughter, but, of course, he wouldn’t tell her that. “A membership would be nice.”
The woman’s smile broadened. “Long or short term?”
“How short is short?” he asked. There was no need to come here any longer than he had to. Lyric Evans had rubbed him the wrong way and he didn’t like it one bit.
“We have a three-month membership package.”
“I’ll take it,” he said, whipping his credit card out of his wallet. “And by the way, I want a personal trainer. I prefer a female and the only days I can come are Friday or the weekends.” That’s something he’d learned from his research. Lyric Evans helped out her parents as a personal trainer on her off days.
“Okay, let me see who I have available,” she said, checking a file.
To save her time, he said, “Someone I know mentioned there was a Lyric who worked well with him, so if she’s still around, I’ll take her.” He doubted the woman had any idea how badly he wanted to take her...in more ways than one.
“Let me check Lyric’s schedule. She’s usually full on Friday mornings.”
He bit back from telling her that no one else would do when she said, “I do have a Friday morning slot from eight to nine with Lyric and a Saturday afternoon slot at three to four.”
“I’ll take the Friday morning. Starting today.”
“All right. That will be an extra fifty dollars each week for Lyric. But I’ll tell you now she’s good so be prepared for a good workout each time.”
He smiled. “I’m counting on it.” It was on the tip of his tongue to tell the woman her daughter had a bad attitude, and it was