back to mine. His fingers entered me, thrusting deep inside. With a gasp, I raised my hips. I wanted more than his fingers, but before I could pull away long enough to say those words, the burning grew hotter, and my mind numbed to anything but sensation.
It traveled through me in a hot rush, setting off tiny explosions as it went from the core of my body. I ground against his hand, needing to find the release only Nate could give me.
“That’s right, Liz, come on, baby,” he whispered, moving his fingers to the rhythm of my movements, to the sound of my moans. I pulled his face back to mine. I wanted my tongue in his mouth when I came. At that moment, I would have swallowed him whole if I could.
I whimpered, pushed against his hand again, and suddenly everything exploded in a burst of light, sensation, and pleasure. “Oh my,” I murmured, riding the crest, still moving my hips against him as my entire body melted from the release, from the heat.
Nate kept his hand there, but laid his head on my chest, playing with my breast with his other hand. “This should feel odd, but it doesn’t,” he said quietly. “Are you good?”
“I’m good. I’m very good.” Though, I must admit, I was now a bit shy. Crazy, but there you have it. “I feel kind of bad, though. What did you get from this?”
“More than you know. This was exactly what I needed to-night. Thank you.”
“Whenever you feel that particular need, let me know,” I laughed. A few minutes passed, with neither of us speaking. A little while later, I asked, “Are you doing better now?”
Lifting his head, he kissed me slowly. “Yes. You could say I’m a new man.”
I stroked his cheek, like I had wanted to earlier, and soaked in his gaze. “I’m glad.”
“Hey, Elizabeth?”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t think you should say you suck at follow-through anymore,” Nate said with a chuckle.
“I don’t know. You were the follow-through that time.”
Another laugh, and then his head came back to my chest. I closed my eyes, enjoyed the weight of him, the feel of his body against mine, the solidity of it, and simply relaxed.
Tired, I yawned, and began drifting off. Then, the banana muffins came to mind, followed by the brownies, and I had to wonder if the night’s magic was real or simply the result of Miranda’s gypsy magic.
At the moment, I wasn’t sure I cared.
Chapter Six
“Sit up, back straight, legs even, knees out. Pull your arms slightly to the back and slowly push the weights in toward you, but not too close. See how my feet are flat on the floor? This is the posture you want when you’re using this machine,” said Kevin, my hunky trainer, as he demonstrated.
It looked simple enough. Even better, it wasn’t hard on the eyes watching him work out. With his rippled physique, chocolate brown eyes, tawny complexion, and almost-to-his-shoulder chestnut hair, Kevin had it going on. In fact, there were plenty of muscle-bound gym guys at Steel Bodies. There were also numerous women with, well, yeah—steel bodies. I fit in about as well as a carrot in a box of donuts. Well, I wasn’t the carrot, but the analogy is still valid.I couldn’t help but wonder what my mother thought when she came in to get the gift certificate. The gym was close to A Taste of Magic, and my mother was well aware of my innate laziness, so it probably seemed a perfect fit. But it wasn’t a polished and pretty gym. The people there were definitely serious about fitness.
“Your turn, Elizabeth,” Kevin said. He adjusted the machine and waited for me to hop on. As if.
“Could you show me one more time? I’m not exactly sure I understand how to use it.”
He smiled, and his dimples appeared again. I loved dimples.
“It’s easy. I’ll help you.” He put his hand on my hip and pushed me toward the machine. Hesitantly, I slid on the seat and tried to take the position he’d just shown me.
“This can’t be right. It feels as if my shoulders are going to pop out of joint,” I said, my arms stretched behind me.
“You’re holding them too far back.” He gently repositioned everything. “There, like this. Slowly push forward. There you go. See, you’re doing great.” He moved directly in front of the machine. “We’re only going to start with two sets of twelve reps. It’ll be a breeze.”