Maya
Not a bad view being outdoors at all. The handsome man beside me in turquoise running shoes, baggy grey gym shorts and a tight black sleeveless—not shirtless as I pictured—rivaled the desertscapes and mountains in the distance.
“I wouldn’t mind having a condo out here.” It always seemed to be sunny in Palm Springs when it was raining and cold everywhere else in the winter.
“Good weather.”
“That one’s nice.” I pointed to a row of two-story, modern, townhouse-style structures behind a gate. In light of the shit going on, added security seemed necessary.
My running companion didn’t say much and when he did reply he used very few words. I did note that his words were precise and clear while mine came out in a pant—breathless in nature. I was used to running a mile just about every day and still it affected me. Maybe it was the fresh air or something to do with being in the desert or altitude. Maybe it was that I was talking too much and concentrating more on Logan than myself. Whatever it was, he had me wondering how many miles he could go…
Did he pant or get out of breath when he had sex?
Had I kept focused to the run and not his hotness, I may not have stumbled on a stupid little rock and went down. I felt so stupid as Logan picked me up off the ground.
“Are you okay?”
“Fine.”
Not really. I was as embarrassed as I had been in ballet class. Gracefulness was not my forte and I never could even fake it. The other ballerinas flew through the air with their hands elegantly posed. Not me. I got the height part with awkward arms and I came down hard like an elephant. A few pointed fingers and laughed at me behind cupped hands over their mouths. Being a joke among my peers was enough for me to move strictly into the tap and jazz portions of my lessons.
Lesson to be learned when running, pay attention to the task.
“I don’t think you’re fine. Your pants are ripped at the knee and I notice you’re babying that ankle.” He was assessing me and getting me even more worked up.
Luckily he was focused on my ankle and knee and not my nipples that were on full view, pointing straight ahead. They were so hard that they could maybe poke his eye out. I tried to cover them with my arms but I needed to use them more for balance.
“That’s it. We’re done.” He was standing upright and holding me steady with his hands on my upper arms. “Take your pick. Over my shoulder or on my back.”
“What?!” I half asked and exclaimed as it hit me that he planned to carry me. The lift back to the hotel was possibly the true saving factor to eliminate further injury, instead of me pushing myself to finish. I had a feeling that it wasn’t an option, so I gave in. “Piggyback ride.”
The next thing I knew I was loaded onto his back with his forearms under my thighs and I threw my arms around his neck. Holding on tightly, Logan turned back in the direction of the hotel. Having my body wrapped around his felt so good—it had been far too long since a hard body was crushed against mine.
The ride was far too short!
Back in the hotel suite, Logan moved into a different mode instructing me to remove my pants once he settled me on the sofa. His sexy voice had my brain instantly jumping to the far side of the moon which involved pleasure while he was wanting to look at my scraped knee.
“Just rip them. That hole isn’t going to be mended.”
Listening to me, he carefully destroyed them and then told me to sit still before disappearing briefly. Returning to me, he had a first aid kit, towels and a bottle of water. My ankle was first to receive treatment with a cold pack, then he cleaned my wound, removing gravel from my abrasions and finished off by applying some liquid bandage goop to my knee.
It took every ounce of restraint to not ask for a kiss on my booboo.
The fact that my assistant walked through the door may have contributed too. She was all about business as she launched into a mini-lecture and asked why she wasn’t informed that I had plans to go out running. Walking in to wake me up for my busy day and finding me gone without a note gave her a fright. Of course she added that running outside was not a smart decision as she was inspecting my knee.
“Good idea going with the liquid bandage. I have a sundress picked out for you… A plastic bandage would definitely draw attention.”
Then without stopping, she launched into reminding me that we had a full day at a neighboring hotel before another screening I had agreed to attend for a fellow actor.
I hadn’t forgotten my schedule but I had forgotten how stacked interviews were for foreign stations. Thanks to my assistant she got me through it directing me, moving me from room to room. Like cattle we all moved, answering questions and then signing movie posters that were filled up with my fellow cast mates’ signatures.
Photos and selfies with reporters and their crew often came with the conclusion of each segment that was filmed before makeup and hair people primped us in between. By the time I finished up with the last session, I was weary, hungry, and wanting to sip a cocktail, but remained a good sport showing off my pearly whites.
Seeing Logan standing off to the side was reason enough to make me smile. He looked amazing in navy blue dress slacks, a crisp white button-down shirt and blazer. Basically a suit without a tie—a sexy look on him, but I was thinking back to less on him when we ran. Undressing him with my eyes was what I was doing and trying to picture the rest while remembering his hands on me. I wondered if he realized what I was doing when I watched a grin appear on his handsome face.