I grabbed my wet towel, shoved it into my bag and headed out of the changing room. I had hit the weights hard today. I needed to release some work stress, but most importantly, I needed to rid my mind of that sexy little thing I had picked up yesterday. That sexy little thing had caused me to toss and turn all night. She was all I could think of.
As I walked up to the front desk, my gaze immediately fell on Tatum. She sat at Don's desk, her hand under her chin, looking very annoyed. Don had gone through pretty much every woman in this gym since he had started working here and loved nothing more than new meat.
I dropped my bag on the ground beside her. She jumped and her hand went to her throat as she whirled around. She seemed to relax when her eyes finally met mine, and she gave me a full smile.
"Are you getting a membership here?"
"I am. Do you work out here as well?"
"I do. Been here about three years I guess. Is Don looking after you here?" I questioned, giving Don a glare. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he had been up to his usual shit, and I knew he was afraid of me, so letting him know that I knew her pretty much guaranteed he'd stay away. "Make sure you give her my discount."
Don nodded and keyed something into the computer.
"That isn't necessary," she said to Don.
He looked up at me and excused himself from the desk.
I sat down beside her. "I stopped here because I wanted to make sure Don wasn't trying to sweep you off your feet."
"My God! You're as bad as my brother! I can take care of myself, Parker." She fidgeted in her seat.
"I never said you couldn't. Listen, I'm free until two. How about we grab a coffee as soon as you’re done here?"
Tatum nodded at the idea, and once the papers were all signed, we headed over to the coffee shop.
"Two iced coffees please."
While I stood waiting for our drinks, I couldn't help looking over at Tatum. She was so cute in her sunflower sundress. It accentuated all the right places. She was still so attractive, and I couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to kiss those lips. I watched as she ran her hand through her hair, her soft blonde locks falling back into place. How I longed to run my hands through that hair.
"Sir? Sir, your coffees."
I turned and took the coffees from the girl behind the counter. "Thanks."
I sat down beside Tatum and held her coffee in front of her. Reaching to take it from me, her fingers touched mine, sending a warm feeling straight to my groin. "Hope you like it. It’s one of my favorites—a coconut iced coffee."
I watched her mouth as she took a sip, her hazel eyes closing and opening with delight. I hoped one day I would be the one to make her light up like that.
"That's really good. Thank you. It's been a long while since I had an iced coffee. So fill me in on what’s gone on with you in the past eight years."
"Not much. Just work really. Police work is a pretty lonely life—lots of overtime here. I became a training officer a couple of years after I was hired. After working uniform for a few years, I was transferred to the undercover unit. Of all people, Elliott was actually my first trainee in that unit, and now we are partners."
She looked down at her mug, and I caught a hint of sadness in her eyes. "If it's a lonely life, then I'm glad I didn't join you," she whispered, still looking down. "I take it your wife spends a lot of time alone then?" She looked up at me, and I saw the question dancing in her eyes.
My gaze traveled down her body, noticing the light bruising on both her biceps, and I frowned. Where had she gotten those from? Elliott was right, something definitely was going on, and she wasn't talking. I wanted to ask but thought it best I didn't.
"Actually, I never ended up getting married."
"Well, then your girlfriend must hate being alone all the time."
"No girlfriend either, Tatum," I said, looking away. "After you, I felt it was easier to stay single. Less hurt that way." With that admittance, I avoided her eyes.
I felt her hand on mine and looked up to see her watching me. She rubbed my hand and squeezed. "I'm sorry, Parker. I needed time. It was too much, too fast. Everything was changing. If I can be honest, sometimes I wonder if maybe I should have given us more time. Things might be different now."
I could tell she meant every word. "What about you? Are you seeing anyone?"
"I was dating this guy, but I broke it off with him. There were too many differences between us. But I'm sure Elliott told you all about it."
"He did mention something about it. What made you decide to move down here?" Again the sadness flashed in her eyes. I didn't want her to dwell on that ass.
"Well, my luck got worse. The same week we broke up, I was permanently laid off from my job. I was supposed to be coming down to visit, but with nothing really holding me there, I decided that a change of scenery might be best for me. I made a call to Elliott and told him I was going to move down, and here I am."
She took another sip of her coffee and set the cup down on the table. My gaze fell to her arm again, and I gently ran my hand over the bruises. "How did you get these?"
I watched her shift uncomfortably in her seat. Just from the look in her eyes, I could tell she didn't want to talk about it, but I wanted to know.
"They’re nothing. Don’t worry about it." She brushed my hand away.
"They don't look like nothing. This is why you flinched when I grabbed your arm the other day at the airport, isn't it?"
"Don't worry about these," she said, nodding toward her arms. "They really are nothing."
"If they are nothing, then why not tell me how you got them?"
Her gaze went directly to the cup in front of her and stayed there. I could see her eyes start to fill with tears. I didn't mean to sound as if I was questioning her, but fuck, I was sure this guy had put his hands on her! For whatever reason, it never took me long to pick up on an abused woman. And for reasons I will never understand, they always covered for these deadbeats. I was trying to remain calm and not get agitated with her. I was afraid she was going to get pissed off with me, and that was the last thing I wanted. I wanted her to know she could talk to me.
"Can I ask you a question?"
She slowly nodded her head but kept her eyes on the table.
"Are you okay? Please tell me he is leaving you alone and that you aren't actually running from him."
She chewed the side of her mouth, and a dark look came over her. A single tear ran down her cheek. Reaching across the table, I wiped away the stray tear with my thumb. I wanted to make it all go away for her, but I couldn't even begin to help her if she wouldn’t talk to me. I waited for a response, but she said nothing.
"How about I take you home." I stood up and grabbed the empty cups off the table and threw them out. We walked over to my truck and climbed in. "Give me your phone." I held my hand out and waited for her to place it in my hand.
She reached into her purse and pulled her phone out then slowly raised her eyes to mine. It was as if she was afraid to even look at me. This guy had done a number on her, and it pissed me right the fuck off. She looked more beat down than she did when her parents passed.
She placed her phone in my hand. I typed my name into the contacts, and my old information populated on the screen. I was a little surprised she still had me in her phone after all this time. I changed my number and handed her phone back to her.
"Give me a call or shoot me a text if you need anything or if you're lonely. I live about three blocks from you."
When she took the phone from me her fingers grazed the palm of my hand, her touch sending a jolt through me.
When I dropped her off, I waited in the driveway until I was sure she was safely inside. As I watched her walk into the house, I hoped I would hear from her sooner rather than later.