Noah Fucking Nolan. Just my luck. I can’t seem to catch a break where he’s concerned. In the week I’ve been working here, it appears he’s everywhere. It’s like he’s been cloned multiple times and whenever I turn around he’s there. Watching. Smirking. Taunting.

We haven’t exchanged so much as a single word and I was hoping to keep it that way. But now he’s still in the sauna when I’m trying to close the gym.

“You almost done? I’m getting ready to lock up.” I question, holding the door open with one hand. I don’t even recognize my voice. It sounds tight and strained.

He rises to his feet and my traitorous eyes move down over the massive size of his chest to the white towel hanging loose around his hips before bouncing up to his face. When our gazes lock, I can tell by the knowing expression on his face he saw me checking him out. My cheeks flush with embarrassment and desire.

Noah looks the same as I remember yet different. At nineteen he was already training hard and working out daily. He had a lean, muscular body back then. Now he’s twenty-three with the body of a man. He’s tattooed, hot as fuck and I’m so screwed.

Rubbing a hand across my sweaty brow, I look away from him. “I’ll wait out here,” I mumble, stepping away and letting the door swing shut. Dammit. I hate that I let him see how flustered he makes me. I’ve been doing so well for the past week, acting as if being around him didn’t faze me at all. And I just blew it all to hell.

Now he knows he still gets to me.

Stomping toward my office, I double check that my computer is off and everything is put away, before grabbing my phone and keys. Pulling the door closed behind me, I twist the handle to make sure it’s locked.

There’s no sign of Noah and I know he’s still here. My office is close to the exit; I would have seen him pass by. Tapping my foot in annoyance, I scroll through some personal emails on my phone to stay busy while I wait. I can hear his approach as I continue to read, but I don’t look up, even when he pauses in front of me. He can wait.

“Ray,” he says.

My eyes squeeze shut for a moment and a pain knifes through the center of my chest. Ray is the nickname he used to call me. He said I was his ‘ray of sunshine.’ That I was the one bright spot in his life. Don’t think about it. It’s just a name.

When my lids open the screen of my phone is blurry. I repeatedly blink away the moisture. Don’t let him see he affects you.

Closing out of my email, I let my hand drop to my side, casually glancing up at him as if his presence doesn’t bother me at all. Our gazes lock and I’m suddenly cognizant of the fact that we’re standing only inches apart for the first time in over four years. We don’t say anything and the silence is filled with awkward tension.

“What’s up?” I finally question.

“It’s good to see you, Ray,” he says with a grin. He acts as though the last time we saw each other we parted on good terms. Fuck him.

“I wish I could say the same,” I reply as I speed walk toward the front door. My hand reaches for the handle, but his closes around it first. He moves forward pressing his chest against my back. I inch forward, wanting space and he places his other hand flat on my stomach, holding me in place. The hair on my arms rises at his touch. My body vibrates from his nearness.

“You don’t mean that. You can pretend I don’t exist and you hate me, but I know there’s some part of you that’s glad I’m still here.” His voice is deep and the heat of his breath fans over my ear sending chills down my spine. The hand on my stomach inches lower. His thumb snakes inside the waistband of my yoga pants, teasingly tracing my skin. Desire spirals through me, making my stomach flutter and my panties wet. “I bet I know which part is happy to see me,” he chuckles.

It’s the laugh that snaps me out of the hedonistic spell he’s cast. Knowing I’m just an amusing way to pass the time has me dropping my keys and phone to the matted floor, grabbing his wrist and spinning under his grip. I kick out his leg as I step behind him and he drops to the mat, awkwardly landing hard on all fours. “What the fuck, Ray?”

I lean over him, enjoying the sight of him on the floor. “Don’t Ray me. My name is Reagan. You lost the right to call me Ray four years ago. Stay away from me, Noah.” I scoop up my things and open the door. “Lock up on your way out,” I yell, not looking back.

He’s such an asshole. What did I ever see in him?