The Beauty Within (10 page)

form, and the tension in her body had become so noticeable he’d bent his head

toward hers and whispered for her to relax.

Fat chance of that.

It had become easier when there was a hulking home gym machine acting

as a buffer between them. His touch on her shoulders and arms hadn’t been as

swoon-worthy because she’d been concentrating on the reps and feeling the

fatigue in her muscles that came with proper exercise. It had been here the line

between professional and pupil was clearly delineated, and both had slipped

into their roles easily. But soon the session had ended, and with it their

designations.

They were just man and woman now.

“Be careful not to bounce,” he said low in her ear, adjusting her back and

leg for the maximum stretch. Her body tingled where he touched her.

“Okay…”

He was quiet for a few moments. “Now that I think about it, I probably

should keep you on free weights for a few sessions. It’s not that you did a bad

job on the machine, but we have more flexibility with the weights. Can’t have

you getting bored on me!”

Tyler switched her legs. “Doubt that’s possible.”

“Is that good news or bad?”

“Haven’t decided yet.”

Once again, he was behind her and adjusting her posture. “You let me

know when you do?”

Tyler allowed herself a secret smile and finished stretching. While she still

hadn’t firmly committed to anything, she had a feeling she would be checking

the “good news” column.

The Beauty Within

“Are we done?” Tyler asked as Gunnar moved from behind her. They sat

next to each other, Gunnar reclining on his forearms and Tyler in tailor-style.

Though she appeared relax, she actually felt antsy, as if her muscles needed to

move more. She hadn’t had so much energy since she was in college, and it was

invigorating.

“Yeah. Did you bring a change of clothes?”

“By default. It’s actually the bag I had when you all but kicked me out your

gym.”

“I did
not
—!” He glared at her when she let out a giggle. “You’re such a

witch!”

“Heffa,” Tyler said haughtily. “The putdown of choice is
heffa
.”

“I’m not gonna call you that,” Gunnar said seriously.

“Why not? Wendy and Damon do.”

“So we’re friends then? Like you are with your sister and her boyfriend?”

There was no use denying it. “Yes. Don’t know when that happened, but I

like you, Gunnar. I think you’re swell.”

Gunnar laughed and reclined fully on the floor. “Swell! I haven’t heard that

in a while!”

“Gotta keep things fresh, you know.”

He looked at her with a contemplative expression, but Tyler didn’t feel

nervous about it. In fact, she returned his look openly, noting the sweat that

had dampened his dark blue shirt and the way his basketball shorts were

hiked up to show more thigh than they would if he were standing. The hair on

his legs did not mask their muscular definition, and it made them very mascu-

line. She wondered how they would feel underneath her hands.

“I have a shower just around the corner if you want to use it,” Gunnar said.

“I usually take one after I work out.”

“What about you?”

His smile was slow and amused. “This
is
my house. I have showers ups-

tairs.”

Tyler got up quickly so she could hide the blush he couldn’t see anyway.

“Gotcha. Lead the way.”

He smirked at her but said nothing. They left the home gym and walked a

few steps to the door next to the stairs. He turned on the light just inside the

room. The bathroom wasn’t large at all, just big enough for a shower stall,

toilet, and sink. It was all white with a mostly used bar of soap in the soap dish

in the shower and liquid soap on the sink.

“I’ll go get fresh towels,” he said. She nodded and stepped further inside.

The bathroom mat felt soft even underneath her shoes, and she couldn’t wait to

feel it with her bare feet.

Tyler caught her reflection in the mirror. Her face was sweaty and flushed,

and her hair was wild. She didn’t think she could ever look anymore unattrac-

54

Savannah J. Frierson

tive, but she didn’t mind. She’d earned her current appearance, and it was all

Gunnar’s fault anyway…

She blushed, recognizing she could’ve looked this way with a
different
type

of exercise too!

“Back.”

She jumped, and he grinned at her. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Lost in my thoughts,” Tyler mumbled, taking the white towels from him.

On top there was a washcloth. “Thanks so much.”

“No problem. You’ll let me know if you need any help?”

She understood what he meant, but she couldn’t stop from teasing him.

“I’ve been bathing myself for almost twenty-five years. I think I got it,” Tyler

said with a wink.

He flushed and cleared his throat. “Uh…right. Well…just in case, I’ll be ups-

tairs taking my own shower.” Tyler snorted, throwing the towel over the

curtain rod, but her body froze when his lips grazed her ear. “And I’m never too

old for help.”

It was a full minute before she could move again, and he’d been long gone,

even courteous enough to close the door behind him.

Tyler shuddered and licked her lips. It would definitely have to be a cold

shower.

Six

The local Top 40 station tried to break up the tense silence that rode with

them back to Tyler’s house. Gunnar was tapping his fingers on the steering

wheel to the song playing, and Tyler was trying to pretend his hands or the

rest of him didn’t interest her in the slightest. And it also didn’t help he had

confirmed a fleeting thought she’d had about him having the body of a mod-

el…being that he’d been one.

Jerk.

And why had he left her with that parting shot, and why did she think

about it as she washed her body? Never too old for help…goodness…she was

sure he wasn’t, just as she was sure he’d had plenty of willing “helpers” too.

Tyler didn’t think she would be able to handle seeing the man beside her in the

buff. He fully clothed had her reacting strongly enough as it was.

Ten minutes later, they were pulling into her driveway. He shut off the en-

gine, but neither made an immediate move to leave. What did one say, “Thanks

for the training session at your house and making me take cold showers

because you’re too fine for words,” or—?

“Are you hungry?”

Both looked surprised at her question, but Tyler wasn’t going to retract it

now. His laugh was breathless. “You may have to be more specific.”

She rolled her eyes. “For food?”

“More specific.”

Tyler frowned at him. “Does it matter? I promise it’s food from the grocery

store and not something I hit in the road as I drove around!”

“Hmm…” He rubbed his chin. “You’re going to feed me, huh?”

“Well…yeah. I’m hungry, and since you’re here and I have enough food, I

figure, why not? It’s sort of a thank you I guess.”

Savannah J. Frierson

His eyes bored into her and he nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting.

“And what’s for dessert?”

Tyler shrugged and unbuckled her seatbelt, treating it as the benign ques-

tion she instinctively knew it wasn’t. “I think I have some ice cream in there

but I’m not sure. I forgot to pick some up on my last grocery run.” She reached

into the back for her bag and hopped out the Jeep, her mind whirring with

thoughts of what dinner should be. While she did have enough food for two,

she hadn’t necessarily planned for it. She had spaghetti and she could always

make the meat sauce…

“Do you eat meat?” she asked when she felt him behind her. Her keys were

buried all the way at the bottom of her bag and being difficult to retrieve.

“Yes. I’m a Southerner. You’re hard-pressed to be vegetarian if you live

down here you know.”

She chuckled. “So being in LA didn’t have you eating grass and calling it a

‘decent’ meal?”

“I tried it for about two weeks. I damn near bought out Jack in the Box af-

ter I gave it up!”

She laughed, doing a mini jig when she found her keys. She let them inside

and she threw her bag on the couch as she started for the kitchen. “You can sit

and relax in the den,” she said, point to the room on the left. “It’s not much, but

then again it’s just me so…”

Gunnar was looking around the living room in awe. “Is the art real or re-

productions?”

Tyler shrugged. “Probably a combination of both. I really don’t know, and I

should’ve asked my dad before he died. These are just my favorites. There’s

more in a spare bedroom—I’m using it for storage—and then Wendy has some

of her favorites at her place. She keeps them in her bedroom, though, because

Damon’s friends can get a little rowdy!”

Gunnar laughed. “I can imagine!”

Tyler smiled and pointed into the den. “Have a seat. Kick back and indulge

yourself with my modest, yet beautiful entertainment center. Spaghetti with

meat sauce okay? If not I’ll check to see what else I can whip up…”

She didn’t wait for him to answer, going into the kitchen and pulling out

the ingredients for the dinner. She cursed briefly when she realized the meat

wouldn’t thaw in time to be able to eat (she hated thawing things in the

microwave), but she did have a frozen pasta meal that said it was enough for

two.

Hmm…shrimp scampi it would be, then.

She pulled out a frying pan and dumped the frozen contents inside it, then

turned on the eye and covered the food. She wouldn’t have to do anything to it

for ten minutes, so she looked through her refrigerator to see what else she

could add to dinner.

“Can I help?”

The Beauty Within

57

Tyler jumped, jerking her head out the refrigerator. “Boy!” Hadn’t she left

him in the den?

He had the grace to look contrite. “Sorry. I was just wondering if I could

help. I feel guilty for just sitting in there by myself…”

Tyler winced. “Sorry. I didn’t want you to be bored just sitting in the

kitchen watching me…”

His smile was slow, seductive, and Tyler gripped the fridge’s handle to

keep herself standing upright. “I could never be bored watching you, Tyler.”

“So I amuse you then?” Tyler asked, trying to inject irritation in her tone,

though she was the farthest from it.

“Among other things,” Gunnar said deadpan.

Tyler didn’t have the guts to challenge him on that, so she rolled her eyes

and went back into the fridge. She had a prepackaged salad in an effort to

pretend she’d eat healthier, and light Italian dressing. “I’m making shrimp

scampi because the ground beef’s frozen. And I have a salad. That okay? I can

make homemade garlic bread too.”

“Sounds perfect,” Gunnar said, though he did eye her numerous packages

of cookies, including her coveted boxes of Girl Scout cookies. “We’re going to

get you on a nutrition plan.”

“Are we?”

Gunnar’s grin was lopsided. “Yes. You can exercise all day every day, but

you have to make nutritional changes as well. How often do you eat these

cookies?”

She wouldn’t admit she kept a box of them at work, so she shrugged and

opened the salad. What he said made much sense, but she wasn’t too keen on

cutting out her precious cookies!

“What does it matter?”

Gunnar looked at her with an amused expression and picked up a box of

Thin Mints. “Tyler…”

She sucked her teeth and snatched them out his hands. “None of your

business! And I paid good money too!”

He laughed, his eyes following her progress as she replaced the box atop

the fridge. “I’ll build a nutritional plan for you anyway. I’ll make sure to add

cookies for you.”

“You’re too kind.”

He came closer to her. “So how can I help? Idle hands and all that…”

Tyler glanced at the hands that were halfway stuffed in his front jeans

pockets and blew out a breath. “I doubt they could ever be idle…”

They were now standing so close they could touch if either leaned a centi-

meter forward. She felt his breath drift over her forehead, and stood straighter

when he eased his hands out his pockets.

“Then let me put them to use.”

58

Savannah J. Frierson

Gunnar was playing with fire, and damned if he cared. He’d noticed her

body tremble at his words, but he wasn’t at all surprised when she had averted

her eyes and gone to the stove without answering him. Instead of following her

as he wanted, he let her attend to the food on the stove while he dumped the

opened package of salad in a large salad bowl. He tossed the greens, his body

very aware of hers in the small kitchen, especially when she came beside him to

make the garlic bread.

“Hamburger rolls, huh?”

She smirked. “Gotta be creative and all.”

“Can’t wait to try it.”

She glimpsed his progress. “Salad treating you okay?”

“I think I can handle it, especially since all the work has already been done

for me.”

They fell into silence as they set about their tasks, and soon they were

seated at her humble kitchen table eating a very delicious meal. Conversation