“Guess that means I’ll be spending more time at the gym.”
“I need to get back to exercising. I haven’t worked out since I’ve been here,” Ali said as she ate her last bite of chicken.
He stood with his empty plate and offered to take hers as well. “I’ll show you where the gym is upstairs.”
“Upstairs?”
His house wasn’t what you’d call traditional, but that’s one of the reasons he loved it. The main part of the house was all on one level, but there was a staircase that led to what was essentially a separate living area. Daniel should have had her stay there, but the thought hadn’t even occurred to him. He didn’t want to examine too closely why that was. “Come. I’ll show you.”
Each with a cookie in hand, they made their way down the hallway past her room, the laundry area, and a second sitting room to the back staircase. She stopped at the top of the stairs to look out the large windows into the backyard. “I had no idea this was here.” She met his gaze. “I mean, I saw the house was two stories from the outside and I knew there were stairs, but...”
“It’s all right. I don’t come up here much. I’ve thought about moving the gym downstairs, but my son likes to work out at all hours of the night when he comes to visit.”
“Bradley or James?”
She’d remembered. For some reason, that made him happy. “James.” He crossed the open area to the largest room along the back of the house. The room was originally supposed to be a bedroom, so the windows didn’t go to the floor, but the view was still great. Daniel flipped on the lights, illuminating the room. “He’s training for a fitness competition, so everything’s about watching his food intake and how many squats he can do.”
“I hate squats. The only thing worse than squats are burpees.”
Daniel laughed. “He does those, too.”
She shuddered, and his gaze went directly to her tits. She had the most perfect breasts. In his weaker moments, he’d imagined what they would feel like in his hands—what they would taste like.
He tore his gaze away from her and turned toward the treadmill. “The treadmill and bike are easy to use and there are weights going from five to fifty pounds along the wall. I also have some resistance bands and a yoga mat in the corner. If there’s something else you need, just ask.”
Ali didn’t respond right away, and he turned to see if something was wrong. She took a step toward him, then stopped herself. “I should probably get back in the kitchen and clean up.”
“No. You cooked. I’ll take care of cleaning up. You can use the time looking around.” Before she could say anything to make him stay, he bound down the stairs and got to work in the kitchen.
CHAPTER7
Ali remainedin the gym area for a few more minutes, looking over the machines. They didn’t look all that different than what she was used to. Her apartment complex had a small gym attached to the office and she tried to utilize it at least twice a week. She probably needed to go more often, but she hated working out.
Venturing back downstairs, she went to her room. She debated staying there for the evening, but after asking Daniel for a favor, she didn’t think it would be good manners to hide out in her room.
She grabbed the book she was currently reading, then walked to the main part of the house. Daniel was still in the kitchen. He glanced over at her as she walked past, then went back to what he was doing.
The best part about her spot on the couch was that she had a perfect view of the kitchen. Daniel put everything away, including the cookies—but not before eating another one—and then wiped down the counters.
Ali had her book open, pretending to read, but she was really watching his every move. He started the dishwasher, then turned to find her staring.
“Enjoying your book?”
Blushing, she looked down at the page in front of her. “It’s a good story.”
“Are you sure about that? You’ve been on the same page since you sat down.”
He’d noticed that? “I got distracted watching you cleaning up.”
Daniel sat down in his chair and reached for his own book. “I can’t imagine watching me put food away was all that fascinating.”
She didn’t know about that. Watching him move about the kitchen, bending and reaching, his slacks pulling tight against his ass making her muscles pulse and clench. “I like watching you.”
His face fell and she regretted her confession. But instead of commenting, he nodded toward her book. “What are you reading?”
“Oh.” She felt her cheeks heat again. “Um. It’s a romance.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Let me see.”