He made a mental note to introduce Al to Morgan. She’d wipe away any of his preconceptions of Southern hothouse flowers, and Dalton would enjoy watching it. But for now, he was still reeling from another punch.

The list of Raven’s awe-inspiring traits kept growing. She was the most fascinating woman he’d ever met, and he kept craving more. More knowledge. More time. More . . . touch.

The problem was trying to convince her to want the same.

“Thanks for the tip, Al.”

The chef raised his hand in acknowledgment and went back to reading.

Dalton liked to frequent the gym now and then for weight training, but he preferred outdoor activities. Running, hiking, swimming, anything that put his feet on the ground and offered fresh rather than recycled air. His architect, Brady, was a real gym rat and had mentioned his friendship with Xavier. Brady had even attended the filming of American Ninja Warrior to root him on. Xavier didn’t take on just any client, and he was picky as hell about who he trained.

Another fascinating piece of the woman fell into place.

She might not talk to him at her bar, but maybe she’d talk to him somewhere else.

Maybe it was time to tweak his schedule.

chapter thirteen

Raven retied her Nike sneakers, grabbed her water bottle, and headed toward the second-floor workout room. She was looking forward to beating the punching bag and dreamed of a sparring partner she could take down hard. It had been a while since her emotions had teetered on such a razor-sharp edge between civil and primitive, but that damn kiss was beginning to piss her off.

She kept thinking about it. Before she fell asleep. When she woke up in the morning. Driving in the Jeep. Serving cocktails.

Why couldn’t she just forget?

Because it was the best kiss she’d ever had, and she hated to admit it. She wasn’t a hormonal teenager, yet she was acting like one. In her dreams, they hadn’t stopped at a kiss. Each night, behind her closed lids, she ripped off his clothes and feasted on his golden skin, sank her teeth into his muscles, climbed on top of him and rode him with a searing intensity that tumbled her into orgasm in a matter of seconds. In her dreams, he held her and stroked back her hair, combining a primitive sexual ferocity with a shattering tenderness that destroyed her.

She’d been brutal these past few days about keeping her distance. Of course, he’d almost charmed his way past her defenses the other day, before Al had saved her. Being in the same space as him was too challenging, and she didn’t trust her ever-weakening body.

So she’d changed her plan of attack. Instead of her usual snarky, teasing behavior, she’d been polite. Formal. She stayed in the kitchen when he was working, and made sure to schedule back-to-back meetings so they were never alone. After the work was finished and she did her interview, she wouldn’t have to deal with her confused emotions any longer. Sure, she’d serve him drinks, but she wouldn’t have to interact with him or his brothers. She’d scrap the entire stupid plan of learning about their shared past and move on with her life.

Xavier waited for her with a welcoming smile. “You have that look in your eyes, sweet pea.”

“What look?”

“Like you’re pissed off and ready to make someone pay.”

She grinned back and set her water bottle down on the bench. The punching bag made her practically drool with anticipation. A good workout always cleaned out her head and drained her of all the negative emotions. It was the best form of therapy she’d ever invested in. “Maybe I am. Whatcha got for me?”

“We’re doing drills.”

She couldn’t help the groan. “I hate drills! I’d rather work on my uppercuts and kicks.”

“Tough shit. We’re doing drills, and you’re gonna smile through every set or I’ll give you extra.”

Oh, she despised Xavier when he was in beast mode. Her body trembled slightly at the thought of what lay ahead. Raven gritted her teeth and forced a grisly smile. “Good enough for you?”

His laughter rang out as he shook his head. “You’re such a brat. We have company today. He’s at your level of fitness, so I’ve decided to combine the sessions. You cool with that?”

“As long as he holds his own.”

“Here he is. Hey, man, good to see you again.”

“I appreciate you fitting me in last minute.”

Raven froze. No. No, no, no, no.

She turned around slowly. Then almost swallowed her tongue.

It was him. Dalton. And he was dressed in clothes that should be illegal, even if it was the gym. The gray tank with large cutouts barely covered him, showing off the corded lengths of gleaming muscles. He stretched, lifting the tank, and revealed the ultimate eight-pack. He actually towered over Xavier, but his thighs and calves were still thick and powerful, dusted with golden hair. He wore his lion mane in a man bun that showed off his sharp cheekbones and scruff-covered jaw and highlighted his dimples, which were currently flashing at her in an innocent gesture that reeked of duplicity.

Her heart stuttered, stopped, and then raced on. She ignored the little drop in her tummy and glared at him.

“Raven, this is Dalton.”

“We’ve met.” She practically snarled the words, her fingers curling into claws.

Dalton looked delighted at her response. “Raven, what a surprise! I’d heard you worked out here but didn’t realize it was with Xavier. Thanks for allowing me into your session.”

“Yeah, this is such a coincidence, isn’t it?”

“It certainly is. Almost fated to be, right?”

“Yeah, like one of those epic disasters that destroys the planet.”

“Or one of those chick movies like Serendipity.”

She glared. He grinned wider.

Xavier glanced back and forth between them, his brow slightly raised. The tension cranked a notch tighter.

“Huh. Okay, enough chitchat. Let’s head to the obstacle course and warm up.”

Raven took up the rear, which afforded her an unobstructed view of Dalton’s perfect ass, framed in tight gray shorts. She imagined gripping that ass while he pumped in and out of her, like he had so many times in her dreams.

She guzzled more water.

The course had been personally constructed by Xavier for the ultimate in cross-training, which combined strength training, flexibility, cardio, and endurance. Each stop had a specific exercise with a timer, and if she failed one, Xavier forced her to repeat it. She usually got through it by imagining her trainer experiencing a torturous death.