Page 7 of Final Temptation (Alpine Peak #2)

Waking up this morning, my mind was reeling from last night’s conversation with Sophie.

The back and forth between us almost felt…

friendly . Like we were old pals catching up on life.

Except, we’d never talked on that level before.

I didn’t talk to anyone on that level, besides Declan occasionally.

It was the most honest and raw conversation I’d had in a long time, outside of my weekly meetings.

Before I did something stupid like text her Good Morning, I shot up out of bed, laced up my sneakers, and threw on some gym shorts and a ratty T-shirt that would probably end up being used as a sweat rag. The only way to shake the weird feeling I woke up with was to hit the gym.

Ever since I stopped drinking, I’d been focused on bettering myself in more ways than one. Working out was my new escape. The endorphins I got from hitting a new one-rep max while I bench pressed or increased the speed on my mile time gave me a feeling I never got from drinking.

It was an entirely different type of high.

Today, I’d need those endorphins more than ever.

Did I really propose to Sophie that I’d be her roommate last night? What the fuck am I thinking?

The desire to move out of my parents’ house had always been there, but I was never in the right headspace to make that kind of grown-up decision.

I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to prove to myself I could be a responsible adult.

My mistake in all this was forgetting to think of myself.

Instead, I was only thinking of Sophie and how I could help her out of a bind.

My first thought should have been how on earth would you be able to live with a girl that you crave in your weakest moments?

She wasn’t the only one feeling weak last night.

The moment I saw her name on my screen, my mind went straight down a rabbit hole of how she felt in my arms, the taste of her lips, her cute as hell smile, and that sarcastic mouth of hers.

There were a few locally owned boutique gyms in town, but only one big global gym. Just ahead, the view of the large brick building and sign to Golden Peaks Gym had me itching for a much-needed workout.

Before heading inside, I ran through a mental checklist to make sure I had everything I needed for a good workout.

Headphones…check.

Water…check.

Post-workout protein shake…check.

I’d been a regular for the last six months, so it wasn’t a surprise when I walked in that the cute girl who worked the front desk greeted me by name.

Let’s be real, though, she didn’t know my name just because I came here on the daily.

I had other moments of weakness in the last six months—not having to do with Sophie—and hooked up with her in my Jeep once.

Right out in the parking lot.

I didn’t want to make a habit of fucking around with her too often since I came here frequently. Last thing I wanted was to give her the idea I came here for her .

The gym was my sanctuary. The place I came to heal.

The glimmer in her eye and the flirty tone in her voice only served as a reminder that she was available if I needed her.

“Hey, Myles. Looking good.” Her eyes fluttered with hope as she scanned my badge, checking me in.

“Hey, Amanda. Good to see you.” No way in hell I’d remember her name if it wasn’t for the tag she wore on her chest. When we fooled around, I didn’t give two shits what her name was. I was in a bad place, and she was just another way to avoid my problems.

Being the natural flirt I was, I gave her a once-over before heading to the free weight area. “Have a good workout!” Her voice trailed behind me.

First exercise of the day: bench press.

Setting my bag down, I sat on a bench that was already set up.

I grabbed my journal from my bag, which I used to jot down notes and organize my workouts, and my headphones.

Scrolling through my phone, I selected my go-to gym playlist, Beast Mode.

It was filled with all my favorite alternative bands.

The first song rang through my ears, immediately helping me focus.

After pushing out eight reps for my second set, I came up for a quick breather and a drink of water.

Across the way was a familiar face. A perk of my brother dating Paige, I had the opportunity to get to know her brother, Chase, better.

The two of us had grown a lot closer since they got together, spending more time hanging out as a group.

It was just a few weeks shy of summertime—which meant in a few months, Chase would head out for college.

We made eye contact as I nodded at him, my chin tilting up, as if saying what’s up , and Chase made his way over.

“How’s it going, man?” He nodded toward the barbell.

“Only my second set and this workout is already kicking my ass.” I chuckled.

“Need a spot on your next set?” he offered.

“Yeah, that’d be great. Mind grabbing that plate and helping me load up?”

It was a breath of fresh air to have someone to work out with at the gym. Sometimes it got lonely going through the motions by myself.

With Chase standing behind me, I pushed through my set, doing a few more reps than I intended.

“Damn, bro. You’re going to give me a run for my money if you keep lifting this kind of weight,” Chase joked.

“Says the guy who can do this weight in his sleep as a freshman in college.”

“ Almost a freshman in college,” he corrected.

I’d only been actively lifting weights since I decided to get sober, whereas Chase played football and always had a weight training background. We both had our reasons for going harder the last six months—me because I gave up alcohol, and him because his dad passed away.

I guessed we both found healing through the pain of a grueling workout.

“I need to make sure I keep this physique when I go off to college, especially since I won’t be playing football anymore.”

“You sure about that? I thought you loved football.” He did really well as the high school quarterback all these years. It surprised me that he didn’t want to play anymore.

“Sure. I liked it. But it was my dad who loved it. I just want to go to college and have a good time. Focus on my studies.”

“I get that, man. Now you’re just focused on the pump so you can pick up women in a town away from your mom and sister,” I joked before standing up and switching spots with him so he could hit the next set.

“Speaking of women, what’s going on with you these days?” Chase asked, turning the conversation around on me.

“You know how I roll. Not looking for anything serious. I’m working on myself and don’t have time to entertain some chick full time.”

“Chasing a different girl every weekend doesn’t get old for you?” he puffed out between reps.

I watched him push the weight up and down, hitting his chest with each repetition.

“I mean, of course, it would be nice to find one that stuck. One you know will be a home run every time you get into bed. But that doesn’t seem to be realistic.

Every girl I end up enjoying catches feelings—not ones I’m willing to return.

I haven’t found a girl I want to hang around for hours at a time and not get tired of. ” I shrugged.

“Maybe you’ll find someone you connect with at one of your meetings.”

“Sure, there are a ton of people there that understand what I’m going through, that have been through their own damage. But haven’t you heard the saying— don’t shit where you eat? I won’t be fucking around with anyone at AA.”

We grabbed our belongings and made our way to another area of the gym, moving on to our next exercise.

Choosing a spot in front of the large mirror, we each snagged a set of dumbbells.

In between sets, we continued to catch up on all things women, AA, and Chase going off to college.

I failed to mention the possibility of moving out, even though the thought was impossible to get out of my mind.

This workout was supposed to help distract me, but I couldn’t shake the itch to reach out to Sophie and ask her if she’d thought about our conversation at all. If the gym wasn’t going to help me, I could only think of one other thing that would.

Chase and I finished up our workout, said our goodbyes, and agreed to catch up later. He was already gone when I stopped by the front desk on my way out.

“When are you on break?” I leaned against the front counter, cutting to the chase, and looked at Amanda in desperation. She was the easiest option at my disposal right now.

She looked to her right, then her left, before whispering, “I can be on break whenever I want. But only if it’s worth my while.” Her blue eyes gave me a once-over.

“Do what you need to do and meet me at my car.” I turned around, heading straight for my Jeep.

No more than a minute passed by, and she was already hot on my heels. “I love it when you’re bossy.” She grabbed at the hem of my shirt and snaked her cold hands underneath, resting on my stomach.

“How much time do you have?” I asked, trying to gauge what we’d have time to get done.

“Fifteen minutes.” Her nails scraped toward my waistband.

“I can make that work.” I grabbed her hips and spun her around, pressing her against my car door.

I didn’t waste a second of the short window we had when I dove in for her lips, crashing them against mine.

There was nothing slow and sensual about this kiss; it was needy and rushed.

It was enough to get the job done, but not one I’d remember months from now.

Not like the kiss Sophie and I shared.

Fuck, why am I even thinking about her right now?

I kissed her hard, grinding my hardening cock against her. Her hands moved away from my stomach and cupped the outside of my gym shorts, allowing a hiss to escape my lips. If we continued what we were doing in public, we could probably get in some serious trouble.

I ripped my lips away from hers, short on breath, and grunted, “Get in the back seat.” I opened the door for her to climb in first, following closely behind her.

By now, I had to assume we had around twelve minutes to get the job finished, and let’s be honest, I was feeling greedy and a little bit selfish. I needed the distraction. I was all about pleasing a woman, but fuck did I need this to be about me for a minute.

A hungry smile found my lips.

In order to get what I wanted, I needed to turn on the charm.

“Fuck, you look good, sweetheart. We don’t have much time, and it seems you can’t get enough of my cock.” I looked down at her hand, still tugging at my waistband. “What do you say you have a little fun with me right now, and I can return the favor another time?”

She licked her lips and nodded her head, giving me the answer I was looking for.

Before she even attempted to drop to her knees, I leaned forward, pushing the front seat up. The back seat was tight, but it would do.

Amanda knelt down, pulling my gym shorts around my ankles. Her hands gripped around my thick girth before her warm mouth covered me.

I glanced at my watch—ten minutes.

Making this a fast one, I began to fuck her throat, chasing the release I was desperate for.

I’d give this girl credit for one thing—she could deep throat like a mother fucker.

She made it easy to get to the tipping point in record time.

Every time she pined for me when I walked into the gym, she sucked me off like she had been waiting for this moment ever since our last encounter.

I was getting close, and with a few more strokes, I’d be coming down her throat. Wanting to avoid a mess in my Jeep, I gave her the heads-up. “I’m going to come, sweetheart.” Her big blue eyes looked up at mine, glossed over from the rough thrusts in her throat.

Quick. Fast. I just needed to get the job done and come.

A loud grunt escaped me, my hands holding on to the back of her head, watching as she took every drop of me.

Another look at my watch, and we were right on time with a few minutes to spare. Just enough time for her to fix her running make up before getting back to work.

“Looks like you have to get back to work.” I pulled up my shorts, giving her a kiss on the lips, only leaving her wanting more. Unfortunately for her, I didn’t know when—or if I was going to return that favor.

As expected, she used my side mirror to check her makeup before heading back into the gym, and I moved out of my backseat and into the front. A satisfied sigh slipped from my throat, the peacefulness only lasting a few seconds, before my phone beeped with an incoming text.

Sophie.

The satisfaction wore off quicker than it ever had before—the text message on my phone being the sudden reminder of my latest impulse decision.