Page 64 of Rock Bottom Girl

“Good girl. Now, breathe in for three steps. Nice and steady. And out. In for three. Out for two. This is called rhythmic breathing.”

Sucking and gasping, I survived his thorough scientific explanation on footfalls, breath, and stabilizing core muscles on the exhale. We navigated a few more blocks, and I was moderately pleased when the side stitch never made it beyond a vague nagging in my right side.

He was sweating, little beads that formed on his chest and shoulders before melding together in sexy little salt rivers. I had a good sweat on too, and I hated to admit it, but I felt…okay.

We turned back onto my parents’ block.

“Three houses to go. Sprint it out,” he said, not even remotely winded.

Mainly just to save face, I let my legs unspool and listened to the whistle of wind in my ears as I eeked out a respectable medium speed. I arrived at my parents’ walkway several steps behind him and bent at the waist to gulp in air.

“Don’t do that,” Jake told me, pulling me up. “Walk it off. Let your heart rate come down naturally. Don’t ask it to come to a screeching halt.”

Hands on hips, I paced the sidewalk, trying to control my breathing. I’d gone through the couch to 5k program about four times in the past seven or eight years. Well, technically I’d never actually finished it. Or run a 5k, come to think of it. But every once in a while, I tried to talk myself into becoming a runner.

However, the torturous misery of it guaranteed my failure. But this hadn’t been awful. I felt awake. And maybe just a little bit alive. The birds in the maple tree were chattering about something, and the sky was getting lighter.

“Is that a smile?” Jake asked, amused.

I used the hem of my tank to mop at the sweat that was stinging my eyes. “Okay. So maybe it wasn’t horrible.”

He grinned at me, and my heart rate that had started to slow skyrocketed again. Jake held up a hand, and I slapped it. But his fingers closed around mine.

“Nice job, Mars.” He was pulling me in, reeling me like a fish. My legs were too jelly-like to fight it.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m congratulating you,” he said.

We were standing toe-to-toe, our bodies not quite touching. There was a buzz between us. Blood thrumming through primed veins. Awareness shimmered on my skin, mingling with the sweat. I wanted him to touch me, to kiss me. But…

“Jake. This is fake,” I said quietly. It was more of a reminder to myself. I didn’t want to get swept up in this and forget that all of this was only temporary. Only pretend.

He traced a thumb over my lower lip. “Hmm.”

“Jake. Focus.”

“I’m very focused.”

“You don’t have to put on a show at six in the morning,” I told him. “Let’s not complicate things.”

“Mars, I don’t know if you know this about me, but I really like complicated.”

“Why is it that everything that comes out of your mouth sounds like a come-on?”

“It’s a gift.”

I shook my head and took a step back. “You’re a lot to handle before dawn.”

He grinned. “Baby, don’t I know it.”

My running shorts spontaneously combusted.

“Now, be a good girl and make yourself a protein-rich breakfast. I’ll see you at school,” he said.

“Thanks for the run,” I said.

“Anytime, Mars. Anytime.”