his room for an hour until he was ready to speak to her nicely. Inevitably, the arguments would get worse, and they would break up. It would be messy, and painful, and Parker wanted no part of it. He shook his head. He wasn't going to let thoughts like that ruin the high of his run. There was no girlfriend, there would be no breakup. There was just Tara, looking cute as hell with his too-large shirt slipping off one shoulder, and he stepped up behind her to wrap his hands around her hips.
“I'm glad you took advantage of the fridge. Some girls are too shy to.”
She laughed, and turned her head enough to look up at him. “I'm not really the shy type of girl, in case you hadn't guessed. Anyway, I figured you would be hungry after that run. And last night.” She smirked. “So I thought it would alleviate any uncertainty about using your food if I made you some, too.” She turned the stove off, and slid bacon and eggs onto a pair of plates just as the toast popped up. “I know it's not terribly gourmet,” she said, slipping out of his hands to go butter the toast and drop that on the plates with the rest. “But I'm more of a meat and potatoes kind of cook when I cook at all, and I figured if it was in your fridge it was probably something that you liked.”
Parker grinned. “Don't worry about simple. I'm all for that. And this smells fucking delicious. I'm just going to go rinse off in the shower, and then I'll be in to eat.”
For the first time, she seemed to notice the way his shirt clung to his skin. She licked her lips. “Or, you could maybe not shower. Just a suggestion.”
“If I don't shower, I'll be disgusting later.”
Tara shook her head. “Nope. No disgusting. Sit down. Eat. And then I'll clean your back.” She paused on the way to the table. “Unless you've got somewhere you need to be?”
That offer of a shower sounded good. Parker poured two glasses of water, and set one at each plate. Then turned back to the counter. “Nope. Saturday’s my day off. I've got nowhere to be.” While he spoke, he assembled the ingredients for a protein shake, which he poured into the blender. It was a matter of minutes to mix it all up, and then he took that over to the table with the rest.
“What a lucky coincidence. I also have nowhere to be. At least not until...” She pulled her phone off the table next to her and glanced at it. “Seven this evening. Unlike you, I don’t get Saturday off.”
“So what is it that you do?”
“Well, I’d love to tell you that I’m an up and coming actress, with a rising star in the cinema, but honestly I just play extras in daytime shows and make TV commercials.”
“Everyone has to start somewhere. You’ll get where you want to go eventually, if you know where you want to go and you’re ready to work to get there.”
“Are you giving me life advice now?”
Parker laughed, and took a bite of his eggs. “Sorry. It’s kind of a habit.”
They fell silent for a few minutes, both of them absorbed in chewing, and when the conversation started up again it was about his work. Did he train anyone really exciting? What was his favorite part of the job?
When breakfast was over, Parker dumped the dishes in the sink, and took Tara to the shower, where his back wasn’t the only thing that got washed.
Chapter 9
Jackson hadn't been kidding about the candidates for the challenge. All of them had the kind of sob story backgrounds that would have people cheering for them to make it to the end. And, as Parker had expected from his business partner, all of them were matches for what he was looking for in baseline stamina and health.
In the end, he'd narrowed it down to two: one guy and one girl.
The girl was recovering from an eating disorder. It wasn't what anyone would expect. People watching the competition were probably hoping for a new take on “The Biggest Loser”, but Parker found himself drawn to her as much for what she'd gone through as for the basic
“I'm glad you took advantage of the fridge. Some girls are too shy to.”
She laughed, and turned her head enough to look up at him. “I'm not really the shy type of girl, in case you hadn't guessed. Anyway, I figured you would be hungry after that run. And last night.” She smirked. “So I thought it would alleviate any uncertainty about using your food if I made you some, too.” She turned the stove off, and slid bacon and eggs onto a pair of plates just as the toast popped up. “I know it's not terribly gourmet,” she said, slipping out of his hands to go butter the toast and drop that on the plates with the rest. “But I'm more of a meat and potatoes kind of cook when I cook at all, and I figured if it was in your fridge it was probably something that you liked.”
Parker grinned. “Don't worry about simple. I'm all for that. And this smells fucking delicious. I'm just going to go rinse off in the shower, and then I'll be in to eat.”
For the first time, she seemed to notice the way his shirt clung to his skin. She licked her lips. “Or, you could maybe not shower. Just a suggestion.”
“If I don't shower, I'll be disgusting later.”
Tara shook her head. “Nope. No disgusting. Sit down. Eat. And then I'll clean your back.” She paused on the way to the table. “Unless you've got somewhere you need to be?”
That offer of a shower sounded good. Parker poured two glasses of water, and set one at each plate. Then turned back to the counter. “Nope. Saturday’s my day off. I've got nowhere to be.” While he spoke, he assembled the ingredients for a protein shake, which he poured into the blender. It was a matter of minutes to mix it all up, and then he took that over to the table with the rest.
“What a lucky coincidence. I also have nowhere to be. At least not until...” She pulled her phone off the table next to her and glanced at it. “Seven this evening. Unlike you, I don’t get Saturday off.”
“So what is it that you do?”
“Well, I’d love to tell you that I’m an up and coming actress, with a rising star in the cinema, but honestly I just play extras in daytime shows and make TV commercials.”
“Everyone has to start somewhere. You’ll get where you want to go eventually, if you know where you want to go and you’re ready to work to get there.”
“Are you giving me life advice now?”
Parker laughed, and took a bite of his eggs. “Sorry. It’s kind of a habit.”
They fell silent for a few minutes, both of them absorbed in chewing, and when the conversation started up again it was about his work. Did he train anyone really exciting? What was his favorite part of the job?
When breakfast was over, Parker dumped the dishes in the sink, and took Tara to the shower, where his back wasn’t the only thing that got washed.
Chapter 9
Jackson hadn't been kidding about the candidates for the challenge. All of them had the kind of sob story backgrounds that would have people cheering for them to make it to the end. And, as Parker had expected from his business partner, all of them were matches for what he was looking for in baseline stamina and health.
In the end, he'd narrowed it down to two: one guy and one girl.
The girl was recovering from an eating disorder. It wasn't what anyone would expect. People watching the competition were probably hoping for a new take on “The Biggest Loser”, but Parker found himself drawn to her as much for what she'd gone through as for the basic
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