I Was Here All Along Read Online Free PDF Page A

about your fitness goals and begin to put a plan into action.  I’ll see you then.”
     
    “Uh, okay.” 
     
    Then he hangs up.  I stare at my phone in shock.  Who did this guy this he was? And what had I just agreed to? 
     
    I’m not going back to that gym.  I’d already shamed myself in front of him and a whole room full of people.  There’s no way in hell I’m subjecting myself to that again.  What gave this guy the right to call my personal phone and bully me into doing something I have no intention of doing?  I call him back.
     
    “Hello, Rio speaking,” he answers.
     
    “Um…hi, it’s me again.  So…I won’t be coming in tomorrow.  I’ll be working on my fitness routine on my own, but I appreciate your offer.”
     
    “What is your regime going to be like?  And what’s your diet plan?  Will it be high protein, low carb or calorie control?”
     
    “Well…I’m just kind of taking it one day at a time.  Free-styling it as they say.”
     
    “That’s not going to work.  If you’re serious about your health, you need a concrete diet and exercise plan.  Let’s talk about it tomorrow.  Eight o’ clock, you and me.  Be on time.”  And he hangs up.
     
    “God damn it!”  I yell at the phone.  But I get off my bed, brush the crumbs off my chest, and make sure I have clean gym clothes for tomorrow.

Chapter 8
     
    The Fighter
     
    When I ask for Rio, the guy at the front desk tells me he’s in the boxing room and points to the back of the gym.  Total Impact is surprisingly busy for 8:00 in the morning.  It’s then I realize I’m probably here at the same time as the highly motivated exercise-before-going-to-work crowd.  A quick look at all the fit bodies around me confirms my theory.  
     
    I make my way to the back of the room to find Rio, and he’s a sight to behold.
     
    Yesterday I’d been so focused on my own embarrassment that I had little time to drink him in.  But standing in the doorway watching him, I’m completely mesmerized.
     
    He’s wearing boxing gloves and a tank top that shows off massive biceps and shoulders.  He doesn’t notice me and continues wailing on the punching bag, relentlessly pounding on it with powerful blows that cause his muscles to flex and ripple.  There’s a sweaty sheen over his powerful arms and gorgeous face, and an intense focus in his dark blue eyes as he pummels the bag.
     
    He’s a vision of masculine grace and power, and a jolt of pure lust shoots straight through me.  It makes me feel lightheaded, and for a second I get the urge to turn around and flee, but that’s when his eyes light on mine, and he smiles.  A gorgeous white smile that softens his face and makes my mind go blank.
     
    “Ember, you came!  I wasn’t sure if you’d show.”
     
    “I said I would, so…I try to keep my promises,” I say, trying to shake off my mental haze so I can carry on a normal conversation.
     
    “So you’re okay after your fall?  I was worried about you.”
     
    “The only thing I hurt was my pride—and maybe my ankle. It was a little sore this morning, but I could have just slept on in wrong.”
     
    “Come on,” he says, leading me through the gym.  “Let’s stretch you out first.  When we work out, I’ll go easy on the ankle.”  He stops in front of a large mat and points to it.  “Lay down.”
     
    “Aren’t you going to buy me a drink first?” I ask as I lie on my back.
     
    He completely ignores my comment and instructs me to bring my leg up to my chest, not unlike the pose that ended my yoga career.  I make a special effort to ensure that no gasses are emitted.
     
    He sits down next to me on the mat and holds my calf in his hands, then presses my leg down against my chest to stretch the muscle.  “How does that feel?” he asks.
     
    Like heaven.   His face is just inches from mine, and I suspect that I’m being bombarded by his pheromones, because I feel hot, cold and dizzy at the same