Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Jordan

"See! Isn't this fun?" Ellis said in a chipper voice the next morning.

I wheezed in reply. Sweat dripped down my back, my lungs burned, and my legs felt like jelly. So pretty much the opposite of fun. To add insult to injury, Ellis was jogging twice as fast on the treadmill beside me, and he wasn't even winded.

Ellis reached over, arm brushing mine as he hit the downward button to slow my speed. "Okay, that's enough for now."

"Just…for…now?" I asked between gulps of air.

He chuckled, eyes bright. "Well, that's up to you. Once we get through your cooldown, you're officially finished with your training consultation."

"I am?"

A jolt of disappointment caught me by surprise. Despite my dislike of exercise, I had really enjoyed seeing Ellis in his world. He was a good teacher with a positive attitude, no matter how much I complained. I admired that about him. Made a few mental notes too, for the law case ahead.

Ellis watched my expression, which as usual, was giving away too much. "You can choose to train with me if you want." He slowed the treadmill even more. "Do you…want to?"

I was strolling leisurely now. "I don't know. It wasn't as awful as I expected."

Ellis smirked, seeming more amused than insulted. "That's what all my best clients say in the beginning."

I gave a breathy laugh. "You must be truly talented. You sure you want to give all this up for a boring legal practice?"

Ellis stopped our machines and guided me over to the mat where I'd found him mopping up blood the day before. I'd seen the collision from the doorway—woman's head to man's face—but the mat was empty now, so I figured I was safe enough.

"Law isn't boring," Ellis said. "Far from it. It's really fascinating to read case studies about legal precedents. The impact that one case can have is really incredible. To think that someday I could make that kind of impact on the world…" He shook his head. "I never imagined it for myself, but I like the idea."

"You already make an impact on your world, El," I said, unable to resist playing devil's advocate. "You help shape people's health, right? Not just with exercise, but nutrition and wellness too."

Ellis grasped my arm and lifted it over my head, guiding it into a stretch, then reached for my other arm. "You're the first person to really see the whole picture like that. I suppose you're right." He shrugged. "There's just something about the law that feels big. Important, you know? I went back to school for Clayton, but…"

"But what?" I asked, almost afraid to hope that he'd given up on his ex.

"Well, I love the law too, as it turns out."

Too . As in, also . As in, Ellis still loved Clayton.

Because of course he did.

I went through the next few stretches, saying little, and Ellis seemed to read that my mood had shifted. He didn't force the conversation, which I appreciated.

When we were done, he walked me to the locker room. I expected him to wait outside, but he entered with me.

"I have to get ready for class."

"Ah, right."

He turned away then, thankfully, to go to a locker around the corner. I stripped my shirt, but hesitated with my hands at my waistband. I couldn't get naked with Ellis. Couldn't shower with him.

It would be weird if I threw my sweaty shirt on and went home to shower though, right? I should have suggested that before coming into the locker room.

"Are you okay?" Ellis asked.

I looked over to see him at the end of the aisle between lockers, only a towel wrapped around his waist, rippling abdominals on display. I swallowed and flailed for an explanation.

"Yeah! I was just—" I grabbed my phone from the locker and tapped it. "Just checking some messages."

"Okay." Ellis smiled uncertainly, as if he saw right through my lies. "I'll just…leave you to it."

I glanced down at my phone to see an email actually had come in from Callahan. The subject line was: Interns selected.

"Callahan emailed me," I said.

"Oh?" Ellis moved closer.

"Yeah." I clicked the email and scanned it. "It's the intern announcement."

I glanced up to see Ellis watching me. "Break the news fast if it's bad. I knew it was a long shot. Pretty much everyone signed up."

"You're in."

"It was going to be hard to stand out, and?—"

"El!" I laughed. "You're in."

He blinked at me. "What? I made it?"

"You made it!"

"Oh my god!" He swept me up in a hug, his skin hot and mine tacky from sweat, and squeezed me tight. "I can't believe it. I'll work so hard, Jordie. I promise!"

I wasn't worried about him working hard. I was very much worried about other hard things at the moment. I pulled back hastily, heat tingling through my limbs as my gaze swept over El's very sculpted arms.

I felt average and drab next to him.

"You're going to do great." I grabbed my sweaty T-shirt and dragged it back on.

"What are you doing?" he asked with a laugh. "You should be taking off more clothes, not—" He stopped short, eyes widening. "I mean, not that I want to watch! I'll go get in the shower, and then you can get in the shower, and we'll both shower. But not together! Just at, you know, the same time."

He fell silent, biting his bottom lip, and I was almost relieved that I wasn't the only one feeling awkward right now.

"I have to do some prep work. For the case," I said. "I'll just shower at home so I can get started right away."

That made sense, right? It wasn't as if showering at home would take exactly the same amount of time as showering here.

"Oh." Ellis nodded. "Okay. So…when do I start?"

"Start showering?"

He gave a strangled laugh. "No, start the internship."

"Oh." This conversation was about to kill me. I glanced at the email. "Um, it looks like the announcement will be made in classes today, so probably tonight."

"That fast, huh?"

"We got a delay, or we'd have had to do this even faster. But the court date is approaching."

Ellis took a deep breath, and I tried not to notice the way it made his impressive chest rise and fall. I pocketed my phone and tugged at my sweaty shirt, wondering just how badly I smelled.

"A courtroom," Ellis said, sounding dazed. "Wow, this is getting real."

"Yeah, but don't get your hopes up." He cast me a confused glance, and I added, "If I have my way, this won't make it to court."

"You want the client to settle?"

"No, the client can't afford to settle. I want to make a case so strong the plaintiff drops their suit."

I could argue the case in court—with supervision—but I didn't have the kind of charm that won over judges or juries. I needed to win the case another way, regardless of Callahan's test.

Ellis didn't even question me. He just gave a decisive nod. "Then we'll do that. Whatever it takes. Just tell me what I need to do."

"Well, for starters, you can finish changing your clothes."

Ellis looked down as if he'd forgotten he was half naked in nothing but a towel. Too bad I couldn't forget. Every second we stood here discussing a court case, I had to fight to keep my gaze on his eyes and not his…everything else.

"Good idea," Ellis said with a laugh. "I'll see you on campus."

"Yep," I said, grabbing my bag and turning to haul ass out of there.

"Hey, Jordie."

I glanced over my shoulder, then wished I hadn't when my gaze caught on his treasure trail of hair arrowing down under his towel, not to mention the freaking Adonis Belt he was rocking with those V-cut abs.

"Yeah?"

"Think you'll ever come back to the gym after today?"

His voice was almost wistful, as if the idea of me not returning pained him.

I thought of the strain of the light weight-training we'd done to assess my muscle tone. The burn in my chest at a mild jog. I'd never been a jock, but my fitness had slipped a lot in the past few years.

"I'll be honest, El. There's really not much I enjoy about exercise."

His face fell. "Yeah, I figured as much."

"But I think I will be back."

"Really?"

"Yeah." I sighed. "I'm an intellectual. I get really focused on using my brain and not my body. I eat like crap, too. We know this. I don't want to exercise, but I need to if I want to stay healthy, and you're about the best motivation I'm going to find, so… I hope you've got room for one more client."

"I don't."

I faltered, turning more fully toward him. "What?"

"I don't have room for another client, but I always have room for my best friend."

"I have to pay you."

"Nope."

"Ellis—"

"I won't take your money. Just like you never took mine for all the tutoring, and you could. You could set up shop on campus tomorrow because you're a great teacher. But I got the friend discount, and so do you."

"If you're sure…"

"I am. Now go, so I can take a shower already. It's weirding me out standing here in a towel."

I threw up my arms and spun around. "Finally, he shows some modesty."

Not that he had any reason to. Ellis was a gorgeous specimen of fitness, and I was an idiot who'd just committed to regular torture sessions with him—and I wasn't even talking about the exercise.