Somehow, down deep, I just know he’s right.

* * *

Vinny doesn’t give me the chance to back out or reconsider agreeing to see where things might take us. He senses that time and distance between us will make me change my mind, and he’s probably right. Most definitely right. I’ve only been away from him for an hour and I’m already having second thoughts as I pull up to the gym I’ve agreed to meet him at. He’s talked me out of yoga and into trying a kick boxing class he teaches just outside the city.

He’s already at the front of the room when I walk in. The few women surrounding him look like they’re going to an athletic wear photo shoot, rather than to really exercise. He catches my eye as I walk in and crooks one finger at me, beckoning me to the front of the room. The ladies surrounding him trace his line of sight, curious what has taken his attention away from them when they’ve obviously worked so hard to keep it. They scowl at me as I approach.

“Ladies, we’re going to get started in a minute, why don’t you go take your places.” He’s talking to them, but his eyes have never left mine. I point to myself, smirking, questioning if he is directing his words at me, but he grins and shakes his head no.

“Front row. Right in front of me, Liv.” He gives me a crooked smile and reaches down, grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulls it off in one swift motion.

I roll my eyes in his direction, but take my position in the front nonetheless. The view is just too good to not be front and center anyway.

“Warm ups ladies. Or are you ladies already ready for me?” He smiles at the full class of hopeful women and I watch their reactions in the reflection of the mirror in front of me. I think I might even take in the scent of female pheromones wafting their way to the front of the room, determined to attract their intended target.

Vinny’s eyes find mine and he grins at me knowingly. I roll my eyes playfully in response. He walks the class through a series of stretches and I catch glimpses of him in the mirror as he weaves his way through the class giving instructions. He stops when he gets to me and puts his hand firmly on my lower back as I bend over stretching to touch the floor with my hands.

“A little deeper.” He applies pressure as his hand slowly strokes up and down my spine. Leaning down next to me, he whispers into my ear so that only I can hear him. “Jesus Christ, you have an amazing ass, Liv.” I feel his words slide over me and I’m grateful we’re in a room full of people, instead of alone.

The forty-five minute class is harder than I expected, but Vinny makes it fun. He’s playful and attentive to the class. I can see how they all look at him, but he keeps a certain distance from them as a few try hard to entice him as he works with them individually. I find myself wondering if he’s always this professional with his students, or if his act is merely for my benefit.

I’m a sweaty mess after the class, even worse than I would’ve been in yoga. “That was fun, I can’t believe how fast the time went by.” I wipe the sweat from my forehead as I speak.

“I’m glad you liked it. You’re good, a natural at swinging those legs.”

“Thanks.”

“You ready to get something to eat?”

“I really need to shower.”

“I could use a shower too.” Vinny arches his eyebrows suggestively.

“That wasn’t an invitation.”

Vinny finishes packing up his stuff. There’s a few women still hanging around talking, but most have already left. Standing in front of me, he reaches around my waist with his one free hand and pulls me closer to him, uncaring if people are still in the room. “That’s a shame, I was looking forward to you washing my back.”

“I think you’re going to be taking care of yourself today.” I arch one eyebrow playfully, the double meaning in my statement intentional.

Vinny laughs, shaking his head as he throws his arm around my shoulder, holding me close as he leads us to the door. “I’ll shower alone, but it won’t be as much fun. But I’m taking you to dinner. Give me your address, I’ll pick you up in forty-five minutes. I’m not taking any chances by giving you more time than that.”

* * *

We drive to a part of town I haven’t been to in years, not far from our old high school. I’m surprised when Vinny parks behind the library and comes around to open my door without explanation.

“Why are we at the library?” Vinny takes my hand and helps me out of his truck, grabbing a bag from the back seat.

“Come on, I’ll show you.”

We walk for a few minutes and I finally catch on to where he must be taking me. The tree. For years after Vinny left school, I couldn’t look in the direction of that damn tree. It was our spot. A few months after I started tutoring him in the library, the weather had finally warmed up enough and Vinny had insisted we needed to study outdoors. So we found a quiet place under a big tree and spent almost every afternoon after school under it. To me, it was our tree, a special place where I fell in love for the very first time.

Vinny opens the duffle bag, pulls out a blanket and spreads it over the grass, motioning with an exaggerated hand gesture and bow for me to sit.

“Our dinner.” He reaches in and pulls out another bag, handing it to me before he sits close on the blanket.

I know what’s in the bag, but I check anyway. I can’t believe he’s remembered so much. Most afternoons we’d share a hero. Roast beef and provolone, mayo only on his half.

“I can’t believe you remembered all of this.”

“Of course I remembered.”

I try to force a smile at Vinny, but he sees on my face that something’s bothering me.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. I guess I’m just surprised that you remembered all this.”

“Remember? Liv, those months with you…I’d never forget.”

When we spent time together all those years ago, I never doubted that there was something between us. I was young and inexperienced, but my heart told me he cared about me too. Then it just ended. And I spent the next year of my life feeling stupid for thinking he felt something for me too. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. It crushed my faith in so many things…young love, trusting my judgment on boys, giving my heart to someone else. “Then why, Vinny? Why did we stop spending time together after you left school?”

Vinny sighs, raking his fingers through his dark blond locks. It makes his unruly hair even more wild and only that much sexier. “My life was just so screwed up. My mom had problems, I’d just got kicked out of school, and I didn’t understand things about myself.” He reaches for my hand. “You were young, Liv. You weren’t ready for what I needed from you.”

Softly, the words escape my lips before I can catch them. “I didn’t care about any of that. I just needed you.”

I watch Vinny’s throat work as he swallows. For a second, I catch a flash of the boy I once knew in the man, only this time, he’s forlorn instead of angry. But the flash quickly passes, shuttering over the sadness. “You needed someone better. I would’ve dragged you down.” His words are spoken resolutely. It’s clear by his clipped tone he intends the conversation to be over. We’re both quiet for a long time, neither of us wanting to speak first.

I don’t even realize I’m staring at our joined hands, avoiding eye contact, until Vinny finally puts his hand under my chin, forcing my head up to meet his gaze. “Do you understand?”

“Sort of. I guess.” My tone wavers. Because, the truth is, I really don’t understand.

“I cared about you, Liv. A lot.”

I can tell he’s sincere and it makes me feel better. A little at least. I smile half-heartedly at him as he runs his knuckles gently along my cheek. “You better eat. When I look at you sitting here, it reminds me of all the things I never got to do with you.” His sweet smile is replaced by a dirty grin. “To you. I have a whole list of things I wanted to do to you.”

* * *

Eating breaks the tension that was building between us and we spend the next hour laughing and catching up, filling in all the missing pieces from our years apart.

“So what made Nico take you back to train?”

“My dad.” Vinny rubs his chest as he speaks, unconsciously reaching for the dog tags beneath his shirt. I doubt if he even knows he’s doing it.

“Your dad?”

“Yeah. The local chapter of The Angels MC do a bike run to raise money for the Children’s Hospital every year on Veteran’s Day. Most of them are vets like my dad was. So I started riding with them in his honor when I turned seventeen and got my first bike. Last year they needed to raise more money. The hospital’s working on funding a new wing for families of kids with cancer to stay while the kids get their treatment. So I asked Nico to ride, get some of the guys from his gym to join too.”

“And he said yes and then started training you again?”

Vinny laughs. “Nothing with Nico Hunter is that easy. He asked me if my dad would be proud of what I was doing. I was out of control, doing too much partying. I got a four hour lecture, but in the end he agreed to ride for the fundraiser. After it was over, he told me to be at his gym the next morning at 6AM. I thought he was going to train me. Instead he made me take a drug test. I passed. Then he made me come back at random times for a month. One day I showed up and he told me to get in the ring, instead of handing me a cup.”

“Sounds like you had to earn back his trust.”

“Yeah, I’m still working on that part. I haven’t touched anything except booze in six months, but I still get randomly tested.”