Beware of Boys by Kelli London

wasn’t waterproof. The rings around her eyes were proof that the drugstore makeup couldn’t survive continuous yawns that had made her eyes water. Not only hadn’t Lex believed her, he hadn’t felt sorry for her either, that was for sure. He’d been set on her joining him for a workout, which, she’d discovered when she entered the guest cottage, he’d had planned all along. Either he or his people had draped what someone considered exercise clothes over a bench in the foyer, and she’d changed into them in a hallway bathroom. She hadn’t even seen her sleeping quarters, never mind gotten to take a powernap.
    Now she was positioned behind Lex on a hill that stretched higher than her eyes could see. There seemed to be no end in sight, and she wondered if he’d flown her out to kill her from overexertion. She was a reality television star, but not one who was on a weight-loss show, so she didn’t see the need to work out like he did.
    â€œC’mon, Charly baby,” Lex urged, running in front of her. His calf muscles tightened with each stride, and she wished he’d unroll his sweat pants to cover his legs. It was just too hard to concentrate on the earth beneath her with his chiseled cuts snatching her attention. “You don’t have a physique like that for nothing, Charly baby. Everything about you just looks like you work out.” He continued to jog uphill, pulling a huge truck tire, which was attached to his waist by a thick chain encircling it.
    Charly just shook her head. She’d had no idea that boxers ran so much, and his having what looked like a huge dog chain wrapped around his waist only made her appreciate his athleticism more. She didn’t know how he did it, but he was doing it with such ease she could tell it was something he often did. “I . . . do . . . work . . . out,” she sputtered, out of breath, then stopped and bent over. She couldn’t keep up any longer, and wasn’t embarrassed about it. She put her hands on her knees, then dropped them on the ground. She pressed her palms against the sandy dirt on either side of her feet, stretching her body and catching her wind. She was in a full bend with the top of her head on her shoes.
    â€œAhh. A yogi?” Lex said, looking down at her and jogging in place.
    She hadn’t even heard him turn around and make his way to her, but there he was, looking upside down because her head was. “Not a full-fledged one, but I partake here and there. I was introduced to it a couple of seasons ago, and now I can’t help it,” she admitted, closing her eyes. His feet in constant motion caused the dirt to stir, and it was swirling toward her eyes.
    He stopped running in place. “Sorry for kicking dirt in your face. Constant motion is a habit. When you run, you run. There’s no time to stand still—inside or outside of the ring. So what kind of yoga do you do? Power? Hot? Hatha?” he asked, switching the topic off of himself and back to Charly.
    Charly unfolded her body, then stretched her arms behind her head, smiling. Someone in Lex’s position—world-renowned public persona—would usually be so full of ego that they only wanted to talk about themselves. Humble and cute , she thought, her grin widening. Even though he was off by a mark, his being versed in yoga also impressed her, especially because of his reported bad-boy-from-the-hood reputation, which was hard for her to see. He didn’t seem like a bad anything. She brought her hands together above her head, then folded again. “Familiar with yoga, I see,” she said.
    Lex followed suit, bending over, the long chain still secured around his waist. Surprisingly, even with a tire attached to him, he could touch his head to his knees. “I’m a real athlete. I’m familiar with all kinds of cross training, especially sports that help me relax and stretch out my muscles. I