TRX Tango

Hannah

“All right, Hannah,” I coached myself. “You can’t chicken out now.”

My hands gripped the top of the steering wheel as I waited. As my watch turned over to nine-thirty, I turned off the car and took a deep breath, trying to relax.

Jordan was just a guy. A seriously attractive guy. But just a guy. I could resist a handsome face. If only the image of him in his underwear was something I could erase from my mind.

But let’s be honest. I was going to remember that one for years.

“Fuck it.”

Confidently, I strode across the parking lot, noticing that Ty was the only one at the desk. Jordan must still be in the office.

“Hey, Hannah,” Ty greeted as I stepped inside the front door and took a few steps toward the desk.

Still no sign of Jordan. He didn’t seem like the type to be late. I knew he was here, so he probably thought I wasn’t coming.

“Hi, Ty. How’s your weekend going?”

He looked towards the office door and then back to me.

“Small talk is hardly fraternization. We can still talk to each other. Screw what the boss thinks.”

A bright smile lit up his face, and he laughed as he leaned back in his chair. “I’m the desk jockey this morning, and my PT sessions are this afternoon. I’m assuming you’re here for J’s nine-thirty?”

“Yup,” I confirmed.

“He just marked HD in the book, so I wasn’t sure who was coming.”

“Well, surprise. It’s just me.”

“Hardly ~just~ you.” He winked. “You seem to be a favorite around here. Even Mollie was talking about you this morning.”

I thought back to her friend request. I felt a little bad for not responding, but I didn’t really know her.

“Don’t worry; the dragon genes skipped her. At least they’re fraternal.”

“She does seem nice,” I agreed.

“Someone in that family has to be the nice, rational one.”

I laughed, and then we were both quiet.

“I’ll text him to let him know you’re here,” he told me as he pulled out his phone.

“Thanks. He must have forgotten,” I speculated.

“He doesn’t forget anything. He didn’t think you’d show up.”

“Well, here I am.” I laughed as I threw my arm out with a little flourish.

Ty nodded and returned his attention back to his phone, his fingers flying against the screen.

I turned toward the display of protein lining a shelf in the corner. I had no idea what half of the supplements were, but I didn’t want to seem too anxious.

“I thought you said she was here, Ty.” Jordan sounded confused.

My shoulders tensed as I waited for him to see me.

“She is,” Ty told him.

I could feel him approaching where I was standing. Every other time he saw me, I had my hair scraped back into a tight ponytail.

“Hannah?” Jordan asked cautiously.

I turned slowly toward his voice and tried to avoid imagining the chest I knew was under his snug black shirt.

~Focus, girl. Focus.~

~

“Coach J,” I said, my voice even.

“You look…” he breathed.

A thrill ran through me at the appreciative look he gave my slightly curled, loose hair around my shoulders. I was also wearing a light layer of makeup that accentuated my eyes.

“Are you ready?” I brushed past him, my chest touching his bicep as I passed. His quick inhale of breath confirmed that I’d gotten the desired reaction out of him.

“Uh…” I heard him mumble from behind me.

When I reached the corner of the desk and turned around, he was just standing there.

“Should I get started without you?”

I didn’t even wait for him as I turned and walked around the corner. Ty caught my eye and winked as I passed him.

When I entered the studio, I placed my water bottle next to an open weight floor station and peeled off my outer sweatshirt.

Jordan walked through the door as I pulled it over my head. His eyes lingered on the V of my tank top as I draped it over the top of the weight rack.

“How would you like me?” I asked as he stood there slightly transfixed. Score one point for team Hannah.

His eyes were still glued to my cleavage.

“On the floor,” he said absentmindedly, and I tried to hold back my smirk.

“I said how, not where.”

His eyes widened at my arched eyebrow.

“Wide-set plank. Start with five push-ups. I want to correct your form a little,” he instructed, his voice slightly lower than normal.

I dropped down to my knees and then up into a full plank. He stepped over me and pressed down slightly on my lower back.

My tank top had ridden up a little, and his fingers brushed against my bare skin. The jolt almost threw me off my game, but I held my position as I dropped into my first push-up.

“Keep your hips down, parallel to the floor, and engage your core when you do this one. If you arch your back, you’re not getting the full effect of the exercise,” he explained.

I tried to keep my form stable as I completed the other four. When I was done, I dropped my knees to the floor and sat back on my heels.

“Let’s practice your hip bridge next.”

He stepped around me and grabbed a twenty-pound weight from the rack.

“Lay back on the floor, feet shoulder-width apart,” he directed as he gently placed the weight on my stomach and our eyes connected. “Grasp it with both hands.”

His voice was a little rough, and I felt my nipples pebble through my sports bra.

“Hold onto it as you gently thrust your hips upward. Pause at the top and then slowly lower your pelvis.”

I did what he instructed, and his eyes followed my movements.

“Don’t let your hips touch the floor and repeat the controlled pelvic thrust.”

I knew it wasn’t being used in a dirty way, but my mind wandered every time he said thrust.

“Like this?” I asked as I slowly did the exercise as he instructed.

“If you keep the slower tempo and pause at the peak of the thrust”—he nodded—“you’ll get a much more effective exercise.”

That wasn't the only thing slow thrusts made effective.

~Get your head in the game, Hannah. He doesn't affect you.~

~

I completed the number of reps he asked me to, his eyes analyzing every move.

“Okay. Now we need to practice your low row on the TRX straps,” he told me as he nodded toward the wall where the straps were mounted, then headed in that direction.

The backs of my thighs had a pleasant burn going on as I stood and walked toward the mirror. Jordan was holding the ends of the straps for me, and I took them, our fingers brushing.

“Okay. Walk them back until your arms are most of the way extended.”

His gaze was intense as he watched me get myself into position.

“Feet shoulder-width apart.”

The deep, authoritative command made my nipples harden even further, against my will. As he met my eyes in the mirror, I knew that he noticed.

“Now, lean back and create some tension on the straps while walking your feet forward a few steps.”

He walked around behind me, his large hands squaring my hips to the mirror.

“You need to make sure your hips are level.”

His voice was quiet as he adjusted my stance. I could feel the heat from his body directly behind me.

“Keep your back straight; you want to keep your straps even and taut.”

I nodded as I felt his warm breath fan out over the side of my face. He was making it hard to concentrate on anything but him.

“Turn your hands, so your handles are perpendicular to the floor. Using both arms, pull yourself forward in a smooth motion. You want your arms to stay close to your sides.”

I could feel one of my hands turn slightly as I pulled myself forward... but Jordan’s fingers gently cupped mine and turned it back to the correct position.

“If you want it deeper, you can walk your feet forward one more step.”

~Slow even breaths, Hannah. Don’t let him see how his words affect you.~

~

“I’m going to walk around in front of you,” he warned. “Just keep going. I want ten reps. Then we’ll switch to the single arm.”

His eyes burned a trail across my skin as he walked back toward the mirror. He nodded, and a small smile appeared on his face as I finished my reps.

“Nice. That was much better than what you were doing last week.”

“So you were watching me?” My voice was a little breathier than I anticipated, but as I watched his pupils dilate, I knew this was affecting him too.

My eyes tracked him as he nodded and walked toward me, slipping in behind me. His hand pulled my left one off the strap, and he gently let it go.

“Same form as before. Place the palm of your free hand on the side or the front of your thigh.”

He maintained eye contact with me in the mirror as he whispered beside my ear. His gentle voice made a chill run up my spine, and I fought to remain calm.

“Now, when you move backward for this one, you don’t want your hip or your shoulder on the opposite side to drop. They need to remain level with your rowing arm throughout the entire motion.”

I tried a few reps, but I felt my hips shifting slightly as I pulled myself forward. It was harder than it looked.

“May I?” he asked as he reached around me and grabbed the unused strap.

He walked forward until his feet were on either side of mine. His arm brushed against mine, and his broad chest just barely touched my back.

“Lean back. We’re going to pull forward at the same time. Then I’ll keep you from dropping that free hip.”

My breath caught as his body made firm contact with mine. I could feel his bicep contract against the side of my arm as we both pulled ourselves forward. With the stability his hips provided behind me, my hips remained in line.

“That’s exactly it,” he whispered into my hair. “Slow down, fluid motion. Nice, Hannah. Just focus on your breathing and pulling yourself forward in one smooth motion.”

My heart rate increased with each rep he remained behind me, the warmth of his body aligned with mine, burning through me.

“Think you can handle doing the opposite side by yourself?” he asked.

I didn’t trust myself to talk. He smiled at my nod and stepped away from me, holding the strap handle. He made sure my hand was firmly grasping the handle before he let go, and I gently dropped the other side.

He turned so he was facing my side as I walked myself forward again and repeated the motion he’d shown me.

“Just like that. Slow fluid motions with your hips staying as still as possible.”

After I completed the exercise, he stepped slightly in front of me and took the handle out of my hand, letting it swing forward.

“Now, I want you on the rower.” He laughed as I made a sour face.

“It’s not that bad. I just want to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your evening workouts. If your form is right, then you’re maximizing the effects on your muscles.”

“Fine,” I groaned, “but I still don’t like that thing.”

“Well, suck it up, peanut butter cup.”

My head turned in his direction, and I knew I must look comical as my mouth dropped open.

Was he just saying that? Or did he know about my posts?

“I haven’t had all that many new followers lately,” he said casually. “But I did get two... just this week.”

“Oh God,” I whispered as I quickly walked past him and sat down on one of the rower seats.

“When Park814 started liking all my shirtless pictures, I got curious,” he told me as he walked around to my side. “I never expected to see him tag a HanBan227 in a post that used my gym as a location.”

My fingers busied themselves by adjusting the footplate to the level I knew they needed to be at.

He stood in front of the rower while I tried to keep my cheeks from turning bright red in embarrassment.

Studly ~had~ seen me in my bra.

Maybe. I don’t remember seeing an approval to follow request come through using his username. But Parker did have access to my account.

“Don’t worry. By the look of abject terror on your face, I didn’t see anything in your account. It was set to private,” he told me. “But, I did notice the hashtag #projectpeanutbuttercup.”

I slipped my feet into place and tightened the straps.

“Do you want to tell me about that?” he asked curiously.

I sat quietly, slumped over my bent legs as I tried to slow my frantic heartbeat.

“No?” he coaxed. He had stepped closer to me, gently placing my hands on the handlebar. “Shoulder width apart, you’ll get a more powerful stroke if you draw your arms straight back.”

I still hadn’t looked at him.

“Hannah?” he asked as I sat in the ready position, refusing to make eye contact. “Look at me?”

I felt like he was using the same tone he would to coax a scared animal.

“No,” I said, my voice quiet but petulant.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized as he tried to catch my gaze. “I shouldn’t tease you.”

“That’s not why you should be apologizing,” I said, my voice low but determined.

“I know that too. I shouldn’t have avoided you this week,” he said quietly, his voice full of remorse. “If it’s any consolation, my workouts were shit.”

It did give me a twinge of satisfaction that his guilt had affected him this week.

“Your stats were nice. Did you really jog two miles on Wednesday?”

“It was a power day,” I nodded.

“I know,” he laughed. “I design the workouts.”

“Oh, of course you do,” I rolled my eyes and glanced up toward him briefly.

“Are we okay?”

What were we? There was no we. According to his rules, we weren’t even allowed to be friends.

“You’re off the hook,” I sighed.

“Maybe I like being on the hook.”

He put his finger under my chin and lifted slightly. I averted my eyes as my head moved up.

“Hannah. I’m sorry I overstepped. Can we be friends?”

My head moved from side to side. “Wouldn’t want to break your own rules.”

“Look at me,” he urged as he squatted down in front of my rower tank. “Please, Hannah.”

The heavy breath I let out was loud. When my eyes connected with his, I held in my next one.

“Some rules are meant to be broken,” he said quietly, his voice full of passion. “Especially when they’re your own.”