Swallowing His Pride Read Free

before switching on the machine and starting her warm-up.
    Unable to concentrate on anything else, despite her best efforts, Sam couldn’t keep her gaze from straying over to the handsome pair of brothers talking nearby. While the one who’d approached her was friendly enough. Sam felt drawn to his quiet brother. After years of yelling and such from her ex, she found Dylan’s quiet intensity rather attractive.
    As she continued watching, Liam held up his hands in a show of surrender before laughing and walking away. A moment later, Dylan gifted her with a warm smile as he stepped on his machine again and began to jog alongside her.
    Feeling yet another blush steal across her cheeks, Sam ducked her head and started to really run. Jeez, she hadn’t dated since high school, and definitely not since her divorce. She had no clue how to handle a man if one were to come on to her nowadays. If the guy was genuinely interested, what should she do?
    Perhaps, I should be running back to my hotel room instead of on this treadmill.
    * * * *
    Frenzied. That was the only word Dylan could think of to even come close to describing the state of his inner cat.
    He’d been enjoying his run, eyes closed, envisioning his lion half racing over the Pride land around their town, until he’d picked up on a delectable scent. Minty with a hint of oregano, like catnip, which would explain why he felt a bit crazed.
    The little cutie next to him was the source and had become the sole focus of his happy kitty. She was lovely. Petite—maybe five foot two at the most—slender, but not too thin, and with long, strawberry-red hair that was currently pulled up in a high ponytail. She ran with fluid grace—back straight, shapely legs moving with a strong stride, head held high and a pair of luscious, bouncing breasts encased in a tight little top that held him mesmerized. The occasional glimpses of those bright, baby-blue eyes nearly took him out at the knees, and with her milky white skin, she looked like a delicate, little porcelain doll.
    Of course, Liam just had to try to put the moves on her, but to both their surprise, she showed no interest in his brother whatsoever. Well, she was interested in getting away, and that just amused the hell out of Dylan.
    Thinking his brother may have noted her light perfume, Dylan asked him about it once she’d begun her workout. Oddly enough, Liam had claimed she smelled like most women did. No, to his brother, she simply had a clean, slightly floral scent that was fairly subtle, not the minty yumminess that made Dylan’s cat want to rub all over her.
    “Don’t think for a minute I’m buying the old, ‘I was distracted’ routine. You lost. Just get over it,” Liam had replied. Smug bastard .
    “I’m serious, man. My cat has lost its fucking mind! I swear it’s like he’s doing some crazy Parkour stunts off the inside of my skull.” Dylan shook his head. “I’ve never felt this off kilter in my life.”
    His brother had regarded him for a moment, his head tilted, gold eyes narrowed as if he were thinking hard. That in and of itself was enough to make Dylan nervous. “Sounds familiar,” Liam had said, “but I can’t remember who it was telling me something similar to this.”
    The look in his brother’s eyes, that damn devious twinkle, told Dylan he knew exactly who’d told him, but he wasn’t going to share. “Spit it out, Liam. I’m not feeling very patient right now,” he growled.
    Liam threw up his hands and laughed. Fucker . “I’ll make a few calls. Why don’t you go run a bit? See if you can actually manage to speak to her. She keeps looking at you anyway.”
    She did?
    Dylan had just turned toward her when Liam had used his distraction to make a hasty exit. He’d better have some answers when Dylan found him later, too.
    Figuring another workout might help to settle his mind, Dylan had stepped back onto his treadmill and begun to run. He kept his pace at a steady jog and just let