“Oomph…” the echoed reply in a register clearly male.

She straightened, recovered her footing and let her gaze travel up the body the voice belonged to. Scuffed sneakers, ragged jeans, a heavy looking cardboard with strong hands gripping the bottom, gritty red T-shirt…face. Lord have mercy, the face of a god. Finely carved features, intense blue eyes peering at her through glasses, now knocked off kilter. Wavy dark colored hair tousled randomly about in the most gorgeous negligence, unshaven facial hair to match. He seemed thunderstruck at the unexpected encounter.

“Sorry,” came his delayed response. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

She couldn’t resist the urge to reach over the box to his glass frames, leveling them against the bridge of his nose.

“No, it is my fault.” She looked into the liquid blue of his eyes and saw an innate aptitude, a profundity and earnestness that amazed her. She didn’t even know his name, but she was positive she had never met a man like him. Probably never would again. “It was I who should have been paying more attention.”

She shrugged in a sudden flush of awkwardness. This wasn’t at all her style. Men didn’t put her ill at ease. It was most often just the opposite. She had no problem going after what she wanted. Speaking her mind even when she shouldn’t. Yet right now she couldn’t get her brain to function in order for her to hold a decent conversation. Probably because she wasn’t supposed to be having one, her focus should be on working off the five pounds she needed to eliminate from her curvaceous figure.

Or it could be because it was too early in the morning. She should have waited until after later on tonight to come work out. Then again, she wouldn’t be here like this in the wonderful embrace of this man.

He turned, placing the box to rest on a matching stack already in the corner. It dawned on her how she could make it up to him. She touched his arm, noticing when he stiffened immediately. Not a reaction she normally received from a man. “Let me help you.”

Turning back to face her, his expression changed to one of embarrassment. “Oh…no, you don’t have to help.”

She stood there like a village idiot for a few minutes trying to figure out what she should do next. A good start might be introducing herself. She bestowed a genuine smile in his direction.

“I’m Evangeline, but most people call me Eve.”

He looked at her, his expression full of uncertainty but didn’t utter a word. She arched a dark brown in his direction.

“And you are?”

He was even cuter when he blushed. Not as red as the shirt he wore but close. He held his hand out to her.

“Jake,” he responded with some difficulty.

There was something about the man in front of her than intrigued her. She took his hand raised his hand to her cheek, directing him to touch. He released his grip and ran gentle knuckles along her jaw. “It’s just that most of the women that work here never give me a second look. Too ordinary a position, too much dirt and muck… I guess.” His hand lingered at the base of her lobe, thumb gently flicking the fleshy pad of it back and forth.

She raised her hand to embrace his, closing her eyes and exhaling. “You undervalue the power of a gentle touch.”

She inhaled deeply, the scent of him filling her for the first time. Fresh, crisp…a lingering cleanness of soap from his last shower, aftershave, mild, but resinous, and fresh sweat, the kind that surrounds a man after a good workout at the gym. Visceral, earthy, erotic in it’s uncultivated nature.

When she reopened her eyes, his mouth was just above hers, fine cut lips alluringly close. The warmness of his breath brushed across her face. Minty? He must have gum or a breath mint or…damn, her brain was murky with the close proximity of him. What was wrong with her? She wasn’t some inexperienced woman unaccustomed to seducing a man to get what she wanted. Maybe it was his age. He was definitely younger than her thirty-eight years of age, so young he might have been just out of college.

Before she had the chance to think, to tell herself this was wrong, she tilted her head to his and kissed him. The velvet feel of his lips made it hard to hold back the moan threatening to bubble up from deep within her throat. His mouth was soft and full, warm and inviting.

Hesitant at first, he kissed her tentatively. She lifted her hand to cup his neck, pulling him closer, harder against her. It didn’t take more for him to take her up on the invitation. He deepened the kiss into a scorching surge of desire. As suddenly as stranger running into stranger—strangers became familiar.

He took her mouth with a dominance that stunned even her. Too late, she was already swept into the potent spell of this seemingly quiet, low profile young man. She felt her body go limp as he swept her into his arms, holding her like her life depended on it, against his chest as his legs moved in rhythmic succession. Where was he taking her? God only knew. She didn’t care. All she knew was that she felt safe in his embrace; all thought of danger discarded to the supremacy of his presence.

Their bodies jerked as he pushed his back against the long arm of the lever to the gym door. A few steps later, she felt herself lowered to the stack of mats pushed to the corner of the wood floored room where private aerobics classes were held during the day.

His body covered hers, muscled, taut, demanding, yet incredibly controlled, power in restraint. Sweet mercy, he was delicious, strong, youthful, yet so incredibly sexy. The cat that she had never known was within her bordered on becoming a full-blown cougar.

The dust and tumult of the situation mixed with the essence of the man to create a perfect blend of masculine elegance. They rolled across the mat, bodies entwined, mouths fused, breathing escalating as they fell further and further into the strong pull of pure raw sex.

She grabbed the edge of his T-shirt, tugging it up and over his head. He worked her spandex crop pants with expert equanimity. Hot hands running under fabric, sliding down her hips and legs, tossing clothing in carefree abandon until flesh seared flesh. Caught up in the ancient act, time suspended in the complete absorption of lovemaking. Two become one.

“Are you sure?” he rasped in final act of valiant integrity. Wonderful man. “God yes.” She heard her voice, as though disembodied, in reply.

With that, he took her, plunging deep into her, to the hilt. She gasped, her flesh stretching to accommodate the size of him. Legs around his waist, she held onto his shoulders as he withdrew and plunged into her again. She began to climax with the second deep stroke of him. What unearthly moan exited her lips, she was too gone in rapture to hear. She dropped her feet to the mat and arched up into him, meeting thrust with thrust, until she felt him tremble.

One quick flip and she took control. The spasms of her climax still roaring through her, she straddled him like an experienced bronc rider. His eyes rolled back in his head, arms stretched out on each side in surrender as she thrust in her own rhythmic dance. Breasts dragging across the expanse of his chest, she alternated that sensation with companion thrust of hips. His cock so deep in her it pushed against the entrance of her cervix. Slick and sweaty, she slid across him, undulating in fluid control of his every desire. His chest was pumping like a freight train, eyes closed, head turned to the side, mouth open enraptured.

One last thrust, one last heart beat and he exploded in a growl of release, the warmth of his climax filling her, pushing her into yet another multihued explosion of her own. Falling on top of him, she thought she’d lose consciousness as wave after wave of spasms fisted about him, mixing with his own trembling shudders. She puffed, panted, tried to regain sentience, but why? This was heaven, pure and simple.

 She rolled from him, into the crook of his arm, He gathered her in, drawing her against his still heaving chest

“Good Lord, woman.” He drew in another deep breath. “Where’d you learn to serve up a breakfast like that?”

Rolling to an elbow she looked into his eyes. “Believe me, that was only a appetizer. Now, I want waffles, bacon and eggs as well.” She grinned in wicked mischief.

“Aren’t we a bit dirty for that?” He asked.

“Not in my opinion.” She smirked. “Nothing turns me on like a hard working man.”