“Will I have to carry you to your house, or will you make it?” Alexa giggled and her smile reached her Caribbean blue eyes.

“Screw carrying me. Just call an ambulance. I’ll be dead,” I said, laughing even though I was as serious as the heart attack I was going to have. “Let’s do this.”

And with that, we placed our ear buds in and were off.

*****

About five miles in, I got my stride and started to enjoy the run. Alexa’s playlist did kick ass. I had never listened to dance music while running, but I was into it and feeling good.

She was a natural runner with smooth strides like a gazelle, her gorgeous long legs, and perfect running form. Every so often, I would fall back a few feet so I could watch her ass in action. Then I realized getting a hard on while running was not a great idea, and I caught up to her. At one point, she slowed down so she was behind me, and I wondered if she was doing the same to me. The thought that she was appreciating my ass made me happy. One time, I gave my ass a good shake, and I heard her giggle. Score.

We didn’t talk much for the first half, but we sang classic songs like “No Diggity” and “Eye of the Tiger” at the top of our lungs. Once we headed back into Boston from Chestnut Hill, we were both tired of music and chatted more.

“Tell me why you’re running this year?” I asked Alexa between breaths. Experts say if you can carry on a conversation while running, then you are going at your perfect pace.

“Well, I ran last year, but didn’t get to finish.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

The bombings at the finish line last year were such a delicate topic, and I was torn if I should push the issue.

“Were you there that day?” Alexa asked before I could inquire more. Her clipped tone indicated she didn’t want to talk about it further.

“No, but I was at The Rub Down a block and a half away. It was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever heard and witnessed.”

At 2:49 pm, two backpacks containing shrapnel packed pressure cookers exploded twelve seconds apart at the finish line. The bombing created mass chaos as runners were still trying to finish the race, and thousands of innocent spectators lined the streets. Three people lost their lives, and hundreds were injured. The police shut down a twelve-block area around the site to investigate, which closed The Rub Down for days. The horror etched on the faces of Boston’s citizens was a sight I would never forget. Boston showed the world we were strong. The police, firemen, and EMTs were truly heroes, as well as other outstanding citizens. Many of the runners who were stopped blocks away from the site, and weren’t allowed to finish the run, went to the nearest hospitals to donate blood. The fear continued for days until the terrorists were finally found.

“I was in a treatment room when it happened. I felt the ground shake, and honestly thought it was an earthquake. Jessica ran upstairs and alerted me to what was happening. Danny and I did our best to get our clients to safety.” I remembered feeling helpless. I wanted to help the emergency personnel, but needed to do my duty to my clients first.

Our pace dropped as we remembered the horror.

“I’m sorry I brought it up. It’s so hard to think about. Let’s talk about something happier.”

“Did you need massages last year toward the end of your training, too?”

“No, I guess I’m just getting old, and my body hates me,” she said and chuckled. “Seriously though, I probably should have, but I was new and didn’t use a trainer. I used the good old World Wide Web as my guide.” Her smile was contagious.

I couldn’t stop myself from grinning at her outdated name for the internet.

“Well, I’m glad you’re taking care of yourself this year. Running can be so hard on a body.” I reached out and gave her shoulder a small tap.

“My turn for a question. Tell me what you like to do when you don’t have naked women in your bed.” I snapped my head in her direction and saw the pink flaring up on her cheeks.

“Well, first of all, let’s call it a table. And I have men naked on it, too. However, they’re not as enjoyable to massage,” I said, giving her a wink. “To answer your question though, Danny and I play in a basketball league at the sports club attached to my building. I hang out with my sisters a lot, too.”

“Jessica’s so nice. She’s always smiling when I come in. You have another sister, right? I think I’ve seen her once, but didn’t get a chance to talk to her.”

“You should hang out with us sometime. When Jessica and Elle get together outside of the spa, they’re hilarious.” I peeked from the corner of my eye to see if she reacted to me inviting her out. What I saw was Alexa turning her lickable lips up into a perfect smile.

“I’d love that,” she replied. Her eyes flickered to mine, then straight back to the path.

With the heavy conversation behind us, Alexa picked up our pace, leaving me laboring for breath.

“Okay, I need to stop talking now. I think death is upon me for these last few miles. I need some hard rock blaring in my ears to push me through.” I reached up and wiped the sweat at the edge of my beanie.

“You’re on your own with that hard rock shit. I’ll just blast Pitbull and get it done.”

“Don’t let me slow you down. Go at your pace. I need to slow mine down, but I’ll meet you at the end, and then we can cool down and stretch together.” I hated that I wasn’t able to keep up, but I was shocked I made it as long as I had.

About twenty minutes later, I arrived at the top of the hill, and in front of the State Building was Alexa. She was lightly stretching and watching me approach. When I reached her, I threw my arms up in the air, requesting a double high five. She obliged, and then I grabbed her around the waist and swung her around. She held on to my arms for dear life and let out a belly laugh that made me smile bigger than I thought possible.

We walked to the Boston Common to stretch and cool down.

Best. Run. Ever.

Chapter Eleven

Alexa

That was the best fifteen miles I had ever run. Even though it was a first for Luke and me, we kept the same pace, better than Jeff and me, and we had been running together for several months.

Spending time with Luke was so damn easy because we just really clicked. Warmup, tunes, and run… it was easy as that. When Luke dropped back a few times, I wondered if I was going too fast, but then I felt his stare burning a hole in my tights. Since he did it more than once, I figured he liked what he saw. Turnabout was fair play, so I slowed for a glimpse of his ass. Busted! He started shaking what his momma gave him, and did I ever want to thank that woman for giving him a fine ass. Every muscle in his strong legs worked hard, and it was quite a sight.

After I ran ahead to finish the last few miles, my thoughts circled to when he asked me to hang out with him and his sisters. I hoped the invitation was sincere and meant he wanted to spend time with me outside the treatment room. Though I considered myself a modern woman, I still preferred he make the first move. His interest in me was evident, but something was stopping him. Whatever it was, I hoped he would move past it and ask me out soon.

Once I reached the State House, I spent the first five minutes bent over, trying to catch my breath. That fucking hill sucks ass, and I honestly didn’t know if I was going to make it, but it was perfect practice. After all, Heartbreak Hill on the marathon route wasn’t called that for no reason. As my breath steadied, I looked down the hill and saw Luke. When he noticed me, he broke out in some crazy dance routine. By the time he reached me, and held up his hands for a high ten, I was laughing hysterically, and he was wearing the biggest smile. Then he picked me up and swung me around, making me dizzy. I loved how fun and carefree Luke always was. When he put me down, I wanted him to pull me in for a tight hug and a smoldering kiss, but instead, he stepped back, and we jogged to the Common in a stunned, awkward silence.