Not You Again!

Chapter Four

Daykan was later than usual because he had made a quick stop to drop off his car at the mechanic’s.

He had reluctantly ordered an Uber to the gym. It was probably ridiculous but he felt vulnerable when someone else drove him; it made him feel helpless and he liked being in control.

He almost did a happy little dance when they arrived at Sweat It Out’s parking lot and he stepped out. He heard the signature beep of a car being locked and absentmindedly turned in the direction of the sound.

“Hmm, a red jeep; nothing out of place about that.”

He casually whipped out his phone to rate the driver. It had been a good ride; no forced conversation or awkward comments about the weather, cool music playing in the background, a reasonably careful driv….

Wait!

A red jeep!

Daykan turned again just in time to see a woman’s back disappear through the entrance. He inhaled deeply and only caught a sliver of the scent because he was standing downwind, but it was more than enough.

It was a scent he was likely never going to forget.

His vet was here.

When you talked about scent, it wasn’t just sweat and body odor. A more accurate description was: essence.

Everyone knew that wolves had an incredible sense of smell, but being a werewolf took it to a way higher level. This was particularly true when it came to humans because unlike werewolves, they couldn’t mask their scent.

Werewolves could alter their scent to a certain extent and keep some things hidden. They only fully revealed their scent out of love, trust, respect or fear.

But humans were like an open book; there was no masking or barriers raised. Heck, they probably didn’t even know they had a scent and definitely not that it could say so much about them.

It took just a whiff and Daykan could tell if the person was reserved, kind, hot-tempered and stuff like that; like a personality indicator. He couldn’t know everything just from sniffing around but it was a pretty good start.

There was something different about his vet’s scent. Daykan had never been this captivated by a human’s scent.

Scratch that. He had never been this captivated by any living thing’s scent; werewolf, human or squirrel.

He couldn’t exactly describe it. But if he was hard-pressed to, she smelled like a combination of fresh peaches, lilies, lemon drops and a dash of cinnamon; a sweet, but spicy mix.

He had definitely seen the spicy side after she had torn into him at the clinic.

He knew that he was physically imposing but that tiny woman had acted like she could have taken him on and still had enough strength left to face an army after; with an arm tied behind her back.

But he could also tell that she was warm, determined and passionate. That was probably the side all her patients saw.

He imagined how nice it would feel to be a recipient of that warmth.

Daykan wanted to soak in a pool of her essence, until it seeped into his skin and she was all he could smell.

Then when he had to leave, he would bottle it up so a regular spritz could sustain him until he was back in her presence.

His vet was…

Wait, what was he doing?

She wasn’t his in anyway whatsoever.

She was just the cranky vet who had falsely accused him of hitting the deer.

There was something about her that got to him and he didn’t like the way it made him feel. She seemed to know the precise way to push his buttons and no one should have that power over him.

Maybe he was reading way too much into things, considering that they had only had one encounter but he knew that his gut was right about this.

That vet was bad news.

Sure she smelled absolutely delicious and he was dying to bury his nose in her hair, but it was best to avoid her.

The plan was to walk into the gym and keep walking until he got to his office.

He was just going to act like she wasn’t there and maybe she wouldn’t even notice him walking by. If she did, he would give her a curt, professional nod and act like she didn’t exist.

Susan was the one in charge of registering new members and she would assign the vet a trainer if need be. So Daykan didn’t even have to talk to her.

But maybe he could have a polite conversation with her. It was only natural to be courteous to a new customer.

No!

People weren’t coming to the gym because of the owner’s impeccable manners; they were coming to because of the great equipment, facilities and to workout.

Who cared if he acted like a recluse?

Although, a ‘good morning’ wouldn’t hurt.

Okay! The plan was to give a curt, professional nod while saying good morning and then be on the way to his office.

Daykan hurried into the gym and saw that the vet was a few feet away. Her back was turned towards him and she was slowly taking in the sight of his establishment.

He hoped that she liked what she saw.

Not that her opinion specifically mattered to him. It was good for members’ retention if they had a positive review about the place.

Daykan opened his mouth.

Come on! Say good morning and be on your way.

“Who do we have here? Changed your mind about arresting me?”

For some reason, he just couldn’t resist goading her. So much for polite greetings and curt nods.

Naomi was hoping that her ears were playing tricks on her.

But unless her eyes were in on it too, other than the fact that this was real, there was no explanation for the douchebag standing with his arms crossed and a smirk on his handsome face.

Handsome was an understatement. Without a bleeding deer to ruin the mood she really had the time to look at him now.

From where she was standing, his eyes looked hazelnut and emitted a glow similar to that of a predator.

His cheekbones were high and so perfectly molded that a part of her was convinced he had been under the knife; especially with a nose that straight.

His silver strands reminded her of silk and she wondered if they felt as soft as they looked.

Had he been this tall last night?

She was practically straining her neck to look in his eyes.

If Naomi thought about it, there should be no surprise to see him at the gym; those muscles were clearly not gotten from pushing pencils.

He didn’t look like a man you wanted to mess with. But she wasn’t going to let him intimidate her.

“I don’t give a damn about you. I’m just here to workout so leave me alone.” Naomi crossed her arms to match his stance.

“You’ll hurt yourself if you aren’t careful. You look like a kid lost in the mall. There’s no shame in asking for help and guidance when it’s your first time.”

It was a guess but he figured he was right when her cheeks slightly turned red.

“If you ask realllllly nicely, I’ll even throw in some free sessions.” Daykan declared with a smug smile.

“I’m not asking you for anything! I’ll have you know that I’m experienced when it comes to gym equipment.”

Of course Naomi was lying but she wasn’t ready to admit that he was right.

She had hoped to sign up for a trainer; someone to show her the ropes and tell her what to do. But she was just going to have to fake it until she made it.

She would look for the easiest looking machine and have a go at that. At least she knew what a treadmill was for.

“We both know that you are lying. But I can’t let you use the equipment if you don’t know how to handle it! Stop being so stubborn and let me help you.”

Daykan was getting irritated.

He had allowed her boss him around at the clinic because he had been realistic enough to admit that she was an expert and he knew next to nothing about surgery on a deer.

But now she was in his domain and wasn’t ready to let him take the reins.

Couldn’t she see that he was supposed to protect her?

Woah! Where did that come from?

He just didn’t want her to get hurt on his property but he was tempted to let her pull a muscle. Maybe that would knock some sense into her.

“Who the hell do you think you are to tell me what I can’t handle? You think you’re such a strong man and I’m just a weak woman right? So you bully animals and women?”

Naomi was getting redder by the moment.

Daykan was about to reply when Tania walked in and wrapped herself around his right arm.

“Dayyyyyy! Please train with me today! Let’s go!” Tania pouted seductively but Daykan was not impressed.

“Sorry Tania but I’m already busy with training our new member.” Daykan shot a hopeful glance at Naomi and hoped she would back up his lie.