Essel’s Pov
"You knew I was right behind you, didn't you?" I suddenly realized.
"Of course. Who else walks with such an annoying sound?"
I stared at him, my jaw nearly dropping in disbelief, then mentally shook my head. "How rude!"
Tristen rolled his eyes. "Please, 'rude' is practically my middle name."
"Really? I thought it was 'Jerk.'"
"That works too."
He returned to hitting the bag, though with noticeably less intensity. My gaze wandered down his damp, dark hair and along his defined jawline… across his broad chest and down to his abs…
"Quit checking me out!"
"I'm not!" I shot back, feeling a blush creep across my cheeks as I quickly turned my attention to… a trash can.
"You look adorable when you blush, Essel," Akila chimed in, clearly enjoying the moment. Meanwhile, my hear
