Testing Limits (Shadow Ridge Series #2)

Chapter 1

He's improved his already impressive body by what seems like double what mine has so it's still harder for me to keep up with him.

"You'll get a kiss for every rep you do."

"You're only saying that because you want to kiss me."

"Either way, you still owe me at least five reps and you're prolonging it babe."

"Ugh, fine," I groan. "Just make sure you don't let me die."

"Never," he chuckles, placing his calloused, but gentle, hands on my hips and giving them a firm squeeze.

I shake out my limbs and step forward to grab a hold of the barbell of the power tower which is now holding seventy pounds, and duck my head under it to rest the barbell across the back of my shoulders.

"You've got this babe," Lucas says, his lips hovering near my ear so his warm breath hits my skin, being a tease.

We haven't slept together yet, I haven't felt ready too despite how I feel about him, I just don't feel the need to rush things by sleeping with him, especially when we were both in not-so-great relationships before we got together.

My ex-boyfriend, Jesse Landford, who I dated early last school year, cheated on me because I wouldn't sleep with him which I was and wasn't surprised by, while Lucas was in a relationship with his ex-girlfriend Nichole Young who he ended things with in March.

He was going through some struggles of his own the beginning of last year after his grandparents died, turning to alcohol and a couple of random hookups before hooking up with Nichole that almost immediately led to their relationship. Most of the time they were dating, they fought a lot, which tended to lead them to having sex with one another so it has made me slightly more hesitant to take things to the next level with him, mostly because he has experience that I don't have since I'm a virgin.

Lucas started drinking at the after parties for their football games and when things got particularly bad during a party in December, Brody and Trey, who had both tried on their own to get Lucas cleaned up, decided it was time to call Tyler in for help.

Tyler knocked some sense into his younger brother and he got his act together and that's how Lucas realized his relationship with Nichole wasn't a good one to be in, especially if he wanted to stay sober. He spent a few months trying to fix things with her, so when it didn't work, he ended things with her.

Lucas has been understanding about me not feeling ready to have sex yet though and he hasn't pushed me to sleep with him. I don't always understand how he's been so patient about waiting like he has, but I couldn't appreciate him more for it. We've had our fights over it, sure, and even broken up, if you can call it that since it was only for a day, after a particularly bad fight when I called things off. It just comes with the ups and downs of being in a relationship, high school or not, so having open and honest communication is something we're always working on.

"One," he hums, pressing his lips against my right shoulder blade as I begin my final reps, trying to focus on them and not his mouth. He counts me through the reps, planting kisses along my other shoulder, the back of my neck and under my jawline. "Five," his voice whispers in my ear before he kisses me behind said ear, only to gently tug on my earlobe.

"Lucas," I warn, trying not to drop the barbell I still have in my grasp.

"Hm?" he asks even though he knows exactly what he's doing. He likes to tease me, especially when he knows we're somewhere I can't react the way my body wants too, even when I'm still not going to sleep with him.

"I don't think this is your smartest idea," I voice as I feel his hands tighten their hold on my hips while I set the barbell back on its hooks.

"Why not?"