The situation had been so hopeless, for such a long period of time, that Zoe had pretty much forgotten about it, instead burying herself in work, friends and family. Other than giving the various battery-operated items in her bedside table a good and frequent workout, her sex life was neglected, non-existent.

And until Blondie had walked into the room, it hadn’t bothered her. But something about him, some sixth sense he’d sparked off in her, told her that there was a chance he could be different. Those tingles that had erupted all over her had been as surprising as they were exciting, and she couldn’t help thinking there had to be a reason for it. If that was the effect he had on her from the other side of a room, what could he do to her with a word, with a touch?

Zoe shook her head. She was getting way ahead of herself. Waaay ahead. Yes, he’d set something off in her, something to ignite her interest for the first time in forever, but still. The man could be married, or gay, or the most deathly boring person ever to walk the planet. Or the stupidest—he had crashed into John, after all. That hadn’t been the smartest move. Then again, perhaps he was just clumsy.

But, as was always the case with these situations—there was only one way to find out. She was going to have to discover more about him. Ask around, check if he was unattached. If he was, then she’d find a way to speak to him, strike up conversation.

A dreamy look crossed Elaine’s face. “Yeah… I know what you mean. John’s built like a brick shit house, isn’t he? So big, and muscular. Mmm. Shame he’s married…”

Breathing an inward sigh of relief that the attention had been taken away from her and the so-called Viking, Zoe brought the topic back around to the reason they were there. She helped Elaine and her sparring partner tweak some of their positioning and movements, then headed for the next twosome before the conversation could be brought up again.

As she passed the doorway leading to the gym, she couldn’t help sneaking a glance in that direction, and caught a tantalizing glimpse of the blond. He was removing his T-shirt in preparation for his workout. There was a vest beneath it—more was the pity—but Zoe was still able to briefly drink in the sleek muscles of his arms and his well-defined shoulders. She bit her bottom lip to hold in the moan that wanted to escape. He wasn’t as buff as many of the blokes that frequented the gym—but in her opinion, that was what made him so attractive. Bulky, bodybuilder types did nothing for her—never had.

Tall, athletic and toned, an impressive stature with underlying strength, on the other hand…

Yes, Blondie had most definitely piqued her interest, and was the first man in a long time to have done so. Not because she didn’t like men—she had plenty of them as friends—but because when it came to relationships, things inevitably got complicated. Her dual careers, the fact she was so busy all of the time… her life and schedule just weren’t conducive to romance. Add her additional ‘preferences’ to the mix and it was little wonder she’d been single for ages—men just didn’t ‘get’ her, and certainly couldn’t handle her. She’d decided a while back that if she couldn’t find someone to meet all her needs, then she’d just go without. Rather that than being in an unfulfilling, unsatisfying relationship.