His brow lifted. “You’re kidding, right?”

She glared at him and pursed her lips.

“Wait. I think you misunderstood what I’m trying to say.”

“Really? Because I think it came across perfectly clear.” She lowered her head, her gaze shifting to the floor.

He stepped toward her and slid one finger under her chin, lifting her face back to his. He smiled gently. “Do you really think I care about your weight?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re wrong.”

“Am I?” Preslee asked, clearly not convinced. “I mean, look at you.” Her eyes raked over his bare chest and then flickered back to his face. “You probably don’t have a clue what it feels like to be uncomfortable in your own skin.”

“How do you figure?”

“You own a gym, Adam. Not only do you like to stay in shape, but you train others to do the same.”

“Do you want to know why I started working out? Because I was one of those scrawny kids who got picked on growing up.”

Her eyes widened, and her mouth hinged open slightly. “You were?”

“Every day. At school, after school, at the park. Basically everywhere I went. I was a magnet for bullies who wanted someone much smaller to push around.”

She shook her head. “I…I’m sorry. I wish things like that didn’t happen in this world. It’s unfortunate that they do.” She bit her lip. “So that’s how you got into weight lifting?”

“Pretty much. I met Kurt not long after that. He wasn’t into the lifting as much as I was, but he liked to work out to stay in shape. Over time, we became best friends.” Adam smiled. “It took a while, but through training, I was able to go from being the littlest guy in the room to being the biggest.”

“Really?”

He shrugged. “I haven’t had a single bully try anything with me since. Now I stay fit just because I like the way it feels. But that doesn’t have anything to do with us. I only mentioned it because you said I don’t know what it feels like to be uncomfortable in my own skin. Trust me, I do.”

She sighed. “Come on, Adam. You know what I’m saying. Why would you want to be with someone who looks like me when there are plenty of thinner women who would jump at the chance to be with someone who looks like you?”

Anger swept through him. “Okay, now you’re pissing me off. Since when did you become such a hypocrite?”

Her eyes widened. “What? I’m not a hypocrite.”