I stare at the ceiling, every muscle locked. Lulu’s teeth sink into my shoulder just to mess with me. “Yeah,” I manage. “Glad to help.”
“You sound weird,” Eli mutters.
“I’m fine.” Too fast, too defensive. “Just—uh—just been running some drills.”
Drilling your sister.
“On your day off?”
“Gotta stay sharp,” I grit, shooting Lulu a glare, who pulls the covers up over her face.
Eli snorts. “You’re solid, Miller.”
Yeah, I’m solid. Rock fucking solid for Lulu.
“Thanks,” I mutter, dragging a hand down my face.
“Good man,” Eli says, distracted by something in the background. “Alright, I’ll catch you later.”
“Yeah. Later.”
I hang up and drop the phone like it’s burned me.
Lulu rolls onto her back, laughing hard. “You—” She gasps, tears in her eyes. “You almost lost it.”
“Almost?” I pin her under me, growling into her throat. “Fucking torture.”
She turns her head, giving me more access to drag my lips over her skin. “Pretty sure that’s payback for capsizing my flamingo.”
I groan, dropping my head onto her shoulder. “Pretty sure that was the hardest penalty kill of my life.”
***
The weight room’s already humming by the time I walk into the gym. Plates clink, music thuds, and Chase is halfway through yelling at Ryan about form on his squats. I keep my head down, shoulders tight, and head for the dumbbells.
Doesn’t work.
Reid’s already there, leaning on the rack like a fucking gargoyle, towel slung over one shoulder. Calm. Watchful. Eyes enough to cut steel.
“Miller.”
My grip tightens on the handle before I even lift it. “Hutchy.”
He doesn’t move. Just studies me, long enough that my skin starts crawling.
I lift once, twice. He doesn’t look away to the point my skin prickles. “You planning to just stare at me, or…?”
“Thinking.” His voice is low but sharp enough to cut glass. “About how you’ve been twitchier than a rookie on his first shift.”
I grunt and keep curling. “I’m fine.”
“Sure.” He tips his chin toward the rest of the room. “Everybody else might buy that. I don’t.
I set the weight down harder than I mean to. “Definedon’t.”
Reid crosses his arms. “Back-to-back texts lighting up your phone as much as they do your face. The way you almost snapped Walton’s stick in half when he cracked a joke about hot teachers. And the look on your face yesterday when Eli started sniffing around.”
My throat locks. “You keeping a diary, Hutch?”
