“What’s the book?”
“Oh, just a light and fluffy beach read. Nothing you would recognize.”
“Kendra, are you listening to smut?”
Her slight blush spread over her entire face, a clear giveaway. I gave her a grin, and she avoided my gaze as she prepared to do her second set.
“None of your business, boss.”
“You know what trait I absolutely love in a woman?”
Her eyes went to mine as she gripped the barbell. “What?”
“I love when they read smut, in the middle of a crowded room, and they think no one knows. But right now, you could cut glass with your nipples. Whatever they’re doing in that book, it’s working for you, isn’t it?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, covering up the nipples I’d been stupid enough to mention.
“It’s not smut, Hawk. It’s about a serial killer, a very misunderstood serial killer who just disemboweled his victim. And it’s cold in here, so stop looking at my chest.”
I swallowed and then laughed. She was quick. I’d give her that, but I didn’t buy it. “Let me hear it.”
She blushed, and I grabbed her earbud out, the sound transferring to the phone in her pocket.
“…umm, she moaned as his cock hit the back of her throat…”
She fumbled with the phone, frantically trying to stop the playback of the book. Her blush had gone from a faint hint to a full red bloom across her face.
“God, you’re adorable when you blush.”
Dammit, Hawk. Guess you’re going to need to report yourself to HR.
She grunted and got ready for another set, attempting to change the subject, moving back to the workout.
“I have another meet-up tonight. If you want to be my wingman, you know, just in case Connor ends up being Tyler 2.0.”
“Of course,” I said. I spotted her for the following two sets, growing increasingly frustrated that she was meeting fucking idiots from the dating website again. Did I know for certain that this guy was a jackass? No. But in my mind, I was already gearing up to tear him apart.
Kendra was a fucking catch; not only was she drop-dead gorgeous, but the woman’s brain made her even more attractive. The fact that an idiot like Tyler thought he even had a right to speak to her, never mind demanding anything from her, blew my mind. So yeah, I would be her wingman. If only to block the douchebags until the day someone worthy shows up.
“I’ll be at the bar by 7:00. Does that work?”
She nodded. “It does. Thanks for looking out for me.”
“Anytime.”
SEVEN
kendra
Connor seemed promising,not just from the app’s profile but also based on our conversation on and off for the last couple of days. Chatting with men from dating apps about sex before a meet-up was risky, so I tried to steer the conversation away from that as much as possible.
I always tried to beat my date to the bar, but it looked like I was later than both him and Hawk.
Hawk: He seems normal enough so far. Dark hair? Corner?
I gave Hawk a quick nod and walked over to where Connor sat. He stood up to greet me, and he wasn’t as tall as he claimed in his bio. Dammit. Not only was he not 6’2”, he was barely taller than me in my 2” heels. Maybe he cleared 5’9”.
“I thought you said you were 6’2”?” I asked, cutting straight to the point.
