“Continue to shut me out.” I scowl. “I at least deserve to know about your friends since I wasn’t aware that you had any.”
He runs a hand through his hair, and it’s the only sign that he feels something in this moment. “I don’t want to talk about my private life in my office.”
I put my hands on my hips. “Why?”
Dropping his hand, he sighs and whispers, “There’s a camera with audio in my office, and it isn’t mine.”
My scowl only deepens until I realize what he’s talking about. “Your boss is watching?”
With one curt nod, he points down the hall to the living room. As soon as we’re standing by the fireplace, I face him again, expecting more answers.
“He watches everything I do in there. Talking about my life inside those four walls isn’t what I want him to hear. I didn’t even want you in there. If he decides to look, he'll know that you’re here.”
“So that’s why you wouldn’t let me go inside before?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.” I breathe out. “Sorry.”
He carefully pushes hair behind my ear. “I should have told you. I just didn’t want you to think you were being watched.”
I nod a little and lean into his touch, but all too soon, he pulls away and pivots toward the kitchen. I stand there for a moment, reeling at the idea that Nix’s life isn’t as private as he wants it to be, and wondering how the hell we’re going to sneak around with a camera in his office, before I follow him into the kitchen.
He’s digging in the fridge, his back turned toward me. It’s then I realize what he’s wearing. Gray sweatpants hug his ass tightly, and his cut-off shirt reveals the muscles of his arms. Even with the stress of it all, I can still appreciate that he’s a beautiful man.
“What are you doing?” I ask as I place my hand on the cold granite and drum my fingers against it a few times.
“Breakfast,” he answers before swiveling from the fridge with an armful of produce.
“We haven’t even slept yet.” The frown on my face matches that of my tone.
He looks back at me over his shoulder. “I doubt we’d even sleep if we tried.”
“Okay,” I murmur. “Breakfast. And then what?”
“The gym. There’s one on the main level of the building.”
“What am I going to do?” As much as I’d love to watch his muscles ripple, I can’t just hang around up here and do nothing. Watch TV? Try to nap? Clean his pristine apartment? None of those options sound good to me. Not with everything that’s going on. And it’s not like I can snoop back into his office and try to discover a key into the volt of secrets Andre might hold.
With his back to me, he busies himself cracking eggs into a bowl. “You’re coming with me.”
“To work out?” I squeak. I’d look pathetic lifting weights. I haven’t done so in a long time, not since the academy.
Finally, he spins, and a small smile tips up the edges of his lips. It’s a glorious sight to see. “I don’t care what you do in the gym, mama, and though I’d like to watch your ass move on a treadmill, my only point is to make sure you’re never alone. Stand there if you want, but you’re coming with. End of conversation.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Feenix Blaylock
Iclimb out of the shower and quickly dry off my sore body. While she was wearing my shorts to match the shirt I had given her, Charlie had stayed with me while I worked out, silently watching me as I lifted. I’m not an idiot. I could see the lust in her eyes every time I curled, or squatted, and especially when I thrusted.
At one point, I made it a game and took off my shirt. Sweat dripped down my body, and she watched it fall with rapt attention, but she never made a move. She never touched me or inched closer. She just sat on the edge of a treadmill and watched as I went from machine to free weights.
But we never broke. Not once did she touch me, nor I, her. Even in the elevator, we kept our distance, waiting for the other to cave first.
Steam billows around my bathroom while I brush my teeth and put on my deodorant. I wonder how long it’lltake her because like hell am I going to be the one to make a move first. She started this game with those fuck-me eyes. I’ll be damned if I’m the one who ends it.
Wrapping the towel around my waist, I leave my hot bathroom and step into my cooler bedroom. Goosebumps rise over my skin as I do, steam wafting from my body. But I don’t get far. I stop short for a split second because Charlie is on my bed, laying on her back . . . and she’s naked.
