When I enter the gym after returning from a run, I’m immediately greeted by one of his perusals that’s so heated I may as well be naked. He doesn’t even have to touch me, and I want to strip off all his clothes and ride him like a wild mustang. Based on the way his lips curl slowly, he’s aware of his effect on me. Would it really hurt so much to be with him once and get it out of my system? It’s not as if he’d want anything more than that. Men like him get bored with women like me. Maybe I could find out what he’s capable of, just to satisfy my curiosity.
No. Bad Harley. Sleeping with someone from your gym is part of what got you into this mess.
Devon isn’t Thaklaew though, and it wouldn’t be a relationship, just a quick fuck. I don’t have any feelings for him, other than professional admiration. He’s hot, that’s all. That body… My gaze dips to his strong thighs, and I swallow.Veryhot.
“Harley, you’re with me,” Seth barks across the gym, holding up a couple of Thai pads. Shaking away thoughts of Devon, I slip on a pair of gloves and join him. He takes me through a few rounds, issuing instructions while I punch, kick, knee, elbow, slip, and weave. It’s while I’m practicing my low kicks that I sense a change in the atmosphere and glance toward the entrance. A pretty black woman with her hair tied back is hovering just inside the door, looking around.
“Who’s that?” I ask Seth as I aim a straight right at the pad in his hand.
“Sydney. Gabe’s girl.”
“Hey, Syd.” I hear Devon’s voice behind me, deep and welcoming. “You’re looking particularly beautiful today. Is there a special occasion I don’t know about?”
My heart sinks and I don’t hear her reply. He’s flirting with her. Of course he is. I’ve already ascertained that he’s a flirt. He’s not truly interested in her, but perhaps that means he’s not truly interested in me either, and I’ve been silly to take his winks and smiles to heart. Maybe he’s just messing with me the same way he is with Sydney—because it’s in his nature and he enjoys it.
I’m a fool.
Setting my jaw, I make up my mind to pay him no heed in future.
“Left hook,” Seth calls, and I smash my fist into the pad with all the power and aggression I can muster. Unfortunately, it doesn’t make me feel any better.
Five minutes later, I’m doing crunches in the corner when I hear a quiet voice saying my name.
“Harley?”
Pausing, I roll into a seated position and look up to see Sydney standing over me. Up close, I can see she has deep brown eyes, flawless skin, and a kind smile.
“I’m Sydney. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too,” I say, getting up and thrusting my hand out before realizing it’s sweaty as hell and she probably doesn’t want to touch me. She takes it anyway. “You’re dating Gabe?”
“Yeah.” She smiles, and tucks her hair behind her ear. “It’s very new, but we’ve been best friends basically since first grade.”
My heart squeezes at the way her eyes soften. It’s clear she’s in love, and for some reason, envy grips me for a few seconds before I manage to dismiss it. I’ve never wanted a perfect romance before, so I don’t know why her obvious giddiness gets to me.
“That’s pretty cool,” I reply, wishing I had something better to offer.
“Yeah.” She tilts her head. “I know all of the guys here, and you’re in good hands.”
“Thanks.” I study her, wondering if there’s a reason she came over other than to introduce herself. She seems to have something on her mind.
“Did you know one of the newbies has a fight tomorrow night?” she asks. “Jase and Seth will both be there to corner him. Gabe, too. He’s taking a break from training, but he’ll still be helping out with things like this from time to time.”
I nod. Seth has mentioned the event. Apparently he has some concerns about whether the fighter is up to the task, but not because of any lack of training, just that his attitude is a bit off.
“Anyway, Lena—that’s Jase’s girlfriend—and I are getting together while they’re at the fight, and we’d love for you to join us.”
“Really?” I hadn’t expected that, and I’m not sure how to respond. I haven’t had female friends I could just hang out with in over eight years. The only ones I’ve kept up relationships with trained with me at the gym, and we lived muay thai. Then there’s Ashlin, but considering we’ve been in different countries, it’s not as if we’ve had the chance to spend time together.
“Of course.” She smiles, and it hits me that she looks truly happy. Not many people can claim that. “Being around all this testosterone is a lot of work. You need some girl time to balance it out.”
At this, I can’t help but smile. She does have a point. Sometimes I get so caught up in all the manly energy floating around that I find myself trying to compete with it.
“Okay, then. I’d like that. Thanks so much for inviting me.”
“Great!” She beams. “We’ll be at Lena’s place. She lives with Jase. I don’t know the address off the top of my head, but Seth will have it, and if not, just get my number from him and I can find out for you. I’ll see you around six?”
“Perfect.”
