The sight of Andi in his arms hits harder than it should. Heat climbs my spine before I can stop it, and I realize too late that my feet are already moving toward them. My eyes never leave them as they remain locked in their embrace, and her bright, honest smile aimed at him feels like a dagger in my chest. Andi meets my gaze, and I see a trace of something that looks like guilt and a brief glint of fear.
Gently, Andi pulls back from his embrace and keeps her sweet smile on her face. His back is to me, and he doesn't know I'm coming up behind him. Andi steps to the side and extends her hand toward me. “Shane, let me introduce you to someone.”
Shane follows Andi's gaze and her outstretched arm as he turns to face me. Andi’s voice stays cheerful as she introduces us. “Shane, this is Luke Woods. He just started with us today, but he has an impressive background in fighting. Luke, this is Shane Fowler. Shane is in line to be the next light-heavyweight champion. For all intents and purposes, he is my brother. Pop pretty much adopted us both when we were teenagers.”
Shane extends his hand with a smile to shake mine. “How are you doing, Luke? Welcome to the family, bro!”
If he noticed how I was charging toward him and Andi, or how red with fury my face must have been, he had the good sense not to mention it. I extend my hand and shake his, noting a firm grip, but nothing about it is threatening.
“Thanks, Shane. I appreciate that. Nice to meet you.”
My eyes shift to Andi, and I see her let out a long, visible breath. She must have been holding it while she waited to see what I’d do. The guy is like a brother to her, and I just made a complete fool of myself over a girl who isn't even mine. What is wrong with me? Maybe I need to go back to the club tonight to distract myself before I do something stupid.
I can feel Andi staring at me, and she expects me to look back, but I just can’t make myself do it. I know she deserves better from me, but I can barely keep myself in control around her. That’s obvious from what happened today. The image of her in another man's arms is still fresh in my mind, and I can't shake how much I hated seeing it.
I'm cool with Shane now that she’s said he's her brother, but this jealousy thing is new to me. I don’t get jealous over girls. They get jealous of me. They cry, beg, threaten—hell, even fight each other over me. But I’ve never reacted to any of them the way I just did with Andi. And I don’t like it at all. I don't like someone else having that kind of control over me, so it's best to stop this attraction before it gets out of hand.
After another half hour of getting to know Shane and hearing all about the intense conditioning camp he just finished, Andi finally says goodbye to everyone again. She gave up trying to get my attention a while ago. When Andi turns to pick up her stuff, I finally look at her again, and I feel like such a dick.
From her profile, I can see her confusion etched on her beautiful face, and she has a sad look that wasn’t there at any other time today. I silently swear at myself because I know I put that look there.
She saw me coming for Shane and moved quickly to save me from my own actions again. She’s almost to the door when I finally call out to her.
“Andi!”
But she keeps going as if she didn’t hear me.
Shane’s big hand claps me on the shoulder. “Hey, man. Why don’t you come out with us tonight? Several of us are going to The Beta Room, and Andi will be there, too.”
“Sure. Sounds fun. She goes there with her boyfriend?” I incline my chin toward the door where Andi just left, indicating I’m asking about her. I’m trying to be as nonchalant as possible, but I know I’m as transparent as hell.
“Nah, man, she doesn’t have a boyfriend. She’ll be there with her girlfriends. If you're looking to hook up withsomeone for the night, most of her friends are kind of hot." Shane sounds casual, but his eyes are hard as steel. The message is loud and clear. Hook up with her friends, but don’t even think about Andi.
“You got something going on with Andi, man?” I give my best smile and keep my voice neutral. Just two guys chatting here—nothing to see.
Shane’s laugh holds no humor. “No, Luke, nothing like that. She really is like my sister. We practically grew up together under Mack’s guidance. And as her only brother, there’s absolutely nothing I wouldn’t do to protect her. From anyone.”
Relief should have followed that explanation. Instead, the tightness in my chest remained exactly where it was.
Shane's hard eyes pin me to the wall, and he knows it. He knows I’m interested, and he’s making it clear we’ll have no problems as long as I leave Andi alone.
“Plenty of guys try to pick her up every weekend at the club. She goes to have fun with her friends, has a few drinks, laughs, and loves to sing karaoke. It’s her way of blowing off steam and expressing her artistic side. She’s great at it, too. But she's not a one-night-stand kind of girl, and I'm not about to let anyone take advantage of her. She’s too good a person for that. She deserves better.”
“What if that’s what she wants? One night, no strings attached?”
Shane’s scowl deepens as the timbre of his voice drops. “She doesn’t want that. At all. And anyone who wants that with her will have to get through me first. And I can guarantee you one thing. No man who would treat her like that will ever get past me.”
I give him a single nod and say, “You’re a good brother, Shane.”
And I have some serious growing up to do.
When I step outside the gym, ready to get home and process the events of the day, I notice Andi coming back toward the gym. “Forget something?”
“Yeah. Some days I swear I’d forget my head if it wasn’t attached,” she says with a laugh.
A high-pitched whining noise from across the street makes us both turn to look. A gray sedan with dark-tinted windows is parked at the curb, idling. The outline of a male figure behind the wheel confirms it’s occupied.
“Huh. That same car was parked there when I first got here. Wonder if he realizes his fuel pump is going bad.” My comment was more an observation than an accusation, but something in Andi is on guard. She stiffens andsquints to get a better look inside. “Something wrong, Andi? You know him?”
