And somehow, despite all of that, despite every survival instinct in my body screaming this was reckless and stupid and dangerous, I still wanted Cade there anyway.
Which honestly felt like the worst decision I had ever made in my life.
I was an idiot though, especially when it came to Luke, because I protected a monster. The biggest secret I had ever kept from my family. The ugliest thing that had ever happened to me. Lately, the way Cade watched me made me feel dangerously close to being known, and it terrified me.
But I couldn’t quit playing with fire.
“I feel like you’re hiding something,” he said quietly.
The words landed softly, but my stomach still tightened instantly because of course Cade, who noticed everything, noticed I was full of shit we just spent the first part of our workout fighting about it. But I would pretend he wasn’t breaking the promise he just made where we agreed to not talk about me being a liar—and play the only hand I have and that’s flippantly bypassing the intention of his statement.
“Of course I am,” I teased with a flirty laugh and batted my lashes. “I can’t give all my secrets away.”
Cade rolled his eyes slightly before loading a barbell, muscles flexing hard through his arms as he settled back onto the bench.
My eyes dropped automatically to the sweat glistening across his chest and stomach before I could stop myself, heat climbing straight into my face so fast it physically hurt.
I licked my lips like the smutty little idiot I was.
Get it together, Bliss.
I turned back toward the treadmill immediately and bumped the speed up again because I need a reason to be breathless here and to give myself something else to focus on besides the shirtless hockey captain currently ruining my panties as he worked his body over.
“My brothers can be protective,” I admitted finally, trying very hard to sound casual instead of turned inside out from watching him. Luckily, the higher speed of the treadmill would explain my breathy words. “Which means sometimes I keep things to myself because there’s no point upsetting them over dumb stuff.”
Cade stayed quiet while he bench-pressed double my weight. Not waiting for his turn to talk. Not half-paying attention while staring at his phone like most guys did. Just focused completely on me in that unnerving way that always made me feel like he was quietly collecting pieces of me faster than I could hide them.
“Like if some boy hurt my feelings in high school or whatever,” I continued with a shrug. “Why would I tell six men who already borderline threaten every guy that looks at me wrong?” I laughed softly under my breath. “Sometimes keeping secrets isn’t about protecting yourself. It’s about protecting everybody else.”
Silence stretched between us for a second beneath the hum of the treadmill and low bass vibrating through the gym speakers overhead and I wonder if I gave too much away by trying to give him anything so he stops looking at me all concerned and protective.
Then Cade spoke again. “Was it one guy or multiple?”
I looked over immediately, slightly startled, but I should have known better by now. Cade always cut straight through the bullshit.
His attention stayed locked on me while he slowly lowered the weight to his chest, then pushed it back up, blue eyes sharper now.
“It was one,” I admitted carefully.
Cade set the barbell on the rack over his head before sitting up and bracing his elbows against his knees.
“Is he still around?”
I looked away first. “Doesn’t matter.”
“You’re avoiding the question.”
I sighed quietly. “He comes around sometimes,” I admitted reluctantly. “Small-town stuff.” I twisted the cap tighter onto my water bottle just to keep my hands busy. “He was a hockey player.”
A bitter laugh slipped out before I could stop it. “Very stereotypical athlete mentality. Everything handed to him because people worshipped him.”
The temperature in the room somehow felt colder after that as Cade’s jaw tightened hard enough for me to notice.
“I’m guessing he hurt you?”
Frustration hit so fast it caught me off guard. “Yeah, Cade,” I snapped quietly, emotion finally cracking through my voice. “He hurt me.”
The room went completely still after that, and Cade rose slowly from the bench before taking one small step closer. Not aggressive or intimidating. Intentional.
