Page 42 of Specter Bred

My anger immediately weakened.

Damn him!

With an annoyed sigh, I rolled off and sat beside him on the mat.

Hayes took that as a victory.

Sensing my resolve was cracking, he immediately went in for the kill.

"I didn't want you to know because I thought it would hurt your feelings," he whispered. "And then lying about it ended up hurting you even more. I won't make that mistake again."

I groaned and dropped my head back.

"Fine. Okay. Okay. I forgive you. Can we stop with this emotional shit now so I can get on with my workout?"

The relief on his face was immediate.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Just like that?"

"Don't make me change my mind."

He wisely shut his mouth… for approximately three seconds. Then I saw him gearing up for another round of communication. Absolutely not.

I pointed a finger at him. "Whatever you're about to say, don't."

His mouth snapped shut.

I pushed myself to my feet and headed toward the bench press.

"Besides," I muttered, "you're not even the person I'm really pissed at."

Hayes blinked.

Then blinked again.

"What the hell?"

I ignored him.

"You haven't talked to me in weeks," he continued, sounding genuinely offended. "But I'm not even the primary focus of your rage?"

I loaded a plate onto the bar.

"I'd hate to see what you gave the other guy."

"He got nothing."

That seemed to surprise him even more.

"Because I want to be a Specter more than I want to rip him a new one," I clarified. "And because I know that's exactly what he's waiting for."

Slowly, understanding dawned on his face. His eyes widened.

"Ohhhh. You're talking about Graves."