by Lori Foster
“You’re so clever,” Reyes murmured absently, while constantly scanning their darkened surroundings. So quiet, not even a rodent stirred.
Sort of electrified the small hairs on the back of his neck.
If he didn’t have Madison with him, he’d creep around a little, see if he could figure out exactly where Mattox had hunkered down, maybe discover if Adela was okay.
But not with her along for the adventure. “Let’s go.” Reyes nudged her forward, considerate of her slower pace while she picked her way over the rocks and rubble.
When they reached the car, they both did a quick check around it, ensuring they hadn’t been discovered. Madison flipped on her phone light just long enough to see that no one had hidden in the back seat. Then they went dark again.
Reyes drove slowly without headlights until they merged onto the interstate. He flipped them on and released a tight breath at the same time. “I’ll take you to your car.” And he’d follow her home, just to be extra safe.
Annette would keep, or not. He wouldn’t leave his sister’s safety to chance.
He checked in with Cade a few times, and yeah, big brother was all PO’d over Madison being involved at the site. Reyes listened, and since he didn’t disagree, what could he say? “It wasn’t my idea.”
Cade still chewed his ass, but in that controlled way that sounded more like a disappointed father—as if he needed two of those. “Next time, I’ll call you and you can try your hand at talking her around.”
Cade exhaled sharply, but said, “Be safe tonight.”
Rolling his eyes, Reyes said, “Yeah, same to you.”
It was two long, grueling hours later before he got to Annette’s front door. She’d left the outside lights on for him, making him smile. Since he had a key, he let himself in without a sound.
Unlike him, Annette was far too trusting.
Not in a million years would he give a key to anyone other than family.
Inside, he flipped on the foyer lamp. The house was quiet, and he didn’t sense any threats—something he always checked—so he slipped off his shoes and started down the hall.
Her bedroom door was open, and with the light from the foyer barely filtering in, he saw her slender form in the bed, stretched out on her stomach...and naked as she’d promised.
Already getting hard, Reyes caught the edge of the sheet and slowly pulled it to the foot of the bed. Annette shifted to her side, curling her luscious bod to keep warm.
Yeah, he’d help her with that.
Without taking his gaze off her body, he removed his wallet and placed it on the nightstand. Quietly, he set his gun beside it. Then his knife. Annette knew not to touch his weapons, but he always put himself between her and them anyway.
He peeled off his shirt and tossed it to a chair, then opened his jeans and tugged down the zipper.
Annette opened her eyes, purring sleepily, “Reyes?”
“You expecting anyone else?” If so, he wouldn’t stay.
Going to her back, she whispered, “Come here.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He finished stripping and climbed in beside her.
Out of the three women he currently visited, Annette was the most affectionate. Cathy, an exec in the business world, wanted her booty calls scheduled in advance, and he had to be prompt. Unlike Annette, Cathy wouldn’t tell him to come by whenever.
Lili loved to call him when the mood struck her. If he was available, fine; if not, she moved on to the next guy.
Annette would do the same, but she always swore he was the best. And after sex, she wanted to laze around together. She wasn’t clingy—none of them were, or he wouldn’t visit them—but she did enjoy an extra closeness.
Tonight, he wouldn’t mind that, either.
Her hand snaked down his chest and went straight to his dick. “Mmm, already ready for me?”
“I was ready the second I stepped in the door.”
Laughing softly, she kissed his chest, his ribs...and slowly worked her way down.
Annette had an amazing mouth, meaning his night would definitely be more rewarding than his day had been.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
STERLING WAS EXCITED about seeing Reyes’s gym this morning. It was yet another facet of the whole McKenzie operation, and she wanted to learn as much as she could.
It might give her a leg up in dealing with Parrish, because she was pretty sure their relationship would take some adjustment.
Relationship. With Cade. With his siblings and father. With the awesome Bernard. She wanted to hug it all to her chest and cherish it for however long it lasted.
She was always cautious when she went out, but Cade took it to a whole new level. Getting jumped last night hadn’t helped. He’d been extra attentive in delicious ways, but she knew he’d also strained his injury. His father hadn’t been pleased this morning when he insisted on checking things, but he wasn’t really the doting sort, either. More like a sour general.
Getting from the bar to her apartment so she could get some things last night, and then back to his father’s house, had taken twice as long as it should have just so Cade could backtrack twice, his way of guaranteeing no one followed them. By the time they’d actually gotten to bed, she’d been exhausted.
Not too exhausted, not when Cade had stripped down and curved around her, all hot and hard and keenly interested. She’d taken quick advantage of that and the incredible pleasure he offered.
But she felt the lack of sleep catching up with her today.
Good thing they were doing something fun.
A massive front window showed the interior of the gym where Reyes stood on a mat instructing two men. He wore only shorts and wrestling shoes, and she had to admit he was a good-looking guy.
“What’s he teaching them?”
Cade shrugged. “I’m guessing basic defense.”
Through the window, she watched as the guys went into a stance. Reyes continued to instruct, right up until both men charged him.
Her brows climbed up in delight as Reyes lowered a shoulder and tossed the heavier of the two men. Just as quickly, he tripped the other. While Cade’s brother still stood there instructing, the other two men sucked wind from their backs.
Sterling laughed.
“Amusing, right?” Cade put an arm around her and steered her to the door. “We can watch for a while, or you’re welcome to try out the equipment.”
More interested in seeing than doing, Sterling shook her head. “I’m not dressed for it.”
“There’s not a dress code, babe.” As he often did, he stroked along her spine down to the small of her back over the soft cotton T-shirt she wore, then down to the seat of her faded jeans, where he lightly copped a feel of her backside. “Other than your boots, you’re fine. You’d just need to remove them before you stepped on a mat.”
One of these days she’d get used to all the familiar touching, but it was going to take a while. Trying not to show how deeply he affected her, Sterling asked, “You know all this stuff, too?”
“I do.”
She leaned into him. “Then I’d rather you teach me.”
His slow smile did crazy things to her. “It’ll be my pleasure.”
It was nice to know that his brain stayed centered on sex as often as hers did.
A sign on the door read “Walk-ins welcome, but we can’t guarantee all equipment will be open.”
Once she stepped inside, she knew why: the place was packed.
The interior was more spacious than she’d realized. Every inch utilized in one way or another by sweat-damp people ranging in age from late teens to early sixties, male and female alike.
In the back section, heavy bags hung from reinforced beams and, beyond that, speed bags. It appeared to be mostly younger males using those. Stationary bikes lined one wall, occupied by women
and elders. Various racks of weights and bars, with a few benches, took up the opposite. One of the men doing bench presses had grotesquely huge arms...especially in comparison to his thin legs.
Cade whispered, “No balance. Reyes has tried to tell him, but he focuses on that one exercise and won’t do anything else.”
Sterling snorted, then glanced around at the women. A few of them seemed mostly concerned with looking stylish, standing around in their cute clothes and chatting. Others were clearly there to work out, their hair in ponytails or clips, sweat dampening T-shirts or sports bras.
One gal in baggy sweatpants, an oversize T-shirt, shoulder-length blond hair held back with a wide band and earbuds in her ears, popped her neck as she walked to a heavy bag. She wore fingerless gloves and shin guards.
She looked absurd in her getup but didn’t seem to care—and that impressed Sterling.
“I’m going to talk to Reyes a few minutes,” Cade said. “Want to join us?”
“I’d rather look around.” Whatever they discussed, Cade would tell her later. Why risk letting Reyes provoke her temper when she didn’t need to?
With a long look, Cade said, “Stay where I can see you.” He touched her cheek. “Everyone in here is probably fine, but Reyes can’t know each person, and I’m not willing to take chances right now.”
“You don’t think you’d notice someone dragging me out the front door?”
His fingers spread, threading into her hair and cupping her head. “There are two back doors, one out of a break room and another at the end of the hall near the bathrooms.”
Ah, yeah. If she went to the bathroom, and someone was waiting... “I’ll stay within range if you will, too,” she promised, then sauntered off.
Something about that other lady drew her. As Cade had noted, she had good instincts. Something inside her screamed that the woman had trouble on her heels and could use a friendly face.
Often Sterling felt that way with the women she helped. She was good at reading them, at knowing what to say and when, whether to push or just wait.
Odd, but she hadn’t quite felt that connection with Adela, or at least not consistently.
Finding one heavy bag unoccupied, she gave it a tentative push. The woman stood next to her, giving the bag hell—and ignoring Sterling. She seemed intent on abusing her legs. Even though she wore shin guards, Sterling winced.
With the earbuds in, she couldn’t really give a friendly “Hey” to break the ice, so she moseyed on. But her gaze repeatedly went back to glimpse the woman working. She was so intense, so focused that Sterling couldn’t help but be impressed.
And worried.
Fifteen minutes later, while she idly examined a weird contraption that looked too complicated for her to figure out, Cade and Reyes joined her.
So much for avoiding the annoying brother.
And with him stripped down so much, ignoring his presence wouldn’t be easy.
As if he’d read her thoughts, he said in a singsong voice, “Hi, Sterling.”
With a roll of her eyes and a sigh, she turned to him. “What’s up, troublemaker?”
Reyes grinned. “Let’s head to the break room. I could use a cold drink.”
“First...” Damn, Sterling really hated to involve him, but if he knew the woman, maybe he could put her worries to rest. “So, don’t stare, but the lady back there, kicking the stuffing out of the heavy bag?”
Curious, both men glanced that way.
“You guys suck, you know that?” Hands on her hips, Sterling scowled at them. “I said don’t stare, but you both did.”
“There’s staring, and then there’s staring,” Cade said. “Besides, you didn’t specify it was anything like that.”
She rolled her eyes.
With his gaze still on the woman, Reyes asked, “What about her?”
Already frowning, Cade gave her a longer look, too. “Something’s off.”
Sterling nodded. “Fear is working her hard.”
After a lengthy perusal, Reyes cursed softly. “You’re right.”
It reassured Sterling that she wasn’t imagining things. “Do you know her?”
Reyes shrugged. “She’s been coming in for about a month but keeps to herself.”
“So no?”
His mouth flattened. “No.”
“Huh.” She’d expected Reyes to have some snappy comeback, but instead he looked displeased. With her? No, with himself. Digging a little, she said, “Haven’t hit on her, huh?”
That got his eyes narrowed. “This is my gym. Think what you want of me, but I take my pleasure elsewhere.”
His sincerity made Sterling feel a little bad for deliberately provoking him—but only a little. “Scruples. Bravo.” Aware of Cade grinning and Reyes growling, she turned to keep the woman in sight. “She’s not here to stay in shape, or to bulk up or trim down. She wants to know how to hurt people.”
Cade slanted a look at Reyes. “Told you she was astute.”
“I never denied it.” Propping his hands on his hips, Reyes asked, “If she wants to learn offensive moves, why didn’t she ask for instruction?”
“Maybe because you look like that?” Sterling nodded at his body, and when she did so, she couldn’t help eyeballing his sweaty, naked torso. Not out of interest, but because he really was a specimen.
She noticed him the same way she might a really nice pair of stilettos. She appreciated the style, but you’d never catch her wearing a pair.
Rocking back on his heels, Reyes asked, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re intimidating.” Much like Cade, Reyes had muscles everywhere. Not overblown, but very defined. His eyes were hazel, like Madison’s, instead of electric blue like Cade’s, but they were still nice.
He was almost as tall as Cade, too, but he wore his dark hair a little longer, and his attitude was a lot less restrained.
“I’ve never intimidated you,” Reyes pointed out.
She grinned. “I’m not the average woman.”
“True enough.” Laughing, Cade drew her into his side. “You’re above average.”
Reyes groaned. “It’s almost nauseating the way you two fawn all over each other.”
“Oh?” Feeling devilish, Sterling asked, “So I know how to bug you, while getting awesome benefits at the same time? Sweet.” Even as she spoke, she cuddled closer to Cade and walked her fingers up his chest.
“Hey, I run a reputable business, you know,” Reyes mock-complained. “Take that foreplay elsewhere.”
Cade reached for him, but he ducked away, then asked, “So you think my size has put her off?”
Sterling wasn’t sure if he threw that out there because of real interest or just to get her off molesting Cade. But whatever, she’d save the good stuff for when she had Cade alone.
“You are big,” she admitted.
He and Cade both grinned, and she knew exactly what they were thinking.
Willing herself not to blush, she spoke before Reyes could. “But it’s not just because you’re tall and fit. You’re...sexual?” Considering that, Sterling shook her head. “Yeah, not a great word, but you know what I mean.”
Both brothers now stared at her, prompting her to roll her eyes again. “A woman who’s unsure of men wouldn’t want to approach someone as cocky as you.”
More disgruntled by the minute, Reyes said, “I’ll have you know, plenty of women like me just fine the way I am.”
“I bet they do.” She snickered. “The thing is, the same reason why those other women like you is probably why that one prefers to watch a video or something on her phone. At least, I think that’s what she’s doing. See how she keeps looking at the screen and repositioning her stance?”
Cade nodded. “Trying to mimic the moves...but not really doing them correctly. It’s tough
to figure out without in-person instruction.”
While Reyes was distracted watching the woman, Sterling sent her elbow into his stomach. “You need to offer.”
“Ow, damn.” Scowling, he rubbed his side. “Maybe, but not now. She’s heading out.”
Without being obvious about it, they watched the woman walk to a duffel bag she’d left in the corner near a wooden bench. She dug out a bottle of water and took a long drink. After storing it away again, she located a small blue towel, which she used to dry the sweat from her face and arms. Then she removed her earbuds and unplugged them from her phone, stripped off the protective gear and stuffed everything into the bag, located keys in the front pocket, and started for the door.
Judging by the frowns the brothers wore, they didn’t like having to wait any more than Sterling did, but Reyes was right—stopping her would seem too presumptuous, especially when she already seemed...well, not exactly skittish, but more like reserved. “You’re sure she’ll be back?”
“She’s been here every day for a month,” Reyes said. “So unless you scared her off with all that staring—” This time he dodged her elbow. Laughing, he predicted, “She’ll be back. And yes, I’ll see if I can figure out a way to offer.”
“Thanks.” Looking up at Cade, she asked, “You two finished your talk?”
With a nod, Cade took her hand. “You want a tour around the place, or would you rather head out?”
“A tour.” She added to Reyes, “I’m impressed, by the way. Nice place you run here.”
Grabbing his chest, Reyes pretended to stagger, but the second Sterling turned away, he mussed her hair and took the lead. Anxious to show her around? It seemed so. Little by little, she was starting to like Cade’s brother—or at least she was learning to tolerate him.
Reyes strode ahead of them, and yup, the back view of him was impressive, too. Nowhere near as nice as Cade’s, but she glanced around and saw many of the women looking their way. Sterling they didn’t even see, because Cade and Reyes held all their attention.
And here she was, right in the middle of them.
Overall, not a bad place to be.
