Page 69 of You're All I Need

Her light-brown orbs sparkle beneath the fluorescent lighting. “We were just talking, Caden.”

A lump forms in my throat. “I don’t care.” My words come out harsher than I intend them.

“Clearly,” she replies, crossing her arms over her chest and leveling me with a look. “Listen, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but it’s obviously something.”

I take a deep breath and close my eyes for a couple seconds. When I open them, she’s still watching me intently,waiting. “I just don’t like that guy. He’s Scarlet’s brother-in-law, and he’s just as big of a douche as his older brother.”

“I see. Well, good thing I think he’s kinda gross then, huh?”

I blink a few times, confused, because women seem to love the guy and practically lick the gym sweat off his nuts. “Yeah?”

“Totally. He screams douchey player with a side of asshole.”

I can’t help but smile. “He totally is.”

“I figured,” she replies, glancing around before returning her brown eyes on me. “Jack mentioned you had a rough night.”

“Yeah, I, uh, should probably head home. I’m clearly a little edgy and tired.”

She nods, her soft curls bouncing around the elastic band holding them together. “I have some chicken and dumplings at home in my Crock-pot if you want some.”

My stomach growls at the thought, but I ignore it. “I really should get home. I need a shower and bed. I was just gonna grab something on my way.”

Adrienne shakes her head adamantly. “No way, cowboy. I got you. I’ll run home and grab the food and meet you at your place. You go shower, and I’ll be there by then. You can eat and then crash.”

I admit, the thought of a homecooked meal does sound damn good right about now. “I don’t want to put you out.”

“You’re not, believe me. The Crock-pot is half full. If anything, you’re helping me out by eating a bunch of it. Otherwise, I’d be eating the leftovers for a while, and that really doesn’t sound appealing.”

She waits for me to accept, but I can tell by the way she’s looking at me, she knows what my answer will be. I just need to get on board with it too. “All right, if you’re sure it’s no trouble.”

“None at all. I’ll meet you back at your place,” she insists, practically bouncing up and down where she stands.

“Okay. Give me about thirty minutes.”

“You’re not going to finish your workout?”

“No, I’m not feeling it tonight. As tired as I am, I’ll probably hurt myself. I shouldn’t even have stopped,” I reply.

“Well, I’m glad you did,” she says, squeezing my forearm before taking a step back. “I’ll see you shortly.”

I nod, watching her walk away. As she turns to head into the women’s locker room, I notice Brock off in the distance, a smug smirk on his asshole face. I want to flip him off, but figure I’ve said and done enough today where he’s concerned.

Normally, I don’t let jerks like him get to me. I’ve met plenty in my short thirty years of life. But when I looked over and saw him talking to Adrienne, a horrible feeling came over me. I know what it’s called, but what I can’t understand is why. I’ve never felt jealous over anyone before. I didn’t like it—at all—and I know it wasn’t just seeing Brock.

It was Adrienne.

I wanted to protect her. I wanted to throw her over my shoulder and run straight out of the building. I wanted to stake my claim and tell the world she was mine. Hell, I practically wanted to pee all around her to keep everyone else at bay.

Which is why I need to end it.

Probably pretty soon.

The sooner the better, actually. Maybe not tonight, because that’s kind of a dick move to allow her to bring me dinner and then call off our friends with benefits arrangement we’re in. But the next time we’re together, we should probably talk. We both agreed this could happen until one or both of us said otherwise, and it’s time to say otherwise.

Why does my heart feel like it’s going to burst from my chest?

I head to the locker room and strip out of my gym clothes. Usually, I’d shower here, but I barely did anything. I didn’t even work up a sweat. So, I quickly change back into my work clothes, make sure I have all my personal items packed up, and make my way to the exit. I walk right past Candace at the counter, even though she’s trying to grab my attention. Only when I’m standing outside, in the warm, slightly humid air, do I feel like I can actually take a deep breath.

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