Page 36 of Outspoken

He wouldn’t pound the shit out of me at work, would he?

Keeping my voice calm—though my abs tense for a fight—I say, “No problem. Lead the way, boss.” Abandoning my half-eaten sandwich, I follow him out back near a dumpster.

My heart is out of control.How much does he know?Did Amber tell him we made out while he was in the hospital? Or that I confessed my feelings? Or is this about getting into her personal space when she visited the gym a week ago?

There’s so much he could pound me for.

As we find a spot outside to stand, I’m feeling nauseous. I kick an empty soda can on the ground, my legs shaky. “So…how are things with Paige?” I ask. Maybe I can distract him by getting him talking about his woman. He loves talking about her.

Crossing his massive arms over his gray work polo, he cuts right to it. “Are you hooking up with my sister?”

I lift my brows innocently, faking shock like I can’t believe he’d eventhinkI’d do something like that. Then I give him a serious and sincere look. “No. Absolutely not. You’re my best friend and that’s crossing a boundary.”

“But you want to.”

I don’t blink.Never show fear.“No. Absolutely not. You’re my best friend and—”

“Don’t bullshit me. I’ve known you long enough.”

My shoulders slouch, and it takes me a moment of trying to get my mouth open to finally admit the truth to him. “Yeah,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck. “I like your sister. Are you going to pound me? We haven’t hooked up, but I'll take it.”

He frowns, his gloomy body language softening. “No. Can’t believe it took you this long to fess up.”

My shock this time is real. “What do you mean?”

“I’m not dumb. You’ve asked about my sister a lot over the years. More than what seems normal. It started right after you met her at that party. I let it go since you kept your distance, but something changed recently, didn’t it?”

I stare at him, mouth open. In less than a minute, he has completely changed my entire understanding of our friendship during these past six years. I thought I was being sly with how I got updates about Amber, but this entire time he’s been giving me side glances, suspicious of my motives.

I can’t form a response, so he mindlessly looks at a stray dog across the street, his eyes tense. “Just giving you a friendly warning.”

“Then you'll pound me later?” My body is still tight, unsure if I’m out of the danger zone or not.

He lifts a challenging brow. “I'm not going to pound you, though we both know I could.”

“If you can catch me.” I smack my thighs. “These lean babies can sprint. You're too bulky and slow.”

With a laugh, he finally uncrosses his arms, looking more friendly. I exhale and my abs relax. I've always been good with getting out of tight spots using my words and charm.

“Why do you think something changed?” I ask.

“Larry said he saw you getting handsy with a blonde woman the other day. I showed him a pic of Amber. He confirmed the blonde’s identity.”

“Okay, but why jump to her? There are plenty of blonde women in the world. I haven't talked to Amber in months and then she, I mean, no. I haven't talked to her at all, ever.”

A harsh frown pulls on his face. “You just outed yourself.”

I kick another can harder, hanging my head. “Yeah, I know.”

“If you and Amber were trying to hide something, you both left a lot of breadcrumbs. You always tell me about women you hit on, so it was suspicious that you didn’t mention any blonde woman. Paige also told me Amber wanted to learn some toning exercises but wasn’t comfortable asking me. I connected the dots.”

I open my mouth to respond, but he shakes his head, indicating there’s more.

I swallow.How sloppy have I been?

“Ever since my stay in the hospital, Amber has made odd comments, asking about you and if you’re dating. Very unlike her to care about any guy’s dating habits.” He scratches stubble along his jaw like he's just gathered murder suspects and is ready to reveal the killer. “Paige made dinner one night, but it was in a casserole dish I knew wasn’t mine. She didn't buy it. Amber's never seen the kitchen section in a store. Reminded me of your mom’s casserole dishes, the ones I’ve seen when I’ve come over for dinner. My guess is you visited Amber while I was in the hospital and brought her food. You left evidence.”

The same moment I blanch from realizing he’s a damn psychic, my spirit lifts, holding tightly to the one ray of hope in his monologue. “Amber asked about me? When?”

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