Page 32 of Love is Fake

I guess Lennox doesn’t like his friends fraternizing with the help. I roll my eyes, shrugging his arm off.

Kai’s taken to hanging out in the gym during some of our sessions when he needs a time-out from software programming, which I’ve learned is his day-job. Turns out the dude I’d labelled as a surfer-wannabe has a pretty big brain to go with his infectious sense of humor. He’s fun to hang out with and has helped to temper Lennox’s volcanic energy more times than I even care to count.

“Why don’t you worry less about what Kai’s doing and more about whatyouneed to do? We’ve got a lot to get through and we don’t have all day.” I plant my hands on my hips, my expression telling him I’m not playing around.

I’ve learned Lennox responds to the stick better than the carrot, which is just as well as he’s so damn infuriating sometimes that I wish Ihada stick to beat him with.

“Yes ma’am.” Lennox lets his Alabama drawl out in all its glory, picking up the heavy weights while he watches me for a reaction.

I don’t say anything because if I did, he’d just take it as a challenge and do what he wants anyway.

He starts the exercise, the thick muscles of his thighs bulging and I whip my eyes up to his face beforethatthought goes any further.

It’s only a few seconds before the inevitable happens. “Argh, shit!” Lennox curses in frustration, letting the weights in his hand drop before dropping himself down on the bench.

I’m by his side in seconds, noting the pain in his face. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, it just fucking gave out on me again.” He frowns down at his injured knee and I can feel the irritation rolling off of him. “And if you say ‘I told you so’…” he warns me.

I shake my head. “I wouldn’t ever say that, not when you’re in pain.”

“I’m fine.” He tries to wave me away as if I’m fussing over nothing, twisting away from me like a kid trying to avoid eating his broccoli.

“You’re not fine, if you were, you wouldn’t have almost dropped a weight on your damn foot!” I huff at him. Frustrating man. “So just sit still and let me do what I do.”

We glower at each other, neither of us backing down. To make the point, I poke him gently in a tender spot in his knee and he actually growls at me.

“Grumpy damn bear,” I grumble at him as I move him back into a position I can work with, kneeling in front of him.

He mutters something under his breath. Something I don’t catch. It’s just as well because I don’t assume it was all that complimentary.

I start massaging the area around his knee to get the blood flowing and to release some of the tension in the muscle.

“How’s that feel?” I ask after a couple of minutes.

Lennox makes a groan of contentment, the sound sending warmth straight to the apex of my thighs.

Instinctively, I look up at him to find his face is only inches away from mine. He’s staring at me, his dark eyes almost black as awareness pulses between us. We’re close, close enough that if I were to lean down, if I were to lift my head just a tiny little bitmore, our mouths would be in the perfect position. The thought of kissing him makes me lick my lips and Lennox’s eyes heat as if he can read what I’m thinking.

“You know, I’ve been feeling a little sore in my shoulder.” Kai’s interruption is beyond welcome and I use the opportunity to jump to my feet, breaking the magnetic moment between Lennox and me.

Friends, Izzy. Friends, remember?

Kai grimaces melodramatically as he rotates his arm. “Maybe you could give it a look once you’re done with Nox?” He grins amorously at me, making me laugh and dispelling some of the sexual tension in the room.

I know Kai isn’t interested in me like that. His flirtatious banter is nothing but harmless fun. The person he keeps asking about is Kiara. Last night he complained that he gave her his number, but she didn’t call. Apparently, Kai isn’t a man used to doing the chasing and Kiara has never been a woman to fall at any man’s feet, so what happens next should be entertaining.

“Are you here for any reason other than to flirt with Isabella, Kai?” Lennox raises an eyebrow at his friend, his voice doing that growly thing I feel all the way down to my core.

“Courting Isabella is obviously my primary motivation, but I’m also here to annoy the shit outta you, Nox.” His completely reasonable tone makes me chuckle before I swallow it when I see Lennox’s glower.

“Well, I’d say that’s mission accomplished.” Lennox huffs good-naturedly before taking the hand Kai’s offered to help him up.

“I’ve always been an overachiever.” Kai shrugs and winks at me.

I roll my eyes at him before focusing on Lennox again. He takes a few tentative steps, breathing an internal sigh of relief when he doesn’t seem to be in any pain.

“Alright, walk it off and let’s go back to just using your bodyweight. We’re not going to put any additional stress on your knee today.” For once, he doesn’t argue with me. “Wow, Nox, it’s almost like you’re starting to trust the fact that I know what I’m doing!” I needle him.

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