Page 4 of Protecting Andie

Andie liked how quick Rider was to smile. An image of how he’d handled Tony popped into her head. He’d looked scary at that moment. A shiver slid through her. Who was Emily’s brother? Was he a good man, or was he the angry person she’d seen confront Tony?

He’d helped her when he hadn’t needed to. Way too many guy friends had let Tony get away with his abuse. Maybe those guys weren’t friends, and Rider was better than all of them.

She wasn’t going to let her lack of workout gear stop her from learning more about Rider. She could walk with Emily. Besides, it had been a while since she’d done anything at the gym.

Planning Emily’s wedding had taken center stage, and she really needed some exercise. Emily was the closest thing she’d ever had to a sister, and she had happily signed up to help her make this week special. Emily had never given up on her when Tony had become abusive. She’d built her up every time Tony had torn her down. When she’d walked out of that relationship, Emily had given her a place to stay and the down payment on a new apartment.

Rider nodded. “Okay, but I warn you. Don’t try to keep up, or you won’t be walking in the morning.”

Derik laughed and patted Rider’s shoulder. “Okay, okay, I hear you. I will work out with the women, and you can be the beast.”

Emily hugged her brother. “Let’s all get changed. I’m excited to spend some time with you.”

Andie was excited, too, but nervous. She wanted to spend time with Rider, but in shorts and a t-shirt, her rolls wouldn’t be hidden. Not that she had a chance with a man like him. Hell, it was Emily’s brother, so getting together with him was out of the question.

3

Rider would be lying to say he wasn’t looking forward to showing off in front of Andie. He wouldn’t cross any lines, but she would be in his private spank bank.

He rolled his eyes. He was being arrogant. Just because he had muscles and a good body didn’t mean someone like Andie would really be interested in him. He was more than his muscles, but few women saw past to the man he was underneath the meat sack that held him.

He pulled on his workout shirt and a pair of shorts, wondering if he was getting in too deep. Showing off in front of Andie was a double-edged sword. He didn’t need to encourage her, but he liked the attention.

Maybe he should download one of the hookup apps and find someone willing to get down and dirty. It wouldn’t work. Their week was heavily planned. He could just jerk off later in the shower and be satisfied with that.

The resort where they were staying had a mile jogging path. He texted his sister, then took off, knowing he would pass his sister and her party at some point. He was on his second mile when he saw them on the path. His lips stretched into a wide smile at seeing the pink get-up Andie wore. She looked perfectand huggable in the clothes. He wasn’t going to compliment her because he knew it would come off wrong. Yelling out how he liked how rounded her ass looked in those shorts would be wrong.

“On your left,” he said as he came up behind them. They all cheered him on, hollering after him as he continued his run. They walked around the path once, and he’d passed them two more times.

“Are you going longer?” Emily called out after he passed.

He slowed and turned around, running back to them, and slowed to a jog beside her. “One more time. Then I was going to do a workout here.”

“Here?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, we’ll walk down a bit and turn around. We can join you for your workout.”

“See you in about seven minutes.”

He took off, pushing thoughts of Andie out of his mind as he ran his last mile. Usually, for his runs, he wore a weight vest, but he hadn’t wanted to carry the extra weight with him on the plane.

When he finished his last mile, he decided to keep the workout light. He was worried about Derik. He’d seen too many men try to keep up with him and end up in pain or in the hospital with rhabdo. He wasn’t here to show up Derik. The man was good for Emily, and he wanted them to have a happy life.

“What are we doing for a workout?” Emily asked.

“We’ll stick with fifty push-ups, fifty squats, and fifty burpees.” He was planning on doing more, but he wasn’t going to tell them.

He noticed the way Andie’s mouth turned down. She looked worried. He wished he would have had a chance to talk to herbefore he told them what he was doing so he could find out what she was capable of. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her.

“Push-ups can be from knees or angled,” he said.

Emily narrowed her gaze. “Angled? What do you mean?”

He knew his buddies would scoff at angled push-ups. Even after surgeries, they didn’t do angled push-ups. One of the SEALs had shoulder surgery and was back to fit shape in three months. The guys he hung with were a different breed.

Rider moved to a picnic table and showed them an angled push-up. “Just make sure you don’t overdo it. You have a wedding, and you have to be able to use your arms and legs.”

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