Page 45 of Keep Your Guard Up
Jayden refused to meet Chance’s wrathful gaze. His stare remained on the blood that stained the ground nearby.
Chance’s pointer finger pushed his chin up to meet his. “Got it?” he snarled softly.
Jayden nodded, seemingly frozen to the spot.
Chance patted him on the chest. “Good boy.”
He turned and swept his gaze over the rest of the group before finally holding my stare. “Everyone back inside. Circle up.”
~
“Are you insane?!”
Chance was hunched over his desk in the office. Those ripped muscles in his back were flexed, tense with every slightly panted breath he took.
“Lynnie—” JJ started.
“No, JJ!” I cut him off. “Do neither of you understand that his little temper tantrum willruinus?!”
They didn’t respond, so I took it upon myself to continue a little temper tantrum of my own. “I had it handled! I’ve been handling Jayden and his bullshit for nearly a year now. I didn’t need you guys to go all alpha-male on me! I didn’t need saving! He’s a little fucking rat who doesn’t get enough attention fromdaddyso comes in here to stir shit!”
Chance finally turned to meet my gaze, his facestillin that perfect mask of calm. I was about to speak when he blew out a breath and pushed himself away from the desk.
He moved over to his stack of filing cabinets. After rifling through his pockets, he pulled out a navy blue keyring, a matching star dangling next to a small red key. The key fit the lock that was at the corner of the cabinet, and he yanked thetop drawer open. He found the file in a matter of seconds before slamming the drawer shut.
“What is that?” I asked.
He turned and swaggered over to me. That cool, calm, collected face never left mine as he opened the file on my desk.
“Read it.” He nodded at the stack of paperwork, arms folded over his chest. The paperwork was littered with coloured pointers with minimal handwriting, multiple series of dot points, and Chance’s name written everywhere.
My mouth fell open. “Thi— You’re part-owner of the gym?”
“Unofficially, yes,” he said, still stone-faced as ever. “Jayden’s old man accepted my offer. I signed the paperwork last night.”
“Wh—why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
“I didn’t want it to come across as something it wasn’t.” He shrugged.
Shrugged. As if he hadn’t just dropped an absolute bomb.
As if he hadn’t just changed the course of Knock’s’ history.
“Wait. You said unofficially?”
Chance closed the gap between us.
That intoxicating scent of his crashed over me in waves. I felt dizzy.
The corners of his mouth lightly twitched upwards, as if he knew exactly what his presence was doing to me. “See here? And here, here, and here?” He pointed at various empty dotted lines. “They’re all that stands between me being part-owner of Knock’s.”
“Your signature seals the deal, Lynnie.” JJ put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. I could feel the apology in it, saying,I’m sorry I knew and didn’t tell you.
I reached into my top desk drawer and pulled out my father’s thick, golden swirled pen from the bottom of the pile. I scribbled my signature over each empty dotted line and put the old pen back in its spot.
“Welcome to the business.” I took a chance on smiling up at those stormy eyes. Whether it was the midday sunlight that was shining hot rays into the gym or because some kind of puzzle piece had moved across the board, the clouds parted and a rich blue peeked out.
Chance’s lips twitched up into a smile and he held his hand out for me to shake.
