Page 46 of Sweet Addiction
I control the outcome.
It doesn’t matter if my mind never stopped wanting her or that I’ve slept in bed with this woman for nearly a week. An entire week of her insisting on the pillows between us. One week of her almost always crossing the ridiculous barrier at some point in the night because she’s freezing cold and craving warmth. Conveniently enough, she rolls away every morningand acts like she has no idea she was clinging to me like a fucking koala bear who’s too stubborn to admit the house is better when it’s warm, all because she wants me sleeping in pajama bottoms and a shirt.
“Yeah well, we’re going to the same place. Figured it was only fair I waited.”
“Such a romantic,” she says saccharinely sweet, sarcasm rich in her voice. “Let me grab my stuff from the locker room and I’ll be ready to go.”
The sweatshirt covers her ass as she walks away, which might save one or two of the guys’ lives in here. But instead of settling me, my fucking chest roars, seeing her in my clothes.
I don’t look away.
I can’t.
Not even if you offered me a million dollars to try.
At least not until I feel caught in someone else’s trail of impending destruction.
The click-clack of heels against the gym floor is the first giveaway.
The way my balls shrivel up inside my body is the second.
“Liv.” I turn around and stare at my cousin before she even announces herself.
“Rome.” She looks around like she’s expecting to see someone else. “Is my brother here?”
“Nah. Killian left a few hours ago. Everything okay?” I ask.
Her nose scrunches up, and her face pinches in disgust. “My God, you smell awful.”
I wrap a sweaty arm around her just to piss her off, half tempted to rub my armpit on her face. “You’re in a gym, Livvy. You were practically born in this building. How are you not used to this smell?”
“My brother and sister may have embraced gym life, but I didn’t.” She shoves me away. Well, she tries to but only manages to look annoyed when I don’t move. “How are things?”
“Things? What things?”
“Domestic things,” she says carefully. “The family phone tree was activated last week right after we talked. Everyone was buzzing with the news. I’m assuming that’s a good thing.” She pulls her phone from her oversized black-and-white purse and reads something, then rolls her eyes. “Why can’t any of you keep your shit in your pants?”
“Any of us who?” I ask, having no fucking clue what she’s talking about, but I sure as shit don’t want to be lumped into it. “My shit is in my pants.”
“It doesn’t matter. Listen, I’m putting a meeting on the calendar for the end of the week. I think we’re going to have a new energy drink contract to go over. Keep your fucking head down until then, unless you’re being photographed with your girlfriend. I give you permission to do that. I actually encourage you to do that. Let’s get some good press banked in case we need to counteract bad press.”
Dillan picks just then to come out of the locker room, and her forehead scrunches when she sees who I’m with.
Fuck me.
Liv’s eyes, however, light up when she sees my girlfriend. The one still wearing my Crucible hoodie. “Dillan. Just the person I wanted to see.”
“Hey, Liv. How are you?” I’ve got to give her credit. Dillan walks right up into my side, fitting herself against me, like it’s as natural as the way my siblings cling to their spouses. She knows how to play the game, even if she doesn’t want to be a pawn in it.
Livvy watches happily as I wrap an arm around my girlfriend. “As good as I can be, considering I work with idiot athletes.” Shesighs and grabs something from her purse as she glances my way. “Present company excluded,obviously.”
“Obviously.” I nod my head.
She hands a shiny black envelope tied with a silver ribbon over to Dillan. Fuck me. “I expect you both to attend.”
Dillan looks at the envelope like it might bite her. “What’s this?”
I don’t need Liv to answer this one.
