by E. L. Todd
I punched him hard in the face, making him stagger back then crash against the opposite wall. He slid down to the floor then wiped his nose on his arm. When it was covered in blood he looked up at me in shock. “Leave. Her. Alone.”
He wiped his nose on the other arm. “Who the fuck are you?”
Ophelia came behind me then gasped when she saw Cameron on the floor. “What’s going on?”
“Now get your ass up and leave,” I threatened. “Or I’ll crack both of your cheekbones.”
Cameron used the wall for support as he rose to his feet. “Ophelia, who the hell is this?”
I answered before she could speak. “Her boyfriend. Now go before I make you go.”
His eyes widened while he looked Ophelia.
“I warned you.” I grabbed him by the back of the neck and threw him down the hallway.
“Jett, stop!” Ophelia commanded me.
I didn’t lay another hand on him. Instead, I watched him get to his feet and stumble all the way down the hallway and out of sight. Then I turned back to her. “I don’t think he’ll bother you anymore.”
“You didn’t need to do that,” she said. “That was totally unnecessary.”
“He crossed you,” I said seriously. “And that’s what people get for crossing my friends.”
She stared at me in surprise. Her eyes were wide and she looked at me in a new way.
“Let me know if he bothers you again.” After I displayed my strength and exerted myself as the alpha, I walked back inside her apartment. She didn’t come inside for a moment.
Max looked at me with wide eyes. “What the fuck was that?” he said in a low voice.
“Teaching that asshole a lesson.”
“You don’t even know him.”
“I don’t need to know him. He hurt Ophelia—that’s all that matters.
Max preferred it if I stayed the night to keep up pretenses. It was important to him for his sister to believe in our hoax. She would defend him to his parents more if she understood him better.
He had an air mattress on the floor so that’s what I slept on while he took the bed. Thankfully, he didn’t make me act like we were getting down and dirty. That would have made it difficult.
But I couldn’t sleep. All I could think about was Ophelia. She was on the other side of the apartment sleeping in her bed. What did she usually sleep in? Just her panties? A t-shirt? My imagination ran wild with me while I thought about it.
Unable to sleep and unable to stop thinking about that beautiful creature, I left Max’s bedroom and headed into the living room. If I watched TV I would probably become distracted enough to fall asleep.
But Ophelia was already there. “Can’t sleep?” She wore a baggy t-shirt and shorts.
“No…guess not.” I sat on the other couch and tried not to gawk at her.
“Me neither.” She changed the channel and searched for something to watch. She finally settled on The Matrix. “Is this okay?”
“It’s a great movie.”
She pulled a blanket over herself and stared at the screen.
I stared at her.
When she turned her eyes on me, I quickly looked away. “You really didn’t need to beat him like that.”
“Actually, I did.”
“You don’t even know what he did to me. He could have forgotten to pay me back for something.”
“Well, now he’ll pay up.”
She continued to stare at me.
“I don’t know you that well, but I could tell his presence made you extremely uncomfortable. You don’t strike me as the kind of person that easily gets mad. So, whatever he did, it was substantial. If he thinks he can hurt you and get away with it, he’s wrong. He’s got me and Max to deal with.”
Whatever anger or resentment she had toward me disappeared. “I guess I have another brother now…”
“And friend.”
She pulled her hair over one shoulder and faced the TV.
“What did he do, Ophelia?” I assumed he was an ex-boyfriend who blew his chance with her. Idiot.
“It’s a long story…” She pulled the blanket closer to her, covering that beautiful body.
“Well, I can’t sleep anyway. And if it’s really boring, at least it’ll put me to sleep.” I gave her a smile so she knew I was kidding.
“Alright.” She played with her hair while she spoke. “We started dating about two years ago but I would say the relationship ended about a year ago. He stopped being sweet to me. He didn’t open doors for me anymore. He didn’t ask me how my day was.” Her voice dropped further, taking on a tone of sadness. She looked down at her hands while they played with her hair. “He stopped kissing me as often. Sex didn’t seem all that fun to him anymore. My feelings hadn’t changed so I wasn’t sure why they had changed for him.” She looked at the TV, not really watching it.
He stopped kissing her? Stopped wanting to have sex with her? It sounded like he was gay.
“I’ve been waiting for it to get better, assuming we’ve hit a rough patch or something, but it seems to be getting worse. Last week we were having lunch and he wouldn’t stop checking out our waitress. He flirted with her, and when she wasn’t around, he still searched for her. He wasn’t at all interested in the fact I was there. He didn’t care in the least. I used to be the only woman in the room. Now I’m just one of the many, and I’m the bottom on the list.” She stopped playing with her hair and sighed. “So, I dumped him and stormed off.”
“You should have dumped him,” I said quickly. “And I should have punched him harder.”
She rested her hands in her lap. “I know guys always check out other girls—”
“They don’t,” I interrupted her. “If you were my girlfriend, I would never look at another woman.” I blurted that out without thinking. “If I ever wanted a girlfriend…if I wasn’t gay.”
“You’re sweet,” she whispered.
“I mean it. You deserve to be with someone who adores you, in the beginning and years down the road. This guy sounds like a douchebag.”
“He is.”
“And you shouldn’t feel bad that I hit him.”
A small smile stretched her lips. “My brother is protective but I’ve never seen him flip out like that…”
“Well, you can tell who calls the shots in the relationship.”
“I’m glad my brother has someone who has a backbone. I know you’ll look after him.”
I want to look after you. “Yeah…”
She watched the movie for a while, and Keanu Reeves managed to escape the matrix.
I wanted to keep talking to her. I enjoyed it. “When did you start working in fashion?”
“As soon as I graduated college three years ago. I love my job. I know that may sound stupid, but I care about clothes, matching, and accessories.”
“I don’t think it’s stupid,” I blurted. “You want to know what I think is stupid?”
“What?” she asked.
“Doing something you don’t love. Now, that’s stupid.”
She gave me that bright smile I dreamed about. She was so cute that I wanted to scream.
“And I love fashion.” Not really. But I was gay, so I was supposed to, right?
“You do?” she asked.
“Yeah. I mean, look at me.”
“I’ve only seen you in jeans and a t-shirt.”
“We both know I rock it,” I said with a cocky smile.
She laughed, and the sound was beautiful. “I won’t deny that. You work out a lot?”
I didn’t want to sound like an asshole with my response. “I try to go as often as I can.”
“Then you must go everyday,” she noted. “To look like that…”
“I do,” I said. “Two hours a day.” I knew that was excessive but it was part of my job. The rest of the guys were forced to do the same thing. No one would pay us to escort them if we weren’t in tip-top shape.
She whistled. “That’s dedication.”
/> “I care about having a healthy lifestyle.”
She released another laugh. “No, you care about getting laid.”
I gave her a guilty smile. “You caught me.”
“It’s okay. It’s why ninety-nine percent of people have a gym membership.”
“You hit the gym,” I said. “I can tell.”
“You can?” she asked.
“Don’t play dumb,” I said. “A girl doesn’t have a body like that unless she does dead lifts and free weights.”
She turned her full gaze on me, and her emerald eyes reflected the light from the TV. “You can tell, huh?”
“I’ve looked at you.” I stared her down with confidence. “You have toned thighs, rounded shoulders, and your ass is…nice.” I had to be careful with my choice of words. I had to remember I was gay. But gay guys would say that, wouldn’t they?
“Well, thank you,” she said with blushed cheeks. “That means a lot coming from a gay man.”
I shrugged. “I may like men but that doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s attractive in a woman.” And she was the definition of attractiveness. “What gym do you go to?”
“Crunch Fitness.”
“On fifth?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“No way. I go there too.”
“I’ve never seen you before,” she said. “And I would have remembered you.”
What did that mean? Was she attracted to me? I hoped so. I couldn’t really tell with her. But I knew she liked me. She wouldn’t be up at three in the morning having a conversation with me if she despised me. “I’m pretty unforgettable.” I flashed her a wink.
She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t realize Max liked cocky guys.”
“Really? He loves cocky guys.”
She laughed. “Don’t be crude.”
“And I’ve never seen you there. And I definitely would have remembered you.” Because I would have taken you on my sheets directly afterward.
“Why would you have remembered me?” she asked. “Unlike you, I’m not memorable.”
This girl had a weird self-image of herself. Did she not know how gorgeous she was? Did she not realize she made every guy around her hard all the time? Did she not realize she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever laid eyes on? “Now I’m hating your ex-boyfriend more. He should have made you realize just how damn unforgettable you are.” I held her gaze long after I said it, wanting her to know how serious I was. “If you were my girl, you never would wonder if you were memorable.”
She held my gaze before she looked away. “I’m sure you make Max feel that way…”
That’s right, I’m gay. Ugh, I kept forgetting. “Yeah…”
She picked at her fingernails in her lap.
“You want to work out together?” I asked. “It’ll be fun.”
“Work out with me?” she asked incredulously. “I’m sure we have two very different work out regimes.”
“And we can learn from each other. Besides, I want to get to know you better.”
“Why?” she asked as she turned her gaze on me.
“You might be my sister-in-law someday. I want us to have a relationship.” Not really. I wanted her to get close to me. When this assignment was finished, I’d go after her with everything I had. Hopefully, she wouldn’t say no.
“I guess that’s true,” she said. “It would make Max happy.”
“And I’m a great friend to have around. We can go shopping together too.”
“Shopping, huh?” she asked.
“Come on, a gay man’s opinion is priceless.”
“Well, I have Max…”
I shook my head. “He doesn’t know anything. Trust me.”
She considered the offer for a moment. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
I felt my body flush in excitement. I would be spending time with Ophelia alone without her brother breathing down my neck. Maybe she would notice me the way I noticed her. I wasn’t sure how I was going to make this work, but it was going to work somehow.
4
Ophelia
I walked into Crunch Fitness with my bag over my shoulder. I just got off work so I’d been sitting at my desk all day. Since I didn’t move around much, mostly did typing and phone calls at my desk, I knew had to do some serious weight training. If not, those muscles would weaken. Use it or lose it, right?
I changed into my spandex shorts, Nike running shoes, and pink workout top before I walked onto the gym floor. I searched for Jett but saw a swarm of heads turn my way. I ignored them then kept walking.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Jett came from my left and I almost fell over. Not because he scared me but because he didn’t have a shirt on. His wide chest was chiseled and defined. It was hard like a slab of concrete. I remembered how it felt when I tried to push him away. His shoulders were rounded and muscular, but he wasn’t overly bulky like some guys in the gym. He was ripped and toned. His chest led to the eight-pack chiseled down his stomach. The grooves were so hard it looked like an ice cube tray. He was already a little sweaty, and that just made the sight even more hypnotizing. I stared at him then looked at the V of his hips. The noticeable lines disappeared into his shorts, and a thin line of hair beneath his belly button went with it.
Oh my fucking god. He was hot.
“You okay there?” A smug look was on his face, like he knew exactly what I was thinking.
The arrogance in his voice brought me back to earth. “Yeah…just a little warm.”
“I wonder why…” He didn’t drop his smile.
“You’re lucky you have something to be so cocky about.”
“You think I’m hot, don’t you?” He got into my face, his lips close to mine. He stared down at them like he wanted a taste. But then he directed his eyes back to mine.
“You’re my brother’s boyfriend. Of course I don’t think you’re hot.”
“You’re full of it. Just admit it.” He pressed me further.
“I admit your body is…wow.”
His eyes lightened in approval. “Why, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. But you forced the comment out of me.”
“Or did I?” He stepped away and headed to a work out area near the mirrors. “Let’s do squats.” He grabbed a bar and put weights on the ends.
I grabbed my own but put far less weight on mine. I tried to be toned, not bulky.
“You can do more than that, sweetheart.” He put an extra five pounds on each end.
“I don’t think you know what I’m physically capable of.”
“Yes, I do,” he said. “I can see your ass.”
“Now look who’s checking out who,” I argued.
“But that’s the difference between you and me. You’re attracted to men. I’m not attracted to women.”
It was because of that reason I didn’t take his comments seriously.
“Let me see what you can do.” He faced me and crossed his arms over his chest.
Seeing him shirtless was incredibly distracting. I’d seen attractive men before but Jett was different. His body looked like it belonged in a magazine. His hair was always messy but in a sexy way. And he was charming even when he was being cocky. I planted my legs apart then grabbed the bar on the floor.
Jett moved to my side and watched my form. “Nice…”
I did three sets of ten.
“You’ve got perfect posture. I’m impressed. And I told you that you could handle that extra weight.”
“I’ll feel it tomorrow…”
“I’ll give you a nice massage.” He winked at me then did his set. He had much more weight than I did, at least over a hundred pounds more. But he did it without looking like it was an exertion. He finished his set then placed the bar on the ground. “Now that’s how it’s done.”
“Are you ever not cocky?”
He shrugged. “Not sure. Probably not.” He smiled at the end so I knew he was joking.
“Have you ever done yoga?”
He turned to me
with an incredulous look. “Me?”
“Whom else would I be talking to?”
“Sweetheart, real men don’t do yoga.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Have you ever tried it?”
“No. I’m too busy doing manly things.”
“It’s really hard…”
“Maybe for you.”
“I think you should try it,” I said as I put my hands on my hips. “I don’t think you can handle it.”
“Sitting on a mat and doing human origami? Yeah…I think I’ll be fine.”
“Fine, let’s do it,” I said. “I bet you won’t survive.”
“And what are we betting?” he asked.
“Twenty bucks?”
He shook his head. “I don’t bet money with women. How about this? If I win, which I will, you have to have dinner with me. If you win, which you won’t, you can pick something.”
“Why would you want to take me out to dinner if you win?” I asked.
He shrugged. “It’s what I want. And what do you want?”
I thought for a moment. “You have to hold all my bags while I go shopping.”
“Deal.” He extended his hand to shake mine.
I took it and gave him a firm shake.
“You’ve got a good grip, sweetheart. I bet you know how to grip other things with the same level of skill…”
I swatted his shoulder. “Don’t be gross.”
“Hey, it’s true.” He put his bar away and grabbed new weights. “How about shoulder presses?”
I let the comment go then racked my bar. “Okay.”
We did a few other exercises together. Surprisingly, Jett was a good workout partner. He pushed me when I didn’t feel like giving it my all, and he made the work out fun. When he wasn’t being cocky or arrogant, he was pretty fun to be around.
By the end of the session, we were both hot and sweaty.
“Want to get shakes next door?” he asked.
“Sure.” I usually just munched on a protein bar but it would be nice to have something different.
After we showered in the locker room, we headed next door and ordered our protein shakes. Then we sat at a table in the rear.
“So, tell me about you and Max,” I said as I sipped my shake.