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Chapter Four
Knox
The cacophony of music blasts from all areas of the gym, and none of them are the same song or even the same genre of music. It makes it impossible to follow the lyrics of any of them.
Gunner and Devin are on two of the Smith Cages, pressing their weights in sync with each other. As brothers-in-law, they’re thick as thieves. Or at least, thick as a quarterback and his top wide receiver can be. They’re the equivalent of a PB and J.
“Are you ready?” Liam waves me over to the weight bench. “Let’s get this going.”
“Yeah, I’m ready.” I nod and lay down on the bench, adjusting until I’m comfortable on the cushion.
After my call with Madyson, I’d waited outside of Saylor’s office for ten minutes, hoping to see her again, but she didn’t come back. That, combined with hearing from my ex, has me on edge. I grip the bar and flex my fingers in the steel beam.
“Ten sets of ten and hold each lift for ten seconds.” Liam pushes the stopwatch and studies my form as I repeatedly raise and lower the bar over my chest. The muscles in my arms flex as thoughts of Madyson invade my brain like an infestation of bed bugs.
Catching her with another man was a blow to my ego, but I wasn’t in love with her. I thought she was the type of woman I should be with. She came from a wealthy family. She was attractive. If I were collecting assets, she’d have been at the top of the list. I grunt as I lift the bar and hold it steady, counting to ten.
Lord, that makes me sound shallow.
I’ve learned my lesson. Trying to fit into the perfect mold doesn’t work. I’m not the Hollywood type that craves the limelight, which was Madyson’s biggest complaint about me. As a model, she believed being seen was required to keep up with her social status.
I was riding high after raising over 100k for my foster to adopt children’s charity. The event was a smash, and the future recipients were on cloud nine. It was the perfect night without a cloud in the sky, leaving a sprinkling of stars shining through the city lights.
Everything was perfect-until I opened the door to my limo and caught her with her dress around her ass and her mouth around a guy’s dick. My limo driver’s dick, to be precise.
I’ve spent a lot of time in reflection. I’m ready to settle down and start a family with a woman who makes my heart race. I’ve seen how my friends look at their wives, and if I can find the same thing, I’m grabbing it with both hands and never letting go.
I lower the bar to the holder and raise to a seated position. Liam clicks the stopwatch and nods. “Not bad. Thirty seconds under yesterday’s time.”
“Thanks for sticking around.”
“No problem.” He drops his arm to his side, and the stopwatch smacks against his chest. “Dani had to leave, so I told her I’d run you through the paces.” Dani is my assigned personal trainer, but I can’t expect her to stick around during her lunch break. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. It’s all good.” I freeze. Am I blushing?
“Are you feeling okay?” His nose wrinkles. “You’re flushed more than you were when you were lifting. We need you this weekend.”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be good for the game.” Shit. Talk about embarrassing. Next, he’s going to ask how many times I go to the bathroom.
“Ohhh….” His eyes widen. “Female related.”
“Shit,” I mutter. The man should be a detective. Of course, he has five kids, so he’s going to need all the sleuthing skills he can find for those teenage years.
“Interesting.” He crosses his arms over his chest as the sounds of clanking metal continue around us. “You didn’t happen to disappear to my wife’s office, did you?”
Peachy. Apparently, I’m not as slick as I thought I was, but there’s no use denying it. Saylor might tell Isabella I helped her decorate, so lying would put me in a bad light.
Besides, I won’t lie to my friends. I might evade or avoid divulging some crucial details, but flat-out lying is not going to happen. “When I was in the hallway, I saw Saylor struggling with a box, so I helped her take some decorations to Isabella’s office.” I cringe. “And stuck around to help her put everything together.”
“Because you’re a standup guy like that.”
“Yes.” I glare at him. “Because I’m a standup guy like that.”
“It has nothing to do with you watching every move she makes whenever you see her.”
I don’t watch her is on the tip of my tongue, but that’s another lie. “Fine. She’s attractive, and I’d like to get to know her better. But she doesn’t give much opportunity to accomplish that. When I saw the chance to help her today, I took it.”
“Good for you.” He snatches a white towel off the weight machine next to him and tosses it in my direction. I grab it out of the air. “She’s a great girl, but she’s been through a lot.”
