Page 136 of On the Breakaway

“I meant,” Nathan tries again. “About you putting your dick where it doesn’t belong.” He leans against the wall. “I’ve had to listen to Wesley bitch for weeks about the fact that you slept with Becca.”

Liam’s expression turns defensive, but he still manages to smirk. “If we’re being accurate, there really wasn’t much sleep–”

I slap the back of his head. “No one wants to know what you two got up to.”

Liam raises his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Fair, but she’s a grown woman, was fully sober, and obviously knew it wasn’t going to be more than one night. So, I don’t see the problem.”

Wyatt racks the weight. “He has a point.”

“Just tell Wesley it’s not her business,” Liam adds.

I snort, picturing exactly how horribly that would go.

Nathan’s mind must do the same thing because he responds, “I like my balls where they are, thank you very much.”

I shake my head and start stuffing gear into my bag, mostly content to sit back and enjoy the show unfolding around me.

It’s a mirror of how I’ve felt since spending more time with Avery.

A bone-deep contentment and comfort.

The longer it lasts, the more I realize that, regardless of what I planned for this to be, it’s real for me. It’s not just a couple of dates and good sex.

And maybe I was supposed to be taking this time without a girlfriend to learn how to be alone, but maybe instead, I’m learning that I can be alone; I just don’t want to be.

My chest tightens with certainty.

I want her. And I may have told her no pressure, but I’m not sure how much longer I can wait before I tell her.

Across the room, Wyatt catches my expression, his mouth twitching. I realize that my karma for calling him soft is already incoming.

Then he says casually, “Some people seem to be handling the travel schedule just fine.”

I glance up, glaring at him.

“Yeah?” Liam asks as he refills his water bottle.

“Yeah. Ask Grayson what he’s been doing to stay busy.”

The grin spreads slowly across his face, and I hate him.

I should’ve known he’d bring it back up eventually. He’s been far too quiet about it since New York.

Liam’s head swivels to mine. “Aren’t you supposed to be like celibate or something?”

I choke on air, dragging out the cough just to buy myself time before I have to out-bullshit the bullshitter.

“Yeah. I am supposed to be.”

“Wait a minute.” Liam’s head swivels between Wyatt and me. “It’s the chick from Bra-gate, isn’t it?”

Nathan narrows his eyes when I stutter. “You’re still seeing her?”

“How do you even have time to see her?” Liam asks.

I glare at Wyatt, thinking about all the ways I plan to make his life hell as soon as the chance presents itself.

“I knew you wouldn’t last more than a couple of months without a girlfriend,” Liam says, pushing open the weight room doors as we head to the locker room.