36. Kian

36

KIAN

L orelei and I walk into the gym side by side.

There was a moment when I thought she was going to point-blank refuse. But then she glanced at the rain lashing the windows and I knew I had her.

She needs the escape that running gives her, but she didn't want to get soaked.

"I can't believe you did this," she murmurs as we step inside the deserted gym.

"I can do what I want," I say arrogantly.

"Not sure your dad or King would agree."

I scoff. "Fuck them. I hold just as much power as they do."

I've no idea what she hears in my voice, but from the way she looks up at me, I fear it's far too much.

"So, where do you want to start?" I ask, hopefully diverting the conversation.

"Treadmill. I've never really used any of this equipment before."

"You've never used a gym before?" I ask.

She shrugs. "Wasn't ever really an option," she says, dropping the bag she brought with her and taking off toward the machine.

I'm frozen in place as I watch her ass sway in her leggings. Effortlessly, she steps up onto the machine and studies the buttons before her.

I smirk and wait.

"Need some help, Temptress?" I ask, taking off after her.

I'm still wearing the gray sweats I slept in. How could I even consider changing when she looked at me the way she did? Shame I had to pull on a t-shirt, really. There was something more than a little addicting about the way she studied my body. It reminded me that last night was real. The almost innocent kiss we shared was actually real.

"I'm fine," she huffs indignantly, her shoulders tightening.

"You know, it is okay to ask for help every now and then," I say, stepping up beside her.

With the treadmill beneath her, it brings us to eye level.

"Do you have to look so smug?" she complains.

"I'm not smug."

"My ass, yo?—"

"Looks amazing," I interrupt.

Her cheeks blaze at my compliment. But it's true. It really fucking does.

"On button is here," I say, waking up the screen. "Then all the controls are here. Did you want to set a time limit or speed or?—"

"I've got it from here. You…go and do your thing."

"What if my thing is watching you run?"

"I don't believe you got those muscles from watching others work out, Callahan."

"You've noticed my muscles, Temptress?"

"You're an idiot, and you're distracting me. Go away."

"Sure, but only because the view is better from a distance."

Pulling my cell from my pocket, I find my workout playlist, and after syncing it to the speakers, I take a seat on the weight bench.

Lorelei's eyes follow me in the mirror, and with a smirk, I reach my arm behind my head and pull my shirt off.

She shakes her head, a tight smile playing on her lips, but she doesn't take her eyes off me as I shift into position. And even after lying down and losing sight of her, I know she continues watching.

With most of my focus on my workout, I go through my usual routine, trying the best I can to ignore my partner.

But no matter how loud the music is, I still hear her heavy breathing as she continues to run.

I move away from the weights to the bar and begin counting my pull-ups.

"How many have you done?"

Lorelei's voice startles me, and I drop to the ground.

"Twelve, before I was interrupted," I mutter as I reach for a towel to wipe my head and chest.

"Still impressive. I've never had any upper body strength."

"Surely you can do one," I taunt. I let my eyes roam around her body. "You look in pretty good shape to me."

"I'm glad you think so. But there's no chance I could even pull myself up an inch."

"Bet you can."

She raises a brow.

"And what do I get when you lose?" Placing her hand on her waist, she pops a hip.

"I'll take you home after this, and you don't have to see me again until Monday morning."

A smile spreads across her lips before a laugh spills free. "Oh, it's going to be so peaceful."

"And if I win…" I pause for effect, even though she doesn't think she stands a chance at losing. "Then you have to come out for dinner with me tonight, and everything is my choice."

"Normal day for you then," she mocks.

I shrug.

"So, what do you say?"

She laughs again. "I'm excited to see you lose for once in your life."

"Let's see, shall we?" I say, gesturing for her to step in front of me beneath the bar.

"You've got it, sir."

She rolls her shoulders and shakes her arm out as if she's actually going to give this her best shot.

Then she looks up and realizes her mistake.

"Wait, I can't even—" She shrieks when I wrap my hands around her waist and lift her up.

"Got it?" I ask before letting go.

"Yep."

Releasing my hands, I take a small step back.

"Go on, then. Let's see what you've got."

Her entire body locks up and her arms tremble as she attempts to pull herself up.

To give her credit, it really does look like she tries. It's pointless, though. She doesn't move an inch.

"See? I can't do it."

"Hmm…Try again."

"Nope." Before she gives up, I jump from the ground, grab the bar beside where her small hands are holding it, and wrap my legs around her waist.

"What the fuck are you doing?" she screeches, wriggling against me as if she thinks she can escape.

"Proving that you can do this," I say. My lips brush her ear as I speak, and she visibly shudders as my breath rushes over her heated skin.

"I think I just proved well enough that I can't."

"We'll see. Now, engage your core. We're going to lift."

"Oh no, no, no, no," she chants, finally figuring out my plan. "This is not what I agreed to."

"Funny, because I don't remember there being conditions."

"You dared me to do it alone."

"No, I didn't. I dared you to do it. There was no mention of support. Three, two, one."

I lift, and with my legs around her waist, she has no chance but to come with me, completing her first pull-up.

"Fuck's sake," she mutters when her chin meets the bar.

We hold it for a count of three before lowering down.

"See? Wasn't so hard, was it?"

"With you doing all the work? No, it was pretty easy," she confesses as I unwrap my legs and drop to the floor again.

She follows suit, and the second her feet touch down, I spin her around and back her up against the post.

"Kian," she breathes as I pin her against the cool metal with the length of my body.

Lowering my head, I rest my brow against hers.

"I can't stop thinking about it," I confess.

My eyes stay locked on hers as my chest heaves. My heart thunders, and my breathing is erratic.

She sucks in a sharp breath, letting me know that it's not far from her mind either.

"Well…" She swallows. "You need to."

Her eyes bounce between mine as we remain frozen in this position, each of us waiting for the other to react.

"I'm your assistant, Kian. Y-your…your fake girlfriend."

My lips twitch.

"You're agreeing?"

She lets out a long breath, letting it rush over my face and down my chest. Just that is enough to ensure my cock is hard as steel against her stomach. There's about as much chance of her not feeling it as her missing my morning wood when I stood from her couch earlier this morning.

She shrugs one shoulder. "Your reasons were very convincing. But?—"

I cut her words off with my lips.

But this time, I don't hesitate or give her a chance to back away this time.

The second her lips move against mine, my tongue joins, and only a heartbeat later, so does hers.

It's what should have happened last night, only, we were interrupted.

But that's unlikely to happen here. We're alone.

All alone with an entire gym to make the most of…

I lose myself in her kiss. My hands roam over her body, or at least the parts I can reach.

But all too soon, she presses against my chest.

"Kian," she says into our kiss.

Unable to deny her wishes, I pull back.

"I agreed to the fake relationship. Not to this."

Taking a large step back, I comb my fingers through my sweat-damp hair, dragging it back until it hurts, my eyes tracing the lines of Lorelei's body.

When I get back up to her face, I find that she's just as mesmerized by my body as I am hers. Although, her attention is focused on just one part of me. The part that's tenting my sweats.

"Temptress?" My voice is deep and raspy—not that she needed any more evidence about how I'm feeling right now.

"It's time to go, Kian," she says, sounding much more stable than me.

"Right. Yeah. Sure." Once she's walked around me, I sink my hand into my sweats to rearrange myself, but not before I squeeze my length, eliciting a groan to spill from my lips.

"I don't think dinner is a good idea," she says.

When I spin around, I find her standing at the door with her bag in hand.

"But I won. You owe me."

Snatching my t-shirt from the floor where I abandoned it, I stalk closer to her.

"But—"

"No, buts, Temptress. Me and you. Dinner."

"Lunch now?" she asks, hoping for an easy way out.

"Absolutely not. A deal is a deal. You owe me dinner, and I'm collecting my winnings tonight."

Reaching above her, I push the door open and give her little choice but to walk through it.

"Nothing fancy," she concedes. "Not after last night."

"It's my choice. We'll go wherever I see fit."

She falls silent and I step up beside her, leading her to the stairs—not the elevator—that will take us to the garage for my car that Jamie dropped off at her apartment last night, along with a bagful of clothes.

The journey back to her apartment is quiet. I'm unsure if it's because she's regretting taking that bet. She really should have known better if she thought she stood a chance at winning.

She was right. I don't lose.

Ever.

I pull the car to a stop outside her apartment and kill the engine.

"I guess I'll see you later then," she says, unclicking her seat belt and hooking her fingers over the door handle, ready to escape.

"You don't have to sound so excited about it."

"Hmm," she mumbles.

"We're going to have fun. You know we will."

"Kian, I?—"

Reaching out, I press my fingers to her lips.

"We'll talk later," I promise her.

She sighs as I feel the weight of it right down to my toes.

"This is fake," she says the second my fingers slip away. "Don't get carried away."

"I know," I say confidently, but I can't help wondering just how much of a lie it is.

That kiss earlier felt anything but fake, and nothing at all like a lie.

"Message me when you're safe in your apartment," I instruct.

"I'm taking the stairs. You don't need to worry."

"I still will. Message me, yeah?"

"Fine. See you later."

She pushes the door open and climbs out before disappearing into her building without looking back—just like she did last night.

Only now, I don't follow. Instead, I sit there and wait for my cell to buzz.

I know she'll follow orders. She won't risk me coming up.

She's too scared.

Scared what letting me in will mean.

Unfortunately for her, I have every intention of worming my way in as deep as possible so we can find out.