There was still something definitely off as Brooklyn gave me another innocent smile. “Yeah. But, I know you’re up to something.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Brooklyn changed the subject. “Oh, I won’t be home tonight. Mike asked me to stay over at his place”
Giving me a wink, I now knew what the next level was. From hearing people talk, I knew purity until marriage wasn’t something commonly done outside the walls of The Society. I wasn’t sure where my thoughts stood on the matter, but I knew in time I’d figure it out
.
The treadmill raised and simulated me climbing a hill. I had to change my stance to keep up. My calves burned as I kept up with the pace of the belt. “Mike seems like a good guy.”
“I think so. Aiden approves too which is huge. Oh, speak of the devil.” Brooklyn pointed and I turned to see Aiden walking toward us about ten feet away. Shirtless. He was shirtless. I lost my footing and spiraled off the back of the machine as my limbs went every which way.
Several people gasped as I heard my name being yelled by Aiden and Brooklyn. “Kenzie!”
Kill. Me. Now.
Strong arms helped me up. “Kenzie, shit are you hurt?”
As I dusted myself off to assess the damage, I responded, “I’ll be fine. Just embarrassed.”
Brooklyn stood beside me. Knowingly, she looked at me. “What happened?”
“I don’t know.” Lie. Aiden, shirtless, is what happened. “I’m okay. I promise.”
I looked to Aiden and saw his defined muscles up close. He was lean and something within me roared to life. An unrecognizable feeling deep down in my stomach was breaking through. I focused on anything but him.
Feeling nervous, I kept rambling. “Brooklyn brought me here for a quick workout before we left to go shopping.”
I changed my focus to Brooklyn. Staring at random things felt awkward as I tried to avoid Aiden’s chest. Shifting from foot to foot, Brooklyn appeared guilty as Aiden spoke, “I meet my sister here every Saturday morning to run on the treadmills. This is our normal spot.”
That’s why she acted so strange. I shot a look at Aiden. Still shirtless. Then moved my gaze to Brooklyn who gave me a sweet smile as I pieced it all together. “Oh, I forgot to mention that. Silly me.” Brooklyn innocently shrugged as Aiden chuckled and shook his head. “Kenzie should probably walk it out to make sure she’s okay. Want me to take her, Aiden?”
“I’ve got it, Brooklyn.”
There was definitely something they were communicating as they stressed each other’s names.
She shot an innocent smile in both our directions. “Okay, I’ll get our stuff and meet you guys at the front.”
We didn’t have anything with us. I didn’t correct Brooklyn.
My ankle was a little tender, but I tried to walk as normal as possible. Aiden’s hand touched the small of my back. He had been working out and he smelled good on an entirely different level.
We made it into the hallway and Aiden stopped toward the end. “Let me look you over.”
I nodded. Still being shirtless was a distraction in itself. Why hadn’t I noticed the other guys without their shirts on? Aiden picked up my ankle gently and rotated it. My hand wanted to go out to his shoulder for balance, but I’d be a complete goner if I touched him like this. I needed some dignity intact.
He stood and I faced slightly away as I tried to get my wits about me. “So, did I scare you? You seemed to be doing well until you saw me.”
I was still looking everywhere but at Aiden. He moved in front of me and gave me an expectant look to answer. My eyes darted to the floor. “You were umm . . . distracting for a second.”
“What do you mean?”
Exasperated, I looked into his eyes. He was going to make me spell it out. “You were . . . I mean you are shirtless. It was distracting.”
“Good distracting?” Aiden smiled wide.
My cheeks heated. “You know my answer to that.”
He pressed. “I want to hear you say it.”