That same tone was not used during the phone conversation today.
Things are different between us now. Things changed the second I put my lips on hers. There’s no going back, no walking away.
Okay, so I can’t make the woman desire me, but I’m not going to just go about my business while there’s a chance someone is going to hurt her.
“You can’t fuck her if you strain a groin muscle,” Grinch says as he pulls off his sweatshirt and settles on a weight bench to my left.
I keep my eyes locked straight ahead, wondering how much longer I can do this before that vein in my forehead explodes.
With a bend of my knees, I drop the weight I was pushing on the leg machine.
Grinch’s grin drops from his face when I turn to look at him.
“What happened?” The playful tone is replaced with one of true concern.
“She’s pissed that I called Colton about what was going on.”
“So did she break up with you or just put you in a timeout?”
“We weren’t together, not like officially, but now she doesn’t want a damn thing to do with me.”
“What are you going to do next?”
“I’m—” I clamp my mouth closed when the door to the gym swings open.
Lawson, one of the Cerberus members, and his brother Drew walk inside followed by Tug and Scooter.
“Shit,” I mutter.
“What’s the topic of conversation today?” Lawson asks. Normally, the motorcycle mechanic isn’t so nosy.
“Women,” Grinch answers, and I wish I could be mad at him, but all the guys who just walked in are in stable, loving relationships.
Maybe the conversation I tried to have with the guys and Slick in the garage the other night was an epic failure because none of those people are involved in serious relationships. There’s a good chance these guys won’t steer me wrong.
“Women? Or one woman in particular?” Tug asks as he starts to load weights onto a barbell.
“Faith Robbins,” I say, knowing if I don’t start, Grinch is going to tell them, anyway.
“I hear great things about her,” Scooter interjects. “Which one of you is dating her?”
I growl when Grinch’s smile widens. It’s not his normal jovial smile, but one that hints at a devious plan.
“I’m in no fucking mood,” I warn him as I swipe a hand towel over my face.
“She’s got a little trouble, someone vandalizing her property, but Legend has a crush,” Grinch explains.
“And I take it she isn’t interested?” Lawson asks as he grabs a bottle of water out of the fridge.
I barely catch the damn thing when he tosses it in my direction.
“Thanks,” I mutter. “She doesn’t have time to date.”
“So this is a pride thing?” Tug asks before pulling the barbell from the rack and squatting with the weight.
His back is to us, but he’s watching us in the mirror’s reflection in front of him.
“It’s not pride,” I say after taking a moment to consider his question. “I really like the girl.”
“Really like her as in you like her a lot, or you technically like her?” Tug asks.
“I care for her,” I clarify.
“Care or love?” Drew chimes in.
“It’s too soon for love,” I tell him.
“You sure?” Scooter asks as he leans against the far wall. “And before you jump in my shit, don’t forget that I only started out helping Mia after what happened to her. I fought that word as well.”
We all fall silent for a moment at his words. Scooter’s woman Mia, who also happened to be Max, our IT guy’s sister, was abducted and held in captivity for months. Scooter is the one who pulled her from her personal hell, and she held on to him, refusing to let him go. They’re happy together now.
“I’m not saying I couldn’t love her. I’m saying I don’t think it’s love yet. We haven’t spent much time together. She won’t let me get close to her.”
“Because of personal damage and trauma or because she’s just not interested?” Scooter asks.
Grinch chuckles when my face turns sour. “You just can’t even wrap your head around the fact that a woman may not want to keep you forever.”
“I blame all the women falling at your feet. Rejection after hearing ‘yes, please,’ for years is tough,” Drew says.
Lawson points at his brother as if saying he agrees.
I look at the man. “You fell in love when you were a kid. This is a different situation.”
Lawson shrugs, unconcerned for calling him out about meeting Delilah when he was seventeen. They spent a couple years apart, but they're together now and expecting their first child.
“Maybe she does have past trauma,” I say, holding on to that part of Scooter’s question. I look over at Tug who’s adding more weight to the barbell. “Maybe Max can dig into her past and see what happened.”
Tug spins around to face me. “What? No. That’s not going to help.”