Page 48 of How Much For A Broken Heart?

Chapter Seventeen

RYDER

I finished my session at the gym, pushing myself hard on the weights. It was a necessary release, despite the epic sex, a way to channel the restless energy that had been building up inside me over how the hell August and I would navigate what came next. I wiped down the equipment, grabbed a towel and my water bottle, and made my way across the room to where August still hadn’t left the massage bed.

The memory of what had happened between us was still fresh in my mind and just thinking about it was enough to get me hard, and given his eyes were at crotch height, and I was in shorts, he was getting an eyeful. He ran the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip, then stared up at me, and it was everything I could do not to take myself out and beg him to suck me.

What am I doing?

“Ethan wants you at the swimming pool,” I blurted, then realized what I’d said when August’s eyes widened. “Not like in porn. I mean, Swim Central is where Shadow Team is.”

He snorted a laugh. “You immediately assume I equate pools with porn?”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, yeah. Doesn’t everyone? Now, just get up.”

I held out a hand to help him, but he gave a noncommittal grunt in response, swinging his legs off the bed and standing. He was steady on his feet, and his muscles tensed as he levered himself up and stood in front of me, only inches away. If I leaned in, I could kiss him, right in front of the cameras and god knows who else might walk in.

I stepped back. “Hey,” I greeted him, trying to keep my voice casual, as if what happened hadn’t shifted something fundamental between us.

August had a faint smile on his face. “Hey yourself,” he replied, then very deliberately checked the nearest camera, turned, and adjusted his erection.

“I want you on your knees,” August murmured.

I swallowed. “Fuck.”

“Will you go to your knees for me?”

“Will you for me?”

August chuckled, and I would have done anything for him. The air between us was charged with want, but August backed off, and we knew that now wasn’t the time to explore it further.

“We should get going,” I said, glancing at the clock. “Ethan’s expecting us at eleven. So, I’ll come get you ten before.”

August tipped his chin. “I’ll meet you by the back door off the kitchens.”

“The chair?—”

“I’ll walk,” he said, a hint of determination in his voice as he gave me a long look, something unreadable in his gaze.

I admired his resolve and that stubborn streak, which meant he refused to be seen as weak or dependent, while at the same time wanting to push him to sit and take care of himself. Still, I didn’t argue, because if I were him, I wouldn’t want to be in a wheelchair either.

As we went our separate ways, heading to our respective rooms to prepare, my head was spinning. The attraction was so hot I’d never felt anything like it before, but with the impending team meeting and the responsibilities that came with it, those feelings had to be shelved, at least for the time being. We’d both been hurt; we were mending; we needed to put a stop to Amos. Together.

And then, me on my knees for him.

Because that was inevitable.

* * *

August walked with determination to push through, as if he were channeling every ounce of his SEAL training, refusing to let his physical condition dictate his presence. As we grew closer to Swim Central, I noticed a shift in him. The tension eased, and it wasn’t just about the walking; it was deeper than that. He was transforming, right before my eyes, into the hardened man who had taken down cartel crews, from vulnerable human to a lethal, efficient, SEAL.

When we arrived at the unique office space, I watched closely for August’s reaction. The place was still a work in progress, a far cry from what it would eventually become, but as August took it all in, his eyes widened.

“This is it,” I said, gesturing around the space. “Shadow Team HQ aka Swim Central because, you know, it’s built in a pool.”

August’s gaze swept over the area, taking in every detail. “Okay,” he murmured, his voice tinged with genuine admiration. It was clear he was already assessing how the team operated, how he would fit into the dynamic. I could see the wheels turning in August’s head, but he didn’t say anything else, and when Ethan walked toward us, Luca beside him, I felt odd.

I didn’t have any other word for it.

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