Page 49 of Sizzling

“Are you following me?”

“Yep.”

Okay, fine. It wasn’t like he was going to go into the ladies’ locker room with me.

I went over to the elevator, and we waited in silence for it to open. Stepping inside, I was very aware he was behind me and that my butt cheeks were slightly visible in these bottoms. I didn’t know if he was looking, but the thought that he could be made me get goose bumps.

The doors closed, and he stood on the other side of the elevator, as if getting too close to me would somehow taint him. I ignored it the best I could, and when the doors opened up again, I bolted out of them.

“The gym is this way. I have it from here,” I told him, striding off, hoping he’d go outside to his Jeep.

The heavy footsteps behind me told me otherwise.

Stopping at the gym door, I spun around and threw up my arms. “What are you doing?” I demanded.

“Following you.”

I rolled my eyes. “I can see that. I meant, why are you not going back outside?”

He leaned forward and pushed the door behind me open. “Because anyone could be inside here.” Then, he nodded his head for me to enter.

I went in the direction of the women’s locker room and held out my hands as I walked. “See, it’s empty.”

He said nothing, and I bit back a groan as I shoved the door to the locker room open and went inside. If I stayed in here long enough, then maybe he would leave.

The door didn’t close behind me, and I closed my eyes with a sigh. He’d come inside the flipping locker room.

“I am perfectly fine in here,” I told him.

He walked past me and then began looking around the place. In toilet and shower stalls. I stood there, trying not to watch him but it was hard. This whole protective thing he was doing had clearly messed with my head. I liked it, and I didn’t need to like anything about Storm Kingston. Not one damn thing.

When he seemed satisfied that we were alone, he walked over toward one of the hardwood benches and sat down, leaning back against the wall and propping his right ankle on his left knee, as if he was planning on staying awhile. If I was going to get back into my apartment, he had to go back to his Jeep.

“You are staying?” I asked, already knowing this answer.

“I am.”

Tired of being annoyed and just tired in general, I walked over and sat down on the other end of the bench, as far away from him as possible.

“You should sing more of your original stuff,” he said, turning his head to look down the bench at me.

It wasn’t like I hadn’t heard this before, but when he said it, I felt a jolt of pride. That wasn’t something I felt too often or ever. The elation that came with it was like a high I wished I could ride awhile.

“Shame you would rather use your body to make money when you’re so damn talented.”

And there it was. The end of the high. Why couldn’t he let that go? Leave it in my past, where I was trying to put it and close the door on it.

“We can’t all be honorable members of organized crime,” I replied sarcastically, giving him a hateful smile.

The amused gleam in his eye and upturned corners of his mouth made me momentarily forget that I hated him. It was really difficult to dislike a man who looked like that, and I was sure he knew it. Asshole.

“I don’t deceive anyone,” he said to me.

“No, you just kill them.”

The deep laugh that came from him made my stomach flutter. It was an intoxicating sound. One I wanted to hear more of.

“Only if they deserve it.”

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