Page 48 of Possession

Fire spread across my chest and arms as I lifted the bar above my head. Liam’s smug smile hovered above my face egging me on as he spotted me. He added twenty more pounds to the barbell, bringing me up to two hundred and forty-five pounds. The most I’d done for reps and I was struggling through my last set.

“Don’t be a pussy, Dex, push through it.” Liam’s smirk twitched as I growled through the last rep.

The bar clanged loudly as I set it back into the rack. “Fuck you.” I choked out a laugh as I sat up completely out of breath. “Shit, I’m done.”

“No way, Kieran isn’t even here yet.” He slapped my bare shoulder and I flinched.

The gym was almost a daily thing for all of us, but we tried at least once a week to meet up at the same time. It was our sanctuary, and it was where everything about each of our lives didn’t matter. This was where we’d strip ourselves down to the beasts we’d learned to hide every day. All the shit we’d gone through, in here… it fed us, made us stronger instead of tearing us apart second by second.

“Why’d you push me?” I wiped my face with the bottom of my shirt.

“Here.” I grabbed the towel he handed me and wiped my face. “It seems like you’re getting soft.” Liam’s smile fell just enough I caught his meaning.

I exhaled a sharp breath. “Don’t be a jealous dick. She came back, I can’t help that Kel—”

“Don’t!” The word clipped through the air and silenced the other people around us. He lowered his voice to a menacing whisper, “There is no damn difference between her and Paige. They both saw us for what we were and tossed our sorry asses to the side.”

“I’m tired of your bullshit, Liam. Paige is nothing like Kelly. Paige and I… we both made some shitty choices, and now we have a chance to make it right. Stop pushing your baggage onto everyone else. It’s getting old.” I stood and threw the towel at his chest and he caught it, his face like a stone.

“I leave you two alone for twenty minutes and you’re at each other’s throats. Come on, guys, leave this shit in the locker room. We’re here to shred, right?” Kieran glared at us, but the longer the silence between us grew, his glare turned to pleading.

“You’re late.” Liam moved his eyes to Kieran and rolled his shoulders as he sat down on the bench. He clenched his jaw once before turning his eyes back on me. “For you, Dex, I’ll give her a chance, foryou, because it’s you I fucking care about, and I know she does, too, but sometimes… that shit isn’t enough.”

“I think this time it is.”

The scars she’d left behind still hurt. They pinched and begged to tear open every time I looked at her. But, yesterday morning, she’d looked at me like I was worth the worship of her touch. We’d kissed in a way that connected us again. In a way that had torn my heart and hers into ribbons, and once we’d pulled away there was no going back. All the pieces had blended as a whole and she’d taken a few of mine, and I’d taken some of hers. Our scars had merged, and it felt… right.

“Maybe. For your sake, you better hope you’re right.” Liam exhaled and dropped the towel I’d thrown at him to the floor as he lay back on the bench.

“I know I don’t know everything that happened, but I know Paige. And she’s always been a good person. What happened is between you two. And no matter what this asshole says, we’ll both be here if it all goes to hell.” Kieran shoved my shoulder with little force and turned his stare onto Liam. “You going to lift that shit, or just stare at it?”

“I’ll spot you,” I said with a smirk as I moved behind the bench. “You need me to remove some weight?”

Kieran laughed and Liam narrowed his eyes. “Just shut the fuck up and spot me.”

The rest of the morning was business as usual at the gym. Pushing, shoving, breaking each other’s limits and setting tempers on edge. It was how we did it, and after we’d finished and showered, ready to leave, it was just us O’Connell boys again.

“You want a ride back to the shop?” Kieran asked me and I shook my head.

“I want to walk.”

“Don’t be late.” Liam snapped on his helmet and straddled his Harley. The signature sound of the bike roared to life and echoed inside the back alley parking lot behind the gym. He gave Kieran and me a wave before he drove off.

“You sure?” he asked again as he pulled a set of keys from his gym bag.

“It’s only five blocks, and it helps clear my head.” I pulled my bag over my shoulder.

“You seem happy, don’t let Liam ruin it.” Kieran’s blue eyes creased at the corners as he smiled. “You going to stop by The Gallery on your way back?”

“No, I need to stop by later and pick up my painting. I could use your help this time, it’s bigger than my normal pieces”

“Sure, we can take my truck. The framing supplies are still in Mom’s garage. What time you want to head over?”

“A few of my later appointments called yesterday and canceled, so probably around six. I should be finished by then. You think Liam will be okay with us both leaving though?”My brows dipped with doubt.

“Do you really care?” he asked with a laugh.

My lips broke into a full smile. “Nah, not really.”

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