Page 53 of The Game

He turns and scans down my body. “Why are you in your gym clothes?”

“Long story.”And one I don’t want to get into.“Mind if I take a shower?”

“Be my guest. Come and join me in the study when you’re done.” He gestures down the corridor on the far side of the kitchen. “You can take the blue room, third door on the left.”

I’ve always liked how Janus doesn’t sweat the small stuff. He’s always on a mission with his business or with Jo and sometimes pushing you along too, if you let him. If I told him about all the media speculation and Arty Maroz, he’d probably just say, “Idiots. Forget them, Adam.”

I dump my bag down in a gorgeous bedroom, all fluffy rugs and navy walls. Stripping off, I dive into the shower and, as the hot water rains down on me, I soap up and wash off the remnants of the last few hours. I wish I could rid myself as easily of the shame.I dry-humped Anna Talanova in her gym.You know, the international tennis star.Smooth, Adam. What would Janus say if I told him? Good for you? I laugh for the first time since this whole thing started.

As I pull on some jeans and a fresh shirt, my stomach grumbles from a lack of food. I walk through to the kitchen to track down Janus, and the lights of New York glitter beyond the long windows on the far side of the space. I’ve been here before to do stuff with him, so I make my way to the study, tucked away in the farthest corner of the apartment. Two cats are nestled together on a beanbag beside a desk that runs all the way down one wall with two chairs and a bank of screens. A window at the end frames the roof of the old warehouse building next to his. I smile.

“Every time I’ve been here, I’m always struck by how this is a den for two techies … even before Jo moved in.”

Janus laughs as he spins around in his office chair, the screen behind him covered in code that makes my fingers itch.

“We have this huge, beautiful apartment, and Jo and I spend ninety percent of our time holed up in the tiniest space in it with two cats.”

“They look pretty cozy.”

“Yeah, they have their moments. Just like Jo and I. They don’t argue as much as we do, though. That’s what I get for shacking up with a woman who’s smarter than me.” He winks at me.

“And she puts up with you,” I say, with a grin. “The press was so much fun while you were dating.”

“Not sure I’d call it fun,” Janus grumbles. “She thinks I’m a lightweight. She likes talking to Fabian about security stuff. I struggle to keep up with them most of the time.” A wry smile twists his mouth as he looks down at his keyboard. “I still can’t believe how lucky I am to have found her.”

And that’s all you’d want, isn’t it? To feel lucky? I feel incredibly lucky to know Anna … if I haven’t messed the whole thing up.

Janus raises an eyebrow at me. “Pull up a chair and tell me what’s wrong with this code,” he adds, gesturing at his computer.

“Take me through what it does.”

And all the thoughts of being hungry, the shame of what I’ve just done, drift away in the clarity of functions and algorithms. We’ve just got on to discussing the problems with relational databases when the apartment buzzer goes.

“Are you expecting anyone?”

“It’ll be a delivery,” Janus says.

“Get some more beers, would you?” I add as he heads out the door, and he gives me the finger. I lean closer to the screen and examine a routine he’s written, but in seconds he’s back.

“Apparently, Anna Talanova is here,” he says, glancing at his wrist and narrowing his eyes at me. “I’m assuming she’s here for you, since internationally renowned tennis players don’t usually spontaneously drop by my apartment.”

My stomach sinks as I nod. “Probably.”

“She’s running around after my buddy, huh?” He winks. “She’s on her way up. I’ll shut myself in here while you two do your thing, whatever that is.” He grins a shit-eating grin, and I roll my eyes at him.

But as he heads toward the front door, I’m right on his heels, coming to a halt behind him when he opens it up. Something sour turns over in my gut at the way she aims her big smile straight at him and how he envelops her ina warm hug. But then I feel small paws pressing against my leg, and I peer down to find Pepper, wagging her tail like a maniac. I bend down to give her a rubdown.

“Hey, Janus,” Anna says.

When I look up, Janus is giving her his casual lady-killer grin, and I want to punch my fist through a wall. How did I ever snag a girlfriend in college standing next to Janus, all golden, cute-boy charm, and Fabian, Mr. Bad Boy personified with a hint of dangerous and fucked up thrown in for good measure? The memory of the girlfriend I did get, and how lucky I thought I was and how wrong I was, makes me light-headed for a second.

“I presume you’re here to see this idiot,” Janus says, jerking his thumb toward me, and oh, for once, he doesn’t know just how right he is.

“Come in and have a drink,” he adds. “What would you like?”

Her eyes skim over me, and my face heats, but hers dart away, a hint of pink hitting her cheeks, and something warm ripples through in my groin.For fuck’s sake.

“Do you have an herbal tea?”

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