Page 24 of Hot & Bothered

“Shut up.” He smiled, then started to laugh.

“I will not. I rose through the ranks from Sparks all the way to the Pathfinders. And now, I lead my own little group.”

“That’s freaking adorable.” His eyes widened, and he turned serious. “Wait, can you get me cookies? Likeas soonas they go on sale. I always seem to miss the thin mint season. Did I just start dating an inside source for girl guide cookies? Even if you weren’t hot and great in bed, I’d considered sticking with you just for the cookie access.”

Swatting his chest again and rolling her eyes, she climbed on top of him, biting his chin playfully. “What would you do if I told you I had an unopened box of thin mints in the kitchen right now?”

Excitement filled his eyes, and he growled, rolling her back onto her back and diving beneath the covers. “I’llshowyou what I’d do.”

Peyton was the ultimate girlfriend.

And so freaking understanding, Jace kept waiting to find a fault in her. She didn’t wait around for him like some puppy dog. Sometimes when he was free, she wasn’t. But for the most part, they made time for each other, even if that time was from the hours of 11pm to 1am.

It wasn’t all just sex, though. They grabbed dinner together when they could and watched movies, and they even got out for a run on New Year’s Eve Day.

Jace had to work New Year’s Eve, but after a quick cat-nap at home, followed by fucking Peyton, they went for a run and grabbed lunch.

By the first week of February, they’d fallen into a pretty spectacular routine.

She also hooked him and his cop buddies up with Girl Guide cookies, so all of his friends loved Jace’s new girlfriend.

He was on day-one of his four days off and he and Peyton had plans after she finished work, so he was hitting the gym early. He’d increased his weights a week ago and was focusing on his stabilizer muscles by doing a lot of intricateand minor movements, as well as moves that involved balance. So everything was tender and sore from yesterday’s training.

But he pushed through.

He cranked up the heavy metal in his ears and focused on the finish line.

Making E.R.T.

That was the goal.

After three hours at the gym, he dumped post-workout powder into his water bottle, filled it up at the fountain and was just pulling his hoodie over his head when a familiar voice made his body go icy and rigid.

“Figured I’d find you here.”

He poked his head through the neck hole to see Bronwyn, his ex, standing there smiling at him.

Clearing his throat, Jace glanced around. Nobody was paying attention to them, but at least three of his buddies who were still in the gym knew who Bronwyn was. They needed to stay where people could see him. The last thing Jace needed was for anybody to think he was back with his ex and for things to get messy with him and Peyton. They were in such a phenomenal place. He didn’t want to do anything to disrupt that.

“You hate this place,” he said, not coldly, but not invitingly, either. “Said I loved it more than I loved you.”

Her lips twisted. “I said some things, yeah … I was angry.”

“Yeah, you were. Are you looking for a membership? Or did you come here to find me?”

“I came here to find you,” she said. Her blonde hair was in two braids that fell over her shoulders. She was into fitness, too—actually taught spin at a different gym—and was in her typical attire of navy Lululemon leggings, hot pink running shoes and, because it was winter, a white puffer jacket. She still had a full-face of makeup on, though. Long fake lashes, plump lips and freshly done acrylic nails.

“Well, you found me.”

She swallowed, and her blue gaze shifted toward the front desk. “Can we talk somewhereprivate?”

“No,” he said bluntly. “We can talk here.Righthere.”

Her thick brows pinched together. “Okaaay …” She dug the toes of one shoe into the floor, spinning it and studying it like it was the freaking Mona Lisa. “I started seeing someone.”

Jace clenched his molars. “Good for you. You didn’t have to come here to tell me that, though.”

She glanced up at him, her blue eyes harsh. “I knowthat. It’swhoI started seeing. He … he’s an ex-con. I didn’t know it untilafterwe started seeing each other. And I ended it a while ago. But …”

---