Page 13 of Tangled Vows

“No,” I answered honestly. I didn’t start lifting until Calvin and I broke up, but he probably wouldn’t have helped me anyway. And I could never afford to pay extra for the trainers they had on staff. The fee wasn’t included in my membership. “I’ve never had a personal trainer before,” I added with a shrug.

He uncrossed his arms and casually stepped forward, bracing his hands on the rack. He was so close, I could’ve reached out and touched him. Instead, I kept my arms firmly at my sides, my hands curling to avoid doing something stupid, like running them through his hair. His scrutinizing gaze raked over my body as though cataloging every detail, but his expression gavenothing away. I held my breath, waiting to see what he would say next.

He opened his mouth to speak, but a sound from the hallway drew our attention to the doorway. Loud voices could be heard just outside the weight room. When I turned back to Easton, he had already moved back to the leg press and was adjusting the weight. He clearly didn’t want his teammates to see him chatting it up with me. God forbid, they think he was interested. We both knew he wasn’t.

A second later, the rookies poured in through the door. Quinn was the first to spot me. A huge grin split his face.

“Hey, Shayla! What are you doing here?” I forced a smile and grabbed my water bottle from the bench.

“Just getting my workout in before y’all got here. I’ll get out of your way.”

“You don’t have to leave on account of us,” Maxwell drawled, his eyes drinking me in with obvious desire. There was no doubt he liked what he saw. Unlike Easton, he was an open book. But I’d had my fair share of failed relationships with guys just like Maxwell. They wanted friends with benefits and casual hookups. That just wasn’t my thing, and the one time I tried it … well, we all knew how that turned out.

I glanced over at Easton who was studiously ignoring me as he got into position on the machine. That was fine. If he wanted to act like he hadn’t been pressed up against me with his hands on my body only minutes ago, I could pretend that his touch hadn’t affected me.

“No worries. I was finished here anyway,” I replied without a second glance in Easton’s direction and headed for the door. “I’ll see you guys later.” I walked out of the weight room and immediately slumped against the wall, pinching my eyes shut as I tried to gather my wits. What the hell had that been? Eastonwas so hot and cold. All the flirting and teasing mixed with his supposed disinterest was making my head spin.

Someone let out a low whistle, and my ears perked up and my eyes sprang open. “Hot damn, did you get a look at that cake?” That sounded like Maxwell. I rolled my eyes as a chorus of groans went up.Men. “I’m about to poke a damn hole through my gym shorts,” he continued, followed by a few murmurs of agreement. That was my cue to leave. I didn’t need to hear this. I worked with these guys, and I really didn’t want to feel awkward around them. “I just want to bury my face between those cheeks and…” His voice fell away as something that sounded suspiciously like motorboating took over. Shaking my head, I pushed off the wall, prepared to leave when a distinctly sharp voice stopped me in my tracks.

“You’re disgusting.”

My spine went rigid at the revulsion in Easton’s tone. Pressure built in my chest, and my breaths came in and out in a pant. So that was what he truly thought about me? All the flirting and teasinghadbeen a game, just a way to screw with my head.

“Ah, come on, Walker. Don’t act like you wouldn’t hit it and quit it,” Maxwell mused.

“I wouldn’t,” he replied, his tone brokering no argument.

I should’ve been happy. It wasn’t like I’d ever allow that arrogant playboy anywhere near me now that I knew him. But for some reason, the rejection still stung, just like it had the moment he kicked me out of his hotel room.

Indignation burning in my chest, I took off down the hall, ensuring my footsteps were silent. I didn’t want them to know I’d overheard everything they’d said.

When I reached the bank of elevators that would take me up to my office, I breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn’t run into any of the other players or staff on my way out, so there was no onethere to see the tears welling in my eyes or to report they’d seen me loitering outside the weight room.

The reprieve was short lived. Because when I got off the elevator, there was someone waiting for me just outside my office. At the sound of my approach, the familiar figure turned to face me. My father’s salt and pepper hair was perfectly coiffed, his expertly tailored suit molded to his slim frame, and his Italian loafers were polished to an unblemished shine.

“I got your message. What did you want to speak with me about?”

11

EASTON

I. Was. Furious.

It took every ounce of willpower I had to keep from punching Maxwell in his stupid mouth. He had no right to talk about Shayla like that. I couldn’t stand the way he’d looked at her when he walked into the weight room and saw her in those skin tight shorts and the tank top that did nothing to hide her luscious curves. Sure, I was guilty of letting my gaze linger a little longer than it should have, but those lewd remarks he’d just made about her? Yeah, they were out of pocket, and I wasn’t going to let it fly.

Maxwell chuckled to himself as Quinn and Slater glanced at me nervously. They could see I was ready to blow, but Maxwell was too stupid or too arrogant to recognize his life was in danger.

“Grow up, rookie. And show some respect,” I growled, standing at my full height and getting in his face.

“Yo, man, chill. It’s just a joke.”

“Well, it wasn’t very funny. All it did was make you look like a tool.” He ground his teeth together but was smart enough to back down. There was a hierarchy on any team, and he recognized that his place was on the bottom of this food chain.

“Hey, sorry. I didn’t realize she was your girl,” he said, backing away with his hands held up in surrender, but his mouth twisted into a sly smirk.

“She’s not my girl, and that’s not the point,” I said, poking him in the chest. “She’s not an object to be used and discarded, and she’s not your plaything. She’s your coworker, and this is your place of employment. Act like a professional.”

It was so much more than that, but I couldn’t reveal how I really felt. They couldn’t know that I’d wanted Shayla since the moment I first laid eyes on her, or that I loved how she kept me on my toes with her sharp tongue and quick wit.

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