Page 47 of Out of the Shadows

“TJ said you basically took off the new check-in girl’s head when you showed up. Then you were an asshole to a couple of the fighters who were working out near you. Andwhen TJ went to talk to you, you nearly bit off his head before storming out of the damn place.”

He could only stare at his friend dumbfounded. “Xan, I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about.” He racked his brain, thinking about the short time he’d spent at the gym.

He frowned as he vaguely recalled being irritated at the new kid at the front desk when she’d asked him to check in. He’d never had to check in before and hadn’t seen why the hell he had to start today.

He cringed. Okay, fine . . .

And now that Xander mentioned it, he did recall the two fighters at nearby heavy bags. They’d approached him, but he’d ignored them. And yeah... he may have also told them to fuck off.

Heaving out a sigh, he scrubbed his hands over his face and slouched deeper into his chair. “Fuuuck, fine. I may not have been in the greatest mood earlier. There’s been... a lot going on.”

“I get it, man. Someone took a shot at you. That’s gotta piss you off.” Xander stared him down, and Gavin was certain he wasn’t going to like what his friend was going to say next. “But I also think your pissy attitude isn’t just about that.”

Yup. He wasn’t quite sure where Xander was going with this, but he wanted no part of it.

“You’ve been out of sorts since we wrapped up the McClintock rescue. More short-tempered.”

Gavin arched a brow. “Short-tempered?”

“Yeah,” Xander said. The look in his eyes dared Gavin to disagree. “Things usually roll off your back, and you keep calm. But you’ve been... the opposite of calm. Snappy. A borderline asshole. We all expect that from MacKay. Notfrom you. And to top it all off, you’re micromanaging, which you usually don’t do.”

Gavin stifled a groan. “Look, the last week has been more hectic than usual.”

“I’m sure the McClintock rescue stirred up some shit for you—because it sure as hell did for me—but I also think you’ve been in a shit mood because of what happened with Bean.”

He jerked. “Nothing’s happened between me and Bean.”

“I meant her passing out last week.” Xander smirked. “But it’s interesting that you thought I was referring to something else.”

Christ. He blew out a breath. “Bean’s a friend. What she does here is vital. She’s so damn good at what she does, and she’s so driven, but it makes me crazy when she forgets basic things like fucking eating or drinking water. Then she passes out and gives herself a fucking black eye.” His stomach rolled at the recollection, and because he was partially to blame. “I think I push her too hard.”

“She wouldn’t have it any other way, man.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t help that I keep piling more shit onto her already overflowing plate.”

“She’s an adult. An adult who has serious control issues.” Xander shrugged. “But she agreed to take on Tiny, which is fucking huge, right? You and MacKay have been talking to her for years about adding on another hacker, and she basically gave you both the middle finger the entire time.”

“Yeah.” Gavin sighed again, but then he smiled. “She’s so fucking stubborn.”

“That she is. And you’re attracted to her.”

He froze but tried to hide it with a shrug. “She’s attractive. As are all the women who work here.”

Xander rolled his eyes. “Cut the bullshit, man. Me and you? We go back. Aside from that, I was there last weekwhen she stayed at your house, remember? I was a firsthand witness to you going completely stupid around her.”

“Fine.” He paused, unsure how to vocalize what he was feeling, unsure if he even wanted to. But apparently, keeping everything bottled up was turning him into an asshole.

Xander was one of his best friends, and he trusted the other man with his life. He supposed he could use all the advice he could get. Still, when he tried to put it into words... “I really can’t explain it.”

“Try.”

He met Xander’s gaze and didn’t see judgement, just concern.

Gavin took a deep breath in and let it out. Unfortunately, the nerves swirling in his gut were still there, so he settled for bouncing his leg. “I’ve always found Bean attractive. All the women who work here are pretty in their own way. It’s just a fact. An observation. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“But?” Xander prodded when Gavin remained silent.

Fuck, here goes nothing. “After Bean got hurt... When I saw that black eye on her face, I don’t know. Something changed. One second, we were just friends and colleagues, then just like that”—he snapped his fingers—“I started seeing her differently. I’ve always felt protective of her, but now it’s so much more intense. And it’s not just about keeping her safe. It’s more than that. She and I have been friends for so long, but there’s so much I don’t know about her. And I want to get to know her better.” He wanted to know every little detail about her—from her favorite childhood memory to her best vacation to what she tasted like. Every. Damn. Thing. “I don’t know, man. I guess, I can’t really explain it.”

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