Page 79 of Brace and Chase

“No one’s here,” he says, seamlessly reverting back to the American accent he inexplicably only uses with me.

“So?” I ask, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

“So...” he hedges and leans in just a little. “I miss your lips.”

I hesitate for a second, unable to stop my reaction to his little whine. It’s fucking satisfying to see and hear how much he wants me, I can’t deny that.

I’m seriously considering letting him kiss me—something we said we wouldn’t do here only last night—when we hear the door to the gym open.

He springs away and I do the same, even jump off the bike for good measure. The bike that isn’t directly visible from the entrance to the gym, but still...

My heart stops when Gab herself comes in and her eyes narrow in suspicion.

Fuck, does she know already?

No. There’s no way.

“Well, look who it is,” she drawls as she walks closer. Her eyes shift to Nik, and she has to see something there because she does a double take and her eyes narrow again.

Right, with everything going on I’d forgotten how hurt he was when he learned of the “favor” she asked of me.

“What’s up, Gab?” I ask quickly, and maybe a tadloudly, to defuse this rising tension. I don’t think right now is the moment for them to get into it.

Slowly, she shifts her gaze over to me and seems to compose herself after whatever just happened between them.

“I wanted to touch base with you,” she tells me specifically and I hold back the wince. She doesn’t want to check in with Nik at all?

“Everything’s good,” I say weakly.

“Yeah, I saw that. Practice looked good.” She smirks a little. “I had a talk with Jules just now.”

“Ah,” I say, as if that tells me everything I need to know. It doesn’t. I’m still so on edge, I can’t think of anything else to say.

“Yeah, so I see you two worked things out.” She says it like a statement, not like a question, but she still looks at me expectantly. Again, why isn’t she looking at Nik for answers?

“We have,” I confirm.Understatement of the century.

“I’m glad you two saw the error of your ways.”

I know Nik is about to say something he’s going to regret, somehow I just fucking know it. So again, I speak before he can.

“Yup. And it’s all good now.” I hope to hell I don’t sound as nervous as I feel. Gab seems like someone who can smell bullshit a mile away, and right now I’m full of it.

She nods once, though, seemingly none the wiser to my internal freak-out.

“I also wanted to let you know I’m leaving for a week. I’ll be going to Atlanta to watch my nephew play in yet another Super Bowl,” she says with just enough resentment to bring me out of my panic, and I smile down at her. She looks proud despite her words. Proud as hell in fact. “Then I need to get some work done, but I’ll be back for the game against Atlanta, maybe even the one on Valentine’s Day.”

“Okay. Have a nice trip,” I say simply.

“Thank you.” She smiles at me, sends Nik another look I can’t decipher, and then she’s gone.

“Holy fuck,” I wheeze when the door closes behind her.

“It’s all right,” Nik tells me soothingly and pats my shoulder. “Come on. Let’s hit the showers and go home.”

I think for a moment, wondering whether it’s wise to say what I want to say, then I decide... what the hell.

“How about we shower at my place?”

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