Page 32 of Two Chambered Heart

Sighing, he took the first bite.

Corey held her breath, expecting him to spit some insult at her. To her surprise, he just scarfed down the food, only stopping for another liberal pour of syrup. Corey took that as a win and dug into her own plate. Kayden was happily chewing beside her.

“I need to work out today.” Kayden said, after he’d cleaned his plate.

“Yeah, I should probably sweat the booze out,” Jason said, looking like that was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Corey is a runner,” Kayden said, watching his brother for a reaction.

“Fascinating,” he responded dismissively, and she could see Kayden stifling a laugh. She wasn’t sure what he was playing at.

“You want to train with us, Corey?” Kayden turned to her. “We have a treadmill in the home gym.”

Corey was taken aback by the invitation. Jason didn’t give any sign that he’d heard his brother, though he obviously had.

“Oh… um… I’m not sure. I love running outside, but running on a treadmill without music actually seems like hell.” She loved running because she could do it anywhere, with no equipment, and she could escape outside and go wherever her legs could take her. She’d also always had a phone for music.

Kayden just shrugged. “It’s up to you, but we’ll put somethingon the speakers.”

“Okay, then,” she agreed. “I need to digest first. Let me clean this up.”

The guys let her move around the kitchen, putting things away and loading the dishwasher. Both of them tracked all of her movements. She felt more flustered than she had since she’d been here. The dynamic between her and Kayden had irrevocably shifted, and she wasn’t sure where that left them.

“What day is it?” she asked.

“Saturday.” She wasn’t looking at them, wasn’t sure which one of them had responded. The answer had done nothing to help her anyway. She could ask about the date, but did she even want to know? Had it been one week or two since she’d been here? Did it matter? It really didn’t matter, she decided.

“Why? Do you have plans?” She turned back around to see Kayden grinning at her.

“Yes, actually. I’m going to the gym.” She stuck her tongue out at him like a child, and his eyes flashed.

“Careful with that,” he said, and his smile only widened.

“Are you going to bite it off?”

“I just might.”

“Wouldn’t really benefit you in the long run now, would it?” she asked cheekily, waggling her tongue at him again.

She saw Jason scowl then drain his mug.

“I’ll see you in the gym in an hour,” Jason said to his brother, getting up from his seat. Then he looked right at her, holding her eyes. His gaze was so intense, it set her skin on fire. He seemed to catalogue her every detail.

After a beat, he said, “Thanks for breakfast.” Then turned his scarred back on her.

She saw Kayden press his lips together, trying to hide what looked like amusement.

Chapter sixteen

- Jason -

Heavy guitar riffs were blaring through the speakers. Jason had chosen an old The Plot in You album to play while he trained. He was just warming up with some resistance bands as Kayden and Corey walked into the home gym.

He watched Corey take in the large space. It was Jason’s personal haven. She was still in her leggings from earlier, wearing a new sports bra and her ratty sneakers. She needed new shoes, especially if she was going to be running. It always amazed Jason how some people picked up running, even in the worst-fitting shoes. It just made the entire experience so much harder and less enjoyable. Maybe he only understood the difference because once upon a time, he had been the one running in shoes with soles worn down to the bone. Only now that he had a myriad of different shoes depending on the length and type of run he was going on, did he realize how shitty it had been.

Corey started stretching near the treadmill and Kayden grabbed a barbell from the rack, placing it lengthwise across his shoulder caps and stretching his wrists and elbows. Jason wanted to tell him to get a band and do someproper activation, but Kayden never listened. He didn’t take his warmups as seriously as Jason did.

Corey was just getting on the treadmill as Jason finished up with the bands, moving on to some mobility with the barbell, like Kayden was still doing. The treadmill faced the interior of the gym and out the window, so you weren’t staring at a wall the whole time. She set the pace at a brisk walk and seemed to zone out.

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