Page 3 of Gym Bros
With Siva still in my arms, I move languidly, draping myself across him and giving him a nice view of my face up close.
He tips his head back to look at me. “Gorgeous,” he says softly.
I give him a faint smile.
As he studies me, his eyes narrow almost imperceptibly. “Are you all right?”
“I’d be better if you stopped asking. You’re giving me a complex.”
“I was going to say if there’s anything I can do, but it feels like you want me to back off.”
“I’m not your problem to fix,” I say.
“You’re my client, and I have an interest in your well-being.”
“I’m not quitting modeling,” I tell him with some regret. “But for the moment, yeah. I’d like you to back off.”
He sighs. “We’re not done talking about this.”
“Oh, but we are.” I kiss my cat and give him a smart ass smile. “For now.”
He shakes his head like I’m not getting off that easy, but then slides me off his lap, stands, and goes back upstairs to getdressed. He leaves my townhouse in casual clothes, giving me a kiss on the cheek at the door.
I make another cup of coffee and lie down with my cat on the sofa, pulling a blanket around me before I lose myself in Bravo reality shows.
Per our Saturday routine,I meet my friend Ryan at the gym. We work out together before my one o’clock yoga class. He’s a year younger than I am, but unlike me, he went to collegeandgrad school. He’s also in a new romantic relationship with his former stepbrother, and I get the feeling that the time he spends at the gym is the only time he gets away from Malcolm.
Nothing against Mal, but he’s as clingy with Ryan as Siva is with me, and I get it. Ryan’s a catch—not my type, but he’s definitely hot. He’s got that ripped, tattooed, dark-haired broody thing going for him. He’s also crazy smart with a killer smile.
He’s not really the kind of person who talks about his relationship, though. We talk about his other new pastime—his YouTube show with Mal which is currently exploding in popularity.
“You called it, by the way,” he says as he holds my feet down while I do sit-ups. “People started sending us stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?” I puff out. I hate sit-ups.
“A lot of ties for some reason. Hair gel. Cologne. Socks.”
I wrinkle my nose “That’s no fun.”
“Is that not the kind of stuff you get?” he asks.
“I do,” I grunt. “But I also get fun stuff like dildos and panties. No one’s sent Mal panties?”
“Why would anyone send Mal panties?”
“Why would they send me dildos?” I ask.
His eyes widen like he hadn’t heard me say it the first time.
“Are you blushing?” I manage a laugh and regret it as my abs tense up worse. “I asked because he makes shirtless videos on TikTok. And some guys like that kind of thing. As you know.”
“He’ll wear panties on TikTok over my cold, dead body,” Ryan says.
I have to laugh again, so I sprawl out on my back, done with the sit-ups. “You’re right—but if you consider posting on X, then a jock strap?—”
“We’re not,” Ryan snaps, which only makes me laugh harder. “Are you picturing my boyfriend in his underwear?”
“A little,” I admit, “but it’s innocent, I promise. Mental market research.”
