Chapter 2
Marcus
It was her.
Her hair was a rich, dark black, instead of the vibrant red it had been two weeks ago, but it was her.
The woman who’d come in like a bulldozer, destroying my perfectly curated bachelor life and making me fall madly in love with her in one single night, was standing in my gym. And she was every bit as mind-numbingly beautiful as I remembered. The last time I saw her, she’d been curled up in my arms, exhausted after we’d both spent hours exploring each other.
It had been the most magical night I’d ever experienced. I’d gone to bed a changed man holding the woman of my dreams in my arms, sure that I’d found the one.
I woke up the next morning, reaching for my little spoon, only to find that side of my bed cold and empty. How she’d managed to sneak out of my arms, bed, and home without waking my extremely sensitive minotaur senses, I didn’t know.
I’d told myself it was for the best. It wasn’t like I was allowed to have a happily ever after like everyone else. Her leaving only meant that she was protecting both of us from guaranteed heartbreak.
For a fraction of a second, I wondered if this was fate bringing us together again, but then I remembered I wasn’t destined for love. Not to mention she’d been the one who left. I recalled the disappointment and hurt realizing she’d left in the middle of the night, and my heart sank.
I did not have the bandwidth to deal with this, not today, not after spending the bulk of the afternoon dealing with the stuck-up realtor some land developer had sent to stop me from setting up my new gym. I’d known about Arcane Development before buying the property. The original owners had warned me about them; I just hadn’t been prepared to deal with—What was her name? Kylie? Kyla?—right away.
One of the reasons why I’d gotten such a great deal was because I promised not to sell for at least five years. I didn’t plan on selling at all. I wasn’t here to flip the property; I was here because I wanted a permanent location for my gym.
My old location was great, but it had been a rental, and I wanted something more permanent. This place was mine.
And apparently, it was also next to her . Did Gigi even remember me? Or was I just some warm body she’d already forgotten about? She’d left awful fast.
Nope. Judging by the look on her face, she remembered me, and she was less than thrilled to find me here. She held a paper bag in her hand, and the smile that had been genuine just a moment earlier looked pasted on her gorgeous face. Dark hair framed alabaster skin and a set of enchanting kohl-lined green eyes had me remembering our wondrous night.
I squared my features, hoping that the hurt didn’t show. It wasn’t like she was mine. It was all of one night—one memorable night that my minotaur had latched onto and would not forget. The human part of me hadn’t forgotten her either, but the core sentiment was a little different.
My monster wanted to steal her away and keep her in his arms forever. The man? Well, getting ghosted sucked, and I was a little irritated to see her again. But I was also scared that her being here meant we were somehow tied by fate. That would be worse than a little rejection, especially when my past caught up with me.
“Small world,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand. “Marcus, right?”
“Yeah. Small world, Gigi.”
“You remembered.”
How could I have forgotten? She’d remembered my name too. Was that a good thing?
“I guess we’re neighbors now,” she said, and handed me the paper bag. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”
Awkwardness hung in the air between us so thick you could cut it with a knife.
“Guess so. Thank you for the…” I opened the paper bag and peeked inside. The aroma of sugar and butter wafted up, reminding me that I technically hadn’t eaten all day. That was a rarity since I had to consume a lot of calories and protein to keep my physique. “…cookies. But if you don’t mind, I need to get to work. I’m already behind schedule.”
Right. Set my boundaries now.
Being behind had been my fault since I’d let the pretty real estate agent in before I knew what I was getting into, and she’d ended up being a bitch who wouldn’t leave. At this point, I just wanted to be alone. I’d had enough interruptions and unwanted encounters for one day. The demo team was arriving bright and early tomorrow morning to tear down the wall between the two units, and I needed everything moved to one side so they could work.
“Wait. Before you kick me out,” Gigi said, her voice suddenly serious. “I need to talk to you about the condo developers.”
That I could handle. “All right. Speak.”
“This coffee shop.” She gestured to our connecting wall. “This place is my home. I’m not interested in selling to them, ever. Kyla and Arcane Development know that.”
“Neither were any of your old neighbors. That’s why I got this place for such a steal,” I said. “I am not interested in selling either. Especially not after that real estate agent came in here earlier today basically asking if I knew what the hell I was doing. Did you know she tried to imply that I wouldn’t be able to run a successful business, so it would be better just to take the deal? What a bitch.”
“Yeah. She tried that with me, too.” Gigi’s posture relaxed. “I reminded her that I’ve been here for years now and have had no problem keeping the place running. She acted really nice at first, and I felt bad for her because Arcane offered a ridiculously low price. But when they sold the place to you, Kyla started showing her true colors. She can go eat a bag of dicks.”
I chuckled. “Yeah. I hope she chokes on them.”
She giggled. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
Our eyes met and suddenly things were awkward again.
“I’ll let you get back to work,” she said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Holler if you need anything. I’m just next door.” And then she was gone.
I got all of three seconds to myself before my phone rang. I dug it out of my pocket to see Declan’s ugly mug staring back at me. The photo was from last Halloween when he’d decided to dress up as a giant eggplant.
Declan was my best friend and the gym’s manager. He had a work-from-home “day job” that had strange hours and he spent so much time at Bullseye Fitness that he would’ve been there anyway, even if I didn’t pay him. He also functioned phenomenally under pressure and kept me from losing my head most of the time. I picked up the call.
“How’s day one going? Everything ready for tomorrow’s teardown?”
I sighed. “No. Everything’s still at the front door. I’ve had one interruption after another.”
“Damn. Do you want me to come over and give you a hand? I’m done with work, and I ain’t got nothing to do. Honestly man, without the gym, I’ve got no life.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, come by. I could use some help. But you’re not going to believe who my neighbor is.”
“Who?”
“Remember the cute little witch I took home two weekends ago?”
“No way! The redhead?”
“She dyed her hair black.” And it looks fucking hot on her. “But yeah, her.”
“Damn. No wonder you’re distracted. But that’s a good thing, right? You liked her.”
I didn’t reply. I liked her, yes. But that was before she disappeared on me the next morning. And even if she hadn’t, it wasn’t like I was in the position for anything serious. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us if I tried.
The sound of Declan’s motorcycle starting up came through the speakers. “I’ll see you in ten.”