Chapter 9
KAEDE
Ididn’t make it back to the gym yesterday but balanced that out in my head with a reminder about the midnight oil I’d been burning the night before. It counts, even if I didn’t find any suspicious members in my file search.
Ross did the midday and the evening walkthroughs without me, and I’d let him know how much I appreciated that by sending him a text last night that I’d do the morning one so he could stay home with Vi in case she ‘wasn’t feeling well again’.
Well, I sent that plus a silly gif I found of a super-complicated handshake-high-five combo.
He hadn’t responded, but I hadn’t put much meaning into it, figuring he was busy holding up my end of the workload this time like I’ve done for him before.
Now that we’re done with the midday walkthrough, I can tell it’s something more. He’s distracted, there’s no doubt about that, but he’s distant too. He avoided me when he finally came in, and he’s keeping everything work related even when I try to chat with him.
“Good morning with Violet?” I ask with a smirk, trying to get the ball rolling again.
He grunts. “What do you think about switching to lemon-flavored water for summer? Lemons are cheaper than cucumbers now and feel more seasonal.”
“Sure. Whatever.” I shrug, feeling the cold shoulder treatment. “We working out this afternoon?”
“Uh, maybe. I’ve got some stuff to do, but I’ll meet you at five thirty if so. If I’m not there, hit it without me, ’kay?” And with that, he heads off to his office so fast you’d think his ass was on fire.
That avoidance makes me pretty sure I’ll be working out and figuring out what the hell’s up with Ross alone, but to my surprise, he shows at the treadmill at five thirty sharp, ready to roll.
We do a quick jog to warm up, and I keep my pace set to an easy 3.5mph. I look over and Ross has his set to 3.7mph, a little faster than his usual. “We pushing it today?” I notch mine up to match his.
“Need to burn off some stress, I guess,” is his clipped answer.
The tension continues as we move on to weights.
What’s usually a heavy but manageable workout turns into a dick-measuring contest of who can lift the heaviest. We’re always competitive alpha guys, but this is different.
He’s still throwing out the joking put-downs like we do to rile each other up, but the undercurrent is different.
“You mad, bro?” I finally ask. “Something crawl up your ass and die there from the noxious fumes living in your lower intestines?”
“Talked to Courtney last night,” he grunts out, pumping out the split squats like he’s trying to kickstart the world with his own two feet. And this is just the warmups.
I hiss, dropping my own weight a little hard to the floor and barely missing my pinkie toe by a millimeter.
“What’d she say? What’d you say?” I don’t wait for an answer, my mouth running as fast as my brain.
“You know this is the only way. I’ve read every angle and can damn near read the future and see what will play out best. This is it, man. ”
He sets his weight down carefully, fully in control of the dumbbell. “Word for word? She said I could ‘go fuck myself in the ass with a dumbbell if I had any intention of telling her what to do.’ ”
I blink, shocked. But also . . . not surprised in the least. Courtney’s a force of nature, in and out of the boardroom. And then a laugh bursts out. I can’t help it, that’s funny.
Ross’s lips thin to a slash. “It’s not funny, asshole.”
He glares.
I laugh more, tears coming to my eyes. “It’s so fucking funny. She’s the only one who would dare talk to the Great Ross Andrews like that.”
Another second and he breaks too, giving in to a small chuckle. “She is. Hate the smug, little, annoying brat for having the balls to do it too.”
The weirdness is busted, even if we haven’t really addressed the issue. We cinch our weightlifting belts and get down to the rest of our workout, still pushing each other but not going Beast Mode. Well, not more than usual.
By the end of our squat reps, my quads are screaming and my glutes feel like I might’ve dropped them on the floor and forgotten to grab them when I stood up. I’m going to need a soak in the hot tub before I head out tonight for sure.
As it gets later, my own internal clock starts dinging an alarm.
It’s six thirty, and you know what that means.
Without even meaning to, I start looking for Courtney. She should be here any minute for her seven o’clock Zumba class. When I see her, I damn near swallow my tongue.
She’s wearing a loose-fitting tank top that lets her sports bra peek out of the oversized arm holes and tight-fitting yoga shorts. Even from the front, I’m thinking of how spectacular her ass must look in those shorts and looking forward to watching her walk away from me tonight.
“Hey, guys!” she says with a wave, coming over. She stands by my side, a first that doesn’t go unnoticed. Quietly, she says, “Figure we’d better get this show on the road. Put your arm around my shoulder for a side hug. Public PDA without going overboard because you’re at work.”
She’s got a plan. Of course, she has a plan. She’s Courtney fucking Andrews, planner extraordinaire.
I do as she says, looking at her so I don’t see if the worrisome vein in Ross’s temple is throbbing like a drum.
She feels good under me, even just this.
Her skin is warm satin, and I catch a whiff of a floral shampoo.
She’s smiling up at me like I’m her favorite glass of wine and she wants to drink me down in one gulp.
“I can’t believe you’re going along with this.” Ross keeps his voice low too, but it draws both of our attention.
“As per our last discussion.” She turns to me and smirks.
“That’s code for ‘listen to the words coming out of my mouth and don’t make me tell you again.
’ ” Back to Ross without missing a beat, she continues, “It’s fine.
You did something way worse for Violet, and you were a total dick to her before figuring out what we all knew—that she’s amazing and way too good for you. ”
Ross’s nostrils flare, but honestly, it’s true. Violet is a hell of a woman, and Ross was an asshole to her when they were kids, so he can’t exactly argue facts, something Courtney is skilled at slaying with.
I’m honestly gobsmacked by how she stands up to Ross. I shouldn’t be, considering that I’ve seen it time and time again, but she’s just so stunning when she’s in power mode.
“A few dinners, around the gym, making sure we keep it on the down low. It’ll be fine.” I’m backing Courtney’s play, not that she needs the assist.
Ross sighs. “I want the record to show that I said this was a bad idea. But . . . fine, I guess.”
“Not that I needed your permission or blessing, but it’s good to have you on the team, Brother.” Apparently, the team is me and her now, and doesn’t that do something to my insides, which are warm and squirming uncomfortably.
She pats Ross on the cheek—a little hard, I’m guessing, by his flinch—before turning and almost caressing me gently on the cheek with little heart bubbles exploding in her eyes. “I’m off to class. Can’t be late or Stacylynne will make us do squat twerks.”
I’m fighting off the image of Courtney twerking in any position. At least right now, in front of Ross. Later? That’ll be a different matter.
Do not get a boner about Courtney in front of Ross.
I start repeating Super Bowl Champions in reverse order to reverse the blood flow from my cock to my brain. It works enough for me to stop Courtney.
“Hey, dinner tomorrow night to go over details? My place?”
“Sounds good. Seven?”
I nod, realizing that I just asked Courtney Andrews on a date to my house. It’s like I’ve fallen through the looking glass and everything is topsy-turvy backward on the other side.
As she walks off, I force my eyes to stay on Ross because if I look at Courtney, I know I’m going to pop wood again from watching her ass sway. God, just the thought of what I’m missing starts sending blood south again.
Ross sighs. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I’ve been a dick. I’ve known you for over half our lives, man. You’ve always been a good dude. I was the wild one. You were the respectful one. Hell, you were the guy girls would take home to Mama.”
“And you were the one the girls never told Mama about.”
Ross smirks. It’s an old joke between us.
“Yeah, that’s changed, I guess. But you haven’t.
And I figure that’s what I need to trust in.
You won’t get up to the shenanigans Violet and I did.
Just go easy on her. She’s my baby sister and has had a crush on you forever.
I don’t want her to get hurt. She’s focused on work and needs to stay that way. Not on chasing dick, especially yours.”
Errrk . . . somewhere, a record scratches loudly. What does he mean that she’s had a crush on me forever? No, she doesn’t. She couldn’t.
But Ross said it again. It’s not that he doesn’t want her chasing dick, it’s that he doesn’t want her with me. I can’t help but think if Court showed up to an Andrews family dinner with Chet, some oil tycoon heir with a silver spoon up his too-tight ass, Ross would be just fine with that.
Just not . . . me.
“I won’t hurt her. All business, business only. Promise.” The words are sawdust on my tongue because I’m realizing that not only do they grate on me, but I don’t believe in them. Part of me wants Courtney and wants to push the line.
Ross pats me on the shoulder. “Hit the showers. You smell like a llama’s nutsack.” He laughs at his own joke.
“Think I’m going for the hot tub tonight.”
He taps his nose. “Good call. Think I’ll hit the one at home, see if I can get Violet to rub me down too.”
“Might need to give the poor girl a break. You can OD on Vitamin D, you know?”
He smacks my shoulder good-naturedly. “I’ve got the evening walkthrough. Sorry again for being bitchy earlier.”