4
EMERSYN
They called the gym B.R.A.W.N. It was splashed across the building, all in capital letters, with a dot between each one. There was even a billboard looming above the road, featuring Jake and Gable, back-to-back, arms crossed, biceps bulging. The definition of brawn is physical strength in contrast to intelligence, so the billboard seemed fitting. Stupidly over the top.
Jerking on the handbrake, I twisted the key and turned off the engine. The car was Brittney’s. I’d borrowed it from her for the afternoon since I didn’t own one of my own. And since I didn’t have any workout gear, I’d rummaged through Tara’s drawers until I found some yoga pants and then shoved on a loose t-shirt, long-sleeved, of course.
Because of the time it had taken me to beg Brittney for the use of her car, I was already a few minutes late for my appointment, a sin I wasn’t usually known for. When I’d called and expressed interest in joining the gym, the woman who answered the phone suggested I come in for a tour, and as luck would have it, she assigned my appointment to Jake. Things were falling into place without me even having to try.
Once through the doors, I walked up to reception. A woman dressed in tight lycra stretched over impressive muscles, with an extra-wide grin plastered across her face, stood behind the desk. But there was something off about her stance, as though she was trying too hard. Her eyes darted about nervously, as if looking for someone.
“Hi there!” she called out as I approached. “Just here for a casual session?”
I adjusted the bag slung over my shoulder. It had nothing but a towel and a change of clothing in it, but somehow I felt it would be strange to show up without one. People who went to the gym always carried a bag of some sort.
“Hi. I’ve got an appointment for a tour with, um …” I pretended to struggle to remember his name. “With a Jack or a Jake, maybe?”
“Ahh . . .” Her eyes frantically scanned the computer screen. “Emmy Cabot?”
I nodded.
“Jake’s actually been called away, so it’s just me here at the moment, and Jake’s double-booked himself.” Her eyes darted toward the door before giving me a tense smile. “Another client is arriving in a few minutes, but maybe I can fit in a quick—” She looked back at the door as it swung open. “Oh, thank god.” She flashed me a grin. “Gabe has just arrived. Give me one minute, and I’m sure he’ll be able to show you around.”
I watched as she made her way over to Gable Thornton. He looked like he hadn’t been home since I saw him at the club. His eyes were bloodshot, and his clothes were crumpled as though he’d slept in them for days. His blond hair was tangled at the back, and his overall appearance came across as disheveled. There was even a slight bruise on his chin. He was nothing like the idol-like perfection he portrayed on his social media profiles.
“Pleased you finally decided to finally turn up,” the woman muttered to Gable at a volume she assumed I couldn’t hear. She was wrong.
Gabe rubbed his temples. “Not now, Liz.”
“You’re two hours—”
“I know,” he groaned.
“Jake’s been called away, and this lady—”
Gabe strode past her, holding his hand up to her face.
“Gabe?” she prompted. “Gabe, this lady…” But he just kept walking. “Gabe!” she snapped.
“What?” Gabe rolled his eyes and ran his hand through his hair, leaving it sticking up haphazardly.
Liz’s smile tightened. “We have a client.” She jerked her head in my direction.
“I’m not a client,” I corrected. “I’m just here to—”
“A potential client who needs someone to show her around,” Liz spoke over me. “I offered your services, Gabe, since I have a client arriving any moment now and Jake’s been called away.” She gave him a pointed look.
“Away where?” Gabe asked.
“Does it matter?” Liz’s eyes darted between us, flashing between apology and frustration.
Gabe glanced my way dismissively. “Give me a minute,” was all he said, and then he disappeared behind a door.
“I’m so sorry about all this,” Liz said. You could tell she was flustered, and Gabe’s lack of professionalism certainly wasn’t helping. He was even more of an ass than I’d assumed. “I’m sure Gabe will be back out shortly and able to show you around.”
I just raised my eyebrows, and she laughed nervously.
“He’s not normally like this. He must have had a big night.” I didn’t say anything. “Well, he didn’t used to be like this, anyway.”
“Did something happen?” I asked, prying for a snippet of information.
“No, no.” She shook her head. “Nothing really. He just sort of went downhill after—” She cut herself off abruptly. “And now I’m the unprofessional one. I shouldn’t bore you with such things.”
“I honestly don’t mind coming back when—”
“Nonsense,” she dismissed me as the door swung open again and another lady walked in. “Ah, Ms Harris. Lovely to see you again.” The lady scowled. “I’m afraid Jake isn’t able to be here, so I’ll be taking you—”
“Again?” the woman snapped.
“His partner is—”
The woman waved her hand dismissively. “I don’t care. Isn’t the other one around?”
“Gabe?”
“Blond. Muscular. Nice smile,” the lady replied in a clipped tone.
“Gabe is already booked, I’m afraid.”
Ms Harris sighed loudly. “Let’s just get on with it then.”
Liz gave me another tight smile. “I’m sure Gabe will be out in just a moment. I’ve just got to…” She looked back at the woman waiting not so patiently.
“It’s fine,” I assured her. “I’m fine waiting.”
Liz mouthed, “Thank you,” before engaging Ms Harris in conversation, her manner overly sweet to compensate for the annoyance clearly displayed on Ms Harris’ face.
I felt sorry for Liz. It appeared as though both brothers were neglecting their duties to the business, and Liz was left trying to run the place on her own.
It took about ten minutes for a freshly showered Gabe to appear. I almost rolled my eyes at his transformation. It was as if time slowed down as he pushed the door with one hand while the other ran through his wet hair. His skin was tan. His smile was slow. The light glinted in his eyes. Even the fucking soundtrack over the loudspeaker changed— Pony by Ginuwine , of all songs. I wanted to ignore him, turn away, and pretend to be engaged by something else, but he was magnetic, like some sort of powerful force I couldn’t quite stop staring at.. I almost had to shake myself out of my trance. Inwardly, I laughed and scolded myself. Men like him expected adoration; it followed them everywhere they went, and I was hell-bent on making sure he didn’t see any reflected in me. So by the time he looked up and grinned in such a way that would melt most women into a pool of their own hormones, I’d schooled my face into a blank—and what I hoped was impatient—expression.
“Hey,” Gabe almost purred. Gone was the hungover, disheveled appearance from a few minutes ago, and in its place was the Adonis-like god I’d expected to see.
I let my gaze slide over him, running my eyes from top to bottom while folding my arms over my chest. “Hey,” I muttered back, doing my best to look unimpressed.
“Gabe.” He stuck out his hand, the brightness of his charm on full display.
“I know,” I replied, keeping my arms folded.
“Heard of me, have you?” He winked.
I shook my head. For some reason, it was too difficult to voice the lie out loud. “The lady said your name when you came in.” Realizing he preferred the shortened Gabe over Gable was news to me.
“Oh.” Gabe grinned sheepishly and then did this thing where he looked at the ground and then flicked his eyes back up at me. I suppose it would have worked on some women. It almost worked on me, but I knew better than to fall for his immature, boyish allure. His grin twisted into a smirk. “And you are?”
A small flame of heat licked my cheeks as I realized that’s why he’d been staring at me the way he was. He was waiting for me to introduce myself.
I cleared my throat, but somehow my name got stuck as it came out.
“Syn?” he said, repeating the sound I’d made. “Like as in actual sin, the fall of mankind, S.I.N.?”
“Syn with a ‘Y’,” I corrected, even though it was wrong. No one called me Syn. Ever. My name was Emersyn, but most people called me Emmy.
“I like it,” Gabe said. “Makes me wonder what the story is behind the nickname, though. I get the feeling that I’d like it.” He smirked, one side of his mouth twitching higher than the other. “Sorry about the mix-up with Jake and all that.” His tone took on a more serious note. “Things have been a little hectic around here lately.”
“So I’ve heard.” I didn’t offer any more information and just stood there, waiting for him to feel uncomfortable under my glare.
Gabe cocked his head to the side, allowing a smile to spread slowly across his face. “Have we met before?” he asked, resorting to an old adage of flirtation.
“Nope.”
His grin twisted to one side again. He used it like a weapon. “Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure. Or, if we have, I don’t remember.” I turned away, looking over to where the doors to the rest of the gym were. “Are you going to show me around, or are you just going to stand in the entrance and make small talk?” It was really Jake I wanted to talk to, so being passed off to Gabe was somewhat annoying. His story had already been told.
Gabe widened his eyes, rolled them slightly, and then clapped his hands together. “Right, yes. Let’s get on with it then, shall we?” He waved his hand toward the gym, indicating I should take the lead. So I did.
The gym had an old-school feel about it. No fancy machines. No classes with peppy instructors lying about how many repetitions were left in each set. No floor-to-ceiling mirrors with men taking flexed selfies. Gabe talked just about the entire time, prattling on about things I really had no interest in.
“We’re all about functional movement here. It’s not just about doing the exercises; it’s about doing them correctly, engaging the right muscles in the right sequence for the right movements.”
“Good to know,” I muttered, looking around the place, trying to find any insight into Jake’s life, but the more I tried to ignore Gabe, the more engaging he became. I even laughed at some of his jokes.
“See, I knew there was a smile in you somewhere,” he teased, pressing his elbow into my side gently.
“Telling a woman she should smile more? How chivalrous of you,” I said, keeping my face deadpan. I was being a bitch. I knew it. But I couldn’t help it. The desire to let him know I had zero interest in flirting with him was simply too strong.
Gabe squinted a little. “Did Jake send you here?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, did he ask you to come and check up on me?”
“Actually,” I replied, “he did. That’s exactly why I was booked in with him in the first place because he knew ahead of time he wouldn’t be here and you’d have to fill in.”
“I knew it,” he muttered. He drew his brows together, clearly annoyed at the information. Then he looked back at me. “Oh, you’re joking.”
“You’re a quick one, aren’t you?”
Gabe sighed, and a hint of the unkempt, hungover man who walked in appeared again. “I’m sorry. My bad. Things haven’t been the best between my brother and me lately, and I’m hungover; my head hurts like hell, and for some stupid reason, I just thought he’d sent you to check up on me. You know, like a secret shopper.” He shook his head as though telling himself off internally.
“Why ever would he feel the need to do that?” I asked, feigning innocence. “You’ve been the epitome of professionalism from the moment you walked in.”
Gabe’s brows pressed together again before smoothing out as he grinned. “Touché. I promise I’ll be on my best behavior from now on.”
“I’ll make sure to note that on my report to your brother.” I couldn’t help the half-smile that crept onto my face.
Now that I’d spent a bit of time with him, I decided the photos I’d seen of Gable Thornton didn’t do him justice. He was more sculpted in person than what showed in photos. His hair was long and blond. He had half of it tied up messily, and the rest hung around his shoulders, dusting them in droplets of water from his shower. His bottom lip sagged a little, making him look as though he constantly carried a sensual pout. And his eyes—I didn’t think you could find eyes bluer than his.
But I wasn’t fooled by his good looks. I knew men like him. I knew that the arrogance with which he walked was from years of women falling over themselves just to get close to him. I also knew a handsome face could hide a shitty personality. So I would not be one of those women. Unless, of course, it suited my purposes. But I could never fall for a Thornton brother; I knew too much about them.
“So,” Gabe said, resting against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest, causing his biceps to bulge. Not that I noticed. “Have you been a member of a gym before?”
His gaze assessed my body, but not in a professional sense. His eyes ran over me slowly, taking in each curve almost as though he were judging me.
I lifted my chin and shook my head. “I haven’t been much for exercise in the past, to be honest. But I made a New Year’s resolution to be healthier this year. Just took me a few months to do anything about it.” The lies fell from my mouth so easily that even I was impressed. “You know how it is.” I shrugged.
“Well, thanks for choosing brAWN.” He threw me another blinding smile. “Let’s finish off the tour.”
“I haven’t chosen brAWN yet,” I corrected, not wanting to appear too eager. I wanted him to think I was a nobody—just another potential client.
“Well, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you make up your mind.” He winked. Again. I rolled my eyes. Again. “Let me take your bag. You don’t need to be lugging it all over the place.” He removed the strap from my shoulder and tossed my bag into a corner.
“Nice to know you prioritize security.”
Gabe laughed, then cut himself off, peering at me curiously. “I don’t know if you’re joking or not.”
“That makes two of us,” I replied, but I gave him a smile to let him know I was joking. Sort of.
“Excuse me.” Ms Harris interrupted us. “Gabe?” she said, standing in front of me and completely blocking my view when Gabe ignored her.
“Yes, Ms Harris?” Gabe’s voice was tight.
“I’ve told you to call me Erica.” She gently slapped his arm. “That woman over there—”
“Liz?” Gabe turned to where Liz was standing, waiting with her arms crossed and a frustrated look on her face.
“Yes, that one. She doesn’t appear to know what she’s talking about.”
“I can assure you she does,” Gabe replied.
“So why aren’t I being challenged? Why am I standing here listening to her correct me on every single thing I do?”
“Perhaps you need correcting, Ms Harris.”
“Perhaps I would be more comfortable if you were the one correcting me.” She winked. Actually winked. I had to stifle a snort.
“Now, Ms Harris—”
“Erica.”
“Erica, you can see I’m with a client at the moment, but maybe later I’ll come over and lend a hand.” You could see the annoyance in his expression, so I figured I’d help.
“Oh, I don’t mind waiting if she needs you now,” I offered, my tongue stuck firmly in my cheek.
Gabe glared at me. “Thanks for that, but—”
“She said she doesn’t mind,” Erica reminded him.
Gabe’s smile was tight. “Later,” was all he said, then he turned away from her and led me into another room.
I barely listened to what he said as he took me around the facilities, despite his eagerness to appear more professional. It was more palaver about their philosophies on health and well-being, things I just wasn’t interested in. He stressed the emphasis on it being a family-run business, which almost made me laugh out loud. He portrayed it as though they were a close family, a simple family, a gym struggling to get off the ground. But I knew better.
“And it’s just you and your brother who run this place?” I prompted, hoping to get more information about the elusive Jake.
“Along with a few part-time staff. But Jake’s partner is expecting, and he keeps skiving off—I mean, he keeps having to attend appointments.” He lifted one brow. It looked cute on him, giving him an innocent-yet-wicked appearance instead of the usual sex-on-a-stick allure that permeated from him.
“Good save. I’ll note it in my report,” I offered dryly. “First time being an uncle?” I asked the question as though I didn’t already know the answer. But I did. I followed Amelia on social media, under a different name, of course. She’d made the announcement not long after Tyler and Lauren’s wedding. I also knew his older brother Tyler had a son—a son that most of the family, including Tyler, weren’t aware of until the boy was a teen. That was a juicy story. Another one that had brought a lot of traffic to my site.
“Sort of,” Gabe replied without further explanation. We were back out at the entrance now, and he leaned against the empty reception desk. “So what do you think? Is there anything you want to know? Anything I can do to help you decide to join us?”
There were many things I wanted to ask, none of them about the gym, but I needed to ease into it. I couldn’t seem too eager. It would raise too many alarm bells to quiz him on the activities of his family when we’d only just met, even though I felt like I’d known him for years. To him, I was nothing more than a potential client. But Gabe seemed easy to talk to—chatty as well. It may have worked in my favor that I got him instead of Jake.
“No.” I directed my attention back to Gabe and did my best to throw him my own winning smile. “I think I’m good for now. Thanks for the tour.”
“Oh, come on,” he chided. “You’re just going to leave me hanging like that? What do you think? Do you think you’d like to join us?” He shoved his hands into his pockets and gave me his most flirtatious smile, but somehow, he pulled it off.
“Gabe? Gabe?” Ms Harris came out again. Gabe’s jaw tightened. “I’m positively bored with that woman. Can’t you give me something a little more exciting to do?” She shimmied her shoulders as she said the word ‘exciting.’
Gabe shifted his head from side to side like he was cracking his neck and picked up a device from behind the desk. “Sure,” he said. “I’m going to start some music, and every time you hear the word ‘Roxanne,’ I want you to do a burpee.”
“Excuse me?” Ms Harris said incredulously.
“I know you heard me, Erica,” he said, emphasizing her name. “So hop to it!” Roxanne by The Police started to blare through the speakers. “Quick,” he said, shooing her away. “You’ve already missed one!” He chuckled as she scurried away, then turned his attention back to me. “So?” he prompted.
“So what?” I asked, our previous conversation completely gone from my head.
“Did I tempt you?”
I laughed despite myself. “I guess I could be tempted into joining,” I mused, as though considering it.
“Anything I can do to sway you?” And there was that simpering smile again.
I ran my eyes over him. There was no doubt the man was flirting with me. There was also no doubt that a part of me enjoyed it. There was also no doubt I had no idea why he was. I assumed it was more about his personality than my looks . I was a plain Jane. Brown hair, brown eyes, average build, slightly taller than average height. Nothing stood out about me. I may as well be in camouflage. That, or they really were desperate for new members.
“Tell you what,” I lowered my voice conspiratorially, and he leaned in close. “Give me a month’s free membership, and I’m all yours.”
Gabe’s brows rose. “I’ll hold you to that.” He winked again. I got the feeling he winked a lot. “Shake on it?”
We shook hands, and I gave him a quick smile before turning to walk out the door. Once I was back in the car, I checked my cellphone. Three missed calls. All from my mother.
I groaned a little before calling her back.
“Emmy,” she greeted. “I was just calling to make sure we’re still on for dinner on Sunday night.”
“Yes, we’re still on. As always.”
“Okay, well that’s good then. It’s just sometimes you forget, you know.”
There was an awkward silence. We never knew what to say to each other. We weren’t exactly close. But she called me at least once a week to make sure I was still coming for dinner on the last Sunday of each month. I hadn’t missed one in months—not that I didn’t want to—but it was part of our arrangement.
A knock on the window startled me. “I’ve got to go,” I said to my mother as Gabe’s face appeared.
She kept talking, ignoring me. “Your father really misses you, you know. You used to visit a lot more often, and we don’t know what we did wrong. We just wish—”
You betrayed me when I needed you the most, I thought to myself, but to my mother, I said, “A strange man is knocking on my window.”
“A strange man? What’s—”
I hung up and rolled down the window. Gabe held up my bag.
“You missing something?” He leaned against the car, lifting his free arm to rest on the roof while he passed the bag through the window. An intoxicating scent floated on the breeze, and for a moment, I had the bizarre urge to lean in and sniff him. “You never booked your first session. What time would suit?”
“Are all the staff this pushy here?” I asked.
“Nope. Just me. So when would suit?”
“I’m really not sure. I’ll have to check my—”
“I’ll book you in for early next week then. We’ll assess where you’re at fitness-wise, and we’ll take it from there. Now I’d better get back to Ms Harris.” He started to walk away.
“Don’t you mean Erica?” I yelled after him.
He turned, walking backward and ignoring my comment. “A text will come through with the appointment time. It was lovely to meet you, Syn.”
As I watched him walk away, it occurred to me that even though I understood the appeal of the Thornton brothers on paper—rich, insanely good-looking, drama that followed them everywhere they went—the appeal, the physical one at least, was even stronger in person.