The Road To Heaven (Allendale Four 3)

I sat up and twisted to get a look. Famous client? The superheroes were back in town filming the next installment of their series—seeing them never got old. Oliver’s chair rolled back and he stood. Although I still didn’t know what for, I did the same.

That was when I saw her; wandering in by the door. Her eyes cast up at the huge A5 Gym sign over the front desk and the two huge banners that flanked the sign. Our star athletes, Hayden and Anderson, greeting each client that walked in the door.

“She’s here,” Oliver said quietly.

We’d both known this day would come. At some point. Which was probably why the last twenty-four hours had been so terrifying. Heaven was here and there was no more avoiding it, the business, and our history.

7

Heaven

A cute blonde at the front desk greeted me with a smile. Her collared shirt had her name stitched on it: Peyton.

“Welcome to A5, can I help you?”

I wanted to respond, but I couldn’t stop staring at the massive banners hanging from the warehouse ceiling. On the right was an image of Anderson, just out of the pool from a race—Nationals, if I remembered correctly. Water ran down his genetically superior body and his smile, fresh from victory, was heart-stopping.

On the left was Hayden, protecting the goal. He’d been photographed airborne, arms extended to catch the ball. His muscular legs were caked in blood and dirt and the look on his face was deadly. I’d been on the other end of that predatory stare and a chill ran down my spine at the memory.

“Hello?”

My eyes snapped to meet Peyton’s. “Right, hi. I have an appointment. Sheena Jacobson.”

“Ah, I’ve got you.” She smiled when she saw me check out the banners again. “Those photos are distracting, right?”

“Yeah. They really are.”

She leaned forward and whispered, “The owners are good friends with them. I’m hoping they come in one day and I get a chance to meet them.”

I forced a smile. “That would be exciting.”

Movement across the room caught my attention; familiar yet different bodies, hair, and faces. I slid my eyes in their direction and my stupid, predictable heart kicked in gear just seeing them walk across the facility.

“Are you ready for your tour, Sheena?” Peyton said a little too loudly, well aware her bosses were walking over.

“Thank you, Peyton, we’ll take care of, um, Sheena,” Oliver said.

I pretended there wasn’t a deeper meaning in his words. Shit. See? Why couldn’t I keep my mind out of the gutter with these guys? Our relationship was definitely not just about sex. It took us a long time to work through that side of things and when we got there it was good—so good—but there was so much other stuff. Real stuff. Friendship and support. Laughter and fun.

I tried not to focus on Oliver’s broad shoulders or Jackson’s marble-like jaw.

Maybe I kept thinking about sex because I hadn’t had sex in ages.

That could definitely be the reason.

I braced myself and said, “Peyton and I were just admiring your friends hanging up on the wall.”

Jackson and Oliver both look over my head. Oliver raised

an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t believe how long it took Anderson to find a photo he approved of.”

His comment caught me off guard. “Really?”

Jackson slid a hand in his pocket. “Oh yeah, he got super anal about it. We actually had three other banners made, but he refused to let us put those up.”

I snorted. Anderson was always something of a diva. “What did you do with the ones he didn’t approve of?”

“Sent them to his apartment. They’re probably hanging over his bed.”