One to Keep (One to Hold 2)

We started curl reps using oversized dumbbells. Derek’s were about a third larger than mine, but I wasn’t competing with him. I already had an older brother to bust my balls.

“What’s the name?” I hissed through an exhale.

“Living Arts. It’s not too far from downtown.” He exhaled a lift. “I’ll put in a call for you.”

“That’s okay,” I said dropping the weights. All the Stacy talk had me done for the day. “I can take care of myself. See you tomorrow.”

“Thanks for helping me out.”

I paused and looked back for a second. Then I remembered his comment about his late wife, and decided not to be a shit. “I guess I could do this more. How often you come up here?”

He set the dumbbells down and picked up his towel and water bottle. “Couple times a week.”

“Let me know next time, and I’ll join you.”

He agreed as I picked up my phone and headed out to the parking lot.

* * *

Nikki greeted me perky as always the next morning. Today she wore denim capris and a blue top that reminded me of something a pirate might own. The open collar slung low around her neck and off one shoulder, revealing her soft cleavage.

Working out took the edge off last night, but I’d woken up with a raging hard-on this morning. Beating off in the shower sucked, and my arms were sore from lifting more than I was used to. I was ready to relax into the real thing—soft, warm, and wet.

“Are you turning into a muscle head like Derek?” She smiled, and I considered asking her out right then, to hell with office protocol.

Her hair hung loose down her back, and all I could think of was pulling her onto my lap, sliding my hands under that top, my thumbs across her tight nipples. Shit, if I wasn’t getting a semi envisioning it.

“I don’t want to look juiced,” I said. “But I’ll probably meet up with him some during the week.”

“Stuart never did.”

“Right. I guess you knew my brother?”

Her eyes went back to her laptop. “Mm-hm.” The way she said it, all wistful like she was remembering something… Had Nikki and Stuart been together? Shit. That threw a wrench in my plans. I wasn’t interested in swimming in his wake.

“Yeah, he never worked out.” I tried to recover. “Say, Nik,” I stayed by her desk. It was just the two of us in the office, and I had another question on my mind. “Derek said something about his wife yesterday.”

Her eyes widened. “He did?”

I paused, slightly taken aback. “What happened? Was she killed?”

“Oh, no.” She shook her head and leaned back in her ch

air. “She died about six years ago. Cancer, I think. Stuart said they were childhood sweethearts or something. She waited for him to come back from overseas and they got married.”

“Were they married long?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Derek never talks about it. As in never. And as far as I know he never dates anyone.”

For a moment I chewed the inside of my cheek, thinking. Being loyal I could understand. Hell, I could still remember the devotion I felt when I’d proposed to Stacy, but six years was a long time to be alone. I wasn’t sure how that changed my opinion of my new partner. How much alike that made us.

Formerly alike.

The soft noise of a throat clearing brought me back. I blinked to find Nikki narrowing her eyes at me.

“What?” Coming out of my distraction, I realized my eyes had been lingering on her breasts.

“Leave something on me, I might catch a cold.”