Controlled Burn (Blackbridge Security 8)

“You got it,” I say, stepping back as she situates herself under the squat bar.

I get lost in the movement of her body, the small yet strong lines of her physique. She’s the perfect hourglass, and I don’t imagine a man alive being able to ignore the fullness of her breasts or that perfectly round ass of hers. I’m fixated on it as she squats and stands over and over.

“You okay back there?” she asks, and I can’t even feel guilty about where she found my eyes focusing.

“You have great form,” I say, my gaze going right back to her ass.

She chuckles, and that’s how the rest of her time in there goes. I keep my eyes on her ass, and she laughs periodically. She doesn’t tell me to stop, but when she’s done for the day, I tell her goodbye rather than follow her out of the gym.

For one, I didn’t get any of my own workout completed with her there, and two, she started to get weirded out with my line of questioning. I figure she wouldn’t appreciate me following her onto the elevator. I’ve really grown to like our time in the gym, and I don’t want her to start avoiding it because I’ve come across as a super creep.

After she leaves, I work out three times harder than I normally would, returning to my condo to complete silence.

I can’t get Kendall out of my head, and although I know how things tend to end with women in this building, I’m beginning to lean toward asking her out. Maybe she won’t be a psycho stalker who shows up at all times of the day and night knocking on my door.

I barely make it to work on time because I got distracted with thoughts of that gorgeous woman more times than I can count, and I settle behind my desk to go through emails and work orders Pam sent.

Just like the many days before, by ten o’clock, I’m wishing the day away just so I can see her again tomorrow morning at the gym.

Chapter 5

Kendall

The kids are in full meltdown this evening, and although locking myself in the bathroom and ignoring all of it would be easier, that really isn’t an option.

I refuse to ignore the problems going on around me. I had too much of an example of that growing up, and I refuse to let my kids see me the same way I saw my own mother.

“Tell me what the problem is,” I insist, holding the collar of each boy in separate hands.

Knox relaxes, knowing he’s been caught, but it’s Kason that continues to struggle.

“Stop,” I urge. “Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it.”

“He’s being a jerk,” my oldest snaps, growling at his younger brother like a rabid animal.

“We don’t call names,” I remind him, my voice calm but tinged with frustration.

Kason has struggled the most with living here, and I know it has more to do with having to change schools in the middle of the year than actually living with his uncle Ezra. He idolizes the man, seeing as he’s the only older male role model the poor kid has in his life. Change is hard, and in addition to losing the only house he’s ever known, he’s also had to give up the friends that he made at his previous elementary school. It’s translated into bad behaviors both at home and at his new school.

“Then he shouldn’t be a jerk,” Kason insists.

Knox’s lower lip begins to tremble. Where Kason looks up to Ezra, Knox has always looked up to his older brother. This mean streak Kason’s taken to lately has affected him the most.

“Knox, why don’t you go find Kayleigh and play with her?”

Knox bolts away the second I release the collar of his shirt.

“Let’s have a chat,” I tell my seven-year-old son.

He’s tall like his father, and since I’m just a hair over five feet three inches, he’s getting very close to being as tall as I am already. I forget sometimes that he’s not as grown as he looks.

“Chatting is stupid,” he mutters, but he allows me to lead him to the living room and out of earshot of the other kids.

“I can say the same for the way you’ve been acting,” I say.

Every evening, there’s a fight of some kind, and the mornings aren’t any better. I’m already exhausted from staying up so late on weekends to work, and never have the ability to catch up on that sleep lost. The bickering and screaming have only made it worse.

“What happened?”

“Why does it matter? You’re only going to side with Knox. He always gets his way.” Kason crosses his arms over his chest, an indignant look on his face.

“I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”

“He colored in my math book. I turned my back for two seconds and the next thing I know, he’s scribbled all over the pages. The teacher already hates me. This just gives her more reason. I’ll miss recess for an entire week because of this!”