I blow out a breath and drop the dumbbell to the ground. Achilles watches in his camouflage pants and white tank top, his arms folded over his large chest. "You have a little steam behind you tonight, Landry."
"Pent up aggression," I say, wiping my face with a towel. "Better to leave it here than on a member of the media. Fuckers trailed me all afternoon. Hobbs has them all convinced I'm a gangster or something and it's nearly impossible to actually work."
"So, you aren't a gangster?" Achilles teases.
I glare and he snickers at my reaction. His Mohawk wobbles. "I kid, I kid. I actually had someone call me a few days ago and asked if I had any dirt on you."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah, man. I set that bitch straight though. Told him he could go fuck himself."
"Did you say it like that?" I grin.
"Just like that."
“You wanna know how frustrated I am?” I ask, wiping my face with a towel. “I’m starting to think Lincoln makes sense.”
“That’s crazy talk,” he laughs.
“Right?”
“You know what I always say,” Achilles says, stuffing his hands in his pockets, “trust those that have proven their loyalty. Linc might be full of shit half the time, but he has your back. That’s why I trust Robin. My wife is the only person in the world I trust explicitly. She’s proven it.”
He leans against the wall and tries hard not to smirk.
“What?” I ask.
“I see you’re on your way to settling down now too. Have to say, I’m shocked.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t know about settling down for sure.”
His chest shakes with his laugh. “You released a statement. I’ve known you for twenty years, Landry. You’ve never entertained doing something like that before.”
“That fucking statement wasn’t what it should’ve been,” I grumble, feeling the anger work its way to the surface. “Nolan fucked me over on that. Alison was pissed as hell and I couldn’t blame her. Do you even realize how bad it looked coming out with the other article like that? Fuck.”
Achilles picks up a dumbbell and presses it overhead. “I wondered when I saw it, to be honest. Did you work it out with your girl?”
“Yeah,” I grin. “I’m meeting her after I leave here. I have this big thing set up at the house with candles and a bubble bath. I just want to . . .” I look at him and he’s wearing a teasing smile. “I sound like a pussy, don’t I?”
He sets the weight down and laughs. “No, man. You sound like a guy that is getting his priorities together. Making your girl feel special should be the first thing you do in your day. I mean, if you lose her, what do you have left?”
He gets it.
I try to wrap my head around that when movement catches our attention outside the glass. Troy is coming towards the door. He pulls it open and steps to the side.
My face breaks into a wide, yet confused, smile.
Alison walks around him, her step stuttering as her eyes meet mine. Her cheeks blush to the color of her pink dress, a short little number that I want off of her body as quickly as possible. I drag my gaze down her round breasts, over the sinful curve of her hips, and down those legs I want wrapped around me so badly my cock is rock solid.
I need her. I need some kind of physical confirmation that we’re okay. Call me stupid or call me a pussy but I need it like the air I breathe.
Glancing at Troy, he shrugs. “She called and asked if I knew where you were. I figured you wouldn’t mind if I grabbed her for you,” he says.
Achilles smacks his lips beside me. “Well, I’m guessing you don’t need me anymore,” he chuckles. “You remember the security code, right?”
I nod but don’t look at him. I can’t look anywhere but at her.
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