Tainted Bastard (Tainted Knights 4)

I needed to keep reminding myself of that. Friends. We were just friends. That was all we could ever be. I couldn’t give him a sexual relationship, and he couldn’t give me commitment. He’d already shown me he wasn’t the type of guy who would be happy with just one woman.

“Yeah,” he said, losing the pout. “Friends work out together.”

I nearly laughed at how fast the amusement drained from his expression, replaced by that stoic look I saw on his face all the time when he seemed lost in his own head. I liked that he didn’t like when I mentioned we were just friends.

Hiding my smile, I tried to focus on my cardio. That was hard to do with Sin running right beside me, however. Every few minutes, I would glance over at him, unable to stop myself, and find his eyes on me. He would wink or smirk, I would feel my face heat up, and I’d quickly look away.

I spent longer on the treadmill than I normally did, not wanting to move on to something else if he wasn’t ready yet. But my legs started feeling shaky, so I slowed down to a walk. Sin did the same, and by the time I was ready to move on to the dreaded leg machines, he was too.

As I got on the leg press, Gray and Kassa came in. “Yo, dickhead,” Gray said, slapping his hand on Sin’s back. “Thought you did legs yesterday.”

“I could use a little more time on them,” he said with a shrug.

Gray snorted, but Kassa elbowed him in the side. “We’re going to go eat in about an hour.” Her blue eyes landed on me, and she smiled warmly, including me in the conversation. “Do you two want to come eat with us?”

“I have work,” Sin told her. “Maybe next time.”

“Do you really have work?” she asked, her eyes narrowed. “Or are you just going to flake out on me and hook up with whatever chick catches your eye, like you did last week?”

“Kassa,” Sin growled at the same time I locked the leg press and stood up.

I’d already figured he’d hooked up with someone the week before, but to have Kassa confirm it made my stomach knot up.

I opened my water, pretending like I wasn’t fazed in the least. “I see London trying to wave me down,” I told them as I grabbed a towel off one of the racks. “Enjoy your workouts. I’ll catch you guys later.”

As I walked away, I heard Kassa apologizing to Sin, and Gray’s laughter at whatever Sin said to her. From upstairs, I saw London heading for the stairs and went to meet her.

“What’s up?” she asked, using my towel to wipe the sweat off her brow. “Saw you were with Sin. You two working out together, or do you want to do legs with me?”

“I think I’m just going to grab an Uber home,” I told her. Keeping my legs and ass in shape wasn’t nearly as important as getting away from Sin before I did something stupidly embarrassing—like cry.

“Ro, come on. Whatever is wrong, you don’t have to leave. Stay and work out with me.”

“Roanna,” Sin called from behind me.

I balled my hands into fists, my nails biting into my palms. “Finish your workout, London. I don’t want you purging tonight because you didn’t get enough time at the gym.”

“Only if you stay,” she negotiated. “Please? Don’t let whatever you’re upset about rule your head right now, babe. He’s not worth it. No man is.” She linked her arm through mine and forced me to turn and face Sin as he reached us. “Smile and tell him to fuck off, Ro.”

“Look, Kassa was only playing around with me. She didn’t mean anything by it.”

I pasted on the smile London commanded. “What did she say? I wasn’t paying attention.”

The look on his face said he called bullshit, but I didn’t let my smile falter. “I didn’t hook up with anyone last week. There was a chick hanging around us, and she got annoying, so I walked her to her car and sent her on her way.”

“Why would I care if you did or didn’t hook up with anyone?” I demanded, lifting my brows. “We’re friends, Sin. That’s it. I don’t know why you would think otherwise, but that’s all we are and all we ever will be.”

“I’m already sick of that word,” he grumbled half under his breath before blowing out a hard sigh. “I just don’t want you to get the wrong impression of me, sweet girl.”

“Okay, you can stop right there.” London jumped in before he could go on. “She knows exactly how you are, Sin. I don’t know what just happened in there, but I do know Ro has seen you leaving here with girls three different times. This place is like hookup city for guys.”

“Wait, you have?” I shrugged, and he groaned. “Roanna—”

“Please stop,” I cut him off. “You’re free to hook up with whomever, whenever you want. It has nothing to do with me. We’re friends. That’s all.”

He swore something that sounded vicious, but I didn’t hear because it was so low. “Yeah, fine. What the fuck ever. We’re friends. Whatever you want.”

“It’s what I want,” I told him, my nails biting deeper into my palms until I felt them pierce the tender skin.