One Choice (Hogan Brothers 2)

“I thought you’d left,” he replied lamely.

“Where and how exactly would I have accomplished that?”

“Good point,” he muttered handing her the bag with her prescription in it. As he got back in the car, he headed in the direction of Casper’s gym. The guy was an annoyance, but he employed the best in the business, and if anyone could help Hayes, it was going to be JJ.

“Where are we going?” she asked after a short time passed and they weren’t at her house, which he’d known was close to the Walgreens they’d stopped at.

“To see my guy,” he told her like she should know that already.

“Just take me home, Levi.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and the breathy quality she’d said his name with had his whole body perking up. Mostly, he just liked hearing her say his name.

“Let me help you, Hayes.” He could feel her light indigo eyes directed at him, but he wouldn’t budge. She was hurting, and he could help so he would.

When she didn’t say anything more, he figured he’d won this round. Once she was feeling better was when he’d have to get crafty in his assault on breaking down her walls. He’d hurt her, he knew he did, but there was so much more to her than what he’d been shown so far. She had secrets hidden deep inside that he felt she had yet to show anyone.

The gym was across town, and in rush hour traffic, he knew it’d be a bit of a longer drive. “Close your eyes and rest, sugar,” he told her quietly.

When she didn’t respond, he quickly looked at her, seeing her eyelids shut and her body relaxed. His free hand went to hold hers on the console where it laid. Intertwining their fingers, he brought them to his lap to rest on his leg. The way they fit together made him want to wax poetic crap about how right they looked together. Without her intent and angry stare on him, he could see the few freckles spattered across the bridge of her nose and under her eyes. He could admire the way she twitched her nose as she slept or maybe even dreamt. He was left to wonder what all of her hopes and dreams were. What happened in her past that made her so distrusting and always on the offensive.

When they’d first met, she’d been prickly as hell, too. When she’d come apart in his arms, she was open, honest. She had wanted him then, and Levi needed to get that back.

Hayes wasn’t sleeping. She heard him whispering to her, telling her things she didn’t think he’d want her to know just yet. She felt when he’d grabbed her hand in his. The urge to pull back was strong, but she needed to know what his game was.

When he’d simply held her hand, it showed her, without doing a damn thing, that he was invested in them. She’d nearly cracked and opened her eyes.

The ride to wherever he was taking her was quiet and long, and slightly painful when he’d hit a bump, but she felt him slow down, and that spoke far more than anything he could have said to her.

She felt the car park, and soon, his hand was brushing through her unruly hair. His whispered, “Hayes, sugar, wake up,” had her beaming inside. She loved the way he called her sugar.

She slowly blinked her eyes open, immediately meeting his beautiful blue gaze—the color of a clear blue sky. She could get lost in him.

“Hey.” He smiled, making that damn dimple appear again. Her body was drawn to him as he ran a finger down her cheek in a sweet caress.

“Hi.” She smiled back, unable to help herself. He was making it incredibly hard to remain mad at him.

“I’ll help you out.” Levi exited the car before Hayes could even think to protest. When he opened her door, she struggled to get out until he wrapped one of her arms around his shoulder and lifted her effortlessly.

They walked quietly into the building, Levi assisting her the entire way. Sweat assaulted her nostrils as soon as he had the door open.

“Holy crap.” She groaned.

He laughed. “Not the best, huh.”

“I think I’ll take my chances with my knee.” She went to turn, and he picked her up completely off the ground. “This habit of yours needs to stop.” She crossed her arms in protest.

He laughed again. “I kind of like you this way.”

Her glare had him nearly in hysterics.

The first thing she noticed as they walked through the main doors was all the men. Bulked up, muscle-bound men. No women anywhere. When Levi had said he was taking her to a gym, she’d pictured an actual gym.

“There are only men here,” she whispered in his ear, not clueless to the way he tensed.

“I know,” he growled. Clearly not happy about it.

“Knuckles!” She heard a man call out.

“Fuck,” Levi groaned under his breath.