Surge (The Beat and the Pulse #7)- Amity Cross Page 0,19
me.”
I sighed, feeling like an elephant had just sat on my chest. What the hell was I doing? Harboring secret crushes and fawning over a guy who was in his own world. Since we’d come back from the wedding, I wasn’t sure if Dean was afraid of losing me as a friend, potential lover, or as his Public Relations Manager. The moment he saw Gabe O’Connell trying it on—and again after the fight—I could’ve sworn there was a little flash of jealousy.
Was it all just professional, or was it something more? There were so many variables in play, and my head told me to steer clear, but my heart was another story entirely. Not to mention the things my body craved.
What was it about Dean Hayes that had gotten under my skin? I had absolutely no bloody idea.
Lincoln and Dean looked exactly alike, but they couldn’t be any more different. There were things that made Dean stand apart from his brother. Things that pulled my attention and made me take notice.
He was a bad boy with a dirty mouth, while his brother was well-spoken.
He was handsome in a rugged kind of way, whereas Lincoln was clean cut.
He was a formidable fighter with the body to match.
He was tattooed with something meaningful and had considered his choice carefully.
He cared about where he’d come from and helped kids like him onto a better path.
He was careful with his money and didn’t spend it on frivolous things.
He was dedicated completely to his chosen sport.
But fuck, sometimes he was the stupidest oaf I’d ever met in my entire life—infuriatingly, mind-blowingly, outrageously, explosively stupid.
And I wanted him.
Staring at my reflection, I decided to buy the dress and get myself a clue. It was time to figure out what Dean Hayes wanted because I’d just made up my mind.
Josie Cunningham was back in the game.
8
Dean
A week had passed since the fight, and I was still in a bad place.
The gym was empty when I arrived, but that was the point. I’d come a couple of hours early to get in some alone time before Lincoln and Coach arrived, to work through some of my pent-up stress. My head was fine physically—despite the cut over my eyebrow that was still healing—but internally, I was shot.
Outside, the sky was beginning to lighten from black to blue with a few stars still shining through. The sun rose over the ocean, so I could see the fire in the sky and the refection on the water. We were a stone’s throw from Bondi Beach and that made the place cost a mint. It was the only thing I’d shelled out that much cash for in my entire career. Linc and I had a fifty-fifty split in this place, and we owned it outright. Best investment ever.
Climbing up onto one of the treadmills, I tossed my hoodie and powered the machine up to a walk. Running seemed to be the only thing that had calmed my mind in the last week. Focusing on the burn of my muscles and the pounding of my feet on the track centered my destructive thoughts.
I was on my fourth kilometer when the electronic lock clicked and the outside door opened. I caught sight of Josie in the refection of the window and was a little surprised to see her.
She came in early three days a week to do her own workout—one of the perks of working with us was using our private gym—but today she was extra early, which was out of sorts for her. Watching her reflection, I ran my gaze over her body and frowned.
Sure, I’d noticed her before, I was a man after all, but now I really noticed her.
The little sports crop she wore barely held her breasts in place, and the leggings that hugged her ass didn’t leave much to the imagination. Each tight cheek was the perfect size to sit in my palm… I felt my cock begin to rouse, and I thumped my fist onto the controls of the treadmill, upping the speed.
There, that was better.
Josie didn’t say anything, she just climbed onto the treadmill beside mine and began at a slow walk. Damn, did she have to run beside me in that little top? Shit.
We ran side by side, and it took all my strength to keep focused on the lightening horizon and not her tits. When I got to ten clicks, I slowed to a jog, then to a walk before coming to a complete stop.