Forbidden - Karla Sorensen Page 0,36

the idea of this?”

Molly swallowed before she answered. “Three weeks.”

“Great.” I nodded. “Sounds about right for me too. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to put this stuff away.”

When I returned from putting the equipment away, my playlist hit the end, and Molly was in the front area, slowly packing her bag. From where I stood, I couldn’t tell if she was crying or not, but I was too upset to stop and ask.

Which was a big deal because anything that made my sisters cry made me want to punch things repeatedly.

And now, it just made me want to run.

Because at the moment, the only thing making my sister cry was me.

Well, me and our mother.

Fucking Brooke and the damage she’d caused with her selfishness.

Molly paused before she left the gym and gave me a long look. Thankfully, her eyes were dry.

“I love you, Isabel. And I hope eventually, you’ll understand why I’m doing this.”

I rolled my lips between my teeth and nodded. “I love you too.”

She exhaled in relief when I said it, but her face was sad as she walked out.

The building pulsed with silence as soon as she walked out, and I inhaled unsteadily. Moving slow, I packed up my bag and turned off the lights in my office. But I couldn’t bring myself to leave. I almost looked up at the ceiling because I could’ve sworn that brick by brick, unimaginable weight was falling on top of me. My hands started shaking, and I curled my fists tight to make them stop.

I needed this tension … this feeling … out of my body.

First work.

Now my sister, my family.

Both had me rocked with no place to grab onto. Or that was what it felt like.

And the truth, which I also hated, was that I didn’t have anyone who could shoulder it the way I needed them to. To take the brunt of the pressure building and building, no outlet, no valve to release. They all had someone. They all had that person who’d know exactly what they needed at the moment they were most out of control.

My hands shook, and I imagined that metal box splitting angrily at the seams, paint peeling, edges crumpling from what was being held inside.

And what I needed, in the face of all this blistering emotion, was someone to roll with whatever came out of my mouth with no judgment and without trying to soften the blows or tell me I was overreacting, that I was too much for feeling this way.

Striding over to the iPad on the wall, I cued up one of my angry rock playlists and turned the volume up. A moment later, my hands were wrapped and shoved into my favorite black and purple gloves.

If there was no one to be that for me, I’d be that for myself.

I let out a deep breath in front of my favorite bag, stretched my arms out a few times, and started to move.

Chapter Ten

Aiden

It was a mistake to go back to the gym when I saw the lights on and realized her car was the only one in the parking lot. I’d recognize it later, the ramifications full and clear once all was said and done.

But at the moment, I wasn’t thinking about that. Even if I hadn’t left my wallet on my desk, the sight of her lone car, the bright lights, and the dark sky around the building probably would’ve made me stop.

Because it was only a matter of time before I recognized something important when it came to Isabel.

Curiosity and attraction were two entirely different things. Interest was so mundane because so many things held my interest.

Football held my interest, which was how I knew who she was, who her family was.

Working out held my interest because it kept me feeling strong and healthy and sane.

When I had the time, reading held my interest if the story was good.

Those were all easy and peaceful things that kept my attention and reduced my stress.

But if I thought my manager would fall neatly into that category once I figured her out, I was kidding myself.

That became apparent when I approached the front door, and with a grimace and a flare of anger, I found it unlocked. Interest never exploded into a bright ball of fiery emotion, something unnameable, at the realization she was inside with the music blaring while the door was wide-fucking-open for anyone to walk in.

Attraction did that. But I wasn’t ready to name it. Not