Page 43 of Boys Who Taint

He frowns. “I donotdo ’roids.”

Oh, that’s what offends him?

“Then how’d you get so pumped and veiny?” I retort, picking out a kettlebell, but I nearly drop it on my foot because it’s so heavy.

He intervenes right in time, stealing it from me with just a single finger. “Like this.”

Arrogant son of a—“Show-off.”

“I can teach you if you want. But first, I want to know why you’re interested in my veins all of a sudden.”

“I don’t remember asking for a tutor,” I reply, stealing the kettlebell back.

Even though I have to lift it with two hands, I can still raise it to my stomach. If only just to show him I don’t need him to watch over me.

“I can teach myself, thanks.”

He chuckles like he thinks it’s cute. “Start here.” He snatches the kettlebell out of my hand and gives me another one that’s much lighter.

“This isn’t heavy.”

“It’s not supposed to be.”

“Then how am I going to get strong enough?”

“Strong enough for what? A competition?” He grabs some weight plates and pushes them onto the bar. “A fight?”

I put the kettlebell down and stare at him for a second before I return to lifting.

He’s fishing. And I blab easily.

“So a fight, then. Who are you fighting?”

“None of your business.”

“Levi?”

My face instantly turns white as snow.

“I know you want to kill him.”

What the f—“He’s your cousin.”

“Do I look like I would murder anyone on sight if they annoyed me enough?” He grabs the bar that he just filled with a bunch of weights and lifts it, actually lifts it with one single veiny hand while looking at me. And my God, my pussy just throbbed from the way his muscles clench. “Because I would. No questions asked.”

He’d kill his own cousin? Without a second thought?

Jesus.

I never expected Apollo to be that … volatile.

He drops the bar while I can’t stop staring.

“No. This isn’t about Levi.”

He smiles. “Who then?”

I sigh out loud. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”