Page 4 of Operation Annulment (Silent Phoenix MC)

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Kate

I can’t believe I’ve been wasting my time at Spin Cycle classes while all the gorgeous—and, more importantly, available—men congregate at Dakota’s gym.

There’s no sign of my dream man yet, but I have a good feeling he’s here, just waiting for a dark-haired beauty to waltz in and sweep him off his feet.

Obviously, he’d have to do the sweeping. I’d look ridiculous doing it.

Maybe we’ll bump into each other while filling our water bottles at the fountain. He’ll offer an apologetic smile and insist I go first, to which I would reply?—

“Dakota, who did you bring with you today?” The stocky man directs the question to my breasts while smoothing a hand over his Better Bodies t-shirt.

Not him.

I believe I was very specific on the height part.

“I’m Dakota’s sister, Kate.” I automatically offer him my hand, operating off the childhood programming that prioritizes friendliness over self-preservation.

“Kyle,” he replies, grasping my hand tightly in his damp, meaty palm. “Were you looking for a trainer? I had a client no-show, so I’m available.”

Dakota pauses her search for Thor to roll her eyes. “Oh, gee. I can’t imagine why they didn’t come—what with you being such a stellar trainer and all.”

Ah, the jerk who got my sister hurt.

“I’m sorry. You said your name was Kyle?” I ask, wrinkling my nose when he doesn’t release my hand.

His smile stretches even wider. “Yeah, but you can call me whatever you want to, beautiful.”

He’s a cocky little shit, I’ll give him that. I wonder how many women actually fall for that line.

“Hmmm…” I tap my finger against my lip as if mulling over nicknames. “Doucheface has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

Dakota claps a hand over her mouth, trying and failing to mask her snort.

He drops the smile and my hand before turning to her. “Real mature. Just because you weren’t satisfied with your training doesn’t mean you have to talk shit behind my back. Kate, how about this? I’ll give you your first session for free; let you make an informed decision and all that jazz.”

“Oh, sweetie. That’s cute,” I say loudly while patting him on the shoulder.

“But I’d prefer someone who looks like he knows his way around the free weights, if you know what I mean.

And one more thing. If you ever speak to my sister that way again, I’ll jerk a knot in your tail so fast your head will spin. Am I clear?”

Kyle sputters through most of the alphabet, his face growing redder by the second.

Satisfied that he’s been thoroughly emasculated, Dakota and I leave him gaping like a fish by the front desk and head for the stairs.

“I’ve been waiting for someone to put that prick in his place since I met him.”

I turn toward the speaker and immediately suck in a sharp breath, feeling the blood rush into my cheeks.

He’s definitely not the one.

Not even close.

I think I would remember requesting thick brown hair that’s disheveled in a way only men can pull off without looking like they just rolled out of bed.

Gorgeous, whiskey-colored eyes that soften when they meet mine.

And tattoos… I would definitely remember asking for those.

Every visible part of him, from the neck down, is covered in swirls of colorful ink.

I can’t help but wonder if the parts I can’t see are adorned in a similar fashion…

But he’s nothing like the man I conjured up on a legal pad. Everything about him is wrong, so why can’t I look away?

“You have my eternal gratitude,” he says with a low chuckle. My heart does a somersault when he walks toward me, eager to revise our list to something matching his description. “I’m Nate.”

He extends his hand, and I latch onto it with a breathless, “Kate.”

I feel like I just grabbed hold of an electric fence and wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the lights above our heads burst, showering us in glass.

Dakota taps me on the shoulder, but I can’t hear a thing she’s saying over the thrumming in my veins.

“Does it feel warm in here to you? We should tell someone,” I murmur, gazing into his eyes like we’re in a movie—one where the camera moves in on the couple, and everything else fades away. I’ve seen it play out hundreds of times but never experienced it for myself before.

Screw the list, universe.

My eyes roam over his broad chest and— holy biceps, Batman! This man could easily sweep me off my feet without breaking so much as a sweat. Thank you very much.

His brows furrow. “Are you okay? ”

A quick glance confirms Dakota is long gone, yet I’m still inexplicably holding on to this man’s hand like my life depends on it. I let go and try taking a couple of deep breaths to clear my head.

The weird fluttery sensation in my chest is perfectly normal, as are the thoughts of pushing him down on that bench and straddling him.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been this close to a man. Correction: I’ve been this close to a man who doesn’t bat for the other team .

An incredibly long and lonely time.

What is Better Bodies’ policy on sex in the bench press area?

I take a step back and then another. Before I know it, I’m up at the top of the stairs in the cardio area while Nate stands frozen—and somewhat shell-shocked—below.

Dakota’s on one of the treadmills near the back, and one look at her quivering lip and crestfallen face is enough to send my libido back into hibernation.

“Sorry for… whatever that was back there,” I say as I climb onto the treadmill beside hers.

She continues staring straight ahead as if I’m not there, making me feel like the world’s worst sister. Now I remember why I haven’t bothered pursuing another relationship since Benjamin.

Dakota comes first. Dakota will always come first.

“So, what’s the plan?”

She mashes the emergency stop button and cracks her neck from side to side. “The plan is to get through this workout and get on with our day. Come on. That’s enough of a warm-up.”

“I take it things didn’t go well with Thor?” I guess, trying to keep pace with her.

“Who?” she asks, her ponytail flicking back and forth like an agitated cat’s tail.

“Zane? Big Guy? The man of your dreams?”

“Oh,” she says with a heavy sigh. “Him. Yeah, he acted as if he didn’t know me, so it appears I’m the butt of yet another one of the universe’s jokes. Cool, right?”

“Maybe there was a work emergency? Yeah, that’s it. Somebody downstairs dropped a barbell on themselves, and he’s working to free them. No one else has the strength of Thor, so obviously he had to step in. He’s obligated. Blessing and a curse, all that strength.”

“Yeah. Maybe. Let’s just get this over with, okay?” She’s trying to pretend he means nothing, but her wide eyes and furrowed brow tell a different story altogether.

“What’s the deal with that?” Dakota asks as we take the stairs back down, nodding to where Nate hangs from the pull-up bar.

His mouth splits into a wide grin when he catches me out of the corner of his eye. He pulls himself up effortlessly before winking at me.

Okay, now he’s just showing off.

The hair on the back of my neck rises even as I lift my shoulder in a casual shrug. “Him? Nothing. He was just thanking me for the whole Doucheface thing. That’s all.”

She nods at my answer and goes over to a stack of containers in the corner. “Yeah, I figured as much.”

See? Even my sister doesn’t see this going anywhere. It would be entirely out of character for me, that’s for sure. Nothing more than a temporary lapse in judgment. Well, that, and he’s nice to look at.

God, I want to do more than just look…

I shove my lustful thoughts aside when my sister, probably the most uncoordinated person on the planet, begins setting up metal steps for box jumps.

This is worse than the time Nan hid all the junk food on the top shelf in the storage room. Dakota waited until she left to run an errand and then stacked box upon box to reach it.

I came in just in time to witness her fall from the shelf with an armful of Chips Ahoy. She landed on Pops’ toolbox, knocking the air out of her lungs. While gasping for her next breath, she kept a death grip on the cookies.

“Are you sure you don’t want to start with something—I don’t know—easier?”

Dakota shakes her head and flashes a confident smile. “ I’ve got this. Seriously, working out has helped tremendously with my balance issues.”

Balance issues.

Well, that’s one way of putting it.

After watching her demonstrate her newfound agility by completing a couple of jumps, I reluctantly agree to join her.

“We’re going to go to ten for this first set,” she orders as though she’s been training people her entire life.

Nate suddenly jumps down and begins walking over. My cheeks flame again as I try to think of something clever to say. I step around the box to meet him.

He runs his fingers lightly down my arm and I silently thank Dakota for picking this gym. Then his hand freezes and he glances over my shoulder. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Stay right here, babe.”

Babe?

I may swoon. The blood in my veins seems as confused as I am right now. One minute, it feels as if it’s all rushing to my head, and with that one word, it begins moving south.

“David, you son-of-a-bitch. I’ve been wondering when you’d show your face here.” Nate moves away from me and toward two men who have just walked in.

I give both men a once-over. Seriously, do they vet the men who apply to work out here? Maybe they only allow models.

I tune out the argument the three of them seem to be having, lost in thoughts of a gym full of fragrance ad models.

I envision myself throwing a diamond earring down in front of them and seductively saying, “These have always brought me luck.”

You know, if I owned diamond earrings and looked like Elizabeth Taylor.

“What’s going on? You were fucking my wife. That’s what’s going on.”

I snap back at the word wife and stare at Nate’s back.

Wife ?

Seriously, Universe?

He’s married?

Well, I’m glad I didn’t give up my diamonds.

Nate continues talking as though he didn’t just drop a bomb on me.

“Yeah, you thought you got away with it, didn’t you?

Jess told me everything. You got her pregnant and then abandoned her.

She’s sitting in prison now over some bogus charges you leveled at her.

She lost your baby in a fucking prison cell! ”

I freeze as something pricks my brain. This sounds vaguely familiar. My rational side is demanding that I storm out of here, while the other is struggling to piece together how I know this story.

Maybe I saw it on the news?

The man with dark blond hair steps in. “Nate, calm down. I’m not sure you have the whole story.”

Now, he’s exactly what I envisioned. Blond hair and deep blue eyes. He’s got a bit of scruff, but hand him a razor, and he’d fit the bill quite nicely. Maybe the universe meant for me to find him? I catch the glint from a wedding band on his left hand and sigh.

Or not.

“I divorced her knowing she cheated but never imagined that it was with this low-life. Did Elizabeth leave you over it? I hope so. I do.” Nate seems seconds away from ripping off his shirt and transforming into the Hulk.

Gone are the second thoughts. I am now entirely convinced that Nate is not the one. The guy just screams emotional baggage.

No. Literally.

He is literally screaming about his baggage.