Tease Me (Private Listing #4)

“Mother came to tell me in person that Madison is the wrong person for me.” Coop drapes a napkin over his lap.

“Did she have a correct woman in mind?” Noah arches his eyebrow.

Coop laughs. “Leighton.”

“That reminds me—‍” Seth stops himself. “Where’s Blake?”

“He was still downstairs working out when I came up.” Coop loads up his plate.

“I’ll call him.” Seth reaches for his phone.

Drawing in a breath, I shake my head. “No, I’ll go get him.”

“Are you sure?” Noah searches my eyes.

Nodding, I stand. “I should really get a look at the gym, and I need to talk to him about self-defense training.”

“We’ll wait for you.” Seth sits back. His eyes track me as I pick up my phone and head to the door.

“Start without us. It’ll only be a few minutes.”

I get in the elevator and press the button for the executive gym. It’s actually the back half of the corporate gym, but it’s partitioned off and only used by my guys. And me, if I want to.

I need to use it.

Too many times, I’ve felt helpless and trapped and needed someone to rescue me. I need to help myself. While I hope the guys are around to protect me, the stalker isn’t likely to attack me when everyone is around.

The elevator opens on the gym floor and I walk to the door, pressing my card against the reader to gain access. When I step into the workout room, Blake is in the corner with the free weights. Music fills the room with a hard, driving rhythm.

He’s abandoned his shirt, so his chest is on full display, all those lovely rippling muscles. His arm curls with a weight in his hand. Attraction isn’t our problem. Trust is. While Seth will relinquish control to me, I doubt Blake would do the same.

I clear my throat. “It’s dinnertime.”

His green eyes lift to mine as he returns the weight to the rack and turns off the music. “Thank you.”

He grabs a towel and swipes it over his face.

“When can I learn self-defense?” I lean against the door while he tidies up the area.

“I’ve been too preoccupied to hire you a trainer.” It’s stated as fact and I believe him. Things have been hectic this week. “If you want, we can go through a few moves after dinner tonight.”

When his eyes return to me, my breath catches. I want to spend time with him and avoid him all in the same breath. I love him, and right now, it hurts too much to be with him but not be with him.

“That would be nice.” I need to learn, and he’ll make sure I at least get the basics down.

He grabs his shirt and drapes it over his shoulders before walking to me.

That hint of spice blends with his natural scent to make my panties damp. My body misses him almost as much as I miss him.

“Let’s go.” He gestures to the door.

I blush, realizing I’m in the way. Stepping aside, I open the door and walk to the elevator. It opens right away and we both get on. After I press the button, the silence is almost stifling.

My phone buzzes. It’s probably one of the guys wondering what’s taking so long. I glance down at my phone. Unknown.

Fuck. My heart races. I don’t want to know. I want to bury my head in the sand and forget this is happening to me.

“What is it?” Blake’s eyes narrow on me.