Page 9 of Throttle Therapy

Hex rolled his eyes.“No permanent injury and nothing that will embarrass the club.You know the rules.”

“I do.But that’s not why you’re here.What brings you to Savage Iron today?”

Hex heaved a sigh as he moved around to Phantom’s chair and sat.

“It’s Elle.”

Roadkill lifted one brow and waited.There had to be more to this than just her, and the best way to get his president to talk was to wait him out.He would talk when he was ready.

“She says she needs to exercise, she needs to get in shape.”

Roadkill stayed quiet.While it was something, his president had yet to tell him what he wanted, and why he was here to ask Roadkill.Bobby Lee came up, looked back and forth between them for a moment, then walked away when Roadkill waved at him to go away.

“I’m worried.”Hex lifted his gaze and looked at Roadkill.“I don’t want her to hurt herself or the baby.”He let his gaze scan the room behind Roadkill.“There are so many ways for them to get hurt here.”He sighed again as he turned to look out the glass wall that fronted the building.

Roadkill looked at the room from his president’s perspective.All of the equipment could be dangerous if used improperly.And his woman wanted to come in and make use of it.How would he feel if his woman was in the same condition and wanting to do the same thing?

His mind flashed on an image of Jenna, her belly swollen with his kid as she leaned over to give him a kiss.

His breath caught in his chest as if someone had punched him in the stomach.He wanted that.He wasn’t sure how to get it, at least not yet.But he wanted to be able to call that woman his.

“Exercise would be good for her, but I agree, the machines may not be the best bet.Let me talk to Savannah.She’s my yoga teacher.She may have some ideas about a class she can teach once or twice a week.I’m sure Elizabeth isn’t the only one expecting who could use a class like that.”He turned back to his president.“In the meantime, she can walk on the track or use one of the treadmills.”

Hex shook his head.“No treadmills.I offered to get her one for the house, so she doesn’t have to deal with the heat and the humidity once it gets hot, but she said she hates them.Though, upstairs, that she could probably do.”He looked encouraged by the idea, then he frowned again.“You don’t have an elevator, do you?

“No.I didn’t really see the point.If you’re here, you’re at least mostly able bodied, and should be able to use the stairs.I haven’t had anyone who couldn’t, at least not yet.”

“I’m not sure I like her going up and down the stairs.”Hex said with a frown.

Roadkill blinked.“While I understand your need to make sure she’s safe.That she’s not doing anything dangerous that would put her or the baby at risk, I think prohibiting stairs is a bit far.Have you suggested to Elizabeth that she avoid stairs?”

Hex shook his head.“I know better than that.She’ll skin me alive for suggesting she can’t do anything she sets her mind to, just because she’s pregnant.I need to have a plan in place before I take it to her.I need to be able to articulate why my plan would be better than whatever she’s looking at.Then I can take it to her and, hopefully, make her see reason.”

“Or see that you’re being overprotective and decide how she wants to deal with that,” Roadkill put in, still watching his president.

“What do you mean by that?”Hex said with a frown.“How she wants to deal with that?”

“The way I see it, with what I know of Elizabeth, I figure it will go one of two ways.”

“What are they?”

“I figure she’ll either give in, do what you want and how, or she’ll tell you where to shove it and do what she wants, no matter what you say.”

Hex’s frown turned into a scowl.Roadkill fought the urge to laugh.It might feel good, but the last thing he wanted to do was to piss of his president.He could send Phantom back and that was the last thing Roadkill wanted, at least for a few days, maybe a couple of weeks.Just long enough for him to convince Jenna the Savage Warriors weren’t as terrifying as half of Wilmer thought them to be.Not that they wanted the town’s perceptions of them to change.They were a one percent club, and that wouldn’t change.But they could let a few in on what they were really like.A few like Elizabeth, and Roadkill thought, maybe Jenna.

“I don’t think you’re taking this as seriously as you should.”

Roadkill took a deep breath and schooled his features.The last thing he needed was to be on his president’s shit list.

“I don’t want you to think I’m brushing off your concerns.”He looked down for a moment, trying to find the right words.“And if there were an actual threat, you know I’d be the first to jump up and stand firm.But you can’t wrap her in bubble wrap for her entire life.Not only is it not practical, your woman isn’t the kind to put up with that kind of coddling.Sure she might accept it for a day or two, but she’ll get sick of it quick, then you’ll spend more time trying to find her, to keep up with her, than it’s worth, because when she starts feeling smothered, she’ll do anything she can to get out of it, whether it’s bribe whoever’s with her or evading them.Then we’ll be scrambling to find her, and you’ll be losing your shit until we do.”

He kept an eye on his president, trying to gauge how well the other man was taking what Roadkill was telling him.

“If we were talking about her going running up and down the stairs of a stadium as a workout routine, I’d be right beside you saying it wasn’t a good plan.But we’re talking about her climbing a single floor of stairs to get to the track so she can walk.Walking won’t hurt her and neither will the stairs.It’s not like they’re narrow, slippery or any danger to her as long as no one comes along behind her and pushes her down them.If something like that were to happen here, we’d know who it was and could react appropriately,” he held up one hand because he could see Hex wanted to say something, but he wasn’t finished, “I’m not saying something like that could happen here, just that this is a controlled environment.No one who comes here would harm a woman, much less a pregnant woman.”

Hex looked up at him, worry and uncertainty in his gaze.

“You’re sure?”