Page 40 of Good Girls Beg

"Hel won't mind if you use it," Oak said. "Don't try using the weights unless someone's here to spot you. Wouldn't want you dropping one on your face." His expression was completely deadpan. I couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

"I could say the same to you." I tried to pull off the same stonewall face. I doubted I did it as well as he did. Most people told me I was an open book.

Oak's jaw tightened. "Did you fuck anyone else that night?"

Judging by the crease of his brow, it had been on his mind since we talked about it outside Loams. I'd thought about it too, but it wasn't eating me up the way it seemed to be for him.

I considered taunting him for a while, not giving him a direct answer. Instead, I walked over to the stationary bike and climbed onto the seat. My legs dangled, almost reaching the pedals.

"No, I didn't," I said finally. "I left right after that."

"You remembered me." This seemed to be equally as important to him. I put it down to male ego, not wanting to think he was forgettable, even if we didn’t fuck. Of course not; who wanted to think they weren’t memorable? I didn't.

"Yes, I remembered you," I said. "I thought it was you behind the mask on the Zoom call, but I couldn't be sure. I mean, you were wearing a mask and we didn't exchange names or numbers."

I'd liked the anonymity, it was exciting. If I was honest with myself, I'd admit getting to know the men behind the masks was even more enticing. I would, of course, not be honest with myself about that. I sure as hell wouldn't tell them.

"We almost exchanged orgasms," Oak said with a nod.

"Yes, true," I agreed. "They would have been good ones too."

I considered asking why he let the other two drag him away like that. One minute, he seemed into me, the next he was stalking away as if he'd done something wrong. Or…nearly did something wrong. Why was he like that, then, when clearly he wanted to fuck me?

Like always, his face was a brick wall, not inviting questions about anything, much less that night. I'd get the truth out of him, one way or another.

I pressed a button on the display of the stationary bike and looked at the list of places I could pretend I was riding through while I exercised. Some of them, I'd never heard of. Others were exotic locations I wished I could go to. I should make a list. When this year was over, I could do some traveling, see the world. Could I convince Lyra to come with me? We could have a bunch of fun together.

"Why did you agree to this?" Oak picked up a couple of hand weights, lifting them slowly toward his muscular chest. "I know you want to save your fathers’ bar, but moving in with us? It's, I don't know…"

"Weird?" I suggested. "Unorthodox? Creepy?"

He lowered his arms. "You think we're creepy?" His gray eyes widened in surprise, maybe a hint of disappointment.

"You were the one stalking me," I pointed out.

I thought he might drop the weights and come over to throttle me. Instead he said, "I told you, I wasn't stalking you. I was watching what's mine."

"I'm not yours," I said. "And I don't see a difference." I turned off the stationary bike's display and swiveled around so I was sitting sideways on the seat.

"The difference is, I'm not a stalker," he said, as if that made any sense. "There's no law against watching someone in a public nightclub."

"I suppose that's true," I had to admit.

"Of course it is," he said continuing to do slow, mesmerizing curls. "What I don't understand is why you keep pretending you don't like it. I didn't see you refusing to come outside with me. You liked the idea. You were as down for that fuck as I was."

"It was a spur of the moment thing," I said. Why did I feel the need to defend myself? I hadn't done anything wrong.

He stopped to stare at me. "You're trying to tell me if you thought about it for long enough, you wouldn't have gone out there with me?" There was that surprised, slightly hurt look again.

"If I knew who you were, I would have given it a second thought," I said with complete honesty. "If I knew this situation was going to arise…"

What would I have done? I didn't know. I might have stayed inside the nightclub and gone on dancing. Maybe introduced myself to someone else. Or hunted down Lyra and had a few more drinks with her.

If he didn't like the answers he should stop asking questions.

"If you knew I'd end up living here, would you have talked to me in the first place?" I challenged. It was past time the proverbial shoe was on the other foot.

"One hundred percent I would have," he said. "I don't regret any of it. Except the end when those assholes interrupted us. I should have taken you somewhere more private. If I had my way, we'd still be there."