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My mouth is already open with a one-liner on the tip of my tongue when I stride in the door, but the words die a quick death on my lips and morph into a groan. Instead of my oldest brother hunched over the cycle, I’m faced with the sight of Allie’s Lycra-clad butt. Holy fuck. She’s perfect, standing with her ass high off the seat and peddling hard. Each toned muscle is strained with exertion, her shoulders hunched over the handlebars, and her head dropped so low I can’t even see her face through the curtain of chestnut-brown hair. Early morning sunlight streams in through the window, bathing her in a golden glow and making her hair shine even brighter than usual. She looks like she should be on the cover of a women’s fitness magazine, the embodiment of a healthy lifestyle. Hell, maybe she has already been on one.
The earbuds are in again so she probably hasn’t heard me. And that’s a good thing because I need a moment to get my dick back under control. Seeing Allie first thing in the morning like this has put too many dirty thoughts into my head.
What the fuck is she doing here? Hunter has some explaining to do. I’ve managed to avoid her since our last argument over her lack of clothing nearly a week ago. Then she pops up here, and Allie in Lycra could be worse than the skimpy pajama shorts. I stomp my way over to the treadmill which thankfully is facing in the opposite direction. I get my own buds out and picking some hard rock tunes, I ramp up the speed and start pounding out the miles.
For twenty minutes I’m able to forget that Allie is only on the other side of the room in her figure-hugging workout wear. I slam my palm on the cool down button on the machine and slow my punishing run to a walk, then bury my face in my towel and wipe the sweat dripping from my forehead. I pushed myself harder today than I have for a long time. When my breathing has returned to normal, I stop and turn, hoping that I’ll find myself alone like most mornings. No such luck. Allie is standing watching me, her green eyes smiling in a way that peels back the corners of my moodiness that I wear like a protective layer of clothing.
I pull one earbud from my ear. “There’s no getting away from you it seems.”
“And good morning to you too, Logan,” she says with enough bite to sour my mood further.
I squirt water into my mouth from my water bottle, then swipe the back of my hand across my mouth before grumbling, “Is it good? I don’t usually consider that to be the case until at least eleven … and then only when I’ve had two shots of espresso.”
She shakes her head. “Wow, you really have become a twenty-four seven miserable grump. And here I was thinking it was just an end of day thing. I wonder what happened to make you so cynical.”
Before I can reply, Hunter appears in the doorway wearing only gym shorts.
“Good morning, Hunter,” Allie says cheerily while turning away from me to look at him.
“Good morning, Allie, nice to see you took me up on the offer to use the gym.” He briefly looks in my direction. “Logan.”
I notice I don’t get the same pleasantries from him. Instead, he stands there rubbing his hand across his bare chest and smiling at Allie like he’s Mr. Fucking Sunshine.
I glare at him. “Will you put a shirt on, bro, there’s a lady present.”
She holds up a hand. “Please don’t change your routine for me. I’m done now anyway. Thank you again for letting me use your gym, Hunter.” She walks toward the door waving her elegant, perfectly manicured hand at us. “Bye, guys.”
As soon as she’s gone, I turn to my oldest brother. “What the hell? A bit of a heads-up that Allie could be here, would have been good.” Hunter knows how unhappy I am about having Allie stay, even if it’s only temporary. He had to listen to a list of my complaints while pacing up and down his office last week.
Hunter just smiles back at me. “Allie is like family, and when I saw her downstairs yesterday I made the offer.” He shrugs dismissively. I can’t argue with him on that point. Allie and Sarah as boarders often spent weekends and the holidays with us. And even in the years since, Allie has continued to spend the Christmas holidays with my family.
“I’m just saying a little heads-up would have been good,” I grumble half-heartedly. “I’m off then. My CEO is a real asshole and likes to give me hell if I’m late.”
“Funny, I heard your CEO had a brilliant mind for business.” He smiles smugly at me. Hunter certainly doesn’t suffer from a lack of ego. Still laughing, I tell him I’ll see him in the office later.
Today I don’t feel the usual rush of endorphins from a tough workout. Instead, it’s more an uncomfortable awareness that my new roommate is living rent free in my head. Added to that is a new tempting image of her in black Lycra. Allie’s ass this morning bent over the bike is burned into my retinas. I’m an ass guy and hers is one of the finest.
***
I need to ignore her, I’m still telling myself about an hour later. My elbows are propped on my solid oak desk, and I drop my face down into my hands. I’m physically exhausted, but thankfully, the auditors are finishing up today. Like every morning for the last week, I’ve been here in my office at seven. Poring through balance sheets, double- and triple-checking every number until I feel like I’m looking through a foggy window at the figures. It’s the busiest time of the year for the finance department and as the CFO I’m responsible for ensuring we pass this damn audit.
I remove my glasses to scrub my hands roughly over my eyes and down over my freshly shaved chin before replacing them again. My eyes feel like someone has kicked sand in them and it’s only the start of the day. I haven’t been able to wear my contact lenses for a few days. Blinking several times, I refocus my gaze with a look around the room.
My office space is generous by Manhattan standards though nowhere near as large as Hunter’s newly refurbished corner office next door. Not that I’d want to swap him. I don’t need the responsibility of CEO that comes with it. I’m happy with my shuffle up the so-called corporate ladder earlier this year when I took over his old office. To me, this room is tangible evidence of my success. I don’t care if it’s not on trend like Hunter’s, it’s exactly how I want it. Simple and solid.
I drop my hands to run them along the edge of my desk. The smooth finish of the dark wood is practical and will stand the test of time. With Allie’s disruption to my home life, this might be my last remaining oasis of calm.
A loud knock on the door has me jolting upright in my high-back leather chair and before I can speak, Jason opens the door and strides in.
Jason is my cousin, work colleague, and one of my best friends. His dad and my dad are brothers and together they were the ones who built Carlson Publishing from the traditional publishing house of their father’s time into the biggest and best in Manhattan.
He takes his usual seat opposite me and leans back so far in the chair that it almost tips. I’m not surprised to see him this early because he’ll be attending this morning’s meeting with me.
“Hey, man, you look like shit,” he begins, and I don’t even have the energy to come up with an appropriate reply; besides, he’s probably right. “What’s happening?” he asks.
I take a deep breath and say on the release, “Allie.” One little name, full of meaning.
There’s no need for me to pretend to Jason that it’s work-related. He’d see it for the lie it is when he knows I love nothing better than the time-critical pressures of an audit even if I complain loudly about it. He’s also well aware of the history between Allie and me.
