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Willow arched a brow. “Yes, Jessica. Tell Kayden why you weren’t there.”
Oh my God, this woman. I liked Willow, truly I did, but she was sticking her nose in where I didn’t need it.
With a sigh, I said, “I just needed the extra sleep, that’s all.”
“Jessica might be struggling with PTSD,” Willow said.
“Iwhat?” Okay, that was going too far. I mean, sure, I sometimes had painful memories and the occasional nightmare of everything that had happened last year, but I wasn’ttraumatizedby it. I was a big girl who could handle the realities of our world. I had to rein it in. I didn’t want to give off the impression that I couldn’t handle this job and wasn’t the right person for it.
“Kayden, I’m fine,” I assured her, all traces of my panic gone now.
Unfortunately, Kayden wasn’t buying it. “Why does Willow think something’s wrong, then?” She narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, her face filling the whole screen. “Your eyes are too wide. That’s a clear sign you’re freaked out about something.”
“I swear I’m not.” Except she saw too much. I was freaked out about Garrett, and now I was freaked out that they would think I couldn’t handle watching a challenge go down. “I have this totally under control. I’m doing my job, and I just wanted to talk to Willow about the competition on Monday. I don’t know why she thinks I’m traumatized.”
I took a deep breath, trying to keep my cool. The last thing I wanted was to come across as panicky or unhinged. I smiled at Kayden and Willow. “Thank you both for your concern, but I’ve got this.”
Kayden nodded. “I believe you.” But the look in her eyes made me think she was on to me. Not necessarily the specifics about what happened between Garrett and me, but just that I was keeping something from her.
I appreciated that she got the message and wasn’t pushing me for more details in front of Willow. I wasn’t sure I was off the hook, though.
“Okay, so Willow,” I said, taking charge once more, proving that I was perfectly capable of handling my job. “Can we meet tomorrow to go over the final details of the competition?”
“Sure,” she replied, thankfully letting the issue drop now that Kayden had. “How about over lunch?”
“Perfect. See you then.”
I ended the call then left my office, needing a change of scenery. On the way to my suite, I decided I’d take a trip to the gym. I’d been going fairly regularly since I’d taken the position of council coordinator, and I’d actually come to enjoy working out, something that took me by surprise.
During the first Contention, I’d been more than a little out of shape, barely able to make it through a jog on the treadmill without feeling lightheaded and nauseous. Exercise had never been fun for me. But now that I was here at the estate, with access to top of the line equipment round the clock, I’d made use of it. While I wasn’t a gym rat by any stretch of the imagination, working out was coming easier to me, and I was seeing more muscle definition than I’d ever had in my life.
In my room, I changed into a workout skirt and a cropped halter over a heavy-duty sports bra required to keep my breasts from bouncing all over the place. A glance in the mirror showed after-effects of not getting enough sleep, so I took a minute to wash my face and apply a serum that immediately brightened my complexion. I tied my hair into a high ponytail and headed to the gym.
It was later in the morning, but the gym was still pretty full of soldiers and enforcers working on their muscles. None of the contestants were here, and I was the only woman working out, which garnered me a bit more attention than I was used to.
I smiled politely at those I passed as I chose a treadmill, but I wasn’t really in the mood for idle chatter. I needed to push my body until there was no room for me to agonize over what was going on between Garrett and me. Putting in my noise-canceling headphones, I cranked the volume up on a fast-paced playlist, then got to work.
I eased into the jog, warming my body up, then paused the treadmill to do some stretches. The trainers, Kyle and Dalton, who were almost always present in the gym, had taught me how to properly prepare my muscles for a workout, and I’d learned a thing or two over the past six months.
As I stretched my hamstrings, I glanced up to find that many of the soldiers in the gym kept glancing my way. Was it because I was the only female in here? It was strange, but not quite uncomfortable. I’d never been one to attract a lot of attention from men, but I wasn’t imagining things. Some of them were checking me out.
Blinking at the realization, I paused in my stretches. There wasn’t really anything different about me than there had been before, was there? My body was a bit more toned, and the muscle definition gave me a nice shape, but I hadn’t lost a bunch of weight or anything. My curves were just as ample as ever.
What was it then? As I hopped back on the treadmill, I noticed the new soldier looking my way. What was his name again? I thought it was Ryker, but I honestly hadn’t paid much attention since he’d arrived. To say I’d had my hands full was an understatement.
When we made eye contact, he smiled. Not knowing what else to do, I returned his smile, but I quickly ducked my head, focusing on keeping my breathing steady as I picked up the pace. Slowly, I continued increasing my speed, wanting to block out all my thoughts about Garrett and that kiss.
At first, it worked, but before long, thoughts of his golden hair, his sky blue eyes, and that half-grin he had when he was being flirty crept back into my mind. I growled, irritated that I couldn’t shove him out of my mind. Turning the speed even higher, I pounded away on the treadmill, pushing my body to its limits.
A tap on my shoulder had me gasping in shock. I glanced back to see Ryker behind me. Quickly, I slowed my speed and removed my headphones.
“Oh, hey. What’s up, Ryker?”
He gave me a smile that was quite a bit friendlier then said, “You okay? You look like you’re punishing that treadmill for something.”
I laughed. “Just working off some tension.”
He grinned. “Clearly. Is everything all right?”
