I was overreacting. But why the hell had he assumed he’d spot her? What the fuck was this bullshit?

I found a space to stretch out and lobbed my bag into the corner. There were lockers here somewhere, but I’d gotten distracted and didn’t want to go hunting around for them.

It was petty, but I said, “Am I interrupting some bonding time with good old Alex?”

“I don’t bond with him, Jason,” she said, bending at the waist to reach for her toes. Her ass looked good in those leggings. Juicy as hell. “I try to avoid him. Trust me, I wish he didn’t go here either.”

I stretched out my quads, alternating between legs. I believed her. I didn’t think she had any interest in Alex; it wasn’t her that was the problem.

“I get it, I get it,” I said, as I realized she was still staring at me, waiting for a response. “Pissed me off, I guess, him assuming you’d want him to spot you.”

Her face softened as she smiled. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”

“Nope,” I said quickly. “It’s not jealousy.” She tweaked an eyebrow at me skeptically as I clarified, “It’s determination that you are way too good for him, and him stealing a second of your time pisses me off.”

That small smile remained on her face. “Well…thank you. For saying that, and for showing up here. I didn’t want you guys to feel like you had to go to the trouble for me.”

“It’s no trouble.” Lies. “I don’t mind doing it at all.” This morning was hell. “It feels good to switch up my routine.” Nope, it felt awful.

But it was worth it. Waking up early, going to a different gym, dealing with Alex. All of it was worth it if it meant keeping her safe.

Honestly, it was worth it because it meant spending time with her.

I didn’t want to crowd her though. I knew that having someone insert themselves into my routine without any warning would be jarring and irritating as hell. After we stretched, I kept my distance, positioning myself so I could keep an eye both on her and Alex. But I was obviously distracting both of them. Alex looked suspicious, and he had every reason to be.

Lucas and I had been having a lot of discussions about how we were going to get back at him. We’d settled on a plan of attack but needed to work out a few logistics. After what Alex and his friends had done, it only made sense that he’d expect a response from us, and he’d get one.

Until then, I enjoyed the thought of him stewing in his own anticipation.