But that motherfucker didn’t know when to quit. I was on the bench press, lowering the bar toward my chest when he appeared above me. I had to complete the rep before I could tap my earphones and mute them, allowing me to hear what he had to say.

“The fuck do you want?” I didn’t sit up from the bench; I wasn’t going to move an inch. He leaned against the bar above me; the stench of his sweat was truly repulsive.

“You freaks really can’t stay away from her, can you?” he said, nodding his head toward the other side of the gym, where Jess was on the leg press. “It’s creepy, man. What are you stalking her for?”

I laughed, the sound rough with the effort to get it out at all. “I think it’s creepier that you dumped her on our property personally. And I think you should mind your goddamn business.”

“You think y’all have a chance with her? Seriously?” He shook his head as he stepped back, whipping his sweat towel at the side of the bench. “She’s fucking you because she’s bored. And when she’s done, she’ll find a real man to take care of her.”

Fuck him and his fucking bullshit bait. This was why Alex was such a bane to Lucas, because Lucas couldn’t control his temper over jabs like that. But I was in the zone. I was zen. Nodding and grinning at him, I tapped my earphones and shut him out again. He could run his mouth all he wanted, but there wasn’t a damn thing he could say that I hadn’t heard before.

Instead of making me angry, it made me excited. How goddamn original to try to attack the fact that I could take dick as well as I could give it. Alex’s preoccupation with my sexuality said far more about him than it did about me — but hell, if he was so curious, I was willing to assuage his “fears” that Jess wasn’t getting taken care of right.

About forty-five minutes later, she and I headed toward the showers at the same time. A sheen of sweat was on her forehead, her muscles shivering slightly as we walked side by side.

“You have an intense routine,” I said, and she smiled at the admiration in my voice.

“I like pushing myself,” she said. “If I’m not shaking by the end, then it wasn’t hard enough.” She glanced over at me quickly, her smile slightly mischievous.

My cock swelled, which was a fucking problem when I was about to undress in a public shower. “Careful, Jess. I can’t exactly hide a boner right now.”