Kyle's Return Read Free

owe you.”
    He grinned down at me. “You deserve it. Besides, we
take care of our own here. Any friend of Ryley and Gabby’s is a
friend of mine.”
    I watched him walk through the gym and stick to the
shadows at the back, keeping his gaze on Kyle. He studied him for a
few and then nodded at me before disappearing out the back door.
Kyle was the only one left in the gym.
    “You need to work your legs more,” I called out.
    Kyle had his back to me and froze. “I am.”
    Rolling my eyes, I stalked toward him. “No, you’re
not. They’re your weakest links right now. Go deeper with your
squats.”
    He set down his weight. “Are you trying to provoke
me?”
    For once, I wasn’t. “No, I was just noticing the way
you were doing your squats. You’d have a much better turnout if you
go deeper. I assume they aren’t as strong as they used to be.”
    “No shit,” he growled.
    “Don’t no shit me,” I snapped. “I’m trying to help.
But if you want to feel sorry for yourself and half-ass your work
out that’s on you. You’re not going to get back into the ring doing
it like that.” I started to walk off, but he held out his arm,
stopping me.
    “All right, I shouldn’t have bitched at you. And
you’re right, I am half-assing it.”
    Picking up a twenty pound weight, I sat down into a
squat, and then another. “I tell you what. Every time I do a squat,
you do one. Surely you can keep up with me, right?”
    A sly smile spread across his face and he picked his
weight back up. “Okay, love. Let’s see what you got.”
    For the next fifteen minutes, my legs were on fire.
Sweat broke out over Kyle’s brow, yet he kept going, even when his
legs started shaking. Before long, I collapsed onto the mat and so
did he, both breathing hard.
    “Holy hell, my legs are on fire,” I laughed, looking
over at him.
    He grimaced. “Mine are too.”
    “What was it like not being able to feel them? I
can’t imagine how scary that must’ve been.”
    He slowly got to his feet and wiped his brow with a
towel, snorting. “If I knew you were really interested, I’d tell
you. The last thing I want is your pity.”
    “Is that what you think this is?” I asked
incredulously.
    He shrugged. “Fuck if I know. That’s all I’ve gotten
for the past two years. For all I know you’re probably just
screwing around with me as a joke.”
    “Yeah, because I want to sit here and help you after
hours when I could be at home,” I scoffed, getting up and marching
away. “I guess I know not to waste my time ever again.” Grabbing my
phone and bag off the desk, I turned and pointed to the door.
    “Megan, I . . .”
    “Save it. The gym’s closed. Please see yourself out
so I can go home.”
    Nodding, he picked up his bag and slowly made his way
to the door. “Thank you for helping me tonight.”
    I turned my head away. “Mmm-hmm.”
    As soon as the door shut, I rushed over and locked
it. If anyone was trying to play a joke, it had to be him. Someone
as evil as Kyle Andrews couldn’t come back from the shit he’d done
and be fully changed. It just wasn’t possible.
    ***

 

     
    I HAD COME to the realization I wasn’t going to
belong in Vegas. So far Megan was the only one who actually talked
to me like I was a real person. Why? I have no fucking clue. Tyler
ignored me for the most part, which was actually a good sign.
    Maybe there was hope for Kacey and me to mend our
relationship. If not, I was packing my shit up and moving across
the country. Without Kacey’s forgiveness, there was nothing for me
in Sin City. Even my own mother disowned me when I stopped
supplying her with funds. I often wondered if Kacey would’ve helped
me if she knew I was alone. I was about to find out.
    Some would call it stalkerish, but I liked to think
of it as determination. I’d been in the parking lot of her
restaurant for three hours, not knowing when or if she’d show up. I
didn’t want to confront her with Tyler around. Thankfully, she
showed