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Robyn POV

I might have been lying when I said I’d seen better. I’d seen a few good-looking male bodies in my figure drawing class and lots of fit men at the dojo, but his perfectly sculpted chest was next level. I wondered what he did to keep that physique.

No, I needed to put Jack out of my mind. First of all, the guy was a total tool. Clearly, he didn’t like us, and he didn’t want us here, and he wasn’t even trying to hide it. Second of all, I didn’t have the time or the energy to be distracted by a hot body and a handsome face, especially not one that would only be in my life for such a short time.

Focus, Robyn, focus.

I sighed and flopped down on the bed. It was extremely springy and bouncy, like it had never been slept in before.

It was hard to settle down and fall asleep in a strange bed in a strange room. The house made weird noises. I could hear the hum of the central air, I could hear Phoenix moving around through the wall that separated our rooms. I could hear the muted sounds of traffic and a dog barking somewhere down the street. On top of that, the bedding smelled weird, like some kind of strong, flowery fabric softener, and the blankets weren’t heavy enough to calm my nerves.

I used to have a weighted blanket, but it had gotten lost somewhere, in one of our many moves.

All of these things were like sandpaper assaulting my senses. I reached for my phone and found my white-noise playlist. I selected my favorite Tibetan singing bowls and rain and turned up the volume until I no longer noticed the other sounds. I tried to lay still and focus on my breathing. But even with all that, it was still after 2:00 AM when I finally dropped off to sleep.

I never needed to set an alarm. My body naturally jerked me awake at six. Just once, I wished I could have a long, lazy sleep-in, but that hadn’t happened since before my dad had been murdered. With a tired sigh, I untangled myself from the bed and shuffled to the door. Just as I stepped out of my room, Phoenix was coming out of the bathroom in a billow of steam. He was wearing nothing but a towel slung loosely around his hips.

“Good morning, Robyn. You are up bright and early!” He flashed me a sexy smile, which I didn’t return. He was entirely too cheerful. I may have been awake at six in the morning, but I wasn’t friendly.

Phoenix’s bulky body blocked my path to the bathroom, so I had no choice but to look at him. He was jacked, with big, bulgy muscles and a perfectly hairless chest. He had the same gothic angel of death tattoo as his brother, but his was situated over his chest. Noticing where my eyes had landed, he flexed his pectoral muscles and grinned.

I gave him the stink eye. I bet he fancied himself god’s gift to women or something. Well, he didn’t impress me. Especially not at six in the morning, when I’d had very little sleep, and I really needed to pee.

“My mom said there is a gym in the house,” I said flatly. “Could you direct me?”

“Oh yeah. It’s in the basement. Give me a minute to get dressed and I’ll show you.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled. I finished my business in the bathroom and then went back into the room to change into my workout clothes. Nothing fancy, just a pair of bike shorts and a tank top over a sports bra. I untangled my hair and piled it on top of my head. I grabbed my favorite stainless steel water bottle and my journal and waited in the hallway for Phoenix.

He came out of his room clearly dressed for the office. He even had a tie on, which looked really ridiculous and out of place on him. The dress shirt was so tight around his biceps I wondered how he didn’t just split them any time he bent his arm at the elbow.

He gave me another friendly smile and led me down the stairs and behind the kitchen to another door which led to the basement stairs. He flicked on the lights, and I followed him into the finished underground level. There was a mini bar and lounge set up, with leather couches and a large-screen TV mounted on the wall. In the opposite direction was a glass-walled home gym. There was a variety of equipment inside, including a treadmill, stationary bike, and rowing machine, as well as a variety of free weights.

“Well, Robyn, does it meet your standards?” he asked me, and I couldn’t tell if he was truly curious or if he was making fun of me.

“It’s fine. Thanks.” He had been nice enough to show me the way, so I dug down deep and tried again. “Have a good day at work.”

He flashed me another smile, and of course, the man had dimples. Like it wasn’t enough that he had that body, he had to add the most charming smile on top of it. I was relieved when he finally left me alone in the gym. I made a notation in my journal and climbed onto the bike. I had to make some adjustments for my short legs before putting my earbuds in. I started my playlist and began to pedal through a hill course, with the resistance turned up almost to max.

Exercising my body was one of the things that kept me sane. There was so much in life I couldn’t control, but I could control my body. I could push myself harder and faster, I could lift heavier, I could add more reps. I hated it, and I loved it at the same time. I did 20 minutes on the bike before moving to my stretching routine. Then I hit the weights until my muscles trembled and begged for mercy. Finally, I moved in front of the mirrors to practice my katas.

By the time I finished, I was sweaty and exhausted—but also calm and relaxed. My racing thoughts had quieted, for the moment, and my mood was about 400% better. I almost felt human.

After putting my soiled towel in the hamper, I sprayed down the equipment with the disinfectant that was on the back table. Then I headed back upstairs to the ground floor. I pulled a hoodie over my tank top before finding my mom and the professor in the kitchen, sipping coffee and eating bowls of oatmeal.

"Good morning, sweetheart," my mother smiled at me. She was dressed for work in one of her proper secretary pantsuits, her hair styled neatly.

She looked so happy that I thought maybe it was worth enduring all this awkward discomfort.