Armstrong, Kelley Beginnings

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frozen north? Taking Nick s advice when he s not around to gloat over it?
No, and if you want me to stay in a good mood, you ll leave Nick s advice where it
belongs with Nick.
Speaking of whom, I believe I heard him stirring, Jeremy said. And, if not, I m sure you
can fix that. I ll start breakfast
Why don t we let Nick sleep in, I said. I m sure he could use it. I ll make breakfast. I
turned to Logan. Come and give me a hand.
He groaned.
Fine, I ll go bug Nick then, and Jeremy can make breakfast
Logan leapt up. I ll start the bacon.
Good. You do bacon and sausages. I ll take the eggs and toast.
Kelley Armstrong Beginnings 65
And I ll try not to take this personally, Jeremy said, crossing his arms.
Nah, it s not about you, I said, grinning as squeezed past him. It s about me. I m hungry
and I want food I can eat.
I ducked his lethal glare and herded Logan toward the kitchen.
As the weekend slipped past, I found myself, for once, able to relax and enjoy it, not anxiously
watching the clock, wishing I could slow it down, stretch my time at home into infinity. I wasn t
eager to return to Toronto, but nor was I dreading going back.
The Meet officially ended Sunday, but I had Monday as well, with the long weekend. Nick
had hoped to stay, but I d wanted the time alone with Jeremy, so I d cut a deal with Nick, that
he d leave with his father Sunday night, then come back to Stonehaven in two weeks and spend
the weekend with me. That also meant I was committing to returning home in two weeks but
that prospect didn t bother me any more than the prospect of returning to Toronto on Monday
night.
Nick, Logan and I began Sunday afternoon with a workout. Within an hour, though, it was down
to me, pumping iron in the basement, alone. Nick worked out for two reasons: fighting strength
and physical appearance. With Nick, though, the second consideration always came first, and by
the thirty-minute mark, he usually figured he d done all the body-polishing he needed, but he d
Kelley Armstrong Beginnings 66
always stick around for another half-hour, lounging on the benches and talking to me before
wandering off in search of more interesting diversions.
Logan s dedication to improving his fighting strength far outweighed Nick s. It had to. As
the newest and youngest Pack member, he was the one most likely to be targeted on by mutts
looking to challenge a Pack wolf. He went to Northwestern, in Illinois, which was outside Pack
territory, so mutts considered him fair game. I d tried to help with that, but he d have none of it
and insisted on defending himself.
It was that streak of independence that usually had him fleeing the exercise room first.
When Logan had joined the Pack, Jeremy put me in charge of his physical training. Logan had
gone along with it, as he went along with everything Jeremy asked, but the moment he d
considered himself trained, he d dumped his trainer. Now, when we worked out together, I tried
to give him tips and pointers, but he always acted as if I was criticizing him. Usually by the
half-hour mark, he was stomping back upstairs, muttering that he d catch up on his workouts
back at school. That afternoon, though, he did a full workout, accepting what few tidbits of
advice I offered with a nod and the barest roll of his eyes.
I kept on for another half-hour. At school, my workouts were barely adequate I had to
pick times when no one was around to see how much I was bench-pressing, then quit if someone
interrupted my session. While I would have liked to go for another hour that afternoon, I hated
spending that much time by myself, knowing I d soon be back in Toronto and spending too much
time by myself. So after a few more reps, I grabbed my towel. When I finished wiping my eyes,
I lowered the towel to see Antonio in the doorway.
You gonna work out? I asked. I ll wipe down the machines.
He shook his head, walked in and took a seat on the leg press bench.
Kelley Armstrong Beginnings 67
What s up? I said.
A half-shrug, but the look in his eyes belied that nonchalance, boring into mine as if they
could see clear through to the other side.
So . . . how are you doing? he asked.
Fine. I grinned. Better than fine. Great. Damned near perfect.
Uh-huh.
I whipped the towel at him. Not you, too. Come on. Am I not allowed to be in a good
mood without everyone wondering what s wrong? Logan s been joking about spiked drinks all
weekend. Nick keeps giving me funny looks. Peter took me aside yesterday for a little
heart-to-heart on how lonely it can be living away from the Pack, and how tempting it can be to
start taking something to make things easier. The only person who seems happy to see me happy
is Jeremy.
I don t think there s anything wrong, Clay.
Good.
He started to say something, then leaned over, grabbed a dumbbell and started doing arm
curls. Then he grinned up at me.
Still at ninety pounds?
Yeah, yeah. And I m not going any higher for that one. I m not built the same as you.
His grin grew. Good excuse. So . . . I hear the teaching is going very well. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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