𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐓 | 𝟏𝟖+

20 | bruised ribs

I glance up at him and offer a small smile. He means well. He always means well. He's the big brother who would go to the ends of this earth to protect me from anything that could harm me, whilst allowing me to fight my own battles at the same time.

Gabriel is the only person in this world that I trust with my life.

"I know," I finally nod in agreement. "Just wanted to get up and do something."

"I've got to step out for a bit but Lonzo will be here, Jace might head over later too. So you won't be by yourself."

I dig my teeth into my bottom lip harshly. "You don't think Landon would be as stupid to try and get at me twice?"

Gabriel tries to hide his grimace but fails miserably. He's always been crap at concealing his true emotions, he's an all or nothing kind of guy. "If I'm honest, I don't know. I think he's trying to play a little game but we're not having any of it. Lonzo has a plan and we're going to get rid of him."

My eyes widen in shock at his response. "How? I thought he's like some super boss."

He tuts at my words. "Don't even try to sing his praises," he brushes off shortly. "Landon is a fucking coward and trust me when I say he's not getting away with this. But it's something that you don't need to worry about. I know you'd want to stay out of it and the less you know the better."

"Yes," I rasp and bury myself back into the covers. "I know."

Gabriel flashes me another smile, one telling me to be good. "I'll see you later. Have a good day."

Doing nothing. Yeah.

I wave him off and wait for him to leave before I take a shower and head downstairs for some breakfast. I know Harriet will be open to cooking up a storm, I'm in need of the most delicious nutrients to help my recovery.

To my surprise Lonzo is sitting at the kitchen counter with his laptop in front of him. For once he's not wearing a suit and is in clothes which could be considered loungewear. His tight white t-shirt clings to his every muscle, accentuating his biceps to make them look ridiculously big.

His gaze flicks up to me as I stroll towards him.

He always looks handsome in a shirt and trousers, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. But this look, this relaxed look–it does something to me.

Harriet immediately pours me a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and I perch myself on the stool opposite Lonzo. His eyes are still on me, they're dark but they're not as sinister as I have seen them in the past.

"How are you feeling?"

I ignore him and cut to the chase. "Can we train today?"

Lonzo tilts his head and pushes himself away from the counter, straightening his back. "Are you sure you're up for it? You haven't recovered yet. It's only been a few days."

Then he folds his arms over his chest and my eyes flick down to the building muscles and his tan skin in contrast to the white material keeping together around him. If only it would tear off that body of his.

I clear my throat and tear my eyes away from temptation. He's wearing a smirk when I meet his gaze again, he knows. Smug prick. But I shake my head. "I think it will be good to try and keep up with some training, before I forget everything I learnt."

He studies me for a long period of time and I can feel my body beginning to heat up under my oversized t-shirt and cycling shorts. Suddenly these clothes feel far too close to my body and I'm turning redder by the second.

"The doctor said you need to rest."

I roll my eyes. "I don't care what the doctor said. I just want to go over some stuff. Nothing too intense, I want to keep up with it."