Page 75 of Hateful Lies

Chapter 36

Wyatt

Astrid spends less time in the private gym since she became the darling of the track team. Her photo is posted on the Stonehaven website with her teammates. She sits on a bench by the track, taking a break in the shade. Her lips are pouty, and her legs are long. The girl has no idea how beautiful she is.

And she needs a friend, not another person to judge her.

I check the private studios in case she might be around. Astrid is kicking the freestanding bag with a roundhouse. My eyes stay on her form in admiration. She had definition before, but it’s turned into lean muscle as her leg sweeps gracefully out and her foot makes contact with the bag. Only I would find a woman that could beat my ass sexy.

Astrid stops for a moment to wipe the sweat off her brow and when she looks up, she notices me. Instead of walking away, I walk into the room. I don’t waste time on small talk.

“You didn’t tell me about the money,” I tell her, and she looks stunned. “You should’ve told me.”

Sighing, she sits down on the mat. “I didn’t want to. I thought you would be pissed.”

“I am pissed.” I sit beside her. “You shouldn’t deal with Bryce alone.”

She looks down at her gloves. The school requires protective gear in the gym for sparring. I tap my hand against the blue pleather and smile at the way they look like an accessory and not an object of pain. She bites her lip, watching my hand, but she’s too shy to look at me. I have to change that.

“I heard you lost your last fight,” she says softly, as if I don’t want to be reminded. “And you beat up Bryce.”

I nod. “He deserved it. Did he give back your money?”

Astrid shakes her head. “I want to talk about what happened in your room, but I don’t know how to explain it.”

I shake my head. “I want to talk first. My father died suddenly when I was ten, and my mother knew nothing about the family she had married into. They took advantage of her ignorance. My uncle took over the family funds. But he didn’t have my father’s intelligence, and as a result, we don’t have the money we used to have. Long story short, I have to work. And a lot of people at Stonehaven would look down on it.” I nudge her shoulder with mine. “I don’t like it, but I get why you felt like you had to do it.”

“It’s interesting that you chose this path,” she replies. “Being a fighter.”

“Probably for the same reasons that you did,” I reply

Astrid smiles. “Where else can you earn a thousand in five minutes and get a good workout?”

I laugh. “There are plenty of other places. I’m sorry for not even trying to talk to you.”

Finally, she lifts her eyes. “I’m sorry for not talking to you. A lot of bad stuff might not have happened if I had told you the truth.”

I slip my arm around her shoulders. “Next time, you’ll tell me the truth?”

She nods.

“You still don’t look happy,” I reply.

She tries to smile. “I try to convince myself that I don’t want to be in the Investors Club, but my ego wants to join.”

“I don’t have the pull that Bryce has, but I’ll back you up, Astrid.”

“Thanks.” She smiles. “The Pit has changed a lot, and I don’t know what I can do. But I’ll talk to Grinder. Maybe we can make you another disguise.”

“Sure.” I lean in for a kiss, and Astrid lifts her lips to mine. I can taste the sweat on her lips and feel the heat on her skin. I’m getting hooked, and I know it. My father’s family didn’t approve of my mother, but that’s not a problem for me now that I’m broke. I pull back and look at her pouty lips, and her eyes are hazy as she moans. Astrid reaches up and pulls me back into another kiss. They talked about her at the table. If I had been there, I wouldn’t have wasted her time.

I pull back again. “I want you, but not here.” I smile. “I don’t want to get caught.”

Astrid smile. “You’re such a tease.”