Chapter Thirteen
Bobby spent the first two days of her family’s visit in near silence, when he was home at all. This seemed to suit Frank, and he was more cheerful than usual around her fiancé. By Monday, Maya was relieved when he went back to work. To her surprise, Patty and Frank decided to spend the day sightseeing alone and left the two sisters on their own.
Around six in the evening, Carly threw herself down on the couch. “I’m bored.”
“We could go to a movie.”
“Eh.” Carly shrugged. “What do you normally do?”
Maya scrunched her brows together as she tried to remember the last time she had done anything on a Monday. “Well, I normally work until nine-thirty. When I get home, Bobby and I go to the gym.”
Carly’s blue eyes sparkled, and she leaned forward so quickly her short, auburn, pixie-cut flipped up.
“Cool. Let’s go.”
“You don’t have a membership.”
She lifted a shoulder. “I’ll pay for a guest pass. I’ve been dying to work out.”
“There’s a small gym downstairs.”
“No pool, and the machines suck.”
“That’s why we pay for a membership.” She got up from her perch on the loveseat. “All right. I am stiff.”
She stretched reflexively. “I remember when I couldn’t drag you away from your computer or video games.”
A rueful smile curved Carly’s lips. “That was me. No argument there.”
“Did you bring you workout clothes?”
She shook her head. “Can I borrow something?”
“I don’t know if I have anything that will fit you since you’ve gotten so skinny.” Maya bit back a grin at her sister’s blissful smile. She liked to praise Carly’s accomplishment whenever the opportunity arose.
They rummaged through the closet, and then took a taxi to the gym since Bobby had the SRX. Once inside, Maya watched with amusement as her sister flirted shamelessly. She left Carly to her activities to do her workout. When Carly finally joined her, she made Maya exhausted as she watched. It was a relief when they were finally on their way out.
Until they ran into Roarke. Carly had her head turned to watch a guy as he pumped iron, and she ran right into a solid male body. She turned with a giggle. “I’m so sorry.”
“No problem. Maya?” Roarke’s eyes scanned her body in the form-fitting Lycra pants and bra-top. Why was she even sexier in the workout clothes than the teddy he had bought her?
She tried to suppress the excited quiver in her stomach as she smiled at Roarke. “Hi.”
Carly’s man-eater grin was in full force as she batted her eyelashes up at Roarke—not too far, Maya noted with a grimace. Unlike her, Carly was tall. Her head came to his shoulder. The perfect level for them to kiss. Her mouth twisted at the thought, and she tried to ignore the twinge of jealousy while she watched her sister focus her charms on Roarke.
“You know each other?” Carly had positioned herself just a few inches from Roarke after they collided.
“Roarke owns the studio shooting Bobby’s movie.”
Roarke held out his hand. “You must be Maya’s sister.”
Carly grasped his hand. “I’m Carly, the baby of the family.”
He cleared his throat as she stroked her fingers across his palm. Roarke’s eyes skimmed over her lithe figure in the shorty-shorts and t-shirt, knotted under her full breasts. “Could have fooled me.” He disentangled his hand while he looked at Maya from the corner of his eyes just in time to catch her pouty frown.
Maya winced at her sister’s girlish giggle. She sounded so fake and idiotic. Surely, men didn’t really fall for that routine. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Roarke’s smile widen.
“You’re so sweet.” Carly angled a bit closer to him. “Your wife must just adore you.”
A blush crept into Roarke’s cheeks, and his eyes locked with Maya’s. “I’m not married.”
“Your girlfriend…” Carly trailed off and blinked rapidly at him as she twined a short auburn strand around her long finger.
Maya glowered at the two of them as they made themselves spectacles. Roarke was much too old for her sister, and Carly shouldn’t flirt with every man she met.
“I-I’m not seeing anyone.” Roarke cleared his throat and bit back the urge to chuckle when he saw Maya’s frown turn down farther.
“Really?” Carly hooked her arm through Roarke’s. “Why don’t you come with us to the Juice Hut, and we’ll all commiserate our single status together?”
“Maya’s not single.”
Carly shrugged and leaned closer. In a pseudo-whisper, she said, “She should be.”
He didn’t even bother to refute her statement. “I really can’t, but thanks.” If Maya got any angrier, her eyes might pop out of their sockets. As fun as it was to tease a response from her, Roarke didn’t want to hurt her or make her angry with her sister. Carly’s lower lip, glossed in bright coral, protruded. “Why not?”
“I haven’t worked out yet.”
She trailed a finger down his well-defined arm. “With muscles like these, you can afford to skip one session.”
Gently, Roarke pulled his arm from hers. “Not if I want to stay looking like this.”
She heaved a sigh before she turned to Maya. “Well, I hope my sister has your number, because I need someone to show me around.”
Roarke’s expression was serious. “I’m not the right guy for that.”
Carly studied him for a moment, and then nodded. She lost her flirty expression, and her spine straightened. “Your loss.”
He laughed at her confident tone. “I don’t doubt it.” But my heart belongs to someone else. He left the words unuttered but couldn’t resist one last look at Maya before he headed to the locker room. The only logical explanation for her anger was jealousy. He frowned as he ran up the stairs. Unless she was afraid he would try to play his game with Carly, and she wanted to protect her. He sighed as he pushed open the locker room door. He knew he still didn’t have her figured out.