Among the Heather (The Highlands, #2)

And the gym.

With that thought in mind, I threw some gym clothes and a towel into a bag and made my way downstairs to a side exit. One of my favorite things about this place was the state-of-the-art gym. It was housed in a larch-clad building a five-minute walk from the castle. Next to it was a spa and salon, and I contemplated walking in after my workout to see if they had a spot open for a massage. Might as well take advantage of everything I could at the club, because if my career didn’t pick up, I might not be able to afford to stay. Which would be a crying shame since I’d already dropped forty grand just on the club joining fee. From there I paid a smaller annual fee, but I also paid for my accommodation, like I would at a hotel. The annual fee covered the exclusivity, privacy, security, food, drink, and all the facilities but not accommodation fees. Though Lachlan had authorized to give me a discount for my prolonged stay, it was still costing me a fortune to live at the castle.

This was why some members had purchased property on the estate. I’d thought it a ludicrous idea, considering we wouldn’t even own the land our home was on, but I hadn’t expected to need a safe haven.

I poured all my worries into working out. One of the gym’s personal trainers spotted me while I did some weight training first. If this scandal did eventually blow over, I wanted to be in peak condition for the next job. That’s the mindset I needed to have. Things were going to turn around for me. There was no other option.

Moving on from the weights, I did a ten-minute sprint on the rower, then moved on to the running machine. My eyes were on the TV screen above me, watching what seemed to be a replay of last November’s game between Celtic and Motherwell. Growing up in Falkirk, I was loyal to my home team, but they didn’t play in the Scottish Premiership. They were League One. Celtic was my team in the premiership. Nostalgia hit as I watched them. It had been years since I’d paid any attention to the sport, and yet as a young lad, I’d dreamed of being the next Ronaldinho.

“I don’t understand the fascination with soccer.”

I startled, catching myself before I faltered on the treadmill as I looked to my left. A young woman I hadn’t even been aware of getting on the machine next to me gave me a cheeky smile. I flashed her a grin. “It’s called football.”

Despite her large brown eyes and smaller build, she looked too much like Aria Howard not to be related. Her dark hair swung in a ponytail as she ran alongside me. “Soccer, football, tomato, tomahto. I liked your TV show,” she announced abruptly and with familiarity. As if we knew each other. “It’s absolute bullshit what the industry is putting you through. We’ve all turned into spineless assholes, afraid to stand up for each other in case we get canceled too.” Her eyes widened. “Not that you’ve been canceled.”

Though her words stung, her friendly rambling amused me. “I might have been canceled.” I returned my attention to the television. Sweat slid down my back beneath my shirt, and I welcomed the burn in my thighs and calves. “You don’t believe I killed a man?”

“I don’t know, did you?”

I cut her a dark look. “I didn’t.”

“Yeah, despite being scarily good at the sociopath role, you don’t look the type.”

I snorted.

“I’m Allegra Howard, by the way.”

“Aria’s sister?”

“The very one. You wouldn’t know it since she’s a sexy badass and I’m … me … but yeah, she’s my big sister.”

Hearing the pride in her voice, I wondered at the differences between them. Perhaps it was Allegra’s youth, but she seemed a lot warmer and friendlier than her sister. “Just visiting, then?”

She nodded as she jogged at a far more sedate pace than me. “Taking a break to figure things out, you know.”

“Oh aye, more than I’d like to.”

Understanding crossed her pretty features. “It’ll get better,” she promised me. “You’re too talented for this shit to last long.”

She was very different from her sister. “Thanks.”

“I only speak the truth.” Allegra beamed. “Even when you were in—”

“Ally!”

Both of us looked sharply toward the voice that cut through the gym. My already pounding heart seemed to race a little harder at the sight of Aria strutting across the quiet space toward us. I hit the speed button on the treadmill and slowed to a stop as the woman approached.

Every day she wore a calf-length tight skirt with a shirt tucked into it. The skirt accentuated the voluptuous curves of her hips and fantastic arse, while her shirt buttons always seemed to strain a little across her impressive tits. If her body wasn’t appealing enough, she genuinely had one of the most beautiful faces I’d ever seen.

Now, I liked to think I wasn’t a shallow man. Aye, all my previous girlfriends would be considered conventionally pretty. But I’d been attracted to their personalities too.

This attraction to Aria Howard was driving me crazy because she was a termagant shrew.

Case in point: glaring at me ferociously as she stopped in front of our machines. Like I was contaminating her precious baby sister just by being near her.

“She’s nineteen,” Aria seethed.

Hot indignation boiled my blood. “Meaning?”

“You know what I mean.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“For fear of being kicked out, I’m going to refrain from telling you to do something to yourself. I’ll give you a hint, though, it’s not ‘go luck yourself,’ but close.”

Allegra choked on a shocked snort.

Aria’s gorgeous eyes narrowed. “Say it for real,” she taunted. “Go on. I dare you.”

“Oh, whoa, okay.” Allegra stopped her machine and jumped off. “I started talking to him, Ari. Talking. That’s it.”

Aria cut her an impatient look before turning back to me. “I’m here at your disposal, Mr. Hunter.” Her tone suggested the complete opposite. “What exactly is it you really want to say to me?”

What the hell was this woman’s problem? Yes, okay, I had been offensive when she came into my suite when I was drunk, but I assumed her punching me in the balls had cleared the air between us. But no. She was still being a harpy every chance she got. “I wonder, do you treat all the members to this delightfully caustic attitude?”

Uneasiness flickered over her face as she dropped her arms and straightened. “I am just protecting my sister, Mr. Hunter.”

“From me?”

I saw the moment she remembered I’d helped save her friend from that arsehole Byron Hoffman. Something like shame glimmered in her eyes, but it was gone in an instant as she tilted her chin in defiance. “She’s my little sister.”

Like that excused her behavior. “Was it your little sister when my guitar arrived?”

“Well, I—”

“Or when we met? Or all the times in between when you’ve treated me like shite on your shoe?”

“I do not.” Aria glared up at me. “You’re just sensitive.”