I shudder as I watch him walk away, and then I turn and shove my way through the small crowd. Lincoln talked like there aren’t usually a lot of people here, but there’s easily twenty or thirty guys and a few women.

Some are working out, others are sitting at a table in the back playing poker, but mostly they’re standing around talking. The smell of sweat, stale beer, and cigarette smoke hangs heavy in the air, and when I bump into a woman, she turns and glares.

“Sorry,” I whisper, holding up my full hands so she knows I’m not a threat.

Holy shit. My heart is racing, but I feel a sliver of relief when I make it to the black door. It swings inward, and I step into a dark hallway. I follow the directions, push open the first door on the left, and stop short at the sight in front of me.

A petite woman with long blond hair is sitting on a bench. Her leg is stretched in front of her, resting on Lincoln’s lap, and she’s smiling at him as if he hung the moon. My blood runs cold when she reaches out and touches his arm.

It’s a soft touch.

A familiar touch.

“Do you think it’s broke?” she asks.

Lincoln is angled away from me, so I can’t really see what he’s doing.

“I don’t think so, but it’s going to hurt like a bitch tomorrow. That was one hell of a fall. Your ankle already looks like a damn softball.”

Lincoln does something to cause the woman to wince. “Maybe I should go the hospital and get an x-ray.”

“If you want. Or maybe give it a day or two. You’ve got a lot of swelling, and it’s already starting to bruise, but your range of motion is still pretty good.”

“I’m such a klutz.”

“You always have been.” He laughs and lifts his face, and I’d give anything to see how he’s looking at her. “You’re the only person I know who can trip over air.”

She slaps playfully at his shoulder and laughs, the sound cutting straight through me. “I’m not that bad.”

“Yeah, you are. Do you remember that time you tripped getting on the escalator at the mall?”

The woman snorts and covers her mouth. “Don’t remind me.”

“You plowed into three people trying to get up and ended up knocking over a little old lady.”

“She cussed me out.”

The easiness of their conversation makes me sick, and when Lincoln laughs warmly, I fight the urge to puke. Who is this woman, and why does she get to be here with him and I can’t?

“I know; I remember. And what about that time we were walking through Wal-Mart and you tripped and fell against the ball pit.”

“Hundreds of balls went flying.”

“That’s the only time I’ve been kicked out of a store.”

“But you’ve got to admit it was funny.”

He nods. “Hilarious.”

It’s obvious they’ve known each other for quite some time—and outside of here no less. The thought of them spending time together outside of The Barn causes my heart to race. I hate that they have this intimacy. I hate it even more that she gets to see this gentle side of him.

Lincoln fiddles with her foot and when their eyes meet, she tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “So, does this Saturday still work for you?”

“I’ll be there,” he answers. “Thank you for planning this. It means a lot to me.”

Damn it, there she goes, touching his arm again. “Like I told you before, it’s my pleasure, and I’m always here for you.”

I can’t take any more. Clearing my throat, I step farther into the room. “Am I interrupting?”

The woman’s head snaps up, her bright blue eyes wide.

Lincoln swirls around and stands, causing the woman’s foot to fall from his lap. She winces, and I fight the urge to do a little victory dance when he doesn’t pay her any further attention.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, moving toward me.

“I brought you dinner, thought you might be hungry,” I say, holding up the bag of food. “But if you’re busy, I can just leave the food and meet you at home.”

Lincoln shakes his head and reaches for me. His hand curls around my hip, and he leans in to kiss my cheek. “I’m not busy. Just a little surprised to see you.”

My eyes drift to the woman over his shoulder. She’s watching us carefully. I might be jealous that she gets to be here with him when I don’t, but I still have manners. Handing the bag to Lincoln, I step around him and hold out my hand.

“Hi, I’m Adley.”

The girl swallows. She looks a little nervous, but she takes my hand. “Rose.”

The handshake is awkward and long, and I eventually pull away. I give Lincoln my best fake smile.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve called first. I’ll head back to your place. It’s been a long day, and I could use a hot shower.”

Lincoln’s eyes widen, and he takes a step forward, blocking me from leaving. “Stay.” He looks to Rose. “Can you walk? Or I can have one of the guys come help you?”

“Oh. Umm…” Rose looks at her swollen ankle and tries to stand. She’s a little wobbly at first, but takes a few steps with relative ease. “I’m good. It’s sore and stiff, but I can make it.”

“Rest, ice, compress, and elevate,” he tells her as she hobbles past.

“Yeah, yeah.” She waves him off. “This isn’t my first rodeo, and it won’t be my last.”

Neither one of says as a word as Rose walks out of the locker room. Finally, I turn toward Lincoln, but he doesn’t look at me.

Instead he nods toward the door. “Let’s get out of the locker room.”

I follow him down the hall to a back room that looks like someone’s office. Boxes and papers are stacked up in the corner, but other than the clutter, the place is clean.

Lincoln puts the food—which I’m sure is cold by now—on the desk and sits down. He blows out a breath and rubs his hands over his face. “You know I don’t want you here.”

“Because of her?”

“No,” he scoffs. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Really? I’m being ridiculous? You go all caveman when I have a study group with some of the guys in my class, but I walk in on you and Rose alone in the locker room, and I’m ridiculous? Her foot was in your lap. You were touching her and laughing with her.”

“She twisted her ankle.” He sighs. “I was the only one she trusted to look at it.”

“Oh, I’m sure that was her excuse.”

“Stop it, Adley. You’re making a big deal out of nothing. Are you really going to get mad at me for helping someone out? Should I have left her on the floor?”

“No,” I sigh. “But who is she, Lincoln? Why is she here, and why was she looking at you like that?”

“Like what?”

Is he blind? “Like she’s in love with you.”

His head drops forward. “She’s not in love with me. Not any more.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“We have a past.”

I want to ask what kind of past, but I already know the answer, and I really don’t want to hear him say it.

Running his hand through his hair, Lincoln looks up and leans back in the chair. “We dated in high school and for a little while after.”

“For how long?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does to me.”

“Three years. We broke up because I couldn’t give her what she wanted.”

“What did she want?”

“What you and I have,” he says thoughtfully, tilting his head to the side.

My heart calms down. “Why is she here?”

“She’s Roy’s youngest daughter.”

I think back to the night Lincoln came home drunk. He stayed here and hung out with his buddies, and she gave him a ride home. Which means she was here hanging out too. “She gave you a ride home the night I showed up at your house.”

He nods. “But she wasn’t here the whole time. She showed up late, and since she was the only sober one, she gave several of us a ride.”

“So you see her a lot?”

“She’s here a lot, yes. She’s also one of Chloe’s best friends and new roommate.”

“Of course she is.” I sigh. “That’s where you were yesterday with Chloe.”

Lincoln lifts a brow. “Are you jealous?”

“Yes, I’m jealous,” I growl. “You told me I’m not allowed to come here, that it’s not safe, and then I find you in here alone with her, talking and laughing. And now I find out you two have history. So, yes, I’m jealous.”

He opens his legs and holds out his hand. “Come here.”

Sitting my purse on a chair, I walk toward him and stand between his legs. As soon as he touches me, I breathe a sigh of relief. This is what I needed. Comfort. Acceptance. To know I can come here and touch him the way he touched me in front of my friends last night. I sag against him. Lincoln tugs me onto his lap and swings my legs so they’re draped across his.

“You have nothing to be jealous of,” he says, rubbing a hand down my back. “Rose is part of my past; I can’t change that. And I can’t change that she’s one of Chloe’s best friends. But I promise you that nothing will ever happen with her. You’re all I see, Adley.”

His face is so close to mine. The scruff on his jaw has grown out, and he smells of sweat and spice. He’s sexy in his jogging pants and black T-shirt, and I wish I could erase the way I feel about Rose. It’ll be hard knowing she gets to spend time with him here, but I’m going to find a way to get over it, the same way he has to deal with the guys in my study group.

“I don’t like that she gets to come here and see you, and I don’t.”

“And I don’t like that you came here when I specifically told you not to.”

“Why?”

“You know why. We’ve talked about this. It isn’t safe. This is a horrible part of town, and a lot of the guys linger after their workouts to drink and hang out. After dark, mostly everyone in here is drunk or stoned.”

“Yeah, I know,” I mumble.

That gets his attention.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I shake my head. “Nothing, I just had a little run in with someone out front when I got here.”

Lincoln’s eyes are fierce, his jaw ticking as he works it back and forth. “Did someone touch you?”

“No.”

“Threaten you?”

Damn it, I shouldn’t have said anything. Now he’s never going to let me come back. “No. Nothing like that. It’s fine, really. He just made a comment about whether or not Rose knows I’m your girlfriend.”

Lincoln nods tightly, accepting my answer, and wraps his arms around me. “She knows.”

“Really? Are you sure about that? Because she was looking awfully cozy a few minutes ago.”

“Trust me, she knows.”

“Good.”

“I can’t control whether or not she comes here. Her dad owns the place.”

“I know. It just bothers me that she gets to be here—gets to know this side of you—and I don’t.”

“Why would you want to be here?” he asks.