I blow out breath after breath trying to keep a steady pace. I maintain a smooth rhythm as I run on the treadmill. After showering a night of sex, serious embarrassment, and partial disgust with myself off of me I'd decided to go to the hotel's gym. There was one extremely efficient way I knew how to let out my pent up stress. Running your heart out was it.

Speaking of hearts, I'm thankful no one is here right now. I've shed a number of tears during the duration of my intense workout. I didn't even realize I started to cry until I felt the wet moisture on my face. I was too into my thoughts and too into my workout to even pay attention.

I'm so confused right now about this whole situation with Jamie. I mean, yes, it seems simple enough. Friends to lovers is a simple enough concept, one that many understand. Throw in a sort of step-aunt with a step-nephew situation and that just messes things all up. I'd never thought about it quite like that until I had this morning. It's not like we were technically related but it was still a really awkward circumstance. I mean, Christ, we're practically the same age it should feel fine. But for some reason it doesn't right now.

Last night Jamie and I had had sex all night long. He had intense stamina. All of his training and working out was partially the reason for that. The other reason, the main one, is because Jamie loves sex. He loves it and he's way too good at it in my personal opinion. It's almost unfair how good he is in bed. No wonder all of those women had wanted to stick around. No matter how much of an asshat he was they'd stuck around and now I realize it was because of the dick. Not the dick in his personality either.

I think back to this morning. The way he'd had his head between my legs and the way he'd made me orgasm while singing happy birthday to him. God, I'm fucking pathetic. I'm so pathetic. I make my legs run harder as I ramp up the pace until it goes as fast as the treadmill will allow it. I can barely breathe. My limbs can barely keep up. The moment I see a familiar girl walking past the one-way window in front of me my steps falter. My balance slips as does my entire body.

"Woah woah woah there, Speedy Gonzalez." Strong arms catch me before I can face-plant on the treadmill. "Where are you trying to run to? You trying to hightail it all the way back to Boston?" I let out a small laugh before looking up into his dark brown eyes. He gives me a sincere smile before asking, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Rhoen." I answer breathlessly once he sets me on my own two feet. "Just... you know." Just saw the girl Jamie was fucking a handful of days ago and almost busted my ass. Not going to say that though. "Just trying to stay in shape. Nothing like a vigorous workout." That makes him smirk which makes me wonder if his mind went directly into the gutter like mine had.

"Indeed." Guess that answers that. "I was in here earlier this morning getting one in. I used this very machine. It didn't try to kill me though." He lets out a small laugh as do I.

"So, what're you doing here now?" That's when I eye his half-naked body realizing he's in a swimsuit. His body is perfectly sculpted. He may be thirty-six but good god he has the farthest thing from a dad-bod I have ever seen. "Going for a swim I take it?"

"Yeah, care to join?" I let out a breath because my head is whirring with a lot of confused thoughts at the moment. Half of me says no I shouldn't while the other half of me wants to say yes. Jamie and I are in a relationship now, we're doing the committed thing. So it's got to be a no.

"I can't." He places his hand on my waist and steps forward with a devilish grin. "Seriously Rhoen," I place my hand on his, taking it off my body, "I can't." His brow furrows in confusion and I'm sure that's because just a few days ago I'd let those hands explore my entire body while his tongue was down my throat.

"I thought you said you'd give me the chance to make you want to see me in Boston." He frowns a bit as he adds, "guess the age is a factor then?"

"No!" I answered that way too quickly and a bit too excitedly. "I mean, no. No it's not."

"Then what's changed?"

I sigh saying, "I know I said I'd give you a chance but things are a bit more complicated now."

"What do you mean? I don't understand." I look off to the side and place my hands on my hips. I'm not sure how to continue if I should lie or just go with the truth.

"Jamie and I-"

"Ahh, I see." He says even before I can finish. "I knew the best friend was more than just a friend." I shake my head yes not knowing how to respond. "Well, you have my number." I look up at him, "if things don't work out with the friend why don't you send me a text."

"Okay." He gives me a swift kiss on the cheek before I can even register what he's doing, "it was nice getting to know you, Amelia. Maybe I'll have the chance to get to know you better one day." He takes off leaving me staring and a bit out of breath in his wake. Rhoen is smooth, almost too smooth.

"Who the hell was that?" I hear a familiar voice say irritatedly from behind me.

"He," I turn around and eye Seth, "is none of your damn business." He was always so protective of me, just like his father. Neither of them truly related to me, like Jamie had so effectively pointed out. I had no brother. I had no father. What I had was a mother who'd gotten knocked-up and ended up shacking up with a man twice her age.

"Amelia, did something happen between this morning and now? Or are you just fuck buddies with your best friend now?" He crosses his arms over his chest as he looks me over.

"I don't know, okay? It's complicated and it's also none of your business."

"Yeah, well, you know it would've been nice for you to join us for lunch today. It is his birthday, Mel." He's scolding me like I'm a child and not a twenty-five year old woman. I hate it.

"Yeah, I'm more than aware, Seth." I grab my water bottle and take a big gulp. "How'd you even know where to find me?"

"Jamie said you'd probably be down here." Of course he did because Jamie knows me better than anyone else. "He also said you two are seeing each other now. Is that true?"

"Yes." Technically we'd agreed to be in a relationship but right about now my head is swimming with doubt.

"If you're together that qualifies as more than fuck buddies, Amelia."

"I'm aware of that too, Seth."

"Then who the hell was that." He nods to the door where Rhoen had just exited.

"That is just a guy who I met at the airport. We took the same plane here." I shrug. "He happens to be staying at the hotel."

"He also had his hands on your waist and looked like he was about to kiss you." He deadpanned.

"Okay," I blow out a small breath not wanting to continue but I do anyway, "maybe we went on a date."

"When the fuck did you have the chance to do that?"

"Seth, can you stop berating me with questions?"

"It's what brother's do."

"You're not my brother." Seth's face contorts after that.

"What'd you just say?" I know those words probably hurt. Seth had taken care of me and looked out for me while I grew up. Him calling me his sister or referring to himself as my brother is just making the Jamie situation even weirder right now though.

"I'm sorry it's just..." I pull at the end of my ponytail in agitation. "Jamie and I had a bit of an argument this morning. My relationship to him and you, since you're his stepfather, just makes it weird. That like makes me his kind of step-aunt and I just." My stomach rolls at the thought. "It's just fucking weird if you think about it."

He tilts his head from side to side, "yeah, I see what you're saying." He knows if people really thought about the two of us together it would be odd. "But it's not like the two of you are actually related or anything."

"I know, Einstein."

"So, then what's the problem? Jamie's a good kid." I eye him in disbelief. If anyone knows how wild Jamie is it's Seth and Rae. "Okay, yeah, he's a bit of a dragon but still, he's always been good to you." He's not wrong about that.

"A dragon?"

"It's what I call Raegan." I quirk a brow at him. "Jamie got all that fiery and wild personality from his mother. He's a dragon."

"He's Jamie. He's wild and crazy." He's also young and immature. He doesn't really know what he wants out of life. He wanted to move to Vegas to learn the world of business while being bathed in sin. Fuck. I don't know what I was thinking agreeing to this. "He thinks we can't be friends anymore."

"Well, considering what we stumbled upon this morning, I'd venture to say that he's right. You can't go back to being just friends after that, Amelia. You're never going to look at him the same way again." I feel my heart sink. I already knew the words he spoke were true. Hearing them out loud from the mouth of someone else had a different effect on me though. Somehow hearing it from Seth, someone I'm close to, made the situation all the more real.

"I'm scared I'm going to lose my best friend, Seth." I feel my eyes prick with tears. "I'm scared that after I leave in a few days everything is going to fall apart and I'm going to lose him."

"Come here, kiddo." He opens his arms and I can't help but hug him. "It's going to be okay. Everything will work out the way it's supposed to. Even if everything becomes a complete fucking mess you'll figure it out. You'll be okay, Mellie."

"Thank you, Seth." I cling to him even more, feeling comforted be his embrace.

"Anytime, kiddo. Anytime."