The Fighter Duet: Two Full-Length, Red-Hot New Adult Fighter Romances (8 page)

“Someone your size could never fight off a guy like that.” I answered without thinking, and I could see her disappointment. “You could try, but you’re better off carrying mace or pepper spray.”

Her pale pink lips pressed together, and I wondered if they were as soft as they looked. “Would you still teach me? I could meet you in the mornings, before everyone gets here. Like we did today?”

I wanted that more than anything. “I don’t think so. Sorry.”

Those lips lifted at the corners, and the sly look in her eye slayed me. Ironic. “Well, I’ll be here in the morning doing my regular workout. Maybe I’ll see you.”

I didn’t answer. I could only watch as she pushed through the door and made her way to a shiny new Honda in the parking lot.

As sure as I was standing, I’d be here in the morning.

R
olling onto my side
, I tried to focus on the flickering television,
not
Slayde Bennett. All day I’d done my best to avoid him, but like little rebels, my eyes found his whenever my thoughts drifted. Twice they’d met in the gym, and both times my chest clenched like some silly teenager with a crush.

I would
not
let myself fantasize about him this morning, dripping with sex as he hit the heavy bag like a pro, and I would definitely not let my stubborn brain remember him struggling for control after flattening the asshole who’d attacked me on the beach.

With a shudder, I thanked everything I could think of for helping me escape that costly mistake. The flash of what almost happened to me sent a roll of nausea through my stomach, yet the feeling of Slayde’s presence, how he handled all of it, covered me in calming warmth.

I closed my eyes and pictured his slim, muscular body, his clear blue eyes and dark brown hair, the faintest hint of a beard along his square jaw, and that line in the center of his chin.
Too much!

Flipping onto my stomach, I reached for the remote just as my phone started going off. The picture told me it was Mariska, and I scooped it up hoping for any kind of distraction.

“Did you ask him?” Her voice was breathless with excitement.

Mine by contrast was not. “Yes.”

“And?”

“He said no.” A brief frown touched my lips as I remembered his refusal to train me.

“What? I don’t believe it. I’m telling you, he was checking you out all day.”

A tingle moved through my stomach, but I dismissed it. I’d talked to him, after all, and he was not interested in me. “He only looked at me once, and he was frowning.”

“That was because Darla tried to seduce him.” The sound of Mariska walking through her apartment filled my ear. “She’s such a cougar. I’m pretty sure I saw her lick her lips when he unloaded those weights.”

“I’m sure she did.” Chewing my bottom lip, I told myself I didn’t care if a sexy gym member made passes at him. It wasn’t my business.

It was a lie.

“I bet she loaded those weights herself just so she could pretend she needed help taking them off.”

That made me laugh. “He is amazingly ripped.”

“And that ink! What do you think he’s hiding under that shirt? A map to buried treasure?”

“Hidden treasure.”

“I knew it!” My friend squeal-laughed. “You’re into him. Are you going in the morning?”

“Of course. It’s my daily routine. I don’t plan to change just because he might be there.”
If only he might be there
.

I dismissed the stubborn thoughts in my head. While Saturday made me believe I was ready to venture into the dating waters, Tuesday verified I only made bad choices when it came to men. Even if Slayde Bennett had saved me, everything he did demonstrated his still waters hid some seriously deep shit, and it wasn’t anything he wanted to share.

When she spoke again, Mariska’s voice was serious. “Are you okay… otherwise? Since Tuesday, I mean?”

Inhaling a cleansing breath, I answered truthfully. “I think so.” I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “I mean, yesterday was hard. I’m still a little shook up, but I’m okay. I’m not hurt. It was a really close call, and I’m so thankful it wasn’t worse. But I’m okay.”

“Oh, god, Ken, I’m so sorry I left you alone.” She sounded near tears. “Can you ever forgive me?”

Pressing my eyes closed, I pushed back against self-pity. “You didn’t leave me alone, you were talking to Pete. I was the dumbass who left the bar with a total stranger. You’d think it was my first time out!”

“He seemed like a nice guy.”

Reflecting back, I remembered the signs I’d ignored. “He really wasn’t, but I was too drunk to pay attention. Or something.”

The one other time I’d been too drunk, I’d been lucky. Patrick was a great guy, and Lane was a surprise gift that I cherished so much. Tuesday, luck wasn’t on my side, and the message was I needed to grow up. Now.

“It was amazing Slayde was there, that he saved you like that.”

Thinking of him on the beach in the moonlight, that warmth stirred again in my chest. It was immediately replaced by humiliation. “Oh, god, I could die!” Pressing hand over my eyes, I fell back on the couch cringing. “I called him Batman. Then I asked him to show me his
moves
… I’m such an idiot!”

She struggled against her laughter. “You are not! It was sort of dark knight-ish the way he showed up and then ran off, and he does have moves. Hot and sexy ones.”

“I won’t blame him if he gives his two-weeks’ notice tomorrow. Between you doing sign language at him and me gushing all over him, he probably thinks we’re all nuts.”

She hummed. “I doubt it. You just let me know if anything happens in the morning.”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

We said goodnight, and I dropped the phone. Thinking about what I’d said and talking to Slayde after work, a shy grin pulled at the corners of my mouth. I could feel the pink on my cheeks, and I dropped the remote on the couch cushion, going to the bathroom to clean up and get ready for sleep.

* * *

M
y shoulders fell
when I pulled into the Jungle Gym parking lot at seven. Not a single car or truck was there. I fought against the pout pulling my bottom lip and went inside, snatching my key out of my cubby and heading toward the small boxing room in the back.

He said he wouldn’t train me. Why did I doubt his words? Besides, he probably had women lined up all over the place. He’d probably gone home with Darla last night and screwed her brains out.

The thought pissed me off. I jerked the gel gloves over my knuckles and stomped toward the hanging bag. When I got to it, I pulled back and hit it as hard as I could. Letting out a little growl, I hit it again with my other hand. Then I hit it harder. I hopped up and down, but I didn’t care about form. I just wanted to hit something. I pulled my fists back and hammered them one after the other against that stupid bag, letting out all the frustration I was feeling.

My long ponytail flipped around with every strike, getting caught in my arms. With another growl I stepped back and planted a roundhouse kick to the bag followed by a hard left jab. Then I did a fast combination.

I stepped back and jerked a glove off with my teeth. Then I blinked, and my stomach jumped. Slayde was in the doorway, leaning against it, watching me intently.

Catching my breath, I took a step back. “I-I didn’t think you were coming.”

He shrugged and pushed himself upright. “This is when I normally come in.”

Of course it was. He always left early, which clearly meant he came in early. I was a self-centered little twit to think it had anything to do with me.

Still, he took a step in my direction. “Your speed and power are good, but your form is a mess.”

“I wasn’t really worried about form.”

“You should always worry about form.” His brow lowered. “How you practice is how you’ll fight.”

I couldn’t help a tiny smile at that. “But I’m not going to fight, remember? I’m going to carry mace or pepper spray.”

“And if he takes it from you? What then?” His blue eyes were so intense, I had to blink down.

“Hope for Batman?” My voice was soft, and I noticed his stance change.

He took a few steps toward the bag. “Batman’s a myth. I’ll show you how to throw a punch, but don’t get overconfident. The best defense is to stay alert and make smart choices.”

The pink was back on my cheeks, I was sure of it. Dumb choices were the reason I’d been on that beach Tuesday night, and I wasn’t about to forget it.

“Okay,” I said, taking a step toward him. “What do I do?”

“First, let me see how you hit.” He motioned, and I went to where he stood. “Stand in front of me and throw a punch.”

The heat of his body was like fire at my back. I tried to hide my rapid breathing, but I was sure he could hear my heartbeat thundering in my chest. It took a minute to remember what I was supposed to be doing.

“A right jab.” I moved my arm forward in slow motion.

“First off, you need to back up.” He stepped back, and when he touched my waist, I bit my lip to hold in a noise. “You should be more than arm’s length away. If you’re too close, you don’t have any mobility.”

“Okay,” I said, clearing my throat.
Get a grip, Kenny.

“You okay?” His voice had changed, and I glanced over my shoulder. Blue eyes hit me like a fist, and I blinked away fast. “Yeah. I was thinking I should’ve known that.”

“It’s a common error with beginners. I mean… It’s not like you’re born knowing these things.”

He sounded apologetic for calling me out. Which would be ridiculous—I
was
a beginner. I was also acting like a gooney teenager again.

With a deep breath, I straightened up. I’d show him what I could do. “Okay. So I’m out here, away from the bag. Now what?”

He seemed to relax a bit as well. “Give it a hit.”

Shooting my fist out, I hit the bag as hard as I could.

“Okay.” His voice was commanding, but gentle. “You want to strike with your first two knuckles. Drop your wrist just a bit so they align with your forearm. That way you won’t hurt yourself. Now try it again. Right, left.”

I dropped my wrist and punched again,
right-left
, following his direction, doing a little bounce without thinking.

“Good. Perfect.” Hearing the smile in his voice sent a flood of…
pride?
through my stomach.
Shake it off.

“Now the other thing.” He touched my elbows, and I jumped. “Sorry.” He was quick to back up.

“No,” I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I was just—I didn’t expect you to… What were you going to say?”

This time he didn’t touch me, and I was sad. “You need to keep your elbows tighter. You’re fanning them up, like wings.”

“Okay.” I clutched my elbows to my ribs.

“And you need to keep your chin tucked, like this.” He stepped around so that he was facing me, lowering his chin so his blue eyes lasered into mine from under his furrowed brow. My stomach flipped.

“Like this?” I turned my face so my chin was pressed into the hollow of my shoulder, my eyes almost unbearably clashing with his under my lowered brow.

His throat moved, and it was almost as if
he
looked away this time. “That’s right. Now see how it feels to strike that way.”

I felt like Frankenstein moving my body stiffly towards the bag, elbows and chin tucked tightly down. Then I shot a fist forward, and he laughed. I’d never heard him laugh before. It sounded so good, low and ringing.

“You’ve got to loosen up some.”

Dropping my hands, I turned to face him, my face relaxing with my smile. “That’s a lot to remember all at once.”

He looked down, and I so wanted to run the tip of my finger down that line in the center of his chin.

“You’re right,” he said, those damn sexy dimples peeking out. “You don’t have to do it all now. Next time you train, keep it in mind and practice.”

“Okay.” I pushed my ponytail back over my shoulder. “And I’ll braid and loop this so it’s out of the way.”

His lips parted, and for a moment he hesitated. Then for whatever reason, he said what he was thinking. “I like your hair. It’s pretty.”

I fought the fire blazing in my cheeks. “Thanks. And thanks for helping me. I know you didn’t really want to—”

“It wasn’t that.” He retreated to the door. I could see the invisible wall going back up, and I hated it. Yet, it was something I understood so well. “I don’t mind giving you some tips.”

“Well… Whatever you did, it really helped me. Thanks.”

He blinked and waved. “I gotta get to work. Take it easy.”

With that, he was gone, and the entire room felt empty without him. My arms dropped, and I stared at the space where he’d been. He thought my hair was pretty. I grinned like an idiot and pulled my troublesome ponytail over my shoulder.

“What is your story, Slayde Bennett?” I whispered. “Could you be just as scarred as I am?”