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Eventually, after I watched most of the rejected men head toward the locker room, I couldn’t withhold the good news any longer. I should have waited until Bones had showered and changed before breaking the news, but since Frankie was doing the bad news now, it was time for positive energy.
I approached where he stood near the ring, wiping the sweat from his face with a towel, and grabbed hold of his arm. I was taken aback as electricity coursed through me where our skin connected. “Bones,” I practically whispered to him. “Can I have a moment of your time?”
“Yeah, of course.” He half smiled at me, causing the butterflies that were ramped in my gut to morph into birds.
We stood away from the rest of the men lingering or still working out, with his body a little too close to mine, and briefly, I worried that he could hear my racing heart and my ragged breath.
If he noticed I was attracted to him, would that put him off? Especially since nothing could ever happen between us, not while we were working together… if he accepted.
“I just want to say congratulations. You fought really well today.” He nodded sharply at this, not giving me any indication of where his mind was at. “Freakshow and I both agreed you’re the best choice for us. So if you would like to, we would love to offer you a contract to be part of Smiley’s. We have no doubt we can train you to dominate any fight we attend.”
“Really?” He looked at me skeptically. “Are you serious?”
It was then that it hit me just how deeply his past had scarred him. He really assumed that because of his mistake, we wouldn’t sign him despite him clearly knocking everyone else out of the park. That made my heart go out to him. I wanted to reach out and hug him, hold him close to me… but, of course, I couldn’t. Not only that, but I was not sure how helpful and comforting my tiny frame would be compared to his huge one. He was so tall, so broad, there was just so much of him.
Stop it. Keep focusing, for crying out loud.
“Of course, we would love for you to be part of our gym. We have big plans for you.”
“I don’t think so. I’m not sure me fighting for you is the best choice for anyone.”
“I do,” I countered.
He paused for a moment, looking at me, but not really focused. He seemed distracted in thought. “You seem like a nice girl. And I respected your father. So I’m going to be honest with you. I’m fucked up,” he said. “Far beyond what you can imagine. All the dark demons inside of me oozed out of the cracks and they finally became enough that I fucked up my entire life. I couldn’t keep those demons inside any longer. The cracks became too large. No matter how much training I get from you or Freakshow, I can’t be fixed.”
“I don’t want to fix you. I’m cool with your cracks.” I glanced over at Freakshow and smirked. “Look at who my business partner is, after all.”
He stared at me, studying my face. Possibly looking for sincerity? But he didn’t argue or counter my words. He simply stared at me in silence.
“So what I’m saying,” I continued. “I see potential in what Smiley’s, Freakshow as your trainer, and I can do for you. I really think we can make you the fighter you once were. I see a champion. I do.”
He gave me a heart-stopping grin and stared into my eyes for a beat too long. “If I agree to this, I come with a manager. Lotto handles everything for me. He has to be at every fight. It’s a package deal.”
I nodded. “We can work that into the contract. I don’t see that as a problem.”
“You’d have to work with him. I give him full power of the decisions.”
I nodded again. “I get it. Why don’t you speak with Lotto about this, and if you decide that you do want to come and join us, I’ll be in the office when you’re dressed. You should come sign the contract then. Bring Lotto if you want, but I won’t pressure you anymore.”
I forced myself to turn around and walk away then, before I could get too lost in his gaze. I hoped I had said enough, and that he would meet me in the office and agree.
All I could do now was wait. Wait for what I hoped would be my fighter.
Chapter 10
Bones
There was a big smile on my face as I headed toward the locker room to get dressed, no matter how hard I tried to conceal it. I was doing my best to play Mr. Tough Guy, but I couldn’t help myself. I still couldn’t believe Ari had just told me I’d been accepted to join Smiley’s and train as their headliner hopeful, and I didn’t know what to think. I hadn’t come to tryouts with the intention of being offered a contract. Honestly, I didn’t really know why I came. And now that I had actually fought well and got the offer, I wasn’t sure what to do.
