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“I hear ya,” Jig said.
“It’s gonna end in war. You know that, right?”
With a nod, Jig shoved Zach toward the door. “Go to your woman. We’ll figure it out.”
As he passed her, Zach dropped a kiss on Izzy’s cheek. “You’re the best, Iz.” Then he whispered, “This’ll fuck his head up. Take care of my boy tonight.”
The request went beyond simple friendship. It brought her into the family and firmed her connection to the club. Despite knowing she was setting herself up for disaster, there was only one answer in her head. She nodded. “I’ll check in on Toni tomorrow.”
Without even an ounce of hesitation, no thought necessary, Zach’s brothers did what needed to be done. Rushed right to his side with unconditional support and love. It was a novel thing for Izzy to witness, and something she didn’t trust. But it wasn’t the first time she’d seen it. They’d done the same when she was injured. That kind of support scared the shit out of her because it was the kind people came to rely on. The kind that drew a person in. And the kind that would leave a person shattered and broken once it disappeared.
Once Zach and Screw were gone, the gym fell into an uncomfortable silence. Jig’s expression had hardened and an iciness reflected in his eyes. Posture stiff, he stood staring off into space, probably lost in the horrors of the past. Did he want her ass gone so he could deal with his shit on his own? Probably. But if he was anything like her, and she was starting to think he was, at least in this regard, he needed something else to release the pressure. And the one thing that opened the valve for her was fighting. Learning to read his moods and expressions was frightening on an emotional level, but valuable if she was going to help him.
“Come on,” she said, grabbing him by the sleeve as she headed for the boxing ring in the far corner of the gym.
“What the fuck? What are you doing Izzy?” Jig resisted, but she tugged harder, and he relented. When they reached the ring, she climbed in and motioned for him to follow.
“This isn’t the time for this, Izzy. We gotta clean and shut the place down for Zach.”
Planting her hands on her hips, she gave him her best don’t-fuck-with-me look. “Get your ass in the ring, Jigsaw. You need to work this shit out of your head so you can be there for your brothers.” Witnessing how they supported each other, she had a feeling that would get to him.
Sure enough…
He bent his head side to side, cracking his neck. “Fuck it,” he muttered and climbed into the ring. “What exactly are we doing here?”
Izzy shot him a grin and bounced on the balls of her feet. “Let’s see if you can take me on. For real. No boxing, just grappling.” It was stupid. He had six inches and sixty pounds of muscle on her, but she wanted, no needed, to go all out.
His hands landed on his hips, and he gave her a glare that would make a lesser woman run screaming. By now, he should know it took a fuckuva lot more than a little eye-murder to scare her.
Biting her lip to hide the evil grin, she charged. Jig was taken completely off guard, probably the only reason she’d been able to take him to the ground so effortlessly. They hit the mat with a thud, and she moved fast, straddling his waist and pinning his arms above his head.
With a raised eyebrow, she laughed. “That was pretty damn easy, Jig. Maybe you need to think about upping your training.”
She almost fell off him when he burst out laughing. It was the biggest, most unfiltered response she’d seen from the man yet, and it transformed him from a brooding, sexy, biker to a playful, still-sexy, potential lover.
“You fucking cheat,” he said, still chuckling.
“Not hardly. I warned you what was about to happen.”
“All right,” he said. “Have it your way.” Then, with a lightning-fast move, he bucked his hips and sent her flying to her back, reversing their positions.
“All right,” Jig said. He was on his knees, hands laced behind his head. “You win. I need this.”
“Well, we haven’t known each other that long, so I guess I can’t expect you to realize I’m always right just yet. It’ll come with time.”
He rolled his eyes and placed his hands on her knees. “You’re such a smartass.”
“My special gift to humanity.” Izzy snorted out a laugh and kicked into gear. They grappled for about ten minutes, going at it hard and reversing positions again and again until they were both panting and exhausted. Neither was fully trying to get the other to submit, but that didn’t mean they held back.
