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It made me smile as I turned back to my locker. Fox often had a way of doing that, one of the reasons I liked being around him.
Or I had. I had a feeling I’d be avoiding him a lot more often now, for good reason. He was a little too close to Carly for comfort.
“So you and her…really?” He leaned against the locker beside me and waggled his brows. “I heard the talk, and I saw some groping. I know you get around. I just figured you traveled on better streets.”
“She’s not so bad,” I said automatically.
“We talking personality-wise or in the sack? Because either way, I have serious doubts.”
I smiled again and searched through my locker for my spare mouth guard. “Didn’t she have issues with Mia?”
“It’s a shorter list who doesn’t have issues with Mia. And I’m pretty sure I’m the only name on it.”
“I don’t have issues with her.”
“So I’ve heard, since you’re sparring with her on the regular. Which I’m not jealous about, because I know my penis is bigger than yours.”
Now I smirked. “Who told you that? They lied, brother.”
“Moving on. So what’s the deal with you and Vanity? Former tappee that wants to be current, or you just trying to shuffle her back into the rotation?”
Jesus, that was really how he saw me. As a guy who had a “rotation” of women I slept with. Ones I dangled around like puppets on strings.
Worse, that was exactly who I’d been for too much of the time since Emilia’s death.
“It was a one-time thing.” I spotted my mouth guard behind a couple of spare T-shirts. “Over and done.”
“Didn’t sound like it from her vantage. You need me to get you a couple extra cup protectors, just in case? As your friend, I’d consider it my civic duty.”
I slammed the locker shut and shoved the mouth guard in my other pocket. “Is that what we are now? Friends?”
I hadn’t had a friend—a real one—in too many years to count.
“Unless you have another word.” He kept drying his hair.
Nothing ruffled Fox. He was my antithesis in so many ways. The guy had a ready smile and a surprisingly ready fist, but he’d just as easily throw back a beer with you before and after. He didn’t take life too seriously.
So far, I’d seen two things that he was deadly serious about—his family and Mia. And by extension, Carly.
“No,” I said quietly. I wasn’t going to deny one of the small bits of realness I’d found, even if being with Carly had put them in jeopardy.
Any day now, she might tell her sister and Fox what had happened at the club. She should. And they’d fully be within their rights to despise me.
What had happened after the club wasn’t any better. I should’ve stayed away from her, no matter what. I was the one who knew better in this situation. I understood what was at risk.
But those rare glimpses of realness in the center of all my lies were my downfall, every damn time.
“I have some time before my ten o’clock. Wanna hit the machines?”
I frowned, dragging myself out of my thoughts. “You just showered. Thought you were hitting the road.”
“Ah, yeah, well, that’s not because I worked out. Mia had an early session too, and you know, my mom’s still staying wi
th us. We gotta take advantage of other locations now and then.” Walking backward, he waggled his brows again. “Gimme two, and we’ll do this.”
I didn’t really want company today. I wanted to be alone to brood and work out my aggression the old-fashioned way—with my fists on a heavy bag. All I wanted to do was fucking punch the shit out of anything that moved.
The heavy bag would suffice.
