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“Have you ever fought before? Not trained, because obviously you do that, but been in fights like the guys do?”
“Yeah, where we used to live,” she replied with a wistful smile. “There were some other female fighters in
the area, so I’d have a couple fights a month.”
He took note of the regret in her denim blue eyes. “You miss it, don’t you?”
She glanced at him in surprise. “Am I that obvious about it? Yeah, I do miss it. I mean, I still get to fight our guys, and I can beat them occasionally. It’s just not the same. But I like it here in Eagle Creek, so I suppose the trade-off is worth it.”
He started to say more but paused when Jax walked in. The other man was in a tank top and jogging pants, ballcap firmly on his head, his hands already wrapped, and clearly ready to train. Alex hadn’t spoken to Jax often, mostly because the fighter didn’t talk much. His silence only made him that much more intimidating. Alex wouldn’t want to meet up with him in a dark alley, that’s for sure.
“Hey, Jax. Listen, could you show Alex how to hit the punching bag properly? Seth apparently hasn’t taken the time. I’m gonna go get breakfast started.”
Cammie walked swiftly out of the barn, not waiting on a reply. Jax nodded to him and started showing him the basics, with the least amount of words possible. Alex would rather have Cammie teaching him how to do it, but at least someone was. Hopefully he’d be a quick learner, and he wouldn’t make as much of a fool of himself in front of her again.
“Don’t stare at the bag in one spot. Treat it like a real opponent. Aim when you punch, but look at the whole bag when you’re not. Keep your balance, and punch don’t push. Go ahead, take a swing.”
Taking a deep breath, Alex did what Jax told him to, feeling the vibrations of the punch up his arm.
“That was okay. Move your feet when you’re not punching, ground them when you are. Go again.”
He tried to listen to Jax’s instructions and emulate what he was demonstrating, but his mind was stuck on something Cammie said, going over and over it on a loop. She’d called the Rocky River Fighters our guys. Maybe she was starting to see him as one of them, now.
Chapter Three
Cammie resisted the urge to squirm and stared straight ahead, but she wasn’t really seeing the scenery flashing by through windshield of the truck. Alex shifted against her, and she shut her eyes briefly at the rush of desire coursing through her veins. Shit. This was the opposite of avoiding him.
They always came to the fights in one vehicle, but she assumed they’d take two now that Alex was with them. She assumed wrong. Ian insisted all five of them squeeze in his oversized truck. He said Cammie was small and didn’t take up much space, and they’d put Seth and Alex in the back with her, leaving the bigger men up front.
It resulted in her spending the ten-minute drive squished between Seth and Alex like a sardine in a can. Seth was no big deal, but her side that was pressed against Alex’s was tingling, the warmth of his touch seeping into her, making her want things she had no business wanting. She didn’t think she’d survive the drive home. She’d go up in flames, and all that would be left was a Cammie size pile of ashes.
Blowing out a relieved breath when they turned into the driveway at the Anderson’s ranch, she relaxed a little in the seat, jerking when Alex’s arm brushed the side of her breast. Pulling away, she fought to control her breathing and her body’s instant reaction. Motherfu—
“You okay?” Alex asked, interrupting the string of curse words she was mentally spitting out.
She nodded, not looking him in the eye. “I’m fine.”
They parked by the barn the fights were held in, and she waited impatiently for one of the men to get out, so she could, too. Alex was the first, and she shot out as fast as she could, gulping in the cool night air, hoping to clear her head.
She hurried toward the barn, hoping to put distance between her and Alex, but it was a lost cause because he easily kept up with her pace. Damn her short legs, and damn his long ones. But she was still going to ignore him. She could totally do that.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
They reached the old barn where the fights were held, and Ian pulled her to a stop away from the others.
“Listen, I need you to keep an eye on Alex. Stay close.”
“Are you serious right now?” she said with a groan.
“Yeah. Me and the boys need to go warm up, and we still don’t know enough about him to trust him on his own.” Ian frowned as he searched her eyes. “Why, is there a reason you don’t want to be near him?”
“Nope. Not at all,” Cammie lied cheerily.
“We both know I heard the lie in your voice, Cammie,” Ian said, frown deepening. “Has he done something to offend you? Cause I can take care of him if I need to.”
“Oh, please,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “I can take care of myself, and you know it. If he did something to offend me, do you really think he’d still be standing?”
