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Rubble glanced over her then settled on Dolly. “Ten years give or take.”
Dolly grabbed Jupiter’s hand and started wrapping tape around each one. “Old man over there was fresh out of the Marines when Reaper gave him the place. Rubble turned it around too. Used to be kinda crappy.”
Jupiter watched Rubble’s lithe movements at the weight machine. Her eyes widened at the stack he free lifted. The muscles in his neck strained, making his snake tattoo bulge.
“Focus, girl.”
She returned her gaze to Dolly and noticed the conniving grin. “What?”
“If you’re gonna go after that beast of a man, you better learn about what he loves.” Dolly strapped the gloves on Jupiter’s hands and took a step back. “We’ll go over some self-defense moves first.”
“I already know self-defense.”
Dolly’s brow quirked and Jupiter heard the weights clink in place. “Oh, do you?”
She nodded. “Over the last eleven months, I’ve stopped in gyms for simple instructions.” She knocked the gloves together. “They’ve helped me escape a few close calls.”
“I’m impressed.” Dolly grabbed another set of gloves and donned them. “Show me what you got, girlfriend.”
Staying on the balls of her feet, Jupiter slowly circled Dolly. “I’ve never used gloves like this before.”
“It’s more or less the same. No head shots if you’re playing by MMA rules.” Dolly lunged forward and Jupiter easily escaped the strike. “All right, very nice.”
Narrowing her eyes, Dolly kicked, and Jupiter cringed at the impact. Legs were her weakest point in fighting. She’d nailed a guy in the balls before, but it was one lucky shot.
The space around Jupiter seemed to hush. She focused on her footwork, arms following suit. For a solid twenty minutes, they exchanged blows, each one getting minimal contact with the other.
When Dolly moved for her again, Jupiter stepped forward and jammed at Dolly’s face. Shoving aside the strike, Dolly went for a side blow, and Jupiter stuck out her arms to block Dolly’s and then threw a punch at her exposed neck.
Stepping backwards, Dolly coughed at the unexpected jab. “Damn, Jupiter, you and Nikita just might get along better than I thought.”
Jupiter paused her circling and smiled. “Nikita would kick my ass.”
Dolly laughed. “Yeah, she would, but it’d be fun to watch, wouldn’t it, Rubble?”
Swiveling toward the weights, Jupiter met Rubble’s curious gaze. He’d been watching the whole thing. Suddenly nervous, she pulled the glove strap with her teeth, freeing her hand to get bottles of water.
“She’s got potential, that’s for sure.” Rubble’s low voice echoed in the open space, sending delightful chills up Jupiter’s spine.
Returning with the water, she noticed Rubble moving toward the punching bags. “It’s been forever since I’ve hit one of those.” She handed Dolly the water and wiped the sweat off her forehead.
“I think you have a fan.”
Jupiter eyed Rubble as he hit the bags with alternating kicks and jabs. “Most guys think women who fight are intimidating.”
“Fuck yes, we are.” Dolly capped the water and tossed the bottle to the side of the ring. “It also makes us harder to get.”
“I don’t need any man to catch me, thank you very much.” She ducked under the ropes and headed toward the weights.
Dolly caught up to her as Jupiter selected the weight limit. “A strong, independent woman doesn’t need a man.” She leaned against the wall. “But it’s okay to want one.”
Settling on the seat, Jupiter grabbed the bar, pulling her arms forward to meet in front of her face. “I don’t think it’ll ever be okay for me. Too much shit’s happened for me to rely on a man.”
Crouching beside her, Dolly started stretching her hamstring. Neither one spoke for a long minute. The only sounds filling the gym were her weights clinking and Rubble’s fists pounding into the punching bag.
“When you’re ready, I’ll show you some Krav Maga I learned from a guy I met in Israel. He was special ops there, so don’t tell.” Dolly lifted a finger to her lips and Jupiter noticed the small ink pen tattooed on the digit. “It’s pretty useful, if I’m being honest.”
Jupiter finished her set. “I’m all for learning more.”
