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“Well, she sounds like a bitch,” Sara says vehemently. “I don’t like saying that sort of stuff about other women because it’s hard enough out there without us fighting with each other, but who does something like that when your partner needs you to be supportive?”
“Yeah, looking back now, I can see all the red flags I should’ve noticed.”
“You were a bit busy making sure your dad didn’t die, Ben. Looking for red flags in a relationship that should’ve been stable wasn’t a priority at that point. Nor should it have been.”
Watching Sara get worked up on my behalf has the knot of tension that always shows up when I talk about Rebecca loosening just the slightest bit. I have a feeling Sara would never consider behaving the way Rebecca did. It makes a smile grow on my face.
When Sara notices me smiling, she pauses her diatribe about how a good fiancée would have done whatever they could to help. “What?”
“Nothing, just enjoying how heated you got for something that happened to someone you don’t even really like.” I grin at her.
“I don’t…notlike you. You can just be an asshole sometimes.”
“Ouch! Fair, but ouch.”
Sara’s belly laugh is loud and so full of joy I can only laugh along with her. It hits me how comfortable I am sitting next to someone I barely know anything about. Being an unfriendlyassholeat work hasn’t led to many get-to-know-you conversations at work.
Except, it feels like I’ve known Sara for years. There’s a connection between us now that keeps pulling me closer to her. I have no idea if I’m ready to get closer to a woman again or if Sara even wants me to. I guess we can just see where our friendship goes first. Then, if it seems like she might want more, we can explore that together.
18
SARA
The smell of rubber mats burns my nose as I try to take in my surroundings. Men are scattered around the room, standing next to various gym equipment, casting me interested glances. I would venture to guess not many women work out here. I know the gym is tailored toward heavy lifting and fighting. At least, that’s what Ben told me when he picked me up for my first lesson tonight.
“There’s Dax,” Ben says, pointing to a man with a thick beard, fully tattooed arms, and brown hair tied in a knot at the back of his head. Based on his size alone, I think I’ll get my money’s worth in training. Nerves keep skittering down my spine every time I remember why I’m doing this.
I need to feel strong. Prepared. Just in case something else happens. Not that I think it will. I know what happened to me was a fluke. Nothing like what happened to Quinn when she was kidnapped. That was for revenge. They were out to get Quinn from the very beginning. Not because Quinn happened to be an easy target.
I won’t be an easy target anymore. I’ll make sure of it.
Dax slaps the shoulder of the guy he was talking to, then walks toward us. “Hey, man.” Dax does a bro hug with Ben, their hands clasped at their chests while they slap each other’s backs. The show makes me want to roll my eyes. Although, I’m thoroughly enjoying the arm porn that’s happening in front of me. Ben’s biceps are popping hard in his cut-off T-shirt. Dax’s muscles aren’t horrible to look at either.
“Dax, this is Sara. Sara, this is Dax Pierce.”
I hold my hand out to Dax, who takes it in his very large, calloused one. “Nice to meet you.”
“Glad you’re here,” he says to me. His dark eyes, along with his very muscled, tattooed vibe, give me both a sense of comfort and worry. There’s no way I’ll ever be able to take on a guy like him, but I’m glad he’s the one who’s going to teach me.
“You were in the Navy?” I ask, referencing one of the tattoos in the sleeve running down his arm. It’s a bald eagle wrapped in an American flag, holding an anchor in its claw.
Dax looks at the tattoo as if he’s only now remembering he has it. “Uh, yeah, I was a SEAL for a few years.” He clears his throat, then gestures toward the mats. I guess that means we’re done with the get-to-know-you portion of the night. “I’d like to get an idea of where you stand physically, so let’s start with some conditioning to warm up, then we’ll go from there. You and Ben are going to be doing the same things since this is technically his training time, but I’ll modify where we need to for you.”
“Sounds good.” I nod.
Dax leads Ben and me to a set of treadmills to start on cardio, then we hit the mats for pushups, sit-ups, and crunches. I keep up well enough as we go through each exercise, which gives my pride a boost. Ben’s just as winded as I am, so I don’t feel as if I’m falling behind him. My competitiveness would never allow that.
“You’re in pretty great shape. That will be helpful for you when we start working in the ring,” Dax says as we take a quick water break.
“Good. I’m comfortable out here, butthatscares the shit out of me,” I say, pointing to the three fighting rings sitting in the middle of the warehouse.
“It won’t for long.”
When we’re finished with warm-ups, Dax leads me into the ring. Ben hangs out on the floor, having given up his normal training time so I could give this a try.
“Okay, what sports have you played?”
“Mostly soccer growing up. I still play some with my brothers.”
