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A trainer walks between us, breaking my thoughts as he calls out to the receptionist.
“Can you put Lucy K down for a boxing sesh at two thirty?”
That gets my attention.
“Done. You gonna finally ask her out this time?”
What?A feeling of unease takes over as my chest tightens.Fuck!She’s one of thereasonsI’m so bitter. It all started with Lucy, and yet now I’m shooting daggers at some guy who may or may not want to ask her out.
“Man, that fall. I’ve never seen anything like it. I prayed you’d get back up. We could use you this season,” my number one fan continues to talk, completely unaware of my inner turmoil. I almost tell him to shut up so I can hear the guy’s response, but I don’t. Instead, I plaster on a fake smile and give him the chat he so clearly wants—and deserves since he’s still wearing my name.
Looks like I’ll be back this afternoon.
At two twenty I sit in my truck like a stalker, suddenly wondering what the hell I’m doing. How did I go from wanting Luce out of my sight, to now creeping on her from inside my truck? A truck that she’ll easily be able to recognize.
Nope. I’m leaving.
Aggressively throwing the gears into reverse, I raise my hand to the back of the passenger seat just as someone knocks on my window, scaring the fucking life out of me. Slamming on the brake, unnecessarily, my hand flies out to brace myself as though I’m expecting an impact.What the fuck?Talk about fight response. I side eye my window and groan when I see Lucy standing there with a big smile on her face, completely different from the girl I watched drive away yesterday.
Still facing forward, I roll down the window and sigh.
“Lucy.”
“Whatcha doin’?” She laughs.
“Practicing in case I’m ever in a collision,” I say as I turn to finally look at her.
“I got that part, but what are you doinghere?”
“A workout. What else?” I’m blunt but it’s better than her discovering I was stalking her.
“Finished one or about to go in?”
Now’s my chance to leave. Tell her I’m finished and drive away with my dignity intact.
“About to go in.”Dammit.
Lucy bites her lip and stares off into space before her eyes light up with a smile. “How’d you like to be my punching bag today, Wes?”
That’s exactly why I’m here.“Couldn’t think of anything worse.”
She’s kicking my ass. Literally. Okay, not literally because it’s boxing and that’s an illegal move buttechniquewise, she’s beating the shit out of me. All while Mr.I might ask her outflirts at every opportunity.
“Hold up. I need five,” I say reluctantly as I hunch over with a wince. While I will say there are moments where I’m going easy on her, most of my pain is due to her talent. It didn’t take long to realize that the girl who accidentally punched me in the arm five years ago now has some skills. Some serious skills.
“I’ve gotta say it’s an honor to have you in my ring, man,” the guy says, moving to Lucy’s side. “But you really suck.” I shoot him an annoyed glare, but he ignores me, instead focusing on Lucy and adding, “Like really suck,” just to drive his point home. He’s bullshitting of course. I’m not that bad. I just lack the finesse that Lucy has. I take more of a haphazard approach. I don’t argue though.
“I get it, thanks,” I say with a fake smile. “I never had much need to learn boxing during my NFL career. Funny that.”
Lucy and the douche-face laugh together as I groan, straightening myself up to go again. “Come on. Let’s do this.”
I bounce from foot to foot like I see them do on TV and wink at Lucy when she smiles. Pulling her arms up to her face, she hides a blush behind her gloves, making my pulse spike. Take that, douche, you’re not getting the girl on my watch.
As if reading my thoughts, he wraps his arm around Lucy’s shoulders and her face scrunches, visibly uncomfortable. Not that the dick notices. “You’ve got this,” he says, awarding him a scowl from me as I open my mouth to argue. Lucy shakes her head again, just like she did with Aaron, and I retreat. Douchebag continues on.
“Alright, you two. Try again. Remember we’re only sparring. You look a little murderous there, Johnson.”
I’m sure he’s not wrong considering what I want to do to him, and I’m about to show himexactlyhow well I can throw a punch when Lucy socks me one in the left shoulder.
