Page 33 of Strike Zone

“Training is fine. I’m not going full tilt right now which is nice. That’s one of the annoying things about having the fight postponed. I was ready and in peak physical condition. Now I have to pull back and then get myself back in that space again. I swear to God, if it gets put off again, I won’t need a venue or a crowd to watch, I’ll just go and kick her ass myself.”

“If you need some cardio workouts for fight preparation, you know I’m here for you… as a fellow athlete.”

“Do you think about anything other than sex?”

I set her plate down and take a seat across from her, laughing at the absurdity of her question. “I’m trying to feed you dinner. You’re the one who doesn’t want to have a real conversation with me. Hell, we’ve been sleeping together for a while, and I don’t even know what the inside of your apartment looks like.”

“Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting… this.” I watch as she winds the pasta around her fork and lifts it to that beautiful mouth of hers.

“Yeah, I can do other things besides rock your world and be a baseball god.”

“And there’s the Linc I know. I swear your head’s as big as your cock.”

I choke on my half-chewed mouthful, trying not to laugh. “You’re not helping the problem when you’re reinforcing the fact that I have a huge cock. I know you love it, but some polite dinner conversation wouldn’t go amiss.”

“Sorry, these limp noodles got me thinking about your junk. My bad.” A sly grin spreads across her face, and her cheeks flush with a carefree ease I’ve never seen before. It looks good on her.

“I guess you won’t need dessert, then?”

“Let’s not be hasty.”

“Then, talk to me. Tell me something about yourself.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Anything.”

“My mom made me dance ballet for six months when I was a kid until I refused point-blank to put on the tutu one day. That’s the closest I’ve ever been to a conventional girl.”

“You’re more conventional than you think.”

“Oh really? Why is that? Pray tell, oh wise one.” She sits back, crossing her arms over her chest—defensive rather than combative. This is something she’s sensitive about.

“For a start, look at you. You’re a knockout.”

“Ha-fucking-ha.”

It takes me a moment to understand her ire. “There was no pun intended. Shit. I was trying to say that you’re gorgeous. You have the figure of a goddess. Your breasts are…” I scrape my hand over my jaw, considering my next words carefully. “Perfection.”

“Wow, that was the most superficial observation of my femininity. You really do know me.”

“You didn’t let me finish. As usual, you want to berate me before hearing me out. Looks aside, I think I know you better than you think.”

“Enlighten me.”

“You act like it pisses you off that people assume you’re masculine because of your chosen profession, but I think you hide behind that physical strength. You keep guys like me at arm’s length, so I’d venture to say the last guy you dated broke your heart.”

“Everyone’s had their heart broken.”

“Okay. You want specifics.” I rest my cutlery on the empty plate, mirroring her body language as I lean back in my chair. “We’ve slept together countless times, but you still get shy when I go down on you. You bite your bottom lip when you’re uncomfortable, just like you are right now. You always wear your hair down when you’re on a night out, and my guess would be that you want to be as feminine as possible. It’s also why you never wear pants when you turn up at my place after you’ve been to a bar.”

“I know I’m a woman, Linc.”

“Do you? You know you’re female, but when I call you a woman, I mean that you have curves in all the right places. I mean, you have a softer side you don’t like to show people. You play with your hair when you’re turned on, and you lick your lips when you want me to lick you out. You like it when I hold doors for you but always think better of it and berate me for being a gentleman.”

“I wouldn’t use the word ‘gentleman’ to describe you.”

“Only because you won’t let me. That’s why you’re itching to leave right now. I’m sitting here trying to tell you that I see you, and not just as a fuck buddy.”

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