Page 55 of Lightness In My Dark

While she was bouncing back and forth, throwing jabs, I stood next to the bag. I few guys bumped fists with me, made small talk, until Wren stopped to breathe.

“No resting. Come closer to the bag.” She stood a foot away from it. “Get into a good stance.” I told her to put her left leg in front, right one in back. “Now hit the bag. Remember to keep your other hand in front of your face and don’t lock your arm. Make sure to jab with the left aligned where my head is near the bag and an uppercut by my abs.”

Wren threw a punch upwards, grabbing her arm to shake it out.

“You don’t have to give it your all. Jab with the left and lower for a right uppercut.”

She hit the bag, finding a rhythm. Jab. Jab. Dance. The bag swung, and she didn’t move fast enough, knocking her on her butt. I laughed, along with the guys standing around, but it didn’t deter her. Wren got right back up and hit it again as I gave her pointers. Some jabs were strong, and some missed the bag as it moved. This lasted a half hour. Her sweatshirt, drenched with perspiration, had me respecting her more. A little spitfire—a fire-eater—I saw an edge to her personality, and it was fucking hot.

I saved her by going to spar. She took her gloves off and unwrapped her hands by herself. She wiggled her fingers as we walked to the ring. Buzzard had some guy, Tank, to spar with me. We were similar in height and weight. With headgear and gloves ready, words about the terms of the intensity in sparring, we hit our gloves, and began.

Tank took the first swing. I dodged it and landed an uppercut to his ribs. Each jab, hook, cross and uppercut we both took, the other’s defense mode was spot on. One time I glanced at Wren, who was staring at my body, wetting her lips. Another time, I saw her trying to mimic my moves, which cost me a blow to the head. After that, I stopped looking over.

I did a fast jab, uppercut, and a cross, which he wasn’t expecting, slamming him off balance. An opportune time for a jab, cross, left hook, and cross, and Tank fell to his knees. In the end, I wound up the winner. Tank and I removed our gear, and Wren and I walked to the lockers.

Slash came over, eye-fucking Wren as he said, “Nice spar.”

“Hey! Don’t fucking look at her.”

He held his hands in surrender. “No harm, man. Just checking—”

“I know what you were doing. Stay the fuck away from her.”

My hand wrapped around Wren’s arm, and we left the gym. She didn’t argue with me.

Once outside, she asked what that was about, and I said, “He’s a piece of shit, that’s what it’s about.”

I was snapping on her helmet. “Did he do something to you?”

“No. It’s what he does to women.”

Wren said nothing else while I swung my leg over the bike and started it. Without waiting for me, she hopped on, panting, and patted my back, signaling me to go.

“What’s wrong?”

“Please, can we just go?”

I glanced around to see if something spooked her, but nothing stood out. The bike kicked forward, Wren’s hands snug around me, and the helmet pressing into my back. Whatever it was, I felt her thick inhales and exhales, tapering off after we put distance between the gym and us.

Chapter 25 - Love is in the Air

WREN

It had been a week since we went to the gym, and I sawhim. His iceberg effect froze my senses, making it hard to breathe. I tapped Finn’s back, him not understanding the problem, yet accepting my request to leave. Finn’s voice and the distance he put between us lowered my anxiety.

Beforeheruined the day, Finn sparring was the sexiest thing I had experienced. His control, the power behind his hits, the bulging muscles in his legs, made me drift into an erotic mood. I’ve memorized his body, assuming his manly bits matched the rest of him. All my daydreaming spiraled toward his dominance, hovering above my naked body, his knee nudging my legs open. Finn often caught me imagining the nasty. My face flushed, eyes dancing around him, betraying me.

I grew comfortable with Finn and assumed the same for him. His sparks of anger, not coming to the forefront much anymore, were no longer aimed at me. If anything, he was affectionate, and to a small extent, I might even say protective. An increase in the usual. We laughed a lot, a change I loved and wholeheartedly aimed for. His laugh—a beautiful guttural laugh it was that curled my toes.

His friends, Julius and Marie, were getting married on Valentine’s Day. No matter how cliché, I adored the romantic gesture. Since karaoke, his friends and I had come to terms with our situation and warmed up. We kept each other at arms-length, but the ostracism they showed earlier dissipated, except for Amanda. A relentless leech, getting what she wanted, never mind already having Kye. When I first met them, I got the impression a few of the women had sampled the friends, including Finn. It was embarrassing for her to pursue another man while with someone else.

“Wren!” Finn yelled from his room. “I have to get there earlier. Can you be ready in twenty minutes? If you don’t want to go this early, you can go with Cole.”

I peeked my head out the door. “Do you mind if…” He was standing in the middle of the hallway with a towel hanging low around his hips. I ogled his toned stance. Heat flushed my face while my mind and eyes drifted to his inner thighs, wondering if blood flooded there when he noticed me.

“Uh, Wren?”

My face snapped to his amused smile. “Is there something I can help you with?”

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