Page 13 of Hear Me Roar

With my man on my tail, we shuffled through the gym to an empty space near the weights at the back of the room. Idly, I noticed how head after head snapped toward us. Either they were Underground fans holding back from bounding toward me, or it was simply Knox. As I said before,everyoneadmired him. His height, those eyes, the tats; He was a giant piece of walking art you couldn't miss if you tried. Regardless, they kept staring, even as we began stretching out in front of the mirrors, and it was really irking me. Usually I could tune people out fairly quickly, but apparently not today. So, I waved at them with a beguiled smile in tow, and wouldn’t ya know, they all went right back to their business, their eyes widening like that of a deer caught in the headlights. Knox chuckled silently beside me, shaking his head at my antics as we went through a few quadstretches.

“They’re probably fans, baby,” he said,amused.

“Well, I don’t bite. If they want a selfie or even an autograph, I’m always down for that. All they have to do is ask. But staring mindlessly in our direction isrude.”

“It’s also notillegal.”

I shot him a lethal glare through the mirror. “Gee, babe, so supportive.Thanks.”

“I’m just telling it like it is. They seemed pretty starstruck tome.”

“Oh, please. They were not, they were just staring. You act like I snarled at them or something. All I did waswave.”

“Sarcastically,” he pointed out, switching to his other leg. “Now they probably won’t come near you atall.”

I followed his lead and rolled my eyes, hating that I knew he was right. As usual. ‘Whatever.”

“Mhmmm,whatever.”

“You’re really asking for it today, aren’t you,” I growled, far more testily than I meantto.

Knox stilled beside me, something I didn’t notice untilwayafter the fact, when our eyes met in the mirror. Those baby blues bore into mine while the rest of his face wasindecipherable.

Ohshit.

I’d poked the bear without even knowingit.

Okay, I’m lying. I knew thatmightpress his buttons a smidge...but not likethis.

I dragged an exaggeratedly remorseful smile across my face, and it did a whole lot of nothing. He was just staring, skyrocketing mypulse.

“You’re lucky we have work to do, otherwise we’d be going home,” hedeadpanned.

“Why?”

“Because it’s you, kitten, who’s asking for it today. What is up withyou?”

He thought there was something wrong with me? Was there? I thought about it for a second. I guess, in one way or another, Iwasanxious about how this session would pan out, maybe more so than I’d truly allowed myself tobelieve.

“I guess I’m just on edge,” I admitted,shrugging.

“About?”

“About getting in thecage.”

Cocking his head curiously, he crossed his arms. “Why?”

More likewhywere we playing a game of twenty-one questions? Weren’t we here to actually put work in, you know, something we hadn’t been doing because he was so busy? My blood simmered a bit and suddenly, his stare wasn’t so intimidatinganymore.

“I’m out of practice, Knox, that’s why,” I snapped, mirroring his actions. “I’ve wasted so much time since accepting and now the fight is just a few weeks away. The last thing I want to do is go in there and make a fool out ofmyself,”

“Firstly, cool it with the attitude. Iwilltake you into that locker room and remind you of who I am, regardless of who’s in there,” he said evenly, and my mouth popped open, to which he smirked. “And secondly, if you were this anxious, why not just tell me rather than intimidate innocent bystanders and growl at meunnecessarily?”

“Because honestly, I didn’t realize how worried about it I was until we got here. It’s like the second I saw the cage, this rush of unease washed over me,” I explained, drawing out a wave of dead air aroundus.

We just stood there in the middle of the gym, motionless, while everyone else went about their workouts. Knox was staring again, but this time it wasn’t meant to intimidate. He was simply working out something in his head, his brows furrowedtogether.

“Let’s go,” he decided after abeat.

---