“Where?”
“To the cage. Arm day will have towait.”
“What? Why?” I was soconfused.
“To rectify this sudden self-doubt of yours. Come on.” He started toward the cage, tipping his head for me tofollow.
It wasn’t up for a debate. Workout or not, we were getting in that cage now. Grabbing my bag off the floor, I scrambled to his side and took in the determined expression on hisface.
‘So, we’re really just going to skip the basis of an entiresession?”
He nodded, peering down at me for a split-second. “We are indeed. This isyourcareer. If you’re worried about ring time, then that’s what we need to focus on, not how many reps of ten you can do on thecables.”
Andagain,he had a point.Ugh.
“Why are you always right,” I couldn’t stop myself from asking as he dropped down onto the bench at the edge of thering.
“Because I always have your best interests inmind.”
“Now you’re just kissing ass,” I quipped, plopping down in front ofhim.
“I’m not, but I will be later,” he purred, winking when I flashed him the sideeyes.
I didn’t even bother arguing with him because, once again, he was right. He knew it, I knew it, even you know it. The man was impossible to deny. Not that I ever wanted to deny him, butifI did, he could sway me otherwise with a simple swat to myass.
We sat in silence as he pulled the roll of tape out from his bag and began expertly wrapping my hands. It’d been so long since we’d done this, the feel of it secured around my palms reignited that unease I’d felt when we first walked in. My heart rate spiked anew as I looked around theoctagon.
What the hell is wrong withme?
Seriously, what the hell was wrong withme?
“You’re overthinking,” he commented abruptly as if he’d just been in myhead.
“How didyou…”
“You’re too quiet, kitten, and too quiet means you’re fixated on something; which, by the way, you’re worried about fornothing.”
“How are you so sure? I haven’t stepped foot in a cage since November. As in, six months ago,” I argued, because how was he not concerned about thiseither?
I went from training daily and fighting twice a month for six months out of the year, to two or three days at the gym, with no ring time. Did he not think such a drastic change in my schedule could affect me negatively? Was he reallythatconfident inme?
“Because you don’t just forget how to fight. It doesn’t work like that, baby. I think what youhaveforgotten, though, is how long you’ve been doing this,” he said, ripping the tape from the roll and securing the end in place. Then he pulled my training gloves from my bag and slipped them on forme.
“I haven’t forgotten.” I flexed my fingers. “The timeframe only adds urgency to thematter.”
“To you. But this brief hiatus will have done you good. You’ve given your body adequate time to heal, even from the tiniest injury. The minute we get started, instinct is going to kick in like a motherfucker, and you’re going to kick my ass. Justwatch.”
Thisman...
He reallywasthat confident in me, and the more I looked at him, the more I felt like my heart would explode. I shot out toward him uncontrollably, taking his face in my hands, a small smile painted on my lips. And then I kissed him, his mouth quirking into a grin beneathmine.
“What is this for?” he asked, guiding me into hislap.
“Just for you being you. It’s times like these that remind me how lost I’d still be withoutyou.”
A hushed laugh left him, his hands roaming up to my waist. “Can I ask yousomething?”
“Always.”