Page 29 of The Scars of Us

Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck. “I know. Don’t worry about it.”

After Bryce walked me to my car, I drove home, thinking about the events of the night, wondering why I couldn’t have just let go and lose myself in Ryker like I’d wanted to.

I didn’t see Ryker again until class on Thursday. He wasn’t at the gym on Wednesday when I went after work. I hated the gnawing feeling in my chest from not seeing him, and I thought I was going to explode once it combined with the knots in my stomach from the anticipation of finally seeing him again at class.

When I arrived, he was hitting one of the bags. Sweat glistened over his skin as he fluidly moved, doing intricate combinations while simultaneously delivering substantial force. His muscles bulged as he used them expertly, and I found myself drawing closer to him, enthralled by his power and grace.

Seeing me out of the corner of his eye, he stopped before turning, his lips curving up in a cocky grin, “Like what you see?”

Um, yeah.Ignoring his comment, I responded, “I’m just trying to see the correct form so I can get better. I suck at this stuff.”

“Yeah, you’re pretty terrible,” he replied jokingly as he leaned against the bag. When I glared at him, he continued, “You just started—you’re not going to be an expert from the get go. But honestly, you’ve been doing great.”

I felt my cheeks heat—seriously? Get a grip.“Thanks,” I replied before pausing. “I’m sorry about the other night.”

He chuckled, “I think I’m having deja vu.”

I smiled. “I’m just not good at this—whatever this is.”

“A beautiful woman like you shouldn’t have any trouble with guys.”

Yeah, and they shouldn’t have issues because of their brother molesting them either.“I’m not like other women. I’ve already warned you that I have issues.”

“And I thought I made it clear that I didn’t care.” He pushed off the bag and came toward me. “I want to get to know you, Kaiya.”

“I’m not looking for a relationship,” I stated firmly, locking my eyes with his as I crossed my arms over my chest.

Ryker’s lips tipped up in that sexy smirk. “I guess we have something in common then.”

“I don’t just want a one night stand, either,” I blurted, surprised that I had voiced what I wanted. My stomach knotted uncomfortably as I waited to hear his response.

Those deep, beautiful eyes of his studied me, and I wished I could hear what he was thinking. “So, you want something between a one night stand and a relationship, huh?”

I sighed, “I don’t know what I want. This is all happening so fast for me.”I want you, though.

He kept our eyes locked as he said, “Well, when you figure it out, let me know. I don’t want to keep pressuring you if you’re not ready.” His tone was sincere, but I still didn’t trust his words.

“Thank you for understanding.” The skeptical side of me wondered if he was trying to play me, telling me what I wanted to hear so that I’d give into him. But the smaller part of me, the optimistic side, hoped that it wasn’t just an act. “What are we working on today?”

“I’ll probably work with you again on the techniques we’ve done, but I also want to show you some blocks and other moves to keep you from getting in those situations.”

I get to have that body pressed against me again? Yes, please.“Okay, sounds good,” I replied, hiding my excitement.

As I turned to walk away, he asked, “Hey, do you want me to help you with some punches before class starts? I can give you some one-on-one attention.”

Yes! Yes!“Sure, that’s fine. I bought some gloves,” I said, trying to pretend I wasn’t jumping for joy on the inside as I pulled my new gloves out of my bag.

“Great, put them on and meet me at the bag.”

I set my stuff down by the wall before slipping my gloves on. I don’t know why, but just putting them on made me feel powerful and in control, like I could take on anyone. Evenhim.

When I came up to the bag, Ryker surprised me by walking around and standing behind me. Stiffening, my heart skipped a beat before going into overdrive, thumping wildly in my chest as I nervously asked, “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to show you how your body needs to be moving with each strike,” he replied unaware of the panic overtaking me. He was so close that I could feel the heat from his body at my back. Pressing his large, muscular chest against me, he ran his hands over my arms, causing goose bumps to break over my skin.

For some reason, I wasn’t scared like I would normally be if someone was this close to me. I was nervous as fuck, but not afraid. Excited, but not afraid. I still couldn’t understand why Ryker was different, why he made me feel so many things other than fear. The only thing I knew was that I liked it.

His gloved hands covered mine as he instructed, “Relax—you’re always so tense. Kickboxing is very fluid and is all about moving your body the right way.”

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