Page 83 of Finding Hope

She shrugs. “I think he just likes to mess with everyone. It’s just a regular name, nothing special. But I’m not going to burst his bubble, sorry.”

I take her hand in mine and smile as her breathing comes to a screeching halt. I look at her fingers, her neat nails painted black. My large hand dwarves her narrow wrist as I play with the silver bracelet with dangling charms. “Come over tonight, Bambie. After his party or whatever you’re doing.”

“Come to your house?”

“Yeah. Just to hang out, I promise.”

She thinks about it. She watches me for a long minute, and I try to squash the ego boost I get each time her eyes flick down to my bare chest. “Just to hang out?”

Nodding victoriously, I grin. “I swear.”

Ten minutes later, Annie and I walk her to her car out front. I stand in the sun and watch her drive away, then turn back inside as Annie follows me back into the artificial light.

Our gym is usually a hive of noise; guys and girls beating the shit out of bags, or each other, or themselves, but today, everyone stands in silence. They watch me with eager eyes, and I hate that they actually make me blush.

I’m a fucking man. I’m a fighter. I don’t remember the last time I blushed, but dammit, they force the warmth to my face.

Jimmy’s beaming smile is the biggest, the brightest, though everyone in this gym with the last name Kincaid mocks me. “So…” Jim whistles obnoxiously. “I guess she just wouldn’tget,huh?”

“Shut up.”

Kit moves forward with a stupid grin on her face. Stopping in my way, she threads her arms around my hips and lays her face on my chest. “I love you, Jack. I like seeing you smile.”

Stop smiling! Stop smiling, asshole!

Pasting on my best scowl, I unwrap her arms and push her toward her husband. “Shut the hell up.”

“I think she’s cute,” Aiden ponders quietly. He’s not even teasing. Aiden rarely teases. He legitimately thinks she’s cute, so now I want to punch him in the throat.

I blow past him and a snickering Evie. “Nobody asked you, jerk.”

“No need to be so salty,” Bobby argues playfully. “Let’s get back in the ring. I’ll beat the salt out of you. Remind you why my giving up the belt to your pansy ass was a waste.”

I look at all the kids in the room and swallow down what I reallywantto say. I want to bitch his ass out, then I wanna call him a motherfucker.

Instead, I glare. “You gave it up to the right guy, jerkoff.”

“Fight me for it.”

“Not today.”

“Scaredy cat.”

I stop and turn. Glaring at his smug face andimaginingrushing forward to beat the snot out of him, I flip the bird and keep walking back to my office.

I’m not actually mad about anything.

Mostly, I just want to stop blushing before they notice and never let me live it down.

I just want to crush on a girl and be happy about it in peace.

Is that so much to ask?

Hours later, lying in bed in fresh sweatpants and a Rollin tank, I watch the clock and curse it for every minute that passes.

It’s almost ten, so maybe that means she’s not coming.

She knows where I live, but I never got her number, so I can’t even check in to make sure she’s okay.

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