Page 24 of Fighting Furry

CHAPTER FOUR

I woke up to sun streaming in through the window. I was starving, again, but I felt energetic and ready to take on the world. I climbed out of bed and stretched my arms over my head, giving myself a good whiff of my body. I smelled stale and dirty. Weird to be so rank after an hour-long nap. Shrugging, I headed for the shower.

When I emerged from my room, dressed in work-out clothes, my wet hair in a bun on top of my head, I found Axel in my kitchen. He was cooking and it smelled delicious. It smelled delicious and he looked delicious in another tight t-shirt and fitted jeans. For a mountain man, he really did dress well. I walked into my small, barely used galley kitchen to find platters of bacon and eggs set on the counter. I snagged a piece of bacon and chomped on it happily. “Breakfast for dinner? My favorite.”

“It's breakfast for breakfast,” he said. “You slept for twenty-four hours.”

He wasn't looking at me, all his attention was focused on what looked like French toast. “No way. I never need more than six hours and I didn't even feel tired when I laid down for my nap.”

He turned to look at me, his expression sad. “You've changed. In a lot of ways, the Julie Jacobs you were died when you were bitten.”

Dread clenched my belly and I got angry, because I'd promised myself I'd never be afraid again. I would never be afraid again. “You don't even know me. I'm strong, and I know who I am. I just needed a little extra sleep, but I'll be back on track now.”

He nodded, but the sorrow didn't leave his face. “I hope you're right.” He turned back to the stove. “Fix yourself a plate. You must be starving.”

I piled a plate high with food and carried it to the table. I didn't wait for him to sit down, I just dove right in. He joined me and put two slices of French toast on my plate. His own plate was full of eggs and bacon and French toast.

I looked around for something sweet. “Where's the syrup?”

He smirked. “No more sugar for you.”

I sighed but didn't argue. “Where'd you get all this food?”

“I had it delivered,” he said. “You're going to have to learn how to cook. There's no way you can afford to eat out all the time with the quantity of food you'll need now.”

“I'll figure it out,” I said around a bite of food.

He cleared half his plate before he spoke again. “I think going to the gym is a bad idea.”

No. I wasn't going to let him take away fighting from me. “It'll be fine. I know how to pull my punches.”

He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, a move that made him look tough, immovable. “How can you pull your punches if you don't even know how strong you are?”

He had a point. I hated that he had a point. “I'll figure it out. I'll start on the punching bags.”

“And if you punch through a bag? You don't think your coach and the other fighters will wonder about that?”

Damn it. I really hated how much sense he was making. “I'm not giving up fighting. I'll figure it out.”

He sighed, his expression grim. “Fight me.”

I rolled my eyes. “I'm not fighting a pacifist. Do you even know how to fight?”

He grinned, not rising to my bait. “Just because I choose not to fight doesn't mean I don't know how to do it.”

It would be fun to kick his ass. “My coach won't like it. She doesn't like me to fight anyone she hasn't vetted.”

He didn't flinch. “Thought of that, too. Any chance we could have the gym to ourselves?”

My first instinct was to tell him no way, because I wanted my life back. I didn't want to be that diva fighter who asked everyone else to leave her gym, but I couldn't deny that his request made sense. It scared me that he thought it necessary. Just how strong did he think I was? “There are over twenty fighters who train there every day. I can't just ask them all to leave.”

“Okay. Then we'll go back to Darius's property.”

I shuddered. That guy gave me the creeps. “Do we have to see him again?”

“He'll be at work. Eat up and we'll leave now.”

“What's the rush?”

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