Page 5 of Dirty Little Mistake

Bouncing back and forth from side to side, shifting from foot to foot, I threw my fist fast and hard in front of me. My gaze zeroed in on the punching gloves my trainer wore on his hands. My arms and legs burned as sweat trailed down my face.

I had lots of hobbies—boxing, skating—but my real passion was dancing, or at least I thought. I started dancing when I was little, and I wasn't sure if I really loved it or if it was just a way to stay closer to my dad. The last time I'd seen him alive was on that stage performing for him.

Early mornings, I spent time on the ice with Kaia, and during the day, I attended Royal Academy of the Arts, where my main focus was dance. I also took a couple of college classes at the local university, mostly online. A couple of days a week, in the evenings, I boxed.

I threw my fist forward and then ducked when my trainer swung back at me.

I was still new to boxing, and I wasn't exactly sure how far I wanted to go with it. It started as a hobby to help me release built-up tension and aggression, but now I was itching to get into the ring.

My trainer didn't think I was ready, and he was probably right, but that didn't stop my curiosity and my need to explore the Cages, an underground fighting ring that had a reputation for being wild.

After Trystan's concert, Kaia and I were going to check it out. I wanted to see what it was all about.

"That's a wrap for today." Rex peeled off his training pads.

Rex was a retired fighter and, from what I'd heard, a pretty badass one, but in all the months we'd worked together, all the hours of training, he'd never brought up his career.

Even though Rex was much older, he was still in great shape—tall with salt and pepper shaggy hair, built like a muscular fighter who worked out and put in hours every day inside the ring.

"Hit the showers, and I'll see you Monday."

I twisted away as I tore one of my gloves off.

"Hey, Young." The rasp of Rex's voice made me pause at the ropes. "Good job today. Keep that up, and you'll have your first match soon." His words carried the weight of experience, but I just yanked off my remaining glove, hiding how much his approval meant to me.

I dipped through the ropes, sliding one leg through and then my body before straightening and pulling my other leg through. Something moved in my peripheral vision, and I glanced over.

I sucked in a sharp breath as a blur of dark hair caught my attention, and everything went downhill. I stepped out, but there was no step. My hands scrambled to grab the rope, tossing my gloves up in the air, but it was too late. I was going down. My body tensed, and my eyes closed as I braced for impact, sayinga silent prayer that I didn't hurt myself as I inched closer to the floor.

But I didn't hit the ground.

Strong arms caught me. The warmth of his chest seeped through my damp workout tank, and I became acutely aware of every point of contact between us.

Each breath brought the familiar scent of his cologne mingled with something darker, earthier.

Trystan…

My pulse quickened, and I wasn't sure if it was from the near-fall or from the way his fingers splayed protectively across my ribs.

Trystan's hands steadied me, his fingers warm against my skin. "Are you okay?"

"Uh yeah." A sharp twinge shot through my ankle. I winced but tried to ignore it. "You scared me."

He ducked his head closer to mine, that infuriating smirk playing across his lips as though my clumsiness amused him.

I shook my head, willing myself to wake from what must be a dream. Trystan had never shown up at the gym. In fact, he'd never shown up anywhere that I was that Jax and Kaia were at.

In the past two years, we'd had a few run-ins at the house and exchanged a handful of words, but that was it. He'd been so distant that I actually thought I'd dreamed our kiss on the terrace.

"What are you doing here?" My fingers unconsciously tightened in the fabric of his shirt.

Trystan's thumb traced an absent pattern on my arm. "I was headed to practice, but Lennon and Creed have food poisoning."

I narrowed my eyes. "But what are you doing here?" I pointed to the floor. "At the gym."

"Kai said you've been training here, so I came to check it out."

My face twisted with confusion. "Why?" My gaze shifted down, and I realized he was still holding me. "Shit, sorry." I moved to stand and yelped when I put pressure on my right foot. My hands flew out, twisting in his black t-shirt.

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