Page 26 of Until You're Mine
I tilted my head. “Don’t be mean. He’s smart and kind, and you haven’t even met him.”
“Won’t change anything. You asked what keeps me up at night, and I’m just being as honest with you as you were with me.”
My breath came faster and faster. Something inside of me had definitely short-circuited, but since I felt sparks everywhere, finding the source so I could fix it was impossible.
“Now why don’t you be honest?” His fingers dug into my hip, heat radiating from his touch down to my bones. “I know I’m not the only one who feels the chemistry between us.”
“I…” I shifted away, breaking his grip on me and swiping a stray curl behind my ear. “I’m not talking about this with you.”
“Because I’m right.” He didn’t bother leaving any wiggle room, and his eyes glimmered with a challenge I wished I could easily deny.
“Because you’re a hungry, cocky fighter, and I’ve already been through this song and dance before, and I’m not down for an encore. I need you to respect my boundaries if we’re going to be alone together ever again.” I meant it, I did, but I could’ve done without the stupid sense of panic that crept through my chest.
He pressed his lips together and looked down at me, the sun doing all sorts of unfair highlighting of his chiseled features. “I’ll keep my promise about not kissing you again unless you ask”—my relief lasted all of half a second before he added—“butI’m going to tell you all the times that I’d kiss you if I had my way.” He moved a hand up to cup my cheek. “Now.” He waited a beat and then stroked his thumb over my cheekbone. “And now. I can guarantee I’ll also be thinking about it the next minute, and the one after that, and the one after that.”
The more he talked about it, the more my head spun with images I shouldn’t allow to creep in, and I took a giant step back. This guy was quicksand, but unlike actual quicksand, slow movements would make me sink even faster, and I really needed to move away as quickly as possible. “That’s not a good idea, and I don’t think it’ll be very good for ourfriendship.”
“Oh, I’m not even going to pretend it’s a good idea. Iknowit’s not. I’m trying to land a big fight and I need to focus on my training so I can be ready at a moment’s notice. I don’t have a secure future with Team Domination yet, and I’m sure that this…” His gaze dipped to my lips and he swallowed, hard. “One way or another, it’d get in the way. Either I’d lose my focus or screw it up because I’m me, and both would land me on their shit list, and like I said, bad idea.”
“Right, so…” My heart hammered hard and fast, leaving me dizzy and short on oxygen. One of us needed to shut this down now, and it looked like that task fell on me. “We better get going. I need to get my car, and Finn’s probably wondering where I am.” I turned and started back the way we came.
It only took him a few long strides to catch up, but he gave me my space.
Which was good, because when he was close to me, it made it way too hard to think straight.
Chapter Fourteen
Shane
For the rest of the week, I couldn’t get a moment alone with Brooklyn. Complete avoidance wasn’t possible, but she sure could make it fucking difficult to say a word to her that wouldn’t be overheard by someone else, and obviously she was determined to do so. Did she think that I usually spilled my guts the way I had to her? I felt like an idiot, telling her all about my life and how I couldn’t stop thinking about her so that she could turn around and pretend I didn’t exist.
At least I had a whole bunch of other shit to focus on. With the weekend approaching, several people dotted the shores of the beach. I paced back and forth in the stretch next to the pier, not far from where I’d brought Brooklyn Tuesday night. For a moment I wished I could go back in time. Undo the damage.
Don’t think about that night. Don’t think about her at all.Even though I didn’t like the way she’d pulled away, it was what I needed. What was best for my career.
I clenched and unclenched my fists at my side, anxious energy pulling my muscles taut. I couldn’t wait until Liam arrived with the mitts—I was definitely ready to hit something and relieve some tension. Several of the other fighters had talked about the beach training sessions, most of whom called them training sessions from hell, but the majority still sang praises for how great they were for conditioning and learning to shut out everything around you.
I’d been in those big fights with thousands of people screaming, lights flashing, music blaring, so I felt like I was pretty good at tuning out background noise in the arena. Whatever, though. I was willing to show my coaches that I had what it took to go all the way. Liam and Finn talked to me about a few opponent options last night. One of the promoters had approached them and was trying to get a card filled. None of the guys in my weight class were ranked very high, so the fight wouldn’t be nearly as big as I wanted, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. If the deal for that went through, I was just going to be grateful to be back doing my thing and on the right track to moving up my ranking.
No more distractions. No more wondering what Brooklyn was doing, or passing by her desk and hoping she’d look up and smile. Hell, I’d take a glare at this point.
Just let it go.
Easier said than done, but it was time I gave my all to trying. I jogged in place and swung my arms, warming up.
There are plenty of beautiful women here, ones that wouldn’t get me all tangled up in complications.My gaze skimmed over a few of them, and I tried to convince myself that it didn’t matter if they didn’t come anywhere near to measuring up with the girl constantly on my mind. I was factoring in her feisty personality and her laugh, and the way that every time she talked I wanted her to keep going. This exercise was for strictly physical attraction purposes. No strings, nothing that’d take away my focus.
A raven-haired girl with a belly button ring smiled at me.
I almost forced myself to go say hi, but then it hit me that I shouldn’t have to force myself to hit on someone.What the hell is wrong with me?
My nerves stretched tighter and tighter, until I spotted Liam walking my way, a giant duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Andfuck me, his sister was right next to him, my relief lasting all of half a second before I noticed her. This workout just got upgraded from hellish to personalized torture in the inner circle.
I closed my eyes, counted down from five, put on the best poker face I could, and then turned toward the two Roths currently making me long for purgatory.
As hard as I worked to keep my eyes from straying to the one place they needed to stay away from, I was useless to resist. She had on a hot pink bikini top edged in black, and one of those makeshift skirts tied around her waist, also black. Every other step, most of one leg would come out of the long slit. It added a forbidden edge, like I was getting a peek at something I shouldn’t, which made it that much hotter.
Step, flash of ridiculously sexy leg, step, flash. My heart beat in time with the appearance of all that mouth-watering skin.
