Page 88 of A Dark Duet

“Come on, Nate. She won’t take my calls or answer my texts. I need to see her. I want her to know she is welcome in here whenever she wants. I’m trying, but I don’t want to piss her off any more than she already is with me,” I plead.

He scoffs. “I should record this, Jayden ‘The Destroyer’Cyprus after a girl.” He takes a deep breath and rolls his eyes upward. “Fine, but you owe me. Charles, I’m going to try to get Brie to come over, I’m telling her you are asking to see her,” Nate tells him.

“That is Brie’s Bentley? Did she graduate already?” Charlie asks.

Jake snorts and I give him the death glare. “My bad, Jaden,” he quickly apologizes.

When Nate leaves for Giselle’s studio, everyone’s eyes are trained at the entrance of the gym, waiting for Brie to make her appearance.Come on, baby. Come to me.

Fuck, this is nerve racking. Is this how women feel when they are waiting to see the guy they are crazy for?

Not wanting to look like a desperate teenager, I walk over to the cage and watch Kyle and another kid named Brian train as sparring partners. Brian is my newest fighter and a hothead that thinks every girl wants to nail him. He is a good-looking kid but a little too cocky. Reminds me of when I was in my mid-twenties.

“That’s it, Brian. Go for the takedown.”

The kid listens.Boom!The kid takes Kyle down, the sound echoing when Kyle’s body hits the mat. My fingers are hooked through the holes of the black fence around the cage holding the weight of my arms and anticipation swarms inside my gut. Once Kyle taps out, Jake rings the bell so Brian can release him.

A rich female laugh assaults my ears and my heart clenches in my chest. Her laugh is like music to my dark soul, bringing it to life. All the fighters look over to where Briana is laughing and talking animatedly to Charles. Briana and Giselle call him Charlie and the old man gets red in the face when they converse with him.

My gaze travels over her body in her tight black leggings and matching crop top sweater, showcasing her smooth, toned stomach. Her platinum hair is straight, with a slight wave at the ends just above her ass.

“You got the bug, Champ?” Nick says, pointing out that I’m ogling Briana from the back side of the cage, hanging on it with my bulky arms in an attempt to hide my face between my arms, trying to look inconspicuous.

“Yeah, I got it bad,” I tell him.

“Who is that?” Brian asks, wiping sweat off his forehead. “She is so fine. I have never seen a blonde girl look that fine.”

“Keep your eyes to yourself and dick in your pants. She is definitely off-limits,” Jake says.

“Why?” Brian asks, placing his gloved hands on his hips. “She your girl?”

“That is Giselle’s best friend, they are like sisters. She also used to be Jaden’s girl,” Nick explains. Silently thanking him for leaving out the part about how we ended up breaking up, and I was to blame for treating her in the worst way possible.

Brian glances at me and then at her. “You still want her, don’t you?” he asks me.

“Is it that obvious?” I ask him.

“Hell yeah. You can’t stop staring at her. With all due respect, I wouldn’t blame you. She must be amazing to have your attention like that. I have never seen a girl have your attention for more than a quick lay.”

She walks over and for the first time, I’m nervous around a woman. I thought of asking why she didn’t answer my calls or texts like a jilted lover but realized that if I want to even have a simple conversation with her, that is not the way to go about it.

I’m curious as to how she has that car but a sinking feeling in my stomach tells me I’m not going to like the answer. That car is definitely not her style. I’m the flashy one and she would always complain about how much money I would spend on her. One thing I loved about Briana is that she is not shallow or interested in my money.

She isn’t interested in fame either. She is the type to avoid the paparazzi, and I’m thinking it’s because she doesn’t want people to find out things that she’d prefer to be hidden. Whatever she is trying to hide, I’m going to find out.

Charles follows behind her over to the cage. “Hey, Jaden. Look who dropped by to say hello.” He beams.

“Don’t get too excited, old man,” I say playfully.

“I actually came by to say hello to Charlie but didn’t want to be rude and not say hello to everyone else. I apologize if I interrupted anything. I know you told me you never wanted me back here, but Nate told me that Charlie wanted me to come in and say hi. I’ll be out of your hair in a minute.”

I grimace at her mentioning the fact that I told her to leave and never set foot in the gym. That she has to explain herself as to why she set foot inside it makes me ashamed of myself. My gaze finds hers and my hands are still on the fence as I turn and face her. “You can come in here whenever you want.”

I want her to come here. I have missed her presence everywhere. The sound of her laughing when I would make a joke, the softness of her skin, the smell of her hair, and the sounds she makes when I’m inside her.

In my selfishness, I let her go and I’m terrified she will never want me back in her life. She doesn’t look at me the same. She glances at me but that spark inside her when she would check me out, stroking my ego, is gone. She’s trapped inside herself like a web of dark thoughts and awful memories. Memories I’m part of and not the good kind.

“I’m sorry about last night, I overreacted,” I tell her. She crosses her arms over her chest defensively but her cropped sweater rises, and my cock begins to get hard. Thank God for groin protectors. Her small waist is exposed and when she places her weight on one leg over the other, causing her hip to jut out, the dangerous curve of her ass is visible from where I’m standing on the perimeter of the cage. My eyes travel over her, and she raises an elegant brow.

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