Page 55 of Fighting the Darkness

“You know they make reading glasses for this exact reason, old man.”

Griffin glances up at me, a droll look on his face. “I thought I wasn’t old?”

“You are when you’re squinting at the screen like that.” I sit at one of the chairs on the other side of his desk as he turns to face me.

“What are you doing up here, anyway? You’re supposed to be training with Soren,” Griffin says as he pulls open his top drawer and pulls out a set of glasses that he slides onto his face as he turns back to his screen.

My jaw drops because, holy shit, does he look hot in glasses. I momentarily forget why I’ve come up here and what my name is as I drool over his hotness.

“Freya?”

Oh, right. That’s my name.

Blinking, I force myself to smile. “I was telling Soren that I need something to look forward to for motivation. I was trying to get him to give me a rough estimate of when I’d be able to have my first fight. He said I wasn’t ready—which, duh, I’m aware of—but said to come ask you since you’re the one who schedules the fights.”

Griffin looks at me over the top of his reading glasses—at least I think that’s what they are—and sighs. “You know I can’t give you an exact date.”

“I know that... I just... I need an idea. Two months? Six months? What are we talking about here?” I run a hand over my face. “I have no job, Griffin. The only thing I do is train, go to classes that will help me with my fighting, go on runs, and occasionally hang out with my only two friends. I could be training twenty-four-seven if that’s what’s needed—what will get me ready.”

“You do not need or want to train around the clock, I promise you it would actually be to your detriment to train that often.” He pushes the glasses on top of his head and turns away from the computer so he can keep his eyes on me as we talk.

I sigh, frustrated. “Then what do I need to do, Griffin? This is all I have in my life, and it’s not enough to keep me from worrying about Wilder.”

Damn it. I didn’t mean to admit that to him.

“And that’s the real problem, isn’t it?” Griffin muses.

I shake my head. “No. It just slipped out.”

He takes pity on me and nods. “You’re not ready for a fight.”

“I know that! Tell me when I will be, or to get to where I will be. Tell me something!”

Griffin sighs, moving around the desk to kneel in front of me. “I can’t tell you when you’ll be ready, but you already know that. So why are you really here?”

“I don’t know what you mean.” I bite my lip, actually meaning my words. I have no idea what he’s talking about.

“Why are you begging for a fight so bad?”

“I just... I need...” I shake my head, eyes filling with tears. “I need something, Griffin. I need something to look forward to before I end up going down another spiral.”

Griffin hums. “And is that something we need to be concerned about?”

“No. Yes. I don’t know. Maybe.” I shake my head. I really don’t know. For a while there, I was doing great, but in the last couple of days, my mind has been spiraling. I can’t stop worrying about Wilder. I can’t stop wondering if I’ll ever be good enough at MMA for a fight. I can’t stop wondering why I feel equally attracted to three different men. “I can’t turn my mind off, Griffin. I need something.”

“I can see that.” Griffin sighs, cups my face in his hands. “I can’t tell you when you’ll be ready for a fight. What else can I do for you?”

For a moment, all I can do is blink at him. When he licks his lips, my eyes drop to watch the movement. Heat races through me as my eyes dart back up to his.

“Kiss me,” I murmur.

Griffin shakes his head but doesn’t release his hold. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Freya.”

“Then don’t think. You asked what you can do for me, and this is what you can do. You can make me feel something. Kiss me, Griffin, please?”

He hesitates for another moment before cursing. “Damn it, this is a terrible idea.”

Then his lips are on mine, and this is exactly what I needed. I trace the line of his lips with my tongue, daring him to open for me. Wanting nothing more than to have his tongue caressing mine. I sigh into the kiss when his mouth opens, our tongues darting out to tangle together. I’ll say one thing for Griffin—he sure the fuck knows how to kiss.

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