Page 64 of The Way We Fight

“Bobby was angry I let someone famous get outed in his gym,” I rolled my eyes. “He probably would have agreed to anything to make it up to you.”

“Well, it turned out well for all of us then.”

“This can't work out well for us, though. We’re still a conflict of interest, Levi.”

He pulled me into a hug and rested his gloves at the small of my back. “I have that figured out too, I just need you to trust me.”

“But I don't,'' I reminded him.

“You have to start now.”

I nodded against his chest, not willing to try walking away from him again. In a roundabout way, we both confessed that we were falling in love with one another. It was scary, but also a relief to know I wasn't the only one.

“How's your head?” He rubbed his glove over the back of my head while asking me about the CT scan we never got to discuss.

“Good. You kept me from hitting too hard. How's yours?”

“Good. Sisco hits hard but I didn't get up to let him get another one in.”

“You up for one more fight, then?” I suggested, pulling back and shoving his stomach with my gloved hands.

“I will always fight with you,” he smirked, pounding his gloves together and jumping from side to side.

I made a show of loosening my shoulders and stretching my neck. When I looked back at him, he was licking his lips and taunting me to come at him. I raised my fists up and closed the gap between us once again, that time swinging and trying to land punches.

He blocked everything I threw at him, never being shocked by the choice of moves or swings I took.

“Harder,” he taunted me, urging me to push myself more.

“Agh,” I grunted, swinging again with my right arm before trying to fake him with a left uppercut. He saw it coming, not letting any piece of my gloves land on his body. That kind of fighting sense was how he was so good at boxing. He was not only strong, but strategic and could predict what the opponent would do before they did it.

I had one move he had never seen before, though. I just needed a minute to prepare myself for it, so I backed away and used my footwork to keep me loose.

When it was time, I lunged forward and jumped, wrapping my legs around his waist and grabbing his neck with my arms. He wrapped his arms around me, and we found ourselves in a tight embrace in the middle of the ring.

Since there were no windows in the gym, we only had the dim light that shined above the ring. The music that had been playing when I walked in was soft and we started swaying back and forth.

“This is a good tactic, Stripes. But if you ever use it on anyone else, I will spank your ass.”

I groaned as his voice lowered back into that angry tone of his–deep and guttural. It had a direct line to my pussy, and I started throbbing instantly as I pictured him bending me over. I was hanging on to him like a monkey, grinding myself on his stomach, desperate to be with him again since it had been so long.

“Are we done fighting?” He pushed me down his body, just enough so I could feel how hard he was.

I unwrapped my legs and stood but kept a hold of him. My mouth was near his ear, and I couldn't help confessing, “I’m scared.”

“No, you’re not,” he took his gloves to each side of my face and held me tight so he could look into my eyes. “You are one tough woman. Headstrong, smart, athletic, and independent. You turn me on just knowing that you can handle my bullshit. The way you throw insults back at me on that field made me start falling for you before I even realized what was happening.”

“I can handle being tough but being weak has never been my thing. A ceasefire with you is scary.”

“Don’t worry, baby.” I could hear the smile in his voice but was still wrapped up in his arms so I couldn't see him. “We still have Sundays.”

I laughed but we only had Sundays until one of us got fired or quit. How long would that be?

Before I could think about it too long, Levi pulled me away from his body and turned me around. “Put your hands on the rope.”

I did as instructed and then looked over my shoulder at him. He was eyeing my body, the way my ass was poking out at him, and the way my legs were slightly spread open. I watched him take his mouth to his gloves and start unwrapping them until they fell to the mat.

Then his eyes came up to mine and he smiled, “Leave the gloves on.”

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