A suspicion creeps into my mind.
“You did it on purpose.” I narrow my eyes at her as I walk over to switch the treadmill off. “All that fumbling with the wraps. The shitty ass punch. You were baiting me all along.”
Her devious grin flips to a frown.
“My punch wasn’t shitty. I don't need your help,” she huffs, fire blazing in her eyes. Her temper is so damn hot that I don’t really care anymore if she came down here to goad me. Nope, I just want to see more of it.
So I throw down a challenge.
“If you don’t need my help, you’re going to have to prove it, baby.” I crowd her space, my chest just inches from hers. “Make me back up.”
She stiffens at first, then gives me a tense nod, her nose in the air. Still, when I step closer and bump our chests together, she takes half a step back. Her first instinct is to run. While that really pisses her off, it isn’t actually a bad move.
“That’s okay, retreat can be strategic,” I tell her, letting her keep the space she took back. “If your opponent is bigger than you, you’ll need to be that much smarter and faster.”
I correct her stance, and she listens carefully, making adjustments and moving to stay out of my reach. I circle her for a while, letting her get used to moving her feet and maintaining the distance.
“That’s good. I’m going to come at you a little harder now. Watch for an opening, and when you see it, don’t hold back.”
I show her the motions a few times, shadowboxing in the space between us. She copies the movements, concentrating intensely the entire time. When I leave an obvious hole in my guard, she throws a quick jab, but she doesn't put much force behind it. The hit glances weakly off my upper arm and leaves her exposed.
“What was that? If I was napping, that hit wouldn’t even wake me up.”
“I don't want to hurt you,” she hisses, eyes flashing when I chuckle in response. She thinks I’m mocking her. Before I can explain, an idea pops into my head. It’s fucking brilliant.
“If you think you’re so tough, let's make a deal,” I say. Her foot taps, but I can see she’s interested now. “I’ll let you pay us back for the phone... if you can actually hurt me.”
Sheena brings her fists back up, determination lining every inch of her body.
“I’ll take your deal, but you need to remember I’m a grown woman. You don’tletme do a damn thing, and I don't want a sugar daddy. You can’t just get mad and storm off every time you don’t get your way.”
There it is.
She’s mad at me for leaving during the tussle over the phone last night. I knew things were off between us, but I thought she was pissed that I wanted to pay, not because I stormed out. I’mjust relieved that the gloves are coming off now. Metaphorically speaking, at least. It also gives me a chance to get what I want.
I thump my gloves together and bounce on the balls of my feet.
“You’re right, I wanted to buy you that phone. I stormed off because you wouldn’t let me. Now, make me pay, baby.” I growl the words. She shivers at the sound. Yeah, she likes that, even if she doesn’t want to admit it.
“The only thing you’re going to pay for is your macho bullshit.”
She circles me then, determination fueling her as she searches for an opening. When she lashes out, she's fast, but she telegraphs her intentions. I easily dodge.
“Okay, that was good, but you showed me where you were going to attack with your eyes.”
She nods, doubling down with an intensity that makes me burn for her. I want her to look at me with that single-minded focus.
She’s clearly been paying attention. It doesn’t take long before I actually have to concentrate to defend against her hits. Unfortunately for her, she’s running out of steam, unused to the energy needed for extended sparring.
“Pretend this is an actual fight,” I suggest. “The longer it goes on, the worse your odds get. Remember, being able to defend yourself could save your life.”
She takes my advice to heart, charging at me with a flurry of flying fists. I'm not expecting it, and a couple of the blows get past my guard.
When her body collides with mine at full force, I’m so much bigger that she bounces right off. I experience the whole thing in slow motion, reaching for her as she falls and twisting to let my body take the brunt of the impact. We hit the mat hard, and I grunt when she lands on top of me.
“Did it hurt?” Sheena asks.
I open my eyes to see her earnest, hopeful expression staring down at me from where she's perched on my chest. Just like that, I’m a goner. No power on Earth or in any of the realms could convince me to disappoint her right now.
