“And I still can’t go see him?”
Nikolai shakes his head. “He needs to add you to the list, Mrs. Hanlon.”
It’s weird hearing it and the warmth I feel when he says it is even stranger.
“We haven’t been married for twenty-four hours, I couldn’t possibly want to kill himthatfast, right?”
I give him my best smile and his handsome face remains neutral.Tough crowd.
“Ah, come on, Nik!” I whine.
The briefest smirk colors his face but then nothing. “It’s Nikolai and rules are rules ma’am.”
“Alright. You’re right. I came to kill him. Let’s fight.”
He lifts a brow and watches me get into a fighting stance. I put up my fist and bounce like I’m in the ring. He wants to laugh I can tell because he’s twice my size and I’m sure he’s deadly. I swing pitifully and when he moves to dodge it, I take off running towards the door praying I still have my speed from my track days all while screeching like a toddler being chased by its parent.
Jagger and his sparring partner stops and looks in my direction just as Nikolai scoops me up like I weigh nothing.
“It’s fine, Nik,” Jagger says and puts his hands on his hips to stare at me.
“Hey! You wouldn’t let me call you Nik. I thought we were better than that,” I tease him to lighten the mood but his blue eyes still sneer at me. “You smell delightful by the way.” He turns to leave and I adjust my outfit. “That’s what I thought.”
I run towards the ring when he turns around. He shakes his head and pushes some of the hair that escaped his ponytail out of his face. There’s the slightest hint of amusement in his stare.
“Good luck, Jagger,” he huffs then leaves.
I blink at Jagger innocently as if Nikolai didn’t just suggest that I am a handful.
“Edis, wife. Wife, Edis.”
Now that my life is no longer flashing before my eyes I recognize the guy in the ring as Edis Ivanov the MMA champion. I don’t know much about MMA but I know about Edis Ivanov. According to his stats he’s a little over six-feet-four and all lean muscle. He’s undefeated but has taken a hiatus from fighting. I take in his shaved head, goatee with beard, and sweaty muscled form and remember why I know all about him and nothing about his sport.
“Edis Ivanov has been here all this time, locked away in the gym and no one told me? Hi! I’m a huge fan of your work.”
He nods with a grunt and uses the hem on his shirt to wipe away some sweat. My eyes automatically fall to his abs.Nice.
“Is that why you’re here wearing pussy shorts?” Jagger asks as he wipes his face with a towel.
Asshole.He’s shirtless and his shorts ride his hips well enough for me to see the v disappearing under his clothes. Nodding, I remove my hoodie and grab some new women MMA gloves from the stock shelf.
“What are you doing?” Jagger's question sounds impatient like I’m holding up his morning.
I slide the light-blue gloves that are imprinted with skulls onto my hands as I give him a side-eye.
“I’m here to fight you,” I announce to Jagger’s amusement.
He has every right to be amused because my fighting skills are basic but I have a bone to pick with him.
“Fight?” he repeats it like he didn’t hear me.
I check out the gloves before answering, I like this fingerless feel. “You heard me.”
His eyebrows are confused, his eyes are amused, and his lips are twisted. Jagger is trying to figure out if I’ve lost my shit. I’m sane. I just have a point to prove.
I climb in the ring - the only thing I’ve learned about boxing - and try not to giggle when I’m standing close to Edis who is also convinced that I’ve lost it. I know basic self-defense grappling tactics to get out of holds and some moves from kickboxing class but that’s it. Facing Jagger, I bring up my fist. Jagger tilts his head and Edis scoffs and corrects my hands and stance. I try not to swoon when he touches me, he’s not in the mood for me to turn into a giggling fan.
“And why are we fighting?” Jagger quips. Some of his usual personality pokes out.
