My brows lifted in surprise at the seriousness I saw in her eyes. She meant what she’d said. At first, it was hard for me to imagine the man I’d met the night before, the way she described.
Jacob didn’t speak much to myself or Luke. He came across as serious and closed off. But then I remembered how his demeanor shifted as we pulled up to the house and he saw Grace standing outside waiting. His body language changed and a smile—one wouldn’t think him capable of at first appearance—crossed his face.
A smile that met his eyes. I totally could see where Grace was coming from. Jacob was a man who saved his love for a select few. In my experience, people like that had learned somewhere along the line the outside world wasn’t safe. I wondered who or what had taught him that. More importantly, I wondered if Luke had learned the same harsh lesson.
I thought about Luke since the first time I’d introduced myself to him. All of his smartass comments that were obviously designed to keep people at arm’s length. Then there was the night before. When he’d admitted the reason he went out fighting at an underground group was so that he could keep away from me.
Yes, Luke had learned the same mistrust of others.
I wondered if the lessons he learned would extend to me, and if so, how much would it hurt when he shut me out?
Chapter 15
You Date?
Luke
“Slow it down, Luke.”
I ignored Syd’s yelling from ringside and circled my sparring partner, ready to take his ass down.
“You’re moving in too quickly,” she called again as soon as I moved in for a headlock with Antonio.
“Fuck,” he grunted.
A smile pursed my lips when I realized I had the fucker right where I wanted him. Spinning and dropping down on my back, I locked my legs around his neck. In less than fifteen seconds, once my legs began tightening, he tapped out, and I released my hold.
“What the hell was that?” Syd’s angry rant came, dampening my high.
I frowned, glaring at her. “The hell do you mean? I just kicked his ass. Did you see that leg lock?”
Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “I told you to slow it down. Take it easy.”
“For what? I won.”
“Yeah, with Antonio. But had you been up against a better grappler, they would’ve taken you down with the amount of your left side you exposed. No offense, Antonio,” she finished, holding up her hand and looking over my shoulder to the guy I beat.
That, for some reason pissed me off, and I found myself, taking her by the arm and leading her across the gym floor to my office, slamming my door behind me.
“Luke, what the hell? Don’t man handle me,” she insisted snatching away from me.
“That wasn’t what you said three nights ago.”
Her eyes bulged and her jaw tightened. My cock twitched. Angry sex was the best sex, in my opinion.
“Don’t you dare look at me like that. We’re at work,” she insisted through gritted teeth.
“Not my fault my mind keeps picturing you on your knees, back arching, in front of me as you take all of me.”
“Luke!”
I gritted my own teeth, running my hand through my hair. What the fuck was happening to me? Nothing, and I mean,nothing, had ever gotten in the way of me fighting. I could always drown out all the crap that was going on in my world, and focus on the fight, whether in the cage, or here at the gym. Now, in a matter of weeks, the only thing I wanted more than to fight was Syd.
“I think you need to take up yoga.”
I blinked and gave her an incredulous look. “You’re still on that bullshit? First, dancing, now yoga. Are you training me to win a fight or to be the perfect date?” I twisted my head, cracking my neck. I still didn’t see the purpose of those damn lessons, but I continued to show up them.
She narrowed her eyes and slammed her hands against her hips. “The lessons are working. And you’re taking yoga.”
