“And that person is you, is it?”
“Of course.” Tyson whistles as he heads down the hall into the guest room.
There’s no doubt in my mind that I’m going to kick his ass at practice later today.
Swinging a hard hook,I catch Tyson on the side of the head the moment his hands drop.
He stumbles back before shaking it off and getting his hands back in front of him.
He points at me with the black boxing glove. “That was a dirty hit, and you know it.”
“I wouldn’t say it was a dirty hit.” I keep light on my feet, circling around him, sweat rolling down the back of my neck. “Besides, you spent most of the afternoon bothering me.”
“I did not.” He throws a punch.
I block it before dropping my arm and trying to get in a quick hit to his gut.
He deserves it for interrupting the alone session I needed with Jade. Or at least her pictures that drive me crazy with the need to be inside her.
Air rushes out of me as pain bursts from my ribs when Tyson’s fist slams into them.
I force myself to stand up straight, fighting off the urge to bend over.
Getting inside his arm range, I duck low when he tries to punch me and fire off two hard jabs to his stomach.
Tyson groans, stumbling back before taking off the boxing gloves and tossing them to the ground. “I’m done.”
“Aw. Did you get a booboo?” I laugh as I step out of the ring and head for the locker room, my muscles screaming.
There’s nothing fun about practicing for four hours. Especially with someone who hits as hard as Tyson does. But I’m happy I have him to practice with. I need someone like him to keep me on my toes.
And with the fight coming up, I have to be here. I have to practice as hard as I can with someone who won’t pull punches or cave at the first hit or two.
The boss would have my ass if I wasn’t at my best. He’s counting on me to win the fight and make him an obscene amount of money in the process.
All I can count on is my body, my fighting skills. And I make sure I never lose.
I have already lost so much in my life. My parents, my family. My future. My dreams. Childish fantasies of love, children. A home.
Jade is the only indulgence I allow myself to a glimpse outside this life. A glimpse of all the what-ifs if life had been fair to me.
The white picket fence, two dogs shit is not in the cards for me, but a guy can still dream, right?
Even if this is all it will ever be. A dream.
Because my reality is too brutal, too painful to ever allow for someone else to share it.
It would be amazing coming home to a loving woman. And I can’t even imagine having kids. That is so far out of my reach that I don’t even dare dream about it.
Pain, fighting, that is all my life comes down to. And as much as Jade brightens my day and I wish her light could swallow me whole, I’m very much aware that the darkness within me would consume us both.
But still, I hang on to the dream.
Sucker.
Tyson jogs after me. “If you want to win the fight, you need to get out of your head.”
I turn to face him, jaw tightening. “I’m not in my head. I’m focused. I’m right here like I’ve been trained to be, and nothing is going to stop me. You know that. I’ll win the fight, get the boss his money, and then I’ll go back to training to be what he needs me to be, just like I do every other fight.”
