I ignore the lurch in my stomach and lift my arms. “Noted.”
I’m not in the mood for Katia—or anyone else—today.
All I can think about is Elise fucking Thayer, and how she looked tucked into Mason’s side with her dark eyes roaming over him intently.
I throw a few more punches and wince when pinpricks of pain race up and down my arms. “Why aren’t you fighting me?”
Katia leans back and crosses her ankles. “It wouldn’t be a fight, and I’ve got better things to do.”
“Yeah, like look at your blade,” I spread my legs shoulder-width apart and pause. Then, I square my shoulders and throw one punch after the other until my hands ache and my lungs are burning. My breath comes out in short puffs as I lift a leg and do a side kick that barely moves the punching bag.
Growling, I use my other leg to kick and grimace when I nearly fall backward.
A twinge in my lower back has me shifting from one foot to the other and bracing my hands on either side of me. I inhale deeply and wait for the ringing in my ears to quiet. Slowly, I glance over at Katia, who is leaning against the wall and watching me.
“What?”
“Anger motivates you.”
I scowl and turn away from her. “No, it doesn’t.”
Katia strolls over to me. “It wasn’t a question, Princess. It was a statement. Something has you riled up.”
I bite back the retort.
Am I that obvious?
Or am I not hiding my feelings as well as I’d like?
Katia stops a few inches away from me. “Don’t favor one leg. Make sure you’re transferring your weight often, and don’t come in hard at the beginning. It’s about how well you hit, not how often.”
I rear back, landing a punch squarely to the bag. “Fine.”
Katia chuckles. “Who knew it was so easy to get under your skin? Let me guess. It was seeing the Thayer heir yesterday, wasn’t it? There’s been rumors about her and Mason for years, you know.”
“Shut up.” I pause to swat away an errant lock of hair. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Katia inches closer. “Don’t I? I mean, I can’t blame you. She’s fucking gorgeous, and she comes from money.”
I throw my leg out, and Katia catches it in midair. “Let go.”
Katia tightens her grip. “She’s also from his world, so it makes sense for them to be thrown together.”
I squirm and try to pull back my leg. “Just because it makes sense on paper doesn’t mean it’ll work in the real world.”
I’m living proof of that.
I walked away from Noah, a nice and stable guy I could’ve had a normal relationship with, for a man like Mason.
Even my parents think I’ve gone insane, but I won’t let any of it get to me.
Not the frustration, not the fear, and definitely not the jealousy.
So what if Mason has a past?
It will keep being flaunted in your face, even if you don’t go looking for it. It’s everywhere.
Another image of Elise and Mason with their heads bent together flashes to mind before I shove it away.
