“On your toes, Luce! Quit being so damn flatfooted.”
She shook off the coaching but did as I said, bouncing out of the way of my next jab.
“Good! Better!”
Lucia threw a right-left combo at me. I blocked them, returning the favor, pulling my punches. I hated sparring with a woman—any woman. But I especially hated sparring with Lucia. She and I had history. Nothing that made either of us uncomfortable, at least not anymore, but we’d been fuck buddies once, which made me cringe when it came to sparring with her.
I knew for a fact that Lucia could hold her own. I trained her in Muay Thai and Jujitsu myself. And she held a black belt in Aikido, but it didn’t change the fact that punching a woman, especially one I’d fucked, made me feel like a DV perp.
“Quit fucking holding back, asshole!” she yelled at me, dropping her guard.
Seeing my chance to put an end to things, I reached out and grabbed her. At nearly seven feet tall, my reach gave me an advantage that her sub-six feet didn’t have.
“Cheating, motherfucker!” she growled, and I howled with laughter.
Wiggling and twisting, cursing me with every breath, she fought tooth and nail as I took her to the mat, looking for even the smallest advantage. She was a talented fighter, and strong as fuck, despite her size. That was to her advantage. Her greatest disadvantage… she was also stubborn as hell and wouldn’t tap out until injured.
“C’mon, Luce. Tap,” I said as I wrapped her in a submission hold.
I did my best not to tighten the rear naked choke down too hard, but if I didn’t put some pressure on her, she’d never submit.
More struggling ensued. I sighed, tightening my hold further as I slowly arched my back. Her hands curled around the front of my forearms, nails digging in. Her breaths came in short wheezes, and I knew she wasn’t going to submit.
“That’s it. Enough,” I said, rolling us over and onto our knees.
Moving around so I could see her face, my heart plummeted. Tears and snot covered her face.
“Lucia…”
“Don’t you dare fucking apologize. I’m not hurt. I’m pissed.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t feel like an asshole for making you cry.”
I knew what the next words out of her mouth would be.
“It’s not the first time you’ve kicked my ass. It’s also not the first time you’ve made me cry.”
Visions of the first time I reduced her to tears filled my head. It was years ago, before we left the Marines, long before I marriedhim,but I still felt horrible about it, like so many other things in my life.
Throwing off the hair shirt made from all the stupid, idiotic, numbskull shit I’d done in my life, I stood and helped her to her feet.
“I joke about the past, hoping you’ll realize that I don’t hold a grudge, and it’s behind us.”
A deep breath stretched my rib cage, and I nodded. We’d have to disagree about that one, but I wouldn’t say so because she’d chew me a new asshole.
“No comment?”
“No,” I replied simply. “Not as long as you’re positive you’re okay. I’d hate myself if I hurt you, Luce.”
“You hurt my ego, Hay. That’s all. I thought for sure I had you this time.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her. She pummeled my arms and shoulders, yelling, “Shut up!” I yanked her to me, tossed her over my shoulder, and raced to the ice bath. The guys around us burst out laughing. Luce and I giving each other hell was a daily occurrence.
I dumped her in the tub filled with icy cold water. Laughter turned to outraged sputtering and curses, which only made me laugh harder. Ringing from somewhere cut through the atmosphere, but whoever it was wasn’t calling me, so I didn’t pay attention.
“Lucia’s phone.”
Scott’s voice, nearly drowned out by the chaos of our shenanigans, echoed through the gym as he answered.
