Then he said Elaine and I would go at it until he called for us to stop. A tempting offer I planned to take advantage of, once I found an opportunity to land my first punch.
Especially with the way Elaine kept running her mouth.
She smirked, her voice obnoxiously bright. “I asked what you said.”
“Oh, nothing, Elaine. Just congratulating you on living up to your full potential so early in life.”
Her sickening giggle filled me with regret. “I want as many babies as possible, of course. But these things take time, so we’ll probably have to practice.A lot.Hey! Ow!”
I clocked her right on the temple. With a quick step back, I pulled in my arm and raised it to shield my face, just the way Josh had instructed.
He crowed from the sidelines. “Nice one, Quinn! Regroup.”
“Elaine,” Brad, the Knight on her side, called from across the ring. “Stop talking babies, and get your head in the game.”
She smirked again. “My head is in the game, Brad. That’s whyI’mgoing to be Mrs. D’Arthur, while Quinn goes back to her poor, sad li?—”
Red flooded my vision as that name left her mouth.
I punched her right in the jaw.
Given my not-so-socially-acceptable lifestyle choices, which prevented me from marrying all three of my broody assholes, I had no intention of beingMrs. D’Arthurofficially. Not unless a three-way tie for my hand became an option. One day. Far,farin the future.
Still, the idea ofElainebearing that name even in her wildest dreams filled me with rage.
“Ease up, Everly,” Josh called from the ropes, smirking at Brad. “You’ve clearly bested her. Give her a chance to get up.”
He ordered me back over to him and stopped me from climbing on top of the bitch. She whined about my being a cheater, and Josh and I both ignored her.
“Thanks,” I huffed as I sat on the stool he’d set out for me.
He shot water into my mouth from my water bottle while I seethed and practiced my glaring. Across the ring, Elaine chattered away happily as if I hadn’t just knocked her sideways.
“God, does she ever stop talking?”
Josh, who stood a foot over me with dark brown eyes and flawless tan skin, flashed me a friendly smile. “No.”
“Ugh.” I groaned and grabbed the towel he extended to me. “And I have to deal with her shit through the end of this?”
“Yes, but you get a day off beforeBonding Day!” He thrust a fist in the air, as if that was news to celebrate. Noting my lack of joy over it, he laughed. “Don’t let her get in your head. You can do this.”
I ground out the words through clenched teeth. “She’s not in my head.”
He arched a well-groomed brow at me. “Oh, yes, not at all. That last punch contained no emotion whatsoever.”
“What are you implying,Joshua?” I waved a hand at him. “I assume your full name is Joshua.”
“Nope. Just Josh.”
“Alright.Just Josh, what are you trying to say?”
He gripped the legs of my stool and turned it to face him. “Everyone knows she attacked you with Vivian.And, forgive me for being honest, we all know you and Landon are…” He smiled innocently before he winked. “Close.”
I narrowed my eyes on his face. “Define: close.”
“Friendly in the biblical sense? Familiar in the bedroom? You tell me.” He shrugged. “No judgment. We all know the goal of the first thirty days.”
“Do we, though?” I growled before regaining my focus. “Fine. We’reclose. What of it?”
