“Well, at least I know you can throw a punch.” Aly leans down over my face with a smirk.
“Oh, hush. I haven’t been wrestling since I was in middle school.” I climb to my feet at the speed of molasses.
“The perks of being a little sister with three brothers.” Alyra takes the moment of me climbing to my feet to fix the hot pink messy bun on top of her head. “Okay, let’s try again.”
Aly slaps me on the shoulders and heads to the side of the mat again. Rolling my eyes with a huff, I turn my back to her and ready myself to be slammed down again.
But this time, when she charges me, I managed to use her own momentum to fling her body up and over. Body slamming her for once.
“FUCK YES!” Nyx comes running from the side of the mat and swings me up in a massive hug.
“Jesus, Nyx. You’re going to break my ribs. Put me down.”
The minute my feet hit the mat again, Aly is there offering me a slap on the back. She is not much for affection, so this is pretty epic coming from her.
“It wasn’t perfect, but you did get me, I’ll give you that.” She is still rubbing at her lower back.
“Well, duh, it wasn’t perfect, it's the first one I have actually done.” I laugh at her.
“We will lay off the sparring for the night, go hit the treadmill.” She points over towards the line of treadmills that are facing the windows.
“Fine,” I grumble before grabbing my water bottle and walking over.
“Running intervals,” Aly calls out. “Forty-five seconds on, one minute off.”
I roll my eyes and bend forward to stretch out my hamstrings. Everything hurts, but I do my best to loosen up before starting my cardio. As if fighting Aly isn’t enough cardio.
“Come on, Sunshine.” Nyx climbs up on the machine next to me and starts a light jog.
Putting my earbuds in, I turn on my favorite workout playlist. It is all music that makes me feel like I am the main character in a fantasy novel. Setting the treadmill up for a quick warm-up.
Before I know it, Aly is stopping the treadmill, and I am definitely more on the sweaty side than glistening. Gross.
“Great job, Ky. You can be done for the night.” Aly swings her bag over her shoulder and heads out the door.
I am thankful for these lessons, but damn am I sore. We have been meeting three times a week, and it’s helping to take this extra weight off. I can’t believe how much better I feel and how great my clothes fit again. Maybe I can do this.
CHAPTER 24
CALLUM
I’m not sure that Kyra realized what was happening next week, but I didn’t want to take her out on actual Valentine’s Day. She would definitely be suspicious of that. But it’s the tenth, completely inconspicuous, right?
I have reservations at the best Italian restaurant in town. A little birdy, aka Nyx, told me that she absolutely loves all things Italian. She has dreams of seeing things like the Colosseum and the Pantheon. Maybe one day I’ll be the one to take her there.
Running a quick hand down the front of my slacks, I smooth out any wrinkles. I have black dress pants and a bright blue button-down on. Sleeves rolled up to my elbows, so you can see my Marine Corps logo on my forearm. Standing in front of my full-length mirror, I pick apart my entire look. Am I trying too damn hard?
Nah.
Closing the bedroom door behind me, I head down the stairs. Dee, my brother, and Nyx are all cuddled up on the living room couch. Nyx has her head in Demitri’s lap, he is absentmindedly running his fingers through her dark hair, while Graham ismassaging her calves. The sight is utterly domestic of the three of them. It’s adorable.
“Hey, Little Bro.” Graham looks my way, taking his eyes off the movie they are watching. “Looking good!”
Nyx looks up from the movie. “Fuck ya, Cal. You look hot!”
Demitri growls low in his chest while grasping her hair tightly in his fist, forcing her to look at him. “What the fuck do you mean, Little Fox?”
“Calm down, caveman.” Nyx laughs at him. “First of all, he looks so much like Graham that, of course, I am going to find him hot. Second of all, he’s Kyra’s, therefore, way off limits. Sooooo I can appreciate his attractiveness forher.Not for me.”
