1
SERA
I’m about thirty freaking seconds away from completely losing my shit.
My heart slams like a jackhammer against my ribs, and I grit my teeth to keep from screaming.
You’re fine. It’s just the exertion.
I know it’s not, but I don’t want Finn or Brady to notice. Because then it will become a wholething.
I concentrate on keeping my breathing even and my eyes on my opponent instead of the group of men standing ringside watching.
“Keep your guard higher, Sera. Rotate from the hip when you throw.” Brady’s irritation cuts through the buzzing in my ears.
I bounce on my toes, counting in my head. Two bounces, one bounce, two more.
It’s not as effective as the finger tapping my therapist taught me, but it’s something. I repeat the movements as Brady squirts water into Finn’s mouth past his guard.
My brother corrects Finn’s stance, and my gaze flicks toward the group again. A tall man in a gray tank smirks at me, and I jerk my eyes away. My pulse jumps, and the urge to rip mygloves off and pull the elastic out of my ponytail is almost unbearable.
The skin on my collarbone burns from the exertion, reminding me of what I know has drawn the unwanted attention—what they areallstaring at.
Why did I let Brady convince me to take off my oversized T-shirt to spar in this yoga top?
Brady leans his elbows on the ropes. “One more round and then we have to go to work.” His eyes are on me. “Focus.”
Familiar sibling annoyance breaks through my rising panic, but I don’t snap back the way I normally would.
Nodding at Finn, we circle each other again, but my attention is still split. I jab with my right, but I’m too slow, too conscious of the men watching me. Finn’s counter punch connects solidly against my ribs before I can move away, and air whooshes out of me.
“Shit—sorry,” my friend says, pulling back instantly. “You good?”
“Fine,” I wheeze. “Just thought I should throw you a bone… since I’ve been kicking your ass all morning. Didn’t want you to pout over your computer all day.”
“So generous,” he mocks.
“I thought so.”
My lungs expand, and as I try to reset, my eyes betray me, going again to the group hovering a few feet away, watching us spar. Finn’s gaze follows mine, and his expression shifts before he looks back at me with sympathetic eyes.
Which just makes me mad.
I’m so fucking sick of sympathy.
“Sera, what the hell?” Brady scowls. “You aren’t paying attention. Turn your shoulder into the—” He stops mid-sentence, the words dying off as he hears what he said, too late.
Extra heat flushes up my body into my face. “You know I can’t do that.”
He exhales hard, jaw tight. “Right, well?—”
The words cut off abruptly when the group watching us erupts in laughter, and I flinch.
Logically, I know it’s not because they heard what Brady said. My brother’s boxing gym isn’t as loud as some, but between the music from the speakers and the sounds of fists hitting bags throughout the space, there’s no way they could have heard his words clearly.
Their laughter has nothing to do with me.
Probably.
