We both look at each other in shock; the dark wall cracking slightly and I can see the utter disbelief that we’ve hit each other. The noises fade away behind us, everyone around us fades away. Until it’s just the two of us, breathing heavily and fucking shocked.
Our gazes lock onto each other and it feels like we have a whole conversation in the span of a frozen moment…but I don’t know what he’s trying to say.
But then the moment is over and the whole world resumes around us; the crowd howls, the lights darken again, his mask slams into place and he lunges.
Suddenly he’s on me, those big hands I love grabbing my arms, driving me backward. I dig my back heel back into the dirt and twist. Ty loses his footing slightly, gripping my waist and pulling me down to the ground.
I hit the ground with a thud and do my best to keep the groan from leaving my lips as my head snaps against the dirt. Ty rolls on top of me, leaning over so his forearm pins me across the collarbone just long enough to steal the breath I was trying to take. Quickly, I kick my leg up, crossing it over his body so itlands on his opposite shoulder and yank him down, forcing him to roll off of me.
But it’s too easy. It’s…almost easier than when we were in bed together.
I shove him off anyway and drive a tight body shot toward his sternum. He twists, and I see the grimace of pain he tries to hide. Without giving him a moment, I throw my fist out, and it bounces off his side instead of the kidney I was aiming for.
Ty growls so softly I almost can’t hear it over the crowd around us. We’ve drawn quite the crowd. There’s no way money isn’t being thrown around like crazy.
Ty steps closer, a feign hit that I don’t fall for and he grabs my arm, pulling me in.
“What are you doing?” he grunts.
“What areyoudoing? Or why?” I push him back so he stumbles and I shake my head before pulling my fists back up to guard myself.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Fucking try me.”
A swing comes from above, a heavy downward punch. The kind meant to break someone open. I block it just in time with both forearms, but pain vibrates through my bones.
“Why are you pulling your punches?” I snap, moving one arm out quickly to throw a right hook to his ribs. There’s no way I could be wrong. He was pretending to push me harder than he actually was.
Something’s wrong.
I drop low and sweep at his legs. My shin smacks his calf with a meaty thud. Ty stumbles… almost convincingly, but I can see the control in the angle of his foot as he catches himself.
Fine. Two can play at this fake chaos.
I lunge in close, reaching for a grapple, but he catches my wrists, pushing me back with force. I grind my teeth and slipfree, throwing out an elbow into his chest. This time the sound he makes? It’s real.
Ty circles me again. Sweat beading on his brow and I’m immediately taken back to when he held me so tightly after we had sex. His breathing changes as we stare at each other. It’s tighter, not from exertion but from holding something back.
Ty throws a jab toward my face, fast; too fast for me to fully dodge it. I can see that the angle’s wrong and even with me shifting, it misses my nose just barely, brushing my cheek.
I grab his extended arm, step in, and drive my shoulder into his sternum. Tyletshimself stagger, his feet dragging twin lines in the dirt.
“What are you fucking doing?” I hiss, throwing my arms out angrily. “You wanted to fight, thenfucking fight me!”
Heart racing, I swing a hook toward his jaw and he catches my wrist, twisting enough to make me fall forward into him. His grip is firm, but at the same time, almost gentle. The dichotomy is so strange and, in a way, makes my skin burn with confusion where his hands are on me.
He pulls me in so closely that I can’t breathe, his eyes tracing my face. It almost looks like he’s memorizing me being this close to him. And my heart breaks a little further.
Ty pivots away and plants his palm on my shoulder and fucking shoves me like we’re on the schoolyard.
Son of a bitch,I think before catching myself stumbling.
And there he stands…bigger than the space around him, fists up, eyes unreadable. Not triumphant. Not cruel.
Just…waiting.
“Please don’t make me do this,” he growls.
