Page 50 of Liberating Water

I bumped him with my hip, causing him to look at me. “Thanks for the water.”

“I noticed you forgot to bring one, and it isn’t smart to let yourself get dehydrated,” Jay mentioned, cocking a scolding eyebrow at me.

This made me smile even more. “Thankfully, I have a very attentive boyfriend to make sure I’m well looked after.”

A cough sounded, pulling my attention back to the others, who were watching the two of us with amused looks.

“If you two are done flirting, we have a tournament to start,” Tony admonished.

Feeling my cheeks heat with embarrassment, I looked down at my feet. “Sorry.”

Jay slipped his hand into mine and gave it a squeeze but didn’t let go; instead, he threaded his fingers through mine.

“Alright, we are going to start with Micah and Cami. The rules for you two are simple: no powers and no nut shots. The first one to get their opponent to tap out wins. Oh, and try not to kill each other, alright?” Tony instructed, holding the ropes apart for the two of them to enter into the boxing ring.

Cami and Micah already had their hands wrapped and were wearing knuckle gloves. Micah bounced on the balls of his feet, shaking out his arms as he waited while Cami did some last-minute stretches.

“Fighters meet,” Tony called, and they came to the center. “Fighters ready… and fight!”

Micah started out swinging, but Cami ducked low and elbowed him in the gut.

“Not off to such a good start there,” Cami taunted as they broke apart, beginning to circle each other, watching and waiting for the next move.

Cami charged at Micah and he braced himself for a hit, but she leapt at him like a puma taking down its prey. She wrapped her legs around his waist and took him down to the mats with a resounding THUD. Cami started to wail on Micah, hitting him where she could reach, but Micah was able to shield himself for the most part.

“What the fuck is this?! You’re fighting like some angry drunk chick at a bar,” Micah spat as he tried to hold his own. “This is how you’re going to prove to me that you can keep Lailah safe?”

Having had enough, Micah kicked his legs up and was able to trap her around her neck, pulling his legs down and bending her backwards while he rolled, dislodging her. He swept her away, giving himself time to stand and prepare for the next attack.

They came together in a flurry of kicks, blocks, and punches so fast it was hard to tell what landed and what didn’t. Then Micah took Cami down to the mats, but that didn’t mean the fight was over. Cami refused to allow Micah to take whatever hold he was trying to, squirming around like an eel. Then, somehow, they both ended up in this impossible knot of limbs neither one of them could get out of.

A whistle blast sounded, and both Micah and Cami released each other. “That’s a tie!” Tony called.

Micah helped Cami to stand.

“Guess we’ll have to try again next year,” Micah grumbled.

Frowning, I looked at them both. “Wait, you’ve done this before?”

“Hell yeah girl, we have a rematch every year!” Cami explained as he hopped out of the ring.

“Why do I feel like you guys totally played me on this?” I asked, and I couldn’t help but pout just a little.

Cami hugged me around my waist so her head was resting on my chest. “Don’t be like that, Lala. It helps us get past the shit that builds up between us, otherwise one of us would explode on the other.”

“Cami, get your face out of my girlfriend’s boobs. That’s a low blow, even for you,” Micah growled, stalking over to her.

Cami dropped her arms and backed away slowly before sticking her tongue out at him. “You’re just jealous because I’m the perfect height to use them as pillows when I hug her.”

Micah swept me up, wrapping my legs around his waist with his hand holding my ass and kissed the hell out of me. I let out a little squeak before I melted into him and curled my fingers into his hair that was pulled up.

“Okay, okay, you two, no making out while there is an instructor present,” Tony grumbled.

“I take it you’re still single, Tony?” Micah asked as he let me down.

Tony gave him a look that would have made a weaker man flinch. “You still a dick?”

Micah chuckled and shrugged his shoulders in answer.