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“I thought my persistence was what you liked about me.”
Duncan slammed his water down. “I never do anything casually. I’m intentional in everything I do, and if I’m pushing you away, there’s a reason.”
“Then keep me away.” That would be better than being jerked from one extreme to the other.
I was getting whiplash from his rapidly changing emotions.
“I can’t.”
“Why? That’s better than letting me in only to push me away again. Or just be decent. Be kind. Be my friend.”
“I don’t know how.” His voice sounded so defeated it was almost laughable.
“I don’t believe that. You have Maddox and Hawk and whoever this Wesley is. You’re a good friend to them—why not to me?”
“Because—” He grimaced, baring his teeth and turning away. “Just let it be enough, okay?”
The weights weren’t the only heavy thing in this room. I was tired of carrying it all.
I took a step closer to him, catching a glimpse in the mirror of us moving like magnets, my every step repelling him.
“It’s not,” I said. “If you can’t tell me right now, then I’m going home. I’ll forfeit Dad’s care. I don’t need your help—I can find another way to pay for what he needs.”
The words tasted so bitter on the way out. But they were true; I could find a way to help him without Duncan’s money.
I waited so long I thought he wouldn’t speak. He kept his back to me. His hands fisted at his sides.
I stared at the lineup of weights, at the treadmill I had yet to use, at the two punching bags and the bright blue exercise ball in the corner and the boxing gloves and face mask on another shelf.
Fine. If that was how he was going to play this, I wouldn’t give him another speck of my attention or waste any more of my heart on him. I couldn’t handle it anymore.
I turned to leave. My phone was out. I’d search for flights. I’d have to let Sarah know. I could message her and tell her…
But Duncan’s voice caught me before I reached the door.
“I’m a fighter,” he said.
I paused, peering back at him. He breathed hard, shoulders rising as he unwound the tape he’d used to bandage his hands. He unwound it faster and faster, removing it and tossing it to the ground.
“I fight. I used to box. I take jiu-jitsu because I like to see if I can beat the guy who knocked me down last time. I like to do everything I can to have the advantage in any situation I’m in, whether it’s business or relationships. Even with the guys, I make sure I’m staying as on top of things as I can when we’re hanging out.”
I could believe that. He was so on top of things, it was disgusting sometimes.
I didn’t respond. Clearly, this was difficult for him, and he was opening up to me again. I wasn’t going to stop that now.
“I’m a fighter,” he said again, turning to face me. The shapes of his arms in his black shirt, the marks from the bands around his wrists and palms, were evidence enough of that. “And this particular battle has been going on for far too long.”
“What battle?” My heart was in my throat.
He stepped toward me. His eyes were on fire. “I think you know.”
My pulse beat outside my body, dimming my vision, leaving him at the center of everything. What was he saying?
“I’m done fighting,” he said, standing just in front of me.
His ravenous eyes blazed. His mouth was firm. His every attention was on me.
I wasn’t sure I could speak, but I tried. “Fighting what?” I whispered.
