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I wore a different pair of leggings today with a scoop-necked tank and my hair up in a high ponytail. I kept my snow boots off this time and traded my coat for an oversized, zip-up hoodie. By the time I pushed through the door, the overhead speakers were blaring Three Days Grace.
Liam wasn’t at the front desk when I arrived, so I sauntered further in until I saw him working a bag near the back. His shoulders rotated and muscles bunched, pulsing with each thrust of his arm against the bag.
Holy shit.
His punch moved the bag so far back that I thought it might break.
“See, that’s how you know it’s too light of a bag. You don’t want to use that heavy of a punch on these bags. You would be better off reserving your energy,” he yelled over the music, explaining all this to some teenager.
I was standing off to the side, behind him, when the kid turned and caught sight of me. He shifted on his feet and did a double-take, his face turning red.
Liam watched the kid’s reaction, then glanced at me.
“Eyes here.” he scolded, shoving him until he was facing the bag again.
“Haley, go start stretching, I’ll be there in a second,” Liam directed.
I nodded and moved over to the mats and fell into the few stretches we’d done the day before.
Within a few minutes Liam was walking over. He wore a dark tank top that gaped on the sides, showing his defined torso and all that ink covering him. His heated eyes fell on me, and I already knew it was a mistake to ask him to meet me when the gym opened. His gaze lit me on fire, and after last night, all I wanted was to step forward and kiss him.
Instead of saying anything to me, he started stretching with me.
A few of the guys around the room rotated, moving to speed training bags. A few others swapped partners, boxing each other in the elevated rings.
Within minutes, we were falling into a routine where he began to show me different techniques for evading, and where to put my hands and arms. Unfortunately, the music was so loud it was difficult to follow along with anything he was saying, not to mention the yelling and jeering from the guys sparring in the different rings. Eventually Liam realized I was getting frustrated by not being able to hear him and because someone was coming by every five minutes and interrupting.
Finally, I just moved to a heavy bag and did the drills he told me to do. Once I was done, I headed into the locker room, feeling a sense of routine now. Honestly, just hitting the bag was pretty nice, and even if I couldn’t do the self-defense with Liam, I wouldn’t mind coming in every day to work the bag.
Once inside the locker room, I took my time undressing and wrapping a towel around me, and by the time I was headed into the shower stall, Liam was walking in behind me, locking us inside.
“You still want to start lessons when the gym is open?” He smiled, pulling me into his chest.
I let out a sigh and threw my hands around his neck. “Fine, you win. Today sucked.”
His nose was in my neck a second later, his hand fisting my towel.
“I know, and that kid I was training is eighteen, which I realized is closer in age to you than I am. Do you have any idea how stupid it made me feel to be jealous of that pimply kid?”
“Jealous?” I tilted my head back, raising my brow, “I thought you didn’t get jealous.”
His hands came around me until he was cupping my ass.
“I said I didn’t give a shit about Jeffery Akers, which I don’t, but when there are guys more suitable for you to date that are closer to your age, I get insecure. Jeffery is an old fuck, just like me.”
“Too bad I seem to like you, and drool over your old man strength and old man muscles, and your super old man tattoos.”
His grunt told me I’d done my job and gotten to him.
“Now you’re going to make me show you how young I still am.”
“You showed me last night, and aren’t those guys going to need you again soon? They kept bugging us every few minutes. Where did they all come from anyway?”
Liam exhaled, nipping at my neck. “It’s the weekend crew. A few guys drive down and train here. They stay at one of the cabins at the lodge, I think. Do the whole weekend thing then go back to Portland.”
“Liam, that’s amazing. You’re big enough of a name to draw people from a different part of the state. That’s a huge deal.”
His eyes closed off, his head turning away like he didn’t want to hear the praise.
