Chapter 32
After I’d gone for a run, I met Sophie in the gym for our normal routine before hitting the ring for the second time today. Because my fight was fast approaching, I’d increased my training to twice a day.
Sophie was quiet, but I didn’t believe it had anything to do with me or with us.
I assumed her silence had something to do with her ex.
He’d texted her again, and although she hadn’t responded to either of his messages, her disheartened state was written all over her face.
I wanted to handle the situation for her, but she didn’t want me to get involved.
For now, I’d comply, but if he dared to come near her again, all bets were off. Consequences be damned.
Elton, Trevor, and Lance were huddled together as I approached the ring.
They talked in hushed tones. There were close to twenty gym members scattered around the room, but all I could focus on was the unease swirling through me at the sight of my team nestled as close as could be.
The thought that they could be discussing me and Sophie bothered me.
I wasn’t there to defend her if in fact they were badmouthing her.
They’d all made it perfectly clear what they thought of me becoming involved with her, but their opinion on the matter wasn’t wanted.
When I stepped closer, Elton cleared his throat. Subtlety wasn’t high on the list for any of these guys.
“What’s going on?” I asked as I stepped next to Lance, clenching my fists in preparation for the answer.
“Nothing. Are you ready to start?” Trevor asked, trying his best to distract me. But I wanted answers before I stepped one foot inside the ring.
“You were never any good at lying,” I retorted. “Now tell me what’s going on. Is this about Sophie? Because you guys have to drop—”
“It’s not about Sophie,” Elton said. He glanced at the other two men before giving me his attention, stealing an extra moment before he finally spoke. “Jay reached out to me. He wants to see you before the press conference.”
“What did you tell him?” A blend of anger and shock trickled into my bloodstream, and my entire body shook. “You better not have said yes,” I seethed, barely able to control my rage.
“Calm down, Jax,” Elton said, clasping my shoulder. I jerked away from him. “I didn’t respond. I wanted to talk to you first.”
“And when were you planning on doing that? After the three of you made some sort of decision first?” I moved toward the ring.
My sparring partner, Nico, glanced from me to my team and back again, the worried look on his face screaming that he wasn’t sure he should be sparring with me right now.
I ignored him and looked back at the guys.
“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m not seeing him until I have to. ”
“Got it,” Elton responded, whipping out his phone and walking toward the back of the gym.
Lance left as well, but Trevor moved closer to the ropes. “Don’t take your shit out on Nico,” he warned.
“I won’t.”
“Okay then. Get to it.”
For the next two hours, I kicked, punched, wrestled, and boxed, working on my agility, speed, and footwork, all while picturing Jay’s face in front of me as Nico gave as good as he got.
Trevor tossed a towel at me, and I patted down my face and chest. “Fuck, I’m exhausted.”
“You should be. You did great. Much better than earlier.”
I didn’t argue because he was right. Unfortunately, my anger focused me, which probably wasn’t healthy, but whatever worked was fine with me.
“How’s your shoulder?” he asked, concern etched into the lines on his forehead.
“Not bad. Sore but nothing I can’t handle. The oil Sophie’s been using on it has been helping.”
“That’s good.”
My trainer shifted his feet and averted his eyes several times.
“What, Trevor? Just say it.”
Rather than hesitating, he dove right in. “It’s been two years since you’ve seen Jay, and this will be the first time you’re fighting him.”
“And? What’s your point?”
“I’ve been following his career, and he’s good. He’s going to be a formidable opponent.”
“Again, what’s your point?” The muscles in my forearms started to ache with the number of times I clenched my fists.
“My point is, I don’t want your past to cloud your future. I don’t want you getting in that ring with him and unleashing your rage and forgetting all your training. My fear is that he’s going to use how you feel about him against you.”
“And win? You think he can beat me?”
“Only if you let him,” he said matter-of-factly.
“That’s not going to happen.” Trevor nodded, but I could see by the pull of his brows that he didn’t believe me. “Anything else?” I asked as I slung the towel over my shoulder.
This time he shook his head, the gesture doing nothing to calm the sea of unrest sloshing around inside me. I hated to admit it, but I was also worried that as soon as I stepped into the ring with Jay, I’d see red and allow my anger to fuel the fight rather than harnessing my training.
I had to do something beforehand to make sure that didn’t happen, but I had no idea what that could be.
There was a darkness inside me I couldn’t seem to get rid of, and although I’d been able to somewhat control it these past sixteen years, it lurked in the shadows, looking for the perfect opportunity to be unleashed.
One of the main reasons I became a fighter, other than I was damn good at it, was so that I’d never allow another person to make me feel weak and vulnerable ever again.
I texted Sophie that I was ready for my post-workout routine and hit the showers. When I emerged from the men’s locker room, I ran right into her, almost knocking her over.
“I was wondering where you went,” she said, smiling at me as if we hadn’t just seen each other a couple hours ago. I could get lost in her so easily that it both thrilled and scared me.
“Sorry, the water felt too good. I took longer than expected.” I winked at her and smiled. “I should’ve stayed in longer. That way when you came in there looking for me, I could’ve convinced you to join me.”
“The last time I walked in on you in there wasn’t ideal.”
“Oh, the good old days,” I teased, squeezing her hand and leading her toward the back room. She snatched her hand from mine, and I groaned my disapproval.
“You know the rules, mister.”
“The rules suck.”
“Aww, are you pouting?” She twisted the top off her bottle of oil and poured some into her hands, jerking her chin toward the closest chair.
“I don’t pout. I get what I want.”
“Is that so?” She stepped behind me and ran her hands over my shoulders, massaging the oil into my skin. She worked her fingers into my muscles, making me forget whatever it was we were talking about.
My earlier conversation with the guys drifted away, and my worry over seeing Jay again evaporated. All that mattered was how well Sophie worked me over.
And in about forty-five minutes, I’d be working her over.