fine.”
“A few things isn’t going to make up for a lifetime of no fighting. All my opponent has to do is push me over and she’s won.”
I let my head fall back against the concrete. I’m done for and I realize I’m closer to going back to my old life than I thought.
“Kitten—”
“Enough with the Kitten,” I snap, raking my fingers through my hair. “I don’t want to feel weaker than I already am.”
Jai turns his large body in my direction. His eyes are dark, his lips pursed into a thin line. All of his features say ‘don’t fuck with me’ and I don’t.
“It’s my fault you’re down here so it’s my job to take care of you, Kitten. You’ve got this round in the bag; I know you do.”
“And if I win and you get your money? Then what am I to you?”
It’s a question that has burned inside me for a few days now. Once I don’t owe him anything, what happens? He has his own plans down here; he wants to find his brother. There’s no way he’s going to choose me over his family.
“This—” He gestures between us, “—isn’t about the money.”
“Oh really?” I spit, rolling my eyes. “What’s it about?”
His eyes scrunch at the corners as they thin. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say what I said hurt him.
“You don’t believe me?”
I want to, but ten thousand dollars is a lot of money. I’d sell my kidney for ten thousand and maybe throw in my first born, too. “No.”
He nods, slowly, as if he doesn’t know how to process what I said. It makes me feel strange, watching him.
“You know what? I was going to wait until your first round to tell you, but since you’re so sure I’m an asshole, now’s the perfect time to reveal I don’t want the money back.”
My eyes widen and my heart inflates in my chest, limiting my breathing capacity. I didn’t see that coming.
“Why?”
“Because I fucking have money. I have lots of it—more than I know what to do with. Would the ten grand have helped me down here? Sure, but you need it more than I do.”
I feel odd sitting here in his T-shirt and having this argument with him. I don’t know how I should handle it...Are we friends? Are we more? Are we nothing, just two people being human? This whole time I’d thought he wanted his money back, but this morning he’s singing a different tune. Is it a result of the time we spent together yesterday, chatting and being carefree, or was it the sex? Was it that good? It has to be something. He saved my life—he doesn’t owe me anything, yet here he is, willing to temporarily throw his cause out the window to make my life easier.
“I’m a stranger to you. Why would you want to help me?”
Jai turns so I can’t see his face, only the rigid muscles in his back. I know the stance. I’m not getting an answer out of him and it makes me nervous. Does he actually want to help me, or does he have some kind of secondary motive? I’d like to think I can trust Jai, but something is holding me back. It could be the atmosphere, the situation, that’s preventing me from trusting him...or maybe it takes more than a pretty face to fool me. The shrink I saw a few times earlier this year would chalk it up to mommy and daddy issues. He’d claim I was finding it difficult, accepting the fact someone cares about me when the two people who were meant to didn’t.
I sigh. For the first time since meeting Dr. Stein, I hope he’s right. I hope it’s my issues preventing me from trusting Jai and not some weird sixth sense.
Because I need him.
I won’t survive alone.
Preparation
I pull the fabric of his shirt higher over my head. The sound of Jai beating his fists into the punching bag over and over is making me nauseous. He started an hour ago and I don’t know how he’s still managing to connect with so much power. I’m only listening to him and it’s enough to make my arms feel like jelly. I don’t know much about his punching technique, but he’s strong, that I
“A few things isn’t going to make up for a lifetime of no fighting. All my opponent has to do is push me over and she’s won.”
I let my head fall back against the concrete. I’m done for and I realize I’m closer to going back to my old life than I thought.
“Kitten—”
“Enough with the Kitten,” I snap, raking my fingers through my hair. “I don’t want to feel weaker than I already am.”
Jai turns his large body in my direction. His eyes are dark, his lips pursed into a thin line. All of his features say ‘don’t fuck with me’ and I don’t.
“It’s my fault you’re down here so it’s my job to take care of you, Kitten. You’ve got this round in the bag; I know you do.”
“And if I win and you get your money? Then what am I to you?”
It’s a question that has burned inside me for a few days now. Once I don’t owe him anything, what happens? He has his own plans down here; he wants to find his brother. There’s no way he’s going to choose me over his family.
“This—” He gestures between us, “—isn’t about the money.”
“Oh really?” I spit, rolling my eyes. “What’s it about?”
His eyes scrunch at the corners as they thin. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say what I said hurt him.
“You don’t believe me?”
I want to, but ten thousand dollars is a lot of money. I’d sell my kidney for ten thousand and maybe throw in my first born, too. “No.”
He nods, slowly, as if he doesn’t know how to process what I said. It makes me feel strange, watching him.
“You know what? I was going to wait until your first round to tell you, but since you’re so sure I’m an asshole, now’s the perfect time to reveal I don’t want the money back.”
My eyes widen and my heart inflates in my chest, limiting my breathing capacity. I didn’t see that coming.
“Why?”
“Because I fucking have money. I have lots of it—more than I know what to do with. Would the ten grand have helped me down here? Sure, but you need it more than I do.”
I feel odd sitting here in his T-shirt and having this argument with him. I don’t know how I should handle it...Are we friends? Are we more? Are we nothing, just two people being human? This whole time I’d thought he wanted his money back, but this morning he’s singing a different tune. Is it a result of the time we spent together yesterday, chatting and being carefree, or was it the sex? Was it that good? It has to be something. He saved my life—he doesn’t owe me anything, yet here he is, willing to temporarily throw his cause out the window to make my life easier.
“I’m a stranger to you. Why would you want to help me?”
Jai turns so I can’t see his face, only the rigid muscles in his back. I know the stance. I’m not getting an answer out of him and it makes me nervous. Does he actually want to help me, or does he have some kind of secondary motive? I’d like to think I can trust Jai, but something is holding me back. It could be the atmosphere, the situation, that’s preventing me from trusting him...or maybe it takes more than a pretty face to fool me. The shrink I saw a few times earlier this year would chalk it up to mommy and daddy issues. He’d claim I was finding it difficult, accepting the fact someone cares about me when the two people who were meant to didn’t.
I sigh. For the first time since meeting Dr. Stein, I hope he’s right. I hope it’s my issues preventing me from trusting Jai and not some weird sixth sense.
Because I need him.
I won’t survive alone.
Preparation
I pull the fabric of his shirt higher over my head. The sound of Jai beating his fists into the punching bag over and over is making me nauseous. He started an hour ago and I don’t know how he’s still managing to connect with so much power. I’m only listening to him and it’s enough to make my arms feel like jelly. I don’t know much about his punching technique, but he’s strong, that I
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