Heart of a Fighter (Rocky River Fighters 1)

She glanced over at him with a twinkle in her dark blue gaze. “You really are exceptionally unobservant, aren’t you?”

“Not all the time,” he told her, smirking. “I noticed you when you were trying to hide, didn’t I?”

“I wasn’t hiding,” she replied indignantly. “I just didn’t announce I was there, is all.”

Damn, her southern drawl was sexy, even when she was annoyed.

“Sure,” he said, a smile still playing on his lips. “No, I didn’t realize you were there at first. I caught a glimpse of your legs hanging over the loft after I took my first swing at the bag, though.”

“You went about it all wrong,” she told him as she walked with him.

“I gathered that fairly quickly,” he replied dryly. “I’ll get better.”

“Seth’s a good teacher,” she said. “He’s a pain in the ass, and he loves to tease, but he’s a good fighter. You can learn a lot from him.”

“Anything would be an improvement over getting beat up by the punching bag,” he said, smiling to himself when she giggled.

They walked along in silence for a few moments before she spoke again.

“Have you remembered anything yet?”

Alex exhaled heavily, wishing she hadn’t asked. He didn’t want to tell anyone about the little bits of nonsense he remembered, but he couldn’t lie to her. Something deep inside him revolted over the thought of trying.

“Just some flashes that don’t really make sense. Sterile rooms that were bare besides tables or beds. Big men who looked like they’d fuck you up if you looked at them wrong. That’s it.”

She glanced at him, a thoughtful frown on her face. “And you don’t remember anything else yet? Or know what it means?”

“Nothing. And, like I said, what I get are flashes that don’t make sense.”

“Maybe you were in prison.”

He looked at her in surprise, wondering if she was serious, but she had a smirk on her face. He cleared his throat

“Ha, funny. No, I don’t think I was in prison. Besides, do I seem like the type of man who’d do something bad enough to get locked up?”

“Not really. Given the way you fight, you wouldn’t have lasted long in prison. You look more like an accountant or something, not threatening at all,” she replied with a laugh. “But hey, accountants go to prison, too.” The smile faded from her lips, and she turned pensive. “Looks can be deceiving, though. I mean, Ted Bundy, and all. No, you don’t look like a bad guy, but it doesn’t mean you aren’t.”

“I’m not,” he said quietly. “I may not remember much of my life before this, but I know my heart. I don’t need my memory to be certain of that.”

“Yeah, I don’t get that vibe from you, and I’ve gotten pretty good at reading people.”

“What’s your story?” he asked, not caring for the thought that she might have been around people bad enough to recognize evil when she saw it.

She wrapped her arms around her waist and huffed. “Intrusive much?”

“You asked me about my past,” he pointed out with a shrug.

“That’s different. I didn’t show up at your home out of nowhere, with no memory of why I was looking for you and your friends.”

Alex inclined his head, conceding that point. “Fair enough. I’d still like to g

et to know you better.”

“Why?” she shot back, looking at him with suspicion in her stormy blue eyes.

“Uh, because I like you? Because I think you’re interesting, and I’d like to get to know you better?”

Cammie halted and stared at him, the suspicion slowly fading from her eyes. “You mean that, don’t you?”