The looks on the men’s faces proved that it was all good-natured competition even as they trash-talked each other and Noah managed to throw Sean off balance and knock him down. And then it was several long minutes of watching the two of them try to gain the upper hand by getting each other in armlocks and chokeholds.
On a roar and a sudden surge of muscle, Noah managed to tag out. And then the woman with the long black ponytail who had fought Billy earlier was in again.
“Come on, Dani. You got this,” Noah said, clapping his hands.
Shayna internally cheered Dani on, too. First, because she was one of only three women in the room, and that seemed to take a certain kind of bravery all by itself.
Second, because the woman was pretty badass, not showing the slightest bit of uncertainty or restraint as she went after Sean with possibly even more aggression than that she’d used against Billy.
And, third, Shay cheered for her because she remembered how Sean had blown Dani a kiss when they’d come in, and the woman had responded by giving the guy the finger. So there was obviously some sort of history between them. And, nice as he’d been, Sean seemed like the kind of guy who could use having his ego knocked down a notch or two every once in a while. Just for the sheer fun of it.
It was clear that the rest of the club thought egging the two of them on was fun, because the volume of the clapping, laughing, and trash-talk escalated with each passing minute that they wrestled. Dani was so quick and flexible that she kept escaping Sean’s efforts to pin her, and the guy was nearly growling as he finally managed to flip her face-down against the mat, his greater bulk on top of her.
“Tap out, Daniela,” he bit out.
“Screw you, Riddick,” she said, the light brown skin of her face going red as she twisted to get out from under him.
“Come on, D. I got you. Admit it,” he said, his muscles seriously straining as he held her.
As Shayna watched the two of them fight, she wondered if she was the only one who found their antagonism weirdly hot. She almost suspected that something must’ve happened between them at some point to generate the kind of explosive chemistry they seemed to give off.
“Damnit,” Dani finally said, her hand smacking against the mat.
To his credit, Sean didn’t gloat. He got off of her in a flash and offered a hand up, which she begrudgingly took. And then they shook before Dani stepped out and Noah and Mo gave her a pep talk as Sean took on a fighter Shay didn’t know.
Finally, the coach blew his whistle and gathered everyone around. “Good work today. I’m ending things early because my wife’s parents are in town and I promised I’d make it for dinner.”
The amount of razzing that statement generated made Shayna laugh—not to mention a little envious, because it was clear how much everyone here liked and supported each other. Shay wanted a community like that for herself. Given how much fun she’d had the night before at the bar, maybe it’d be in the cards for her, too.
As the group broke up, Shayna rose. She felt a little conspicuous standing there like she was waiting on Billy, and she certainly didn’t want to cramp his style. But he came right over to her anyway, a couple of the other guys in tow.
“A group of us usually goes out for dinner and drinks after,” he said. “You good with that or you want me to run you home first?”
“No, don’t go home, Shayna,” Sean said. “Hang out with us.”
“I second that,” Mo said, making her grin.
Before she had a chance to answer, two of the women joined their group. “We’re just gonna grab a quick shower and then we’ll be ready,” Dani said. “What’s the plan?”
“I’m game to join,” Shayna said to Billy as the conversation turned to debating the pros and cons of several restaurants.
Billy winked. “Good. I’m glad.”
Annnnd more goo.
God, her inner fourteen-year-old was present and accounted for, wasn’t she?
When Dani and the other woman stepped away and left it to the men to decide on a place, Shay followed. “I’m going to clean up, too,” she called to Billy.
He nodd
ed and gave her a quick once-over that made her belly flip.
At the door to the locker room, Dani made introductions. “I’m Dani England and this is Tara Hunter,” she said, gesturing to the brown-haired woman with a prominent scar on her neck.
“Hey, I’m Shayna Curtis. Billy’s roommate. Well, temporarily,” she said as they all found spots along the bench that ran between two rows of gray metal lockers.
“Why temporarily?” Tara asked as she shucked her tank top and fished a little zipper bag of shower supplies from her duffle.