FOURTEEN
Tonight is the night of the knockouts. It’s crazy, but I don’t feel nervous about it. Perhaps it’s because we’ve been training our asses off for the past week, helping Kayden hone his strengths while keeping him sharp and fit.
We’ve fallen into a nice little routine. Every morning Kayden and I make sure to go out for a run together to build up his cardio, every few days pushing ourselves to go another half mile. We’ve reached six miles so far, making it all the way to Trinity Church and back. Afterward, I’ll head to campus while he does his own strength exercises or works the bags, and later, when I have the time to swing by, we’ll either practice striking and grappling or do a couple of sparring rounds in the cage to work on fixing his imbalances.
And on most nights, we make a habit of practicing his ball kick-ups on the rooftop. There’s been a massive improvement since Kayden’s first time. He’s incredibly proud of the fact that he can now easily do about fifty seconds, which has also helped bolster his confidence.
Now, a few hours before the fight, we’ve parked ourselves in the kitchen, finishing up the last of the prep meals we had stocked in the refrigerator. In the living room, Brent and Evans huddle over the dining table, having a heated debate over who gets the last slice of the pizza they ordered.
“You ate the last two. I think I deserve the last slice.”
Brent reaches over to grab the pizza but Evans slaps his hand away angrily.
“Come on, Brent. You’re not being fair. This one has extra cheese!”
“Yeah, that’s why I’m claiming it.”
Brent reaches for the slice again but at the last second, Evans snatches the entire box off the table.
“My precious,” he hisses.
Evans and Brent spend the next minute having a glaring contest. It’s long. Strangely long. I force myself to look away, feeling like I’m witnessing something I shouldn’t be witnessing.
Instead, I turn to Kayden, gesturing to his best friends.
“Tell me again: Why do you still keep them around?”
“Stepbrother. So by default, he has to stay.” Kayden nods at Brent while forking some chicken into his mouth, though his gaze flicks to the friend beside his brother in reassessment. “I’m reconsidering Evans, though. But as you can see, making new friends isn’t exactly my thing.”
“And whose fault is that? Most of the time you look like you want to bash people’s faces in if they try to come within a mile radius of you.”
He shrugs uncomfortably as he sets his plate down on the kitchen table. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Why? Do you feel uncomfortable talking about your lack of friends?” I tease him and his entire body tenses, broad shoulders squaring. “Does it force you to think about your inability to keep them around because you’re just so cold and aloof all the time?”
Kayden leans in closer, his voice going husky as his callous stare pins me down. “Why do you always have to do that?”
“Do what?”
His hot breath is right in my ear. “Challenge me.”
Holy shit. That really shouldn’t have turned me on. But it did and now, I want more of it.
“Because I like getting you all riled up,” I say, pursing my lips. “Your ears get super-red when you’re pissed at me, and I think that’s kind of cute—”
He stalks away from me and into the dining room, muttering curses under his breath. My hands fly to my face to try to soothe the heat spreading across my cheeks.
Simultaneously, everyone’s phones buzz with an incoming message. It’s enough of a distraction for Brent and Evans to drop their argument. I straighten up from leaning against the kitchen counter as my eyes scroll through the contents of the message.
“Franklin Park Zoo bear cages?” I say.
“Yeah. Shouldn’t be too far,” Kayden notes, sliding his phone into his back pocket and pinching his car keys off the dining table. “Let’s go.”
“Give me a second,” I say as I cross the kitchen into the living room and with a quick hand, snatch the last slice from the box that Evans is carrying. I smile widely as I take a huge, satisfactory bite from it. “Okay, now we can go.”
Brent gapes at me. Evans drops the empty pizza box, chest heaving as if it takes every bit of effort to reel in his rage.
Kayden just shudders with laughter.