Page 84 of Beautiful Exile

Whoever it was had looked straight up and into the camera with a mask that only had dark holes for eyes and a mouth. It was the sort of thing that could give a person nightmares. And that’s exactly what they were trying to do.

Anger surged to the surface. Whoever this was wanted to terrorize me. And they were succeeding.

Linc plugged in the code to the front door, then opened it and ushered me inside. The moment I stepped into the cool quiet, I breathed a little deeper.

“Come on,” Linc said, leading me farther into the house. He moved to the door that led to the basement. There were only two things down there: a gym and a screening room. If he thought going for a run right now would soothe me, he was dead wrong. And if he thought I could focus on a movie, he wasn’t as bright as I thought he was.

“What are we doing?” I protested.

Linc didn’t stop until he reached the gym. “Talking it out doesn’t help you. You need todo. You don’t have access to your art studio, and you can’t go for a ride. But you can fight.”

He flipped on the lights, illuminating the space. The fact that my brother was a professional athlete meant that he had a ridiculous setup in his gym. Half a dozen cardio machines, countless pieces of weight training equipment, and a whole boxing and martial arts setup.

There was a punching bag, a speed bag, a kickboxing bag, and, of course, fight mats. Linc moved toward those. I just stared after him as he slid off his shoes. Even the man’s feet were hot.

Linc crossed to a cabinet with a variety of gear. Pulling out two sets of hand wraps, he tossed one to me.

“You’re wearing jeans,” I said dumbly. I had changed into loose shorts and a sports tank, but Linc was still in the same pants and tee he’d worn to The Collective.

“Maybe it’ll give you the upper hand,” he shot back, wrapping the fabric around his hands.

I scowled in his direction, but it died as he moved around the circle on the mat, loosening his muscles. My mouth went dry. Even in those simple movements, he had a grace I couldn’t explain. It pulled me in and held me captive.

“Come on, Vicious. You need to let it out.”

Warmth and annoyance warred within me, and over the same thing: that he understood me so well. But I started moving because I worried that I’d combust if I didn’t. Was afraid I’d snap and bite someone’s head off who didn’t deserve it.

I quickly donned the wraps and began swinging my arms in warm-up moves that brought new blood flow into them as I kickedoff my flip-flops. My thighs and calves warmed, the tension there easing. Linc slowed and moved to the center of the mat. I did the same.

As I met him there, I realized just how much bigger Linc was than me. He dwarfed me in every way. And that should’ve put me on edge, but my jujitsu training was the great equalizer, allowing me to use someone’s size against them.

“Gonna give me all you got, Vicious?” Linc challenged.

Everything heated in a new way, the buzz of what was to come mixing with the knowledge that Linc was such a beast in the ring. I arched a brow at him. “That depends. You gonna hold back because you think I’m breakable?”

The gold in those hazel eyes flashed brighter. “Would never disrespect you in that way.”

And the funny thing was, I believed him. Linc might be the only person who wouldn’t hold back. My brothers, the guys at the gym, they all restrained themselves in some way. And it annoyed the hell out of me. The only thing that eased it was when I handed one of them their ass.

I lifted my hands, closing them into fists as I settled into a fighting stance. Then, I waited. Linc studied me for a moment as if checking whether I was ready. Then his knuckles bumped mine.

The tap was featherlight, and then Linc was moving again, his panther-like grace in full effect. We circled each other, and he was surprisingly light on his feet for his size. Each of us sent out a few testing jabs and the occasional kick. We were studying each other’s defenses.

While we’d each watched each other spar once, that was different than being in the ring opposite someone, seeing how they moved up close, and feeling how much heat they could put behind their blows. And Linc was a beast of beauty.

He moved in with a sneaky uppercut, a punch I wouldn’t have expected, given how much larger he was than me. That punch required a lower angle, one that meant he needed to get down. But Linc had it all, apparently. Quickness, power, and flexibility.

My skin tingled, a combination of the rush of the bout and feeling way the hell turned on by all that was Linc.

He sent another punch in my direction, but I didn’t let this one connect. I ducked under the blow and took advantage of his open side. My fist connected with his ribs, and Linc sucked in a breath.

But I was already moving out of the retaliation strike zone. Some alpha males at the gym couldn’t handle me getting in good hits, or God forbid, kicking their asses. But Linc just grinned at me, a little too widely. “Damn, Vicious. That was good.”

“You look like one of those freaky clowns at a carnival. You know, the ones where you shoot out the teeth? It’s creeping me out.”

Linc chuckled. “Can’t I appreciate good form?”

“Only from the mat,” I shot back, moving in to attempt a foot sweep. There was just one problem. While I could potentially use Linc’s size against him, he was too damned centered. His balance was something I’d need to study.

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