Page 16 of Crash
“I think he has a thing for you,” she said, watching me carefully.
“I doubt it.”A professional cage fighter into a woman who jumped at her own shadow?Not in a million years.
Ren didn’t seem to think it was too much of a stretch. “Why would you say that?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Regular people are into assertiveness.”
“You’re assertive,” she declared.
“I don’t know how to relate,” I snapped.
She leaned backward, her eyebrows rising. “Alright.”
“Sorry, I—” I sucked in a couple of sharp breaths. “The last few days have been a lot for me.”
“No need to apologize,” Ren said. “I shouldn’t have pushed.”
“I just…I just need to get used to this before I can think aboutthat.” Love, dates, holding hands, kissing and the elephant in the fucking room…sex. The mere thought of a man touching me there after… Nobody had touched me since him. I was so fucking scared…
“Violet,” Ren said, her voice full of concern. “You’re absolutely right. Don’t think about that just yet. Think about my fan-fucking-tastic spreadsheet!” She clicked the mouse with a flourish as it appeared on the screen.
Cracking a smile, I instantly felt the pressure bleed away.
“Once you get this shizz down, nothing will stop you or this bloody gym.”
“I hope so,” I replied.I really, really did.
Six
Violet
Day one went off without a hitch.
Day two, I drove myself into Pulse. Ash had stayed over with Ren last night, at my insistence. I guess it was my way of trying to be more of an adult and become more assertive. Not relying on my brother so much when he already had a shitload of responsibility with the gym and his relationship. Time to tone down on the emotional vampirism.
I parked out the back, in the spot next to Ash’s car, and turned off the engine. I’d made it in one piece, but I still had to make it inside. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped out into the early morning sunshine.
That’s when I saw them.
Lincoln was leaning up against the wall betweenme and the rear door, his phone in his hand. Next to him was a tall, blonde woman who was obviously a regular at the gym. She was all toned and athletic looking, her skin tanned and flawless. They both looked my way at the same time, and I felt my cheeks heat, a slight wave of nausea floating up to bitch-slap me right in the moosh. I cast my gaze down and closed the car door, pressing the button on the fob to lock it.
They’d seen me now. There was no way around it without looking like a total freak, so I rounded the front of the car, tightening my grip around the handle of my bag. My boots thumped on the footpath, my heart beating double time.
“Hey,” Lincoln said as I neared.
“Hi.” I smiled weakly, my gaze flickering briefly to his. I couldn’t even look at the woman, whoever she was.
I passed them quickly, pushing in the back door.
“Who’s she?” I heard the woman purr, a hint of jealousy in her voice.
“That’s Violet, Ash’s little sister.”
The door banged closed behind me, sounding a lot like the nail in my coffin.
Little sister.And there you had it. In this place, I would always be the ‘little sister’. I wanted to get out of myself and try, but everyone was walking around me like I was breakable, and for a bunch of muscle-bound fighters, that was a tough ask. Ash had probably warned them all that if they fucked with me, he’d fuck with them. Asshole.
Storming into the gym, my mind elsewhere, I almost stumbled when I crossed paths with Bobby. I knew it washimbecause he wore an apron over his Pulse T-shirt.
