Page 64 of Only You
‘You always had it,’ he mumbled against her neck. ‘Says the one that didn’t want me going to the gym.’
‘Cause I didn’t need the dogs in there slobbering over you,’ he said, pulling back enough so she could look him in the eye.
She raised her brow. ‘And what makes you think D won’t?’
Jack laughed, standing. ‘I’d be shocked to death if he did. I’ve never seen him look atanygirl with anything close to happiness. I’ve never seen him with a dame, not once.’
‘You sure he just doesn’t bring them around? He’s handsome,’ she yelled out as Jack headed to the kitchen.
‘Hey, don’t get any ideas, and no,’ he said, making Selene giggle. He was always so easy to rile up.
‘How do you know this guy again?’ she asked, trying to recall how they’d met but nothing came to mind. Of course, she had heard about Jack’s friend over the years, but it was always in passing. Selene had stopped going to Jack’s fights after his first match; she couldn’t handle the brutality. So, she’d never met ‘D’.
One day, there had been a boxer Jack was excited to fight, then that same boxer was a friend at the gym, and then that friend wanted Jack as a coach, pulling him out of the dark place he had been trapped in after his knee injury.
For a while, she thought it was another woman, but Jack never changed the way her friends’ boyfriends had when they cheated. There were no extra hang outs, hiding or sudden errands. He came home like he always did, and D was mentioned more and more.
Glad I can put that to bed, she thought, remembering the brooding boxer from earlier. If his glare from earlier was a sign, she wouldn’t have to worry about him trying to get on her good side.
‘I told you. He’s the guy that broke my record,’ Jack reminded her. Selene’s eyes widened. ‘The guy that knocked your jaw loose?’
‘Same dude,’ he said, sitting back down. ‘Going 10-0 and he knocks me out within three rounds.’ Jack sighed. ‘Anyway, I ran into him at the gym a few weeks after I got back from deployment.’
Selene scowled at the mention of returning from war. It was the worst eleven months of her life, wondering if he was going to survive. He got shipped back early with a purple heart and a knee injury that ended Jack’s boxing career before it started. Jack hated that he had to give up boxing but loved the sport too much to quit it completely.
‘Turns out he didn’t have a coach and was never called for deployment,’ he continued. ‘He’d go to fights and practise the moves he saw from memory. Demir’s power is insane.’
‘Wow.’ She nudged Jack’s shoulder. ‘If he’s so smart, why the hell does he need you?’
‘Because while he brings the power, I bring the technique,’ he smirked. ‘As you know, I am a master of technique.’
‘Oh, do I?’ Selene said, holding back her laughter as Jack leaned over her. Just before he could kiss her again, a pressing question popped into her head. ‘You sure you don’t mind me being in your world?’
‘I want you by my side, no matter where I am,’ he reassured her. ‘Do you mind being there? You didn’t like it last time.’
‘I hated it becauseyouwere getting hurt,’ she told him, gripping the front of his shirt. ‘As long as you’re fine, I don’t care about anyone else.’ She pressed her lips to his. He rubbed the back of her neck, massaging it as he laid her down across the couch.
Any more thoughts of Jack’s boxer and his glower left her mind gleefully.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Detroit
March 1946
Most people thought boxing was about the punch when really, it was all about the footwork. Where did the speed come from? Footwork. The power? Footwork. The balance? All footwork, and, though Selene would never admit it, Demir’s was some of the best she had ever seen.
Even when his opponent, Zac ‘Ironfist’ Gibbs, threw a left-hook-upper-cut combo that sent him staggering back, he kept his rhythm. The roars from the crowd didn’t seem to faze him as he pushed himself off the ropes, blocking the next punch. Zac swung left, and Demir veered right, tossing out a quick cross punch. The other boxer grunted and tried to hug him, but Demir pushed him off, punching the fighter twice in the ribs before throwing another hook.
The challenger fell to one knee, and Demir was sent to his corner as the referee jumped between them, checking on the competitor. Zac forced himself to stand, but Selene could tell by his limp arms and staggering feet, the guy was already done. He let out a yell as he threw a Hail Mary punch. Demir ducked and swung the final blow. His opponent went down, eyes closed, face bruised and mouth bleeding.
She winced while the modest crowd erupted, drowning out the referee’s countdown. Demir only relaxed when the referee lifted his gloved hand in victory.
Selene clapped half-heartedly as Demir went to the back room before standing and grabbing the duffle bag at her feet. Wearing a pair of Jack’s overalls from his job as a mechanic, with a white work shirt, hair tucked under a tan hat, she didn’t stand out like she usually did, though most did a double take when they realised she was a girl. That’s also how Demir’s opponent reacted when she approached where he sat on the sidelines.
‘Damn, I’m seeing things,’ Zac slurred around his busted lip, a guy dabbing at it.
‘Not really,’ Selene said as she took off her hat and sat down. Someone gripped her arm, and she put her hand in her pocket, wrapping it around the hilt of her pocketknife.
