Page 17 of Keep Your Guard Up
Chapter 8
Mari
Fucking Chance Riordan. Having Jayden around was hard enough, let alone when I got paired up with him for sparring rounds.
The taunting.
The teasing.
The sneaky little threats.
Fucking pricks. Both of them.
It drove me up the goddamn wall.
Then,Mr Superhero Chancecomes along and punishes me?! If he’s gonna punish me, he can at least have the decency to get me naked—
Don’t even go there, you absolute degenerate.
I huffed as I slammed the microwave door shut and pressedstarton my lunch. After two morning classes, I was already starving. After two morning classesanddealing with a stupidly hot asshole coach who not only got on my nerves but spiked my goddamn sex drive—I was intolerably ragey.
“Pissed off with the microwave? Or pretending you’re locking someone in there?” a taunting voice said.
I tipped my head back, looking to whoever was up there in the sky, asking them the simple question, ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’.
“What do you want, Jayden?”Still another ninety seconds on my food.
“Just wanted to see if you’d learned your lesson.”
I couldhearthe smirk on his face. My throat began to vibrate with what I could only describe as the growl of a rabid dog working its way up.
“I could ask the same thing of you,” I snarled. “How’s that bloody nose I gave you?”
“Pretty good, since I didn’t have one of the UFL’s top fighters telling me I’m a shit training partner.”
Forty-five seconds left on my food.I kept my back towards him and gritted my teeth. I knew better than to play his intolerable migraine-inducing games. I shouldn’t have bitten on the stupid bait he lured me in with.
“Tell me, what’s it like to be ordered around in your own gym?” He was closer now. His volume was lowering, which I knew from the past meant someheinousshit was about to be spat at me.
“It must feel pretty demeaning. I mean—” He laughed, and the sound was anything but warm. His breath was so close I could feel my hair parting around it.
Shouldn’t have worn your hair down, Mari. That was one of the very first things Dad taught you.
“You try to act like this badass boss lady that no one can touch or order around.” He stepped closer.
Fifteen seconds left on the microwave.This brekky bowl Nan cooked up better be worth it.
“But you’re just a soft little girl, aren’t you? You and I both know just howsoftyou are.”
“Everything okay in here?” An icy-cool voice came from behind us, and Jayden sprung back as if someone had put hot coals under his feet.
My traitorous body let out a breath I’d been holding at the loss of contact, and I dropped my hands onto the counter to regather myself.
“Everything’s fine, Coach. Just came to clear the air with Mari here. We both got a bit heated in sparring, didn’t we, Mari?” He placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed my trap.
I didn’t respond.Fuck the last five seconds on my food.
“Trevino?”
