CHAPTER FIVE

LUKE

Asher's fist sailed through the air, heading directly toward my head. 

I dodged it just in time and came back at him with a mean left hook.

He pulled back just enough to reduce the impact but my hit still connected and he staggered under the blow. 

"Nicely done, Pine!" 

He stood back and removed his headgear, indicating that he was done.

"Last week you could barely throw a punch, now you're knocking my old ass around," he grinned. "You're a fast learner, kid." 

"Thanks, boss," I said, touching my glove to his.

I'd been coming to this boxing gym with Ash and some other guys from work for the past week. I had no idea at the time but it was just what I needed. 

"You sticking around?" Ash asked as he unwrapped his gloves. 

"Yeah, for a bit," I answered with a gulp of water. 

Ash nodded and slapped be on the back before stepping out of the ring. 

"See you at the shop in the morning, kid. Don't overdo it." 

"You got it, boss." 

I wiped my sweat with a towel and glanced at my phone. Maddy would still be tutoring Ari for another half hour. Plenty of time to do some final drills and a cool-down. 

I took a last swig of water before heading over to one of the punching bags set up along the perimeter of the gym. 

I went to town on that thing until my arms felt like they would fall off, dodging an imaginary opponent and swinging as hard as I could.

The image of a naked Maddy sprawled out on her back, wet and ready for me, was what kept me going.

I'd never hurt my girl. Nor would I ever disrespect her, cheat on her, make her uncomfortable or force her to do something she didn't want to. 

But we still hadn't gone past making out. I had to let out the physical frustration somewhere. So I released it through my fists onto a canvas bag.

I didn't blame Maddy for it. If anything, I wondered if it was my past behavior that made her hesitant. She was always the first person to see how much of a douchebag I was to girls in the past. Not so much in recent years, but Maddy was the only person who saw all parts of me. The good and the bad.

It could also be the simple fact that she's a virgin and hasn't ever taken that step before. 

That was something else. It had been a long time since I lost my virginity but I remembered how nervous the girl was. My size did cause her some pain and I felt bad about that. 

In any case, it didn't matter what Maddy's reason for waiting was. I'd be patient until she was ready and give her the fucking of her life. In the meantime, I'd be content to hit bags and jerk off.

"Excuse me." 

I turned to address the guy speaking to me. 

"Yeah, man?"

He was a Hispanic guy in his early thirties. Shirtless like me, he had olive skin darkened by the sun and was about the same height, if a little leaner. His dark hair was slicked back from sweat and he had one of those smiles that made girls instantly swoon. 

"I saw you up there in the ring," he said, his voice slightly accented. "Wondered if you wanted to spar for a couple minutes. I think we're about the same level." 

I thought about it for a second. My energy was just about spent for the day but after whipping up Ash's ass, I could use practice with someone new. 

"Sure, man," I said. "I'm about done for the day but I got a couple minutes." 

"Same here, man." He held out a gloved hand. "Call me Nacio." 

"I'm Luke," I said, touching my glove to his as we headed toward the ring. "Haven't seen you here before. You new in town?" 

"More of a visitor, actually," he said with a grin. "I have a friend doing business in town. Not sure how long I'll stay but Cloverville is a beautiful place." 

"Yeah, it's nice here," I said, holding up a rope so he could duck under and I followed him into the ring. "I'll try not to make you feel unwelcome." 

Nacio chuckled. "You don't need to stroke my ego by going easy on me, Luke." 

We both held up our fists and began circling each other in the boxing ring. 

Neither one of us threw a punch for nearly a whole minute. We both watched each other's movements, trying to spot a chink in the other one's armor. We looked at each other's eyes trying to find some psychological weakness to exploit. Some kind of fear or arrogance or insecurity. 

Nacio's dark eyes were incredibly calm, his face neutral and relaxed behind the shield of his fists. When his first hit came, it was so fast that I could barely see it. 

A quick jab tapped me on the ribs and returned to shield his face in the same time it took for me to blink. 

I pressed my lips together and moved in closer, trying to knock him off guard with my size. I had at least thirty pounds of muscle on him and boxing was just as much a mental sport as a physical one. 

But Nacio didn't break a sweat. I may have even seen him smirk behind his fists as he ducked low and fired off a couple more jabs before backing away again. What he lacked in brute strength, he made up for in speed and agility. 

All around the ring I chased him, lumbering like a bear after an antelope. Some of my punches landed but he learned my pattern quickly. He never seemed to tire or slow down. I wondered if he had really been at the gym as long as I had already.

But still, I refused to be the one to slow down, to call it quits. My pride was getting to me and he could see that. As my frustration grew, my hits became more erratic and careless. 

Finally, he stood up straight and lowered his fists, smiling at me with either smugness or politeness, I couldn't tell. 

"Thanks for the spar, Luke," he said holding out his glove. 

I nodded and touched my glove to his while sucking in deep breaths of air, my pulse pounding rapidly in my ears. 

"Seems like I need a few more levels to catch up to you," I wheezed, trying to be humble as we climbed down the ropes. 

"Nah. I caught you at the end of your practice," he replied, flicking a towel over his shoulder. "When you're more refreshed, you'll have no problems with me." 

"Next time, then." 

We removed our gloves and shook hands, his eyes still dark and calm as ever. There was something unnerving about it. Maybe it was just because I let him get under my skin during that spar. 

Abruptly, my phone began ringing from on top of my gym bag with Maddy's sweet, smiling picture showed up on the screen.

"That your girl calling you?" Nacio inquired. 

"Yeah," I said as I gathered up my stuff. "Probably wondering where I'm at. You know how it is." 

Nacio chuckled as he turned to walk away.

"You're a lucky man, Luke."