One month later—April

I secured the straps around my knees until I was pretty sure my circulation was cut off, but the tighter the wrap, the stronger the bounce back if I got into trouble. Six plates. I’d done it easily enough last week with Jaxx. My knee had never felt better. Instructor Kovov had cleared me to test with the next class tomorrow—as long as I passed an individual session with him alone tonight after training.

Jaxxon had been amazing, letting me practice on him night after night. God bless that man, but he could be the most stubborn shit on the planet. The only way I’d gotten him over the fear of hurting me was to blindside him. After I’d set him straight . . . he’d been perfect.

I wasn’t deluding myself. I knew he’d never hurt me. A predator was a different story, but I was more confident now than before. I’d see tonight how my newfound confidence held up.

I’d taken it easy while lifting today, but I needed the blood in my legs pumping. My legs were key—they were the strongest part of my body. I had to be all power and instinct tonight.

Ten reps max, enough to get a good pump. Anything more without Jaxx to spot would be unwise, and I wasn’t about to chance another injury.

Unlocking the protection slats, I had just pushed the platform up when my name came through loud and clear over my ridiculously deafening music.

“Valentina!”

I kept the weight up, but turned to see Jaxx stalking toward me, looking way too good for someone about to work out. Black, low-slung gym shorts and a red tank stuck out from under the bottom of his navy blue hoodie.

I smiled up at him as he loomed over me. “You’re late, Superman.”

“Oh, yeah? I’m late? Lock it in.” He nodded to the platform and pointed at my legs. “And you’re locking out your fuckin’ knees again. That’s how you got in trouble last time.”

“What? I just got it up and now that you’re here—”

“Lock it the fuck in,” he barked.

Wow. Grumpy much? I threw the slats, letting the weight slam back down. “Babe, are you grumpy?”

He glowered down at me. “If I am, it’s not my fault. Some minx kept me awake most of the night, and then I woke up to a freezing cold, wet snout on my damn pillow, Valentina.”

I shot a finger up at him. “That is not my fault, Jaxxon. You’re the one who gave me shit, insisting Kyle sleep on the bed with us. I said it was okay for him to sleep on the floor with Chris, but you were adamant Kyle be with us, so the wet snout’s on you.”

He’d ruined my exceptionally well-trained dog in the course of one month. Any time Jaxxon stayed with me now, Kyle lost his mind and scooted up the bed closer to us, closer to Jaxx, which was absolutely out of character for Kyle. Every time I woke up in the middle of the night, there was Kyle, wedged between us with his head on Jaxxon’s arm or chest. Granted, when I had a nightmare, my baby did his job, but he’d taken a serious liking to Jaxx. I was going to have to take my dog back to training because of Jaxxon’s obsession with my nightmares.

He walked around behind my seat, put his hands on either side, and leaned over me.

I looked up at him upside-down, unable to stop smiling.

“Yeah, the hot smile isn’t gonna work today. I’ve got a question . . . ” He leaned closer until he was inches away from my face. “How are you even able to walk after last night, let alone do a leg workout?”

My face heated and I giggled. “I wanted to let you sleep. You need sleep, and I was getting antsy. I couldn’t just lay there.”

While he was going for stern, the playfulness in his hazel eyes gave him away. “Antsy, huh? I didn’t tire you out? I’m losing my touch. Up.” He moved behind the rack and began removing plates from the press.

“Hey, Jaxx! Come on,” I reasoned. “I took it easy the entire workout . . . I promise. I need a good burn. I’m not working out tomorrow, and I’m getting a massage before I meet Kovov. I’ll be fine.” Damn him!

He grinned at me and kept dropping plates on the floor. “I’m gonna ignore the fact that not more than five months ago you hyperextended the knee with less weight than this—”

“That was your fault too.” I sat straight up in my seat and started unwrapping my knee straps with one hand while blowing him off with the other. “If you hadn’t made me so damn nervous, I’d have never lost focus and blown the knee. You know I can handle this weight. Especially strapped.”

“I wasn’t finished.”

“Oh, dear God.” I rolled my eyes at him. “Finish already.”

He dropped the last of the weights and came around to lean on the side of the machine. “You have an eight-hour black belt test tomorrow and a pre-test with Kovov tonight. Should you really be lifting heavy? And without me on top of it?”

I threw one of my straps at him. “You’re here now, and you were sleeping! I was being thoughtful.”

“You weren’t thinking, period.” He began rolling the strap.

Oh, no he did not!

“Jaxxon Alexander, you better check the tone. I know my body.”

Before he could come back with what was sure to be a smart-ass or sexually loaded comment, Terry walked up to stand beside him, and they both glowered down at me.

“Are you two serious right now?” I yelled up them.

“Overdoing it again?” Terry asked Jaxx.

“When does she not?” Jaxx responded.

Terry looked down at me, smiled, and hit Jaxxon on the shoulder before walking away. “Handle that?”

“All over it.” Jaxxon smirked and turned his hat backwards. “Up. Now.”

“Thanks, Terry, you’re supposed to be on my side,” I called after him.

“I’m on the side that doesn’t get you hurt,” he replied a hand over his head.

“Up!” Jaxx waved a giant hand at me.

I pulled myself up out of the seat, scowling at him. “You’re a total caveman.”

A huge, wicked smile slashed across his ridiculously handsome face as he dropped my second strap into my open bag. “Caveman, huh?”

Now that look meant trouble. Keeping his eyes locked to mine, he knelt down, zipped my bag, slung it over his head around to his back, and stood up.

No way he’d let that slide and I’d opened the door wide. “Aren’t you lifting today?”

He chuckled. “Nope. Nice try, though.” In one quick move, he had me up over his shoulder like a bushel of hay, stalking out of the weight room.

I bit back a scream and the urge to pound on his back. “What are you doing? Where the hell are we going?”

“Cardio.”

I pushed up on his back and slid my legs around his waist, forcing him to hold me in front of him. The giggles and gasps going on around us didn’t faze me—our friends were used to us.

“Since when do you skip lifting and go straight to cardio?” I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

“Today.”

“Ugh!” I tugged at his ponytail. “Jaxxon, speak! Use your words. And you just passed all the cardio equipment.”

As he walked by the front desk, with both me and my bag wrapped around him, he kissed me hard on the mouth, turning to push the door open with his ass. “For the cardio I have in mind, you’re not gonna want an audience. ‘Antsy’, my fuckin’ ass.”

I leaned back a little. “So, let me get this straight . . . ” Now that we were outside the gym, I tightened my legs around his waist and hugged him around the neck, putting our faces inches apart. “ . . . You drove all the way here to lecture me, embarrass me, and carry me off to have more sex? Is this an ego thing because I said I was antsy? I didn’t mean you. I meant the test.”

“My ego’s rock solid, sugar, because I’m pretty fuckin’ sure it was my name you were screaming the three times you came last night.”

Damn him and his filthy mouth. To my utter horror, I’d quickly discovered it turned me on. I’d become shameless. “You know, Mickey told Rocky sex weakens legs before a fight.”

He laughed, his chest rumbling against mine, making my nipples hard. “All bullshit. If you have enough energy to put up six plates, you just shot old Mick’s theory straight to hell.”

“Aren’t you working today?” He always worked on Fridays.

“Nope,” he said, as we neared his truck. “I took today off. I’m taking you home.” His lips touched my ear. “I’m going to fuck you until you feel that burn you claim to need, and then take you to breakfast. We need those macros up, and you need to eat more than fruit and salads today. Then you’re going home, get your massage, get to work, and take a nap before Kovov. I have the kids tonight and tomorrow, so I won’t be tempted to keep you up.”

When we reached his truck, he slid me down his body and unlocked the doors.

I reached up and pulled his face down to mine, sliding my lips over his and slipping my tongue inside. He dropped my bag to the ground and lifted me, wedging a knee between my legs to keep me balanced between him and the truck door.

Wrapping my pony-tail around his hand, he tilted my head and deepened the kiss, stroking his tongue against mine. I grumbled when he kissed me hard once more before pulling away. “Promise you’ll do everything I said today?”

I scowled at him. “Blackmail? You’re not the boss of me, Mr. Controlling.”

He leaned down until he was eye-level with me. “I’m not the one testing. If you don’t promise to do everything I laid out, I’ll throw you in the back of this truck, right here in the parking lot, and make you scream so loud they’ll hear you inside. Now is that something you’d want Terry or Martha to experience?”

“Nope.” I nodded once. “To the letter. You have my word.”

He opened my door and lifted me inside. “That’s what I thought.”

I shook my head and glanced up at the roof of the cab. “Oh yes, because you were being so very thoughtful interrupting my workout when you could have just lifted with me.”

He stopped the door before he closed it and wrenched my legs to the side, pushing me back on his seat and caging my legs between his hands. “Sorry, was that sarcasm?”

My giggle turned into a full-blown laugh until I felt his fingers under my workout pants and inside my thong. Humorous turned hot in seconds as he ran his thumb through my wet slit and over my clit until I couldn’t fight the moan that slipped from my lips.

He pulled his hand out quick, leaving me aching for him. “Oh, I am thoughtful, because I’m about two seconds away from ripping these cock-blocking workout pants off and fucking you right here. Any more snarky comments, Sparky?”

I wiggled my pants back into place and peeked over the dashboard of the truck, checking the parking lot. “Jaxx. I swear, if anybody saw you—hell! There will be hell to pay!” I was more irritated with myself than him, because if he’d pushed it, I might have lost the ability to say no to him. If he touched me or changed his tone, I’d immediately caved. And the cocky shit knew it.

Bending over, he kissed my nose. “Give me some credit, baby. Why do you think I parked so far away?”

“You planned this!” I laughed, buckling my seatbelt.

“What?” He threw me an innocent look and slammed the door.

I couldn’t stop my smile. Yeah, I wanted him right here, right now. I loved how playful he was with me, with sex, with everything. I’d never had more fun or enjoyed life more than I did with him.

He got in the truck and started the engine, glancing over at me. “Uncomfortable, sugar?”

“Shut up and drive, and it better be the fastest ten minutes ever.” I crossed my arms and glared at him.

“Ten minutes? Fuck, maybe the way you drive. I’ll be there in five. Start getting undressed.”