It’s Monday, mid-morning, and I’ve spent all of this time holding the punching bag at Aiden’s place while she lays into it.

The fight between her and Max is inevitable, but with her snazzy new ‘do, she seems to have renewed focus on getting in as much training as she can before the event.

I have an idea that will help her. Nothing that will be considered cheating, just something that might save her jaw this time from some painful dental surgery. Once I get home tonight, I’ll get started on it, but first I need her to stop hitting this thing and give me something that I’ll need for it.

“Wanna take a break there, champ? I think this thing is leaving an impression in my chest.”

Aiden laughs and gives the bag one last good punch before she stands straight up and runs a gloved hand back through her hair.

“Can’t have that. Wouldn’t want you to have to explain to Penn how that happened,” she teases with a mischievous smile.

“Give it a fucking rest already, Aiden,” I grumble, heading out of her workout room. I walk into the living room where I left my bag and Aiden’s girlish giggles follow me all the way there.

I roll my eyes.

She’s obviously not going to be happy until either I fuck him, or he tells me to fuck off. Aiden throws herself onto her patchwork couch while I pull the contents of my bag out. I can feel her eyes on me, the curiosity burning a hole into my back while I get to my feet with my stuff.

“Do you have a mixing bowl or some shit you don’t mind tossing?” I ask her, walking toward the kitchen.

“All of them!” she calls out and I laugh.

As I reach for a big, orange plastic bowl I find myself wondering when the last time was that I’ve ever seen Aiden cook anything.

It doesn’t take me very long to mix the plaster and when I call out to Aiden to move her ass, she comes into the kitchen quickly.

“What is that?” she asks, wrinkling her nose.

“Open your mouth,” I say softly, holding up the small block.

“For what? I’m not putting that in my mouth, Gray,” she replies, shaking her head vehemently.

“Just open your goddamn mouth, Aiden,” I bark at her. “I’m trying to save some money on another round of unnecessary dentistry.”

She scowls at me and crosses her arms over her chest, a pout prominent on her pretty face, but she relents, and does as I ask her to.

“Bite down hard,” I instruct her. I need a deep enough cast to be able to mold her a set of mouth guards that I know will hold under the pressure of a hit from Max.

Drool slips down the side of her mouth and she attempts to whine, tapping her wrist.

“About forty-five minutes. I can’t wait to enjoy the silence,” I reply with a sly grin.

She mumbles angrily through the block, but I reach over and place a hand gently on either side of her face. “If you fuck this up, we have to do it again. Stay still.”

Her eyes widen in disbelief, but she leans against the counter and turns her eyes toward the clock on the wall. It won’t really take forty-five minutes, but with her training, she has to learn discipline, and this is my way of making her relearn it.

Plus, I really am looking forward to the silence. The longer she keeps her mouth busy, the less I have to hear comments about Penn.

The ringtone from Aiden’s cell phone starts chiming from her bedroom and she sighs, wiping the drool from her chin as she carefully makes her way to retrieve it. She returns a few moments later, the phone still ringing, and holds it up, a curious look in her eyes to show me the caller ID.

I lean down and narrow my eyes because she’s so goddamn tiny, it’s hard for me to see it from up here.

Penn.

I roll my eyes and start packing up what’s left of my provisions, intent on getting away from her teasing, when she grabs my arm and shakes her head. I raise an eyebrow and reach for the phone, sliding the answer button just in time to hear the line click dead.

“He hung up as soon as I answered,” I mumble, handing it back to her.

He probably knew it was me. Probably felt my fucking heart beating through the phone at the possibility of hearing his voice again.

I reach over and roughly pull the mold out of her mouth.

“Ouch, Gray! That fucking hurt!” she says, reaching up to rub her jaw.

“Yeah, well it’s not as bad as what’s coming your way and you know it,” I mumble unhappily. I hold up the mold and look it over. “That’s good enough. I’m going home; I’ll be back tomorrow, and I’ll have your mouth guard.”

Before she can object or even ask me what the problem is, I march into the living room and grab my bag, heading for the front door.

“Later, kid,” I say to her softly without so much as backwards glance.

Aiden doesn’t understand, but she will soon enough.