Haley—that’s the gift in front of me. A girl who’s trusted me with her secrets and has protected me from the elements. Possibly one of the few people who likes me for me and not because of my last name.
She steps closer and her fingers glide against my skin. Haley turns my wrist toward my face and my gloves block her out. “If you’re overpowered, a tightly held guard can be your best defense.”
She repositions my wrist back out and consumes my line of sight again. “And when you’re ready to attack, you simply open up and take the swing.”
When our eyes meet, her breathing hitches. If I kissed Haley, would she kiss me back? Desire slams into me as hard as it did when I wrapped my arms around her three weeks ago and allowed my lips to brush against her skin. In the darkness, she became an angel bent on saving my soul. She angled her neck and I knew I could kiss her without an ounce of hesitation on her part, but I didn’t because Haley doesn’t know who I am—she doesn’t know I’m a Young.
“See.” Haley mock swings and nudges her fist against my glove. “You’re protected. I can’t hurt you.”
Yes, she can. Haley can learn who I am, who my family is, and hate me. I can let her down and, once again, be a failure. Haley has no idea how much I need this last shot at redemption and how much I need her.
She drops her hands and I lower my arms to my sides.
“But here’s the important part.” She waggles her eyebrows. “You’re never going to win a fight unless you take a chance and actually engage.”
“What about you?” I ask.
Haley’s eyes jump to mine. “What about me?”
“When are you going to engage?”
Her forehead wrinkles and her dark eyes harden. She’s sexy as hell pissed. “What is that supposed to mean?”
It must mean that I don’t mind angering her enough that she’ll cut off my balls. It means that when I give her roses, she tells me maybe we’ll talk. “You keep telling me what I need to do, then, instead of going for a blow, you show me shadow boxing.”
Haley lifts her chin, almost daring me to challenge her again. “Do you have a problem with how I’m training you?”
“No, but it doesn’t take a head shrink to figure out that you’re holding back.”
She leans into me just like the night we first met. “I am not holding back.”
“Yeah, you are. We’ve been together day in and day out for over a month, and holding back is what you do. With people at school, your family, in training, with denying what you feel when you’re with me.”
“Feel with you? Me and you—we are friends.”
“We crossed beyond friends the night we spent in your room and you know that. Fuck, Haley, there isn’t a moment that we haven’t been into each other and I’m not the only one in the room aware of it.”
Haley shakes her head and waves a hand in the air. “Keep your mind where it needs to be, West. In the gym.”
“Hey, you’re the one who kissed me in the cafeteria today.”
“Bwha.” A large puff of air leaves her mouth and blood leaves her face. “I was thanking you. For helping me. Not coming on to you.”
I ease closer to her. “You want me. Admit it, Haley. You. Want. Me. You wanted me the first night we met, you wanted me the night in your room and you want me right now, but you’ve buried it deep. It popped out today when you least expected it and now you’re mad because I’m calling you out.”
Haley goes blank, and, like the time we confronted Matt and Conner in the cafeteria, she goes into the frozen shock. I’m used to girls who tell me everything that crosses their minds...everything. Including the things that should be self-censored, but Haley keeps every thought locked away and maybe she doesn’t do it on purpose. Maybe that’s her way of keeping up her guard.
I glance down at the gloves on my hand. “I step when I punch.”
Haley’s dark eyes jump to mine and the hope, the gratitude swimming in them for changing the subject almost brings me to my knees. “No, you don’t.”
“And I throw more jabs than crosses.”
A smile starts to play on her lips. “That definitely never happens.”
“And I am the king of switching up between going on the defensive and offensive.”
Like I knew she would, Haley laughs loudly. The spark that has returned to her eyes is nearly impossible to resist.