“I treated you like shit and I’m sorry,” he mumbles, his eyes dropping to the ground, unsure of himself. The discomfort that coils around his words makes me think that this might be one of the rare times he’s apologized.
“I’m not saying this because I need your help to win that championship. I really do mean it.”
“If you knew you were wrong, why did you flip out on me, anyway?” I ask him. “Is this about not being able to trust me?”
“No. I do trust you.” Kayden releases a shaky breath. “I just don’t trust myself around you.”
“Kayden . . .” My breath hitches, heart buoying at his unexpected honesty.
“Look.” He lets out a rugged breath and lifts his head, his gaze connecting with mine. “You scare me, Sienna.”
I blink at him, dumbfounded. What is he talking about?
“After that night . . .” he says, his throat constricting as he tries to get the rest of his words out. “When I clearly crossed a line with you talking about Jax and I pissed you off . . . it freaked me out. I don’t want to hurt you, okay? In or out of that cage. That’s the absolute last thing I want to do.”
His words are an unexpected lightning bolt zipping through my body. So he’s cold with me because it’s easier to close himself off than to hurt me? I should find it flattering that he would put my feelings first, but really, it only serves to heighten my curiosity about what happened to him in the past.
“You’re ridiculous, you know that, Kayden?” I step forward. “You can never hurt me. If you think that I’d ever let you do that, then you’d never be more wrong about me.”
“Trust me, I’m way past underestimating you now,”
Kayden says, his dimples peeking out when his lips sneak upward.
My heart leaps out of my throat. Damn, I really missed that smile for sure. And those goddamned dimples.
“I just don’t know how to act around you, Sienna,” he says, his voice rough.
“Just be yourself,” I remind him. “Well, a less shitty version of yourself.”
A low laugh. “I’ll try.”
“So, you’re going to let me train you again? We’re going to make this deal work?”
Kayden nods confidently, truth beaming in his eyes.
“Absolutely.”
“Good. Because you need to focus. Knockouts are in two weeks and we gotta get you into prime shape. I can’t have you being hot and cold with me anymore. You need to be ready for this. Mentally and physically. Otherwise Jax will kill you.”
“I’m in, Lucky,” he says with utter conviction. “I’m all in.”
“You better be,” I say, glancing at my phone for the time.
“I’m just about done now. Meet you at Point in ten minutes?
If you get there first, I want you all stretched out because I’m going to work you so hard tonight that you won’t be able to walk tomorrow.”
Kayden swallows hard. “You are?”
It suddenly hits me how my words sounded to him.
“That’s not what I mean—” Oh God. I feel my cheeks explode with heat and I look away swiftly, wanting to die of embarrassment. “For fuck’s sake, just go.” I dismiss him.
Kayden hoots with laughter as he heads to the exit. He looks over his shoulder, another dimple-laden grin gracing his lips, and says, “Glad to have you back, Lucky.”
“You, too, Killer.”
I can’t help the smile sneaking across my lips as well as I watch him leave.