He pauses for a beat. Then a slow, knowing smile lines his mouth. “I think I know what they are.”
“Surely you haven’t fought me enough one on one in that cage to know my tells,” I scoff.
It seems impossible that Kayden would know because I don’t spar with him, usually opting to have another male fighter help out during the session so the fight will be fair.
“I’m not talking about inside the cage, Lucky. I’m talking about outside of it.”
My eyebrows dip in confusion. “I don’t think I follow.”
“Come on. Your mask is immovable in that cage but outside of it, it’s pretty easy to tell how you’re feeling,” he notes. When I give him a blank stare, Kayden fires back a look that says Seriously? He leans forward, cupping his knees. “Every time you bite your bottom lip, it means you’re completely spaced out and lost in your own thoughts. Most likely thinking about your family. When you press your hands to your face, it means you’re frustrated at yourself and you don’t know how to let the feeling out,” he says matter-of-factly. My mouth gapes at how much he’s been memorizing me. Just like how I’ve been memorizing him in that cage. Kayden pauses momentarily, head dipping down.
His mouth tightens, as if he’s unsure about what he’s going to say next. When his head lifts again, those grey eyes look tortured. “And when you look at me with your lips pursed, you’re thinking about what it’d be like to . . .”
Kayden stops. I nudge him with a nod, egging him on.
“To what?”
He shakes his head, waving me off. “Nothing. Forget I said anything.”
I inch toward him, curiosity taking reign. “Come on.
Tell me.”
“When you look at me with your lips pursed . . .” he murmurs, suddenly going shy. “I—I think you’re wondering what it’d be like . . . to kiss me.”
His words snatch all the breath out of my chest. I look away, uncertain of how to react.
“That’s bullshit.” I shake my head in dismissal. “I don’t do that. I don’t purse my lips.”
He looks at me, amused by my defensiveness. A forced smile climbs onto his face.
“You’re right. You don’t,” he says. “I was just messing with you.”
I can only nod. I don’t want to stick around here anymore if he’s going to say stuff like that to me. My heart can only take so much from him.
“We should get going,” I mutter softly.
“All right. Come on,” he says, already pushing himself to his feet.
Kayden extends a hand to me and I take it, forcing myself up, but I stumble a bit, stabilizing myself by pressing my hands on his chest. Kayden’s entire body goes stiff the second my skin touches his. I look up and catch those intensely dark eyes staring down at me, an unreadable expression crossing his face. We’re so close to each other, our faces mere inches away.
A heavy breath reverberates from me, shivers flying up my spine as our eyes lock for way longer than they’re supposed to.
I pull back abruptly. “Um.”
“Yeah.” He looks down, clearly embarrassed. “I’m gonna take a shower.”
I nod wordlessly, watching him grab his towel that was chucked to the side on the floor and head to the showers. He mutters something under his breath but loud enough for me to catch what he says.
“Preferably a cold one.”
I purse my lips.
Goddammit.
***
I have another late-night sparring session with Brandon at UFG before I have a long, noncancelable date with my research papers in the library tonight. When we’re done, it’s twenty minutes to closing and I’m famished from not having had enough time to grab a quick dinner before the session started. I’ll probably just grab something from the vending machine on campus later.