Bess trotted to the back of the line, and Cam stood in front of the bag, her legs braced. “You think about getting a drink with me tonight?” she asked.
I tried not to grimace and shook my head. Cam had been trying to get me to go out with her since she started class, and I had turned down all of her advances. She wasn’t a bad looking woman by any means, but she gave off the vibe. You know, the one where you know she chews men up and spits them up. I wasn’t interested in becoming her next prey.
“Got some plans after class tonight.”
Cam landed her two punches and drop-kicked the bag, rocking it backward. She batted her eyes. “You say that every night. Why don’t you just come out for one drink? I promise not to bite.” A cheshire grin spread across her lips. “At least, not hard.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, although these are plans I can’t cancel.”
“Maybe next time.” She sauntered to the back of the line, and I watched Molly size her up. She couldn’t hide her look of disgust fast enough. Gavin noticed her look and glanced at what she was looking at.
Gavin’s eyes traveled up and down Cam’s body, and he licked his lips. Gavin was an ass, and if he thought Cam was something worth looking at, he needed to talk to her and not Molly.
We ran through the line one more time, and this time, Molly managed to hit the bag the first time, although her kick landed more south than it should have.
“All right, now for the next fifteen minutes, I want you all to pair up, and grab one focus paper each.”
Molly looked around, and I knew she had no idea what I was talking about. It was hard for me to remember when teaching new students that everything was confusing the first couple of classes. “Dante.” I held out my hand, and Dante gave me a focus paper. Focus papers were just laminated pieces of paper that, when kicked and punched, made a noise, so you knew you were hitting your target. They were used when working one on one with someone. I winked at Molly, letting her know I was trying to help her out.
Cam raised her hand and stepped right into my view of Molly. “Do we get to pick our partners?”
“Yeah, I think you guys can manage that.” This chick was a piece of work. She popped out her hip, flipped her hair and licked her lips.
I looked anywhere but at her. “Grab a paper and a place on the mat.”
Everyone dispersed and grabbed papers off the shelf on the wall.
Tate stood next to me and crossed his arms over his chest. “Man, she had a hard-on for you. When are you going to hit that?”
“Who are you talking about?”
Tate licked his lips and nodded at Cam.
“You’re fucking kidding me, right? That chick is a straight-up psycho.”
Tate wagged his eyebrows. “The feisty ones in bed normally are psycho.”
“Well, I’ll leave that one to you.”
“Figured you would. I noticed you can’t seem to keep your eyes off of Molly. Got plans for you two tonight?”
I hadn’t. I didn’t know what to do with her after class. Typically, I went home, ate some dinner, and then passed out. “Don’t worry about Molly and me. We need to help Dante out.” I nodded over to Dante who was helping everyone pair up.
Dante, Tate, and I roamed through the pairs, helping when needed and just watching to see how people were improving. Molly had paired up with Gavin, who was trying to showboat for her. Gavin was getting pretty good at karate, but his ego was too big for his head.
Molly held the paper out and slammed her eyes shut when Gavin started kicking and punching.
God damn, she even looked pretty when she was fearful of getting her hand kicked off.
“Oh, ah! Oh, my God!”
I spun around and saw Cam collapsed on the floor, clutching her foot. Fuck!
Dante and I made it to her at the same time, and we both kneeled next to her. “What happened?” I asked.
Cam whimpered and cried.
“She went to kick, and her leg came out from under her. I’m not sure what happened,” her partner answered.
“Should we call an ambulance?” Dante asked.
Cam shook her head and grabbed my arm. “No, no,” she gasped.
“Cam, you need to see a doctor. You might have pulled something or maybe even worse,” I said as I looked at her leg and saw it was already turning purple around her ankle.
“You can drive me. I don’t want an ambulance.” She gasped when Dante touched her ankle, and I knew this was more than a sprain.
“I don’t know.”
Cam pouted out her bottom lip. “Please, I can’t drive myself like this.”
The class had gathered around, and I couldn’t exactly be an asshole and tell her no. “Fine, I’ll take you to the emergency room.”
Tate was standing over us. “How are we going to get her to your car? Should we lift her?”
“Yeah, that’s going to be our only option. She shouldn't put any weight on it.”
Cam batted her eyes at me. “Oh, you can carry me, Kellan. You’re more than strong enough. ”Un-fucking-believable This chick was laid out on the floor, her ankle turning fifty shades of purple, and she was still managing to flirt with me.
She threw her arms around my neck, and I had no choice but to wrap my arms around her. I lifted her up, trying to touch her the least possible, but she splayed her body against me like a sponge. “Grab the door, Dante,” I muttered as I moved off the mat. I slipped on my shoes and headed towards the front door. Dante grabbed my keys off the counter and held the door open.
Molly’s light laugh reached my ears, and I looked over my shoulder to see her with her hand on Gavin’s arm, smiling. Well, shit.
Cam whimpered in my arms and rested her head on my shoulder. This was not how I had pictured my night going. I was going to spend it with the wrong woman, while Gavin swooped in on Molly.
Damn cocksucker.
**********
Molly
I was done. Stick a fork in me, done.
After Kellan had left with Cam, Dante had taken over the class and worked the hell out of us. I had a newfound appreciation for what Kellan and the guys did here.
Plus, I totally understood what Kellan meant when he said they yelled and screamed to make sure they were breathing. By the end of the class, Dante had me grunting with the best of them.
I was leaning against the wall, looking down at my shoes, willing them to magically get on my feet. My psychic abilities were lacking.
Gavin walked up to me and put his hand on the wall next to my head. “Good job out there tonight.”
I scoffed. “I think you mean good job on not dying. That’s the only thing I accomplished tonight.”
Dante, who was sitting at the desk, chuckled and shook his head. “You gotta start somewhere, Molly. I think avoiding death is a good start.”
I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to my shoes. I think my ability to bend over was gone. Driving home shoeless was my best option.
“You wanna get that drink we talked about earlier?” Gavin asked, turning his body into me.
“Ah…um…as much as I’d love to, I think I’m going to have to pass. I’m pretty sure I’m liable to pass out in the next fifteen minutes.” Err, I really didn’t want to go out with Gavin. He had been really kind to me all night, but he was also a type of cocky that I didn’t like. Besides, I’m pretty sure any date we would go on would have some type of physical activity, and I had met my quota for physical exertion tonight. I was good for the next five years.
“How about another time?”
“I’m normally really busy with the cafe. I seem to spend all my waking hours there.”
Gavin chuckled and leaned in even further. Can this man not catch a clue? “How about I come by the cafe tomorrow, and we can discuss this then.”
I looked over Gavin’s shoulder and saw Dante stand up. He crossed his arms over his chest, and I’m pretty sure if Gavin had been facing him, Dante would have killed him with the death glare
he was giving him. “Well, I’m always there.” Not exactly an invitation to come, but not exactly rejection either.
“I’ll see ya around, babe.” Gavin winked at me, giving me the creeps, and headed out the door.
“I never realized how big of an ass bag that guy is.”
I couldn’t help but snort. I was glad I wasn’t the only one who thought that. “He’s definitely something else.”
“You did do good tonight, though.”
I laughed and gingerly bent over. “It was touch-and-go for a minute there. Pretty sure my body is going to feel like I got ran over by an elephant tomorrow.”
Dante chuckled and moved from behind the desk and crouched in front of me. “Stand up, Molly. You look like you’re about to fall over.”
A groan escaped my lips as I tried to stand up. “I’m just driving barefoot. This is hopeless. I’ll never be able to touch my feet again.”
Dante shook his head and grabbed my shoes. “Shut it, woman.” He lifted my foot, and I grasped the wall, feeling my leg giving out. He quickly slid my socks and shoes on, and I barely had to move.
“You’re my hero, Dante.”
He stood up and looked down at me. “I’m far from anyone's hero, Molly. Get home, get some rest, and don’t let that ass bag, Gavin, pressure you into going out with him.”
I waved my hand at him and pushed off the wall. “Pfft, even if I did say yes to a date with him, it wouldn’t last for long. Most guys run when they find out how boring I am.”
Dante shook his head. “Crazy woman,” he mumbled under his breath.
That wasn’t the first time I had been called that. “All right, I’m gonna haul my dead ass home, and pass out for the night. Have a good evening, guys,” I called as I shuffled toward the door.
“When’s the meeting?” Tate asked as I put my hand on the door.
“Friday night. Six o’clock.”
“Should we be worried?”
I shook my head and pushed the door open. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out, Tate. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.” I gave them both a quick smile and headed over to my car.
I fell into my seat with my legs hanging out of the car. My body screamed at me, wanting to know what I was thinking putting it through that tonight. It was going to be an act of God if I would be able to get out of the car. Reclining with my seat back, and just vegging out in my car, was looking pretty damn appealing.
Headlights flashed across the parking lot. I held my breath, hoping that it would be Kellan getting out of the car. The door opened, and my hope was popped like a balloon when Bess’ husband climbed out.
“Son of a bitch.” I managed to lift my legs into the car and slammed the door.
Tonight had been good until Cam had managed to break her ankle and whisk Kellan off with her. I had seen the way she had been eyeing him up all night and knew she was after him. Kellan, thankfully, didn’t seem too impressed with her, although he didn’t appear to be put off when she basically draped herself over him when he lifted her up.
I had never felt my heart hurt the way it did when he walked out the door with her. Kellan and I weren’t technically together, but I felt there was something there. I got that Cam had hurt herself and needed help, but why did it have to be Kellan to help her? Cam was the kind of woman who went after what she wanted relentlessly, and unfortunately, she was going after Kellan.
I sighed and cranked up the car. There was no point in sitting in the parking lot waiting for him to return. It wasn’t like he was just going to drop her off and come back. I moved my arm back to grab the seat belt and cringed as I felt every muscle in my body scream in protest.
Who was I kidding? Cam was a much better fit for Kellan. I did forty-five minutes of karate, and I was ready to die. Before Cam had hurt herself, she wasn’t even winded and looked like a runway model. Plus, Cam looked like she belonged with Kellan. I looked like I belonged with a big house full of cats.
I was foolish to even think I had a chance with Kellan.
I backed out of my parking spot and headed back to my house where I belonged. Spending the rest of my night soaking in the tub, with Mr. Mittens keeping me company.
After the meeting Friday, I would never see Kellan again, and everything will be over. I would go back to the boring barista, and Kellan can get back to kicking ass and collecting phone numbers.
Back to normal, and boring as hell.
**********
Kellan
“Dude, you look like fucking shit. What time did you get home last night?”
I swung open the front door and flipped off Roman, Dante, and Tate. Not what I wanted to hear this morning. “Four.”
Tate pushed into my house and plopped down on the couch. “How did it take that long?”
“Yeah, couldn’t you have called someone for her? Why did you need to stay with her?” Dante rubbed his chin. “Seems pretty fishy to me.”
I stepped back from the door and motioned for Roman and Dante to come in. They apparently had better manners than Tate.
“I did ask her if she had any family she wanted me to call, she said all she had was her mother in a nursing home. I couldn’t exactly leave her there.” I sat down next to Tate and kicked my feet up on the coffee table.
Roman wandered into the kitchen, and Dante sat down in the recliner. I heard Roman rummaging around, and knew he was going to find the half a pizza I had planned to have for lunch today. “Score!” he yelled. Dammit.
Tate grabbed the remote off the coffee table and flipped on the TV. “So what did she break?”
“How come all of the fun stuff happens when I finally take a night off? Nobody ever breaks shit when I’m there.” Roman walked into the living room with the box of pizza and dropped it on the table. “I’m gonna order more pizza.”
I flipped open the box and saw there was only one piece left. “You inhale that shit? There were four pieces in there.”
Roman ripped off a huge bite from the piece he had in his hand. “I’m hungry,” he mumbled.
I leaned back into the couch and laced my fingers behind my head. “She tore her Achilles. She’s going to need surgery.”
“No shit. That fucking blows.” Dante flipped through the channels and landed on a cooking show. “You taking her to surgery and nursing her back to health?” he asked, smirking.
“No, you asswipe. Cam is not the type of chick that does it for me.”
Tate laughed. “You mean the type that wants to get your balls in a vise and slowly twist the handle until you become her little puppy dog?”
“Good to know I’m not the only one who got that vibe from her.” Cam was a man-eater, plain and simple.
Roman held his hand out to me. “Where’s your phone? I wanna order some pizza.”
“Where is your phone?” Dante asked.
Roman shrugged. “Not really sure. I had it at the bar last night, and then I woke up with it gone.”
Tate shook his head. “Who’d you take home with you last night?”
“I don’t think I did take anyone home, but I’m not one hundred percent sure.”
I dug my phone out of my pocket and slapped it into his hand. “You’re a piece of fucking work, Ro.”
“I have fun, ain’t nothing wrong with that. I don’t have anyone tying me down, so I can do whatever I want.”
“Yeah, until that whatever you want ends up pushing a baby out and starts calling you daddy,” Dante jested.
Roman flipped Dante the bird and headed into the kitchen. “Fucking ass,” he mumbled under his breath.
“How was class after I left?”
Tate laughed. “You mean how was Molly, right?”
Yeah, that was exactly what I meant, but I didn’t want to act like some lovesick ass. “No, I mean, how was class? Finished up with no incidents?”
Dante hollered for Roman to bring him a beer, and popped up the footrest on the recliner. “Yeah, I took over and finished it out. Bess kicked ass like she norm
ally does. I still can’t believe that broad is over sixty. She does better than half of the class, and they’re all under forty.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Bess may dress like she just popped out of an eighties aerobics video, but she was in damn good shape. “Yeah, her kicks were pretty impressive from what I saw.”
Dante snickered. “I wasn’t sure you saw much last night other than Molly.”
Tate nudged me with his foot. “Yeah, you two seemed pretty fucking cozy when you were showing her how to hit the bag.”
“I was just showing her how to do it.”
“I don’t remember him putting his arms around Gavin when he first started, do you, Tate?” Dante asked as he tapped his finger on his chin.
“Yeah, now that you mention it, I’ve never seen Kellan teach that hands-on before.” Tate propped his chin on his hand and turned to examine me. “How come you never taught me like that?”
Dante busted out laughing, and even Roman laughed in the kitchen. “You need to get laid, Tate, if you’re looking for Kellan to wrap his arms around you,” Roman called.
Tate reached his arms out to me, and I pushed him away. “I never taught you, and keep your damn arms away from me.”
“So, what’s the deal with you and Molly?” Dante asked.
That was the question I had no answer to. We kissed. Twice. And it was fucking fantastic. “I don’t know.”
Dante chucked the remote at me. “Since when the fuck does Kellan Wright not know? You always got shit locked down, know what you’re going to do next. Is this the chick that comes along and changes everything?”
“You know,” Roman announced as he walked back into the living room and collapsed on the floor. “I don’t fucking understand why you get a chick, and everything changes. Why can’t shit stay the same, and she just comes along for the ride?”
Tate, Dante, and I all looked at each other, wondering where that had come from. That was the most Roman had ever said about dating in his life.
“Because if you get a girlfriend, you can’t really have her tag along to the bar with you while you pick up random chicks and take them home to bang,” Dante explained as if that wasn’t common sense.
Dropkick My Heart: Powerhouse M.A. Series Page 13