Chapter Six

RYDER

I drove to Warrior's Den after meeting with Ava at the dog shelter. I knew I should've been focusing on training for my upcoming match with O'Connor, but I couldn't get her out of my mind.

The past sixteen hours with her were amazing. I'm no daydreamer. At least, I never thought I was until this point. My mind trailed back to when she was in my bed, moaning, with her eyes shut and her curly hair covering the pillows.

I replayed my conversations with her like some kid on his first date. I liked the way her eyes lit up this morning when I told her about the service dog program. I enjoyed the sound of her voice when she asked questions.

I grabbed my duffel bag from the trunk. I paused as I was about to head inside the gym. Clearly, this woman was all in my head. She got me to let down my guard. I never opened up to anyone like that before.

I couldn't lie to myself. It stung when she drew a hard line between business and pleasure. I got why she did it. She had a solid work ethic. I respected the hell out of what she did to get where she was today. And I wanted to punch the asshole in the face who broke her heart. Good thing I didn't know his name.

"Hey, Ryder." Chris, the office manager, greeted me with a nod and fist bump as I checked in.

"Hey, man." I saw him glance at the time on the computer screen. He knew I was usually here before the gym opened. "Let me get this training in and I'll chat with you before lunch."

"Okay. Let me know what you think of that new preworkout we got in stock yesterday."

"Will do." I went into the locker room to change into my shorts and shoes for a few rounds of sparring practice. Outside on the gym floor, a couple guys, including my coach, were taking turns throwing jabs at a speedbag.

"Where the heck have you been, man?" Cody Stone, my coach, announced my late arrival. "You missed warmups."

"I was overdue for a visit to the dog shelter this morning."

"Well, those pups are gonna need you to train, too. There's a lot to gain from your match with O'Connor."

"Like you need to tell me." I yanked my sparring gloves from my duffel bag before tossing it on a nearby weight bench. "When I win, the shelter's getting a new addition."

"That's the Ryder I know. When you win, not if." Cody clapped me hard on the shoulder. "C'mon, let's go. Two rounds on the speedbag."

I shoved my hands into my gloves. It wasn't long before I got into the rhythm of training. Cody barked orders at me like he was back at Fort Hood, whipping the new Army recruits into shape. His former drill sergeant background came in handy here at the Warrior's Den. He knew my habits in the ring, and he had one of the best fight IQs in the business. I didn't know too much about his life outside the gym. He was a private guy, a real lone wolf, and out of respect for him, none of us asked too many questions. From what I knew about my brother, being a combat veteran took its toll on the body and mind. I was thankful the Warrior's Den could be Cody's refuge like it was mine and those like us who couldn't seem to stay away from a fight.

Cody called it quits for the speedbag. "Let's move on to the ring. You need to work on your uppercut."

I used my forearm to wipe sweat from my brow. "Just say how you really feel."

"You pay me to get you in shape for your matches. My honest assessment comes for free."

"Thanks for the bonus. I feel lucky."

"That's your problem, McKenzie. You yak your jaw too much." Cody stuck his hand in a padded mitt in preparation for me to launch an uppercut. "Save all the shit talk for when you gas up the media. I heard O'Connor was here at three AM practicing. Bet you were snoring away in bed."

I was in bed, but I wasn't snoring. Ava's face flashed in my mind as I climbed the ropes to get into the ring. I swore I could hear her voice.

It turned out, it was her voice. She breezed onto the gym floor with her big tote bag of notebooks, laptop, and caffeine-powered snacks to get her through the day. Her brown skin glowed. Her cheeks were dark berry from the morning chill. She shook out her glossy curls.

Fuck, she was beautiful. I watched her take a seat where I left my duffel bag. Chris said something to her and they both exchanged smiles. My heart did a funny thing, like it was getting warm and big at the sight of her easy smile, the way she made everyone around her light up.

I heard Cody's low chuckle over my shoulder. "I've never seen you look at a woman like that."

I swallowed hard, glancing over at Ava again. "Don't know what you're talking about."

"You're a bad liar." Cody's laugh was loud enough to reach Ava's ears. She looked up at us, smiled at me, and went back to pecking away at her laptop.

Another woman walked in. She was small, with short hair and dressed in a pantsuit like she was headed to a place far more serious than this. She walked right over to Ava. They greeted each other with a squeal and a big squeeze.

"Did you tell that journalist she could turn the gym into a ladies' club?" Cody grumbled, though I did see him lower his guard to glance at Ava's friend.

"Let's take five." I removed my gloves. "I'll talk to Ava to see what's going on."

"Just keep it five, McKenzie." His voice followed me out of the ring. "You got practice to finish."

I walked up to Ava and her friend. "Hey, ladies. I thought I smelled vanilla and sunshine in here."

Ava and her friend exchanged a look before Ava threw down my lame comment. "And you smell like sweat and testosterone."

"You say it like it's a bad thing."

She smirked. "I have a surprise for you. Ryder, meet my best friend, Emily. She's an event planner here in Sunridge. We've known each other since we were kids."

I nodded to Emily. "I'd shake your hand but mine is sweaty."

"No worries. It's good to meet you, Ryder." Emily gave Ava a nudge. "This one never stops talking about you. I mean, her assignment. I feel like I already know you."

Ava rolled her eyes. "Emily should've been a gossip columnist. She's been exaggerating since junior high."

I couldn't resist teasing Ava, either. "I agree with your friend. You love getting into your work." I gave her a wink when her friend turned to view the ring.

"This is where the magic happens, huh?" Emily's gaze fell on Cody before she looked back at us.

"This is where we train to make it look like magic. The actual fighting ring and cages are down the hall. One of the employees could give you a tour. Or Ava, if she can stand to walk away from her assignment for five minutes."

"Sure." Ava's response was calculated and measured as she did her best to retain her polished professionalism. I had to stop messing with her, but damn, I loved how flustered she got. She was cute with the way she tilted her head to make the curls fall forward and hide her face. "Emily, why don't we go tour the gym so Ryder can finish his training?"

"Actually, I just stopped by to bring you the necklace you were looking at in mom's shop." She produced a small gift bag from her purse. "She saw you glance at it and wanted to give it to you as a gift."

I watched Ava's expression soften from the gesture. "Your mom is too sweet. She didn't have to do that."

"Well, my mom sorta has an ulterior motive. She'd like you to wear it to Ryder's big fight so everyone can ask where you got it from."

"Smart businesswoman," I remarked. "I'll make sure Ava gets a front row seat for all the action."

"Look at you two, planning my life for me." Ava shook her head with a half-smile. "Em, tell your mom thank you and I will be more than happy to wear the necklace."

Emily nodded. "I'm going to get back to work. I'm sure you both have plans today. I mean, business to take care of." She waved her hands in mock surrender to Ava's battle stare. "You know I'm clumsy with words, girl. Bye, ya'll."

Ava attempted to recover from her embarrassment. "Ignore us please. Emily likes to joke."

I kept a straight face. "She made you smile. I like her for it."

Oh no. There I went again with my simple thoughts. Spoke ‘em right out. Ava slowly looked at me. "How's your day going?"

I got my hands back into my gloves. "Pretty good so far, but Coach is going to blow a gasket if I go past my five-minute time out."

"We can't have that. I'll just keep taking notes over here while you do what you do."

I headed towards the ring. "I meant what I told your friend. I'll get you the front row seat." My ear started to itch and get hot as feelings rose to the surface. I couldn't do a thing about it with the gloves on. "It would mean a lot to me if you could come out for the big fight."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it."

I know she meant it. But did she mean it for me or because I was helping her get her story?

I TRAINED HARD FOR the next couple weeks. The media hyped up the match. People came from all out of town to watch me go toe to toe with the new heavyweight contender, Liam O' Connor.

The guy was a wild card. Late twenties, he used to fight in the underground leagues. He had a bit of an attitude, too, but didn't all of us guys? Everything we earned we did it with our fists, and blood, and sweat. I didn't get a chance to speak to Liam much since he came into the league, but he moved up fast in the ranks. I watched some of his older fights. He was a heavy hitter, and quick with his footwork. He had experience for a younger guy. I had to bring my top game to this match if I wanted to retain my title and earn money for the dog shelter.

I loved my charity work. The fight money would help big time. But I couldn't lie to myself. I enjoyed the fight for the fight's sake, too.

I arrived at the gym early that night of the big match, ready to bring it on.

Already the place was filling with people hoping to see blood spill and spit fly. Their chatter and the bass-heavy flow of music on the speakers got my adrenaline pumping. Cody and I found one of the smaller empty studios to practice a couple rounds before it was time to make it the ring.

I threw a punch at Cody's padded gloves, grunting with the effort. All the weeks and months of practicing combinations and counters prepared me for this match tonight.

"You're dropping your left guard after that cross," Cody warned. "Keep your hands up. O'Connor will take advantage of any opening."

I nodded, sweat already dripping down my face. I had to be flawless in this fight. O'Connor had the same height and similar build as me, but I was faster. I just needed to avoid taking hits.

"Practice over." Cody called for a break. "Time for the match. You got this."

I left the practice studio to head out on the main ring. My team got me into my gloves and made sure I had enough hydration for the first round. As the announcer called my name, the thunder of applause got me hyped.

I walked out to the ring while the lights shone on me. The faces were a blur in the crowd. I raised my fist in the air as they cheered me towards the ring. Then one face came into view.

Ava stood in the front row, wearing a dress that hugged her breasts and ass. I would KO in the aisle if I kept looking at her. Dammit, Ava, don't make O'Connor's job easy.

I looked at her and grinned. She gave me a broad smile and clapped as I got into the ring. I stared down my opponent Liam in the opposite corner. I wanted to win this fight for Ava as much as I did myself.