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Working Out the Kinks

Chapter Twenty-Two – Working Out the Kinks

"You're late."

"We didn't even agree on a time!" I exclaimed, dropping my bag in the corner of the room.

Jack grinned, tawny eyes dancing as he stretched his arms. "You're still late."

"I'm gonna lay your ass out. Just you wait."

"All talk, but I'm not seeing any actions."

"I'm not rising to your baiting techniques, but nice try," I said, sitting down to do my own stretches before we started.

"Worth a shot." He joined me on the ground to do the stretches he always coached me through. "You ran in here like a bat out of hell. You okay?"

"Yeah," I assured him, fighting the smile that wanted to overtake my own face. "I actually was feeling like I was late, so I ran the whole way here."

"Didn't you mention living on like, the opposite side of town?"

"Yes."

"Psychopath."

A laugh fell from my lips as I leaned towards my toes. "You're the one who encourages it."

"Fair enough," he hefted himself to his feet. His hand extended toward me, and I let him pull me up as well.

"What're we doing today?"

"Let's evaluate where your skills are at with everything we've done so far, and we'll adjust from there."

"Deal." I sank back into the stance he had shown me. "Don't hold back."

His grin turned wicked. "Not a chance."

He was on me before I could even blink. Sometimes, I forgot how fast the man moved. It took every ounce of strength to maneuver us to my advantage. While he had the brute strength – and skill – I was small and quick. It typically worked in my favor. So much so, that after a month of training I had begun to feel like I could hold my own against Jack.

He was very quickly proving me wrong. Maybe he had been going easy on me all the times before.

"Ow." I hissed as he slammed me into the mat. "I know I said don't hold back but Jesus."

"C'mon. Weight training. Don't give me that," he said in response to the drawn-out groan that slipped through my lips. "You're not nearly as strong as you want to be. Let's go."

"I'm going out tonight," I told him, hoisting myself back onto my feet. "I had better be able to move after we're done here."

A huff ripped out of him as he rolled his eyes at me. He got me set up with the weights he wanted me to work with, coaching me through how to move and lift them. We fell into a rhythm. His voice became an anchor as I pushed my muscles as far as they would let me, and before I knew it our two hours were up. My entire body felt like it had been reduced to jello.

Jack tossed me a water bottle as I slumped to the floor. "How are you feeling?' he asked, mirth dancing in his eyes.

"I hate you," I muttered.

"You'll survive," he said, a deep laugh rumbling in his chest and he sank down beside me. "Are you going to make it tonight?" he teased.

"My best friend would quite literally kill me if I bailed on her, so I don't have much of a choice." The water was so cold I could feel the path it tracked all the way down into my stomach. A shiver wracked my frame as I pressed my forehead against the side of the bottle.