Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Apparently we’re doing this. “I promised I would, right?”
“You’d be surprised how many people get cold feet at the last minute. Come on in, we’re just getting set up. I’ll show you guys where the loaner equipment is and get you fitted. You’ve never boxed before, right? Don’t worry, there’s no sparring in the beginner classes, but it’s a good idea to get used to how the gear feels.”
The class is actually fun. Brick led Jerry away and left me with a woman named Dana who’s probably five-three at most, but has the most amazing arms I’ve ever seen. She could probably throw me across the room and I wouldn’t even mind. She leads me and five others through a light cardio warmup and then an hour of basic punches, guards, and footwork. By the time we’re done, I’m sweating and aching in the way that feels good now but will haunt me in the morning. Surprisingly, I think I want to come back.
When we’re done, I clean up in the locker room and go to find Jerry. I spot him in a small crowd watching a match in the center ring. From the sound of the spectators, there’s a serious fight going on, but I’m more focused on getting to my friend. When I finally get to him, I have to nudge him to get his attention. “Hey. How was your class?”
"What? Oh, it was great, but not as great as this." He pulls my shoulder so I face the ring, forcing me to look.
Wait, what? Isn't that…?
My eyes go wide as I grip the rope barrier that surrounds the boxing ring. Beast and Piston are in the middle of it, looking like they want to kill each other. Beast swings a gloved fist the size of a Christmas ham in the direction of Piston's head, which Piston barely dodges.
What are they doing here? Though I suppose it makes sense that they found Junkyard nearby if this is where they work out.
Not that I’m complaining. They're shirtless, with every muscle, scar, and splash of ink on full display as their powerful bodies move in a dangerous dance. Two hulking gladiators circling each other with surprising speed and agility. Beast is more mobile, ducking in and out while Piston watches his every move. Piston’s neck tattoo goes down farther than I thought, stretching out over his collarbones. His ink is mostly shades of black and gray, while Beast is covered in a patchwork of color, only marred by a nasty looking stretch of scarring on his arm and side. Both of them glisten with sweat.
Piston blocks as he dodges, getting himself out of the way as he redirects the punch, and then uses the momentum of his twist to throw a one of his own. Beast takes it on his guard, looking a little like Piston's trying to punch down a wall. The room is full of loud cheers and whoops as the two of them circle each other. They're incredibly evenly matched, and it's obvious this isn't their first time, or second or probably hundredth. They move like they were born for this.
Beast connects with Piston's shoulder, knocking him sideways.
"Best you can do? My grandma hit harder than that," Piston snaps. Their speech is a little mangled by the mouth guards but trash talk for the crowd is more important than enunciation.
Beast’s answering grin is a little feral. "She must be real disappointed about what a pussy you turned into."
"Fuck no. A pussy can take a beating and snap right back." Piston's left is lightning fast, bouncing off Beast's skull twice before it's blocked and he has to throw himself backwards so Beast's fist doesn't just straight up launch him out of the ring.
I figured they were just sparring, but there are people in the crowd taking bets. I know they play rough, but are they actually going until someone gets knocked out? Is that even how boxing works or am I thinking about video games? My one class apparently didn’t teach me everything.
Beast suddenly holds up a fist, and nods in my direction.
Piston hops back immediately. When he sees me, his lips split into a grin and he takes a few steps in our direction. He pops out the mouth guard. "What’re you doing here, beautiful? Stalking us?"
Everyone turns to look at me, Jerry included. "Wait, are those your hot bikers?" His gaze flicks quickly to the men in the ring before coming back to me, wider than ever.
I trap my lower lip with my teeth. "Two of them, yeah."
Jerry lets out a low whistle. "Wow. I think you left out a few details."
"You wish," I call out to Piston. "It’s just a small world, that’s all."
"Aw, baby, it’s okay. We wouldn’t mind one bit, promise," Beast teases. He grabs a towel off the ropes and uses it to wipe the back of his neck and face. “Admit it, you just wanted to see me again.”