Read Online Spitfire Suckerpunch (House of Pain Book 2) by Lavender Parker - Free Book Online
Authors: Lavender Parker
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chest as she realized it was him but she didn't drop her eyes. She wanted him to see her. She wanted to see the recognition on his face when he remembered her. She wanted him to feel like shit and get down on his knees and apologize for what she'd had to go through. But he didn't bother. He didn't even look at them as he passed, even though she stared right at him. She watched as he jogged up the metal stairs in the back of the gym, like he didn't have a care in the world.
The asshole.
She turned her head, her eyes never leaving him even as he ignored her. She felt her anger rising, her heart returning to action with a fury, beating in her ears. For a long moment all she could do was stand there, watching him walk away. He was almost as close to her as he'd been all those years ago, when he acted like he actually cared about what happened to her. It wasn't quite as much of a shock to her system as seeing him on the street the other day, but it was close.
Ten minutes later, she was climbing into a boxing ring for the first time in her life to join the rag-tag group of enthusiastic women who looked like they couldn't wait to kick a little ass. There was Erica, of course, and her tall, pale string bean of a sister, Joanna. Then there was a beautiful girl with long micro-braids and smooth dark skin who spoke shyly in sign language to the short Mexican woman at her side. There were a few more women as well, ranging in age from 20s to 50s, which made the group about eleven in total. Shay kept to the outskirts as they all chatted amongst themselves, ignoring the buff guys working out on the weights and bags around the ring. The guys weren't ignoring them, though. Shay couldn't help but notice how a lot of the mens' attention was focused squarely on the women, even as they pretended to be immersed in pumping iron. Tate, however, wasn't one of them. He'd been mysteriously M.I.A. since Shay and Erica had returned from dropping their stuff off in the locker room.
“Genny! It's seven o'clock!” Erica called out, suddenly, pointing up to a room that looked out over the gym on the second floor. It was probably an office of some sort, Shay guessed, as the door opened and a pretty woman with brown skin and dark hair stepped out.
“I'm coming!” the woman said as she bound down the metal stairs, followed slowly by a big black man wearing an ancient NY Mets T-shirt that stretched over his belly. “Blame Big J for having to have his carrot juice.”
“Girl, you trippin',” the big man behind her said, waving her off even as a smile brightened up his intimidating face. Surely enough, he had a plastic cup of full of a neon-orange beverage in his hand. “And it's time for me to go home, but you got my wife in the ring so I'm going home to an empty house.”
“When is that house ever empty?” Gennifer asked with a laugh as she hauled herself up into the ring. The little Mexican woman in the ring beside Shay waved her hand at him, shooing him away.
“He just want his dinner,” she said in broken English.
“No, Maria. I want my hugs and kisses,” he said with a big belly laugh. The Mexican woman ducked her head and blushed, waving him away again.
“Go on, get out of here. You're distracting my girls,” Gennifer said, tossing her long curly ponytail over her shoulder. She plopped her hands on her hips and Shay immediately noticed that the other woman had ridiculously toned physique. Her arms were lean, but her muscles were well-defined. She had tight abs as well, her perfect body shown off in a blue sports bra and yoga pants. She looked like she could definitely kick some ass.
“See? This is what happens when I let all these women in here. I get kicked out of my own gym,” he said, still laughing. “Now, y'all don't go easy on Tate. He can take whatever you can throw at him,” he continued on his way to the door. Shay's ears pricked up at the mention of Tate's name and she cast her eyes around the big gym, looking for him
The asshole.
She turned her head, her eyes never leaving him even as he ignored her. She felt her anger rising, her heart returning to action with a fury, beating in her ears. For a long moment all she could do was stand there, watching him walk away. He was almost as close to her as he'd been all those years ago, when he acted like he actually cared about what happened to her. It wasn't quite as much of a shock to her system as seeing him on the street the other day, but it was close.
Ten minutes later, she was climbing into a boxing ring for the first time in her life to join the rag-tag group of enthusiastic women who looked like they couldn't wait to kick a little ass. There was Erica, of course, and her tall, pale string bean of a sister, Joanna. Then there was a beautiful girl with long micro-braids and smooth dark skin who spoke shyly in sign language to the short Mexican woman at her side. There were a few more women as well, ranging in age from 20s to 50s, which made the group about eleven in total. Shay kept to the outskirts as they all chatted amongst themselves, ignoring the buff guys working out on the weights and bags around the ring. The guys weren't ignoring them, though. Shay couldn't help but notice how a lot of the mens' attention was focused squarely on the women, even as they pretended to be immersed in pumping iron. Tate, however, wasn't one of them. He'd been mysteriously M.I.A. since Shay and Erica had returned from dropping their stuff off in the locker room.
“Genny! It's seven o'clock!” Erica called out, suddenly, pointing up to a room that looked out over the gym on the second floor. It was probably an office of some sort, Shay guessed, as the door opened and a pretty woman with brown skin and dark hair stepped out.
“I'm coming!” the woman said as she bound down the metal stairs, followed slowly by a big black man wearing an ancient NY Mets T-shirt that stretched over his belly. “Blame Big J for having to have his carrot juice.”
“Girl, you trippin',” the big man behind her said, waving her off even as a smile brightened up his intimidating face. Surely enough, he had a plastic cup of full of a neon-orange beverage in his hand. “And it's time for me to go home, but you got my wife in the ring so I'm going home to an empty house.”
“When is that house ever empty?” Gennifer asked with a laugh as she hauled herself up into the ring. The little Mexican woman in the ring beside Shay waved her hand at him, shooing him away.
“He just want his dinner,” she said in broken English.
“No, Maria. I want my hugs and kisses,” he said with a big belly laugh. The Mexican woman ducked her head and blushed, waving him away again.
“Go on, get out of here. You're distracting my girls,” Gennifer said, tossing her long curly ponytail over her shoulder. She plopped her hands on her hips and Shay immediately noticed that the other woman had ridiculously toned physique. Her arms were lean, but her muscles were well-defined. She had tight abs as well, her perfect body shown off in a blue sports bra and yoga pants. She looked like she could definitely kick some ass.
“See? This is what happens when I let all these women in here. I get kicked out of my own gym,” he said, still laughing. “Now, y'all don't go easy on Tate. He can take whatever you can throw at him,” he continued on his way to the door. Shay's ears pricked up at the mention of Tate's name and she cast her eyes around the big gym, looking for him
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