The Karma Project

Chapter 26 - Denoted C

Dean

I'm partly disappointed to see Zoe return not wearing my shirt, but I know it wouldn't have been easy to spar in. She's wearing these tight athletic shorts she has worn before. They are made of this black skin tight material that hugs her so closely they look like they are painted on. The hems around her legs squeeze just enough to make the fleshy parts of her upper inner thigh puff out a little around them. It's a part of her body that I always catch myself thinking about sinking my teeth into. She paired the shorts with a matching sports bra, that luckily isn't showing all too much of her breasts, a saving grace for me not to get too distracted.  She walked in barefoot as she began wrapping her knuckles.

"Zoe." I greet her, and she almost looks surprised to hear me acknowledge her.

It's not that I mean to keep my distance, well maybe it is. I've been drawn to her and wanted to protect her since the first day she came down for breakfast. But then I got wary around her, because I was worried she'd affect my brothers in a more negative way, distract them. And she has affected them and admittedly she has distracted them as well, but not in bad ways. Brandon seems more focused than ever, Teddy is still feral but completely tame when she calls for it, and Max is finally sleeping at night. Before Zoe came along, Max was so high strung about different leaks and finding The Sparrow, and taking down the Cambions, but now it's like having her around has made him feel more confident. She rattles him when she gets defiant, but I think it was good for him to be around someone that takes some of the control off of his shoulders.

Like he has found peace in her chaos, and she has found her own sense of peace surrounded by our chaos. As much as I don't want to admit it, she's an asset. I'm still worried that if we get too close she may blow like an unsteady grenade, but I've relaxed in her presence.

"Dean. Are these the troops?" She asks, pointing her chin to the forty men gathered near the sparring mats.

"Yep. Only half of them today, we let the others keep their schedules so we still have eyes out there. I didn't warn them about your attendance, and obviously they haven't met you yet." I step closer to her and keep my voice low so that only she could hear it, "Max told me to remind you that we aren't telling them that you're The Sparrow, so we will only introduce you as Z for the time being." She hums in agreement as she finishes her knuckle wraps.

I don't step away, I stay in the same close proximity so I can continue to breathe in her scent. Like lilacs and vanilla, but also citrus and  mint. It's such an odd, but addicting, combination that it's intoxicating. I want to bottle it up, and wear it myself. After she slept in my sheets last night, I'm not sure I can wash them anytime soon. I could die a happy man if I were just surrounded by her scent.

"Let's start with pairing them to do one on one's, that way I can evaluate how they are in hand to hand against someone with the same strength." She says.

"Sounds good to me. We can level them up as they go if you'd like, I've also given them numbers so you don't need to remember names."

"Great. Should we give them a demonstration for what we are looking for?" She winks and places her hands on her hips.

I remember back when we were at the warehouse, she said she wanted to take it out on the mat. I was still passing harsh judgment on her until I saw her shoot that thief point blank. I still think it'd be good to vent out that aggression, and I can tell she can hold her own, I'm just not sure if she can hold her own against me. I have at more than a foot in height on her, and I'm at least double her body weight.

"Dean," Zoe derails my thoughts, "I can handle myself. I can tap if I can't." She assures me, but I have this inkling feeling that she wouldn't tap no matter the cost. She's too proud.