Dare Me (Dare Me Series Book 1)

Dare Me (Part 43 - Colby)

I watch her sleep for a bit before deciding to climb out of bed. It's early still and I'm groggy from being up all night, but I need to let go of some steam and I know throwing some punches will do the trick. There's a small-time gym around the corner that I like to go to. It's private, and a few MMA guys practice there. I slide my jogging pants on and a white T-shirt before brushing my teeth and rinsing my face off. I slip my socks and Nike's on, then grab my snap back that's hanging on the kitchen chair before opening a drawer on the island in search of a piece of paper and a pen. Finding some local restaurant menu, I pick a blank spot and leave Alexis a note. Went to the gym. Make yourself at home. What's mine is yours. I look down at her sleeping frame. The sheet dips with her curves, and her hair is all over the place. Since I live in an apartment beside Sam now.

She's beautiful.

Every once in a while, my mind reminds me of why I never do relationships.

Remember what can happen, Colby.

It's a rabbit hole.

But that's happening little by little every time I'm around her. She's crawled inside my skin.

She's crawled inside...

I look down at the note, and without thought I draw a fucking heart.

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Morning fog cocoons the city and wraps its stickiness around me. I stretch my arms up and jog in place, throwing slow jabs into the air before bending down and stretching my back and legs. This is my favorite time of the day. Not a lot of people are up yet.

The sun hardly gives us light, and the air is better. I pop my neck before starting my jog the short distance to the gym, getting my heart rate up.

My mind is on that girl in my bed. Thinking about touching her and kissing her, thinking about not telling her the complete truth. I can't tell her what I do just yet. It's too dangerous. There are a lot of bad men who come into my place.

I guess I'm one of them.

I don't want her asking too many questions. I don't want her around that. My mind goes back to last night's bullshit with some dumb ass who was cheating at a table. Anger sweeps through my veins like it sometimes does, and I open the door to the gym and walk by the receptionist.

"Good morning, Colby," she says with a smile.

I nod and make my way to the back. A few fighters are going at it in the cage and some are on the mats. The owner/trainer coaches the ones in the cage as I head to the locker room.

I lift my chin at a few guys who are going into the steam room. "Fucking cut day," one grumbles.

The other one pats him on the back. "We're almost there, buddy. Only a few more pounds to go."

I walk on to my locker and grab my gloves. Taking a seat on the bench, I slide my phone from my pocket and put my earbuds into my ears. Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down" rings in my ears as I put my hands through my gloves before resting my elbows on my knees, looking down at the floor for a moment to get my mind right.

I think about last night and how good it felt to jerk that cheating motherfucker up. I think about what K said about her stepdad and I see red. I think about my mom and how she refuses to choose a better road. My blood starts simmering and causes me to jump up on my feet. I box the air, breathing steady as I do.

One, two, breathe.

My mind recalls a fucked-up childhood and sinks lower as I think about darker moments. My mother, my brother deciding to join the service, fights with Sam—it all surfaces, and I find myself heading out of the locker room in search of a heavy bag.I bring my hands up, protecting my face before jabbing the bag with my right hand, stepping through and throwing my left. The bag bounces back, and I dodge it before jabbing it again. I pivot, tucking my hands.

Breathe, jab, shift, jab, breathe.

On and on, I give it everything, moving around the bag, shifting my weight. Sweat rolls down my back, and my pulse quickens. My mind replays every single thing I've been through.

Every moment life has been shit.

I jab, letting the momentum carry my punch through. Over and over, like I've done a million times before. My body feels tight, and my chest gets lighter. I breathe hard and move quickly. My shirt gets soaked, and I let my mind control my actions. Giving everything. Letting go of it all.

Life is one big fuckery. Just when you think you got it all figured out, it body slams your ass, leaving you without breath and your head spinning.

My thoughts run wild and I turn robotic, keeping my eye on the bag and my feet shifting with the punches.

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I push open the door to the loft, taken aback when I see Lexi sitting on the couch with a bowl of cereal. Her bare feet are on the coffee table, she's got her hair thrown up in a towel on top of her head, and she's wearing another one of my shirts.

"Hey," she says before putting a spoonful into her mouth.

I clear my throat. "Hey."

She points to the TV as she chews quickly. "Have you seen the news?"

I toss my keys and phone onto the kitchen island. "No."

"Some guy was murdered last night. Not too far from here."

I narrow my eyes and look at the TV screen. Holy fuck. It's the guy I tossed out last night. I scratch my chin. What the hell happened when I left? I look down the room at the clock, seeing it's after nine. Ben and Simon should be at Red. "They don't know who did it," she says. I lift my brow and look at her. She has no idea how she looks right now. I want her to shower with me, but it looks like she's already done that. I love that she's making herself at home. Like this is every day for us. She stands up and goes to walk past me. I grab her arm, stopping her. "I..." My throat catches, and I stop myself.

Get a grip, Brock.

What the hell were you about to say?

I love you?

The thought makes my heart beat harder than the workout I just did. Maybe we need to step back a second, but Sam comes to mind, and I think about how good this shit has been. Why would I want to step back? I rub a hand over my head. "You all right?" she asks with a slight smirk. "Yeah. I'm going to take a shower." I pull her to me and lean down to kiss her. Her mouth tastes like Fruity Pebbles, and it makes me smile. "Okay," she says, giving me another quick peck. "And then I need to go home. I've got to get out of your briefs and shirt." She walks to the kitchen, and I look down. "My briefs?" I ask. "Well, yeah. I didn't have any clean underwear." "Right." I rub the back of my neck. "I'll take you home." "Thanks," she says, putting her bowl into the sink and turning the faucet on. I watch as she washes the bowl before telling myself to stop looking at her like she's a fucking sideshow. I see evidence she's been in the bathroom, with her body towel hung up on the hook and the shower door still dripping. This is odd for me. It's always been Gage and me. Shit, I hope he doesn't come over right now. With that thought, I hurry and shower so I can get Alexis home to put some damn clothes on.

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"What are you going to do today?" I ask Alexis as we head to her and Claire's place. The streets are busy like always and traffic is a pain like every day. "I'll probably stop by the shop in a bit and check the stock. Make sure we have enough of everything for the week. Just little things like that. What about you?" She's sitting in my car with one leg bent, wearing no makeup and my shades. Sunshine covers her in golden warmth and I've never felt lighter. I shrug. "I got business to do, but then I'm free." I pull up to her curb, and she places her hand on the door handle. "Business? On a Saturday?" I look over at her. "Are you not doing business on a Saturday?" She grins. "Got me there." Her eyes go to the handle, and then she bites her lip. She turns to look at me. "I had a good night. Thank you," she says. I did, too. You have no idea. I nod. "Me, too." She smiles. "Okay, Mr. Unenthused. I'll see ya?" Do I seem unenthused? Should I tell her how awesome last night was for me, too? I lean over as I grab her hand, pulling her close. I kiss her lips, needing another taste of Fruity Pebbles and A before she leaves me, hoping she'll know that I mean more than I say. "I'll call you." "Okay."