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I can feel Jax’s excitement as he leads me down the hallway, his energy palpable as he walks towards the other side of the house. My steps are quick against the hard floor, and despite the early hour I can’t help but feel excited for whatever he has planned. He stops outside the workout room, opening the door and leading me inside. I’ve never spent any time in here, and I look around the bright space. Along the edges of the room there’s a treadmill, workout benches, free weights, and a speedball. Towards the center of the room a large black punching bag hangs from the ceiling.

“This place is like an actual gym,” I say as I continue to look around, noticing the skipping ropes, yoga mats, and other equipment stacked on shelves on the far side of the room. “But what are we doing in here?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. “If you’re going to try and get me to be your running partner or something, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don’t do cardio.”

“I’ve seen you do cardio before,” he says, his eyes sparkling as he devours my body with his gaze.

I feel myself blush. “Not that type of cardio.” I smile. “Treadmills, ellipticals, running… not my thing.” I laugh.

“I promise not to suggest we use any cardio machines,” he says with a smile. “I had something different planned for today anyway.”

I watch him as he walks over to the punching bag.

“I’m going to teach you how to use this,” he says.

“Why?” I blurt out.

“Because I think it could be a really good outlet for you, for everything that you’re keeping locked up inside of you. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to know how to throw a decent punch.” He pauses. “And I think it would be really hot to see you kick ass in here.”

“Well, in that case”—I walk towards him—“where do we start?”

He walks me through the basics, teaching me how to stand with my feet shoulder-width apart, correcting my stance every time I take a step back from the bag or shift my weight, throwing off my balance. It takes a while to get used to the position alone, and I find myself constantly straightening up.

“You need to keep your knees and hips bent slightly, like this”—Jax demonstrates—“You don’t want to lock your joints.”

He walks behind me, his hands sending sparks down my skin as he gently repositions my body. I face the bag again. He shows me how to throw a punch in slow motion, and I try to mimic his motions. We do this for a while, and I don’t notice how much I’m concentrating until I pause to wipe sweat off my brow.

“Shouldn’t I have gloves on or something?” I ask with a smile.

“When you’re actually hitting the bag, yes,” Ryan says, and I jump at his voice.

“When did you get here? And who makes you a good judge of my boxing skills?” I ask with feigned offense.

“Since I’m the one who wore out the last bag in here,” he says. He walks up to me, taking in my form as he throws a couple of punches at the bag.

“Try moving your arm like this,” he says as he guides me through a punch. “You want to put your weight behind it, but not so much that you throw yourself off balance.”

I follow his lead as Jax steps back to watch me, seemingly assessing every part of my form.

“Once you’ve made contact, always come back to this position, arms up, protect your face.” He moves my hands back slowly. “Huh,” he says.

When he doesn’t continue speaking, I look at him, only to see his gaze looking pointedly at my wrist, and the raw skin in the shape of a heart.

“I take it back,” he starts with a mischievous smile. “Maybe you and I do have the same extracurricular activities.”

“Tread carefully, Ryan,” Jax growls, albeit half-heartedly.

I look at Ryan, his golden eyes dancing playfully as he seemingly decides just what to say next, and I already know it will be something that will most likely cause a reaction from Jax.

True to his nature Ryan doesn’t miss a beat.

“If you ever need someone to show you the ropes I would be more than happy to,” he says with a wink.

Ryan swivels but it’s too late. Jax tackles him to the ground, pinning him quickly until Ryan taps out. I can’t help but let out a genuine laugh.

“ That was childish,” Ryan says with a smile.

“And you were inappropriate,” Jax says mildly, though his eyes are dancing with the possessiveness I’ve come to love.

“Are you guys going to teach me or spend the rest of the day arguing?” I say with a laugh.

By the end of the hour, I’m drenched in sweat and only a little bit closer to learning how to throw a punch.

“It’ll take some time, but we’ll have you in the ring with us soon enough,” Jax says lovingly, and already I find myself looking forward to our next boxing lesson.