Page 9 of It Must Be Love

"That's it, Naya. Everyone, this is perfect form and—" I went from protection to attack, and I knew he was expecting it, but he let me take him down again for the pleasure of our audience.

Everyone clapped.

Breathing heavily, I held out my hand, winking at him. I pulled him up, laughing.

After training, I hydrated and got my breathing under control. I didn't like to shower in the institute. Initially, Darren tried to change my mind about that, but eventually he gave up urging me to stop being conscious of my scars.

He was my closest friend. The best I had. The only I had. In the early days of our relationship, I worried he pitied me but now after many years I knew that I gave him as much as he did me. He may be a big time ex-football player, but we were equals in this friendship and took care of each other.

"All okay with you?" he asked as he walked me out.

I'd wiped myself down, but I was still warm from the exercise, so I put on a windbreaker on top of my workout gear to bicycle home. That way, I didn't overheat.

"Not really…some stuff is going on," I told him honestly, as I unlocked my bicycle.

"Something's bothering you."

"Nothing urgent," I assured him. He had another class soon, and he had to go back in.

"Drinks sometime next week?" he suggested. "We can talk?"

"That would be good."

He gave me a big hug and kissed my forehead. "You sad about your dad?"

I wasn't. I missed him, but he was in so much pain that it seemed unfair to want him to live just because I'd be all alone.

"No. Just some stuff with Nolan and work."

"Your brother is a grade A asshole."

I chuckled. "Text me and let me know when you're free. We can hang out in Copley Square!"

I watched Darren go back into the institute with a smile, thanking the universe for giving me him. I turned with my bicycle, still in that good place when I bumped straight into Amias and Ann. The universe was shitting on me, big time.

Chapter 4

Amias

Iadmired the ass of the woman who was talking to a large black man. She had a rocking body that was for all to see in her skintight workout leggings and molded to the skin tank top, which she hid when she put on a waist-length jacket. Her hair was in a messy bun. She looked so fucking good from the back that I wanted to see her face.

Ann was holding onto my arm as she chattered away about something. We'd just had lunch since we slept in after the party last night.

The woman turned, and I almost swallowed my tongue. I wasn't sure who was more surprised, her or me.

"Naya." Ann looked her up and down.

"Hi, Ann. Hello, Amias." She smiled politely.

I nodded and looked at the building she'd stepped out of. Krav Maga Institute. Holy fuck, Naya did Krav Maga? Was this the body she was hiding under her drab clothes?

"Imagine running into you here," Ann muttered. I knew she was probably seething, seeing that under her ugly clothes, Naya Donovan had a banging body.

"I work out here." She pointed to the building. She pulled out a scarf from her backpack hanging in front of her bicycle and wrapped it around her neck.

"Ah well," Ann sneered at the building.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it wasn't a fancy gym and looked more like the YMCA. But Krav Maga? What else did I not know about Naya? And why the hell did I care?