Below the Belt by Sarah Mayberry Page B

mincemeat of that prick.”
    Cooper could— he’d like to be the one to do it, with his bare fists.
    It should have surprised him that he felt so fiercely about the wrongs that had been visited upon Jamie, but after last night he was over with being surprised where she was concerned.
    She was under his skin in a big way. It was more than great sex. How much more, he had no idea. He was sailing into un-charted waters, big-time. And his gut told him that it would be rough going all the way. But when had anything ever been easy where Jamie was concerned?
    “Thanks for coming to clear the air, Ray. I appreciate it,” he said.
    Cooper stared at his closed office door for a few minutes after the other man had left.
    What was he going to do with Jamie Sawyer? Last night he’d committed to staying on as her trainer, yet this morning Ray’s revelations and his reaction to them had shown him that he was far from objective where she was concerned. He couldn’t bring himself to cut her loose, either, not when he knew how much she burned to redeem herself and her family. Who was he to deny her that chance?
    And how was he going to work closely with her and not want her again, now that he knew how good it felt to be inside her?
    Scrubbing his face with his hands, Cooper pushed himself to his feet. When in doubt, work out had always been his motto, and he headed out to hit the long bag and work up a sweat.

     
    T HAT AFTERNOON , Jamie exited her car in the parking lot at Fitzgerald Fighters’ Gym. Her grandfather slammed his door shut on the other side of the car and fanned his face.
    “Another stinker,” he said, squinting up at the clear blue sky.
    He’d insisted on coming into the gym with her when she’d told him that Cooper knew she was a Sawyer. He wanted to apologize in person for lying to Cooper. She wasn’t about to stop him. She felt bad enough for asking him to lie in the first place. He’d never been comfortable with the subterfuge, even if he’d understood her reasons for wanting anonymity.
    She jingled the car keys in her hand. Her palms were sweaty.
    Her grandfather glanced her way.
    “What’s up?”
    “Nothing.”
    She and Cooper had had sex last night. It was no big deal. It didn’t change anything. In fact, it was supposed to make things better, release the tension.
    Yeah, right.
    She kept telling herself that the first five minutes would be the most uncomfortable, then maybe she’d make some crack or Cooper would be a smart-ass and all would return to normal. Whatever the hell that was.
    She’d woken that morning to a rush of hot, sticky memories and a wave of…Not quite regret, but close. Sex with Cooper hadn’t been what she’d expected. It had been great. It had also been disturbingly intense.
    Now she had to face him for the first time.
    This is why they invented that rule, don’t screw the crew.
    Funny how these things always seemed far more manageable when lust was raging and getting naked was on the agenda. Only in the cold light of day were all the pitfalls evident.
    The first thing she saw when she walked into the gym was a sea of backs. Everyone—staff and fighters—were gathered around the ring. Alarm raced up her spine when she saw Cooper was in there, sparring with Ray. Both men were wearing boxing shorts and tank tops as well as padded head protectors and gloves.
    In her one week in the gym, she had never seen Cooper spar with anyone, which was nothing less than what she’d expected—the man had suffered a badly detached retina. Any head trauma could aggravate it and lead to permanent blindness.
    So what the hell was he doing trading punches with Ray? He might be wearing a head guard, but Cooper was still taking a stupid risk, and for what? To give Ray a workout? Or was this more about what he’d said the other day when they were running? About him not ever knowing anything other than fighting and missing it?
    Dropping her bag, Jamie found a gap in the crowd and stood with her