Blake: A Bad Boy Romance Read Online Free Page B

man’s surprisingly strong punch.
     
    Paulie pulled Blake over to a corner where a punching bag hung from a chain, swinging slightly back and forth. Blake put his bag down and began to tape up his knuckles as Paulie hurried around him, getting water bottles and pads ready for the training.
     
    “I saw that Vegas fight; boy you were good,” Paulie said, slapping Blake on the back. “You hung back, you waited and when the opportunity presented itself wham, bam! You push him into a corner and then you give him that kick to the face. I bet that guy couldn’t see straight for a week.”
     
    The Vegas fight had been Blake’s biggest fight to date. It was a live in front of a screaming crowd and was simulcast on HBO. For the weeks leading up to it he was a celebrity -  interviews, photo shoots, and fancy lunches with reporters. It had been great and he was ready for more. The only thing that left a bad taste in his mouth was that Ivy hadn’t noticed. He had his fifteen minutes of fame while she had been looking the other way.
     
    “Go outside and run around the block. I’ll be timing you and when you come back we’ll do some burpees and get you nice and warmed up,” Paulie ordered as he pulled out his stopwatch.
     
    Dutifully Blake started jogging making his way to the door and then outside into the misty mid morning weather. He took a deep breath of the wet air. He could taste the rainwater on his tongue and he could smell the wet earth around him. He liked living in the city, and he never wanted move. But it was nice to come out to country, to breath fresh air and see trees above him. He made a right and continued around the block. He was in great shape and his heart rate slowly increased as sweat began to form on his brow. He liked to work out. He loved his job and this was part of it. Working out, pushing his body as far as he could go and coming out stronger on the other side.
     
    He finished his lap around the block and re-entered the gym where Paulie was waiting. Blake jumped up and then squatted down until he was on the floor; he completed one push up and then jumped up again. He did twenty burpees and even in his excellent shape he was winded at the end when Paulie finally let him stop.
     
    Paulie was a good coach and Blake was focused and ready to train. When he trained and when he fought, there was nothing else happening in the world. There was only his body, his muscle memory working on its own. Paulie stood behind the large punching bag as Blake brought his fist up and jabbed with his left hand and then his right.
     
    His mind was blank; he wasn’t thinking about anything. He was just moving, focusing on staying on his feet and hitting the bag as hard as he could. But as he hit and kicked at the bag, he started seeing something else: Ivy, with her long dark hair and her flawless skin, Ivy who always seemed to be making herself smaller, gathering herself up, pulling her knees up when she sat down. She was always protecting herself.
     
    He remembered the blush on her pale skin. He remembered the way he used to brush his fingers across her red cheek. She would giggle and look away and he would tilt up her head so she had to look at him. He had loved her more than he had ever loved anything else. Blake fell back as the bag hit him full in the chest. “What the hell, man!?” he demanded as he stumbled to his feet.
     
    “Where’s your brain at?” Paulie demanded. “It’s not here, not in this gym. So where is it?”
     
    Blake opened his mouth and then closed it, he had no answer.
     
    “It’s a damn girl, isn’t it?” Paulie asked. “Women, I love ‘em, but women and fighting don’t mix. You can’t be thinking about your girl while you’re punching another man. Women are soft and delicate, they don’t belong in the ring or at training. You need to put her away.”
     
    “It's’ not-” Blake started.
     
    “Don’t make any excuses to me,” Paulie spit. “I’ve been doing this my