He grabbed my wrist and gently stretched my arm over my head, rotating it to check the flexibility. “Feels surprisingly good.”
“I’m telling you, Sammy. You gave up too soon.”
Rolling my eyes, I finally sat down and started shoving my gear in my bag. “How long are you gonna harp on me about that?”
“Until you know you can do this,” he countered. “I can’t believe you made me wait two weeks to get this up and running.”
“You had to get town approval for the facility. Not to mention, get the clearance for all the changes.”
“In New York, we’d have had it the same day.”
“This isn’t New York.”
“No shit. I’m freezing my balls off and it’s only Thanksgiving. Speaking of which, where are we eating?”
That was a good fucking question. I didn’t really want to eat with the entire Parker family, but my sister was married into it. Did I really have a choice?
“Not sure yet.”
“Well, wherever it is, make sure you don’t overdo it. We need you in shape.”
That just wasn’t going to work for me. “Actually, this is the first year that I’ll actually be able to enjoy Thanksgiving, and I plan to eat whatever the hell I want.”
“Sammy—”
“Nope. Since I started boxing, there hasn’t been a single day that I haven’t watched everything I eat. Just once, I’d like to enjoy a meal without feeling guilty.”
He shot me a warning look, but relented. “Just this once. And only because you just started training.”
I rolled my eyes, ready to hit the ice tub.
“Alright, let’s take you through the cooldown routine. You’re gonna feel it for the next few weeks until you get used to being in the ring again.”
Thankfully, I hadn’t stopped running, so I wasn’t completely out of shape. But I felt it today every time I hit the bag. My muscles had weakened, and even my stance was a little sloppy. That would all correct itself quickly enough.
Deke clapped me on the shoulder, shoving me toward the back room where an ice bath was waiting. I desperately needed it as my muscles protested against the workout I’d just given them. But I didn’t relish the thought of sinking into the cold water.
As soon as it hit my skin, I hissed, slowly adjusting to the temperature.
“You’re looking good. Not ready for any real fights, but it won’t take as long as I expected,” Deke said, gathering my things to wash.
“Couple more weeks and I’ll be there,” I grinned.
“Yeah, we’ll see about that. Hey, you know of any rentals in town?”
I leaned back against the tub, letting my eyes slip closed. “Not really. Why?”
“Cuz the place I’m staying is like something out of a horror movie. If you’re gonna train here, I might as well find myself something permanent.”
I immediately thought of giving him the house that moved from place to place depending on the day, time, and weather conditions, but that would leave me out on my ass.
Unless I stayed with Cassidy.
Not that it was an option. Fucking her a few times hardly gave me the right to ask her for a place to stay. But waking upnext to her and sinking my cock deep inside her wouldn’t be a bad way to start my day.
Still, that would give her ideas about what was going on between us, and even though I thought of her every night, I wasn’t about to give her the impression that I wanted more than a few nights twisted in the sheets.
Not that we’d actually made it to a bed yet.