She dropped her hand down a little.
“Good. That’s your jabbing hand. A jab is the feeler punch. A tester. The soldier you send out to get the lay of the land. Tire the other guy out some, keep them guessing. Now put up the left. This one’s going to be level with your chin, elbow more bent and closer to your body.”
She followed his lead and sent him a questioning glance.
“Right. This is your power punching hand. The mac daddy. The haymaker. It’s cocked and ready to fire, like a piston. The strength of your whole body will be behind it, but because you expend so much energy to throw, you have to limit it. Make every single one count. You ready to throw some punches?”#p#分页标题#e#
His biceps bunched and gleamed with sweat and she tore her gaze away to meet his. What she saw there nearly took her breath away. The boyish smile, his face lit up in the best way…a swell of emotion rolled through her, so strong she wanted to throw herself in his arms and beg him to never let her go. Instead she nodded. “Let’s do it.”
“The most important weapon in boxing is the jab. There isn’t a truly great fighter out there, alive or dead, who didn’t have an effective jab. You want to skip a step forward with your right foot, getting a little of your body behind it when you let that fist snap out, okay? When the fist comes back, so should the foot.”
His hand flicked out, so fast it was a blur. She dropped her hands and jumped back.
“Never put your hands down. Come on, I wasn’t even close to you. Get back in here. You try.”
She tried to put it all together, bounce, fist at eye level, step forward, let her hand fly—
“Not bad! But don’t let it linger like that. You leave it out there, you’re wide open to a right cross. You’d get your block knocked off. Fast, like a viper.” He took her wrist and guided her, snapping her fist against his palm hard and quickly pulling it back.
She repeated the motion alone, and this time he barked out a laugh. “Woo-hoo, baby girl! That’s what I’m talking about. You’re like lightning. But we gotta get a little something behind it.”
“You said this was the feeler punch. I thought—”
“Right. But every punch should come with bad intentions and the jab is no different. Whether it’s to disarm or disorient, you’ve got to make sure there’s enough juice behind it to make your opponents take notice. If not, they won’t need to expend any energy worrying about it, and your odds of getting off a real clock-cleaner when they aren’t looking shrink exponentially.”
And so it went. He was a patient and thorough teacher, which was no surprise given his demeanor in the bedroom, but he was also demanding. It had brought out the best in her. He’d complimented her on her speed and agility more than once, swearing that she was a natural. Her nerves and the initial fear of looking foolish disappeared and her confidence soared. She’d had the time of her life, and an hour later they’d fallen into a happy, exhausted heap on the floor, promising to do it again the next day.
They went upstairs to shower, and she’d just taken hers when there was a knock at the door. “Did you order room service?” she called into the bathroom to Galen. He must not have heard her over the spray because he didn’t respond. She shrugged and crossed the room to open the front door.
Cat stood there, decked out in a sundress and floppy hat. Her green eyes sparkled, and she tossed her hat in the air with a shout. “Woo-hoo! Good morning, Puerto Rico-oh-oh!” She dropped her suitcase to drag Lacey in for a bear hug.
“Holy crap,” she said, limp with shock as her friend attempted to squeeze her guts out. “What are you doing here?”
“I figured you had a whole week left, and my brother was probably driving you crazy by now. I finished up my project at the office and thought I’d come save you and work on my tan. Awesome, no?” She pulled back, beaming with excitement.
She was right about one thing. Galen was driving her crazy. All night, every night. As glad as she was to see her friend, a big part of her was heartsick over the loss of alone time with Galen. She’d been banking on that week, counting and recounting the hours like a miser with his chest of gold, and now it was gone, just like that. Surely Galen wouldn’t want his sister to know what they’d been up to. That would make it too real, and this was nothing more than a fantasy.#p#分页标题#e#
Her throat felt thick, and she fought to find a smile for her best friend in the world. “Awesome is right. I’m so happy you’re here.” She grabbed Cat’s suitcase and pulled her into the villa. “How was your flight?”