Mason:Inked Reapers MC(71)

"Okay," Kait sighed, pushing away her now empty plate. "I'll be back here by six at the latest. What do you want to do tonight?"



Jasper blinked at her with uncertainty. He wasn't sure if she was joking  or not. Later, all he wanted to do was sit on his own sofa, watch his  own TV before creeping into his own bed. If his drill sergeant of a  trainer was still at the gym, he already knew he was going to be in for a  brutally draining day.                       
       
           



       



"I'm uh, going to be at my place tonight," Jasper said after nervously clearing his throat.



"Oh," Kait pursed her lips and nodded stiffly. "Well, that's fine," she added brightly, "I can come over to yours."



Jasper almost choked on the piece of omelet sliding down his throat. She  didn't understand what he was saying. They'd just spent the night  together; he now needed some time alone. Just because they were now  seeing one another didn't mean that they had to live in one another's  pockets.



"Yeah, I can't do tonight," he told her, hoping he didn't sound too cold  or aloof. "I'm anticipating that today in the gym will be tough, so  I'll just be looking to crash out later."



Kait's cheeks began to burn as his intentions became clear.



"Oh, of course," she mumbled quickly, getting up and taking her plate with her. "I didn't mean to intrude or anything."



Jasper didn't say anything as he finished off his own portion of the  omelet. He heard Kait cleaning up behind him and could imagine how tense  and jerky her movements were.



"So when am I going to see you next?" She asked sharply as she turned  off the tap. Jasper squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to freak out.  This was the part about a relationship that he didn't like  –  the  accountability. He was no longer able to just think about himself, but  Jasper needed his independence. He couldn't become a partnership  overnight like Kait was seemingly expecting him to do.



"Kait," he took a deep breath, "how about we ease in to the whole couple  thing, okay? I'll see you later this week, but there's nothing formal  in place. We don't need to pencil each other in to our schedules. I'd  like to keep things relaxed for a while."



Kait came and stood within his eye line. He could see the disappointment plainly etched in to her pretty face.



"Relaxed?" She repeated the word incredulously.



"Just for a while," Jasper insisted. "This is all pretty new to me."



Folding her arms across her chest, Kait considered his request.



"I need to keep my independence," Jasper said slowly, apologetically.



"I'm hardly asking you to sell your apartment and move in!" Kait cried  as she threw her arms up in anger. "God, Jasper, I was just hoping to  spend some time together! Is that so much to ask?"



Jasper flinched. This was what he had been dreading. Relationships  always involved arguments, and the last thing he wanted to do was bicker  before going to the gym. He was about to defend himself when Kait  declared that she was going for a shower before storming off in the  direction of the bathroom.



Suddenly alone, Jasper considered what he should do. He knew that really  he should stay and speak with Kait when she came out of the shower, but  he was in no mood to just keep arguing. Quickly he gathered his  belongings and left the apartment.





Chapter 47



"You're slipping." Carl was standing by the kitchen counter when Jasper walked into his apartment.



"Nice to see you too," Jasper muttered angrily, wondering why he'd been  stupid enough to give his agent a key to his apartment. At some point,  he'd definitely need to try and get it back.



"I heard about what happened at the gym."



"Thanks for your concern," Jasper noted grimly.



"I am concerned!" Carl insisted, walking over to his client and resting  his small hands upon Jasper's huge shoulders. "I'm concerned you won't  win your next fight," Carl continued. Jasper shook him off and strode  over to the fridge to grab a bottle of water.



"Is that all you're concerned about?" He asked bitterly.



"It's all you should be concerned about!" Carl vented. "You need to win  this next fight, Jasper! The rest of your career depends on it! How do  you not get the seriousness of the situation?"



"I get it!" Jasper snapped. "Trust me, I get it." His shoulders sagged  as his anger drained out of him. Carl was right; he knew that. He needed  to remain focused on his next fight. He couldn't start entering into  domestic arguments with Kait. Not when it was paramount that he keep  training and stay on top of his game.



"So today, are you ready to train?"



"Yes." Jasper narrowed his eyes with determination. "I'm ready to train."



"That's what I like to hear," Carl smiled. "I need you to stay focused, Jasper."                       
       
           



       



"I will."



"Where were you yesterday?" Carl squinted with suspicion.



"At the hospital."



"After that."



Jasper sighed and rolled his shoulders. He knew where Carl was going  with it, and he was in no mood to have yet another argument.



"It's not what you think," he told him. "I just went there to crash."



"So you're not entering in to a relationship with this girl?" Carl  challenged, sounding every inch the protective parent in their dynamic.  "Because you know how foolish that would be right now."



"I know," Jasper was nodding as he spoke. "And no, I'm not entering in  to a relationship." The lie came easier to him than he'd thought it  would. Perhaps he wasn't as ready for something serious as he'd  originally thought.



"Good, then let's get your ass to the gym."





Chapter 48



As he sprinted on the treadmill, Jasper tried not to think about Kait,  about how disappointed she'd looked when he'd said he didn't want to  meet up that evening. His bad knee was covered in a tight fitting  support band which helped with some of his discomfort. He had been  running for twenty minutes straight, and sweat was pouring down his  back.



"Good," his trainer complimented him from nearby where he was checking Jasper's stats on the treadmill's digital display.



"Happy to please you," Jasper said sarcastically. Despite sweating  profusely, he had yet to lose his breath and could still hold a  conversation. His day spent sleeping in Kait's bed had renewed him. If  only his knee wasn't in such a bad state, he'd almost be back to his  best.



"I think we should train in the ring this afternoon," his trainer  decided, running a hand through his perfect mane of golden hair. Jasper  was grateful that the gym was guys only. If girls trained there, they'd  doubtlessly be drooling over his trainer all the time.



"I could go for some sparring," Jasper nodded. He liked the idea of  punching out some of his tension. He was still annoyed over his  conversation with Kait that morning. He hadn't heard from her since he'd  left. He could only imagine how angry she must have been when she came  out of the shower and realized he was gone, but he couldn't think about  that now. He had to focus on training, on becoming strong.



"Good, keep going," his trainer urged him.



Jasper ran hard and fast. He ran as though he was being chased instead  of remaining in one spot. He pushed through the pain in his knee and  ignored the throb in his muscles as he began to push them too hard. All  that mattered was staying in top form. He had to remain the best. He had  to prove to everyone that he was still a champion.



"I like this new found grit," his trainer said with a clap of his hands. "Okay, take ten."



Jasper lowered the setting on the treadmill, and soon he was walking  briskly before stopping all together. His legs felt like jelly as he  stepped off the machine.



"This is the Jasper Duboix I was expecting to meet," his trainer pointed enthusiastically at him, grinning wildly.



Jasper shrugged modestly and wiped off some of his sweat with a nearby towel.



"I look forward to seeing what power you bring in to the ring."



"You'll see soon enough," Jasper said as he waited for his heart rate to  regulate now that he'd stopping exercising. It was in the ring that he  always excelled. Despite his dominating physique, he was light on his  feet and able to dodge incoming shots with ease. At least that was  usually the case. He could still hear the crunch as his opponent's fist  smacked into his body when he'd been too slow, too sluggish to move out  of the way in time. But that wouldn't happen again. No matter how much  it took from him, Jasper was going to train harder than ever to prove  that he was still on top.