NoahVisions of Roni and some of the wicked things Noah imagined her doing to him with a can of whipped cream, made for an extra-long shower the following morning. It was becoming increasingly harder for him to be around her and not let on what he was feeling. Though he wondered if he should even try. If she wasn't so damn hard to read, maybe he'd know whether or not to hide it. She sent out more mixed signals than a baseball coach: one minute flirting outrageously and staring blatantly at his lips, then in the same breath, backing down and making an exit out of the room just as fast.But it was just as well. Even though it'd be more than fun to have Roni underneath him, and admittedly in the beginning it's all he thought about, the more he spent time with her and got to know her, the more he was afraid that wouldn't be enough. If he ever did get that far with her, he'd want more, and she made it clear she wasn't ready for anything like that. Losing the only family she'd ever known h

Relief didn't even begin to describe what Veronica was feeling. She'd finally broken down and admitted to Noah on their way to the gym that she was very nervous about seeing him fight. But she didn't tell him just how much of a wreck she really was. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she didn't have faith in him. She'd heard he was good from his friends and others at the gym, but she still couldn't help worrying.Veronica had only watched fights on television, but she'd never been a fan, so even when she had, she never really paid attention. Nellie's husband was a fan, and they often had big pay-per-view fight parties at their place, inviting her over. Those were the only times she'd ever sat through an entire fight. She never thought she'd be watching one in person and certainly never thought one of her now dear friends would be the one in the ring, possibly getting hurt.When she overheard the guy behind her talking about having seen Noah fight several times in the past

VeronicaInfuriating is what it was. Veronica took a deep breath before hitting the unlock button on her car. She knew coming with Noah tonight was a mistake. She never should've done it. And if he expected her to admit she was pissed—beyond pissed—about the fact that he'd given Gio's cousin a long hard ride the day after Thanksgiving, he was out of his mind.She thought back to that day now as she shoved her key into the ignition: the day he'd acted disappointed that he couldn't join her at the park to take her stupid pictures. Yeah, she was sure now that was sincere. A day at the park watching her take pictures of snails and raindrops on leaves, or a day of sex with his holiday whore? Hmm, tough choice.But again, she reminded herself it was none of her business. Noah was free to do what he pleased. He owed her no explanations, and she wasn't asking him for any, so why the hell was he pushing this now? Did he want to embarrass her? Was this fun for him? He wanted her to say that i

Noah's mind raced, replaying last night's conversation, frowning when he remembered that she hadn't really seemed upset until he brought up Derek. Was he really such a sore subject for her still? On Thanksgiving, she'd changed the subject, admitting she didn't want to talk about him. After last night, he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to bring him up again without making things uncomfortable.She'd cried. Of that he was almost certain as he'd heard her voice give. Could she have possibly been crying about Rita? It made no sense. That would mean she had feelings for him—actually considered him a possibility. She made certain last night that he knew that wasn't the case. So her tears were for Derek?Tightening his jaw, he went back to working on taping his hands. "She never even mentioned Rita, so I don't know what to tell you about her looking upset. Maybe it just took her by surprise that dumb ass Hector would say something like that in front of her."Noah wouldn't mention the one

NoahNoah was going to have to get a grip when it came to seeing Roni with other guys. He'd known it all along. Everyone had already seen it, and now he was certain she had too. He wasn't even sure if it mattered anymore. The moment he saw the guy talking to her and got close enough to hear what he was asking her, he decided he didn't care if he was obvious.If she'd pushed even slightly more, he would've told her the truth: admit that, that's what she did to him, and if he ever saw another guy try to make a move on her again, especially in his gym, that's how he'd be reacting to everyone. He could lie to himself and say it wouldn't happen, that he could keep his cool, but after today, he knew there was no way.The whole point of getting in the guy's face the way he had was so that if any of the other new members watching ever got any stupid ideas about Roni, they'd now know what they were in for.The first thing Gio had said to him when he walked into the locker room after Roni's