Spike: (#3.5 The Beat and the Pulse) by Amity Cross Read Free Book Online Page A

wicked grin.
    “Then there’s the slugger.” Caleb smacked his fists together. He looked pleased with himself, his eyes sparkling much the same way Ash’s did when he was about to fight.
    “You fought like that?” I asked.
    “Yeah, it was my thing. Sluggers, or brawlers as some call ’em, fight with aggression.”
    “So you were a hard-ass?”
    “Something like that. It’s all about wearing the other guy down with relentless pressure. Fast and hard.” He wiped his forearm over his brow and shook his head like he was trying to rid himself of a bad memory.
    “What?”
    “To fight like that you need to be able to take a lot of hits. Because you’re moving so fast, it leaves a lot of defensive holes that are easily manipulated.” He bowed his head. “You get pummeled just as good as you dish it out.”
    Yeah, I got it. I’d taken a lot of hits fighting at The Underground and in the AUFC, but not to the point where I was a borderline paraplegic. Not like Caleb. I could see the spark and the passion he had for his chosen sport as clear as day, and not being able to compete anymore must be tough. Especially since he was still at the top of his game.
    “What are the punches?” I asked, turning the conversation back onto the task at hand.
    He smiled weakly and nodded. “The five punches are the jab, cross, hook, uppercut, and overhand,” he explained. “You need a strong stance. Last thing you want is to lose your balance. The other most important thing you can have in boxing is your footwork. That’s why I do a lot of duck and weave training.”
    “Sounds boring.” I was used to the freestyle and unrestricted freedom of using a variety of techniques. This all seemed so…sleep inducing.
    “Boxing is no less brutal than MMA, Ren,” Caleb said with a chuckle. “It might be a little more regimented than you’re used to, but it’s still very technical. The aim of the game is to hit but not get hit.”
    “At least less than the other dude,” I said.
    He pointed at me with his wrapped hand. “You’re a smart cookie.”
    I jumped up and down on the spot, ready to get into it. “Where do we start?”
    He pointed to the ring. “Let’s see what your maneuverability is like.”
    Following him across the mats, he held up the ropes as I ducked underneath.
    “So that’s what you were fluffing about with?” I asked as he climbed in behind me.
    While I’d been warming up, he’d set up the ring like a pinwheel. A rope was attached to each corner of the ring, crossing in the middle, and then each quarter had been divided into slices.
    “Duck and weave,” he declared. “Makes your quads hurt like hell, so I hope you’ve been treating them nice.”
    I tested the tension of the closest rope, which was at chest height.
    Caleb clicked his fingers, standing in the slice directly opposite me. “Show me your stance.” I assumed the position, and he nodded. “Good. Now, duck and weave while concentrating on your body position and balance.”
    “Is that all?” I complained.
    Caleb laughed at me like he knew something I didn’t. “Give it a shot, but do it as fast as you can. Here, I’ll show you.”
    He ducked underneath the rope to his right, his feet moving with him, and then he ducked back and forth, moving around the ring.
    “You can pair it with a few punches once you catch the drift,” he said, his breathing beginning to accelerate. “Makes it a little more interesting.”
    I gave it a go and found he was right about the quads.
    “Good, now keep it going,” he said, standing back to keep an eye on my form.
    I tried to focus on my movement, but my mind kept slipping back to Ash. It wasn’t like I’d never consider marrying him, it was more that it was just a legal thing in my eyes. We connected deeper than a stupid bit of paper, and Australian law didn’t mean squat when you were talking about something as deep as your soul.
    Ducking underneath one of the ropes, I wobbled on my feet before