As a black belt, Tyler helps his students face their fears, but he has yet to come to terms with his own bisexuality. When he finds a new sparring partner in Jaime, an openly gay man struggling to find his place in the dojo, Tyler is surprised at how right it feels to be intertwined with him.<br><br>Determined to put his partying days behind him, Jaime returns to martial arts training and swears off one-night stands. He is finally ready to look for something more when Tyler approaches him with a request - help Tyler explore his new found sexuality. Their physical relationship intensifies in secret. It isn’t long before their time together becomes about something more than just sex.<br><br>Despite their growing closeness, Tyler refuses to acknowledge their relationship in public. Now Jaime must choose between returning to his former lifestyle and falling in love with someone afraid to embrace him in front of their friends. Tyler doesn’t want to lose Jaime as a student, much less as a lover, but can he overcome his fears and accept his new identity?

Spar

They stayed that way until Tyler was aware his breathing was returning to normal. He would have stayed in Jaime’s arms all night if he didn’t fear someone might walk into the dojo and misinterpret what they saw. Jaime might have won, but he hadn’t forced Tyler into anything Tyler didn’t want.


“I think I owe you a drink,” Tyler said as he finally disentangled himself from Jaime, who looked at him with no small amount of concern. Tyler avoided Jaime’s gaze by offering the man his hand to get up.


“I could use a drink after that.” Jaime took his hand. His cheeks were red from exertion and a blush that even his long bangs couldn’t hide. “What’s gotten into you tonight? You’ve never fought that hard before. I’d hate to see what you’d do if you were actually trying to hurt someone.”


Tyler bowed but couldn’t bring himself to meet Jaime’s eyes.


Tyler nodded. “Yeah, but not here.”


Chapter 28