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"Yeah," Bo’s voice ca to land softly beside Noah and lass jaw, so I couldn’t hit him too hard, or I’dhit in the face, so I try to avoid it," Noah adet hit in the face you’re knocked out?" I asked

"Nah, it just ood duck and jab instincts"

"So this is like the swi," I said to Noah "Exposure is like an antidote"

"You told her you were scared of the water?" Bo asked, surprised

"He wrote to e look and then slapped hiet you cleaned up," he said and took Noah off to the locker rooh that I had been on faded, and disco barrel-chestedht caiant hand, which could have engulfed two of mine

"Grace" I watched as my hand ed up Where Noah was lean and muscled, this man’s physique screamed steroided body builder I shrank away at the aze, but he didn’t releasenaonna help him or mess with his mind?"

"Um, I think Noah decides what he wants to do without ood understanding of Noah’sto influence Noah one way or another

"There’re two kinds of girls for a kid like hi to do everything she can to propel herI’ed at o

"Yeah and you hoirls have a lot of ideas about what your ht chick like you with ood for this place Maybe you should let go now and hook up with your own kind"

Right, like I was going to take lessons frouy whose neck had been sed by his shoulders

"Leave her alone, Paulie," Noah deo," he directed to ot his own ride," Noah ushered me to his truck His hair et froainst his head, like a silky brown cap

"Bo mentioned you had a photo shoot? What’s that all about?" I asked e got into the car

"I’ve been offered an undercard fight on Halloween," Noah said

"My God, is that why you were all at the apartht?"

He nodded "Yeah, I cahetti, and we just dumbly invited a bunch of people over"

"God, I feel like an idiot I ruined your big news"

"Nah, it’s all good, Grace," He turned his head slightly, and I could see a sht"

"What happens now?" I asked, slapping hireat if you could just get into the Octagon and fight But there is a ton of BS involved The publicity you’re required to do The constantout constantly They make me wear my cowboy boots to public appearances," Noah’s voice started to take on a whiny quality

I stifled a laugh at his side

"I can feel you laughing," Noah accused led a bit "Cowboy boots? I’ve never seen you wear those!"

"Yeaaahhh," he drawled "And they wantvowels"

This ti successful in the UFC isn’t just about being the best fighter; it’s about being a personality Making people want to either cheer for you or against you," Noah coht?" I asked

"Money," Noah said flatly "It’s all about how ot a perfect record, but there are a lot of low level guys with perfect records We all earned theym chuyhts, and then throw thehters can build their records"

"You aren’t ed "Anything where there is a lot of s"

Sleep caht with Noah’s attentiveness, but each day I aith a sense of dread Noah needed to spendAnd I felt like I was justti withbetter to do I hadn’t picked up my camera since the debacle with Dr Rossuye

Ironically, it wasn’t thepaid for it was exciting Instead, it was knowing that what I was doing was fake, a trick, no azine than a bowl of fruit I wished I had the nerve to tell Dr Rossu me, but money probably didn’t matter to him Noah said that real criticishtfor, then it didn’t matter what a million Smithsonian artists had to say I wanted to believe that was truee to return to Dr Rossuh for me