1/2
As much as it concerns him that Lita doesn't have much in the way of combat skills, Rodeo is definitely glad that he is the one getting to teach her to protect herself. There's no one he trusts better than himself to impart this wisdom, and getting to see her learn firsthand helps assuage some of his worries about leaving her alone in that pit o' vipers she calls home. She's committed to the lesson, that's for sure-- she doesn't shy away from hitting the mitt with force, employing the tactics he showed her to deliver as powerful a punch as she can muster against the padded surface of the mitt. Rodeo can't take his eyes off her as she practices that punch, watching her fist cut through the air, watching the focused spark in her big dark eyes, watching that ferocity play across her flawless face as she pounds the mitt. Her hair sifts across her shoulders and he can smell that sharp and sweet scent of her and his hands ache to be on her again. His head is playing through daydreams of pinning her up against just about every surface of the gym, and it probably shows in his eyes as they slide down to watch the way her body twists with each punch.
He's heavily distracted by the way her curves shift with her movements, but when she asks about Sarge he finds himself snapping to attention, eyes flashing back up to her face. He nods when she asks if the man he refers to is the same one who she'd told was in quarantine all those months ago, and his brows lift faintly when she asks about meeting him. He's not sure she's serious, but he can't help the places his mind goes when she asks. Wouldn't it be sweet to bring her to meet his best brother? Rodeo has no doubt that Sarge would appreciate her as much as he does. Within seconds his mind is running wild with thoughts of taking Lita to meet his brothers, and he can imagine the pride he'd feel showing her off on his arm, a woman the caliber of a queen. Smokin' fuckin' hot with a mind sharp as scalpels and an attitude that has no match. He can imagine the jealous eyes that would watch her every move with the same rapt attention he can't help focusing on her, and he can imagine the love his brothers would grow for her as she wisecracks and ball-busts her way into their hearts same as she did into his.
But that ain't ever gonna be.
How can he ask his brothers to lie to her? How can he ever expect her to accept his world, forget be a part of it? He feels his heart sink at the thought, so that in just a few milliseconds following Lita's question he's gone from soaring on a daydream of her by his side in the Dog Park, laughing over moonshine, kissing him sweet and slow in the firelight, making all the bitches sweat and the men drool, to a crashing low as he realizes that will never be. He doesn't show it, but he sure as hell feels the whiplash from that emotional rollercoaster. He just nods, cracking a grin as if he ain't feelin' the pain.