Kyle's Return (7 page)

“I don’t know. I try not to think about it. Darryl,
the officer who stopped me from killing Alex that night, has my
contact information. No one else has it. So if he were to ever get
out, Darryl’s supposed to call me.”

“Fuck, Megan,” he said, pulling me into his arms. “I
may be fucked up and done horrible shit in my past, but I can
promise you I’d never lay a hand on you like that. I’ve never laid
a hand on any woman.”

I breathed him in and smiled. “I know. And even if
you
were,
you picked the wrong girl. I almost killed Alex
and I have no doubt I’d try to do it again. Besides, I have an army
of UFC fighters in my corner. You wouldn’t last a second.”

Chuckling, he kissed the top of my head. It was a
sweet gesture and yet totally foreign to me. “You’re right, I
wouldn’t. And neither will fuckhead if he ever tries to get near
you again. I’ll kill him myself.”

“Speaking of which, I’ve heard things about you. Some
of it I’ve even wondered if it could possibly be true.”

“Like what?”

“That you’ve killed people when you were fighting at
the Dark Side. Gabby told me stories about Paxton and what he did
when he was there. I figured you were the same way since you two
were friends.”

He cleared his throat and averted his gaze. “I don’t
think the truth is what you want to hear right now. Not after
telling me about your ex.”

“Well, lies definitely aren’t.”

Sighing, he stood up and ran a hand through his hair.
“Fine, okay, I killed people. They were worthless sacks of shit who
mainly raped women or children or some sick shit like that. The
leader of the Dark Side had them brought in so we could fuck them
up. Almost all of them never left alive. Is that what you wanted to
hear?”

Getting to my feet, I slowly approached him. His
breath came out in deep, rapid pants, but slowed when I touched his
chest. “Yes. I already knew because Paxton confirmed it. I just
wanted to see what you would say.”

His eyes narrowed. “And what would you have done if I
lied?”

“I would’ve sent you out the door. I guess it’s a
good thing you didn’t. So far you haven’t let me down with your
honesty. There may be a chance we can be friends after all.”

Taking my hands, he pulled them up and around his
neck. “What if I want to be more than that?”

I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Just
be patient and keep doing what you’re doing.” The door to the
garage opened and I could hear Nicole pull her car inside. Letting
my hands slide down his chest, I breathed him in one last time
before stepping away. “You understand, right?”

“I do, but I can’t say it’s going to be easy.” No, it
wasn’t. The door opened and Nic came charging in, twirling around
and singing Taylor Swift’s new song. It was loud and off key, but
that was Nic for you.

When she saw us, she gasped. “Oh my God, I thought
you’d be doing the nasty by now.”

Kyle chuckled and I rolled my eyes. “And if we were,
you would’ve killed the mood.”

Her mouth dropped. “Oh, whatever. I’m going to bed.”
She stormed off, but winked at me over her shoulder before
disappearing up the stairs.

I turned back to Kyle and shook my head. “She keeps
things interesting, that’s for sure.”

“I can see that.”

“Do you want me to walk you out?”

“No,” he said, taking my hands. “Just make sure you
lock the door behind me. If there’s ever a time you need me to stay
with you, I’m only right down the road.”

Smiling, I squeezed his hands. “Thanks, Kyle. Out of
everyone I know, I never thought you’d be the one I feel safest
around.”

He brought my hands up and kissed each one.
“Goodnight, love. I’ll see you Monday.”

I nodded and walked him to the door. He looked back
once and did a little hand gesture of locking a door. I laughed and
waved before shutting the door and locking it.

Tyler is going to kill me when he finds
out
.

***

BY THE TIME Monday rolled around, I was scared
shitless to see Kyle. My hands were sweaty the entire morning and
every time the door would open, I’d jerk around to see who it
was.

“Are you okay, Meg? You seem on edge,” Tyler
noticed.

“Nope, I’m fine. Just the Monday jitters I
guess.”

Coming to stand beside me, he grabbed a handful of
towels and began to fold them. “Are you ready for your class
tonight?”

I finished my stack and put them back in the basket.
“Of course. I’ll be fine without you.”

“Remember, it’s only temporary. Once this wedding is
over I’ll be your partner again, I promise.”

Grabbing one of his towels, I slapped him upside the
head. “I’ll be fine.”

“I know. I just hate putting you with all the
responsibilities.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like I’m doing it for
free. You pay me, remember? Now if you want to bump me up to
manager status, I could work with that.”

He paused and grinned wide. “You know, I think that’s
a great idea. Will that make working the hours seem more
doable?”

“To get a title? Hell yeah. I think I deserve
it.”

“Well, alright then. You have it. How about we
celebrate at the restaurant one night this week? You can even
invite Nicole even though she drives me insane.”

We both laughed and I shook his outstretched hand.
“Deal. I won’t let you down.”

“You haven’t yet.”

After he finished his set of towels, he scurried away
to help a girl who had issues with getting her treadmill to work.
For the rest of the day, I was on cloud nine. My cheeks hurt from
smiling, but I couldn’t stop.

“Girl, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like
that before. You got a man now?”

Giggling, I turned to find Sherry in her usual pink
yoga pants, polka dot tank top and her bright red hair in a high
ponytail. She was in her mid-fifties with two grown kids who lived
in different states and a husband who passed away about five years
ago. I loved her heart and she was the sweetest thing, but
definitely had her own sense of style. About that time, Kyle
waltzed through the door and my attention went to him.

“Uh-huh, see I was right. He’s a cutie patootie.”

“No,” I gasped. “That’s not why I was smiling. I’m
happy about something else.”

“Okay, honey, tell that to someone who believes you.
Are we still having class this evening?”

Kyle walked by me, winking, and I tried my best to
keep my face straight for Sherry. “Yes, we still have class.
Although, I have to say, you’re pretty intimidating in your pink
get up.”

She looked down at her clothes and lifted her chin.
“And that’s why no one messes with me, dear.”

“I hear ya. All right, Miss Sherry, I’m going to make
my rounds and I’ll see you in about an hour.” I walked away and did
a turn through the gym, purposefully keeping my eyes away from
Kyle. Instead, I strolled over to Jared who was running on the
treadmill.

“You’re not still pissed at me, are you?” he
asked.

Smiling, I bumped up his speed. “Oh, for making me
think you wanted a
threesome
? No, not at all, asshole. You
should’ve just told me what you were doing. I would’ve played
along.”

His breathing picked up as he pounded his feet to the
speed. “Actually, I was kind of serious about the whole threesome
deal. Don’t tell Patrick though. I was curious to see if he’d be up
for it. But when you hesitated, I knew you’d say no.”

Eyes wide, I bumped his speed up faster and moved
closer. “You were serious?”

Sweat started to bead on his brow and he chuckled.
“Why not? You’re hot. I thought it could be fun. But I can see now
your tastes are for something different.” He nodded toward Kyle who
was off in the corner lifting weights. “Don’t even try to deny it,
Meg.”

Rolling my eyes, I dialed his speed down. “You’re too
much.”

He blew a kiss at me and winked. “But you still love
me. Just remember, the offer still stands.”

Shaking my head, I waved at him and started for Kyle.
His back was to me, so I sat down on a weight bench, waiting for
him to turn around.

“I know you’re there, love.”

“I just wanted to say hey before I disappear. I have
a class to teach in just a few.”

He set his weights down and wiped his forehead before
turning around. “Will I see you afterward?”

“If you’re still here in another hour you will. I
have some good news.” Tyler came out from the back so I stood and
straightened my smile. “I’ll tell you later, okay?”

Kyle noticed my hesitation and nodded. “I’ll be
here.”

I walked away, hating the look of rejection on his
face. Most would say he deserved it, but he hadn’t done anything to
hurt me. The room I used for my self-defense classes was nicely
sized with mirrors along the front wall like a dance studio. It was
perfect for my group, considering they felt more comfortable away
from the prying eyes of other gym patrons.

With only ten minutes to spare, I sat down on the
floor and stretched. Sherry came waltzing in and sidled up next to
me, copying my movements. Once all ten ladies showed up, we were
ready to get started.

“All right, lovelies, tonight’s session is going to
be with just me. Tyler will be joining us again in a few weeks. How
about we spend the first fifteen refreshing on what we’ve already
learned and then afterward I’ll show you a whole new move.” After I
put them with partners, I walked by and helped each of them.
“You’re doing great, guys. I pity any man who tries to mess with
you.”

That earned a few giggles and the energy in the room
built. I loved pumping them up because that was what they needed .
. . confidence. “Okay, let’s move on, ladies. Who wants to partner
with me for a minute? I want to demonstrate a move Gabriella
Reynolds showed me. As you all know, she’s a UFC fighter and holds
the women’s Bantamweight title.”

Olivia raised her hand and moved forward. Out of
everyone in the group, she was the one who was most lucky to be
alive. She was twenty-eight years old with innocent, big blue eyes
and long, silky blonde hair, but married a man who was a raging
alcoholic. He was dead now, after she’d stabbed him in the neck
with a glass shard from the same bottle he broke against her face.
She healed, but you could still see the scars on her skin.

I smiled as she approached and put my arm around her.
“Olivia, it’s good to see you again. Everyone, I’m going to have
Olivia lie on the floor. Just watch the first time and then you can
practice on your partners.” We got into position and I demonstrated
what they should do if an attacker were to pin them to the ground.
They had several options and I was going to show them every single
one. After the first demonstration, Olivia did as instructed and
knocked me off.

“That’s great, Olivia. I could feel the force behind
it even though I know you don’t want to hurt me.”

“She can practice on me,” a voice called out. All
eyes turned to the door and my heart leapt.

I rushed toward the door. “Kyle, what are you
doing?”

He looked at the ladies and then back to me. “I want
to help. They wouldn’t need to hold back in fear of hurting me. Let
me join so they can do whatever they want to me.”

It was actually a good idea, but he had no idea what
he was getting in to. “Tyler will never allow it,” I whispered,
leaning in close.

A small smirk splayed across his lips. “Well then, I
guess it’s a good thing he just left.”

“Kyle, no,” I hissed, smacking him on the arm. “Tyler
just made me manager. I don’t want to get fired.”

“You’re a manager now? Look at you go. I think we
should celebrate.”

“We’re not going to be celebrating anything if I
don’t have a job tomorrow.” Kyle looked over my head at the women
and walked around me. Groaning, I rushed to keep up with him.