Midwest Fighter (Kendall Family Book 2) (16 page)

Minutes before the fight is to begin, Ty, one of the local guys I sparred with a time or two steps into the ring with a microphone in hand. “Who’s ready to get this party started?” he shouts over a sudden blast of hip hop music.

The crowd erupts in applause and whistles. As he holds my arm into the air and introduces me to the crowd before rattling off the rules for an amateur fight, I catch sight of a blonde near the back, wrapped in the arms of someone much taller. When Sharlo’s ocean blue eyes find me, my breaths become tight and I’m unable to look away from her beautiful face. A bout of need, raw and searing, rips through my gut.

Everything comes to me in total clarity. I never should’ve gone home without promising that I’d be back for her, giving her something to hold onto. She was always so much more than a good lay, even the first time in the motel when I let myself go and fucked her like a psycho. She understands my conflicted thoughts like no one else and makes me believe the good in life can outweigh the bad.

Finally able to breathe normal again, I offer a small smile. She visibly winces and presses her lips together. The hands around her move up to her shoulders and I allow myself to look up to the man’s face. Nolan stares back at me with an expression of indifference.

Heat of a different kind scorches my veins. I was actually starting to like the rich prick, and Sharlo swore they were only
friends
. Maybe that fucker had different intentions all along. I picture myself tearing through the crowd and knocking him to the ground, laying my claim on Sharlo. No way I’m backing down. She’s
mine.

I’m torn from my thoughts with the ring of a bell. Then Ty is motioning for me to meet Freddie in the center, so I look away. Freddie’s immediately in my face, giving me a lethal smile as he bounces on his feet.

“What’s the matter, pansy-ass motherfucker? Your hot little piece of British ass finally run off with a
real
man?”

The first blow to his face feels so fucking fantastic that I follow it up with a left hook to his gut. The crowd cheers as Freddie stumbles backward, trying like hell to stay upright and create a safe distance between us. I work my way back across the ring toward him, pleased to see a look of fear cross his eyes. He recovers with a few good shots before I deliver a straight right that catches him in the eye and makes my shoulder burn like a motherfucker. The bell sounds, and I retreat to my corner, never losing sight of Freddie’s murderous glare.

“That was a solid first round,” Manny tells me, wiping at my forehead with a towel. “Keep throwing those fast jabs. He doesn't have the stamina to keep up with them. Keep moving around him, finding new angles. You’ve got this, JD.”

I suck down a mouthful of water before jumping to my feet for the next round. Freddie looks ready for blood as he comes at me, lips pulled back with a sneer and nostrils flaring. I immediately catch him with an uppercut, and he responds with a whacking body shot that only temporary throws me off-center. The lick of pain that comes with it only fuels my building rage. Nothing can stop me from putting this fucker in his place.

When I move around him, he misses a left, giving me the perfect angle to catch him with an inside uppercut. Blood flies from his mouth as he falls to the ground, but it doesn’t take him long to get back on his feet and come at me again.

His lips spread so wide with a sneer that I can see every last inch of his mouth guard. “Maybe
Sharlo
will let
me
have a taste of those sweet tits,” he taunts. “She looks like she could use a good fucking.”

A bolt of adrenaline strikes me so hard that I almost stumble backward. “How the
fuck
do you know her name?”

With a wink, he lifts his chin. “I know a
lot
about your girl.”

I’m in a haze of anger when he cracks me with a strong left to the jaw. I wobble on my feet as my eyes skim across the crowd. As I’m recovering my footing, I catch Sharlo’s gaze, impossibly wide with fear and both hands held over her mouth. A bell announces the end of the round, but I continue to go after Freddie, determined not to look weak in front of my girl. We’re pulled apart among the frantic bell and shouts from the crowd.

“What was that, son?” Manny scolds when I sit.

“He’s making this shit personal,” I bite out with a growl.

“He found your weakness. Lock that shit down and keep it clean. I didn’t spend all those hours trainin’ you to watch you get ejected.”

“Yes, sir,” I answer. No way in hell I’m getting ejected from anything before I give that asshole the beating he deserves.

When I’m back on my feet for the next round, Freddie goes out of his way to keep a gaping distance between us. I come after him with a hard left, clipping him in the gut, and surprising him with a follow-up right uppercut to the face. He falls to the mat with a
thud,
warranting a roar of excitement from the crowd. Ty is down at his side, counting, but it’s clear as Freddie struggles to catch his breath that he’s done for. I’m caught off guard by the cheers that follow. Nolan wasn’t exaggerating when he said there weren’t too many people in Freddie’s fan club.

As Ty holds my hand up in the air and declares me the winner, I catch sight of Sharlo by herself, darting for the exit. Finding Nolan caught up in conversation with a group of guys, I spit out my mouth guard and start through the crowd toward Sharlo, yelling her name above the excited chatter from the crowd.

My sister and Charlie intentionally step in the way as I’m pulling my gloves off.

Charlie offers a fist. “Way to go, man! That guy didn’t stand a chance against you!”

“Thanks,” I say, knocking my knuckles against his. I hand my gloves to Evelyn. “I gotta go talk to Sharlo.”

“Wait a minute, JD.” Her eyes flicker downward to my gloves. “I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but since you’ve been hell-bent on avoiding her until now, you should know Sharlo and Nolan are serious.” When she looks back up at me, she sets her hand on my arm. “She moved in with him.”

The ruckus around us becomes secondary to my pounding heartbeat. I shuffle backwards, shaking my head. The only word I can manage is,
“No.”

L
eaned over on the sidewalk
, hands braced against my knees, I gulp in the brisk night air and desperately try to calm my racing heart. Nolan didn't think coming to watch James fight was a good idea, but I was insistent. Once I reminded him that I agreed without protest to move into his flat, and pretend we were together so Evelyn wouldn’t get word back to James of my stalker, he finally gave in on the condition that he accompany me.

I can’t recall an instance in my lifetime as terrifying as watching James take hits toward the end, when I was worried he was going to lose the match. With the blow that almost took him down, it was as if my feelings for him were beat from my chest, forcing me to face what I’ve so desperately tried to deny in thinking I could do this alone.
I need James every bit as much as this baby needs both its Mum and Dad.

“Sharlo!” his deep voice calls out, sending tingles to my lady bits.

Twirling around, I find James in the doorway with the most confusing of expressions upon his handsome face—eyes wide and lips in a tight line as his chest rises and falls with a slow, heavy breath. It’s almost as if he’s angry, relieved, and elated all at once. Can’t say I’m able to get a handle on what I’m feeling at the moment either, except that my pulse is racing faster than a squirrel on amphetamines.

As my big, beautiful protector stalks close, reminding me of the old “bull in a china shop” adage, my lungs seize, forcing me to hold my breath. His swollen eye from the fight makes him appear both more charming
and
dangerous. When he first stepped out for the fight, I was lost in a cloud of desire. Now that he’s standing close enough that I can feel his warmth and smell the man who forever altered my world, I could very well soak my knickers on demand.

I try desperately to swallow once he’s in front of me, but that’s clearly not happening anytime soon. “Hello, luv.”

“Why didn’t you return my calls?” His words are clipped and impatient, coming out as more of a growl.

Though I’ve prepared myself for this moment a million times, expecting the worst, my lips still quiver when I blurt, “I’m with Nolan now.”

His chocolaty gaze burns right through me, rendering me completely useless to fight. “You're lying.”

“I’ve moved on,” I whisper, barely able to utter the lie.

“Bullshit.”

Incapable of resisting the need to touch him any longer, I rest both hands against his thick, sweaty chest. Why seeing the man after a good workout makes me feel like a tomcat in heat, I have no idea, but I’ve practically forgotten what we’re discussing when I say, “It’s better this way.”

“You’re pregnant.” A massive arm wraps around me, dragging me up tight against his unrelenting muscles. I whimper with the familiar feeling of comfort his powerful hold is able to produce. “It’s the only reason I can think of why you've been avoiding me since I left.”

Looking down at my hands that have taken on a mind of their own, I stroke his brawny muscles like he’s a house pet. “I didn't want to bother you. Your family needs you.”

His hand frames my jaw, tilting my head upright. “I need
you.”

My God,
I didn’t know how badly I wanted to hear those three words again. Temporarily unable to speak with the declaration, I drag my eyes back to meet his. They’re filled with an intensity that brings a nuisance of fat tears to my eyes. I’m desperate to give him a reason to stay, though I’m afraid the wrong words will make him angry.

“And I want to be there for you. I really,
truly
do. It’s just with the distance between us—”

“We’ll
find
a fuckin’ way to make it work,” he promises, seeming on the edge of an angry outburst. “No way in hell I’m letting you raise my child by yourself.”

Again, the fear that he merely wants to be with me out of an obligation resurfaces. Before I’m able to say anything more, his warm lips are on mine, and he’s holding on to me with a fist anchored in my hair. The kiss is so deliciously hot that I’m suddenly forgetting why I resolved to push him away and agreed to this rubbish of pretending I’d survive without him. When his powerful lips consume me in sync with his probing tongue, I dig my nails into his back and hum dreamily, unable to believe we’re finally reunited. The scorching heat between my legs is unbearable.

The kiss is eventually broken, leaving us both short of air. His hands move up to cradle my face as he looks me square in the eye. “I have to grab my bag. Don’t go anywhere. I’m not leaving here tonight without you.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” I admit with a resolved sigh. “I’ll have to speak to Nolan first.”

His beautiful eyes narrow.
“Fuck
that guy. Unless you’re really with him, what do you care what he thinks?”

“I swear to you, he’s never been anything more than a good mate. But—”

“If you want to be with me, I don’t give a shit what Nolan or anyone else has to say.” As his thumbs stroke my cheeks in tandem, he shakes his head to and fro. “Why does my sister think you’re with him?”

Though I knew the question would come to light eventually, I hadn’t prepared myself with an answer that wouldn’t send James over the edge. “It’s complicated.”

“Fill me in later.” He bends down to lightly brush his lips over mine in a sweet gesture that makes my heart ready to burst from my chest. “Stay. Here.”

Pulling back, I smile and give in with a nod. There’s no question: I want to be with him tonight. That rare smile, more brilliant than Evelyn’s husband with a guitar in hand, makes an appearance before he runs back toward the gym’s entrance through a queue of people beginning to make their way out.

From the gym’s door, Evelyn and Charlie make their appearance. Lips set in a tight line, she whispers something in her husband’s ear before starting toward me, alone. Her wounded expression doesn’t touch the immeasurable guilt building inside my chest.

“Is everything okay?” she asks, rubbing a hand over my bare shoulder. “I’m sorry, but I told him you’re with Nolan now. I thought he deserved to know the truth.”

I take a strand of her expertly curled hair and run it through my fingers, sighing. “One day soon you and I are going to have ourselves a chat about the necessity of lies as white as the snow and why I possess the mind of a juvenile. Tonight, however, I’m taking your brother to my flat to sort things out.”

The corners of her mouth lift with a smirk. “There are so many things I could say right now, but I’m guessing it’s best if I bite my tongue.”

“I’d suggest you bite it
hard,”
I agree, rolling my eyes. “But not so hard you bite it completely off. You’re going to want it later to deliver a proper lashing after I fill you in on my sordid mess.”

She pulls me close for a quick hug. “Whatever it is, I don’t care. Just as long as you’re okay.”

“I will be.” Or so I desperately hope.

When James charges back out of the gym several minutes later, a smug look lit across his handsome face, Nolan’s a mere step behind. Based on my friend's unyielding scowl, it would seem they exchanged words of an unpleasant nature. I brace myself for what’s to follow when Nolan takes my arm.

“Do we need to separate you two?” Evelyn asks in a motherly tone, glancing between the two men.

“Can we talk?” Nolan asks me. His eyes dart over to James, who has nudged his sister out of the way to stand at my side, and he adds, “Alone?”

“I
will
be back,” I promise James, standing on my toes to kiss his cheek. Then I whisper, “No need to call the brigade. He’s harmless.”

The way James’s hand lightly skims down the small of my back and across my bum as I step away, I’d venture to guess he’s reluctant to let me go. However he
does
score a point for allowing me time with Nolan when I know his protective nature wouldn’t normally have it.

Nolan leads me far beyond a pack of smokers and turns to me with tangible regret oozing from his pores. “I’m sorry, Shar. The guys from my gym were drilling me about James, and I didn’t see you leave. Are you okay?”

“I
wish
everyone would stop treating me like I’m some delicate flower that has been pissed on by a mongrel. James has never
hurt
me, Nolan. At least not on purpose. He merely wishes to catch up on all the joyous fun he missed out on these past few weeks.”

“You told him?”

“There was no need. He already guessed that I’m pregnant.”

Shaking his head, Nolan crosses his arms over his chest. “I
meant
did you tell him you’re living with me because someone is after you?”

“Are you
mad?”
I half-whisper, looking over my shoulder to make sure neither James nor Evelyn are still anywhere near enough to hear. “You can’t simply tell someone like James that I’ve caught the attention of a nutter. The fact that I haven’t the faintest idea who’s responsible for this nonsense will completely send him over the edge of reason. Were you paying attention to what the man is capable of back there?”

“What excuse are you going to give when you bring him back to
my
place? He deserves to know, Shar.”

“I…ah…” Knowing he won’t be agreeable with my plan, I bite down on my lips and avert my gaze beyond his shoulder.

“Don’t even
think
about it. You can’t go back to your place. Even the cops don’t think it’s safe until we find out who’s behind all this!”

I meet his narrowed gaze and cross my arms over my stomach. He does have a point. “Alright then. I’ll take him to a hotel if that will make you happy. I certainly can’t have an audience for the kind of proper welcome I have planned.”

The pinched expression on his face relaxes as he gives into my stubbornness. “I hope you know what you’re doing with this guy. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone so…severe. If he ends up hurting you, I’ll be first in line to kick his ass.” His lips quirk with an almost-there smirk. “Even if he
is
a helluva fighter.”

“He’d never dream of harming a single hair on my head and besides, I’m a big girl,” I say, tapping his nose with my forefinger. “And I’ll be an even
bigger
one before long.”

Laughing, Nolan throws an arm around my shoulders as we start back for the others. The moment we’re within James’s radar, Nolan clears his throat and draws his arm back down to his side. “Just promise me you’ll be careful,” he whispers. “You’re more ‘delicate’ than you know.”

I afford him a scolding glance before moving back to James’s side. When his fingers lock around mine, I slump against him and curse myself for being so pliable. It seems no matter how hard I fight, I’ll never be able to deny my heart what it wants.

* * *

I
n what feels
like an eternity later, we’re holding hands as we check into the same posh hotel on the Upper East Side that Mum insists on occupying on the rare occasion she pops in for a visit. I’m normally not one to drop copious amounts of money on such frivolous things, but the second James believed the tale that my flat was being exterminated, I decided I would do everything in my power to make this little reunion and the celebration of his victory as brilliant as possible. Based solely on the connection vibrating between our bodies, however, we could’ve reunited on a rock in Central Park and still have made it memorable.

We’re greeted with the lovely fragrance of several dozen white roses that fill a round table in the entryway of our suite. It’s necessary to pass through a high-end kitchen and sitting area with modern furniture to reach the bedroom. The square pillars surrounding the king-sized bed swathed in rich bedding as well as the steps leading up to it are certainly an added bonus, as if making a stage for our eventual lovemaking.

After he’s showered, James stands at the wall of glass windows spanning across the bedroom. They provide an impressive view of the city that’s bright with a magical array of twinkling lights. Dad’s fortune already seems worth every hundred spent. Though I’ve come to fancy the quiet life in Brooklyn Heights over Manhattan, there’s something inherently romantic about seeing the charming city outdone by the charisma of my handsome protector wearing only a pair of gym shorts slung low on his hips. Watching him take in the view, I can’t stop myself from grinning like some kind of school girl.

“I imagine it’s a much different world than what you’re used to,” I say.

“There’s a lot of fucking people down there.”

“That’s precisely why I chose
not
to live on this island of mayhem. I adore living close enough to get my fix of the excitement and culture you won’t find elsewhere in the States, yet far enough to keep my sanity.”

He draws away from the window and takes a lingering look at the bedroom. “I don’t care what you said at check-in, I’m not letting you pay for this. Where I’m from, men take care of their women.”

A delightful shiver runs through me with the sound of him calling me “his woman.” I start in his direction, shaking my head. “If you knew the
obscene
payments my dad was ordered to give my mum every month in spousal support, perhaps you’d better understand why there are no limits when you’re the sole heir to Teddy Rockford. It makes me a bit of a spoiled princess, I suppose, but he’s done so much for various charities over the years that it’s inspired me to save my eventual income from the fashion line for something meaningful. I have yet to find a cause that I can pour my heart into, but I’m confident there’s one out there. I’m hoping one day the right one will bite me in the arse.”