On the Ropes 2: Insidious Obsession (6 page)

Cole sighed. “Wow. That’s a lot seedier than my first tryst in the back of my dad’s SUV with Laura Pasture.”

She turned her head and gave him a small smile. “I’m not sure I want to hear about that.”

“Jealous?”

“Maybe,” she replied as a strange happiness flowed through her. By all accounts she shouldn’t feel this way while recounting what happened, yet it was there just below the surface, pushing through the sludge of grief and sorrow. She desperately wanted that happiness to break through, but it had been so long since she’d felt joy, Amber wasn’t sure how to make it happen.

“Really?” He quirked a brow. “We’ll explore that revelation later.” He kissed her on the temple. “Let’s not get off track.”

“Right.” She sighed and settled back against him. “As I grew into a woman, Dad started making comments about how much I reminded him of my mother. At first I didn’t think much of it, but the older I got, the more possessive he got. When he was really drunk, he’d pin me against a wall and say things like my body belonged to him and if I wanted to have sex, he’d teach me the right way to please a man.”

“Okay, that’s creepy,” Cole replied as he took her hand in his.

“You’re telling me. I’d always manage to talk my way out of him doing anything. By morning the incident would be forgotten, so I’d let the subject drop. Sometimes I wondered if he did it because he was just that messed up in the head, or if he knew I was sneaking his porn behind his back and he was trying to get even in some weird way.”

“You snuck his porn? Have a wild streak, do we?” Cole asked with amusement in his voice.

She glanced up at him, smiled, and pressed a kiss to his slightly bearded jaw. “Just a little.”

“Good to know.”

“Yeah, well. It wasn’t good for me when my dad finally found out. I was seventeen, and I’d promised my boyfriend that for his eighteenth birthday I’d”—she paused—“well, that I’d give him a blowjob. Not knowing the first thing about oral sex, I snuck my dad’s porn to learn, and he caught me.”

“What happened?”

She shivered as images of that night flooded back. “He was really drunk, and he pinned me against the wall, felt me up, and told me that it was about time I took care of the one and only man who really loved me instead of boys who were only looking for one thing.”

She felt Cole’s arms tighten around her, but he remained silent. A lump formed in her throat, and she clung a little tighter to him as she struggled to find the words. “I begged him to stop, but he was so far drunk he could barely stand. I knew reasoning with him wasn’t going to happen. He slapped me across the face and told me to stop acting like a baby and take it like a woman. Then he stuck his hand down my pants.”

“Damn sicko,” Cole muttered.

Ignoring his statement, she continued. If she didn’t say the words right now, while the wound was open, she might never be able to tell him. “I reached for the closest thing I could get my hands on and hit him over the head with a lamp. Knocked him cold. Then I ran to my friend’s house to hide for the night.”

“So having Sean pin you against the wall last night—”

“Brought all those horrible memories flooding back. I tried to sleep, but every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was what happened with my father. Eventually, I gave up and instead formulated a plan.”

“What did happen? I mean after you found safety at your friend’s house? Did you call the police? Did he go to jail?”

She shook her head. “I went home the next day to confront him and found him in his bed with a gunshot wound to the head.”

“Oh hell. Baby, I’m so sorry.”

She blinked back a fresh set of tears and nodded. “Me too. He left a note to me, saying how sorry he was for what he’d almost done and how he simply couldn’t live with the guilt of knowing he’d nearly raped me or the temptation that might cause him to succeed the next time.” She choked back a sob. “He knew he couldn’t control his urges, so he killed himself because of me.”

In a move so quick she didn’t see it coming, Cole turned her to him and took her face in his hands. “You’re not responsible for his death.”

“Yes, I am, Cole. He said as much.”

“He was a sick man who couldn’t figure his way past the grief of losing his wife. He was mentally ill and couldn’t control himself.”

She knew the words he spoke were true, but she’d shouldered the blame for that horrible night for so long they simply wouldn’t sink in. She shook her head in denial, only to have him tighten his grip until she couldn’t move.

“Amber. Look. At. Me.” She did, staring him directly in his deep green eyes. “You didn’t force him to pull the trigger, and you sure as hell didn’t ask to be almost raped. What happened was not your fault. You need to figure out a way to accept that fact and move on so you stop living in the past and start enjoying life.”

Chapter Nine

Cole placed the pizza box and bag containing sodas paper plates and napkins on the small table near the balcony door. He glanced over to where Amber slept. After their conversation, he’d convinced her to try to rest some more. This time she appeared to finally be sleeping soundly.

It had been a tough twenty-four hours for her, and he hadn’t made things any easier pushing her for answers, but deep down he knew she’d feel better now that she’d shared her plight. Her ability to confide in him not only strengthened their bond but helped ease her burden.

He couldn’t imagine carrying around that amount of guilt and sorrow for so many years without telling anyone or going completely crazy. At one point, Jason had called her a mouse. She might be a mouse on the outside, but inside where it counted, she had to be one of the toughest people Cole had ever known.

Not wanting to eat without her, he dropped onto the extra bed and picked up the television remote. It was time for
Conflict
, and he didn’t want to miss The Tribunal’s first ever mixed tag match.

The television flickered to life, and a few minutes later Amber stirred. She opened her eyes and pushed up to a sitting position.

“Hey.” He smiled. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“Don’t be,” she replied as she swung her feet over the side of the bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “I wanted to see the show tonight too.”

“How did you sleep?” he added.

She grinned, and he noted that for the first time since he’d met her, it reached all the way to her eyes. “Good. Actually, better than I have in a long time.” She pushed off the bed, closed the distance to where he sat, and crawled onto the bed next to him. “I’m pretty sure,” she whispered as she moved in close, “I have you to thank for that.” Slowly she lowered her head and brushed a kiss across his lips.

He jerked in response, and he stared up at her as she pulled back. “What was that?”

She grinned. “That was me saying thank you.”

He returned her smile. “Well then.” He reached for her, spearing a hand through her hair. “This is me saying you’re welcome.” He pulled her back down for a second kiss. Only this time he took it deeper. Her lips parted on a sigh, and he swept in.

Her hand came down on his chest, but she didn’t try to pull away. He curled his fingers in her hair as he demanded more from her. Teeth clashed, tongues dueled, and Cole’s arousal flew off the charts. What he wouldn’t give to simply roll her onto the bed, strip her naked, and lose himself inside her sweet little body.

She pulled back, a smile on her lips. “That was amazing.”

He grinned. “If you think that was amazing, just imagine what other pleasures I can provide.”

Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Just so you know, I have a pretty vivid imagination.”

“So do I.” He started to pull her down for yet another kiss.

This time her hand on his chest braced, holding her in place, and a look of curiosity replaced her mischievous grin. “Do I smell pizza?” Her eyes widened.

What?
“Are you kidding me?” Cole asked, unable to believe he was about to be tossed aside for pepperoni and cheese.

“I’m starving.” She scurried off the bed to the table.

On a groan he followed and sidled up behind her. He slid his hands around her hips, and he pulled her against him, the hardness of his erection pressed against her bottom. He dipped his head to brush a soft kiss against the nape of her neck. “I’m starving too.”

With a slice of pizza in one hand, she took a bite and rested the back of her head against his chest. “Mmm…that feels good.”

“I could make it feel a lot better.”

She turned her head and pressed a kiss to his neck. “As tempting as that invitation is, I really need to eat.”

Realizing he wasn’t going to win this battle, Cole sighed, stepped around her, and grabbed a slice. Disappointed as he might be by her rejection, her needs came first.

Plus, with everything that had happened over the last day, it would certainly be wise to back off a little and take things slow. She’d been on an emotional roller coaster, complete with drops, turns, and corkscrews. While it appeared she might once again be riding high, the last thing she needed was him putting unnecessary pressure on her, especially now when it seemed as if she might have had a breakthrough.

“
And here they come
,” announcer Matt Carlen’s voice carried through the speakers, and The Tribunal music began to play. “
Note the conspicuous absence of Cole Collins
?”

“
I do
,” Josh replied. “
Sources tell me that Cole was injured last night while coming to the defense of EUW’s newest Vixen, Amber Star
.”

“
That’s right
,” Matt confirmed. “
From what I understand, apparently there was an altercation between Cole Collins, Sean Sable, and Amber Star. I’m not sure of the details except that all parties involved were injured to some degree
.”

“
A member of The Tribunal defending a lady’s honor
?” Josh questioned. “
I’m pleasantly surprised
.”

“
I think we all are
,” Matt replied. “
Nevertheless, Cole’s actions last night have caused him to miss his match tonight
.”

Cole looked over at Amber and grinned when she stared at him, worry in her eyes. “And I’d do it all over again too.”

Her concern faded, and she returned his smile, then continued with choosing her next slice of pizza.

Lexi climbed onto the apron, grabbed the top rope, and forward flipped into the ring, landing gracefully on her feet.

“
With that little powerhouse of Lexi Blackwell on their side, I doubt Cole’s absence will affect The Tribunal too much
,” Josh replied.

Brooklyn stood on the opposite side of the ring between Calen and Noah, better known to the fans as two thirds of the group known as Obsidian. Logan and Jason flanked Lexi. Amber tossed her pizza on a paper plate and climbed onto the bed. “This is gonna be good.”

Cole opened the soda and poured them each a cup, then grabbed his pizza and joined her. The bell rang. Logan and Calen remained inside the ring to start the match.

For the next ten minutes, Cole watched his teammates kick ass. Noah tagged Brooklyn, and in return Jason had to tag Lexi. The women went at each other, giving the crowd a good show. Nobody would ever know that behind the scenes the two women were really good friends. At one point Brooklyn ended up on the outside of the ropes. Lexi bounced off the far rope, and on a running leap, clotheslined Brooklyn, taking her down to the mat outside the ring.

The women hit the mat hard. Immediately Lexi let out a cry of pain as she rolled off Brooklyn and grabbed her arm. “
Oh, Josh, it appears that Lexi Blackwell might be hurt
.”

“
She took a real chance with that flying clothesline
,” Josh replied. “
It looks like she paid the price
.”

Logan dropped from the apron and raced toward her. He knelt next to Lexi as she writhed in pain, hugging her left arm close to her body. They exchanged words, and he helped her to the ring. Still holding her arm, she slid inside and immediately tagged Jason.

Calen mimicked Logan’s move with Brooklyn and tagged into the match. Jason and Calen went at it, and when the ref’s back was turned, Logan slid beneath the rope and speared Calen. Jason dropped on top of him for the pin as Logan knocked Noah off the apron.

“
Your winners…The Tribunal
,” the announcer said.

Jason and Logan rolled out of the ring; then Logan turned back and plucked Lexi off the apron. She held her arm close, pain etched into her features as they made their way up the ramp and disappeared behind the barrier into the bowels of the building.

“She looked like she was really hurt.” Amber glanced from the screen to Cole, a look of worry on her face.

Cole nodded. “Yeah. I hope she’s all right.”

“I’m going to feel terrible if she’s not.” She set the remainder of her pizza aside and stared down at the comforter.

The concern in Amber’s voice pulled at him, and he reached for her. “Hey. She knows the deal. Injuries happen.”

Amber turned her head to face him, that familiar look of guilt back in her eyes. “Yeah, but if wasn’t for me, she wouldn’t have been wrestling tonight and she wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

Chapter Ten

It wasn’t until they’d reached their next destination that Amber finally saw Lexi again.

As she and Cole approached the table where Logan, Lexi, and Jason sat, she noted the cast on Lexi’s left forearm. The black design covered her arm from her knuckles to several inches below her elbow.

Lexi looked up and smiled. “Hey, chick. How are you feeling?”

Amber slid into the empty seat next to her. “Much better, but I think I should be asking you the same question.” She motioned to Lexi’s arm.

“Broken,” Lexi replied, a frown on her face. “No wrestling for at least a month.”

“Dr. Martin said six weeks,” Logan corrected as he stabbed his salad with a fork.

She shot him a nasty look. “He said we’d revisit the issue in a month.”

“He also said you needed a shot to kill the pain before he set that break last night, but you didn’t listen then either,” he snapped.

“Yeah, you should have seen it,” Jason interrupted. “They took X-rays, and Dr. Martin said he’d need to set the bone. He told her he was going to give her a shot for the pain, and then the little firecracker pipes up and says she doesn’t need one.”