“I thought I’d come down and check out the gym set up of Portland’s favorite fighter.” His smile widens. “That’s a mighty cute billboard you’ve got outside
, too.”
Jackson laughs. “Mighty cute? Jesus Christ.”
Don’s amused expression doesn’t falter.
“What do you want, Don?”
Darryl chimes in, but I don’t take my eyes off of the bald asshole in front of me.
“I want to speak to the manager. My friends and I are looking for a new place to train.” He turns to his friends. “What was her name? Pretty face, big, green eyes and a killer rack
…” He snaps back to me with a click of his fingers. “Olivia, yeah, that’s it. She’s the manager, isn’t she?”
I start forward, but Jackson slips in front of
me, barely pressing his hands against my chest. “Don’t do it.”
“You’ve worked too hard, Seth
,” Darryl adds.
Don straightens his grey t-shirt and
smiles wryly. “Isn’t that nice?”
He attempts to step around me, but
my arms shoot out and I shove him backwards. With a growl he launches forward, but Darryl grabs him, forcing him a few steps back and into his friends. Jackson’s heels are digging into the ground, his shoulders pressing against me as he fights to keep me back from Don.
“Seth?” I hear her voice before I see her green eyes peer up at me from around my waist. “What’s going on?”
Jackson steps away, knowing I’d never bowl Olivia over to get to Don. I glance down at her and there’s a worried expression on her face.
“There’s the girl I wanted to see.”
Don chuckles, licking his lips.
Darryl steps back, but keeps his po
sition between Don and I. Olivia’s face falls and her eyebrows draw together. Slowly, she turns around and when she sees him, her shoulders square. “What are you doing here?”
He steps closer and
Darryl doesn’t budge. “I’ve come to scout a new gym. Some welcoming committee you have here. Do you treat all potential customers like this?”
“You’re not welcome here.”
I step closer to her, pressing my front against her back and planting my hand on her hip for support.
Don nods slowly, clearly pissed off. What did he expect? Does he seriously think we’ll open our doors to him?
“I see how it is.”
“Get out of
here, Don,” Darryl demands, his fingers flexing at his sides.
Don
runs his hand over his bald head. “Fine.” He looks Olivia dead in the eyes. “I’ll talk to you when your dogs aren’t around.”
I step around Olivia, my chest rumbling with
anger. I don’t know what happened next. There’s a whole lot of shouting and people grabbing at me, and all I see is Don’s face through a red haze. There are too many hands on me to count and I know more people have come to prevent me from smashing Don into a million pieces. Don is torn from the gym and I storm across the floor, ignoring all of the scared stares. I head straight for my training room, hearing smaller footsteps slap the floor behind me. He pisses me off and I fucking hate that I know I deserve all of it. Everything he’s doing to me and Olivia is my fault. I can’t even remember his girlfriend’s name…that’s what’s really messed up. I always blamed her for what happened. I’d always tell myself the she was the one that was unfaithful, not me—which is true, in a way. I mean, I sure as shit I didn’t force her to have sex with me. I can assure you she decided that on her own. I feel shit about it now, because I can’t help but wonder if the girl I took from Don was his Olivia. What if she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, but she turned out to be unfaithful? I’m not going to call her a whore or a slut because, well, what does that say about me? It wasn’t her fault, not entirely.
Anyway, screw that. Don has done way too much shit for me to feel sorry for him now though
, and every time I see his face, I can’t help but think of his intentions with Olivia. I’d die before I’d let his unnerving gaze rest upon her naked perfection—and the fucking nerve of him showing up here to talk to her!
I grab a fifty kilo boxing bag off the floor and throw it, desperately needing something to take off the edge. I want to fight and I want to fight right now. I pace the room, not once looking at Olivia
, who steps away from the door and makes her way slowly over to me.
I feel her tension rolling off of her in waves and when I finally lift my eyes to her face, I can see she’s trying desperately to hide it.
My heart beats rapidly in my chest, sending adrenaline and anger through my veins. There’s an ache there too, an ache that’s trying desperately to cut off air to my lungs. I breathe quick and deep through my nose to prevent myself from really going off.
“I was so close to throwing it all away
,” I tell her. “One hit is all it would’ve taken and I was willing to do it.” I shake my head. “Why does he get to me so easily?”
“Don is irritating
…he makes everyone want to kick him, it’s just who he is.”
I can’t help the twitch that pulls at my lips. “I thought that if I beat him, he’d go away.”
“He’s a cockroach. He isn’t ever going away,” Darryl says, scratching the top of his dark hair. I didn’t notice him come in behind Olivia. “He’ll probably be right behind you for the rest of your life and you need to deal with it—not with your fists, but with your brain.”
Jackson casually slings his arm around a dummy and says
, “You have what he wants and he isn’t going to stop until he’s higher than you—problem is, he’ll
never
be higher than you.”
“What do you want me to do?”
Olivia shrugs, her long dark hair sprawling further across her shoulders. “It’s simple. Ignore him and walk away. A person like Don doesn’t like to be ignored. He craves the thrill of attention. Don't give it to him.”
The ache in my chest dulls, lessening my anger as well. I don't think I’ve had so much support in my life. It feels good.
“Okay.” I breathe. “I’m in the pros now…I need to think about my career.”
Darryl claps, making
the stopwatch around his neck jolt. “Now that’s sorted, we’ve got training to do. Grappling, let’s get into it.”
***
After seeing Don, training flew by and Darryl seemed to be impressed with my ‘aggressive’ approach. It helped to picture Don’s head on Jackson's body, although I don’t think Jackson appreciated it much. Especially when I hit too hard and split his lip. Olivia watched all of the ground training, but fled the room once we took it into the cage.
Later, she resurfaced to tell me she’s going home and she’ll meet me at my house later tonight. I walked her to her car just to be safe, even though she told me it was unnecessary.
“Ready to go?” Darryl asks, shutting off the training room lights and pulling me from my thoughts of this afternoon.
It’s late, the sun barely high enough to produce proper lighting. All I want is to go home, have a shower
, and spend the rest of the night in bed with Olivia.
“Yeah,” I grab my shirt and pull it on over my head.
My arms felt weak. We spent the whole day in the gym working on improving techniques and all I want is to rest.
We stroll from the room and give the
main area a once over before slipping out the door and locking it behind us.
“Tomorrow six a.m.”
I nod. “Got it.”
I fis
h for my keys out of my pocket and out of nowhere a hard fist drives into my kidney, throwing me forward.
“
What the f—”
I grunt as another fist clips the side of my cheek, causing my brain to roll in my head. In defense, I launch forward
, ducking an arm and slamming someone in the ribs. Before I can throw another, a fist connects with my mouth and it starts to burn as an old cut splits against my teeth. Thick arms seize mine, pulling me upright to face the man in front of me. My eyes scan over a bald head and dark, green eyes.
“You motherfucker
,” he growls. His arm snaps out and slams into my ribs, forcing the air out. “You think you can disrespect me?”
Another hit to my ribs has me hunching in pain
. Fuck. It hurts to breathe. Don grabs a fistful of my hair and I spit blood at him. What a pussy, attacking me in the parking lot unexpectedly.
“Hey, Seth
, tomor—” I keep my eyes on Don as he whips around to see Darryl standing there. Darryl’s car keys crash to the concrete and all emotion drains from his face. He has a cold look in his eyes, like he's out for blood. He starts for Don and when he reaches him, Don throws a right hook that Darryl ducks before his fist connects with Don’s jaw. Don stumbles under the force of Darryl’s punch—stunned that a man Darryl’s age can rock him with one punch. Suddenly, I'm released and I waste no time diving forward to help Darryl. Don's friends push Don out of the way, concealing him behind their back and they come down hard on Darryl and I.
Darryl holds his own, fending off two guys as I
take on the last. He’s slow compared to me, and even with the pain searing through my chest, I out punch him a million to one. I grab his head and drag it down before I slam my knee into his nose. I feel warm, sticky blood seep down my leg and I let the guy go as he stumbles backwards clenching his face. Darryl is curled up on the ground next to me as two guys kick him with all the force they have. I launch for them, but Don joins the fight again, coming out of nowhere and thrusting himself into me. I stumble backwards as he grabs the collar of my shirt and swings. I just managed to duck it as he drops my shirt and delivers another strong hit to my ribs. Pain flares and my knees buckle. I fall to the ground, groaning and clenching my sides.
“Learn some fucking respect
,” he growls before whistling to his dogs and storming off.
Moaning, I drag myself to my feet, cradling my
ribs. I didn’t see that coming and I’m too hurt to be pissed off right now, but tomorrow, when my brain isn’t swelling against my skull, he’s a fucking dead man. I watch as Darryl pulls himself to his feet, his face already bruising.
“Are you al
l right?” I ask, spitting blood onto the concrete.
“Don’t worry about me.” He coughs and winces, clenching his stomach. “I’m not the one with an interview next week—look at the size of the cut on your lip.”
I run my tongue along it, feeling the tenderness immediately. Darryl reaches out and begins poking and prodding me, making sure nothing is broken and thankfully, nothing feels broken. Weak assholes couldn’t even do a decent job
“He’s going to
fucki—”
“Don’t do anything, Seth.” Darryl exhales, running his hands over his face
.
All pain drains from my body.
“You’re not serious?”
“We have to deal with this professionally, police and everything. You can’t risk losing your career over this.”
“What if I was with Olivia tonight? What if she got hurt instead of you?”
His eyebrows furrow. “You’re my main concern, not her.”
“Fuck that,” I snap.
I’m too tired
and too battered for this shit. Dropping my gaze, I shove my hands in my pocket, angrily digging for my keys. When I get them, I turn from Darryl and storm to my car.
Wincing,
I slide in and slam the door before turning my car on and zooming away. The aches of my body fade away as I try to come up with something to tell Olivia. I don’t want her to come over tonight. I don’t want her to see me like this.
Olivia
“
Come on!” Chase laughs, tilting his head back. “It’s not that bad.”
I hold the photo of him at fourteen closer to the computer and point at his horrible undercut.
“Look at it! How can you look at that and think it looks good?”
Chase laughs again, this time running a hand over his tired face.
Our Skype session with Chase ended early last night because he was called out on duty at the last minute, so we rescheduled for tonight. I smile, looking at my brother. The buzz cut suits his strong face—much better than his undercut did.
“How’s
Seth?” he asks, genuinely interested.
“Good.” I bite back a smile. “I’m staying at his place tonight.”
His face scrunches and he flicks his hand at me. “I don’t want to know.”
Growing up, m
y brother and I told each other everything. Even though we had our own friends at school, we’d always come home and hang out with each other, sharing gossip about the other kids. We continued to share secrets and information up until we both became sexually active…after that, it got real awkward—especially when Chase started sleeping with a few of my friends.
In the hidden pocket in my dr
ess, my phone buzzed. I know it’s either Seth or Darryl. They’re closing the gym early tonight and they said they’d call to let me know when it’s all locked up. I slip my phone from my pocket and glance at the screen—‘
Darryl’—
thought so.
Taking the phone call as a heads up, I let it ring out, knowing it’
s nothing important.
“
Is that Seth? Do you need to go?”
I shake my head. “No
, it’s Seth’s coach, Darryl. He said he’d call me when the gym is all locked up.”
“Sweet. How’
s the gym going, anyway?”
I smile widely. “It’s going great, actually. We’ve tripled our sign ups.”
My phone buzzes again, drawing my attention and I frown. “Give me a second.” I grab my phone.
“Darryl?”
“Olivia…” He sighs in a tone that sends dread spiraling into the pit of my stomach. “I’m heading over to Seth’s now…I think you should meet me there.”
I’
m staring at the top of the desk and seeing nothing but Seth’s face.
“
Oli—” Mom steps out of the kitchen and I silence her with a flash of my palm.
“
Is everything okay?” I ask slowly, wondering what the hell could have happened in the gym.
“Not really, no.” P
iece by piece, he rattles off what Don had done to them. Mom and Chase watch me and I can see their mouths move as they ask questions, but I can’t hear them. By the end of it, my hands are shaking and my vision glazes over in a red haze. Don jumped them in the parking lot? Seth is hurt?
“I’m on my way.”
I hang up and leap from my chair, raking my fingers through my hair.
“O?” Chase asks, his face hard. “What’s going on?”
“Uh,” I shake my head, unable to repeat what Darryl told me.
“
Liv?” he says, using his nickname for me. It’s been so long since I’ve heard it and it immediately clears my head. O, Olly, Liv, sometimes it’s hard to keep up.
“Seth is hurt.”
Mom gasps, her fingers reaching up to bridge her lips.
“I have to go.”
I slip my phone into my pocket and run into the kitchen, grabbing my keys off the rack.
“I’ll call you later
,” I tell Mom without looking over my shoulder. “You too, Chase.”
I slam the door behind me and my heart begins to race as it all sinks in. I look at my phone. Wh
y hasn’t he called me?
I practically jump into my car and speed away, going way over the speed limit. In the cup holder my phone buzzes and despite the risk, I grab it and read the message.
FROM: SETH
. TIME: 7:08PM
Going to bed early tonight. Tired. Sorry.
I drop my phone and press do
wn harder on the accelerator. I shake my head, upset that he neglected to mention he’s hurt in his vague text message. I know he doesn’t want to see me, but I’m not turning around, not when I know he’s hurt.
***
I make it to Seth’s house in record time. His car is there—and so are Darryl’s and Jackson’s. I park on a small angle along the road and barely wait before I turn my car off to get out. Unintentionally, I slam my door and my heart beats harder. Anxiety claws at my chest because I know he doesn’t want to see me right now and I can only imagine how bad his pride hurts. My palms begin to sweat and I rub them together, praying that what I’m about to walk into isn’t going to be anything more than a busted lip.
I shake the thought from my mind. If it were me, he’d never leave my side. The round door knob fits perfectly into the palm of my
hand and I turn the handle slowly before slipping into the hallway. Jackson is on me in an instant. His hair is disheveled and I swear I can feel the stress radiating off of him in intense surges. “Heads up, he’s in a really bad mood right now. We’ve checked him out. There are no broken bones or fractured ribs, but he’s a little bruised.”
I slip past Jackson with a nod, ignoring both Selena and Darryl that sit on the couch, staring at nothing.
I look at Seth. He keeps his gaze on the floor in front of him, not looking at me once, although I know he knows I’m here. My heart swells in my chest as I scan his body. I see tiny droplets on his skin from a recent shower and even though he’s in pain…I still feel the familiar desire flood my system. That desire quickly molds to anger as my eyes rests on his bruised ribs.
“
Can you guys leave us alone for a minute?” I ask, never taking my eyes off Seth.
He tilts his head up and his dark eyes flick to my face.
At this angle, I can see the cut high on his cheek bone and the one on his lip has been reopened.
When I hear the back sliding door close, I step forward, never dropping eye contact with him. “Are you al
l right?” I ask, first and foremost.
His jaw clenches. “I think we both know I’ve seen better days.”
I ignore his attitude. I can’t hold it against him, I’d feel the same if I was in his shoes. Trying a different approach, I step closer and take his hand in mine. I tug on it and he pushes himself to his feet, gritting his teeth against the pain of the bruising. I pull him along—through the kitchen up the stairs and into his room. I want privacy. I want to talk to him and take care of him…because he is mine to take care of.
I close the door and wait until Seth has lowered himself on the bed. I flick the light off and kick
off my shoes before sliding onto the bed next to him. Out of instinct, I reach out to him, running the open palm of my hand up his damp, hard body. The fresh scent of washed skin fills me and I slide closer, desperately needing to comfort him. As my hand passes over the side of his ribcage he flinches and I pull my hand back, gritting my teeth against a new bout of anger. After a few seconds, I touch him again, purposefully avoiding his tender ribs.
I run my hand over his chest and he grabs my wrist, pulling it up to his mouth and kissing the tips of my fingers. I fee
l the uneven swells on his lip and my chest almost constricts.
“You didn’t fight back?” I ask as he let my hand go and I move back to sliding it over his stomach.
“Of course I fought back,” he growls and it sends vibrations up my arms and through the rest of my body. “It didn’t matter. They caught me off guard.”
I scowl, trying to picture how it all w
ent down. I noticed Darryl looking a little beat up when I walked in, as well. Don attacked them both? I’m so mad words can’t even begin to describe it.
“How could Don do such a thing?”
Seth scoffs, “It’s been a long time coming, O. I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. These are the consequences of being an asshole.”
“Asshole or not, you don’t deserve to be beaten. He has to pay for what he did. We need to get him back, somehow.”
Seth shifts on the bed, turning his body toward me. “He will pay for what he did, but he will pay legally, not physically.”
I hear the skeptical tone in his voice and I know he wishes it was the other way around, but there’s no way Darryl or Jackson is going to let Seth get revenge on Don.
Seth’s large arms surround me and he pulls me into him, holding me slightly against his body. I close my eyes briefly as his thumb strokes my shoulder.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
I feel his body tense and he lets out a slow exhale. “Because I didn’t want you to see me like this…this isn’t how a man should look—all bloodied and bruised.” He shakes his head. “I should have come out on top, if not for me, then at least for you.”
“I don’t think any less of you. In my eyes, you’re still amazing—beyond amazing. I love you. You should’ve called me instead of lying through text.”
“I didn’t lie to you.”
“You didn’t have to. You’re guilty by omission
.”
His chest fills with air and he expels it with a defeated sigh. “
You’re right. I should have called you.”
Satisfied, I pull away from
him and he rolls flat on his back. I rest my head on my hand and I don’t say another word as I let my fingers trail his torso, feeling every line and muscle. His skin is soft and smooth, and my fingers glide over the surface easily, as if he were coated in baby oil. It bothers Seth to know he can’t get back at Don, but I can. I can’t get back at him physically, of course. There’s no way I can go toe to toe with Don, even on a good day, but I don’t have to lay a finger on him to bring him to his knees. Darryl knows we recently had cameras installed in and around our gym. I know he’s going to use them against Don legally, but I want to be the one to tell him. I want to see Don’s heart crash and watch everything he’s worked so hard for become an unattainable dream.
I don’t know how long I waited for Seth’s breathing to ev
en, but it eventually does and in the dim lighting seeping through the bathroom door, I can see Seth’s face. It’s the perfect picture of calm. I drag the tips of my fingers from his chest down to his obliques. My fingers slide over the impressions and grooves and I feel his muscles contract briefly before completely relaxing under my touch. It sends a flustering heat through me and I can’t help myself. I run my finger along the band of his shorts, tucking the tip of my index finger under the fabric. A deep, sleepy moan falls from Seth’s lips and it sends an electrical current through me—igniting my skin from my head to my toes. The urge to slip my hand in or to take him in my mouth while he sleeps is strong—so strong I don’t realize I’m digging my fingers into his skin to stop myself from going further. Seth sighs, shifting his body in my direction.
Oh, crap.
I slip my hand away from him and roll out of the way before he can pin me beneath his large body. Believe me, there’s nothing more I want right now than to be pinned between Seth and a comfortable mattress, but I have revenge to dish out.
I know when Seth finds out
what I’m about to do he’s going to flip, but hopefully he sees that I did it for him… well, kind of. I’m also doing it for me. Nothing will make me happier than knowing Don will never be in the same circles as Seth and I. He needs to be knocked down a peg or two and I’ll happily be the person to do it.
I slip off the bed and
tip-toe to my shoes, putting them on one by one. I straighten myself and waste no time in opening the door and running from the room. As soon as I close his door behind me, adrenaline flares through my system, pumping hard and fast and kicking my heartbeat up a notch. I don’t know much about Seth’s sleeping pattern so I have to get out of here before he notices I’m gone. I speed walk through the house and out into the backyard. Jackson, Darryl, and Selena are chilling in the barbeque area, not saying a word.
“Where’
s Don, Darryl?” I demand, placing my hands firmly on my hips.
Darryl frowns, confused. Then
, his eyes widen and he leaps from his chair. “Are you insane?” he demands in a whisper. “You’re going to go see Don?”
I shake my head. “I’m not going to
see
him. I’m going to
destroy
him.”
He
steps closer. “You don’t want to do that, Olivia. Seth will flip the fuck out and come looking for you.”
“Where is he?” I ask, emphasizing my words.
“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m going to send you to Don on your own.”
“I’ll go with her
,” Jackson offers, pushing himself off of a chair next to Selena.
“Jackson, you saw what they did to Seth. You’re not going
,” Selena protests.