Her eyes widen. “Seth, that’s right. I’m so sorry, darling. I completely forgot. How is he? Is he okay?”
I
lick my bottom lip against a smile. For someone who seems to be so indifferent about him, she sure is worried.
“He’s fine—more than fine. He’s still his usual asshole-
ish self.”
“What happened?”
I don’t want to go into details with Mom so I give her the simplest, quickest version I can. “Seth has a long history with another fighter and last night it came back to bite him in the ass.” I roll my eyes unintentionally and Mom frowns.
“You’re not happy?”
“I’m happy Seth is okay…after I saw him last night and he fell asleep, I went to see the other guy.”
“The one that hurt Seth?”
I nod. “I told him that we had the whole thing on camera, he lost his mind, and when I got back to Seth’s, he was mad and we fought and then went to sleep. When we woke up, we were still mad at each other and we have been all morning.”
She pinches her earlobe and the pretty pearl earring between her thumb and index finger. “You didn’t apologize?”
“Apologize? Mom, he called me selfish.”
“You left him while he was asleep to go and see the guy that hurt him
…it’s not exactly selfless. Why’d you do it?”
I shifted in my seat. “Because
…” My voice sounds whiny and juvenile, and I hate it. “Don is an ass and I wanted to hurt him like he hurt Seth.”
“You didn’t think that maybe Seth would’ve liked to be the one to bring Daniel’s—”
“Don’s,” I correct her.
“Right—I’m sure Seth would’ve liked to be the one to bring Don’s world down—being as arrogant and self-important as he is.” Mom bites back a smile. “I hate to say it, honey, but you’re the one who owes the apology here.”
Mom on team Seth, who would have thought? I sink lower on the couch, instantly feeling like an idiot. “How do you know when you’re right and they’re not?”
She chuckles, slapping my arm. “Oh, darling. Lesson one on men, they always think they’re right—especially the fighter types. You want to come out on top? Don’t sweat the small stuff. Let them think they’re right. Like your father, Seth is going to say stupid, hurtful things to you at one time or another, nobody is perfect. Even the good ones have their moments, but at the end of the day, if they can make you feel loved beyond anything else, if they show you just how much you mean to them
, then the other things are just bumps in an otherwise smooth pavement.”
I nod my head. I never thought Mom could ever give me advice I’d agree with. She’s grown so much since Dad’s death
. I don’t even know how to explain it. We have conversations without arguing—actual full length conversations. I can’t remember the last time we’ve been so close.
I’ll go see Seth at
lunch time and apologize for taking the satisfaction of seeing Don crumble. I can’t give it back to him, but hopefully the apology is enough. Mom leaves the couch and enters the kitchen, allowing me to lie down and stretch out. My eyes become heavy and I yawn countless times before finally falling asleep.
***
Three strong knocks rap on the door and my eyes shoot open. It’s almost dark, the living room is two shades from being pitch black. I push myself off the couch and climb sleepily to my feet. My stomach growls and churns because I haven’t eaten today. Instead of making me hungry, it puts me off the mere thought of food.
There’s another knock against the wood and I shuffle slowly towards it. I flick the light switch on and pull the door open. On the other side of the screen stands Seth in a white shirt that clings tightly to his chest and arms. My heart rate instantly skyrockets. Not out of fear or intimidation, but out of pure unwholesome desires—oh, and the thought of having to apologize to him. He’s going to make it as painful as possible.
“You’re happy to see me, don’t deny it.” He lowers his gaze to my breasts. “Or at least your nipples are.”
Ignoring my less than impressed expression, h
e opens the screen and holds it, all while looking at me like I’m the most amusing thing on the planet.
“You’ve been asleep this whole time?”
I shrug. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”
But of course he knows that.
Seth’s amused expression fades, turning serious.
“I won’t have us fighting for a second longer, Olivia.” His voice is commanding, like he’s ordering me to stop being mad at him. “All you have to do is tell me I’m—”
“You’re right
,” I interrupt him. “I shouldn’t have gone to Don, or at the very least, I should have told you.” I step forward. “And you shouldn’t have hurt that guy to get back at me. That was cruel. Promise me you won’t do that again.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t promise you that.”
“Seth—”
He leans forward an inch. “I’m not going to promise you something I can’t keep. I can promise you I’ll al
ways be here for you or that I’ll never be unfaithful to you, but I can’t promise I won’t hurt you in other ways. It’s what I do, it’s who I am. I have strange outlets and it’s how I deal with things.”
I hug myself as the cool air
brushes along my skin. “But those people do nothing to you.”
“They signed a contract
agreeing to be my punching bag wherever and however I please. If they don’t like it, they can always leave.”
The fact he’
s being so careless is beyond me and quite frankly, it pricks at my frustration levels.
“You know who I am. I’ve been nothing but honest with you from the start. I won’t change, not now. Not ever.”
“I don’t want you to change.”
“Then what do you want? What can I say—or do—or give you to make you happy?”
I don’t want to tell him what will make me happy. I want him to automatically know—which has to be the stupidest thing I’ve ever thought because even I don’t know what I want—I want him. I want us to be happy and not act like children.
“I don’t want to fight with you anymore. You win.”
His face softens in a way that makes me want to squeeze him.
“
I love winning…so why do I feel like shit right now?” He steps forward and playfully strokes my arm with his index finger. “Maybe it’s the huge puppy dog eyes you’re giving me.”
My lips curl into a smile. “Does it make you feel bad?” I ask, flicking my eyelashes.
Seth laughs once. “Yes, actually, it does.”
I step aside and Seth crosses the threshold and into the house. Before we settle in for night, I shut all of the curtains and
checked all of the rooms. Strange. Mom isn’t here. I stroll into the kitchen where Seth casually sits on the counter, drinking a big glass of cool water.
“Your Mom left you a note.” He hides his over-confident smile behind his glass as he takes another mouthful.
Sprawled in elegant handwriting on the whiteboard stuck to the fridge, there’s a message from Mom.
‘Olivia,
Will be out late tonight. Going on a dinner cruise with your Aunt Kate, remember?
See you tomorrow morning.
P.S.
Who bit you?
Never mind.’
I cringe, slipping my fingers under my cotton shirt and over the flesh Seth sank his teeth into last night. “Well, that has to be the most awkward note I’ve ever received.”
Seth laughs, slipping off
the counter and coming up behind me. I feel the hard front of his body graze faintly across my back and my breath hitches as his fingers curl around the edges of my hair and he pulls it across one shoulder. I take my fingers from the bite and almost immediately, Seth’s lips sensually brush over it.
“I’m sorry I bit you
,” he murmurs deeply, sending shivers cascading down my spine. There’s something about his low, husky voice that gets me every. Single. Time.
“Don’t be sorry,” I breathe
, my fingers trembling to touch him. “I liked it.”
And I did. No word of a lie.
The frisson of energy his teeth sent through me as we both came was intoxicating and something I’d let him do over and over again.
“This is much better.” I sigh, relaxing against him. “I don’t like fighting with you.”
He smiles against my skin. “Me either, but I don’t regret it.”
“You don’
t?”
“No. I learned a lot of new things about you.”
I turn around. “Like what?”
“You’re passionate. You’re stubborn
, and you like it when I fuck you hard.”
I almost choke, feeling my cheeks heat immediately. “I
do not.”
My breath hitches as h
e comes at me, one hand snatches my wrists and the other swiftly grabs a handful of my ass. He slams me hard against the fridge and electrical currents flow through me, pooling in the most sensitive places as he pins my arms above my head. Embarrassingly, my breathing quickens and I soak my underwear.
“Told you
,” he says.
He doesn’t smile—there’s no victory to his expression
, only darkness—sweet, arousing, darkness…and I want all of it to myself. Forever.
His mouth finds my neck and he roughly suck
s and nips at me, and I grind my hips against him with urgency. I can feel him hard against his jeans and pressing eagerly into mine. I’m ready for him to rip my clothes off and take me on the countertop right now…or at least I am until his phone rings.
He pulls it from his back pocket and slips it onto the
counter, all without taking his mouth from me. I’m more than happy to ignore it. I want all of his attention on me—where it counts. I hook my finger around the hem of his jeans and almost get the button undone when his phone rings again. He pulls away with a frustrated groan, and keeping my arms pinned above me, he grabs his phone. When he reads the screen he hesitates for a moment.
“California
,” he mutters, answering it and putting it to his ear. “Hello? Yes. Visits?” He pauses as the person speaks on the other end. “How is she?” A longer pause. “Okay. I’ll be there the day after tomorrow.”
He hangs up and frees my wrists.
I wait for him to speak as he rakes his fingers through his hair and expels an exhale from his lips. “We’re going to California.”
“We? As in me and you?”
He arches a brow. “No, me and the fridge—of course you and me.”
I roll my eyes playfully
at his sarcasm. “What about the gym? Who’s going—”
He silences me,
pressing a finger against my lips, and bringing the phone back to his ear. I swat him away and he smiles, tucking his fingers into my jean pocket and tugging me closer. I laugh once as I push off of him and slip away from his hold.
“Jackson, it’s me—e
verything’s fine. I need you to book two tickets to California for tomorrow afternoon. Yes—and look after the gym for a few days…” Seth frowns. “Because I’m going to California.” He laughs. “Thanks.”
I smile. I’m g
lad they’re on good terms again. He slaps his phone against the palm of his hand. “Jackson has got the gym and Selena will probably help.”
“What about your training?”
Seth leans against the kitchen counter crossing his legs at the ankles. “I’m not going to be able to sort that out over the phone.” He groans. “I have to go.”
My insides deflate. “Go? You can’t go. You were just—we were—I was—really?”
He chuckles, pushing himself off of the counter and circling me in his arms. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise. When we’re in California, I’ll do whatever you want me to do to you.”
The thought of going to California to see Seth’s mother
suddenly becomes tolerable. “Deal, but you better bring your A game.”
His hand slips under the fabric of my shirt and around to the small of my back. “Don’t I always?”
I smile. He sure does.
Seth plants a quick kiss on my lips and stalks from the house, locking and cl
osing my front door behind him. I drop into the couch with a heavy sigh. The thought of seeing Vanessa again makes me nervous…the last time I saw her, Seth was carrying her passed out from the police station. She’s had finer moments, I’m sure, and I hope she’s better, for his sake. I think it’d do him some good to have his mom back.
Seth
Talking to Darryl about skipping on training for a few days is something that had to be done to his face. He isn’t going to like it, but the truth is, I’m fucking sore. My body aches, my ribs hurt, my face hurts,
and
I have a constant headache that’s driving me insane.
Sleep.
I can’t wait to climb into bed and fall asleep. Unfortunately, Darryl lives on the other side of town and I have to venture through a million and one traffic lights, meaning I’m going to be driving for at least forty minutes there and back—not to mention the long, long conversation I’m going to have with Darryl following my announcement.
I roll to a stop outside Darryl’s nice family home. It’s small, but it gives off a loving vibe. It doesn’t feel co
ld or emit an unwelcome feeling like my house does or the ones I grew up in. My parents were hardly home—dinners were always frozen instead of fresh, leaving the kitchen feeling sterile. There was no warmth of a freshly cooked meal floating in the air…not that it matters now, I guess. I didn’t really mind, it was all I knew.
When I walked in on Olivia’s family dinner months ago, before Rick died, I knew I’d missed out on so much, but my kids will never have to.
That I can guarantee.
I shake my head, ignoring the thoughts. I’m only twenty-four. No need for kids yet—not until I’ve accomplished everything I need to. I don’t want to be a fighter when I have kids. I don’t want to drag Olivia to events and parties when she’s pregnant. I smile at the thought of a small, round belly protruding from her t-shirts.
A firm knock on my window forces the
way
too domesticated thoughts from my head. I’m beginning to wonder exactly who is the female in this relationship…Darryl steps away from my door as I open it and I try hard not to laugh at his ‘
best dad in the world’
pajamas and fail.
“Ha. Ha
,” he deadpans. “It’s hilarious.”
He shifts his shirt, pulling it around his shoulders more. “When you have kids, you’ll see how much strength it takes to actually use the gifts your kids buy you and then I’ll be laughing at you.”
The corner of his mouth curls upwards and I know he enjoys it more than he lets on. “Anyway, you never visit me at home, not since the night you almost slept with Olivia and your mom was hospitalized for alcohol poisoning.”
I swing my legs over the edge of my chair and rest my feet on the step. I remember that night.
During the weeks Olivia and I couldn’t have sex I remembered that night over and over, torturing myself. Had I known all of the things I said was going to end up being a waste of hot air, I would’ve taken her right then and there, and I know it would have been the sweetest victory ever—had the hospital not called for the third time that week, that is.
“So, what’s up?”
I’m not one to beat around the bush, so I tell him. “I’m taking a few days off training.”
His eyebrows draw together and I brace myself for the speech sure to follow.
Surprisingly, they relax back to their natural curve. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Sure.” He shrugs, crossing his arms over his chest. “You need time to recover and if you keep going as hard as you did today, it’ll take too long.” He paused. “Are you and Olivia still fighting?”
I shake my head. “No, we made up. We’re going to California tomorrow to see Mom.”
Darryl’s eyebrows pull closer to the middle of his forehead again. “Are you sure that’s a good idea so close to a fight? You know how your mother is. You’ve barely been anxious since she left.”
“I’m not letting her out, Da
rryl, I’m only going to see her to see if she’s made progress.” And because every morning I wake up and she’s not in the house, I feel like the biggest asshole in the world. Support, that’s all she needs, but I don’t have time to look after her
and
me, not now that I’m in the pros. When the season ends, I’ll contemplate signing her release. “And I want Mom and Olivia to spend some time together.”
“Has your mother even met Olivia?”
I nod, almost cringing at the memory. Mom had been drunk on both occasions—calling Olivia by another girl’s name. “I doubt she remembers, but yes.”
“As long as you rest, I don’t see the harm in going to California.
We’re leaving for Vegas in two days
and
tomorrow morning, we have a meeting with the authorities and the MMAC to discuss suing Don and—”
“I don’t want to sue him.”
He inches closer to me. “You don’t want to sue him?”
“I don’t want his money. I wa
nt him out of fighting—for good. I don’t want him to have the balls to even look at a glove, ever again.”
Darryl rubs his forehead with the tips of his fingers. “They’re not going to go for that, they’ve had their eyes on Don for a while. He’s a good fighter, Seth, one that the compan
y can benefit from.”
There’s no contest and I won’t budge. “Don will never fight in the MMAC again
and I won’t tolerate anything less.”
“And if they don’t give you what you want?”
I shift my weight. “We were attacked outside our gym, unprovoked and unaware. They’ll give me exactly what I ask for.”
Darryl shakes his head. “
You’ve yet to have your first fight and you’re already threatening your employers.”
I smile. “What can I say? I’m one of a kind.”
“That’s for sure.”
My phone buzzes with a text message and I pull it
from my pocket to take a look.
FROM: JACKSON. TIME: 8:00P.M
Flights
booked. You leave day after tomorrow @ 5 a.m.
I slip my phone back into my pocket. “What time is the meeting?”
“Nine a.m.”
“All right, I’ll see you then.”
He extends his hand to me and I put mine in his. His long fingers clasp mine in a firm grip and he tugs me forward, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
“See you tomorrow.” He releases me. “Who knows, maybe you’ll find the right time to propose to Olivia in California.”
I straighten myself in my chair and grip my door. “Maybe.”
The thought alone sends dread spiraling through my stomach. I’m freaking out over a question I’m sure she’ll say yes to. A question…that’s all it is. It’s strange how something as small as talking can have me paralyzed with fear. I close my door and start my car. Chatting to Darryl didn’t take as long as I expected. I can tell he needs a break, he seems tired, and a day or two should be plenty of time to refresh his body and mind. I didn’t take it easy on him today—especially after last night—and I still haven’t apologized for getting pissed off at him, but I don’t have to. He won’t accept an apology. They make him uncomfortable. He prefers to forgive and forget with no heartfelt exchanges. That’s just who he is.
I contemplate going back to Olivia’s house. Knowing her
mom is out until God knows when is tempting…holding Olivia is tempting too, but I need sleep and I’d never get my much needed sleep in a bed with someone like her—not until I exhaust every opening and every position.
I pull out of
Darryl’s street, unsure where to go. I turn right, in the direction of Olivia’s house. Ignoring the ‘
don’t text and drive’
sign I pass, I retrieve my phone from my pocket and send her a text message.
TO: OLIVIA. TIME: 8:11 P.M.
Go home or come to yours?
A few minutes later, she replies. And what a reply it is. I’d set the image she just sent me as my wallpaper, but such naked perfection is only meant for me. There’s a caption too
:
You decide.
In the picture, her dark hair is wet and it drapes down her glistening chest, barely settling above her gorgeous, pink nipples. I want to see her bottom half—I want to see water glisten on the other parts of her body. The parts I’d lick over and over without hesitation. That is my idea of heaven. Now, I’m glad I turned right instead of left toward my house. Dropping my gaze to my phone routinely, I text back.
TO: OLIVIA. TIME: 8:18 P.M.
On my way.
Don’t you dare move.
I drop my phone into the center console and press a little harder on the accelerator. I don’t think I can get there fast enough.
***
(T-minus three days until Las Vegas)
I enter the gym with Darryl hot on my heels.
“I can’t believe you’re late—even after I told you we had a meeting this morning.”
I hear the annoyance in his steps and I zone it out. I’m not that late—twenty minutes, give or take a few. He follows me up the stairs, past the office and into the meeting room—the only room in this entire building I haven’t been in.
A long, varnished wooden table complete with big (and no doubt comfortable) chairs. It’s very corporate compared to the old school styling outside of this room. My eyes drag over the men and woman sitting before me. They don’t seem bothered that I’m late. Then again, with ‘suits’ you can never really tell. They have their poker faces perfected.
Darryl steps by me and into the room. “Gentlemen…” he clears his throat. “…and lady.”
The caramel haired woman with the large whiskey eyes nods at him, acknowledging his correction. As Darryl goes back to addressing them, her eyes flick to me and I know that look. Her eyes are glossy, her cheeks slightly flushed. Lust. I’ve seen it a million times a
nd it doesn’t really come any clearer than that. I think she’s attractive. I like the way her hair is pulled back into a loose bun and I like her tight business dress, but the look on her face doesn’t make my stomach clench. I don’t want whiskey colored eyes looking at me from underneath slack, aroused eyelids. I want green…I want long chocolate hair and perky, natural breasts. Olivia. I want her, no one else.
“Where are
we standing on the decision?” I ask.
Darryl steps
to the side and I drop into the chair at the head of the table.
“Well, we’ve come to an agreement with Don’s lawyers.”
Thomas, MMAC’s best lawyer replies, “They’re willing to pay a substantial amount of money to stop this from escalating.”
I sit forward in my chair, resting my elbows on the table. “I don’
t want his money.”
Thomas’s thick, dark eyebrows furrow. “Your trainer told us—”
Darryl sighs, cutting him off and sitting in a spare chair. “Forget what I said. Seth has his own idea about the outcome of this case.”
Thomas knows exactly what I want and the stress on his face tells me he doesn’t want to go that way.
“What do you want, Seth?” the woman asks, slipping the end of her pen between her lips.
She knows what she’s doing and I’m sure many others have fallen for that whole ‘sex kitten’ vibe. Shit. I would have
months ago.
“I don’t want a single dime from him. I want him gone. No more competitions, no more training
, and no more fights.”
Thomas pulls his glasses down the bridge of his nose and off his face, before his beady blue eyes zero in on me.
“With all due respect, Mr. Marc—”
“Seth
,” I correct him. Mr. Marc sounds weird.
“Seth,
sorry. The MMAC is in need of good fighters. Don Russell is our number two choice—second to you. He’s an asset we’d like to possess when he’s earned it.”
“You want someone like him to represent the MMAC? Look at my face.” I rise to my feet and tug my shirt up, exposing my darkened ribs. “Look at my ribs. He isn’t a fighter. He’s a fucking pussy.”
The young guy next to Thomas shifts in his seat and leans closer to mutter something into his ear. When he pulls away, Thomas clears his throat. “I understand there was an incident in Boston during the amateur tournament…you hit Mr. Russell in the face?”
I don’t let my eyes waver fro
m him. How does he know that? I thought the tapes were gone? I lower myself back into my seat. “You’re going to have to refresh my memory.”
As Thomas glances down, I steal a look at Darryl
, whose face is locked on me. He seems just as surprised.
“Mr
. Russell’s lawyers have informed us that you attacked him and his lady friend at the Polaris gentlemen’s club in Boston.”
Lady friend? I think for a moment and it isn’t until Darryl laughs once under his breath
I realize he’s talking about Olivia.
“Lady friend? Is that what he called her?” I shake my head. “Don was sexually harassing my girl. I didn’t attack him for
no
reason. I was protecting her.”