No Regrets (No Regrets #1) (15 page)

I’m
tired of Meyer’s bullshit. I get up from the stool and thank Brutus, turning to go. Meyer’s hand on my arm causes me to stop. He asks, “Will you just think about it? Jackson thinks it’s good if you pair up with me.”

“I’ll think about it,” comes out under my breath.

As I walk to the door, the past seems to slowly creep back up on me, the door opens to a pissed off Red. She immediately spots Meyer leaning against the bar holding an ice pack to his nose. She looks at me a few feet away and lashes out to strike me with her clenched fist. “What did you do?”

I catch
her wrist in my hand. The grip tightens as I savor the touch of her skin. I smile at her feistiness before shaking my head, looking at Meyer and back into her confused gaze. “Nothing, he’s all yours. I found him for you.”

My hand
releases her arm and I strut out the door. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until the sun shines in my face, causing moisture to form on my brow. My breath comes out shallow for the past that just snuck up on me and the woman I just turned my back on against every cell in my being.

Chapter 18

Jackson finds me
sparring with another fighter, Jonesy, of all the kids I could have picked. Jonesy’s voice echoes through the gym, “All right, Grey, yeah. Just like that. Hit it dead on. Mix it up.”

He
chuckles at the wall and I turn in response. He says, “Jonesy was the first fighter you beat in a spar and here he is cheering you on, probably your biggest fan now.”

Jonesy exclaims, “I don’t know about all that but the dude has some skills.”

I begin hitting on the kid again.

Jackson steps up
to the mat and calls out, “Jonesy, give me the mitts. Grey is holding back.”

My hands stop and I stare
at Jackson as he steps onto the matt. He walks past Jonesy, swiping the pads from his grasp. He faces me, glaring. “You need to get it together, Pace. This holding back shit won’t fly in Vegas.”

I’m
about to protest but Jackson’s words sink in, causing panic. I’m sure the look on my face says it all.

“
Yeah, Vegas. Big time, but you already knew that.” Jackson pulls the toothpick from his mouth.

I
shake my head, trying to displace the thoughts and start moving with successive punches, each move meeting one of Jackson’s palms.

“Come on
, Pace, give it all you got.” Jackson pants out as I continue hammering his hands. “I don’t know what it’ll take to get you to put yourself into it. Figure it out, I feel like a fuckin’ broken record.”

My body pushes forward. A picture forms of
Meyer with his arm around Mollie. I force the air out and speed up the punching. My leg sails up, kicking into the mitt.

“That’s it
, Pace, whatever you’re doing, keep going.”

I wince
as the imaginary Meyer leans in to kiss Mollie. My hand comes up in a rounded punch, striking Jackson’s side. He doubles over, causing me to come back from my thoughts. I rush to Jackson’s side, grabbing his back to hold his weight.

“I’m
sorry, Jax. I was in the moment. Shit, sorry.”

He
chuckles, straightening out to his full height, shaking it off. “I knew it was in there somewhere. Whatever just caused you to do that, keep at it.”

I slip the gloves off and look
at the floor, angling for the locker room, pissed that I’m letting her get to me where I usually feel most at peace. Jackson calls after me, “Meyer set things up. Your first fight is two weeks away in Vegas.”

My body
continues on. Whatever Jackson has gotten into with Meyer, I know it can’t be good. He was too sketchy at the bar today. Given he had probably been drinking all night, but he still didn’t want to give up too much information, which raises tons of red flags. First the constant push of Parker, and now Meyer. My anger grows but I know I’m done fighting for the day. It won’t help this shitty mood.

After a quick shower I head
straight to Juno’s, glad for the distraction. Christina will help keep my mind off things, namely the off limits girl that haunts my waking minutes.

When I
enter through the back door, a crackly voice calls, “Grey, is that you? Come see me in the office.”

My
shoulders seem to sink further at Juno’s voice beckoning me to her office.
What do they all want from me?
I thought winning last night would change things. Maybe the direction everything is going isn’t in my favor. As I round the corner to the small four by four room, two voices start lip synching way off key to “Undefeated” by Daughtry. Christina holds a round two-tiered cake in her arms. The blue lettering across the top displays the words. “Congratulations, Champ.” I smile as I take the cake from her grasp and place it on the desk. Then I pull Christina and Juno into my arms, squeezing them “Thank you, I really needed this.”

Christina
kisses my cheek and grabs a pen off the desk, shoving it under my mouth as a makeshift microphone, encouraging me to sing with her. I shake my head but she insists on getting me to sing a few lines. Juno covers her ears as we belt out the lyrics. Finally as the song ends, Juno tells us with a smile, “Okay, enough playing around. Get to work, you two.”

I follow
Christina to the bar, the cake in her arms. She calls back, “It’s celebratin’ time. No tellin’ Juno, though.” She cuts each of us a piece of the cake and pours whiskey into two glasses. Pulling them both off the bar, she places one in my hand and holds her glass up, exclaiming, “To the new and upcoming MMA champ, Greylan Pace—may you beat all their asses.”

I laugh at her toast and hold my
glass up before swallowing the contents in one gulp. After our little party, I put all of my concentration on getting the bar ready. Not many words are exchanged between us besides the usual insult here and there. I know Christina is concerned about Meyer being around, especially after I didn’t exactly share a lot of information with her. I think about telling her that I went to Brutus’ earlier in the day, but then I’d have to admit that Mollie got to me, and I’m having a hard enough time admitting that to myself.

The usua
l crowd gathers at the bar. We tag team the whole night, making sure everyone is nice and happy. An hour before closing I’m stocking the cooler under the bar. I’m almost finished when I look up to that face. Red is sitting in front of me, amused obviously, that I didn’t notice her come in. I decide to keep it completely official, bartender and customer. I have no claim on her, and after today she probably hates me.

I nod and look
back to what I’m doing. Once it’s finished, I direct my attention back to her and ask coolly, “Can I get you a drink?”

“Um, what are you drinking?”
Her smooth words make me want to smile but I can’t.

“I’m not. I’m working.” I remember her calling me
an ass earlier. This abrupt response can’t help my case but I refuse to try. That would mean I care and I can’t afford that right now. I told Christina when we met that I didn’t want any kind of a relationship. That fact is more real now than ever after last night’s fight. I’m going to Vegas in two weeks for my first professional fight. I can’t fuck it up.

She glares and seems to consider responding with a comment but instead asks, “Can I just get a whiskey?”

I turn, grabbing two glasses and the bottle, knowing I just contradicted my own thoughts. As I pour the golden liquid into both glasses, she asks, “I thought you were working.”

“I am, but that doesn’t mean I won’t join you in a drink.”

She shakes her head, then a quirk at the edge of her lip appears. “Do you know how infuriating you are?”

“I’ve probably been told that once or twice.”
And there it is. I know I just crossed the line but can’t help myself. The words flow so easy with her.

As she lifts her glass
, I notice her perfect red lips turn up in a smile. She sips the liquid daintily. I shake my head and tilt the glass back roughly, placing it back on the bar. Her brows go up in surprise. She lifts her glass again, this time swallowing the contents at once. She slams it back down in front of me, wincing as the liquid goes down. As I fill both glasses again she says, “Thanks for finding Meyer today. I guess I owe you one.”

“You don’t owe me anything.” I push
her glass forward. This time she lifts it into the air, encouraging me with a pointed look to do the same. As I raise mine she states, “To Greylan Pace, the champ!” A few of the other patrons down the bar salute and drink as we flip our own drinks back. As I’m placing the glass back onto the counter, Christina walks up. She eyes Mollie and looks up at me. I avert my eyes. She knows me well enough now to see how this woman affects me. She looks back at Red and asks, “Where’s Meyer?”

Mollie swirls her finger around the rim of her newly filled glass
. “Ahhh, Meyer. He had a rather trying day with getting punched in the nose and everything. He decided to catch up on some beauty sleep.”

Christina looks over at me. I’ve managed to inch my
way further down the bar. She asks Mollie while looking at me, “I don’t suppose our champ here had anything to do with that, did he?”

Mollie answers animatedly, “Oh yes
. I think they both thought they’d set each other straight but I’m sure you can guess who had the upper hand.”

Christina sha
kes her head and grabs my arm. She pulls me out of earshot across the expanse behind the counter and whines, “Why didn’t you tell me you saw them today? Is Meyer okay? Did you do some real damage? You know how I feel about the prick, he probably deserved it.” I move away, determined not to reveal anything, but she grabs my arm again and whispers, “I have a bad feeling about her.”

I meet
her stare. “She’s with Meyer, no worries.”

“
I’m not talking about that. I think you have a lot to be worried about.”

I move
toward Red, ensnared in her trance again, ignoring Christina’s double meaning. I know she’s with Meyer and that should be enough to deter me but my body betrays me. I close the distance, quickly needing to be near her. How can one woman affect me this much?

“So
, Grey, Champ, how many nicknames do you have?” she asks warmly.

“That’s it. You can call me Greylan
, though.” My lip lifts.

She smiles. Her head tilts back
allowing the amber liquid to slide into her lush mouth. My body awakens at her movements. I need to get myself under control or this woman is going to be the death of me. Over and over in my head the words repeat,
fighting is the most important thing, fighting is the most important thing
. Whatever she’s doing to me, I want to peel it away as if it’s another layer of skin, and leave it behind. But as with many of the things that haunt me, Red,
Meyer’s Mollie
, is something I don’t think I’ll be able to get rid of so easily.

Chapter 19

As the bar is closing
, Red stands, glancing at her watch. She and one other couple are the last of our customers. I have tried to keep a safe distance but I repeatedly found myself drawn to her over the past hour. I watch, trying to gauge how drunk she is and if I need to help her to the hotel. The last thing I want is to be alone with her. I’m not sure I would be able to keep my hands off her. She looks up as if deep in thought. The green in her eyes seems to glow in the light. I’m sure she’s feeling pretty good. She had quite a bit to drink

As I near her I ask
, “Mollie, do you want me to help you back to your hotel?”

As the question leaves my lips
, I hope she tells me no but I know I’ll do it anyway.

Her question takes me
by surprise. “Greylan, do you think that’s a good idea?” She stresses my full name, which makes me want her to say yes.
I’m so fucked up.

I shake my head at how shitty this is. I want her more than I’ve wanted any other woman. I
can only imagine how it would feel to have her under me as I explore every curve and line of her perfect body. I look down at her full breasts peeking out of the soft, pink v-neck sweater she’s wearing. She laughs, causing me to glance away uncomfortably, meeting Christina’s stare.
Caught by both of them, fuck
!

Christina is silently laughing
at me, I can tell. I plead with her to come to my rescue with a look but she shakes her head and continues drying the glass in her hand. She nods her head to Mollie, encouraging me to take her home. I frown in confusion, one minute she’s warning me to stay away and now she’s telling me to go for it.
Fucking women!

Finally I answer her question that hangs between us
. “No, I don’t think it’s a good idea but I’ll walk you anyway.”

Disappointment fills her features for a moment before she
regains her composure. “Well, Greylan Pace, it’s been fun. I can make it back by myself though, I’m a big girl.” She looks past me to Christina and smiles half-heartedly.

Dammit!
I struggle with whether I should escort her back or just let her go by herself. Before I can make a decision she’s out the door. Her red locks are the last thing I see before she disappears into the dark.

“Grey, what the hell was that?”

I turn to Christina. “What do you mean? You warned me an hour ago and now you tell me to go for it. I don’t know what the hell to do.” Anger seeps into my last words.

She smiles
, enjoying every minute of this. Not so long ago she was asking me for advice about Jonathan.

“Grey, you want her
, right? So you should go for it. You always struggle with your decisions and I know why. I watch as you over think things. I’m sorry you have to suffer like that, but this shouldn’t be something you mull over. Go after her and enjoy it.”

I glance
at the door, longing to follow her, but I know that if I go after her, any relationship I might have established with Meyer is gone. I direct my attention to picking up the empty beer bottles along the bar and push her out of my mind. I’m already an ass for not walking her to the hotel.

Christina walks over to me and punches my arm.
I raise my brows, shocked by the force and the remaining sting. My hand comes up to squeeze her arm as I tease, “Have you been working out? That was quite the punch.” She shakes me off and snatches the bottles from my grasp.

“Greylan Pace, don’t be an asshole. Go and make sure she got back to the hotel al
l right. If you aren’t going to pursue her, the least you can do is make sure she’s safe.”

I glare
, knowing exactly what she’s doing but also knowing she’s right.

She adds, “That’s an order or else you’re fired.”

I’m about to ask her about closing up but the door behind me opens. I look back, expecting Mollie, but Jonathan walks into the room. He’s tall and thin with dark skin and hair, telling of a Hispanic heritage. Nothing like who I had pictured Christina ending up with, but I know she loves him. Jonathan’s presence gives me an out I wasn’t expecting. I turn to Christina one last time and she tells me, “Grey, I’m serious, go.”

As I leave the bar
, my feet start in the direction of the hotel. I know how short the distance is, which is why I didn’t insist on walking her. But as I walk through the shadows, the anger at myself grows. I should have gone anyway just to make sure she got there safely, yet another reason for Meyer to hate me. Shit, if anything happened to her, I’d hate myself.

As I pas
s the next store front, a voice that sets my whole body on edge states playfully, “It’s about time. I was starting to have some doubts. Of course, always the gentleman, though.” Her speech is slurred and I’m pissed that I let her get this far without me.

I slow my pace as I come
face to face with her. She forces her hand out. “Let’s start over. I don’t think we got off on the right foot. Hello, my name is Mollie Andrews. And you are?”

My
hand grasps hers, my voice matching her light tone. “Greylan Pace. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mollie Andrews.” I pull on her hand, guiding her body closer to mine. As I look down into her eyes I know there’s no turning back. I’m going to do this regardless of the consequences. I want her too much and I can see that she wants me, too. I lower my lips in a light brush, touching hers. Slowly I explore her lips with the tiniest of contact, pulling back just inches and closing the distance again and again. Her hand trails up my chest, skimming the muscles beneath the T-shirt. My hands, still grasping hers, tighten in an attempt to keep myself from devouring her, but she withdraws her palm from mine to join the other one in an assault on my body. This makes me want to touch every inch of her but I pull back carefully, moving my hands to cup her elbows. She withdraws her hands apprehensively, looking up into my face as if searching for something. I know what she sees, all the conflicting emotion swirling through my head.

I whisper close to her ear
, “Mollie, I don’t think this a good idea. Meyer is my oldest friend. I know we have our differences and haven’t seen each other in a long time, but I can’t do this to him.”

Her lips spread
, lifting at the corners. “Greylan, that’s very noble of you. I’m impressed.” She leans in to my ear, skimming the skin with her lips before admitting, “I’m not Meyer’s girl.” I’m struck with the same words from that night so many years ago. She backs up a step and looks into my eyes as if telling me a secret. “I never was.”

I move further to
look into her needy eyes. I want to question her and ask why they’re here together. Why they were there that night together, but I decide I really don’t want to know, not now. Instead I focus on the relief that spreads as I realize there really is nothing holding me back from having this beautiful woman. My heart starts hammering in my chest. But I know she’s in no condition right now and I want the first time I touch her to be amazing.

I grab
her hand and gently pull her toward the hotel. She follows slowly with a dazed look across her face. I smile at how much of a lightweight she is but it’s just one more thing about her that I like. As we reach the lobby, she turns to me shyly and asks, “Do you want to come up?”

I grasp both of her hands in mine and position them against my chest. I shake my
head slightly, loving the timid side of her shining through. “Mollie, I want nothing more, but when you and I make love, it will be something I want you to remember and tonight,”—I look down at our hands—“it’s not the right time.”

A fleeting moment of disappointment crosses her
features but it’s gone before I can focus on it.

She
carefully removes her hands from mine and slides them up to my shoulders. I lower my face to brush her cheek with mine before meeting her lips again. This time I touch them only briefly with a promise for later. As I turn to leave, I have to focus on each step, forcing everything in me not to run back to her and regret it later. No regrets, I tell myself. No regrets and a cold shower.

***

The next morning a soft knock on my door wakes me up. The first thing I realize is that I didn’t wake up from a nightmare. It happens rarely but I’ll take what I can get. Another knock sounds. I slide on a pair of sport shorts and move to the door, putting my hand through my hair.

When I open
the door the most beautiful sight greets me. Red is standing there. She’s dressed in tight fitting jeans that hug her body in all the right places and a long sleeved, black t-shirt. A sure smile spreads on her lips as she asks, “Are you going to ask me in?”

I nod
, speechless. I back up, unsure whether I should wrap my arms around her or lead her into the apartment and offer her a drink or something. An awkward feeling moves through me because I want nothing more than to touch her, but if she’s here for a different reason…I would be crushed. I’m reluctant to move for fear that the alcohol was doing the talking last night. If she is with Meyer, whatever friendship we might have salvaged, would be gone if I act on these feelings.
What the hell is happening to me? She’s under my skin; I’ve done a shitty job of fighting it.

She turns
, taking a step toward me. A sweet, clean smell wafts up to my nose. I move further away, backing into the wall. She smiles and asks playfully, “Greylan, are you scared of me?"

My
eyes widen, this is a side I’m happy to see,
playful Red
. My heart speeds up. I like this version of her. I want more.

“No, definitely not scared
, Red.”

Her eyes go wide
. “What did you just call me?”

I smirk
, realizing I’ve never voiced the name out loud. “Red. I think it fits you.”

One more s
tep and her hand is skimming my bare abdomen. My skin tingles in its wake.

“S
o you get to call me a nickname that I wasn’t even aware of, and I still have to call you Greylan?”

“Red, you can call me anything you want.”
I take a deep breath to steady my voice.

Slowly, I lean forward and push
my lips softly onto hers. A soft moan escapes her mouth as she opens it, welcoming my tongue. I deepen the kiss, my whole body responding to this incredible creature. As my lips move with hers, I restrain my hands at my sides. I know that once I touch her, I’ll be done.

I break the kiss to look
into her deep green eyes. “Mollie, I need to know something.”

“Oh,
now it’s
Mollie
. Should I be worried?” she chides with a smile.

It takes so much re
straint not to pull her into me. I move my body back against the wall and ask, “What is the deal with Meyer? I told you last night that I can’t do that to him. If you’re with him in any way, I can’t. It’s going to kill me, but I won’t.”

She takes a s
tep backward and looks away. My heart falls at her reaction. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.
Fucking idiot.

I pull my hand through my already messy hair
, tugging, trying to concentrate on anything except the temptation standing before me. When she turns, the same sure smile meets the corners of her lips.

“I’m not with Meyer. I’ve never been with Meyer. That’s really all there is to tell.”

I can’t take it any longer. My body quickly closes the distance, grasping her arms, moving my lips over hers in a forceful kiss, covering her mouth entirely. She responds with a small moan, encouraging me further. My hands move to her hips, pulling her against my hardness. I taste every millimeter of her mouth before trailing kisses down her neck. My hands lower to the hem of her shirt and stop. I lean into her ear and ask in a whisper, “May I?”

She nods
, her breathing speeding up in anticipation. I pull her shirt up over her head. My hands get lost for a moment in her hair before sliding down the length of her sides and our mouths meet again. I pull away momentarily to admire her beautiful body. I move my hands to her bra. My hands cup each of her breasts, teasing through their lace covering. She writhes in response, almost losing her footing.

I chuckle and whisper
, “Do you want to see my bedroom?” She nods. I lift her into my arms effortlessly and carry her to my unmade bed. I place her softly on the edge, then I reach around to unhook her bra, my other hand freely teasing and taunting the peaks of her breasts.

Her hands move to
the waist band of my shorts lingering for a moment. My breath catches in anticipation. She stops kissing me and asks faintly against my lips, “May I?”

I smile and nod slightly
, loving everything about this wonderful angel. Hurriedly she runs her finger along my abdomen before pushing my shorts down to pool at my feet. I step out of them, my length springing to life below my boxers. I let out a long sigh before picking her up, her legs automatically wrapping around my hips. The sweetness of her nestled against me makes everything harder, if that’s possible. Swiftly I move her up onto the bed. As I hover over her perfect body lying amongst my blankets, I admit, “I’m not going to ask you this time. I’m telling you that I’m going to take the rest of your clothes off and then I’m going to explore every inch of your body.”