The Fighter Duet: Two Full-Length, Red-Hot New Adult Fighter Romances (21 page)

“Oh, sure.” I said, going over to hold his hand. I turned it over and traced my finger over the bold green
21
inked above his thumb. I noticed him flinch, but I played it off. “We’re like family now, I guess. You know I can fix tattoos?”

I wasn’t sure why I said it. Probably because it was how Patrick and I met—with me changing one of his least-favorite tattoos into something he could live with.

“Did you have something in mind?” he smiled, sliding my hair off my cheek. I looked up and scooted around the bar, catching his sexy jawline.

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Pulling him gently, he readily leaned forward to catch my lips with his. “It’s a surprise.”

* * *

T
he owner
of the White Lotus tattoo shop in Toms River was a new client, Wren. She was a tall woman with short black hair and sleeves of ink down both her arms. One was a green-and-red rose vine with enormous thorns and the words
Love Hurts
. The other was several blue-and-green Hokusai-style waves with the words
Love Heals
.

As I’d helped her with form and increasing her strength, I’d admired the artistry, which led to talk about my past experience. I told her I wished I had access to a gun to touch up some of my own ink, and she only asked me to bring my license. She was more than happy to let me use her equipment—once I’d completed the necessary paperwork, of course.

After I finished my touch-up at Wren’s, I went to the small gift shop off the boardwalk. I’d seen a trinket weeks ago I’d forgotten until last night. I was kissing Slayde’s back, tracing my fingertips down the lines of the wings inked there, when the memory floated through my brain.

The cashier was kind enough to wrap it for me, and I headed home, stopping off to grab some take-out Thai food before driving to his studio apartment.

“You’re killing me with all the takeout,” he said, meeting me at the door with a kiss.

“It’s impossible to remember what you say when you kiss me like that,” I teased.

The bandage on my hand couldn’t be hidden, and he lifted my wrist before I’d finished unloading the bags.

“What happened?” He pulled it toward his chest, carefully lifting the gauze from my palm. When he saw what was underneath, he didn’t speak.

His face grew unbearably serious as he studied my palm. I felt like my chest was about to burst open.

“Please say something.”

He blinked up at me, his clear blue eyes fathomless. “What have you done?”

Feeling self-conscious, I tried to explain. “Tattoos are supposed to commemorate things, right?” Taking a quick breath, I continued. “When my husband died, I put the tear in my hand for all the tears I cried. Because I believed I’d never love again, and I didn’t want to forget.”

Blinking up at him, he watched me, that intense expression sending shimmers through my chest. “You’ve shown me that part of me isn’t dead.”

I waited, unsure if I was ready to say it. Inhaling a deep breath, I swallowed my nerves and just told him. “I know I can love again, because of you. I know… because I love you.”

He held my hand and when I said the last words, I felt his grip tighten ever so slightly. Blinking up at him, he stared at my palm with an expression I’d never seen before. It was something like wonder.

Then he lifted my palm to his lips and kissed it.

He studied it a moment longer before speaking. “Kenny,” he stopped and seemed so torn. I felt guilty for showing him. It was like I was rushing him again, pushing him into something he wasn’t ready for.

He caught my cheeks, and lifted my face. “Kenny,” his voice was barely above a whisper. “I love you so much.”

My insides melted at his words. “Slayde…” I couldn’t finish.

It didn’t matter because he wasn’t finished. “All this time, I fought. I fought myself wanting you. I fought myself believing I was good enough for you. I’m not. I’m not any of those things. I don’t deserve you. But dammit, Kenny, I love you.”

I was laughing and holding his face. Kissing him, and smiling. His hands were finding their way under my shirt, and I remembered his gift.

“Oh, wait! Hold that thought.” I danced around the bar to the brown bag I’d left on the counter. My shirt was loose and open, and I saw his darkened eyes watching me. “I got you something.”

Reaching into the bag, I pulled out the small box. He took it from me with a confused face.

“Don’t buy me any more gifts.” His voice was stern, but I just leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

“Don’t be like that. I buy you gifts because I love you.”

His eyes blinked to mine then back to the box. After a brief pause, he lifted the lid and immediately, he lowered it. His brow lined and he stared at me so hard.

“What will I do with you?” So much emotion was in that whispered question.

I caught his cheeks and kissed him. “Make love to me again and again.”

That made him smile, and he lifted the gift out of the box. It was a small copper bird, weathered and vintage, and in the center was etched the word
Free
.

“You’re free from the pain you try to hold onto.” I took the necklace from him and put it over his head. It fell down to the center of his chest, just above his heart, and it seemed right to me. “Be free, my love.”

I
couldn’t calm
the tornado of emotions wracking my insides. The last time I’d experienced such an onslaught, it had been heartbreak, destruction, the end of me. Now Kenny was holding my hands and saying she loved me, giving me a bird with the word
Free
engraved in the center.

She was at my apartment bringing me food. I was complaining about takeout, telling her not to give me gifts like a fucking asshole, and she blew it all away. Holding her face in my hands, I could only look into her eyes. I was lost in them. I didn’t deserve this.

“Kenny…” I tried, but all I could do was kiss her.

I could only take her sweet lips with mine, find her tongue with mine, slide my worthless hands down her beautiful body in a prayer of thanks to all of the gods who might give a shit about a loser like me. Second-chance gods who believed a killer could be worth saving. How could they send this amazing creature into my life?

In her hand, the teardrop tattoo was transformed. She’d added another teardrop inverted, making it a heart.

What she couldn’t know was the heart in her hand was mine.

She’d hold it forever. I never wanted it back.

* * *

T
he next day at lunch
, I made an excuse and slipped away down to the boardwalk. Pulling out my cheap phone, I dialed the familiar number. The voice on the other end told me to wait, and I sat, holding the copper charm in my hand, reading it again.

“Doc here.” I couldn’t help but smile at the familiar voice.

“It’s me Slayde.”

“Slayde! It’s been a long time. What’s going on?”

“Not much. Too much.” Looking down at my hands, I thought about what I wanted to say. He didn’t have a lot of time, I knew. “I guess I need your advice. Again.”

“You know I’m here for you, kid.” He waited, but I could hear voices in the background. I had to make this quick.

“Remember that girl?”

“The one you saved on the beach? The one you were working with?”

“I’m still working with her.” My brow lined as I thought. “She asked me to teach her boxing. Show her some moves, self-defense.”

A smile was in his voice. “You started training her? In boxing?”

“Yeah, and she’s really good, a fast learner.” A knot was in my throat, and I knew I had to stop beating around the bush. “I’ve been seeing her away from the gym. She’s really kind and beautiful.”

“That’s great news.” Doc’s voice was cheerful. “So what’s the problem?”

“She doesn’t know about me, about my past.” Pressing my fingers against my closed eyes, I rubbed my eyelids. “I know I need to tell her. I can’t seem to find a way. I wondered… would it be wrong if I didn’t? No—I know I have to tell her everything.”

“It sounds like you know the answer here. What are you asking from me?”

Taking a deep breath, I sat back on the bench. “I’m not asking for anything, I guess. I just needed to hear a friendly voice.”

“You got this, my friend. If she’s the woman you believe she is, she’ll be strong enough for your past.”

“I love her, Doc.” An ache of dread moved through my chest. “I didn’t know I’d never been in love until I met her.”

It was all I was able to say, but he knew the rest. “True love destroys fear. It covers sins. It’s stronger than any human emotion.”

“How do you know that?”

“It’s in the Bible.” A voice spoke to him, and the raking sound of his hand over the receiver filled my ear. “I’ve got to go, but listen to me. I know you, and I know your heart. If you love this girl, she has to be something pretty special. Tell her your truth. She’ll love you through it.”

“Thanks, Doc.”

“Talk to you soon.”

I switched off my phone and stared at it a little while. Then I got up and walked slowly to my truck. I would tell her. I’d take a day, collect my thoughts, and I’d tell her my story. If I loved her, I had to believe she was strong enough to hear it.

T
he days flowed
by like keys on a piano, each one a beautiful note of music. We spent every night together, either at his place or at mine, and every day at the gym, we exchanged glances from across the room, occasionally passing in the halls to steal a kiss, which naturally led to him copping a feel. I understood Rook and Tammy’s problem with keeping it in their pants now. When you loved someone this much, it was hard to stop at just a kiss, but we did. Slayde respected Rook’s rules.

We passed each night in each other’s arms, making love every way possible. I’d have to revise my answer to Mariska, because he did occasionally hold me down and fuck me hard from behind. It was rough and violent, and I usually felt it the next day. Those were also the nights I came the hardest and glowed the longest, so I guess I was as twisted as he was.

He’d always hold me close to his chest after, his hands soothing me from my stomach to my breasts. He would hold my jaw and kiss me, and I loved his possessiveness. I loved that before falling asleep, he would always check my palm for the tiny heart hidden there.

One night as I lay hugged against him, he held it up and placed his palm against mine. I reached out and touched his hand.

“What’s the
21
for?” I’d promised not to ask about his ink, but this one was always in plain sight.

“It was the year my life changed.” I could tell by his tone it hadn’t been a good change.

“Maybe I can make it a
26
?”

He opened our palms so he could run his thumb over my little heart. “I want this instead. I want them to line up when we do this.” I watched him put our hands together again. “Then I want to tell you everything.”

My heart jumped at that statement. “Name the day, and we can run over to White Lotus. I’m friends with the owner.”

“Is that where you did yours?”

Nodding, I smiled, and he rolled me onto my back. His face hovered inches above mine, and he looked deep into my eyes. “I love you, Kenny.”

Nothing kept us apart when he said that.

* * *

B
efore going
to the gym the next morning, we hopped in Henry and drove to the tattoo shop. Wren was there, and she was happy to let us use her spare gun in the back room. She wore a black tank and
Love Hurts/Love Heals
was on full display.

“I really love your ink,” I said, tracing my finger over one of the curled waves, thinking of our conversation at the gym.

She smiled and passed me two sheets of paper. “He needs to fill out all the usual forms, and I should probably have you pay me something small. A few bucks we can call rent in case anybody ever questions us.”

“Of course!” I took the paperwork and handed it to Slayde. “Whatever you need just let me know.”

“I’m only thinking about it because it’s that time of the month.” My mouth dropped, and she laughed. “When I do my bookkeeping, I mean. Although it makes me as cranky as PMS.”

I laughed too. “We’ll be out of your hair in less than ten minutes. I’m just doing something small.”

She stood and walked over to Slayde, checking out the boxing gloves on his bicep. “That’s some good work. You a boxer?”

“Ex.” He glanced up as he filled out the forms.

“I’ve seen this before.” She pointed to five dots on his right hand.

His eyes flickered to hers, but he didn’t answer.

Wren didn’t say any more, and I took his hand in mine. “Ready to get it done?” He glanced up, and my smile held all the love I felt for him.

He looked down and shook his head. “Yeah, I’ve got this all filled out.”

“Come on then.” I pulled his arm, and he handed the forms back to Wren, who now eyed him with suspicion.

Once we were in the back, I spoke softly as I prepped my workspace. “Sorry about that. You know how it goes. Everybody wants to talk about their ink.”

His lips pressed together and he put his hand on my cheek. “This one is for us. It always will be no matter what happens.”

I held a piece of tracing paper on my palm. “Outline it for me so I can be sure they match.”

He took the black felt pen I had and quickly outlined the small heart. I took it and held his hand. “Mine is on the left, so yours should be on the right.” Holding his palm flat, I wiped it several times with an antiseptic pad before transferring the design to his palm. “Now it’s just a matter of filling it in.”

“You know I’ve done this before, right?” He grinned, and I laughed.

“I don’t know why I do that.” Shaking my head, my long purple ponytail danced around my shoulders. “I guess it’s a habit.”

He reached out and caught the ends of my hair, wrapping a lock around his finger. “Better hurry up or Rook’s going to be pissed.”

Leaning forward, I kissed him quickly before getting started. In less than ten minutes we were done.

* * *

S
layde went
straight to the supply closet when we arrived at the gym, then headed to the men’s locker room. His new ink only needed a small Band-Aid. It was tiny and I was a light touch, so it wouldn’t take long to heal. Still, I made him wear a surgical glove while working.

Rook was at the juice bar when I finished with my last client, and he was pissed. Only it wasn’t at us. The tanker had arrived in port, and the gym had been slammed all day with sailors taking advantage of the complimentary membership.

“Fuck, how long are these assholes in port?” He’d stormed into the juice bar speaking under his breath.

“Just a few days,” Mariska said, making notes in her recipe book. “I’ll make you a cucumber and ginger-root smoothie. It’ll help you relax.”

“They don’t speak the language, they take breaks on the equipment, and they leave towels everywhere.”

“Your Type A is acting up,” my friend teased. “I think they’re nice.”

I ducked under the bar, hoping to diffuse the situation. “Why don’t you take off? We can handle these guys.”

He glanced at me. “I might. Tammy’s been doing double classes, and I feel like we haven’t seen each other in a week.”

My lips pressed together as I tried to hold back my laugh. “Dude. Go home and fuck your wife. You know that’s why you’re so tense.”

Everything went quiet for a beat. Mariska held her breath. Then Rook exploded with a laugh.

“Shit, Kenny.” He jerked my ponytail and headed back into his office. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

“We don’t have to discuss it!” I called after him. “I finally got those images out of my head.”

He was gone a few minutes later, and Mariska fell on me laughing. “You’ve got balls the size of Texas, girl!”

We both laughed harder. “What’s the point of catching them twice if I can’t give him a hard time about it?”

My gorgeous guy appeared around the corner then. “You two kittens are having way too much fun. What’s up?”

“You are very sexist.” I leaned forward to capture his lips.

“Thanks,” he smiled, kissing me back. Then he frowned. “Oh, wait, you said sex-
ist
? I thought you said sexy.”

“You’re that too, Spinal Tap.” I dropped back off the bar. “How’s it going out there?”

“Overcrowded, but we can handle it.” He took my hand and placed our palms together. I loved it. “I’m going to have to clean the locker room twice.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. “Want me to help you?”

“I would never want you to do that.” He laced our fingers, and I thought about the two little hearts mirroring each other.

“I don’t mind,” I said softly. Never in my life had I been so completely and fully blissed out with happiness. It radiated in my toes.

Just then Pete called Slayde, and he kissed my hand before heading back to the weight room. “We’re going to talk tonight.”

“Okay,” I nodded, anticipation hot in my chest.

“I’m trying not to hate you two,” Mariska said once he was gone, but her giggle gave her away.

“You’ve got a lot of room—” I ducked out from behind the bar, but my words were cut off as two men strode through the glass doors.

It took me a second to register Patrick and Derek standing in the lobby of The Jungle Gym, completely out of context.

“Patrick?” I was confused, and I was pretty sure Mariska fainted.

“Hey, babe.” Patrick caught me in his usual rough hug, but he wasn’t smiling.

Derek waited, hands on his hips. He was a mountain of intimidating sex on two legs, blue eyes like steel. In typical form, I had no clue what to say to him. They were obviously here on a job. All at once, the realization of what it had to be slammed into me like a medicine ball.

“I need to know if you were working about a week ago,” he said. “I think it was a Wednesday afternoon?”

“Oh, Patrick.” I cringed with the guilt. I’d given up trying to call him about Stuart at Mariska’s urging, but if something had happened to his brother… “I’m so sorry.”

Patrick’s expression grew more serious. “Why are you sorry? What happened?”

Mariska charged ahead, gripping the counter and practically crawling across it. “Is he okay? Tell me he’s okay!”

Patrick’s confused eyes moved to my friend. “I’m pretty sure he’s okay—are we all talking about Stuart?”

I started to breathe again. “Oh, thank God. Yes.”

Mariska collapsed against the wall as well, but Derek was impatient. “I’ll step out and call Nikki, let her know he was here. Looks like we’re only getting started.”

He disappeared out the double-glass doors just as a voice I loved joined us. “Kenny? What’s going on?” Slayde stopped beside me, but his eyes were on Patrick.

“Slayde,” I said quickly, “This is Patrick. Lane’s dad.” Just as fast, I completed the circle. “Patrick, this is Slayde Bennett.”

“Oh, sure,” Patrick said. “So you’re the guy who’s dating my baby-mamma.”

I was pretty sure I’d die on the spot, but Patrick wasn’t through. He stood a little straighter, pulling his shoulders back. “Just so you know, punk, you hurt her, and—”

“Let me guess.” Slayde cut him off, pulling his own shoulders back. “You’ll rip my throat out and shove it up my ass.”

Again, silence filled the juice bar. This time I’d forgotten how to breathe.

Until Patrick laughed. “Good guess. How did you know?”

I almost collapsed, but Slayde slipped his hand into mine, lacing our fingers. “I heard the warning the first night I met her.”

I looked up at him, speaking softly. “It wasn’t for you.”

“Let me clock out,” he said, kissing the back of my hand.

I smiled and watched him step around to the office. Once he was gone, I looked up at Patrick. His hazel eyes twinkled. “Damn, girl, you are so beautiful in love.”

“I’m going to kill you,” I groaned.

“It’s okay if I say that, right? Because you are seriously glowing right now.”

My cheeks were hot. “Will you knock it off? What’s going on with your brother?”

His expression became serious. Derek rejoined us as Patrick explained. “He came back from Saudi a few weeks ago. He was running the Princeton office when Nikki, our office manager there, called and said he’d disappeared. Just went off the grid. I tracked a credit card transaction that led us here. Did he come to see you?”

“He did.” I racked my brain trying to remember everything that happened that day, every word we said. “He was okay, but he seemed very focused—not in a good way.”

Patrick’s lips tightened. “Was his behavior in any way erratic or threatening?”

My eyes widened slightly. “Not at all. He gave me a medal… he said it was your dad’s? He wanted me to keep it for Lane.”

Patrick’s face blanched, but Mariska jumped in, “He said he was going to your uncle’s!”

Both men turned to her. “What exactly did he say?” Derek’s deep voice was so serious, it made me afraid.

My friend was equally concerned. “He said it was out west, but he didn’t get specific. Somewhere he could breathe?”

“I know where he is.” Patrick seemed to relax a bit, and from the corner of my eye, I noticed Slayde returning to join us.

But something was wrong.

He was smiling until his eyes landed on the new addition to our group. At the sight of Derek, everything changed. It was as if he’d seen a ghost or something worse—something terrible. He leaned heavily against the wall.