The Fighter (The High Rise, Book 1) (23 page)

“No, it
isn’t.”

“You didn’t
deny that you talk shit on me,” I made sure to point out.

He frowned
trying to remember what he’d said and I’d had enough.

“Get out,” I
said, pointing to the door.

“No.”

“Get the fuck
out!” I hissed.

He shook his
head.

“Fine! I’ll
leave then!”

I tried
getting by him but he grabbed me by my upper arms, keeping me from
going anywhere.

“Let me go,” I
bit out.

“Goddamn it,
Laney. Fucking shut up and listen to me!” he fired right back.

“Shut up? Did
you just tell me to shut up?”

“You goddamned
right I did.”

I glowered up
at him letting him see how mad I was.

“I don’t talk
shit about you.”

“You just said
all guys talk like that about women when they’re drinking,” I
retort snottily.

He bent down
and got in my face. “I’m not all guys.”

This made me
roll my eyes. “Please leave.”

“No.”

“Oh, my
fucking God! Can you just do one thing I ask?” I snap.

He then turned
me putting my back against my door slamming his lips against mine.
His hand went to my jeans undoing them in no time then sliding his
hand down inside my panties, I felt him brush over my clit before
he drove a finger up inside me, making me cry out despite the fact
that I was fighting for him to stop at the same time.

“Stop!” I
said, grabbing his forearm trying to pull his hand out.

He didn’t stop
and not being able to help myself, damn it, I quit trying to make
him stop because it felt so good. Anyway, my line of thinking right
then was, if we were breaking up and this was the last time we’d be
together, I might as well get off good.

My hands went
to his jeans unbuttoning them and I reached in pulling his already
rock hard cock out stroking it and making him groan.

He pulled his
hand out of my jeans pushing them down my hips and off, yanking my
shirt up and over my head leaving me only in my bra. He next
wrenched his shirt up over his head and off then shoved his own
jeans down his legs before picking me up where I wrapped my legs
around him and he literally impaled me on his dick making me dig my
fingers in, scratching the shit out of his shoulders as I came
hard, throwing my head back and screaming.

He held onto
my hips, lifting me then dropping me down onto his cock, fucking me
so hard I gasped each time he pulled me down on him because he was
going so deep.

Then suddenly
he stopped moving me, buried as far inside me as he could go making
me pant out a whimper when his hand came up to clutch my chin
making me look at him.

“I told you
I’d never say anything bad about you, Laney. Do you believe me?” he
ground out.

I looked back
at him defiantly still holding onto my anger and not answering
him.

He lifted me
then dropped me back on him forcefully making my breath catch.
God!

“You wanna
know why I’d never say anything bad about you?” he growled lifting
me once more before pulling me down on him. “Because I fucking love
you! That’s why!”

He carried me
to my bed putting a knee to it and moving across to the side that’s
next to the wall, pinned my back against it then his hips started
pistoning up into me hard and fast until he realized I was a
freaking sobbing blubbering mess. Moving us away from the wall, he
put my back to the bed, his large body covering mine as he started
slowly sliding in and out of me.

As he moved,
resting on his forearms, his hands came up to hold my face and he
used his thumbs to wipe my tears away. “I love you, Laney,” he
whispered bending to touch his lips to mine.

Through my
tears I managed to say, “I love you too, Heath.”

Then he was
making love to me and it was amazing. Not that I hadn’t loved the
first part of it. That was awesome too. But the last part allowed
us to hold each other, keeping our eyes locked as we finally
really
made love.

So, yes, things
definitely were going great between us
.

Eighteen

I’m in love with
Laney
.

I’ve only been
in love one other time before but feeling the way I do now, maybe
it hadn’t been love that first time because it was nothing like
this.

All I know is
this is awesome. Laney makes me feel like I’m ten-feet tall and
bulletproof, as if I’m the only one she’ll ever need. And I fucking
love that.

It’s the third
week of April and we’ve got it worked out that we’ll take off next
Friday to leave for Big Bear, not having to return until the second
Sunday. Ten days alone with Laney. I can’t wait.

And if
everything goes as planned, I’ll be finished with fighting having
found a way to get to Kyle’s records and delete Aaron from them
because I recently found out that Jake is a computer guru and only
works construction for me as a hobby because he said he gets bored.
He runs his own business out of his home doing anything from PC
repairs to routing, and from what he’s told me, he’ll soon be
giving Cisco and other core routing businesses a run for their
money as he makes his name known.

On Monday, I
filled him in on everything asking if there was any way he could
help me out and he said he was sure he could which had me so
fucking relieved. When I offered to pay him for it, he told me to
keep my money but he wanted to be set up with Dani. I’d laughed and
told him he’d better just take my money, but he refused asking if
I’d just put in a good word for him with her to which I agreed but
told him not to hold his breath.

It’s Friday
and Laney and I are having dinner with her folks tonight. Jake’s
going to meet me at my apartment before I leave to see what he can
do. And, hell, by the time I get home, I might be a free man.

Thinking that
has me smiling as I walk to my truck to get some blueprints when I
get a text.

Laney: Is this
the handsome project manager who’s working on the convenience store
going in on Seventh Street downtown?

Me: Only if
this is the fuckhot goddess who leases apartments to old biddies
who are never satisfied

Laney: That’s
me but you’re the one who’s fuckhot ;) So how’s it going?”

Me: Would be
better if I had you bent over a sawhorse

Laney: Sounds
comfy

Me: Or on a
ladder… hm… that would work, you in front of me and up a rung where
you can squat down on my dick…

Laney: Ohhh…
squat… stop trying to seduce me with your pretty words

Me: Woman,
I’ll seduce you and you’ll like it

Laney: Just as
long as I end up getting to squat on your big dick

Me: You say
the nicest things xx

Laney: xo

Me: We still
good for tonight?

Laney: Yep.
Mom’s excited to meet you and Dad’s cleaning his shotgun

Me: I’ll make
sure to wear my bulletproof vest then

Laney: You’d
make a bigger impression if you wore a full suit of armor.
Chainmail at the very least. Dad loves Medieval stuff

Me: You’ll
have to drive then ‘cause the helmet might hinder my vision

Laney: Can do
but only if you’re packing your big sword

Me: Baby, I’m
always packing my big sword

Laney: Ooohh,
you’re so Noble (ha ha). My knight in shining armor <3

Me: Just call
me Sir Thrustalot, Lady Comealot

Laney: I’m
cracking up right now jsyk. And if the FBI was monitoring this
conversation I’m sure they’ve signed off by now

Me: Their
loss

Laney: Will
you be home by six?

Me: Yes,
ma’am

Laney: Can we
leave by six-thirty?

Me: Your wish
is my command

Laney: I’m
screenshotting that for future reference

Me: I’ll claim
I was drunk

Laney: Drunk
on love :P

Me: With you,
always

Laney: God, I
love you <3 See you at six xoxo

Me: Love you
too x

As I grab the
prints, I find I’m a bit nervous about dinner tonight. Of course I
want Laney’s parents to like me but my main concern is what will
happen if I find out her dad’s involved in all the bullshit with
her uncle.

I’m hoping
he’s just as oblivious as Laney is.

“It’s nice to
meet you, sir,” I say, shaking Curtis Kyle’s hand when he meets us
at the door.

“Likewise,” he
replies. “Come on in you two.”

“Hi, Dad,”
Laney says, hugging him as he bends to give her a peck on the
cheek.

“Hi, Button.
Your drive go okay? I know traffic’s crazy this time of evening,
especially on a Friday. I told Meredith we should’ve had you over
for a late dinner.” He leads us into the living room and I raise an
eyebrow at Laney at his calling her Button.

“I’ll explain
later,” she whispers.

“Hi!” Laney’s
mom says coming into the living room and walking immediately to me.
“I’m Meredith Kyle. It’s so nice to finally meet you, Heath!” I
hold out my hand but she chides, “I’m a hugger! Come here!” She
wraps her arms around me and gives me a squeeze which makes me
chuckle. She’s an older version of Laney and just as sweet as can
be. I like her immediately.

“Hi, honey.
I’m so glad you could make it,” she now states hugging Laney.
“Would you like something to drink?” she asks looking at me then
Laney.

“I’ll take
wine,” Laney says.

“You like
scotch, son?” Curtis asks me.

“I do,” I
answer.

“Come with
me,” he orders.

I turn to
Laney and she giggles, tiptoeing up to give me a kiss then she
whispers, “Be careful. That’s where he keeps the gun safe.” She
snorts before following her mom to the kitchen.

I follow
Curtis into the den and over to a bar. “Rocks or neat?”

“Well, it
depends on what you’ve got, Curtis” I state. “If you’ve got Johnnie
Walker, I’ll take it neat but if it’s Laphroaig, rocks.”

He looks at me
nodding in approval then pulls two tumblers down from the cabinet.
“Laphroaig it is.” He gets ice cubes out of a bucket then pours our
drinks asking, “So you’re in construction?”

“Yes. I’m a
project manager for London-Thomas and manage a crew of twenty.”

He hands me my
drink. “You have a degree?”

“Yes, sir,
from Cal State in business management. I’m hoping to get my
master’s in civil engineering in the next two years.”

He looks
impressed. “Have a seat,” he directs walking over to a sitting area
consisting of a leather couch and chair, end tables and a coffee
table that all face a huge TV. He sits in the chair and I take the
couch and after taking a sip of his whisky, he looks at me for a
moment. “How’d you and Laney meet?”

I tell him
about how we met on the elevator after leaving the weight room and
that we live on the same floor.

“You’re a big
guy. You a boxer or something?”

Ah. Here we
go. I should soon know the truth. “I used to be in an MMA club in
college. Nothing fancy, just a bunch of guys getting together to
beat the shit out of each other.” I chuckle.

“MMA. That’s
that newfangled thing where you box and kick, right?”

Huh. This is
promising. “Yes.”

“My brother
Edward runs some kind of boxing-MMA thing in the basement on
weekends. I think the money goes to charity. You might see about
getting involved,” he suggests which tells me right there he’s
clueless. “Have you met Laney’s uncle yet? He’s my half-brother.
Twenty years my junior. Kind of a halfwit if you ask me, but our
father, God rest his soul, made me promise to involve him in the
family business.” He shakes his head before taking a drink.

I’m more than
elated that Curtis isn’t mixed up in everything which pretty much
means Laney isn’t either. “I’ve met him a few times,” I share.