Uncrushable (Forehead Kisses #3) (16 page)

I moaned quietly, telling her I was still awake.

The guys came into the locker room.

“Dude, you’ll never guess who your opponent is—oh, hi, Keira.” Bran stopped in his tracks and shut his mouth. Judging the guilty look on his face, I knew he was about to say something she probably shouldn’t know about.

Tony was beside him and he looked away from Keira, his hands in his pockets.

Scotty eyed Bran, wondering what else he would say.

“Who is it?” I asked calmly.

“Nobody,” Bran said with a shrug. He stepped away and averted his gaze. “You need some water, man?”

I gave him a firm look. “Bran, who is it?”

Keira stopped rubbing my back, her hands resting on my shoulders.

“Uh…some loser,” he said vaguely.

“You can say anything in front of Keira. I have no secrets from her.” I stared him down, waiting for him to come forward.

He eyed her warily then sighed. “It’s Crow…”

I figured I’d run into him eventually. “He’ll lose just like everyone else.”

“But he wants to kill you,” Bran argued. “I’m sure he’s been prepping for this fight for months.”

“I’ve been out of the game for a while, so I doubt it,” I argued.

“He still wants to rip your head off,” Bran snapped. “He’ll play dirty.”

“If he plays dirty, I play dirty.” I would never be afraid of anyone else.

“Who’s Crow?” Keira asked.

Bran looked at me, unsure if he wanted to tell the story.

I stood up, letting her fingers fall from my back. I faced her, looking her straight in the eye. “He had a girlfriend a year ago. I met her at a bar, and not realizing she was dating him, I fucked her at my place. When he found out what happened, he came after me but I crushed him. Now he wants another piece of me.”

Keira didn’t react. Her face was stoic. “If it was a year ago, you think he’s still upset about it?”

Bran nodded. “He was in love with her. He blames Liam for losing her. But, if she cheated on him with Liam, imagine who else she has screwed. That relationship was doomed to fail from the beginning. He just blames Liam because he was caught in the act.”

I watched Keira, seeing if she would get upset or lash out at me. She knew about my past. I never hid that from her. It shouldn’t be an issue, but hearing such a vulgar story about the man you love is never easy.

She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter how mad he is. Liam will kick his ass anyway.”

I smiled, loving the sound of those words coming out of her mouth.

Bran and Tony exchanged a glance then looked back at me.

Johnny came back into the locker room. “Get your ass out here, Liam.”

“He sounds nice,” Scotty said.

“Yes, a real sweetheart,” Bran added.

“He gets right to the point,” I said. “Which is why I like him.” I grabbed Keira’s hand and pulled her to my side as he left the locker room. The stands were packed and the aisle was crowded with people. I kept her beside me while I walked forward, ignoring the sound of cheering and clapping. Keira looked around, mesmerized by the excitement.

I finally reached my corner then turned to her. “I have to go.”

“Okay.” She cupped my face and kissed me, making it long and slow. “I’ll be in the front row.”

My hands gripped her hips, bringing them to my pelvis. “That means a lot to me.”

“Romeo, save your love ballad for later,” Johnny snapped.

I smirked and kept my eyes glued to Keira’s. “I’ll see you when it’s over.”

“Okay.” She kissed me again. “Whether you win or lose, you’re still my hero.”

My eyes softened at her words. “I know.”

She released her hands and stepped away. “Good luck.”

I watched her join the guys before I climbed into the ring and moved to my corner.

Johnny came to me, turning his back to Crow. “He had surgery on his right arm a few months ago. It seems to be back to normal but it might be a little weak. Hit him hard there.”

“I don’t play dirty unless they play dirty first.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m just giving you a tip. Now win, Liam.” He patted my shoulder and left the ring.

When I looked at Crow across the ring, he looked like a serial killer. The dark hatred flashed in his eyes. His body was flushed with pumped blood and his muscles were tense. The fury was heavy in every limb. It was pretty clear he wanted to rip me apart piece by piece.

He mouthed words to me. “You’re going to die, motherfucker.”

I didn’t say anything back. It wasn’t worth my time.

The ref moved to the center of the mat and blew the whistle. “Begin.”

My hands were close to my face as I circled him. He bounced on his feet, his gloves under his chin. His eyes searched my body, watching every move I made. The determination was in his eyes. He wasn’t going to leave this ring until he was the victor.

We’ll see about that.

He sprinted at me and aimed a blow directly to my head. I ducked and stepped away, leaving unscratched. He quickly turned around and kicked me right in the quadriceps.

Maybe I underestimated him.

I quickly moved out of the way and faced him.

He didn’t slow down. He launched another attack at me, his fists aiming directly for my jaw. The punch stung and filled my mouth with blood. He already hit me twice in the span of seconds. He really did want to kill me.

The victory was in his eyes. “Looks like Liam isn’t up to par. Maybe that pretty girlfriend of yours is distracting you.”

The mention of Keira made my blood boil, which was a very, very stupid thing to do on his part.

“I wonder how she is in the sack…maybe I’ll find out.”

A rage descended over my sight. All colors blended together. My fist lashed out and hit him directly in the eye, feeling the brittle crack of his cheekbone. Without giving him a chance to react, I kneed him in the stomach then headed-butted him, making him stumble back. “Mention her again and I’ll kill you where you stand.” Spit flew out of my mouth.

“Looks like I hit a nerve.” He wiped the blood from his face. “Did you steal her from someone too?” He circled me, waiting for an opening.

“It’s not my fault you couldn’t keep your girl satisfied.”

His eyes widened in a blood rage. “Fucker.” He rushed me and made a punch directly into the side of my head. I took the hit and used the opportunity to hit him in the collarbone, making him wince in pain. I hit him again, making him step back.

Blood seeped from his mouth and his eye was starting to bruise. “You aren’t going to win, Liam. And I will inflict as much damage as possible until you go down.”

I charged him then twisted his arm back, making him cringe as I stretched his arm at an odd angle. I landed a kick right to his stomach and forced him to lean over. Then I pressed my foot to his ass and kicked him to the ground. He landed with a hard thud.

I stayed on alert, prepared for him to pop back up.

He spit blood then jumped back to his feet. Savage blows were directed at my head. He hit me over and over, making blood spill from my nose. I blocked his hit then hit him in the jaw three times. His eyes closed momentarily and the dizziness descended. I knew I had him.

“I’m undefeated for a reason,” I hissed. I shoved him to the ground and watched his body collapse. The sound of the crowd cheering played on my ears. I breathed heavily, watching him stay down. The ref came over and started counting. The victory was mine.

The ref blew the whistle, ending the match.

I turned around and headed to my corner, not at all surprised at the outcome of the fight. It was clear he loathed me with every fiber of his being, that he would never forget what I did with Laura, but that wasn’t my problem.

An arm hooked around my neck and began choking me savagely. I was pulled down to the floor then tossed and turned, my cervical spine exposed to injury. I tried to kick him away but it was no use. He had me in a vulnerable position. I couldn’t breathe and I couldn’t fight. He jerked me back and forth, practically snapping my neck.

“Die, you piece of shit,” he yelled into my ear.

Security rushed onto the stage and dragged him off of me. When I could breathe again, I inhaled a deep breath and coughed my lungs up. I stayed on the floor, my vision still blurry. When I could see again, I blinked my eyes and saw Keira’s face. The concern shined in her eyes but she didn’t touch me.

“Penalty and suspension for Tim Crow,” the ref announced over the intercom.

Johnny was by my side. “I’ll make sure he isn’t in the ring for at least three months. That shit he just pulled was low.”

I wasn’t listening to him.

Keira came closer to me and put her hand over my heart. She didn’t say anything, just reminded me she was there. I finally found my bearings then sat up. She didn’t ask me if I was okay. I was glad she didn’t. The medics rushed up but I dismissed them.

“I’m fine,” I said quietly.

Bran came to my side. “Dude, are you alright?”

I was growing irritated by the crowd swarming me. “Give me space.”

Everyone backed up. Keira moved away from me.

“Not you,” I snapped.

She flinched then came back to me. Her fingers moved into my hair then massaged me.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of her touch. It calmed me down.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she whispered.

“That guy is a coward,” I muttered.

“I saw that.” She came closer to me then kissed my forehead. “Can I get you anything?”

“No.”

She stood up then extended a hand to help me to my feet. I took it but used my own strength to stand up.

“Are you sure you don’t want to see a doctor?” Johnny asked.

“I’m fine,” I snapped. I put my arm around Keira then led her out of the ring. The crowd booed Crow because he was a worthless excuse for a man, and they cheered for me as I walked back to the locker room.

“Your check,” Keira reminded me.

“I don’t care about it.” I took her hand and walked into the locker room. The silence was welcoming.

The guys followed a moment later.

“That guy is a fucking asshole,” Scotty snapped. “We should have all jumped him right then and there.”

“At least you won’t see him again,” Bran said. “He’ll be out of the ring for months, maybe even permanently.”

I sat down on the bench and wiped the sweat and blood from my face. Keira got a wet towel and cleaned my wounds. My lip was bloody and she wiped the fluid away.

“He’s not even worth mentioning,” I said. “Let’s move on.”

“What?” Scotty asked incredulously. “That guy practically tried to strangle you.”

“And he made himself look like a prick,” I said calmly. “Who cares?”

Keira ran her hand down my back and stayed beside me. I preferred her silence over the redundant words my friends were saying. He was such a lowlife that he wasn’t even worth mentioning.

“I’m heading home.” I stood up and grabbed my bag.

“You don’t want to go out and party tonight?” Bran asked.

“No.” I shut my locker and grabbed my bag.

“Do you want us to come over…?” Scotty asked.

“No.” I grabbed Keira’s hand. “We’ll see you later.”

When we got home, I immediately headed to the shower. Once I was underneath the water, I felt a little better. When I slept with Crow’s girl, I had no idea she had a man. She was such a slut that I couldn’t imagine the possibility that she was in a relationship. But that meant nothing to Crow, so I didn’t feel bad about it.

The savage way he tried to take me out made my blood boil. It was such a lame thing to do. I didn’t deserve to be treated that way, with my back turned and exposed. It disgusted me that cowards like him existed. He seemed to be the type that wouldn’t mind slapping a girl once in a while. Where were all the men? The real men? I felt like I was holding down the fort on my own.

Keira joined me in the shower, catching me by surprise. Her naked body didn’t get me hard like it usually did. I was in a bad mood and nothing could pull me out of it. Wordlessly, she squirted soap into her hands then massaged my body, wiping all the stress away.

She stood behind me and used her fingertips to lather the soap with the hot water. I stood still, closing my eyes while she attended to me. She barely reached my shoulder but she managed to rub my torso and back. When she came to my front, she kissed the skin over my heart then stood in front of me.

I looked down at her then placed my hand around her neck. She didn’t flinch or blink. I gently pulled her lips to mine and gave her a kiss. Then I shut off the water and stepped out. After I dried myself with a towel, I sat at the edge of my bed and stared at the floor.

Keira got dressed then sat beside me. “Do you want to be alone?”

I didn’t like being in a bad mood around her. She sheathed my anger, but I didn’t want her to sacrifice her patience on me. There was nothing she could do to help me. The sour mood would pass in time. “That would probably be best.”