Unlikely Hero (Atlanta #1) (37 page)

“I’ll give you two choices,” Marcus said with his stoic calm, stepping up directly into the man’s face. “The manager calls the police and I keep you here until they arrive. And I
can
keep you here. Believe that. Or, you come with me right now to my gym and beat the shit out of me if you can. I’ll drive.”

The man looked him in the eye for a long time. Marcus didn’t flinch or back down at all. Still with anger in his voice, the guy grunted out two words: “Fine. Gym.”

“What’s your name?”

“Luke Baylor,” he seethed.

“Marcus Walker. Out. Now.”

Marcus looked over and waved to Erin as Luke slammed his palms against the door to let himself outside. She smiled at him with a hint of pride. Cassie looked at him the same way. He knew without a doubt Erin understood every part of what she witnessed and he loved her for it. He didn’t have to worry that she would be upset with him for leaving so abruptly; he just rescued his first “Marcus” like she predicted.
 

He also knew with certainty that he found his first trainee at the gym. Luke Baylor needed an outlet from whatever source of rage he was battling. Marcus knew exactly how to help.
 

He led Luke to his Olds and drove silently all the way to his neighborhood while Luke clenched and unclenched his fist the entire ride. Marcus parked along the street near the entrance to his gym.

“Get out,” Marcus said. “We’re here.”

Luke clenched his jaw, still angry and humiliated. Marcus understood the feeling exactly. He felt it six years earlier when Bill dragged him through the same door. They walked into the gym and Bill looked over at the two with a keen eye. Marcus called out to clear the mat.

He motioned Luke over. “Do your worst.”

Luke hesitated and glared around the room. Nearly everyone stopped what they were doing and watched with mild interest like this was some sort of tv rerun. He also looked at Marcus, trying to figure out exactly how to handle what was going on. Finally, still angry, he stepped up to Marcus and tried to land a fist on his jaw.
 

Marcus blocked and dodged at the same time, and used Luke’s momentum to get him in a hip-toss. A mere split second passed before Luke was flipped down on the mat behind Marcus. Luke yelled in anger and came at Marcus again which ended in the same result. Time after time Luke tried to grapple and punch at any part of Marcus he could. Not once did he succeed. Not once did he stay on his feet.

When Luke finally realized how futile his attempts were, Marcus took the opportunity to punch him square in the jaw and take him down again. “Listen, you badass wanna-be, learn to do it right. And when you fight, you fight here.
Only
here. Do you understand me?”

Luke rubbed his jaw and met Marcus’s eye. “Who the hell put you in charge?”

“I did, the minute I kept your ass out of jail. Now hit the locker room straight back that way. There’s a shelf of old used sweats and t-shirts and I don’t care if they fit and I don’t care if they smell. Locker thirty-two is now yours. Go change and meet me at the green heavy bag.”

Luke shook his head and glanced around once more at everyone staring at him. “What the fuck are you all looking at?”

Half the guys chuckled and the other half shook their heads and went back to work. Marcus looked over at Bill who nodded with half a smile and a twinkle in his eye. That look only lasted a second before his typical gruff demeanor was back in place.
 

Marcus went to the heavy bag and waited for Luke to come out.
 

That night during his shift, Marcus wrote to Erin about the training session at the gym.
 

E~

First, thanks for understanding my ducking out on lunch. I hated to leave you without a kiss, but duty called. My previous self needed his ass kicked. I have to admit, it was kind of fun being on the other side of that.
 

Once he got past his tough-guy posturing, he punished the heavy bag for what happened this afternoon and then actually listened to me. I taught him his first block. When I drove him back to his motorcycle, I took his cell phone and called myself on it to make sure I got his real number. His name is Luke Baylor. I don’t know his story yet, but we’ll get there. Maybe I should buy him a notebook.

I got his promise to see me at the gym tomorrow. I’m pretty sure he’ll show up. He doesn’t want to admit it, but he felt better when he left. I remember the same conflicting gut-level-anger-and-gratitude when Bill did the same to me.
 

I’m really starting to feel like a partner in the gym. I can do this. Thanks for believing in me.

~M

M~

I swear I thought I was going to have a heart attack when Luke hit that guy. You impressed the heck out of me with how calm you stayed. Your rage is really gone. Proud doesn’t begin to cover it. You are such a good man and I love you.
 

Have fun kicking his ass.
 

~E

E~

Potty mouth.

Luke showed up again today. Found out he’s ex-Army. Other than that bit, I don’t know anything about him yet.

~M

M~

Sorry for the potty mouth. Can’t wait to hear more about your new trainee. This weekend?

~E

E~

You can cuss all you want. It’s adorable. Saturday five o’clock?

~M

M~
 

Adorable? What happened to badass? See you at five.

~E

Erin answered her door at five o’clock sharp. She was in her favorite cotton clothes and ready for a relaxed evening with her man. An exhausted but smiling Marcus greeted her with a bear hug. He held her for a long moment before coming all the way in.
 

“I think Bill’s a sadist,” Marcus groaned as he walked in and flopped down on Erin’s couch straight onto his back. He was in sweats and a t-shirt, comfortable right along with her. “So much for partner. I think he’s going for whipping boy.”

“Tough work out today?” Erin smiled.

“You could say that,” he mumbled, already with his eyes closed.
 

Erin moved down to the other end of the couch and pulled his shoes off for him. She rubbed his feet and toes while they talked.
 

“Do you need me to get you some water or anything? I have dinner in the oven. It’ll be ready in about twenty minutes.”

“No, I’m good. Dinner smells great. Lasagna?”

“Yep. I knew you’d be training hard before your match and isn’t pasta and protein is supposed to help? I remembered that you liked it. Win/win,” she said. “So have you had much time with Luke or are you just getting your butt kicked by Bill?”

“Butt? Don’t you mean
ass
, potty mouth?” Marcus grinned, still with his eyes closed.
 

“Oh, shut up,” she giggled.
 

“I saw Luke every day this week. He’s like an addict now, just like I was. He’s got a place to go where screaming and fighting is allowed. He doesn’t have to hold back at all. The gym makes sense to him. I get it.”

“Does he have potential?”

“He’s powerful, I’ll give him that. But he’s wild,” Marcus said, and then chuckled in his sleepy voice. “Bill laughed and poked me in the chest when I described him that way.”

Erin grinned and reached for his other foot. “Yeah, sounds familiar, doesn’t it. Oh, and I’m supposed to thank you and offer you free wings. After you guys left the pub, the manager came over to say how glad he was that you handled the situation. He didn’t want the police involved if it wasn’t necessary. He didn’t want that kind of publicity when he was just getting the place up and running.”

“I was glad to help, but mostly for Luke,” Marcus said sleepily. “He seems like a good guy, just stuck with a lot of anger. He’ll eventually work it out.”

“Let me set the table. You rest. If you fall asleep, should I wake you for dinner?”

“Yep.”

Erin got everything ready for them and a half hour later kissed Marcus awake. “Come on, baby. Dinner’s ready.”

He woke up a little refreshed from his power-nap and pulled her on the couch for a few more kisses before he helped her back up for dinner. The two of them ate and talked more about Luke and his anger. Marcus still had no idea what the source of Luke’s rage was.
 

“So he hasn’t let on at all about what has him all in knots?” Erin asked.
 

“No, I just know it’s deep. Whatever it is, it isn’t simple.”

“Do you think it’s something like what you went through with your dad?” Erin asked quietly. She was hesitant to bring it up, but Marcus never told her anything about his dad beyond the word “abuse”. Most of what she knew she learned from Bill. She wanted Marcus to know she would listen if he ever wanted to talk about his childhood.
 

He looked up at her, obviously taken back by her question, but not angry. “I don’t think so. He’s not afraid to be handled. He didn’t flinch the first time I hit him. I don’t get the ‘victim’ vibe from him at all.”

“Is that how you see yourself? A victim?”

He looked surprised again. “When I was a kid, I suppose I did. By the time I was fourteen or so, it was anger more than self-pity.”

“You can tell me about it, you know, if you ever need to,” Erin said quietly and sincerely with as much love in her voice as she could manage. “I don’t need to know, but I’ve seen your nightmares. Your anger might be gone but there’s still fear in there.”

Marcus looked at the table and didn’t say anything for an excruciatingly long minute. He finally took another bite of lasagna but still didn’t look up.

“I’m not sorry I brought it up, Marcus. You need to know that you can talk to me about anything…
anything
. I love you no matter what.”

Another long minute passed before he finally spoke. “I know that.”

“Will you look at me?”

“Erin, I’m too tired for this,” he said flatly.

“Look at me. Please?”

Marcus looked up at Erin and she nearly cried when she saw the look in his eye. He looked frustrated and defeated. They both knew his rage had been conquered, but the fear had not. The second note he ever wrote in the journal still rolled through her head now and again:
I just can't fight hard enough to make it go away. He scared me. He scared me so much and made me feel so small…nothing scares me anymore. Except for him.

“Marcus, I’m not asking you to tell me anything right now, I just want you to know that you can, ok? You told me a while back that I don’t have to be afraid anymore. You don’t either.”

He looked at her for another long moment with no emotion of any kind showing on his face anymore or even in his eyes. “Got it.”

Erin didn’t push any further. At least he heard what she wanted to say and that was enough for now. For so long he had been her champion. Now that she was back in the world, she wanted to be his. He had been patient, so would she.

After dinner she cleaned up while he crashed back out on the couch. She laid down next to him and spooned against his chest for a while. She felt him sinking deeper and deeper into the cushions. “Marcus, you really are exhausted. Let me tuck you in so you can sleep. Ok? Come upstairs with me.”

He let her help him up and they walked together upstairs. He went straight for the bed and dropped down into the sheets, completely tired. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet. Erin laid on the covers next to him. “I’m going to do some work at my computer. I’ll come to bed with you later.”

“Ok,” he said in a sleepy voice. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said with a sweet kiss goodnight. As she left the room she heard her name called quietly one last time. She looked back to see what he needed. His eyes were already closed.

“I know you mean well, but don’t bring it up again.”

“Ok,” she said back to him. “Goodnight.”
 

She hoped that eventually
he
would bring up that subject. He needed to let all of it go and she wanted to help him. In the mean time, she focused solely on their happiness.

The next morning Erin woke up to the touch of Marcus’s fingertips moving lazily up and down her arm. His muscular bare chest warmed her back. She stretched and smiled.
 

“Good morning,” she said to him and snuggled up close. “How do you feel? Sore?”

“Like every muscle is a black hole,” he groaned. “And I get to go back and do it again today. At least today will be more about strategy.”

“No pain, no gain. Right?”

“Yeah, that always makes sense when you’re not the one in pain,” he grinned.

“Good point. So let me see if I can make you feel better,” Erin said suggestively.
 

She pushed Marcus over onto his back and sat up on her knees to pull her shirt off. In no time at all she had her panties off and his boxers down to his knees. “Relax, baby,” she said. “Let me take care of you.”

Erin crawled over top of him and eased herself directly onto his already rock-hard cock. He rested his hands lightly on her hips while she moved over him with no hurry.

Marcus closed his eyes and let himself get lost in the pleasure. Erin was grinding steadily along his hips, allowing him to relax in the sensations, knowing how much his body was already spent. She moved her hands softly over every muscle of his chest and abs while she slowly worked up and down his shaft. The pace was easy and steady, leaving both of them warm and breathy from her movements.

Marcus made gentle pleasure noises from deep in his chest as he got closer to climax. Erin increased her pace just a little when he started to squeeze her thighs. The moment was completely directed by Erin and she smiled at the look on his face. He stayed down and let her get him there completely. She pushed herself against him in just the right way to get herself off, too. The two came together as they often did.

Marcus finally opened his eyes and offered her a genuine smile of satisfaction and love. “I should complain about being sore more often,” he said with and easy grin.