Flirt With Me

by Kristen Proby

  “Where is Shawn?”

  “I’m here,” Shawn says and walks out of the refrigerator, carrying bags of fries. “I wanted to give them some privacy.”

  “What were they saying?”

  Shawn turns and stares at me. “How should I know? I was giving them privacy.”

  “You’re really bad at this,” I inform him before I pull my order out from under the warmer and load my tray.

  I’ve just stepped out from the kitchen when I see that Carla is walking over to Rachel with a big, muscular man in tow.

  Jesus, what is she doing here? There’s been nothing from her, zero contact, for weeks. Why is she back?

  I set the tray down and pull out my phone to text Hunter.

  Me: Need you at the pub ASAP. Carla’s here.

  I hurry over in time to hear Carla greet Rachel.

  “Hey there, darling. I haven’t heard from you. I was getting worried.”

  “I’m not supposed to talk to you,” Rachel says, her voice low. She won’t look her mother in the face. She’s hunched over, staring down at the bar.

  “Well, that’s just silly. I’m your mama.”

  My dad steps closer. “The lass just told you she isn’t to speak with you. I’d appreciate it if you’d leave my pub.”

  Rachel swallows hard.

  “Are you going to let this old, stupid man tell me what to do?” Carla demands of Rachel, and the teenager immediately stands up out of her chair, fury radiating off of her in waves.

  “Don’t you dare talk about my family that way,” Rachel says, getting in her mom’s face. “He’s not an old man. He’s a wonderful man, and I love him. And he loves me. For real. Not like you. I don’t want anything to do with you and your trashy boyfriend. I want you to go. Just go.”

  Suddenly, Danny grips Rachel’s arm above the elbow and pushes his face into hers. “Don’t you ever talk to your mom that way again, you little ungrateful bitch.”

  Keegan jumps over the bar, and Cameron reaches over to grab Danny by the collar, but the man is suddenly walking backwards, though not under his own power.

  Hunter’s dragging him.

  We all follow to see what will happen, and I pray that I don’t have to call the police—or an ambulance.

  “If you ever touch my daughter again, I’ll end you,” Hunter says, his voice steely and calm.

  Danny holds his hands out at his sides. “Go ahead and punch me, you chickenshit.”

  “You’re not worth it. If either of you comes back inside, we’ll call the police. And I’ll be getting a restraining order,” Hunter informs Carla. “Don’t ever come back on this island.”

  “I’ll sue you!” Carla rails. “I’ll take you for everything you’ve got!”

  We all ignore her and walk back into the pub where Rachel’s wiping away tears and talking to my father.

  She didn’t follow us outside.

  “Did you kill him?” Rachel asks her dad. “Oh, God, I don’t want you to go to jail.”

  “No.” Hunter kisses her head. “They’re leaving. I’ll get some legal paperwork going as soon as I leave here.”

  “Come on now, lass,” Dad says to Rachel. “Let’s go see what kind of cake Fiona made today. That always makes everything a wee bit better.”

  The two of them, with their heads together, walk back to the kitchen.

  “It’s really sweet,” Maggie says, watching them, “how cute they are together. Two peas in a pod. And she just stood right up for him when that asshole insulted Da.”

  “They love each other,” I say simply.

  “I don’t remember the last time we had a quiet night in,” I say a week later. All three of us are home, sitting in the game room upstairs.

  I’m reading a book, and Hunter challenged Rachel to a game of ping-pong.

  It’s all so…normal.

  “Can I go to the movies with Charity tomorrow night?” Rachel asks as she volleys the little white ball back to her dad.

  “Who’s Charity?”

  “The girl I met at the pub. She came in yesterday with her parents for dinner. She’s in my grade, and she seems cool. I need to make new friends.”

  Hunter glances at me. “Do you know Charity?”

  “I’ve seen her around town quite a bit. I know she volunteers at the animal shelter in the summer. Maggie was considering a kitten, and we saw her there.”

  “Okay, I suppose you can go.” Rachel wins the set and makes her father scowl. Before they can start another match, Hunter’s phone rings. “It’s my agent.”

  He sets the paddle down and answers.

  “Hello.” Hunter’s eyebrows lower in a scowl. “You’re kidding. Yeah, yeah, I’m looking.”

  He grabs the remote and turns on the TV, flipping the channel to ESPN.

  There’s Danny, sitting at a table, answering questions.

  “Look, the jerk gave me a black eye,” Danny says, pointing to his face.

  “That’s a lie,” Hunter growls. “I didn’t fucking hit him, but I sure as hell should have.”

  “And,” Danny continues, “I’d like to settle this like gentlemen. In the ring. I want Meyers to come out of retirement for one last fight.”

  “Do you think he’ll accept?” a reporter calls out.

  “I don’t know,” Danny says. “He’s been a bit of a pansy these last few years. We’ll see if he’s up for the challenge.”

  “Fuck him!” Hunter exclaims. “I’m in. Arrange it.”

  Hunter cuts off the call and tosses his phone on the couch.

  “You don’t have to take his bait,” I point out calmly.

  “He just challenged me on national television. What would you have me do?”

  “I’m just saying, if you don’t want to fight him, you don’t have to.”

  “Oh, trust me, I want to beat that asshole’s face in. I’ll take great pleasure in it.”

  I stand and pace the room. “Listen, I know that you made fighting a living. The sport of fighting. This is something else entirely. This isn’t a fight for sport, it’s a vendetta.”

  “I never should have retired,” Hunter mutters and rubs his hand down his face. “I wasn’t ready.”

  “You retired for Rachel,” I remind him and look at the girl who’s watching us with avid curiosity.

  “Partly,” he agrees. “But mostly it was because the doctors told me if I got one more concussion, I might not recover from another brain injury.”

  I stare at him, stunned. “You never told me that.”

  “It’s not a secret. I just didn’t mention it.”

  “So you’re saying if you get another brain injury, you could die from it?”

  “Or be a vegetable.” He pushes his hands through his hair in agitation. “Trust me, that asshole won’t hit my head.”

  “You don’t know that. This isn’t worth risking your life for.”

  He narrows his eyes at me.

  “Are you saying that if I do this, you won’t support me?”

  I growl in frustration and shake my head. “No. I’m not saying that. I’ll support you no matter what. I am saying that I want you to really think this over and not just jump in headfirst because of a knee-jerk reaction.”

  Hunter licks his lips. “Maeve, I love you. And I hear you. But I’m doing this. Because, yes, this is personal. I want it.”

  “Well, then, I guess that’s that.” I blow out a nervous breath. I want to talk him out of it. I want to beg him not to do this. But I see the determination written all over his face, and I know that he’s made up his mind.

  I don’t want to lose him.

  It’s been two weeks since Danny challenged Hunter to a fight. Two weeks of Hunter working out and training like a man possessed. The gym is just a shell, not yet sheetrocked and finished, but Hunter had equipment hauled in so he could begin to use it immediately.

  He’s out in that gym more than he’s anywhere else. And that includes spending time with Rachel and me.

  I walk out to
the building and open the door, finding Hunter on the treadmill, sweat running down his torso in rivulets.

  “Hey,” I say and wave to get his attention.

  “Hi.” He slows down the treadmill and reaches for a white towel to wipe off his face. “What’s up?”

  “Everyone will be here in about thirty minutes for Rachel’s party, remember?”

  “Oh, shit. I lost track of time.” He checks his watch. “Sorry, I’ll hit the shower and get ready.”

  He jumps off the treadmill, and I expect him to pull me close, and kiss me silly. But he doesn’t. He just smiles and walks right past me.

  And it hurts my damn feelings.

  But I have a party to host for a gorgeous sixteen-year-old, and she deserves to have a great day, so I make my way back to the house to finish getting ready.

  Hunter makes good on his word and is just hurrying down the stairs when his parents ring the doorbell. It seems everyone arrives at once, and before long, we have a packed house, full of chaos and laughter.

  It’s a balm to my nervous soul.

  “What’s wrong?” Shawn asks when he gets me alone in the kitchen. I’m putting candles on the cake.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Come on, Maeve. I know you inside and out, and I can see that you’re a little miserable. What’s up? Does your house have more problems?”

  “Always.” I chuckle and shake my head. “I’m worried about Hunter. And me, if I’m being honest. He’s so intent on this upcoming fight, it’s all he thinks about. He’s consumed with training, with the way he’s eating. Rachel said he’s never been this way before. It’s different this time. Not that I would know because this is the first fight I’ve seen him get ready for.”

  “It’s a personal one this time,” Shawn says. He’s always the voice of reason. “The man hurt his daughter, Maeve. Put her in danger, and then had his hands on her at the pub. If it was me, or anyone else in our family, we’d do the same. You know that.”

  “I’ve resolved myself to the fight,” I reply. “I understand why he needs to do it. I just hate feeling disconnected from him.”

  “Talk to him.” Shawn pats my shoulder. “That’s all you can do. Talk it out. And give me some of that cake.”

  “Rachel has to blow out the candles first.”

  “Well, let’s get a move on because I saw Da eyeing it earlier as well.”

  “What is it with this family and cake?”

  It doesn’t take long before Rachel has blown out the candles, and while we all enjoy the vanilla cake with buttercream frosting, the birthday girl tears through her presents.

  “A new phone,” she exclaims and smiles brilliantly at her father. “Thanks, Dad. Does this one have the tracking app on it, too?”

  Hunter’s face turns into a scowl. “How did you know about that?”

  “Duh. I know more about phones than you do.”

  “Just leave the app on, and no one gets hurt.”

  Rachel rolls her eyes, but everyone laughs. It’s been a fun party, and I can see by Rachel’s big smile that she feels special and loved.

  That’s the goal.

  And once everyone has left, and I’ve cleaned the kitchen, I go in search of Hunter to sit with him and have a talk.

  I need to make sure that we’re okay.

  But when I find him, Hunter is fast asleep on the bed, snoring not so peacefully.

  He’s exhausted. Both physically and mentally. So, perhaps the best thing to do is bide my time over the next couple of weeks until after the fight is over, and then see how it goes.

  I’m not usually a patient woman. But I want to support Hunter. I love him more than anything.

  Chapter 17

  ~Hunter~

  “I could have brought Rach to you,” I say as Dad and I walk behind the house, along the cliffs. It’s become a favorite spot for all of us these past few months.

  Especially during the past month since I accepted Danny’s challenge. I’ve trained harder in the past thirty days than I ever have in my life. I’m in excellent condition.

  I won’t lose.

  “You know your mother and I don’t mind coming over here,” he says and shoves his hands into his pockets. “We close on our place in a couple of weeks. We’re eager to be here full time. It’ll be easier all around, and your mother will stop complaining that her babies are too far away.”

  “You love it here,” I say with a grin. “Don’t deny it.”

  “You know I do.” Dad’s smile isn’t the least bit shy. “Maeve found us the perfect place, right on the water. You didn’t have to buy it for us. We could have done it with the money from the sale of the Seattle house.”

  “I did need to buy it,” I reply. “The money is nothing to me, Dad. You know that. I can never repay you for everything you’ve done for me.”

  “We’re your family,” he reminds me. “You don’t have to repay us for a damn thing. We did what anyone would do. Rachel is a delight, and the light of our lives.”

  “You took us both in, when Rachel was born, without even blinking an eye.”

  “Of course, we did. If Rachel came to you in a similar situation, are you telling me you’d turn her away? Tell her to figure it out for herself?”

  “Hell, no.” I shove my hand through my hair. “I would do the same thing you did. But, Dad, you won’t ever pay for anything again in your lifetime. Not if I can help it.”

  “We have plenty of money. You don’t have to pay for every damn thing.”

  I shake my head and look out to the sea. It’s churning with a dark mood that matches mine.

  “It’s already done. No takebacks.” I laugh and then shrug a shoulder. “Maeve and I should be back in a few days.”

  “Are you sure about this?” he asks.

  “Yeah. I’m sure.”

  “And if you get hit in the head again?”

  I shake my head. “He won’t get even one hit in. I’ll have him knocked out in less than ten seconds. He’s an idiot for starting this. Everyone knows it. The odds in Vegas are ten to one in my favor.”

  Dad nods. “We’ll be at the pub to watch the fight with the O’Callaghans.”

  “I figured.”

  “Boys!” We turn at the sound of Mom’s voice. “Dinner’s ready!”

  “You always choose the fanciest hotels,” Maeve says as we walk into the suite the next day.

  “This one is comped by the resort,” I reply with a satisfied smile. “Fighting in Vegas means we get some fun perks.”

  “Wow, I guess so.”

  Maeve sits on a couch and crosses her legs, watches me as I open a bottle of water and take a long sip.

  “I’m worried about you,” she admits.

  “Why is that?”

  “You’ve been…different this last month. I’ve chalked it up to seeing the professional fighter side of you for the first time because you were already retired when I met you.”

  “How am I different?”

  “Stoic. Serious. Focused, yet distant. Do you realize that aside from sex, you’ve hardly touched me in weeks?”

  I stare at her, stunned. “That’s not true.”

  “Oh, it is. And I’m not complaining because I know this fight is important, and you need to be focused. If you’re not, you could get seriously hurt, and I can’t have that. Is this how it always was when you fought? Before? I asked Rachel and she said no, but maybe she just didn’t realize it.”

  I frown and sit next to her, thinking it over. Was I always like that?

  “I don’t think so. I think it’s just this fight. And I’m sorry if I’ve been distant. I don’t mean to be. I don’t want to forget anything. I need to keep my head in the game. I can’t fuck this up.”

  She slides over and straddles my lap. My hands immediately rest on the globes of her perfect ass under the soft material of her dress.

  “You’re not going to fuck it up.” Her voice is strong and sure. I love the confidence I hear from her. I can’t even be
gin to tell her how much her support has meant to me over the past several weeks. “You’re going to kick this dude’s ass, and then we’re going to get on with our lives.”

  “Carla really did file a lawsuit. She’s trying to get custody of Rachel. I can’t believe she pulled that shit, and it only makes me want to beat Danny’s ass even more.”

  “The attorneys all laughed at the suit. It’ll get thrown out. I feel awful because it seems this is all my fault.”

  “How in the hell could it be your fault?”

  “You said it yourself.” She threads her fingers through my hair in that way that both soothes and turns me on. “She’s jealous of us. Of me. And I think that if I weren’t part of the picture, she wouldn’t have come around in the first place.”

  “Whether that’s true or not, it doesn’t matter. Because you being in the picture is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Well, besides Rachel, of course. That could be a tie.”

  She smiles and reaches between us to unzip my pants, unleashing my cock before sliding herself right over me.

  “God, you fit like a damn glove,” I murmur against her lips. She rides me at a steady, quick pace, her hands braced on the back of the sofa.

  She’s a fucking goddess. I can’t believe I made her feel anything less than important and cherished while I trained for this fight.

  I sit up so I can cover her mouth with mine. Our tongues tangle, and she moans, pushing down on me to ride out her orgasm.

  “God, I love you,” I groan and follow her over the edge.

  She rests her forehead on my shoulder and fights to catch her breath.

  “Marry me.”

  Her head pops up, and she stares at me with gorgeous, wide, green eyes. “What?”

  “Marry me. Right now. In Vegas.”

  “Right now?” She laughs, but the smile fades when she sees that I’m perfectly serious. “Hunter.”

  “Maeve, I am so in love with you, I can’t see straight. I want you, forever. And I want you now. But if you need all of the fancy wedding stuff with your family, I can wait. Not long, but I can.”

  She’s shaking her head slowly.

  “Is that a ‘No, I won’t marry you?’ Or a ‘No, I won’t marry you in Vegas?’”