Fighting Solitude (On The Ropes #3)

by Aly Martinez

  He clearly didn’t believe me, but that didn’t matter. For the first time in my entire life, I had admitted to him how I truly felt. I’d never even been brave enough to say the words out loud before.

  Those words freed me from the solitude of my fears. I’d still get hurt—that was a given. Now, I could at least enjoy the exhilarating thrill of the rise before the fall.

  Leaning up, I took his mouth in a kiss.

  It wasn’t sensual.

  It was a step forward.

  And that’s what made it the most arousing of all.

  With a low moan, Quarry gave in to my request and lowered himself over me.

  I was forced to release him from my hand, but he was soon positioned between my thighs.

  “I brought condoms this time,” he said, trailing the head of his dick through my folds.

  Wrapping my arms around his shoulder, I held his gaze. “No. Just you.” I over pronounced to be sure he read my lips correctly.

  A boyish grin hiked the side of his mouth even as his eyes became downright sinister. “Always.”

  A sharp, euphoric cry flew from my mouth as he filled me. My chin tipped to the ceiling, and my entire body arched into his. His mouth latched on to my neck, nipping and sucking as he worked me with his cock—pushing me higher with every thrust. And, despite how hard I tried to fight it off, my orgasm won out.

  As I fell apart around him, Quarry slowed and repeated solemn promises in my ear.

  “Every. Single. Day.”

  And, if the way my heart swelled was any indication, I think I might have even believed him for a second.

  But only a second.

  Quarry didn’t follow me over the edge. He worked my body for hours. By the time he whispered my name in release, there wasn’t a part of my body he hadn’t branded with his fingerprints.

  He made love to me.

  He fucked me.

  He held me tenderly.

  He pulled my hair and bit my shoulders.

  He stared deep into my eyes while taking me gently.

  He took me hard and rough from behind.

  The champagne went untouched.

  But we eventually fell asleep, naked and sated, drunk in a different way.

  Some hours later, I awoke to Quarry once again guiding himself inside me.

  I was sore and exhausted and emotionally spent.

  But none of that stopped me from spreading my legs and relishing in everything I had ever wanted with him.

  It was my month to pay our water bill, but we were at a hotel.

  The shower ran all night.

  IT’D BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE Quarry and I had officially become an item. It hadn’t been a hard transition to make. He had been right. Nothing had changed. Sure, we shared a bed every night, and I had to retrieve a few pair of my panties from under his bed on laundry day. And he’d fucked me on nearly every flat surface in our apartment—and I only say nearly because there were a few I had fucked him on. But, besides that, it was pretty much business as usual for the two of us.

  Ash and Eliza had blown up my phone with texts after our date, but I’d downplayed our new full-throttle relationship as much as possible—and then I’d avoided the two of them at all costs. I was still trying to wrap my mind around things between Quarry and me, so the last thing I needed was a barrage of questions I probably couldn’t answer, which would spook me even more. Quarry had caught on to my hesitance pretty quickly, and the first week, he’d even made an excuse so we could skip the Page family dinner. I’d repaid him by adding another flat surface to our growing list.

  All was good and well until a stupid magazine published a picture of Quarry and me kissing outside an Indianapolis restaurant. The caption read: Quarry Page and his long-time girlfriend, Liv James, finally caught in action.

  After that, my phone exploded—and not just with calls from Ash and Eliza, who had basically already known but wanted details. Calls came from Mom, Dad, Uncle Slate, Aunt Erica, and Aunt Emma, and even Uncle Caleb shot me a text.

  Mom was thrilled. (I should also disturbingly note that she squealed in delight when I told her that she’d won a cool grand from the little Quarry-and-Liv betting pool.) My dad demanded I bring Quarry home for a visit. I promptly penciled that into my schedule for the day after Hell froze over. The rest of my family shared the “it’s about damn time” sentiment, but they all seemed genuinely happy to see us together.

  Well, except for Ash, who threatened to add murder to her “Newsies List” if I didn’t show up for family dinner that week and fill her in completely.

  That death threat was exactly why I was trying to rush out of the community center after my last class. It was time to face the Page family head on.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?” I asked Don as I shrugged my coat on.

  “Quit asking me that. I told you it was fine.” He smiled warmly.

  “It’s just, I know I’ve been leaning on you a lot recently. And I know my peanut butter brownies are incredible, but I’m not sure they are adequate payment for as much as you’ve been helping me the last few weeks.”

  He laughed, patting his belly. “My expanding gut disagrees.”

  My phone pinged in my purse, and I was relatively sure it was either Quarry wondering why I was late or Ash making more threats on my life. I ignored it long enough to gather the rest of my stuff. “Okay, but you will be getting a sweet Christmas gift, so get your list ready for Santa by next week. I’m an animal on Black Friday.”

  He laughed again and went back to grading papers.

  “Goodnight,” I called to him and Gwen as I headed out.

  After pulling my phone from my purse, I checked my texts as I walked to my car.

  It was Quarry, but I was wrong about his reason for texting.

  Quarry: Why are there 50 boxes of Christmas tree cakes in my closet?

  Me: I went grocery shopping.

  Quarry: Okay. That doesn’t help. Let me rephrase. Why are there FIFTY boxes of Christmas tree cakes in MY CLOSET?

  Me: Okay… Let me rephrase. I went SHOPPING. Does that help?

  Quarry: Nope. But where’d you put the shirts that used to be hanging in my closet?

  Me: Top drawer.

  Quarry: Cool. We’ll discuss the Christmas tree cakes later. I’m running late. Just got out of the shower but I should still beat you to Till’s.

  Me: Okay sounds good. Oh and btw…it’s actually 70 boxes but I’m guessing you haven’t seen the ones under your bed yet.

  Quarry: Nope. Just found those. However, I’m starved so you’re down to 69 boxes.

  I was laughing, typing a message to scold him for having eaten my coveted seasonal snack cakes that were only sold for three months every year—hence my need to stock up—when a voice startled me just before I got to my car.

  “About time. I was starting to wonder if I had the wrong place.”

  A chill ran down my spine, and my head shot up.

  Garrett fucking Davenport was standing on the sidewalk, smiling at me.

  “You have got to be shitting me!” I cursed to myself.

  He arrogantly sauntered in my direction, popping the collar of his coat for warmth when the wind picked up. Davenport wasn’t a bad-looking guy. He had the tall-dark-and-handsome thing going on; he was just so repulsive on the inside that my stomach churned at the sight of him.

  “Liv, it’s so good to see you again,” he purred, closing the distance between us.

  It was all I could do not to gag, and while the idea of puking on his shoes held a fair amount of appeal, I was late for dinner.

  “You’re wasting your time. Quarry isn’t here,” I sniped, shoving my phone into my purse before pulling my keys out —including the mace my father had insisted I carry at all times.

  “If I’d wanted to see Quarry, I would have gone to On The Ropes. I came to see you.”

  My shoulders shook in disgust. God, he was slimy.

  “Oh goodie. Lucky me.” I clicked the locks on my c
ar and pulled on the handle, but then his hand suddenly landed firmly on the roof, blocking the door from opening.

  His tall body menacingly loomed over me, but I refused to respond with fear.

  “Fuck off, Garrett.” I tugged on my door again while secretly flipping off the leather strap on the top of my mace.

  “I just came to offer my congratulations on your relationship with Page. It’s about time you two came out of the closet.” His hip shifted to lean against the door, the front of his jacket brushing against my shoulder and causing me to shudder.

  “Back up,” I ordered, but he didn’t budge.

  If anything, he leaned in closer. “Trust me. I get it. My whore has been aching for years to weasel her way into my spotlight.”

  My back shot ramrod straight, but I didn’t even have a chance to act before my entire body went on an even higher alert.

  Brushing the hair away from my neck, he whispered, “Oh, don’t look so upset, Livvie. You know the entire world is thinking the same thing.”

  I had once read an article that suggested, after spending significant time with a person, you started to develop their personality traits. It said that that was how couples evolved together. It wasn’t until that moment that I believed it.

  Because, as if I were Dr. Bruce Banner shifting into the Incredible Hulk, a loud roar escaped my mouth and then Quarry fucking Page came out in me.

  “You sorry piece of shit!” I yelled, slapping him as hard as I could across the face.

  His smile grew ominous as he lifted his palm to his cheek.

  “You are a professional athlete. Not a fucking henchman for the mob. You don’t get to show up at my job, talking shit you know nothing about.”

  He chuckled without humor. “Your reaction says otherwise.”

  “What is wrong with you? You have millions in the bank, women throwing themselves at your feet, fans who think you shit gold, and you are standing here, trying to intimidate your opponent’s girlfriend? Really? Who does that shit? I mean, seriously.” I threw my hands up in exasperation. “For fuck’s sake. Man up. Stop acting like a sociopath and get to the gym. It won’t help you win, but it might at least give you a shot at being conscious to see Quarry walk out of the ring with your belt.”

  His body hit me so fast that I didn’t even have a chance to brace. My back slammed into the car, jerking as the door handle bit into my spine. He propped himself on a fist, his other going immediately to my wrist. Gripping tightly, he roughly shook until the mace fell from my hand.

  My heart was racing as he pinned me against the car.

  “You dumb cunt…” He opened his mouth to continue, but I spit into his face.

  “Get off me!” I shrieked, fighting against his painful grip.

  His nostrils flared, and his gaze turned positively evil, which sent my courage running for this hills.

  My body instinctively shrank under his icy stare.

  Sucking in a breath, I turned my head and prepared myself for the physical blow that was surely on its way.

  “Hey!” Don called. “Get the fuck off her.”

  My breath escaped in relief. Don was no match for Davenport, but if I was going to die, at least I’d have a witness.

  Much to my surprise, Davenport’s stiff posture melted into me. His hard eyes swung to Don, and he very calmly stated, “None of your business, old man.”

  Don fearlessly stepped toward us, his eyes so angry that my body shrank even lower. “Let her go, Davenport. I swear to God this will not end well for you. If her man doesn’t kill you, I can promise you I will.”

  Whoa! Don could be scary.

  Garrett laughed. It wasn’t daunting or malicious. It was filled with honest-to-God humor, and it scared the shit out of me.

  Garrett Davenport wasn’t just a coward—he was mentally unstable.

  I closed my gaping mouth as I watched him lose himself in a fit of laughter. His body had slacked, but he still effortlessly kept me pinned to the car.

  “It’s appears we’ve been caught, my love.”

  Caught?

  My love?

  He dug for something in his pocket. I jerked, preparing myself for whatever weapon he was going to reveal, and I vaguely noticed Don reach to the back of his navy dress pants. We both froze when Davenport produced a hotel keycard and tucked it into the cleavage of my dress.

  “Room two forty-seven, love. Don’t be late.”

  Then he kissed me.

  Hard.

  Painful.

  Vile.

  Just as quickly, he released me and moseyed away, unfazed.

  My knees shook, and my ankle rolled, almost sending me to the ground, but Don caught me around the waist.

  I was in shock, and tears started to well in my eyes.

  Don was obviously uncomfortable and most of all confused, but he kept his arm anchored around my waist until I was able to get my bearings.

  In the distance, I heard a car peel out of the parking lot. I could only pray that it was Davenport.

  “I-is…is he gone?” I asked.

  He didn’t exactly answer me. “I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, and I’m only going to ask this once. Do you have something going on with Garrett Davenport?”

  My head jerked to the side as if he had physically slapped me.

  He pulled me into a hug. “Goddamn it. I’m sorry,” he replied, having read my response loud and clear. “Yeah, he’s gone, Liv.”

  And that was when the tears came. Full force.

  “Oh my God. I’m going to lose Quarry!” I wailed as the adrenaline fled my system. “He…he kissed me.”

  “Shhh,” Don soothed. “You’re not going to lose anyone. He can’t be mad that some lunatic held you against a car and kissed you.”

  I rocked out of his arms. Doubling over, I rested my hands on my knees and attempted to catch my breath. “I am. I’m going to lose him. Quarry is going to kill Davenport and then spend the rest of his life in prison.”

  Don’s mouth hitched in a smile.

  “This isn’t amusing,” I informed him.

  He put his hands up in surrender, but his smile grew to full-blown.

  “Stop smiling! This is going to be the worst kind of bad. He’ll probably go all Mel Gibson in Braveheart and paint his face with Garrett’s blood.”

  Don laughed—like an actual laugh. “That doesn’t happen in Braveheart.”

  “Right. Well, let’s hope Quarry hasn’t seen whatever movie that does happen in.”

  “All kidding aside, are you all right?” he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

  I sucked in a deep breath and did a quick physical assessment. My back hurt like hell, but everything else seemed to be in working order, so I nodded.

  “You want me to get Gwen to drive you home?” he asked.

  Swiping my index fingers under my eyes, I fixed my makeup. “No. I think I’m okay. I’m supposed to be meeting Quarry at Till’s for dinner.”

  “Good.” He bent down and scooped my keys off the ground before offering them my way.

  I reached out to take them, but he didn’t let go.

  “You have to tell him, Liv. Even if he does go Braveheart. You have to tell him. That shit Davenport just pulled is not acceptable, and your man has a right to know he had his hands on you.”

  I closed my eyes in defeat. “Can I leave out the part where he had his lips on me?”

  Don chuckled. “No. But I would definitely forget that hotel room number before you tell him. That is…unless you feel like hiding a body tonight.”

  My eyes popped open. “Oh, God!” I yanked the hotel keycard out of the top of my dress and then Frisbeed it across the parking lot.

  Don grinned his approval then swung my car door open. “Get home safe. Let me know if you need me to cover for you tomorrow.”

  I returned his smile. “Thanks.” I tipped my head in the direction Davenport left and finished with, “For everything.”

  “Glad I could help.”
<
br />   Don stayed on the sidewalk until I pulled onto the road. At the first stoplight, I retrieved my phone from my purse and texted Quarry to let him know I was finally on the way.

  My phone chirped with his reply, but my shaking hands gripped to the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white.

  For the first time in my entire life, I was dreading seeing Quarry.

  I WAS SITTING ON THE couch with Till’s son, little Slate, when Liv finally arrived. While she hadn’t come right out and said it, I knew she was nervous to tell my family about our relationship. But, to be honest, there wasn’t a whole lot left to tell. Every single one of them had cornered me over the last two weeks, even before our picture together had been published. And, while she was hesitant, I was fucking ecstatic.

  So, when Liv walked in, her eyes wide, looking like she had just seen a ghost, I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Liv!” little Slate called out, hoofing it in her direction to show her the new Lego ship we had built.

  “That’s great, buddy,” she said absently, her eyes flashing to mine before immediately bouncing away.

  Even before things had changed with us, Liv would always come straight to me and chat for a minute before tracking down the girls in the kitchen.

  This time, she walked straight to the dinner table, where Till was putting out plates with Blakely, and she whispered something in his ear. A plate froze in midair and his body tensed before his eyes dangerously cut to me.

  Now that got my feet moving.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked before I’d even made it over to them.

  “Blakely, take Slate and Cole upstairs and put on a movie,” Till ordered.

  Her eyes lit. “But it’s a school night.”

  “Go,” he said in a gentle but firm tone. “Flint! Get in here!” he called into the kitchen.

  By this point, my entire body was on alert. When I got within reach, I curled my hand around the back of Liv’s neck and forced her eyes to mine.

  “What the hell’s going on?”

  She pressed to her toes and placed a lingering kiss on my lips.

  It did nothing to answer my question though.

  “Rocky?” I growled.

  “Everything’s fine.” She looped an arm around my hips and tucked into my side. “Let’s get the kids upstairs and I’ll tell you, okay?”