by Laura Kaye
She knew why.
What Billy had said about being consumed by the emotions inside him had so perfectly described how she sometimes felt. It sounded like MMA training was his outlet when those emotions became overwhelming. For her, photography was the most effective thing to allow her concentrate on something beyond herself. And that moment of relating to Billy’s words…had pulled the admission from her before she’d fully thought through the consequences of making it.
Now Billy wanted to talk further.
As Shayna headed down to the locker rooms, her stomach went on a nauseous loop-the-loop at the thought of it.
And then she saw Billy through the windows to the gym with the fighting rings where his club met. He was on his knees facing another fighter—a woman with a long black braid—while a bigger group knelt around the two of them. Shay had just enough time to appreciate that the club included women veterans before the woman attacked him.
For a long moment, they grappled with each other until Billy managed to flip the woman and pin her to the ground.
Three visceral reactions rocked through Shayna.
An almost animalistic appreciation of Billy’s brute strength.
Arousal at the memory of Billy pinning her against the wall.
And jealousy that another woman was experiencing the feeling of the weight of his body instead of her.
Shayna’s heart tripped into a sprint as she stood there, slack-jawed and wanting…
Suddenly, Billy sprang into a kneeling position again as the woman got up and moved to the outer ring of people, and it was clear that some sort of trash-talk being thrown between them from the looks on their faces and the way the others were laughing and clapping.
And then Mo moved into the center with Billy. As big as Billy was, Mo…Mo was like a mountain. His ready smile and deep laugh had earlier put Shayna at ease and allayed any concerns she’d had that she might be invading a space where she wasn’t wanted. But now Mo looked nothing short of intimidating as he stared Billy down.
The men seemed to lunge at the same time. They slammed into each other and worked to pull each other flat to the ground, and then finally they both went down. Shayna couldn’t see who had the advantage around those cheering the two men on, and she realized that she was straining and moving to the side to get a better view.
Whatever was going on, it was much longer before the fighters traded out, and this time it was Billy coming out of the center to join those on the side. A few of his teammates shook his hand before he moved outside of the group to grab his water bottle. And then he tilted his head way back to take a long drink.
And, holy mother of sweaty hot men, Billy Parrish was freaking gorgeous.
Muscles glistening. Shorts hanging dangerously low on his lean hips. Dark blond hair made even darker from sweat. Even the fingerless black gloves he wore were sexy as fuck. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he drank.
Shayna swallowed hard herself.
He wiped his mouth on the back of his glove and capped the bottle again, and then he did a double take as he noticed her standing in the window.
Heat absolutely roared over Shayna at having been caught so blatantly ogling him. And there was a smugness to the almost-smile he wore. But he gave her a little wave and nodded his head as if to invite her inside.
The gesture should not have made any part of her feel gooey, but it seemed her crush on her brother’s best friend had resurrected enough to indeed cause gooeyness. Whether she wanted that to happen or not.
She went inside and sat on one of the benches, giving her a much better view of the wrestling matches. And now she was close enough that she could see that the fighters only switched out when someone gave up and tapped on the floor or reached a teammate’s hand off the edge of the mat to tag out. A few more changes happened, and then Sean was in the ring up against Noah.
The looks on the men’s faces proved that it was all good-natured competition even as they trash-talked each other and Noah managed to throw Sean off balance and knock him down. And then it was several long minutes of watching the two of them try to gain the upper hand by getting each other in armlocks and chokeholds.
On a roar and a sudden surge of muscle, Noah managed to tag out. And then the woman with the long black ponytail who had fought Billy earlier was in again.
“Come on, Dani. You got this,” Noah said, clapping his hands.
Shayna internally cheered Dani on, too. First, because she was one of only three women in the room, and that seemed to take a certain kind of bravery all by itself.
Second, because the woman was pretty badass, not showing the slightest bit of uncertainty or restraint as she went after Sean with possibly even more aggression than that she’d used against Billy.
And, third, Shay cheered for her because she remembered how Sean had blown Dani a kiss when they’d come in, and the woman had responded by giving the guy the finger. So there was obviously some sort of history between them. And, nice as he’d been, Sean seemed like the kind of guy who could use having his ego knocked down a notch or two every once in a while. Just for the sheer fun of it.
It was clear that the rest of the club thought egging the two of them on was fun, because the volume of the clapping, laughing, and trash-talk escalated with each passing minute that they wrestled. Dani was so quick and flexible that she kept escaping Sean’s efforts to pin her, and the guy was nearly growling as he finally managed to flip her face-down against the mat, his greater bulk on top of her.
“Tap out, Daniela,” he bit out.
“Screw you, Riddick,” she said, the light brown skin of her face going red as she twisted to get out from under him.
“Come on, D. I got you. Admit it,” he said, his muscles seriously straining as he held her.
As Shayna watched the two of them fight, she wondered if she was the only one who found their antagonism weirdly hot. She almost suspected that something must’ve happened between them at some point to generate the kind of explosive chemistry they seemed to give off.
“Damnit,” Dani finally said, her hand smacking against the mat.
To his credit, Sean didn’t gloat. He got off of her in a flash and offered a hand up, which she begrudgingly took. And then they shook before Dani stepped out and Noah and Mo gave her a pep talk as Sean took on a fighter Shay didn’t know.
Finally, the coach blew his whistle and gathered everyone around. “Good work today. I’m ending things early because my wife’s parents are in town and I promised I’d make it for dinner.”
The amount of razzing that statement generated made Shayna laugh—not to mention a little envious, because it was clear how much everyone here liked and supported each other. Shay wanted a community like that for herself. Given how much fun she’d had the night before at the bar, maybe it’d be in the cards for her, too.
As the group broke up, Shayna rose. She felt a little conspicuous standing there like she was waiting on Billy, and she certainly didn’t want to cramp his style. But he came right over to her anyway, a couple of the other guys in tow.
“A group of us usually goes out for dinner and drinks after,” he said. “You good with that or you want me to run you home first?”
“No, don’t go home, Shayna,” Sean said. “Hang out with us.”
“I second that,” Mo said, making her grin.
Before she had a chance to answer, two of the women joined their group. “We’re just gonna grab a quick shower and then we’ll be ready,” Dani said. “What’s the plan?”
“I’m game to join,” Shayna said to Billy as the conversation turned to debating the pros and cons of several restaurants.
Billy winked. “Good. I’m glad.”
Annnnd more goo.
God, her inner fourteen-year-old was present and accounted for, wasn’t she?
When Dani and the other woman stepped away and left it to the men to decide on a place, Shay followed. “I’m going to clean up, too,” she called to Billy.
He nodd
ed and gave her a quick once-over that made her belly flip.
At the door to the locker room, Dani made introductions. “I’m Dani England and this is Tara Hunter,” she said, gesturing to the brown-haired woman with a prominent scar on her neck.
“Hey, I’m Shayna Curtis. Billy’s roommate. Well, temporarily,” she said as they all found spots along the bench that ran between two rows of gray metal lockers.
“Why temporarily?” Tara asked as she shucked her tank top and fished a little zipper bag of shower supplies from her duffle.
“I just recently moved to D.C. for a new job. Billy’s one of my brother’s best friends, so they arranged a place for me to crash until I find something permanent.”
Dani’s eyebrows lifted. “Your brother’s a Ranger too, then?”
Shayna nodded and gathered her soap and shampoo. “Deployed to Iraq right now.”
“Or somewhere,” Dani said with a knowing smile. “I was in the Army for eight years myself. Nurse.”
“Wow. Thank you for that,” Shayna said. And then she quickly added, “I don’t mean that in the sort of generic thank you for your service way I know you probably often get. I mean that people like you were there for people like my brother, and I really appreciate that.”
Dani gave her an appraising glance and nodded. “I’m out now,” she said stepping into one of the shower stalls. “Still nursing, though.”
“What’s your new job?” Tara asked Shay as she stripped down and wrapped her pin-up curves in a towel.
“I’m a photographer for the Washington Gazette.” Shayna supposed she ought to start thinking of herself as a photojournalist, but that seemed grander than her experience had yet justified.
Tara’s eyes lit up. “Ever do any underwater photography?”
“No,” Shayna said, intrigued by the question as she headed to one of the stalls. “Have you?”
The woman nodded as she gathered more of her things. “I work in commercial diving, and we often use video and still photography to get a full picture of what’s going on beneath the water’s surface on a project.”
Shay hung her towel on a hook. “I am kind of a photography nut so now I have to know everything about that.”
Tara laughed as they both stepped into their respective stalls. “That can be arranged.”
The hot water felt great as it rained down against Shay’s tired body, but then she had a funny thought. “Uh, oh, Tara, wait. Does your diving job by any chance mean we’re going to be on opposite sides of the Army-Navy game come football season?” Shay called out over the sound of the running water.
“Go Navy,” Tara said, amusement plain in her voice.
Shayna chuckled. “My brother played Army football.”
“Oh, no, so what you’re telling me is that you’re hardcore?” Tara asked.
“I mean, a little?” Shay said, grinning as she washed her hair. And if she thought she could really get to like these women, she knew she did after two hours of dinner and drinks at a nearby steakhouse.
Dani had an absolutely cutting sense of humor that had Shayna laughing all night, especially as Sean and Billy were often on the receiving ends of it. And Tara was the kind of wicked smart that made you sit back, shake your head, and wonder what you’d done with your life. She told the most interesting stories about things she’d seen during her years as a Navy diver and about where her travel as a commercial diver had taken her since.
And all the while, Shayna sat nearly plastered against Billy’s side, because the restaurant had squeezed the seven of them into a booth that would’ve been more comfortable for four or five. Only the fact that Mo sat in a chair at the end of the booth made it work, but it was still a tight fit.
Shayna was not complaining.
Because Billy smelled like soap and a clean-scented aftershave and something that was all him—combined, they made up a mouthwatering scent that she wouldn’t have minded drowning in. The whole night she’d been over-aware of the press of their thighs and the way they kept bumping arms until they’d finally broken down in laughter over how difficult it was to cut their steaks without elbowing each other in the face.
She only hoped that she wasn’t giving off the same I’m really freaking interested vibes that Sean gave off every time he looked at Dani—especially when Dani wasn’t looking back.
He probably thought he was being all chill about it, but the guy was about as subtle as a heart attack. She couldn’t be the only one who saw it, could she? Not that Shayna blamed Sean at all, because Daniela looked absolutely beautiful. Between her long, glossy hair, a form-fitting black wrap shirt, and the almost delicate perfection of her facial features, the woman was truly stunning.
Billy turned to Shayna. “Are you having a good time?”
“Yes. Thanks for letting me tag along,” she said.
He shook his head. “You’re not tagging along. I wanted you here. And everyone wanted to meet you.”
“It’s true,” Sean said. “Because it’s not everyday someone gets a jump on a Ranger.”
Billy threw the guy an unamused look, and Shayna laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far,” she said.
“Thank you,” Billy said.
“Wait.” Dani held out her hands and surveyed the lot of them. “I need this story from the beginning.”
Which kicked off twenty minutes of her and Billy fighting to tell their versions of the story—sans all mention of her getting naked at the end of it, thank God—while everyone laughed and taunted Billy and high-fived Shayna.
Dani and Tara were totally on her side all the way, and that had Billy refusing to share the piece of cheesecake that he’d agreed to split with Shayna when they ordered it.
She tried to maneuver her fork around his arm, but he blocked her, making her laugh even as she pleaded for a bite. “Come on. It’s not my fault that all your friends think it’s funny that I broke into your house.”
He smirked at her. “That isn’t earning you any cheesecake.”
“It’s my cheesecake, too,” she said, trying again.
He easily blocked her next attack. “Possession is nine-tenths of the law.”
“Quit being a dickweasal,” she said, laughing as she tried again.
He grinned and held the dessert plate further away. “Dickweasal, am I?”
“Oh, do you prefer jizzmuffin?”
Mo’s eyebrows went way up. “Listen to the genius coming out of this girl’s mouth.” Everyone laughed. “Is this also courtesy of your brother?”
“Brothers,” Shayna said, not failing to claim Dylan, too. For once. “And yes. I had to be able to insult them back, didn’t I?”
Grinning, Mo grabbed the plate from Billy’s hand when he wasn’t looking.
“Hey!” Billy said, a comically outraged expression on his sexy face.
“Creativity like that takes fuel, brother, that’s all I’m saying.” He handed the plate around Billy to Shayna.
About two-thirds of the cake was left, and Shayna promptly licked the whole top of it. “I licked it. It’s mine now. Take that, assclown.”
The whole table howled in laughter. Mo was actually crying.
And she thought Billy’s expression had been comical before. His jaw dropped. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
She slid a big forkful of the sweet, creamy deliciousness into her mouth. “Oh, believe it,” she said around the bite.
As he watched her, his gaze shifted. From outraged to playful to challenging. And she didn’t think she was imagining more than a little heat in those dark eyes, either. “You think I’m put off by a pretty woman’s tongue, Shayna Curtis?”
“Damn,” Sean said. “It’s getting a little X-rated up in here.”
“Check, please,” Noah called out, making everyone laugh again.
Meanwhile, Shayna nearly swallowed said tongue as she prayed to God that the heat lashing through her body didn’t climb up her face. Because Billy was staring at her with an arched brow and a smug, expect
ant look in his eye. “No curses for me now?”
“So, so many,” she managed, smiling despite herself and her arousal and the way her belly was flipping. Because there was no way to read what was happening just then but as flirtation. She put the plate between them. “Help yourself if you really want.” She said the words looking him straight in the eyes, silently inviting him to interpret them however he wished.
Right in that moment, she was entirely open to him helping himself to her, too.
He took a big bite and made a point of closing his eyes and mmming.
The sound of Billy’s moan seemed connected to something primal in Shayna. Because she was suddenly wet. Lordy.
And as they paid and said their good-byes, Shay had absolutely no idea what to think about their flirtation or whether to expect anything more to come. All she knew was that she’d probably say yes to anything Billy Parrish wanted from her.
Anything at all.
Chapter Ten
Shayna’s heart was a bass drum in her chest as Billy parked his car around the corner from their place. The whole car ride home, they’d made small talk about dinner and laughed about Billy’s friends and teased about the great cheesecake incident. On the surface, it all seemed like normal conversation.
But the car was absolutely vibrating with an underlying tension that had her body on edge and her mind racing.
It wasn’t just some warm and fuzzies from the one glass of wine she’d had, either. While Billy seemed relaxed, his fist kept squeezing around the steering wheel. Sitting at red lights, he cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders. And when she sneaked glances at him, she noticed that his jaw ticked.
Once, he caught her looking, and the answering heat in his eyes appeared nothing short of hungry.
“I’ll grab our bags from the trunk.” He pushed out of the driver’s seat.
“Okay,” Shayna said, reaching down for her purse—which was when she noticed that it’d fallen over and a few things had spilled out. “Shit.” She gathered the loose lipsticks and pens up, then felt around with her hand in the darkness to make sure she hadn’t missed anything.