“Yeah. It was good. I already know basic self-defense, but I still managed to learn a few things.”
“So, you must have been with Luke and Jace then?” she asks.
“No. Cole and Jace,” I correct while trying not to allow the blush to creep into my cheeks at mentioning the man I’ve been having very naughty dreams about.
“Ah, so which one is it that’s caught your eye?” she questions, clearly enjoying probing for information.
“Neither of them,” I say as stubbornly as ever.
“Bullshit,” Cami scoffs. “She’s been screwing Cole.”
Charli’s eyes widen in happy surprise, but I cut her off to make my corrections. “I’m not screwing him,” I announce. “I screwed him, as in past tense.”
“Right,” Cami laughs. “You’re telling me if Cole walked in right now, you wouldn’t drop your knickers and lay spread eagle on the table, begging him to blow your mind?”
Fuck, yeah, I would. “No.”
“What’s stopping you?” Charli questions. “I’ve known Cole for a while and I’ve got to say, he’s one of the only guy’s I know to actually have his shit together. He’s down to earth, he’s a nice guy, and he would do just about anything for the people he loves. Not to mention, he’s certainly not lacking in the looks department. He’s a great catch. You’d be silly to pass that up.”
“I second that,” Zara says. “I’ve met him a few times and I must say, if my boyfriend wasn’t in the picture, I’d be going after him. Actually, I’d be going after all of those guys. They’re so fucking hot.”
“Tell me about it,” Cami says. “Jace is like… wow.”
“Oh, geez,” Charli laughs. “Out of all of them, Jace is the one you’d want to stay away from.”
“What?” Cami nearly shouts with devastation written all over her face. I look across and have to resist laughing. “Why?”
“He’s a total heartbreaker,” Zara says.
“Agreed,” Charli adds. “He’s the kind of guy you’d be with to have fun. He never goes more than a few dates before he drops the poor girls. They all fall hard and fast for him and the second they do, it’s bye-bye. He must be like Rylee here, commitment is a big no-no. I don’t think he’s ever had a serious girlfriend.”
Cami presses her lips together, not liking where this conversation is going. I realize she’s more like me than I had thought. We’re both happier living in the dream world, where things are exactly how we want them to be. No drama to deal with.
“That’s a shame,” she says so quietly I have to strain to hear her.
I glance across to her and see nothing but pure devastation on her face. She must have really liked this guy, or at least, hoped something could happen between them. There was a bit of flirting going on at the class, but it’s not like she got his number or anything.
There were practically stars in her eyes when she was watching him during the class and that terrifies me because I know she’s already crushing hard on this guy. I guess it’s a good thing she’s too shy to actually do anything about it.
Besides, maybe it’s best she stays away from him. He sounds like a player and Cami is a good girl. She’s never truly fallen in love before and if she does, I want it to be with someone who’s going to be right for her. Someone who values and treasures her just as she deserves. Not someone who’s going to play her like a puppet and leave when things get serious.
But if something does happen between them and he breaks her gentle heart, he better watch out. He’s going to need more than his self-defense classes to protect himself against my wrath. I’d tear that fucker to shreds.
Geez, I hardly know the guy and I’ve already decided I hate him.
Charli pulls me out of my thoughts and asks me to cross the salon to the basin so she can wash my hair out and the second we’re alone, she goes back to pitching for Cole. “Just so you know,” she starts. “It’s a big deal for Cole Lewis to chase a woman. That’s not like him at all.”
“I wouldn’t call it chasing,” I tell her. “It’s more of a showing up unannounced and slamming me into the closest wall kind of thing. There’s no conversation. It’s just sex and now it’s over.”
“I’d hate to break it to you, but in Cole’s book, that’s chasing. The fact that you haven’t called him yet tells him you’re not interested. He’s not stupid. He’s not going to wait around so if you think there might be something worth exploring, then you should go for it before it’s too late. You wouldn’t want to miss your chance with a guy like him.”
I nod my head before tipping it back into the water. I have no idea what to say to that, but all I can think about is if she’s right. What if I am missing out on something good? I mean, I know my fear of commitment is ridiculous, I have my parent's messy divorce to thank for that, but what if it’s holding me back from something amazing? I can only imagine that a man like Cole would treat his woman like a queen.
I close my eyes as Charli gives me a head massage while the warm water runs through my hair. I do my best to put the thoughts of Cole to the back of my mind. I didn’t come here to be questioned about a non-existent relationship. I came to relax and that’s exactly what I intend to do.
Cole was a two-time thing. It was amazing while it lasted, but that’s all there is to it. He knows I’m not calling and I trust he isn’t going to show up at my club again. This whole conversation has been pointless.
I’m good going on as I always have.
I came to terms with the fact that I have commitment issues a long time ago, with that also came the knowledge that I would probably never find love and I’d never have a family of my own. I’m just that fucked up.
I have my club and Cami, and for now, that’s all I need.
Charli finishes up washing my hair and does an amazing blow dry. I thank her for everything and after declining Cole’s number, Cami and I strut out of her salon feeling like fucking royalty with our new, shiny hair.
“So,” Cami starts as we walk towards her car. “I’m assuming you’re not coming with me to the next self-defense class?”
“That’d be a no,” I grunt.
“I thought as much,” she tells me. “But, I’m just pointing out that you haven’t taken anyone else into your dirty little supply closet. That’s got to mean something.”
“Jesus,” I laugh. “It’s only been nine days. How much of a whore do you think I am?”
She gives me a blank stare. “Seriously? Do you really want me to answer that?
“Good point.”
I let out a sigh as I try to get back to enjoying my day off. “What do you say you stop drilling me on Cole and we get our nails done instead?”
She grins over at me. “Sounds amazing.”
Chapter 7
Cole
I open the door to Micky’s Bar and usher my little sister, Imogen, though. We’ve been coming here to catch up on our busy lives for the past few years and it’s definitely a tradition that neither of us is willing to part with.
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve seen this little ratbag and I have no doubt that the second we sit down she’s going to bombard me with question after question before grilling me on my non-existent love life.
I can’t wait…
Imogen finds an empty table while I head over to the bar to get us some drinks. I join her a few minutes later, and naturally, the drink I’ve ordered her is the wrong one. “Tough shit, princess. Either drink it or I will,” I tell her as she narrows her eyes at me from across the table.
“You’re such a dick,” she murmurs as she grabs the glass and takes a sip. She puts the glass back down and picks up the menu. “You hungry?” she asks as she starts skimming through it, even though we both know exactly what we’re going to order. We’ve been coming here long enough to know what we like.
“Yep,” I tell her before plucking the menu out of her hands and placing it back down on the table. “What’s going on, kid?”
She lets out a fr
ustrated huff. “How many times have I asked you to stop calling me kid? I’m twenty-four for Christ sake.”
“I don’t care if you’re one hundred and four, you’re still my kid sister,” I tell her. “Now, answer the damn question.”
She rolls her eyes and gives in before giving me a nervous smile. “I bought a new car,” she tells me with a cringe.
My face falls. “What?” I demand. “What car? What happened to the one you already had? Me and dad picked that car out for you. It’s the safest car on the market.”
She huffs again. “See, this is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I grunt.
“It means you’re an overprotective ass face,” she grunts right back.
“Am not.”
“Are so,” she says, most likely resisting the urge to poke her tongue out.
Buying a new car is a big deal and I have no doubt she’s excited about it. So, I do my best to keep my comments to myself. “What do you need a new car for?” I ask.
“Do I need a reason?” she grins. “I just wanted it, and don’t even bother telling me how financially stupid that is because I’ve already received that lecture from dad.”
Good. Though, clearly, he didn’t get through to her. I’ll have to have a man-to-man with him about his lecture techniques.
“It is financially stupid,” I murmur under my breath. As she said, she’s twenty-four now. She should be thinking about saving for her future not buying unnecessary cars, especially when she already has a great one. “Tell me about it,” I groan.
A brilliant smile takes over her face and I know whatever she’s about to tell me is not going to be what I want to hear. “It’s a red, two-door convertible. It’s so cute.”
I look at her as if she’s a stranger. Shit, I swear me and dad had knocked some sense into her over the years, perhaps we were wrong. “You’re shitting me, right? Cute? You don’t buy a fucking car because it’s cute.”
“No, I’m not shitting you,” she says with a roll of her eyes. “Can’t you just be happy for me? It’s been my dream car since I was sixteen.”
I let out a breath that comes out more like a huff and silently count to three. “Fine, but I need to check it out first.”
“Deal,” she agrees, knowing there’s no way I’m going to budge on this, not when it’s her safety on the line.
The waiter comes over and takes our orders then gets Imogen a new drink, after the one she had is somehow gone even though she insisted that I had gotten her the wrong one.
The second the waiter leaves, she hits me with all her prying questions. Naturally, she asks me how all of the boys are doing before moving onto Xander as training him has been a massive part of my life lately, especially with his first fight of the year coming up.
Once all those formalities are over, she begins prying on the things I’ve been trying to avoid. “I heard there was a girl in the picture,” she questions.
I raise a questioning eyebrow at her. “First off, there’s no girl, and second, where the hell did you hear that bullshit?”
She presses her lips together. “Nowhere,” she says, trying her hardest to keep a straight face, but she’s never had a talent for it. Her smile is always the first give away that she’s lying.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing. What aren’t you telling me?” she throws back.
For fuck's sake. When she gets like this, I know there’s no way around it but to give her the information she’s looking for. Probably so she has something to gossip to mom about the second she leaves. “There was the tiniest possibility of a girl but now there’s not.”
“Seriously? That’s all you’re going to give me?” I stare at her silently. “Fine,” she groans as the waiter returns with our dinner.
All conversation is lost the second the food touches down on the table. Imogen and I have always been big on our food. It must be in the genes. We’ve never been the kind to eat slowly and savor every bite. We like to annihilate it. If there’s something good in front of me, I don’t like to wait. Similar to how I had to have Rylee the second I saw her.
I haven’t seen Rylee for two weeks now, and to be honest, it’s driving me insane. I’ve been better about hiding the fact from the boys, which is actually a lot easier than I thought. With Xander’s first fight coming up, we’ve been putting a lot of energy into him, especially as he needs to cut a few pounds to make weight.
I’m having a hard time forgetting about Rylee’s feisty attitude, and not to mention, her ass. Fuck me, her ass is like my kryptonite. Fucking perfect. But her attitude, I can only imagine what a fight between us would be like. She’d be snappy and sarcastic and I’d be a stubborn ass. Shit, it’d be hot, but probably the most infuriating thing in the world.
Why the hell do I want that so much?
I stand by my decision though, I’m not interested in playing games. I mean, I’m more than happy to chase the woman if I knew it would get me anywhere, but she’s too closed off. It would be like taking rejection after rejection. It would grow old quickly. Besides, why chase something I could get so easily somewhere else?
We’re halfway through dinner when the door to Micky’s open and in walks the she-devil like it’s the world sick way of getting at me. How am I this unlucky to have my nosey sister sitting right beside me when I see her for the first time in weeks? I can’t help but watch as Rylee struts into the bar, but it’s the man beside her that has my eyes narrowing.
“Who’s that?” Imogen asks as she finishes off what’s left in her glass.
“No one,” I say as the man throws his arm over her shoulder and they laugh together. Shit. Why is it bothering me so much?
“Doesn’t look like no one,” Imogen murmurs in that little sarcastic tone that used to drive me nuts as a kid.
I ignore her comment and get back to my dinner, only I’ve lost my appetite. I force it down knowing Imogen is bound to pick up on the fact that I never leave a full plate. “What’s going on with you?” I ask, trying to get the attention off me. “Any guys asses that I have to kick?”
“No,” she says almost too quickly. “Most of the guys I know, already know exactly who you are and have seen you fight. So, thanks to you, I can’t get myself a date. All the guys are too chicken shit to meet my big brother.”
A grin rips across my face. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”
“Believe me,” she laughs. “I know.”
Feeling a little better, I flick my eyes across to Rylee to notice those green eyes already narrowed on me and Imogen, flicking between us as if she’s trying to work something out. She looks away the second our eyes meet, but the best part is that she looks pissed. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that she probably assumed I’m on a date.
If only she knew.
I ignore Rylee and focus all my attention on my sister. I don’t want Rylee to know just how much her rejection has affected me and it would also be great if Imogen didn’t pick up on the fact that I’m turning into a needy asshole over some chick I don’t even know.
Imogen demolishes off another drink and I get up to refill it for her. I stand at the busy bar, watching the television screen while I wait for the bartender. I grin to myself as I see an ice hockey game with The Denver Dragon’s absolutely owning it. Xander had been a college hockey player before he turned to professional fighting and the Dragon’s were his team. The kid has come so far since those days.
Someone comes and stands right beside me and brushes their arm against mine. The feeling has shivers running all through my body, and without even looking, I know exactly who it is. “You work quickly,” Rylee says beside me as I order my drinks.
I look down to see Rylee staring straight ahead, acting as though she’s ignoring me, but I have no doubt she’ll linger on any word I say. I glance over to my table to see Imogen watching me with a smile and realize I was right. Rylee thinks I’m on a date, whic
h is so wrong on so many levels, but it’s not like I’m about to correct her. “What’s it to you?” I question. “You’re not interested, remember?”
She doesn’t respond, only presses her lips into a tight line. I look down at her again and notice a slight change in her hair, but I can’t figure it out. Maybe it’s darker. I don’t know. A grin starts to creep across my face. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
Her mouth pops open and I have to resist laughing at her. At this, she finally turns those eyes on me. “I hardly think so,” she says with so much attitude that if I were a weaker man, it’d probably have me running for the hills.
“Right,” I chuckle as the bartender places the drinks down on the table.
I turn into her and catch her eyes. She doesn’t look away and it’s as if she’s captivated. I run my fingers down the side of her face and watch as she leans into me. Her eyes become hooded and her bottom lips gets pulled between her teeth. Almost like a natural reaction, her hand comes up and takes possession of my chest, the same way it has every other time we were this close.
I love that I have this effect over her and it clearly points out just how much of a liar she is. She’s definitely interested.
I glance back at the guy at her table. He mustn’t be her date because she obviously has some weird objection to dating, but whatever he is, his eyes are glued on us. I look back at Rylee. “Your date’s waiting,” I tell her.
She peers around me to her table before looking back up at me. “He’s not my date.”
“Really?” I question. “He seems pretty concerned with what’s going on over here.”
“First off, there’s nothing going on here, and secondly, he’s my cousin.”
I can’t help but grin. That’s fucking perfect.
I consider walking away, but I can’t do it without giving it one last shot. If she rejects me again, then this is it, I’m out. I lean down into her and I see the excitement in her eyes. My lips hover just above hers, she tilts her chin up and all she would have to do is close the distance. “Kiss me,” I murmur, desperately wishing she would.
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