Shifting Gears: The Complete Series (Sports Bad Boy Romance)

by Alycia Taylor

  “No it’s the first thing I need to do. You think I can lie around for a week and then beat a champion? You’re a trainer, you know better than that.”

  “You can’t beat him if you don’t take care of yourself…”

  “I’ll just see you there…”

  “Oh stop it! I’ll be right there, but I want it on the record that I object.”

  “Objection overruled,” he said. I hung up shaking my head. He was hot, sexy, kind, gentle…and stubborn as hell.

  He was waiting outside for me when I got to his apartment. He got into the car without making a face or sucking air, but I knew he was concentrating on being stoic just to get me off his back. As we drove to the gym I said, “Did you take your pain pills?”

  “Yeah. I didn’t take the muscle relaxants. I don’t want to fall asleep in the ring.”

  “Probably a good idea. Who are you working out with today?”

  “Sam…and you?”

  I was afraid he was going to say that. I usually didn’t mind helping him at all but I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to handle watching him in pain. I didn’t say that though, he knew how I felt. “Okay,” I said. “What are you working on?”

  “Kick-boxing,” he said.

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes,” he told me as we pulled into the lot in front of the gym. “Trent’s game is all wrestling. He won National division wrestling tournaments before he started cage fighting. I do not want to take this fight to the ground until it’s because he’s unconscious.”

  “Great,” I said, forcing a smile that we both knew was fake. We walked in together and as he headed for the back I said, “Go ahead and get started with Sam, I’m going to clock in and take care of some paperwork I’m behind on first.” He winked at me and in spite of myself I felt that twinge of lust in my nether regions. He was just so damned hot. I walked over to the counter and said, “Hi Victoria.”

  “Hey there,” she said. She glanced in Paul’s direction and said, “You two look cozy.”

  I could feel myself blush. “We’re doing alright.” It killed them all that I wouldn’t talk about my personal stuff like everyone else around here.

  She made a face and said, “Greg told me about that creep Mitch attacking Paul yesterday. I can’t believe what he did to you wasn’t enough to keep him in jail. Paul looks okay though, that’s good.”

  “Yeah, he looks good. He wouldn’t go to the hospital though so who knows? As far as the cops go, I don’t know why they don’t want to admit there could be a bad seed in their midst. I think they want to keep trying to give him the benefit of the doubt because he’s a cop. It’s ridiculous. Hopefully they’ll keep him this time.”

  “I hope so too,” she said. I went into the back office and took care of some billing I needed to do for my private clients. I was really appreciative of my amazing bosses lately. The drama of my life…or Mom’s and Paul’s lives had gotten in the way of work a lot. When I finished, I left the invoices for Greg to sign and then I headed for the back where Paul and Sam were. Sam had him on the bag instead of in the ring. That made me feel better. The bag wasn’t going to fight back and accidentally kick him in the sore ribs. I stood back and watched for a minute. As I walked in he was moving his right leg around in a roundhouse. His form was off a little…I thought it had to be because of the pain. When he connected with the bag I saw him wince and heard a little “Oomph!”

  I went over closer and said, “Hey, are you doing okay?”

  He was sweating more than usual for what would normally be a light work-out for him, but he said, “Yep, I’m fine.” I didn’t say anything; I just stood back and watched him and Sam for a few minutes. After the kick he dropped to his feet with another strangled sound but he kept moving. He moved in close to the bag and pulled back his right arm for a roundhouse punch.

  “Tuck your chin,” Sam told him. Paul did and then he unleashed a flurry of roundhouse punches onto the bag. His form was good, but every time his fist connected with the bag, he would suck in a breath between his teeth. He was in a lot of pain whether he would admit it or not. “Arc it!” Sam told him. “Fist to shoulder, make it hard for him to block.”

  “Watch the other hand too,” I told him. “Use it to block your junk because he’s coming in with a front kick after a few of those punches connect.”

  He snorted and in a breathless voice he said, “You weren’t supposed to be funny.”

  “I was dead serious,” I told him.

  “My junk?”

  “We’re in mixed company, what should I call it…your package?”

  He laughed out loud that time and then said, “Shit! Stop Jess, it hurts.”

  “Why don’t you take a break,” I told him.

  “I’m alright,” he said. “I want to practice the spinning-back kick, Sam.”

  “Okay, slow motion one the first time. Step forward…you’re too far back; close in on your target. Now spin backwards so you’re facing away from him. At the same time look over your shoulder at your target, now lift your knee to your chest…yeah that’s it…higher….”

  “Fuck,” I heard Paul breathe out almost silently. Sweat was dripping off his forehead now. I started to tell him again that he should take a break, but he gave me a look that said it was a moot point. “Okay Sam, here it goes.”

  He repeated the steps and after he lifted his leg Sam told him, “Now drive the heel of your foot back into him. You want to aim for his gut.”

  Paul landed the kick in the center of the bag. He was thrown forward slightly and this time his strangled cry was an all-out cry. I winced and so did Sam.

  “Damn it Paul, take a break.”

  Through his still gritted teeth he said, “No.”

  I looked at Sam, rolled my eyes and said, “Good luck, I can’t watch this.”

  I grabbed my water and went out front. The gym was crowded and I needed some air so I went outside. I paced back and forth, frustrated. I wanted to kick Paul’s ass for being so damned stubborn. He should have gone to the hospital and he shouldn’t be here today. But hell if he’ll listen to me.

  “Hey there, who pissed in your cheerios?” It was Justin the marathon runner. I smiled at him and he said, “That’s better. You okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I told him. “I’m pissed and frustrated, but fine.”

  “What happened? That creep Mitch isn’t bothering you again, is he?”

  “Not me specifically,” I told him. “Yesterday they let him out of jail though and in the morning he attacked Paul with a crow bar. It was at a gas station and it was a whole big mess…the police almost arrested Paul because he ended up kicking Mitch’s chicken-shit ass. Luckily there was a video…”

  “Damn, that sucks. I’m sorry. Is Paul okay?”

  “He’s in there,” I said, gesturing towards the gym.

  “Hmm, let me guess…you don’t think he should be working out yet?”

  “He got beat with a crowbar for crying out loud. He’s as sore as hell and he refused to go to the hospital. He could have broken bones for all we know. Yet he’s still in there going full-bore on a bag because he has a big fight coming up. What if he permanently hurts something?”

  “Athletes are a stubborn lot,” he said with a grin.

  “You think? Athletes…and men. The combination is lethal. A woman would take care of herself.”

  He smiled but he was smart enough to leave that one alone. “I can try and talk to him if you want. I had to sit out on one of the biggest marathons of my life because of a torn ACL once. It sucked, hard.”

  “Thanks,” I told him, “But he won’t listen to me or Sam, I don’t think he’s going to listen to anyone. He’s going to do what Paul wants to do, period.”

  “Is that creep Mitch at least back in jail where he needs to be?”

  “Yeah…at least as far as I know, they took him in after he got out of the hospital yesterday. The cop I talked to on the phone last night said he doubted that they’d grant
bail to him again after committing assault the first time he was let out.”

  “Well that’s good news anyways. When’s his big fight?”

  “A week from today,” I told him. “I seriously doubt he’s going to be healed by then.”

  “He’s not going to consider postponing that, I assume.”

  “I shudder to think of what he might do to someone who even dared to suggest it,” I said, only half-joking.

  “Hey Jessie!” I looked over towards the voice. It was Victor running towards me and Marie following along behind hi holding a big Tupperware bowl.

  “Hey Victor! How are you?”

  “I’m good. Is Uncle Paul okay?”

  “He’s a stubborn old…” Victor grinned and I ruffled his hair. “He’s good. He’s too tough to be kept down. He’s in the back with Sam, go tell him to take a break,” I told him. He ran in and I looked over at Marie. As I did, I realized that she and Justin were looking at each other appreciatively. “Hi Marie,” I said. She tore her eyes from Justin and looked at me.

  “Hi Jessie. How are you?”

  “I’m good. Your brother on the other hand is a stubborn ass.”

  She laughed and said, “Do you have any new information?” she glanced back towards Justin.

  “Oh hey, I’m sorry. Justin, this is Marie Delport. She’s Paul’s sister…but don’t hold that against her.”

  Justin chuckled and then looked at Marie and smiled. The smile she gave him back was dazzling. I could almost hear them click. “It’s nice to meet you,” Justin told her, putting out his hand.

  “Nice to meet you too, Justin,” she said. She shifted the Tupperware bowl to her left hand and shook his with her right. They locked eyes again and I realized they’d all but forgotten I was there.

  I cleared my throat and said, “What’s in the bowl?”

  Marie acted like she hadn’t remembered it was there. She looked down at it and said, “Oh, lunch…for Paul…and you too, Jessie if you want some. It’s baked chicken and steamed rice and vegetables. I just feel so damned bad about what Mitch did…to both of you…”

  “Hey, stop that,” I said. I glanced at Justin, he was politely trying not to listen in. “Not your fault, remember?”

  “I remember,” she said. “I just have to keep telling myself that. I’m going to take this on it to him.”

  “Good,” I said with a smile, “Then maybe he’ll take a break to eat at least. I’ll be in in a few.”

  “It was nice meeting you Justin,” she told him again with another beautiful smile.

  “You too,” he said, his smile just as bright. When she’d stepped inside he looked at my face and said, “What?”

  I laughed. “Nothing…but just so you know, she’s single.”

  He grinned, “And beautiful,” he said.

  “Yeah, and that.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  A few mornings later after several restless nights for us both…because my stubborn boyfriend is in so much pain he can’t turn over without groaning and grunting…Paul and I were having breakfast together. After I put the whole grain waffles, oatmeal and fruit on the table I went out to get the paper. When I came back inside I unrolled it and sat down next to him.

  “How is it?”

  “Delicious,” he said with a smile, “Like you.”

  “You’re just kissing up because you want to go back in and work-out and you don’t want me to nag you about it.”

  “True, is it working?”

  I glanced down at my paper while I ignored him. I could see him grinning out of the corner of my eye. He was going in whether I objected or not…the stubborn ass. As my eyes scanned the paper and I worried about Paul a familiar name caught my eye. “I’ll be damned,” I said.

  “What?”

  “Listen to this,” I told him, reading the article out loud. “Local police detective Mitch (XXX) was arrested on Monday for assault with a deadly weapon. He was booked into the L.A. County jail. It was discovered by this reporter that the detective had been released on bail that morning after being booked in only a week earlier for…you guessed it, assault. The question on my mind is this…Does the L.A.P.D. have different standards for one of their own? I can’t answer that, but what I can tell you is that Judge Hal Young who he went in front of today and our county District Attorney Dean Lane have no sympathy for him. He was charged today with not only felony assault for the first assault, but stalking, assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder for the second. It’s nice to know the judicial system has our back.”

  “Awesome!” Paul said, finally that son of a bitch will get what’s coming to him. Although I would have loved to kick his ass myself…”

  “I hate to say this, but I’m glad you didn’t get that chance. You know how it goes; you would have ended up in jail.”

  “Yeah, I know,” he said. “I’m happy just knowing he’ll be gone long enough for my sister and her son to have a life for a change.”

  “And you,” I told him.

  “Yeah, and me…and you,” I told him.

  He drained his juice glass and said, “I’m ready.”

  I rolled my eyes again. I gave up trying to convince him not to work out; it was a waste of energy. I did draw the line at helping him. Sam and Greg were taking turns, but they both seem a little wary around me now, like they’re afraid I’ll unleash on them. I just let them think it was a possibility. It was more fun that way. I put down the paper and he helped me straighten up the kitchen before we left. We were alternating apartments, but we’d been together nearly every night and day since I got out of the hospital. I liked it…a lot.

  ******

  When we got to the gym, Paul went into the back and I worked with Justin up front. I liked not even being able to see him when he was wincing and doubling over in pain.

  “Body weight squats?” I asked Justin when he came out of the locker room.

  Laughing he said, “I’m doing well today, Jessie…thank you so much for asking.”

  “I’m sorry. How are you Justin?”

  “I’m doing well today, Jessie…thank you so much for asking.”

  “Okay smart guy, body weight squats, on the mat, now.”

  He stood on the mat and I told him, “Move your right foot out a little bit…there you go. Have them both just in line with your hips and make sure your toes are facing forward. Good.”

  Justin got into position and hen he knew what to do. He acted like he was sitting down into a chair that wasn’t there. “Keep your knees out past your toes,” I told him. He adjusted and sat back until his knees were at a ninety degree angle. Then he came back up. “Good, one…”

  With a grunt as he did the next one he said, “How many are we doing?”

  “We’ll do twelve without weight and then we’ll add weight and do eight,” I told him. “That’s two.”

  He grunted again as he went down a third time. “So Marie is single?” he said. I laughed. It just seemed like an odd time for him to ask. I could only assume that she’d been on his mind.

  “Yep she’s single and now that her creepy ex is in jail she’s available as well.”

  “I look at her and it’s hard for me to imagine what she would ever see in a guy like that.”

  I thought about my drug-dealer Justin and said, “Sometimes it takes a while before the monster within reveals itself and by that time you feel trapped. That’s five.”

  “I don’t know if I’d want to be a woman,” he said.

  I laughed and said, “Good to know. You’d be a really tall woman.”

  Laughing and grunting at the same time he said, “Funny. You know what I mean. So, did you put in a good word for me?”

  “That’s seven. No, sorry. I didn’t know you wanted me to.”

  “That’s eight, actually. You’re not paying attention.”

  “Excuse me. I will put a word in for you next time I see Marie. That’s nine.”

  “Thanks,” he said completely his next squat. “Tha
t’s ten.”

  “How are you with kids? You know she comes as a package deal.”

  “I saw that, cute kid.” He completed his last squat and said, “Twelve.”

  “Yeah, Victor is a great kid. Let’s do the next set with the bar.”

  “Just the bar?”

  “No. Put some weight on it.” I was shaking my head at him and he was grinning.

  I watched as he added weight to the bar and then said, “I like kids.”

  “Okay, if you’ll focus the rest of the work-out, I’ll call her tonight and tell her so.”

  “Deal,” he said with a thousand-watt smile. Now I was a match maker.

  *****

  Justin and I finished up in about an hour and I went back to check on Paul. He was in the ring today with Greg, both of them with headgear on and mouth guards in. I walked over by Sam who was standing next to the ropes and said, “Are they making contact?”

  Sam looked like he didn’t want to tell me. Finally he said, “Yeah, Paul insisted. He’s favoring that right side. He says he wants to practice fighting and he doesn’t want Greg to even pretend like he knows that he’s hurting.”

  “He’s an idiot. Why did Greg agree to that?”

  Sam laughed. Paul’s determined. He will find someone to do it if he says no. Greg won’t hurt him, no matter what he tells him. You know that.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I told him. I watched for a minute. Paul was blocking too much on his right side, leaving the left wide open. If he fought Trent like that he wouldn’t win. Trent would use his weakness to his advantage…any good fighter would. Greg connected a kick on Paul’s left-side and he almost went down. I watched him stumble and wince as he struggled upright. I couldn’t stand it. “When he’s finished, tell him to call me. I have some errands to run. I can’t watch this.”

  Sam winked at me. “He’s going to be okay.”

  “I know he’s a tough guy. I’m just not tough enough to watch him struggle like this.” I left, ran my errands and came back a little over an hour later. He had just finished his shower and he was ready to go. The first thing I noticed was that he looked like he could hardly even stand up straight. As we walked out to the car, I took his arm. I pretended like I just wanted to touch him, but I was really afraid that he was going to fall over.