by Meghan March
“What do you get out of it?”
Creighton leans back in his chair, opens the box, and lifts the cigar once more to sniff the tobacco. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had anyone try to tell me what to do, other than my wife and the tiny terrorist we made together. I don’t run into many problems anymore. And you know what? Sometimes, a man needs a little excitement to keep life interesting.”
I blink at him, trying not to gape. “You want to help me because you’re bored?” Fucking rich people sure have ass-backward problems.
“And because you’re an interesting man who is going to give me a great return on my investment—years sooner than planned. Now, let’s discuss this Gaspard character, because Cannon’s connections are going to find your gangster and deal with him so you don’t have to.”
Holy shit, he’s going to put the mob on Moses? I lock my shock inside, fighting to keep my expression placid. “I’d appreciate that.”
“I know. And then we’re going to run the numbers and figure out exactly how much money I’m going to front you to bet on yourself and get out of this hole. No loan shark, just me.”
“What if I don’t win?” I don’t even want to voice the thought, but I have to. What will Karas do to me if I can’t pull this off?
That predatory smile comes back over his face. “Simple. I’ll own you.”
Twenty-Two
Scarlett
Oh my God. All I want to do is rip his clothes off and ride him. Holy hell, I had no idea this would be so freaking hot.
It’s Friday night, and instead of going to the club, I volunteered to go with Gabriel to watch him train at his new super-fancy fighting gym. Having watched his fights on YouTube and been shockingly turned on by them, I’ve been curious about what goes on in the gym while he’s training.
The first part of the evening was a little less exciting, mostly warming up and some drills. But once Gabriel started sparring with the other guys, it was like watching my fantasy come to life right in front of my eyes.
The leggings I have on are going to have a wet spot if I don’t get my thoughts under control.
Gabriel shoots for a takedown, grabbing his opponent by both legs and yanking him off his feet. It’s vicious, yet graceful. Violent, but elegant. When the guy slaps his palm on the canvas, Gabriel pops to his feet and offers him a hand up.
I’m salivating because I want to be the one to take Gabriel down and pin him there while I do all the naughty things running through my mind. Visions of that thick, hard cock sliding between my lips and then thrusting inside me are enough to have me turning away to look out the windows on the far wall.
Jesus Christ. No one told me I’d need a fire extinguisher to keep myself under control while watching this stuff.
Gabriel is setting up to continue sparring with a fresh partner, when Jeb stops next to me.
“If you’re bored, you can always hit the bag. Gabe told me you want to pick back up on your self-defense training.”
I have no idea how to tell the older man that I’m not the least bit bored. But in the interest of not making a fool out of myself by launching myself at Gabriel and mauling him, I take Jeb up on his offer.
“I’d love to. Just point me in the right direction.”
“I’ll get one of the other coaches to give you some instruction. It’d be our pleasure. We do women’s clinics once a month for free, if you ever want to come to one of those too.”
“Really? That’s awesome.”
Jeb shrugs. “It’s a sad thing that we gotta teach women to defend themselves in this world, but ever since my wife got mugged coming home one night, it’s been a passion of mine.” He turns and calls out to a younger guy in red sweats a few feet away. “Charlie, come help Scarlett out. She’s going to hit the bag. Give her some pointers.”
Charlie, a sweaty trainer in his late twenties, waves and jogs over. “Happy to. Come over here with me, and we’ll get your gloves on.”
I glance at Gabriel, who is taking his one-minute break. He salutes me as he sucks back some water and listens to the other man whose name I forgot, but I think he’s the Brazilian jujitsu coach. I point to the area where the bags hang and follow Charlie to an equipment locker.
Once my gloves are on, I smack them together. “I’ve missed this.”
“Good deal. Let’s get you going.”
Twenty minutes later, I’m drenched in sweat and smiling huge. “Damn, that feels good.”
“You’re a natural at boxing. Some women are afraid to punch through the bag, and are more comfortable just tapping it. You’ve got more power than you realize.”
I open my mouth to reply but am distracted by a woman walking across the gym floor . . . and straight toward the cage where Gabriel is fighting. Her perfectly coifed black hair tells me all I need to know about her identity—Lucy Byers. But what the hell is she doing here?
Charlie turns and follows my gaze. “You know that chick?”
“Oh yeah, but what I don’t know is what she thinks she’s doing here.”
Jeb strides in her direction, hopefully to eject her skinny ass, but she grabs hold of the cage and shoves her face into the spot where Gabriel is leaning against it to catch his breath.
I remember what he told me about the “deal” he made with her at Meryl’s gala to get her to stop bidding on my mom’s necklace.
Oh, hell no.
I glance at Charlie. “I’ll be back. I’ve got to take care of something.”
Charlie’s eyes widen, but I’m not paying attention to him anymore. My sneakers cross the floor silently, and I’m finally close enough to hear what she’s saying.
“You promised me you’d make me scream, baby. There’s no better night than tonight. I’m getting tired of waiting for you. And that’s before I realized how hot you are when you’re a sweaty beast. I’ll even let you fuck me in the locker room. Just pin me up against the wall and nail me to it. You know you want it.”
Gabriel lifts his gaze over Lucy’s shoulder, and those vivid blue eyes lock with mine. There’s an apology in them, but he doesn’t owe me one. This is all on Lucy.
I stop behind her and tap her on the shoulder with my glove.
“I’m busy, as you can see—”
I jab her in the shoulder the second time, and she whips around to face me.
“Scarlett! I had no idea you were—”
“Shut the hell up, Lucy.”
Her eyes narrow into slits. “Don’t you talk to me—”
“Quit talking and listen, because I’m only going to warn you once. You’re never going to approach Gabriel ever again. You’re never going to come to my store again. You’re never going to breathe my name or his name to anyone in this town or on this planet ever again. Do you hear me? You are toxic, and I don’t ever want to see you or hear about you for the rest of my life.”
Her glare intensifies, and something malevolent gleams there. “You stupid bitch. I’m here because your precious Gabriel wants me and not you. Shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, since your last boyfriend wanted me too. I can’t help it if you can’t keep a man satisfied, Scarlett. You’re just an uptight prude who wouldn’t know what to do with a big dick if it slapped you across the face.”
I see red as the words see you next Tuesday flit through my brain.
I don’t know what happens in that moment, but I snap. I haul back and my glove slams into Lucy’s left cheek.
She stumbles back, falls against the cage, and lands on her ass before unleashing an unholy screech. “She hit me! Call the police! You’re going to jail, you bitch. I have witnesses!”
No one moves. Not me, not Gabriel, and not a single one of the other men in the gym. Everyone stares at Lucy on the floor.
From just behind me, Jeb speaks first. “I didn’t see anything. Anyone else see anything?”
The men around the room all speak up, one by one.
“Nope.”
“Not me.”
“Didn’t see nothi
ng.”
“She must’ve tripped and fallen.”
Gabriel stands tall in the cage and stares down at Lucy. “Don’t ever come looking for me again. I didn’t promise you shit . . . except that you’d scream. Looks like I followed through on that. Get the hell out of here.”
Lucy sucks in an angry breath as she climbs to her feet. Whipping her head in one direction and then the other, her glare lands on the unfriendly faces of every man in the room before finally stopping on me again.
“You just made the biggest mistake of your life, Scarlett Priest. I’m going to ruin you. Just wait. I’m going to enjoy this.”
Given what I’ve been through lately and everything we still have to navigate, her threats don’t register.
“You’re just a mean girl who never should’ve left prep school, Lucy. If you come at me, I’ll bury you. Don’t tempt me.”
She screeches again before stomping out, shoving past the trainer near the center of the room. As soon as the door closes behind her, a slow clap starts. Gabriel and the other men join in.
I walk toward the cage as Gabriel opens the gate and comes down the stairs. He wraps me in a hug and picks me up off my feet.
“Team Scarlett for the win,” he whispers, and the gym fills with cheers as he kisses me.
Jeb grins at Gabriel. “I think you’re done with your workout for the night, Gabe. Get cleaned up and then take this girl out for some dinner. You both could use a good steak tonight.”
Charlie yells, “And watch out for her right hook.”
Gabriel holds me tighter to his chest, and I’m overwhelmed with the moment.
“I punched her. In the face. I’ve never punched anyone before, let alone in the face.”
“And you did a damn good job, ladybug. I’m proud as hell.” He lowers me to my feet and drops a kiss on the tip of my nose. “How about we both shower? I’ve got some sweats you can wear home.”
My earlier thoughts about how hot it was to watch him spar come rushing back. Shower with him? In the locker room?
“That sounds like a great plan.”
Twenty-Three
Legend
I’d never expect Scarlett to fight a battle for me, but damned if I’m not turned on after watching her haul off and punch Lucy Byers right in her arrogant face. It was fucking perfect.
With that bitch out of my mind, the only thing I care about is getting Scarlett’s gloves off and hurrying her into the empty locker room. As soon as the door closes, I throw the dead bolt on the inside of the door.
Scarlett grins. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking, stud?”
I have no complaints about the nickname, especially because I’m thinking exactly what she’s thinking. “You and me. Right here. Right now.”
Scarlett’s tongue darts out to swipe across her lips, and her chest heaves as she draws in a deep breath. “I thought you’d never ask.”
We collide in the center of the locker room, intent on tearing off each other’s sweaty clothes. As soon as I’ve got her naked, I circle my hands around her waist and lift her into the air to drag her perfect tits across my chest.
“You were a warrior out there. That was so fucking hot,” I tell her as my lips skim over her skin, tasting the saltiness from her sweat.
“I should be saying that to you,” she whispers, tugging my jock strap and cup off. “Because I seriously thought I might lose it when you were wrestling in the cage. I wanted to come in there, mount you, and ride you until I made us both see stars. Or maybe wrestle with you and let you pin me and take me any way you want.”
My cock, already hard, stiffens almost to the point of pain.
“Fuck, I love you, woman.”
I adjust my grip and throw her over my shoulder, slapping her on the ass as I carry us both toward the showers. I flip on the water and wait a few beats until it starts steaming. Backing into it, I check the temperature before lowering Scarlett down under the spray and pinning her to the wall.
“I’ll take you however you need me to. And if you want to mount up and ride, I’m your fucking stallion, ladybug. Whatever you want, you get it. You never have to wonder, because I’m on board for every fucking thing you can possibly imagine.”
Her gray eyes glow, the hunger highlighted by the flickering fluorescent light. “Right here. Right now. I can’t wait.”
Her orders come out like breathy moans, and my cock bounces against my lower stomach.
“Fuck yes. Wrap your legs around me.”
She doesn’t hesitate. My cock presses flush against her pussy, and Scarlett grinds against it, her hips rocking as if she’s trying to push me inside.
“I got you, baby. You’re gonna take me right here.”
I separate our bodies enough to wrap my fist around my dick and angle it so the head breaches her entrance. Hot, wet, tight heaven grips the head, and I press forward an inch.
Her body softens as her eyes close. “Oh God. More.”
“As you wish.” I slide inside, inch by hard fucking inch, until I’m balls deep. “This is gonna be rough and rowdy. Hang on.”
With her arms around my neck and her nails digging into the muscles of my shoulders, I grasp her waist and lift her off my cock only to slide her back down, impaling her with each stroke. Her clit grinds against me, and the sound of Scarlett’s screams fill my ears. The whole gym will hear us, but I can’t find it in me to give a single fuck what anyone thinks.
This, right here, is everything.
Scarlett’s head slides back and forth against the tiled wall of the shower, and then I feel the hard pulse of her inner muscles locking down on my cock. She comes so fucking hard that she nearly traps me inside.
My balls tighten, and lightning shoots down my spine. There’s no chance in hell of keeping my roar at bay. It booms and echoes off the walls until my head finally drops forward to rest on the cool tile beside her head.
“Holy. Fuck,” I whisper. That was a goddamned religious experience if I’ve ever had one. My legs shake and my arms feel like rubber, but that was incredible.
I open my eyes and brush my lips over her forehead. “You okay, ladybug?”
Her eyes flick open, and the gray is hazy and soft. “I’m more than okay. Actually, that’s the perfect way to end a workout.”
My laughter booms, echoing the same way our cries did. I can only imagine the ribbing Jeb and the guys are going to give me about this later.
Worth. Every. Fucking. Second.
“Come on, baby. Let’s get you cleaned up and go home. We’ll order in steaks. God knows, I could eat a damn cow.”
Scarlett presses a kiss to my lips. “That sounds perfect too.”
Twenty-Four
Scarlett
I’m shocked to see Harlow and Monroe when Pat parks the SUV in front of Dolly’s on Saturday morning.
“You’re both early!” I dodge a few pedestrians on the sidewalk and rush forward into their open arms.
“I told you she’d be shocked,” Monroe says to Harlow with a giggle as they both hug me.
“More like I thought I was being punked.” I pull back and scan Monroe’s face. She looks a million times better than she did at my kitchen table, freaking out about losing Nate. “Are things better?” I ask quietly.
I’ve only heard from Monroe once since she came to my place—after I checked in with a text. She replied with a simple, I’m okay. We talked. I’ll fill you in later.
With all the craziness going on in my life and Gabriel’s, I haven’t had a chance to talk to her and get caught up, so I was thrilled when Harlow suggested brunch this weekend to our group chat. I need some quality time with my girls.
“I am, actually. I’ll tell you everything that went down when Kelsey gets here,” Monroe replies with a genuine smile that calms some of the anxiety I’ve been carrying for her.
“Fair enough. Flynn should be here soon too. I’m glad you girls are welcoming her into the fold. I know she’s young, but—”
“Psh.
That girl is more mature than I am,” Monroe says, waving off my comment.
Harlow squeezes my hand. “We love the little firecracker too, you know. If she wants to roll with our squad, then she’s more than welcome.”
“Here she comes! Hey, street racer.” Monroe waves Flynn over to us. “We were just talking about you, Little Miss Badass. Did you win any cool cars last night?”
Flynn stops next to me, and I throw an arm over her shoulder to pull her into my side for a quick embrace.
“No to winning a car. Someone tipped off the cops about the race. We heard it on the scanner and bolted. Total letdown. I was supposed to be going up against some guy with a beast of a Chevelle, and I’ve always wanted one of those.”
I lean my head against hers. “Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to listen to you say stuff like that without telling you to be careful, and maybe consider racing at tracks where it’s legal from now on so you’ll be safe?”
Flynn rolls her eyes my way and smiles at a guy about her age in a suit as he passes by us on the sidewalk. “Since you just told me that anyway, I’m assuming it’s incredibly hard. Likely impossible.”
“She’s right, kid. That shit is dangerous. You need to be careful,” Harlow says with concern in her voice.
“Who needs to be careful about what?” Kelsey asks as she comes up the walkway from our right.
Flynn and I spin around to face her. “This one. Running from the cops last night.”
“To be fair, I didn’t run from the cops. I simply drove away like I wasn’t there for a street race. It’s not as if any cop who pulled me over would even think I was part of that scene. I’m a college student, out late, grabbing more coffee to study for a test.”