by Jenika Snow
“Yeah, sounds good.” After confirming a few more things, he hung up and let his head hang between his shoulders. The sweat on his body started to dry, and he could use a shower, but he was still too ramped up. He needed to put in a few more hours, and then he could get cleaned up. The sound of the door opening had him lifting his head. He expected to see Mack walking in, because a confrontation was coming, but he was surprised to see Sunny standing there.
“Hey.” Her smile was small. They had been with each other in the most intimate of ways, but she still acted shy. It was cute as hell.
“Hey, baby.” Her cheeks turned a pretty shade of red, and he couldn’t help but feel pleasure at the fact his girl reacted to him so thoroughly. “I feel like I haven’t really seen you.” Glimpses at the center and talking to her on the phone sure as hell weren’t the same thing. He stood and reached out to take her hand. He pulled her to him, and their chests pressed together so he could feel every one of her curves. London looked down, saw the generous swells rising up and over the elastic top, and his cock jerked behind his shorts. When he pressed his shaft into her belly, her eyes widened, and her lips parted. He couldn’t help it, couldn’t stop himself, and had no intentions of not kissing her. Leaning down and claiming her lips with his, London groaned deeply at the taste of her. She was sweet and slightly salty from working out. It was a dual flavor that turned him on to the nth degree, and he wanted so much more from her. It might have just been a kiss, but when it was her mouth and her tongue, it was so much more. He spun, pressed her against the lockers hard enough to have the sound vibrating through the room, and reached between them to take hold of her breasts. Her answering moan had him feeling braver. Hell, Mack or any of the other guys could walk right through that door and see what he was doing, but at the moment he couldn’t care less.
“London, what if someone comes in?” Her eyes were closed, her head against the lockers, and a look of pure rapture covering her delicate features. Power surged within him. He was the one to put that look on her, to make her so needy she was clenching and unclenching her hands on his biceps. After kissing her like he was a possessed man, he trailed his mouth down the side of her jaw and to her throat. London couldn’t help but bury his head in the crook of her neck. She just smelled so fucking good, and her skin was soft and sweet, and he couldn’t get enough. Yeah, he had a thing for this particular part of her body, and it made no sense, but he went with it because it felt really fucking good. It seemed his hips had a mind of their own, because he couldn’t stop thrusting against her. Fuck, he was going to come right in his shorts if he didn’t stop. Right before he could do that, or take this one step farther, the sound of the locker room door slamming against the wall had him lifting his head and staring right into Mack’s enraged face. Breaking away from Sunny and pushing her behind him, he felt his arousal take the backburner as his anger rose up.
“God,” Sunny said softly and rested her head on his back. He knew this had to be hard as hell on her, but no way in hell was he going to let Mack make her feel like she shouldn’t be with him. He may have been with a lot of females, and he may fight illegally to pay his bills, but he cared about her like he had never cared about anyone else.
“I fucking knew it, but I thought you were smarter than this, London.” Mack’s voice was a rough growl, and he took a step closer. London tensed, felt his muscles tighten, and knew that if it came down to it he’d have no problem holding his own with the big fucker.
“Mack, please.” Sunny said from behind London, and when she tried to move around him he held her in place with a hand on her hip.
“Sunny, we warned you countless times that getting involved with a fighter was just a set-up for disaster.” Mack looked at her, and his face softened, which only pissed London off even more.
“Don’t you fucking look at her with pity. In fact, don’t fucking look at her at all.” London was like a territorial wild animal staking his claim, and even though Mack wasn’t a threat in the sexual sense to his girl, he still didn’t like the asshole being this close to her. Mack swung his eyes in London’s direction and curled his lip, but before he could spout off a bunch of bullshit, London said, “I care about her, and there isn’t anything you can say that will change that.”. Yeah, he may have lived a reckless life, but hell, couldn’t people change? It wasn’t like Mack was some saint, and it was almost like a slap in the fucking face that the Russian thought so lowly of him. London had seen Mack with countless females, most of whom he had met the same night he took them home.
“I fucking told you to stay away, that being with her was going to bring a lot of problems to your door.” He could tell Mack was getting more pissed by the minute. “You only think with your fucking dick, and not about the pain you cause when you’re fucking done with the chicks. To be honest, I couldn’t care less who you screw and leave, but you’re fucking with someone I care a lot about, and I am not about to let that go, London.”
Now it was London’s turn to feel his rage escalating. “Watch your fucking mouth, Mack. I’m not putting up with your shit, and no way in hell are you going to compare Sunny to a Chaser.” Mack’s nostrils flared, and London knew this was going to get ugly, but that was okay because he was fucking ready, and not about to let anyone stand in the way of him being with Sunny. “I won’t deny that we should have told you and Harlond, but to be honest it isn’t anyone’s business but our own. We also knew the fuck-storm everyone would get in once they found out, and excuse us for wanting to have a bit of peace before that happened.”
Sunny pushed away from him, but he made sure to keep her close to his side. “Mack, we didn’t mean to upset or deceive anyone, but look at how you’re reacting.” Mack stared at her with a plethora of emotions passing across his face, but after a prolonged moment he breathed out roughly and ran a hand through his hair.
“Sweetheart, you have to know what a bad idea this is. Your dad and I have told you how bad it is to get involved with a guy that fights. It isn’t just London we were referring to, but all fighters. The majority of them take home random girls every other night.” He cut his eyes to London. He tried to keep his cool, but he was getting pretty fucking sick of this shit. “Listen, I came looking for you. Your dad wants to talk to you.” He looked at her again, and then back at London. “And even though I thought something was going on with you London, I really didn’t think you’d go there.” Mack started pacing back and forth, and London reached out and pulled her close to his side.
“Just go see what your dad needs, Sunny.” He stopped and smiled, but London could tell it was forced.
She turned in his arms and looked up at him. “It’s okay, baby. We won’t kick each other’s ass.” She didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t blame her. “Go on. I’ll see you before I leave the center.” She looked like she was going to argue, but reluctantly she nodded and made her way toward Mack. London held his place and grit his teeth when Mack ran his hand up and down her back as she passed. It wasn’t anything sexual, but it pissed London off nonetheless.
“Please don’t fight.” She looked between them, and her gaze landed on Mack. “I mean it. I really care about him, Mack.” The Russian’s jaw clenched, and a muscle ticked beneath the flesh. After a prolonged moment of them staring at each other, he finally nodded.
“Okay, Sunny girl. No fighting. I promise.” She looked at London, and he nodded his agreement.
“Really, baby. Everything will be okay. We’ll talk in a little bit.” She smiled, and he visibly saw the tension leave her. She left them alone in the locker room, and they stared at each other. It was clear Mack wanted blood on his hands, and so did London, but they had both promised her they’d behave, and London wasn’t about to break that promise. The sound of their breathing was loud, and finally Mack broke that stillness.
“I hope you know what the fuck you’re doing.” He took a step closer to London, but no way in hell was he backing down from the giant.
“Yeah, I know what t
he fuck I’m doing.”
Mack made a low sound in his throat. “You better, because if you hurt her I’ll come after you and beat you until you can’t walk.” A lot of things were on the tip of London’s tongue, ones where he told the Russian to fuck off, and others where he told him to meet him in an alley later so they could get this out of the way.
“Don’t fucking threaten me, Mack. Just remember I took you down in the ring the other day, and can do it again.” He eyed him, but didn’t say anything else. “My relationship with Sunny doesn’t concern you or anyone else.” Again they held each other’s gaze. London wasn’t going to fucking back down, and even if he didn’t finish this right now, he could always do it another time.
Mack stabbed a finger toward him. “If you fucking hurt her I’m coming after you.”
Without missing a beat London said, “If I hurt her I’ll be hurting far worse than anything you could deliver.” Mack smirked.
“I doubt that.” With that he turned and left. London slammed his fist into the locker, over and over again. When he was finished he dropped his bloodied hand to his side and hung his head. Shit.
He needed a fight, one that was bare-knuckled and nothing held back. He grabbed his phone again and dialed Ross. Again he answered on the second ring. “I need a fight tonight. A dirty one.” Ross chuckled and rambled off a time and location. He needed to get this extra energy out of him, and that was only going to be done by making another guy bleed.
He headed out of the gym, and immediately saw Sunny walking toward him. Her expression was one of worry, and he wished he hadn’t been the one to put it on her pretty face.
“Hey.” She stopped in front of him, and her apprehension was clear in her voice.
“Hey, baby. Everything’s okay.” He lifted his head and saw Mack standing beside Harlond across the gym, both of them staring at him. “Did you tell your dad?”
“He seemed in a cranky mood, kept mumbling things to himself about fights, and I thought now probably wasn’t the best time.” He didn’t want to tell her that there wouldn’t be a “best time” to tell Harlond. He’d be fucking pissed no matter what.
“It’s all right, baby. I should be the one to tell him anyway. Might as well go over there and get the ass reaming out of the way.” It would be more than a verbal onslaught. Hell, Harlond might even throw a punch at him.
“We should do this together.”
He shook his head and smiled down at her. “He’s pissed at me, baby, not you.” She tugged her bottom lip into her mouth, her straight white teeth worrying the pink flesh. “It’ll be okay, Sunny.” She nodded.
“I know, it’s just this whole thing with Mack and my dad is ridiculous. I feel like a damn child when it comes to them.” Anger started to replace her wariness, and he couldn’t help but smile. “I’m not a child, and the fact they continue to treat me like some kind of breakable doll is getting old.”
“They’re just looking out for you, and I can’t blame them.” Ever since Sunny came into his life he felt shitty for the life he had led. She was so good and wholesome, and compared to him a freaking saint.
“I know, and I love them for it, but I’m not going to let them stand in the way of us. I’ve wanted you for a long time, London.” Hell, he might have just fallen in love with the fieriness in which she said that.
“And I have wanted you for a long fucking time, too. I won’t let them stand in the way either, baby. I mean, as long as you don’t mind me looking like I got run over by a truck, we’ll be fine.” Because there wasn’t any doubt in his mind he’d have some bruises and maybe even a broken bone or two once this was all said and done. He wanted to kiss her so fucking badly, but even if he didn’t care what anyone said about his relationship with Sunny, his wasn’t about to be disrespectful in Harlond’s house either. They needed to talk, and he needed to let the old man know he cared about his daughter, and she wasn’t just a lay to him.
Chapter Seven
Sunny had watched London walk up to her dad and both of them disappear into one of the medical rooms. She really wanted to wait to tell her dad about being with London, but after Mack had found them almost having sex, she knew she wanted him to hear it from her, and not from Mack or through rumors. She just hoped London Stein wasn’t a mistake, because Mack would have been right, and she didn’t know if her heart could heal after something like that.
She cared for London, and those emotions grew every minute until she was drowning in them. Seeing this gentler side of him, one where he looked at her with adoration, and told her sweet things she could never imagine him saying, had Sunny realizing that there was so much more to London than what everyone around them saw. She was staring at the door they had gone behind when a touch on her shoulder had her spinning around. Mack stood behind her with a scowl on his face.
“Can we talk?” Well, she knew this was coming, so she might as well get it over with. She nodded, and he tilted his head to the locker rooms again. Sunny followed him, and once they were inside and he turned and faced her, there was a moment of silence.
“Just say it, Mack, so we can move past this.” His scowl deepened.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing messing around with London?” He sounded like her father, and she scowled.
“Just stop right there.” She held her hand up. “I love you like my brother, Mack, but you’re not my father, so stop acting like it.” He didn’t respond, and suddenly she felt so exhausted from all of this. A sigh left her, and she leaned against the wall. “Okay, listen, I know why you’re upset, and I love you for being worried for me.” He opened his mouth to say something, but she lifted her hand to stop him. “I don’t want to hear about what London has done before we decided to try this out, whatever this is. No one’s perfect, and you calling him out on stuff I know you’ve done is pretty hypocritical.”
“Yeah, but I’m not trying to get into your pants, Sunny girl.”
“I’m an adult, can decide how I want to live my life, and know what the consequences are for those decisions.”
“Sunny, we just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“For as long as I can remember you and Dad have been telling me not to get involved with a fighter, that they are too rough and hardcore for me, but you fall into that category, and I think you are an amazing man. You sleep around just as much as the others, and I know how much you fight outside of the center in those underground events.” A flash of surprise crossed his face. “Don’t look too surprised. The guys talk around here, and they have pretty big mouths. I’m also not stupid, Mack.”
“Sunny, I don’t think that.”
“I’m also not some delicate freaking flower. I may not agree with you doing that, but I have never thought any differently of you because of it, Mack, and you shouldn’t either.” She rubbed her eyes, feeling so exhausted all of a sudden. “I know you’re just looking out for me, but please just let me find out for myself if this is a good or bad idea, okay?” It took Mack a long time to respond, but when he exhaled roughly and smiled almost reluctantly, she knew she had won him over, for right now at least.
He pulled her into a hug and rested his chin on the top of her head. “I know you’re grown, and I don’t mean to father you, but you’re like my little sister and I love you. I just don’t want to see you hurt if this doesn’t turn out to be a happily ever after.” He pulled back and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. “Just be careful, and if he makes you upset, you tell me and I’ll kick his ass.” He gave her a lopsided grin, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. She knew he was being serious, despite his current easygoing attitude.
“All right, but please don’t go around acting all different with him. It was my idea to keep this quiet.”
“I mean, I can’t promise he won’t run into my fist one day.” She smacked him in the chest, and it was like hitting a brick wall.
“Stop it.” There was no heat behind her words because she knew Mack wouldn’t get into a fight with London
, not after he promised her he wouldn’t. She also knew the same went for London. A fighter might be rough and ruthless, but they were also loyal beyond belief and had hearts of gold. They didn’t give each other enough credit, and even if she told them that until she was blue in the face, they were hardheaded and stubborn. She left the locker room and headed to where she had set her bag before all of this had happened. The sound of her phone vibrating with an incoming text had her reaching inside the duffle and grabbing it.
London: Sorry to just run out, baby. Got something to do, but will call U tonight. It’ll be late. Is that OK?
She was hoping to see him after he spoke to her dad, and if he had actually told him about the two of them. Speaking of her father, he didn’t appear to be around either. She typed out a quick reply telling him that was fine, and shoved her phone back in her back. Scanning the gym, there was no sign of Harlond.
“He ran over to the distribution center. He’ll probably be gone a few hours.” Tyler wiped the sweat from his face and looked down at her.
“Did he seem upset when he left?” Tyler seemed to think about it.
“You mean more than he usually is on a given day?” He grinned broadly and shook his head. “He looked like he had a bug up his ass, but that is about the usual for Harlond.” He ruffled her hair before he walked over to the punching bags.