by Maya Banks
The thought scared her to death. Being alone frightened her. She had grown to depend on the two men way more than she’d like to admit.
And worse, she was developing feelings that weren’t clear to her. They were more than gratitude. Couldn’t be confused with psychological dependency. The whole falling for your savior thing. Besides, she had two rescuers. How could she explain her growing affection for both of them?
She winced as Merrick was taken down by one of his sparring partners. He trained with two younger fighters who were up-and-coming. She’d been around enough in the past weeks to know that Merrick was older. Not quite past his prime, but he’d started later than other fighters had. He was approaching an age where it was do-or-die time, and from what she’d gleaned from his conversations with Cade and Charlie, this was his last opportunity—or at least he perceived it was. If he didn’t make a run for the title now, he’d never get another shot.
It took effort not to cheer when Merrick executed a triangle choke, and his partner quickly tapped. Merrick rolled away and then jumped to his feet. Cade tossed him a towel and a bottle of water, and Merrick sucked the water down as he scrubbed the sweat from his face.
The sparring session was early today so Cade could make it before going into the office. Twice a week, they got up before dawn and met at the gym before going into work. The other days, Merrick worked out with the other members of his training team, and Cade took care of the business.
Elle admired Cade’s and Merrick’s loyalty to each other. It was obvious they’d been friends for a long time and that their friendship was very important to them.
“How’s he looking?” Dallas asked as he slid onto the bench next to Elle.
She turned and smiled. “He looks strong, but then I wouldn’t even know if he didn’t.”
Dallas chuckled, and his gaze sought Merrick out. Merrick was talking to Dakota, his trainer, and Charlie and Cade in the corner of the ring.
Dallas was as common an observer at Merrick’s training sessions as Elle herself was. He’d drop in on his way to his clinic in the mornings, and when Merrick trained late, he’d stop in after his clinic closed. On the mornings that Merrick ran early, Dallas joined him for the multi-mile run.
Elle marveled at the strong network of support that Merrick enjoyed. The loyalty of the people around him amazed her. He was surrounded by people who supported him unconditionally and were dedicated to seeing him succeed.
“Looks like they’re wrapping up,” Dallas said. “I’m going to go make sure he’s feeling up to snuff, and then I’m going to head to the clinic. I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”
He tousled her hair affectionately as he rose and then left her to converse with Merrick and the others. A moment later, Dallas left and then the men walked in her direction.
“I’m going to grab a shower and then head in to the office,” Merrick said.
His body glistened with sweat, and his hair was damp and clinging to his neck and shoulders.
“If you want to hang around, you can ride with me, or you can go now with Cade.”
Elle swallowed and glanced up at Cade. She hated having to make decisions. She was forever worried that she was a burden and that they would grow tired of babying her.
Cade sighed as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. Then he simply slid his hand up her back and turned her in the direction of the door.
“She’ll ride with me,” Cade said. “I’ll see you when you get in, Merrick.”
“Young lady, you look like you’re trying to solve global warming.”
She blinked and looked up to see Charlie standing in the doorway of the office staring at her in amusement. Then she smiled.
“Nothing so serious. Was just enjoying my cup of coffee.”
Charlie was a blunt, straightforward man who apologized to no one for speaking his mind. In the last few weeks, she’d grown to like him very much after a wary start. She’d been convinced that he was watching her and just waiting for her to do something wrong or to reveal she was a fraud taking advantage of the two men he considered his boys.
Instead he’d taken her under his wing and was every bit as protective of her as Cade and Merrick were. Between Cade and Merrick and Charlie and Dallas, she was surrounded by enough testosterone to float a battleship. Instead of annoying her, she found the shield they provided extremely comforting. They were her refuge.
Some of the best nights had been when Charlie and Dallas came over after Merrick’s training sessions and Charlie cooked up something for the five of them and they sat around watching television and bullshitting. It made her feel almost like she had a normal existence and that she fit here in this world. With these men.
“Merrick was going to be delayed a little while, so Cade asked me to run over to keep you company while he’s out on a job. Mind sharing some of that coffee?” Charlie asked.
She smiled. “Of course not. Help yourself. And he shouldn’t have called you over. I can stay by myself for a few hours while they get their work done. I feel terrible. I can’t even imagine how much they haven’t gotten done because they’ve been more concerned with me.”
Charlie went to the coffee maker, poured himself a cup of coffee and then settled behind Cade’s desk.
“They know what they’re doing,” he said. “Nothing for you to fret over. Been kind of nice having you around the office anyway. Won’t be the same if I stop in and you aren’t here. I think they like having you here too.”
“I just feel useless,” she said with a grimace. “There has to be something I can do around here to help out. Paperwork. Phones. Something!”
Charlie rubbed his chin a minute and then pursed his lips. “You know, you’re right. No reason you couldn’t file, answer phone calls. Make calls to set up appointments. I don’t know why they haven’t thought of it. You have to be bored out of your mind.”
She laughed. “They’re too worried about overtaxing me. But I’d like to help. They’ve done so much for me. I’d like to return the favor.”
“I think it’s a great idea. In fact, if you want to come pull up a chair, I’ll show you their filing system, such as it is. Between you and me, it sucks ass. If you have any organizational skills, you could have this office running like a dream in no time at all. I’d be happy to turn it over to you and run interference with the guys.”
She rose eagerly, the thought of having something to do making her hands itch in anticipation. She put her coffee down on the desk and then dragged Merrick’s chair over to Cade’s desk so she could see what Charlie was doing with the paperwork.
“Most important are accounts receivable. We need a way to streamline the payment process. Make sure we stay on top of what is owed to us and that we’re being paid in a timely manner and paid correctly. We also need to invoice as soon as a job is done. Sometimes those two knuckleheads don’t send out a bill for weeks, and by then, the recipient has forgotten what the hell he’s being billed for. They’re also bad about updating the ledgers and making sure their bank deposits and statements and activity match up with what their entries are.”
He turned to her, studying her intently. “Think you’re up for all of that?”
She nodded vigorously, eager to get started.
He smiled. “Okay then. I’ll go through the first few invoices so you’ll know what you’re dealing with. I’ll show you how we mark it down in the ledger and then give you the bank log-ins so you’ll know what’s already been paid and what needs to be followed up on. If the phone rings, just wing it. No better way to learn than to dive in and pretend like you’re the queen bee of the office. Before long, you’ll have everyone saying yes ma’am and tiptoeing around you.”
She grinned. “Thanks, Charlie. I really appreciate this. You’ve all been so kind to me.”
He reached over and patted her hand. “We all need help getting back on our feet from time to time. You’ve bounced back amazingly well, and I know you’ll continue to get stronger.”
For the rest of
the afternoon, Elle worked tirelessly on creating a filing system that actually made sense. She organized invoices, work orders and pending contracts, as well as a pile that needed to be followed up on.
She even managed to bullshit her way through several phone calls and was proud of the fact that she actually sounded like she knew what the hell she was talking about.
By the time Cade and Merrick walked into the office, Cade’s desk was neat and tidy, and she could see the top in several places.
Cade and Merrick both stared at her with narrowed eyes, and then Merrick frowned.
“What the hell have you been doing? We don’t expect you to come in and work your ass off all day.”
She smiled. “I have singlehandedly made your lives easier. I’ve organized everything. Every single piece of paper, your contracts, invoices, checks, follow-ups. It’s all filed in folders marked accordingly, and I set up an electronic calendar with reminders that will pop up on your cell phones as well as your email and your desktop computers.”
“She’s scary,” Charlie piped up. “I hid in the corner.”
Cade laughed. “Sounds like you cleaned up after our slobby asses.”
Elle nodded. “I even answered the phones. I took messages and left them for each of you on your desks.”
“Well, hell,” Merrick muttered. “Looks like we owe you dinner at least.”
Her mood brightened. “Like go out to eat?” Then her face fell. “But don’t you have to go back to the gym tonight?” she asked Merrick.
Cade and Merrick exchanged surprised glances. She couldn’t blame them. She hadn’t ventured out of their home or their office in the three weeks she’d been with them. But today she felt freer and she felt safe. She couldn’t spend the rest of her life hiding, and as long as she was with Cade and Merrick, she knew they wouldn’t allow anything to hurt her.
So yeah, she wanted to go out to an actual restaurant and do something normal, like eat a good meal and discuss the day.
“You pick it, and we’ll make it happen,” Cade said, a smile broadening his features.
“I don’t have to be anywhere but where I want tonight,” Merrick said.
“Are you sure?” she asked hesitantly. The last thing she wanted was to interfere in Merrick’s routine.
“Absolutely,” Merrick said. “Now tell us what you’d like to eat.”
She pursed her lips a moment and then pondered what sounded good to her.
“Do you have any good Thai places local? I don’t know why, but right now I’d sell my soul for some really good Thai food.”
“As a matter of fact, there’s one three blocks from here,” Merrick said. “Charlie, you in?”
Cade’s dad shook his head. “You kids go on and have fun. This old man is going home to have a beer and some leftover pizza.”
He bent over to kiss Elle’s cheek, and then he waved at Cade and Merrick as he headed out of the office.
“You sure you feel up to going out?” Merrick asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, I want to. I need to. I can’t go on hiding in your house and your office. Not to mention, I’ll end up going stir-crazy. I know you won’t let anything happen to me. I trust you, so I’m not afraid.”
Cade reached over to touch her cheek. “That’s good, Elle. Because it’s absolutely true. Merrick and I aren’t going to let anything happen to you again.”
Merrick reached for her hand to pull her to her feet. “Let’s go, sweetheart. I’m starving.”
She walked out of the office and to the car solidly between the two men. And the hell of it was, it felt completely natural. Right there between them. Them flanking her protectively.
Just like she belonged to both of them.
And maybe she did. Maybe she already knew that.
But did they? And how would they react to such an absurd idea?
C H A P T E R T E N
ELLE’S STOMACH WAS FULL OF butterflies as she sat in the locker room where Merrick was preparing for his bout. Cade and Dallas were in the next room where Merrick was in the final leg of his routine when he mentally got set for the task ahead. Charlie sat next to her, along with a number of people Elle didn’t know.
They were all involved with Merrick. His camp, as Charlie called them. Oh they’d been introduced, but their names and faces had all been a blur to her. Quite frankly, she was terrified to be away from the place she considered her refuge.
Las Vegas was a glittery city, the likes of which she’d never experienced. She had no way to know if it was true or not, but she fully believed she was a small-town girl at heart.
Cade and Merrick had insisted that she accompany them for Merrick’s bout, and it wasn’t that she truly wanted to remain behind by herself, but the idea of being so…public…scared the holy hell out of her.
It had been a concern for Merrick and Cade as well. With the media coverage of the event and all eyes on his fight to see whether he’d be granted a shot at the title, the very last thing they wanted was for her to show up on television or in a photo that circulated the Internet and media outlets.
They’d been extremely careful. She touched the ends of the blond wig she wore and wondered if it was truly enough to alter her appearance. She wore dark sunglasses, even inside the arena, and Dallas stuck to her like glue to give the impression that she was with him.
Cade and Merrick largely ignored Elle when anyone else was present, but she could feel their gazes on her. Knew they watched closely.
“Nervous?” Charlie asked in a low voice.
She glanced sideways and then quickly looked in the direction of the other occupants of the small room.
“A little,” she admitted.
She’d watched Merrick train for a month. She’d even watched fights on television, but she’d never seen a live fight. She’d watched Merrick’s opponent when the guys had watched footage from previous matches over and over to monitor strengths and weaknesses.
The guy Merrick was fighting was the other leading contender for the heavyweight belt, and she knew from listening to the others that his style was ground and pound, whatever that meant.
All Elle knew was that Merrick was willingly walking into a ring with a man who wanted nothing more than to kick his ass.
Charlie reached for her hand and squeezed. “Don’t be. Merrick is ready for this. He’s focused. He’s confident. He’s going to win.”
“I just want him not to get hurt,” she blurted.
Charlie smiled. “Now, I don’t want you to get all freaked out over blood, cuts and bruises. That’s what happens when two grown men go all out in the ring. Merrick’s smart, though, and he’s fast for such a big man.”
Just then Merrick’s trainer, Dakota Trayburn, walked over and touched Charlie on the shoulder.
“We’re ready if you and Elle want to go on out. I’ll have two men go with you. Dallas and Cade will be along in a minute. They’re going to walk out with Merrick.”
Adrenaline lurched through Elle’s veins, and just as quickly, fear tracked close behind. She licked her lips and squared her shoulders, determined not to show these people that she was some kind of wimp.
Two broad-shouldered men with no necks and bulging biceps walked over to where she and Charlie sat.
“Ma’am,” one said politely. “We’ll escort you to your seats if you’re ready.”
Curling her fingers tightly around her bag, she stood. Charlie put his hand to her back in a reassuring manner, and they followed boulder number one out the door and into the arena.
The noise was deafening. The previous bout had finished, and the victor was circling the ring, pumping his fists into the air. All around them, people bumped and pushed. The two men escorting them positioned their bodies between her and Charlie and the crowd and pushed their way down the aisle, their arms out to keep everyone at bay.
There was a row of empty chairs ringside, and one of the men gestured for her and Charlie to take a seat on the end. As she eased down, she turned her head
in all directions, taking in the enormous crowd crammed into the event center of the casino.
She jumped when the arena darkened. Camera flashes went wild, and ominous music began to play. On the opposite side, Merrick’s opponent began to make his way to the ring. Elle watched in fascination as he worked the crowd and was introduced to a mixture of cheers and boos.
When it was Merrick’s turn to enter the arena, her head turned automatically to search him out. It was like looking at a different person. Someone she didn’t know. A celebrity who was going to walk right by her.
It hadn’t registered with her, even during the weeks of training, that Merrick was this larger-than-life person. He just seemed so…normal. Nice. But the man making his way toward the ring looked anything but nice. He was someone who would scare the ever-loving shit out of her if she met him elsewhere.
The crowd roared, and she curiously looked around, seeing the approval of the fans. He was the favorite, judging by the crowd’s response. It fascinated her that there were so many people rooting for him. These people knew who he was. They followed his career and his success. They were invested in him.
To her, he was just Merrick Sullivan. The man who made her feel…safe.
As Merrick and his entourage walked by, Merrick reached down and brushed his hand down her arm. It was brief. It could have been considered accidental. Only, she knew better. Even utterly focused, he’d sent her a message.
Dallas and Cade stepped up to the ring while Merrick was being introduced. Merrick stripped off his hoody and tossed it toward Cade. Elle swallowed hard as she looked at the heavily muscled warrior in front of her.
All he wore was a pair of trunks and the gloves that were a great deal smaller than a boxer’s. He danced in place, keeping loose and limber as his bare feet glided over the mat.
Dallas took a seat on the other side of Elle, but Cade remained ringside with two other members of Merrick’s team.
“He’s looking good,” Dallas said in her ear. “He’s focused and confident. He’s going to win.”
Dallas’s words sent a thrill through her chest. She held her breath as she watched the two fighters face off as the referee outlined the rules.