Holding Strong

by Lori Foster

  Wincing, Cherry said, “I think that’s called a one-two punch, right?”

  He laughed. “Or maybe a body shot?” Playfully, he punched her ribs. “Really takes the wind out of you.” Sobering, he blew out a frustrated breath. “If Carver is watching, do you really want him to see you looking all glum?”

  She didn’t want to think about Carver actually seeing her.

  “Smile, Cherry.”

  She did.

  “Better. And given you’re madly in love with Denver...?” He waited.

  Her smile faded and she gave a small nod. For the longest time after gaining her independence, all she’d wanted was stability. But Denver trumped that. He trumped...everything. “I’ve loved him almost from the day I met him.”

  Armie smiled. “Glad to hear it.”

  She noticed Armie didn’t offer her any reassurance on Denver’s feelings. “The last thing I want is to interfere with his training.”

  “I doubt he’d let you. Denver is good. Really good. If I was a betting man, I’d put my money on him. The guy he’s fighting though, he specializes in phone-booth warfare.”

  Cherry gave him a blank stare.

  “Fighting close,” Armie explained. “He stays right up in your grill, which is going to make it tough for Denver to get in much kicking, or to do a takedown. So he needs to do fine-tuning on some stuff.”

  “And I’m bothering him?”

  Armie laughed. “Doll, you’ll keep him bothered no matter what. But you could lighten the load a little by telling him how you feel.”

  She threw up her hands. “I have.” Denver was the one who kept her guessing.

  “Pfft. I ain’t buying it.” He shoulder-bumped her. “Know what I think you should do?”

  “What?”

  “First, quit letting Carver and his thug brothers get to you. You’re not a stupid girl, so you’re not going to go off on your own anywhere, which means he can’t touch you.”

  No, maybe not. But what about everyone else?

  “Second...” He paused for dramatic effect. “Drop the love bomb on Denver.”

  Tell Denver how she felt? Leave herself that exposed. And what if he rejected her?

  She leaned into Armie’s shoulder and whispered, “He might not feel the same.”

  “If you ignore the temporary insanity you’ve caused him, Denver is a real standup guy. He’s got his shit together with this whole plan for the future and money in the bank and attainable goals. All that. If he wasn’t figuring on fitting you in, he wouldn’t still be with you. And he wouldn’t want to fit you in if he didn’t care an awful lot.”

  Wow, that made sense, didn’t it? Happy to use Armie as a sounding board, she said, “Okay, let’s say he cares, but—”

  “He does.”

  “—what if he isn’t sure about the whole lifetime-commitment route yet? If I tell him how I feel, wouldn’t that pressure him?”

  “The pressure was you not trusting him. I’m guessing he broke that barrier, though.”

  “What makes you think so?”

  Glancing toward Denver, Armie rolled one bare shoulder. “He looks more relaxed today.”

  His statement so surprised her, she barked a laugh. Even from where she stood, she could see the angry set to Denver’s muscled frame. “He’s furious.”

  “Yeah, sure. This cowardly stuff enrages everyone. But there’s still a difference. He’s not as edgy.” Armie eyed her. “I won’t pry, but there was stuff in your background you didn’t want to share?”

  Turning her face away, she nodded. “Yes.”

  “I get it. I have my own tainted background, ya know?”

  That got her gaze back on Armie. No, she hadn’t known.

  “I see where you’re coming from. But I’m glad you opened up to Denver. That sort of thing is real important to him.”

  “But not to you?”

  His rascal’s grin returned. “Now, Cherry Pie, you know I don’t do romantic relationships. And when it comes to one-night stands, no, I don’t want to hear some chick’s baggage any more than she wants to hear mine. Trust me, we have better ground to cover than history.”

  Cherry was still thinking about that, specifically how it might affect Merissa, when her pocket buzzed and she almost leaped out of her skin.

  Armie caught her arm, unsure what had happened, but she laughed and withdrew her phone.

  “Sorry. It just startled me.” Feeling sheepish, she answered without thinking—and without checking the caller ID. “Hello?”

  Carver said, “Little sister, how you doin’?”

  Anger took her two steps away from Armie, before he caught her arm again. Ignoring him, she said, “Carver, what did you do?”

  “No idea what you mean, sis.”

  “Are you dense? I am not and have never been your sister.”

  Suddenly Denver was beside her, too. She realized she was drawing attention and tried to turn her back on all of them.

  Denver stopped her.

  “Name-calling, Cherry? You’re going to regret that.”

  “Another threat?”

  “Now why would I threaten you? I just want you to come home.”

  “Not my home, Carver.”

  “But you’ll return all the same, won’t you?”

  Denver’s brows were down, his mouth flat, his chest expanding—and she realized Armie was right.

  This hurt him, her insistence on trying to handle things herself. She’d been so intent on not imposing on him, she’d made matters worse.

  Regret knotted her stomach, but she lifted her chin. “You want an answer, Carver, is that it?”

  “You made me wait so long, darlin’, I want a damn sight more than that now.”

  “All right.” Her hand trembled, but she held the phone out to Denver.

  Satisfaction altered his entire demeanor. His golden eyes glowed as he accepted the phone, bent to quickly kiss her, then clicked on the phone to check the number before putting it to his ear. In a near jovial tone, he said, “Damn, Carver, you must change out phones every day. That’s got to be getting costly, you cowardly prick.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  DENVER KEPT HIS gaze on Cherry while he listened to Carver’s harsh breathing.

  “Put Cherry back on.”

  “C’mon, Carver. You’re not that stupid. You know you’re never speaking to her again.” Cherry hadn’t agreed to that, but she’d trusted him this much so somehow he’d convince her. “Resign yourself.”

  Desperation escalated his rage. “She’ll tell you—”

  “What?” Denver touched her warm cheek, smoothed her soft blond curls. “That you’re a twisted fuck who’s too chicken-shit to talk to a man? That you get your rocks off tormenting little girls? I met you, man. I already knew what a weak fuck you are.”

  “I’ll...”

  “What?” Denver taunted. “What will you do?”

  A lengthy pause showed Carver’s reticence to implicate himself. Finally he said, “I heard there was some trouble at the gym today.”

  “Not that I’ve heard of.”

  Another tense pause. “Have you been there?”

  “I’m there now. Why? You planning to visit?”

  “But...I thought...”

  “What?” Denver glanced at Armie and shook his head. Carver was nowhere around or he’d know the fuss his false alarm had caused. “What did you think?”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “About what? You’re not making any sense, man.” He had Carver backed against the cage and they both knew it. “Maybe this conversation would be better in person. You man enough to meet with me, Carver?”

  A faint, eerie laugh sounded. “Cherry knows what kind of man I am.”

  Knowing he had to stay calm to pull this off, Denver drew his gaze away from Cherry, popped his neck, worked his jaw. “Yeah, when she was a kid you were able to frighten her.” Good, that sounded indifferent enough. “But she’s a woman now, and she’s with me. She knows
there’s no reason to be afraid.”

  “Goddamn you—”

  “You see,” Denver continued, still good-humored, “when compared to a real man, you’re nothing, Carver. Nothing at all. Why would she even give you a thought?”

  Armie snickered, but Cherry just stared at him, one hand over her mouth, her expression horrified.

  Denver had already spoken to Cannon and made additional plans to keep Cherry safe, otherwise he might not have felt as comfortable provoking Carver’s rage. He would never, under any circumstances, put her at risk.

  Demented men could be unpredictable, especially when enraged. That’s what he counted on. He needed Carver to act so he could get hold of him and end his bullshit.

  Or just end him. Either way worked for Denver.

  As long as the psycho hid away, Denver had no way to control things, so he’d do what he could to draw him out.

  “Carver?” he asked quietly. “You still there, you lousy little puke?”

  “She’s mine.”

  The unnatural calm after near hysterics made the fine hairs on Denver’s neck prickle. “If you believe that, you’ve lost your grip on reality.”

  “She’ll always be mine.”

  It turned Denver’s stomach to know Cherry had once had to deal with Carver on her own. “Tell me where you are, Carver. I’ll be happy to meet up and prove to you just how wrong you are.”

  In a dead monotone, Carver said, “Tell her she can’t hide anymore.” And with that he disconnected the call.

  God, Denver hoped Carver had cracked. He paused only a second to let his mind settle, to gather together his satisfaction, then he turned to Cherry. When he saw her standing alone with Armie, he realized everyone else had gone inside. And now that the call was over, Armie turned his back, giving them some privacy.

  Denver couldn’t seem to get a deep enough breath as he closed the narrow space between him and Cherry.

  She said nothing, just stared up at him.

  Talk about cracking... He hauled her up close and took her mouth, turning his head to part her lips, sinking his tongue in, tasting her deeply.

  Cherry hung in his grip, shocked still...for about five seconds. Then she tunneled her fingers into his hair, pressed her body to his and returned the kiss full-force.

  Denver backed her up to the brick wall, planted one hand flat on the wall beside her head, and deepened the kiss even more. He wanted her. So damn much.

  All the time.

  The significance of what she’d done today—

  “This is getting way out of hand,” Armie muttered. “Hell, I’m blushing, and I didn’t think that was possible.”

  Denver lifted his head, dazed, astounded actually. He looked around and, thank God, no one else was in sight. But he had Cherry pinned to an outside wall of the rec center near a busy street and the rec center wouldn’t close for a few more hours.

  Cherry rested against the wall, her lips swollen and pink, her eyes misty, sucking in breast-enhancing breaths that made him even crazier.

  “Damn.”

  “Yeah,” Armie said. “If you want to take off, I can make your excuses inside.”

  “No,” Cherry whispered, barely audible. She swallowed, filled her lungs, and pushed away from the wall. “He has to finish his training.”

  Armie grinned. “Hard to do with wood, doll.”

  “I’m fine,” Denver lied. Hell, he was flattened. Completely leveled by the fact that Cherry had finally, 100 percent trusted him. He glanced at Armie. “I’m sure we’re alone, but all the same—”

  “I’ll loiter,” Armie told him, understanding that he wanted to remain cautious. He pointed near the front door. “Over there, okay? But keep in mind I’m bare-assed under this towel, okay?”

  “I won’t take long.”

  Nodding, Armie strolled away. He reached the door just as two women approached. “Ladies.”

  Instead of going inside, their gazes crawled all over Armie. He ended up starting his own conversation, and given the way the women giggled, he’d be hooking up again that night.

  Denver shook his head. “He’s a glutton.”

  “Look who’s talking.” With just her fingertips, Cherry touched her mouth. “I don’t know what brought that on, but I liked it.”

  Yeah, she always liked it when he touched or kissed her.

  And more.

  From the inside out, Denver smiled. Primal satisfaction was a pulsebeat in his blood, making him feel like the luckiest man alive. He had her now, and he knew it. All he had to do was get things settled with her foster family and then he could cement the deal.

  Late sunshine cast a rosy glow over her skin and made her blond hair brighter. “Thank you, Cherry.”

  She smiled up at him. “For?”

  He handed her back her phone. “Giving over to me.” Tugging at his ear didn’t make the words come any easier. “Trusting me to handle things. But it’s more than that.”

  Cherry smoothed a hand over his chest. “I trust you in every way there is.”

  Yeah, that about covered it. She was finally, really his, no holds barred, and damn, he loved it.

  Until then she’d been holding strong, doling out the acceptance, mixing it with resistance. But not anymore.

  No time like the present, Denver decided, to get a few things set up. “I want to get you a new phone.”

  Her big brown eyes turned wary.

  “I don’t want Carver to be able to reach you. He’ll try,” Denver explained. “And hopefully when he can’t, he’ll have to expose himself. Once he does, we can resolve things.”

  Slowly, she nodded. “Okay.”

  “You won’t be in any danger. I’ll see to that.”

  “I know.” She moved away, but not far. “The contract for my phone plan won’t be up for months, though.”

  Closing in on her again, Denver took her hands. “I’ll take care of it.” I’ll take care of you. “I’ll pick up a new phone and add you on my plan. Not a big deal, I promise.”

  Nibbling her bottom lip, she averted her eyes. “I want to do the right thing, Denver. It’s just...it’s not easy.”

  “I know. But it’s me, not a stranger who’s lending a hand.” He bent his knees, lowering himself to meet her gaze. “It’s me.”

  Worry kept her brows slightly pinched even as she gave a nod of agreement. Indicating the rec center, she said, “Everyone here could now be in danger. More so if I’m out of reach.”

  “I know. Cannon and I talked about it. He’s going to add some additional security, guys who’ll be at the doors seeing everyone to and from their cars.”

  “Our friends...”

  The way she included herself when speaking about the others in their group further lightened his mood. Little by little, she came to realize she wasn’t alone. Not anymore. “Got that covered, too. Cannon’s already keeping a close watch on Yvette and Merissa.” Nothing new in that. He was always extra vigilant when it came to his fiancée and sister. “Stack’s happy to stick close to Vanity. Gage is with Harper.”

  “And you’re with me.”

  A statement, not a question. He confirmed anyway. “I’m with you.” Damn, but he loved her more every second of every day. “Miles, Brand and Leese will pitch in to help with door duty.” He said again, “It’s covered. No need for you to worry.”

  A wistful smile flickered over her mouth. “I’m not sure I can keep myself from it. Please don’t take it as an insult.”

  He smiled, too. “All right. As long as you share your worry with me.”

  Now she laughed. “Like you give me a choice in that?” Going on tiptoe, she kissed him. “We should head in before one of those women steals Armie’s towel. I swear, it looks like they’re considering it.”

  Denver turned and saw the truth of that. One woman kept fingering the edge of the towel until Armie caught her wrist and laughingly reprimanded her. “Did I tell you he’s advancing to the SBC?” While leading her in, Denver updated her on Armie’s
career. His friend deserved to be happy.

  But Denver had a feeling it’d take more than the elite fight organization to accomplish that. And if Armie didn’t stop dodging the truth, he just might miss his chance.

  * * *

  PLEASED WITH HOW things had rolled out, Armie made his excuses and escaped the bold women. Bold, ha! One had suggested he just lose the towel right there on the curb, for every passerby to see. When he’d refused, the other asked for just a peek.

  To keep up his rep, he’d considered it, even pretended he might. They didn’t bother hiding their disappointment when he laughed and only tightened the towel.

  Crazy ladies, but man, he loved a bold chick. The bolder the better.

  He smiled as he entered the rec center and headed for the hall leading to the locker room. With his thoughts occupied, he almost plowed into Rissy when she stepped out of the break room.

  He stopped short. With her head down, she didn’t. She bounced into his chest, then stumbled back.

  She made an automatic grab for him—and got his towel.

  Armie caught her shoulder to keep her from falling. “Easy, Stretch.” At the same time, he turned her so her back was to his front.

  His ass now faced the gym and he just knew someone was in the right position to take in his inadvertent show.

  Rissy didn’t say a single word. She just stood there, frozen stiff, her shoulders slightly raised as if caught in a wince.

  Leaning around her, Armie took in her face. Eyes screwed tight. Lips caught in her teeth.

  His towel clutched in one hand.

  “Mind if I retrieve this?” He pried her fingers loose and quickly rewrapped his lower body. Amused—and oddly turned on—he asked, “You going to faint?”

  “Maybe.”

  Grinning, he glanced back over his shoulder and got a titillated wave from Vanity, a wink from Harper. A second later Gage scooped up his wife like a football and, not even bothering to acknowledge Armie, disappeared from sight.

  That left Vanity standing there, until Stack stepped in front of her, blocking her view.

  Armie laughed. “Thanks to you, I just flashed the masses.”

  She said nothing.

  Sighing, Armie bodily turned her to face him. He waited patiently until she’d peeked open one eye. “You okay?”