MY PROTECTOR: The Valves MC

by Kathryn Thomas

  “Whatever reason you might have, you’ve done a pretty good job of keeping it to yourself. There’s no prize for being the biggest martyr, Grayson.” West levels his protégé with an unimpressed stare.

  Grayson reacts on instinct, squaring up to his coach, pulling himself up to his full height and width and towering over the older man. “What did you say to me?” His voice is deathly calm, but his hands are shaking with anger. That West, of all people, could accuse him of playing the martyr is unbelievable to him. It is as if a switch had been flipped inside of him.

  “You heard me. What are you going to do, Grayson? Punch me?” West cocks his eyebrow, almost goading Gray into a fight.

  “Alright there, guys.” Tommy’s body is suddenly in-between them, his hands pushing them gently apart. “I think tensions are running a little high.” He looks worriedly between the two men. This is the first time he’s ever had to diffuse a situation between them, and it’s clear that it’s unnerved him.

  Grayson shrugs off Tommy’s hand, taking a few steps back and rubbing his wrapped hands over his face as if to erase what just happened. He can’t believe that he just squared up to West, a man whom he respects more than any other. He really must not be thinking straight.

  “You hear that noise, Grayson?” West gestures outside where there’s an unmistakable roar of the crowd. “They’re all here for you. They’re here to watch you become what they know you can be. Don’t disappoint them.” He doesn’t wait for an answer as he storms out of the door, slamming it behind him.

  Grayson shakes his arms out, trying to get rid of some of the nervous tension still tingling from his argument with West.

  “He was just trying to help you know, G?” Tommy’s voice is quiet, like he’s apprehensive about reminding Grayson that he’s still in the room.

  “I know.” Grayson’s voice cracks, as he tries to get his emotions in check.

  “You wanna talk about it?” The discomfort in Tommy’s tone is clear as he rakes a hand through his blonde hair. Grayson stares at him doubtfully. “Okay, okay! I just thought I’d ask!”

  They remain in silence as the minutes tick by, and the moment that Grayson is due to go out into the ring edges ever closer.

  There’s a knock at the door and a voice shouts through. “Ten minutes, Punisher.”

  Grayson nods his head, jumping up and down on the spot, trying to get himself psyched up for the fight. He needs to get his game head on. He can’t allow himself to be preoccupied thinking about Adriana and what she must think of him. However, putting her out of his mind has been anything but easy. He hasn’t stopped thinking about her since the night he left her asleep in bed without any kind of an explanation.

  “Five minutes, Punisher!” The voice outside is getting urgent, probably wondering why Grayson hasn’t surfaced yet.

  There’s another knock. “Alright, we get it! Now fuck off!” Tommy’s nerves are apparently as shot as his friend’s, as he yells through the closed door.

  “Okay, I’ll just go then.” The voice on the other side is unmistakable to Grayson.

  He jumps up, rushing towards the door like a torpedo. “No! Wait!” He throws it open to see Adriana standing there, half-turned to go back the way she had come.

  “I guess this was a bad idea after all.” She shakes her head like she’s angry with herself for coming there.

  “No, no, it wasn’t. We thought you were someone else.” Grayson can barely breathe as he looks at her. She literally takes his breath away. Her green-gold eyes are wide, as she takes in the scene of destruction in the dressing room behind him.

  “Don’t worry, we were just doing some remodeling.” Tommy appears at Grayson’s shoulder smiling charmingly.

  “What are you doing here?” The words are out of Grayson’s mouth before he can temper them. It sounds more like an accusation, and that’s not what he’d meant at all. He wanted to ask why she’d come after the way he’d treated her, why she had listened to West when it was so much more than Grayson deserved.

  “What our ham-handed friend here means is that it’s good to see you…” Tommy switches to his megawatt smile, clearly thinking that Adriana is hot enough to deserve it. Grayson feels a twitch of jealousy.

  “Adriana,” Grayson says, finishing Tommy’s sentence. She looks between Tommy and Grayson, probably wondering whether to believe if she really is welcome or if she’s just made a terrible mistake.

  “Well, I’ll tell you what, Adriana, I was just on my way out. Can you keep the champ company for a few minutes before I bring him out into the ring?” Tommy doesn’t wait for a response, as he smoothly slides past Grayson and takes Adriana’s shoulders, guiding her inside the room. He nods, satisfied with his handiwork, and then his face turns serious. “Three minutes, man.”

  Grayson nods grimly, closing the door and taking a deep breath before he turns around to face Adriana. How is he supposed to condense everything that he is thinking and feeling into three minutes?

  “So, how are you doing?” Adriana looks anywhere but at him or the carnage that he’s caused.

  “I’ve been better.” Grayson doesn’t bother to lie; he doesn’t think that he could even if he tried. “There’s so much I want to say.”

  Adriana shakes her head, stopping him in his tracks as he moves closer to her, her presence pulling him towards her like the strongest magnet known to man.

  “I came here because West asked me to. He said you needed your head put back in the game, and he seemed to think I would know how to do that.” Adriana shrugs, her black crop top lifting and showing more of her flat caramel belly.

  He licks his lips, feeling himself harden in his shorts. He tries to divert his attention. Real smooth, Fletcher, he tells himself. “It’s good to see you.” He cringes at his own lack of charm, wondering how this woman manages to make him so tongue-tied. All of his defenses go down around her; his walls crumble.

  Adriana shakes her head like she doesn’t believe him. Why would she? He knows that he hasn’t given her any reason to trust him in the slightest.

  “I can’t get into that now.” Adriana looks away from him, chewing her bottom lip pensively. Grayson has to resist the urge to reach out to grab her and hold her to him. “I’m here because, whatever happened between us, that’s not a reason for you not to win tonight. You’ve worked so hard for this; you need to give it your best shot.”

  Grayson feels his heart fill with emotion for her at her words. Despite the way he’d treated her, she’s come to tell him to give the fight his all. “I thought you didn’t care about MMA?” He clenches and unclenches his hands, flexing under the tape covering them, working out the tension running through him.

  “I don’t.” Her answer is flat, and she breathes a deep sigh as if she’s wondering why she decided to come here after all. “But I didn’t come here to see you get the crap beaten out of you.” She finally looks at him, leveling a hard stare. “West asked me to come and get you in the right frame of mind to fight, and that’s what I intend to do.” She crosses her arms over her chest, like she’s protecting herself.

  Grayson can’t help but smile at the determination in her face. “And how are you planning on doing that?”

  “Don’t turn on the Grayson charm; it isn’t going to work tonight, or ever again.” She holds her hand up to stop him in his tracks, as he takes a step towards her. “I just wanted to let you know that whatever happened the other night, there aren’t any hard feelings. You don’t have anything to beat yourself up about.” She doesn’t look at him as she says the words, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

  Grayson feels like all the wind has been knocked out of him. Out of all of the things that she could have said, this wasn’t what he would ever have expected. She was giving him a free pass, trying to put his mind at ease so that he can get out there and do what he needs to do in the ring. There’s so much he wants to say to her, so much that he needs to explain.

  But there’s no time. There’s an insistent k
nock on the door, and it’s opened before he can respond. Tommy appears, looking around to gauge the atmosphere of the room.

  “You about ready, big guy?” He looks between Grayson and Adriana, like he’s trying to figure out what’s gone on between them.

  Adriana doesn’t wait for his reply. “I should get back to my seat.” She makes her way to the door, pausing just before she gets there. “Make sure you win, Grayson. Willow’s placed a bet on you, and I’ll never hear the end of it if you don’t come up with the goods.” She throws a smile at him over her shoulder, and he feels his heart break a little.

  “What about you? You didn’t bet on me?” Grayson takes a step towards her, unable to stop himself, as if her presence takes his body out of his control.

  Adriana’s hand is on the door, and she doesn’t turn around; but, he can see her shoulders sag a little, and he curses himself for being so thoughtless. “Not this time, Gray.” She says the words so quietly that it’s as if she doesn’t think that he’ll hear them. However, they reach him loud and clear, and it’s obvious that she’s not talking about the fight.

  He stares at the door for a good few seconds after she’s walked through it, tempted to go after her. He wants to tell her to bet on him being there for her and being who she needs him to be; he wants to prove to her that she can believe in him.

  “You ready to go give her a good show, chief?” Tommy interrupts his thoughts, rocking up and down on the balls of his feet, nervous.

  Grayson nods grimly as the realization dawns on him that he wants to win for Adriana. He wants her to see him win, to be proud of him. If he can’t make her understand how much he cares about her and if he can’t tell her all the things that he’s worked for so many years to keep inside, then at least he could do this one thing that she’s asked of him.

  But his head was still reeling from having Adriana so close to him and not being able to touch her, not being able to feel her. He needs to get his head straight and fast. There was only one thing for it.

  “Hit me.” Grayson plants his feet, bracing himself.

  Tommy looks at him like he’s just asked to be driven over a cliff. “What?”

  “Hit me, hard, anywhere above the waist.” He holds his arms out, giving Tommy free reign.

  “You want me to hit you? West will go bat shit crazy!” Tommy shakes his head taking a step back and holding his hands up.

  “West won’t know. Besides, I think he’ll be madder if I don’t win this fight after everything he’s done to get me here. So either you hit me or I hit you.” Grayson spreads his hands to show just how serious he is. Tommy gives him a doubtful look, which quickly changes to unease as Grayson takes a step towards him.

  “Alright, alright! Jeez, man.” His demeanor changes as he considers Grayson’s offer. “What the hell? When am I gonna get another chance to pound you?” Tommy smiles cheekily, raising his fists as Grayson advances on him.

  “Hit me and then get me into that ring as fast as you damn well can. When I explode, I’d rather it was on King Kong.” Grayson smiles ruefully at his friend, hoping that he can keep it together for long enough to give the crowd a good show.

  “Understood.” Tommy nods, grimly. “Ready?”

  “Just hit me already, Tom—”

  Grayson doesn’t manage to finish his sentence before Tommy takes him by surprise with an uppercut straight into his stomach. He doubles over, breathing hard to get air back into his system. “Nice.” He gives his friend a thumbs up before he stands up straight, feeling the clarity of anger start to build inside of him.

  Tommy shakes out his fist. “Anytime. But I’m not sure if that hurt your stomach or my hand more.” He takes one look at Grayson and sees that the crazy idea has worked, there’s an unmistakable glint of danger in his training partner’s eyes. He’s seen it before, just before he pounds the crap out of a punching bag. “We need to get going, man. You ready?”

  Grayson nods firmly. “Let’s do this.” He leads the way out of the dressing room, ignoring everyone around him as he heads towards the sound of the crowd. He’s vaguely aware of West falling into step just behind him, looking askance at Tommy.

  “I wouldn’t want to be Kong right now,” Tommy says under his breath but just loud enough for Grayson to hear before he steps out into the view of the public, and the crowd goes wild.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  ADRIANA

  The atmosphere in the place is electric. As soon as the first cry of ‘Punisher’ went up, it was like the whole place completely lost it.

  “I thought he was supposed to be up and coming? How do they all know him?” Adriana has to shout to be heard over the screaming behind them.

  “When you look like that, I don’t think it matters how long you’ve been around.” Willow nods her head towards Grayson who is making his way down the aisle, heading straight for the ring, his attention completely focused on what he’s aiming for.

  “We love you, Punisher!”

  “You’re so fucking hot, Punisher!”

  “Fuck me, Punisher!”

  The screams from the women around him don’t even seem to affect him; it’s like he doesn’t hear them, so intent is he on the fighter he’s about to join in the ring. Adriana wishes that she could block them out as easily, and she feels the dark seed of jealousy spreading through her stomach.

  “He’s a fighter, not a goddam piece of meat!” The words are out of her mouth before she’s had a chance to temper them, and she sees her mistake in Willow’s expression instantly.

  “Sure, and you’re here because of your intense interest in MMA.” Willow cocks an eyebrow at her friend, smiling wryly before her expression gets serious. “You asked me to come with you tonight to be your wingman and to remind you of the way he left you, so that you don’t do anything stupid. You came to help him win; that’s all.”

  Willow’s words might seem harsh, but Adriana knows that she’s not wrong. Her friend is doing exactly what she’s asked of her. She’s making sure that Adriana doesn’t get led down the garden path again, reminding her of how torn up she’s been the past few days.

  “You’re right. Let’s just watch the fight and get out of here.” Adriana focuses her attention on Grayson who has just stepped into the ring.

  “Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, you are about to witness a match that will take one of these fighters to the state-wide championships and then to the nationals!” The announcer waits until the whoops and yells have died down from the crowd before continuing. “In the red corner, we have a fighter well-known to all you fans, unbeaten in his last five matches. It’s Kiiiiiiinnnnng Kooooooooonnnnnng.” He lifts Kong’s hand up into the air, and Adriana gulps hard. The guy is enormous and looks like someone you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley. He looks like he’s broken his nose one too many times, and he’s clearly missing teeth. He’s not what you would call a looker.

  “Holy crap, he’s not exactly the kind of guy you’d take home to meet the parents.” Willow sniffs distastefully at the meathead in the ring, who is smiling maliciously out into the crowd.

  “You’re dead, pretty boy!” Kong shouts over the roar of the crowd, pointing at Grayson, and Adriana balls her fists, wanting to punch the smarmy smile off of his face.

  “And in the blue corner, we have a new kid on the block, an up and coming crowd favorite. It’s The Punisheeeerrrrrr!” The announcer lifts Grayson’s hand in the air. The crowd lets out a roar of appreciation, and it’s not just from the female contingent…he clearly has a following among the men, as well. Adriana looks around at the adoring faces—The Grayson Effect, she thinks.

  Grayson doesn’t smile, he doesn’t even bat an eyelid, and he doesn’t take his eyes off of Kong. In the ring, he looks every inch the professional fighter. His muscles ripple under the dramatic lighting, his tattoos highlighting the perfect contours of his body. He looks like an improved version of Michelangelo’s David, and Adriana feels her whole body tingle just at the sight of him. It ha
d been hard beyond belief to be in the dressing room with him without reaching out to him, her body betraying her at every step.

  But now, it isn’t just desire that she’s feeling now; it’s excitement and nerves. The bell rings, and she leans forward in her seat, straining to get as close to the action as she can. She and Willow are in the best position, front and center, as the jealous girls around them have been whispering since they’d shown up. However, she’s not thinking about them right now; all she’s thinking about is Grayson and how he’s moving around in the ring.

  He pulls back his fist and feints at King, dancing around him, graceful and light on his toes. Adriana’s heart is in her mouth, as King swings a meaty fist at Grayson and connects with his jaw. The impact sends Grayson’s head snapping back, but he shakes it off, continuing to feint and jab at Kong. Grayson delivers some hard body blows into Kong’s abs, and Adriana is so close to the ring that she can hear the air as it is knocked out of him.