MY PROTECTOR: The Valves MC

by Kathryn Thomas

  “How was your date?” He doesn’t know why he says it, but he just does, and the bitterness in his voice is unmistakable.

  Adriana looks away from him, shaking her head. “I should never have said yes.”

  “Why not?” Grayson tries to stop himself from smiling at her lack of interest in her date.

  “Because it wasn’t fair to lead him on when I know he’s not the person I want to be with.” Adriana’s voice is quiet, but Grayson hears her words loud as a bell. The way she looks at him almost begs him not to ask the only question that he can think about.

  “Sir, we’re here.” The driver’s deep voice interrupts them, and Grayson doesn’t know whether to be relieved or irritated.

  “You ready?” He looks at Adriana who takes a deep breath before nodding bravely. “Here we go.”

  As Grayson steps out of the car, he’s met by what feels like a hundred flash bulbs in his face as the press goes wild. He helps Adriana out of the limo and doesn’t let go of her hand as the photographers get all excited again. She looks like a deer caught in headlights, and all Grayson wants to do is wrap her up in his arms and protect her.

  “Hey, I’m here.” He squeezes her hand as he says the words, encouraging her to look up at him.

  As their eyes meet, Grayson gets that familiar jolt that feels like his heart has stopped. He has to fight the urge to turn tail and head straight back into the safety of the limo where it’s just the two of them, no audience. Adriana nods at him gratefully and follows his lead as he stops for photographs and a couple of quick-fire interviews. He leads her up the steps of the museum and into safety inside.

  “Are you alright?” He turns her gently to face him, still very conscious of her hand in his and not having any intention of letting go.

  “That was pretty intense!” Adriana shrugs shyly, flustered at all the attention. “I guess it’s just another day at the office for you?”

  “Not quite.” Grayson shakes his head ruefully. “Everything’s got a little crazy since the fight. The sponsors want all the publicity they can get.” He shrugs, knowing it’s all part and parcel of being a fighter; you have to take the good with the bad.

  “Ah, Grayson, so great to see you!” A woman who looks like a model sweeps in from the wings and holds him out at arms length. “The tux is perfect. Isn’t it perfect?” She turns to Adriana expectantly.

  “Umm, yeah, it looks great.” Adriana raises an eyebrow at Grayson, and the expression on her face makes it hard not to laugh.

  “Josie, this is Adriana.” Grayson introduces the two women who look a little like they’re sizing each other up. “Josie’s my manager. She deals with all my appearances and stuff like that.” He wonders if it’s suddenly gotten cold in here or if it’s just him.

  “Adriana. So, you actually know the name of this one! She’s pretty, Grayson, not that I would have expected anything less.” Josie nudges Grayson playfully and doesn’t seem to notice that he’s not smiling. “Anyway, speaking of appearances, there are some UFC officials here that are dying to talk to you. You don’t need to spend long with them, just a few minutes and a couple of pictures.” She starts to lead him away, but Grayson plants his feet firmly.

  “I don’t have to go.” He reaches out for Adriana, half-hoping that she’ll take his hand and ask him to stay.

  But instead she shakes her head and doesn’t move to touch him. “Don’t worry about me. I know this is a big night for you. Besides, I think I see Tommy.”

  Grayson has to remind himself that he shouldn’t be jealous of his best friend. “Great. Well, I’ll see you in a little while?” He wishes that he didn’t sound so desperate, but it hasn’t escaped his notice that pretty much every guy in the place is looking at Adriana in a way that makes his blood boil. She nods cheerfully and waves him on before crossing the room to speak to Tommy.

  “She’s independent. I like that.” Josie nods approvingly before she frog-marches him towards the group of officials. “Not your usual brand. She’s more my type than yours.” She looks knowingly at him.

  “There’s nothing usual about Adriana, Jo.” Grayson shifts uncomfortably in his suit, suddenly very aware of himself now that Adriana isn’t by his side. “Speaking of which, where is Carmen?” Grayson looks around for Josie’s girlfriend. She’s not easy to miss. At almost six foot, she’s an Argentinian model who refuses to speak a word of English.

  “We had a fight, long story.” Josie waves away his question, and her mask of ruthlessly efficiency almost slips before she leads him like a lamb to the slaughter. “Gentlemen, may I present the one and only, Grayson Fletcher!”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  ADRIANA

  He looks so natural in these surroundings, and she couldn’t feel more out of place. At least she’d found Tommy to talk to, but he was a ticking time bomb, about to pounce on any of the scores of girls that were circling him.

  “You know he hates this stuff, too.” Tommy’s voice interrupts Adriana from her not-so-subtle staring at Grayson.

  She blushes as she realizes she’s just been busted. “Is it really that obvious?” She knows that she’s in a position that some, maybe even most, girls would kill for…at a fancy event, in a beautiful dress, surrounded by the rich and famous. However, it just isn’t her thing.

  “Only to me.” He shrugs, as he knocks back another glass of champagne. The guy is drinking it as if it were water. “I’ve spent too much time with Grayson not to recognize the signs of ‘get me out of here!’” He chuckles to himself.

  “Well, he looks pretty comfortable tonight.” Adriana tries to keep the green-eyed monster out of her voice, as she sees that Grayson has been surrounded by MMA groupies. She recognizes one in particular—the brunette from the dressing room the other night. Adriana has to remind herself that she and Grayson are just at the party as friends, so there’s no reason for her to feel jealous of the little tramp that’s all over him like a bad suit.

  “It’s like I said; it’s just part of the world.” Tommy shrugs as if what he’s seeing is nothing out of the ordinary. That’s probably because it isn’t, and the realization of that sends a bolt of hurt through her. “Grayson’s always been…popular. But now that he’s really made it, it’s on a whole new level.” There’s no hint of jealousy in Tommy’s voice—if anything it’s admiration. But suddenly he seems to remember who he’s talking to. “It’s cool though, that you’re fine with it.” He grabs another glass of champagne from a passing tray, pausing to give the waitress a charming smile.

  “Yeah, I’m totally fine with it.” Adriana nods emphatically, hoping that she sounds at least a little more chilled out than she feels. “Why wouldn’t I be? We’re just friends.” Her voice catches on the word, and she stops talking abruptly, hoping that he hasn’t noticed.

  “You look like you need a drink.” Tommy looks at her with his baby blue eyes, as he holds out his untouched glass of champagne.

  Adriana swallows her instinctive refusal. She’s not a big drinker, and she can still feel the effects of the margarita Willow had made. But tonight Tommy was right, she did need the numbing effect of alcohol. She takes the proffered drink, tilts her head back and swallows it in one go. Tommy looks at her like she’s just done the coolest thing ever and hands her another glass.

  “So what’s the deal with you and Willow?” Adriana levels a stare at him that is only very slightly blurred around the edges as the bubbles hit her bloodstream.

  Tommy flushes like a school kid and scratches the back of his neck, nervously. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean do you like her or what?” The alcohol is making Adriana bold as is the fact that Grayson has been gone for a half hour and shows no signs of returning anytime soon.

  “She’s cool and hot as hell.” Tommy smiles sexily, presumably as he thinks about her.

  “Correct and correct. So why don’t you call her? You scared?” Adriana narrows her eyes at him, teasing.

  “No! It’s just…I don’t know.
I guess she’s different.” Tommy shifts from one foot to the other, uncomfortable.

  “But good different, right?” Adriana takes another sip of her drink, not willing to let Tommy get out of this so easily.

  “You’re not going to let this go, are you?” He smiles at her knowingly. “You and G have that in common, neither of you let up.”

  “You care about him.” It’s not a question, more like an assumption of fact from Adriana.

  “I thought that was my line.” Tommy looks at Adriana pointedly enough to make her blush. “He’s like the brother I never had. He’s watched my back since we met. He’s the best guy I know.” Tommy shrugs as if to say that it’s that simple. “But sometimes I feel like I don’t know him, not really, you know?” He shakes his head, like he’s aware it doesn’t make much sense.

  “I know,” Adriana’s reply is pensive, as she wonders about what secrets lie under the surface and if she really wants to know the answer. “But don’t think I’m going to let you get out of talking about Willow by distracting me!” She waggles her finger at Tommy who laughs deeply.

  “Fine! I give up! But if we’re going to get into that, I’m going to need something a little stronger.” Tommy gestures over towards the bar. “I’ll be right back, and then you can interrogate me to your heart’s content.”

  Adriana laughs as she watches him go, but she is suddenly very aware that she is all alone. Automatically, she grabs another glass of champagne and drinks it down in a couple of gulps. Standing on your own doesn’t seem so bad when you have a drink in your hand and a little Dutch courage in your heart.

  “You’re far too beautiful to be left on your own.” A tall guy who looks like he’s probably another MMA fighter fills the space that Tommy had occupied.

  Adriana flushes, partly from the compliment and partly from the champagne. “Thanks, but I’m not on my own. My friend’s just gone to get a drink.” She motions towards the bar where she sees that Tommy has struck up a conversation with an impossibly leggy blonde.

  “Take it from me, he’s not going to be coming back anytime soon.” The fighter gives Adriana a knowing look that just makes her blush again. “I’m Dexter—Dex.” He holds out his hand for her to shake.

  “Adriana.” She returns his shake, letting her eyes roam the crowd and settle on Grayson who looks deep in conversation with a journalist, the brunette still hanging around him like a bad smell. She wonders if he’s looked over at her even once, if he cares at all. What was the point in him bringing her here? They hadn’t spoken since they’d walked through the front door.

  “That’s a great name.” Dex smiles appreciatively, and Adriana notices how nice his smile is.

  “Thanks, but I can’t take credit for it.” Adriana shrugs, brushing off the compliment and failing to stop her gaze from landing once again on Grayson.

  “Are you here with Fletcher?” Dex’s voice seems to harden at the suggestion.

  “No, I’m not here with Grayson.” That admission hurts more than Adriana is willing to let on; so, she barrels onwards, doing what she does when she’s nervous, blabbering. “I mean, I came here with him, but I’m not here with him. We’re just friends.” She takes another gulp of champagne, purely to stop from talking.

  “You’re not the kind of girl that most men could just be friends with.” Dex looks like he’s unconvinced.

  “And what kind of girl do I look like?” Adriana raises her eyebrows, the alcohol in her system loosening her up.

  “The kind that every guy in this room wants to talk to.” Dex looks around for emphasis, and Adriana follows his gaze and notices that they have a bit of an audience. “You look like the kind of girl that men fall in love with every day.” He looks straight at her as he says the words, and Adriana feels herself blushing.

  “You’re not exactly shy, are you?” She looks at him over the top of her champagne flute, faintly aware that she is doing something that she has never known how to do. She’s flirting.

  “It’s not something I’ve ever been accused of.” Dex looks a little sheepish at the admission. “Is that a problem?” He levels her with an intense stare.

  Adriana flicks her eyes over to where Grayson is still standing over the other side of the room with the brunette bimbo. Seeing them together makes her feel like she’s just been punched in the stomach. It doesn’t help that they seem to fit together. Adriana doesn’t fit in that way. This is a different world to her, and she doesn’t know the rules.

  What she does know is that Grayson doesn’t seem to have any interest in her at all. The person who is standing in the other side of the room seems like a completely different person to the one whom she had shared a bed with only a few nights before and even the man whom she had been with in the limo only an hour ago. He had been gentle and vulnerable and kind, and he had looked at her as if she were important. The man that’s the toast of the party hasn’t even spared her a glance. Grayson is all mixed messages, mixed feelings and emotions. It felt like a guessing game, trying to figure out what was going on in his head, and she never seems to win. It is exhausting. Yet, here was a good looking guy, paying her attention, being nice to her, and making her laugh.

  Adriana takes a deep breath and smiles up at him. “No, it’s not a problem.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  GRAYSON

  He can feel the anger burning a hole inside of him. He had been whisked from one interview to another by Josie who kept promising it was the last one. At some point Cassie had appeared and kept trying to drape herself all over him, no matter how many times he batted her away.

  He had wanted to spend the evening with Adriana, the only person who he had any interest in talking to in the entire place. But now she was talking to Dexter, ‘The Destroyer.’ He is the fighter that he’s up against next for the state title. Grayson had never had any beef with Dexter; they’d even trained together a couple of times as Grayson was making his way up the ranks. But seeing him talking, laughing, and whispering with Adriana is enough to make him want to kill him.

  He clenches and unclenches his fists, trying to control the rage that’s flooding through his body like a drug. He can see the two of them out of the corner of his eye, and it’s the moment when Dex lays a hand on Adriana’s bare shoulder that propels him onto action.

  “Grayson? We’re not done.” Josie’s voice reaches him, and he realizes that his body is ten steps ahead of his brain. He’s left the interview, Cassie and everyone else behind, as he crosses the room, zeroing in on Adriana.

  Dex’s sense of danger alerts him to Grayson’s menacing figure approaching, and he seems to look a little more uncertain than he had before. “Grayson, nice job with Kong the other night.” Dex raises his glass in salute, but Grayson isn’t even listening.

  “Adriana, you ready to go?” He rests his hand possessively on her shoulder, pulling her closer against him.

  “You’ve finished all your stuff, then?” Adriana waves vaguely back to where he’d just spent the past hour and sidles out of his hold, taking a step away from him.

  Dex looks between the two of them, as if he’s trying to figure something out.

  Grayson blows out a breath in frustration. “Yes, I’ve finished, so are you ready to go or what?” He sounds angry. He knows that, but he can’t seem to do anything to temper it down. Seeing her with Dex has done something to him, made him feel out of control. He doesn’t like it, not one bit.

  “Hey, Fletcher, there’s no need to get all worked up over me talking to Adriana here. I thought you two were just friends.” Dex looks at him innocently, and Grayson has to resist the urge to wipe the smile off of his face.

  “We are just friends.” Adriana looks like she’s actually buying this shtick of his. She had no idea that Dex never slept with the same woman twice; he sees every possible lay as a challenge to be overcome. He would say anything to get these women into bed. That had never bothered Grayson before, what Dex did as his own business. But not now, not when he was tryi
ng to do it to Adriana.

  “There you are. What are you doing over here, baby? They wanted some photos to go with the interview.” The whining edge in Cassie’s voice grates on his nerves like nails on a chalkboard. But he’s not focused on her, all he can see is the expression of hurt on Adriana’s face.

  “Don’t worry, man. If you’re…busy…”—Dex gestures between Grayson and Cassie, making the suggestion of exactly what they’re going to be busy with drop—“I can take Adriana home.” He flashes her with that stupid, charming smile of his.

  “Yeah, like hell you will.” Grayson squares up to Dex, ignoring his better judgment telling him not to make a scene, not now, not here.

  “Grayson, stop it.” Adriana’s voice is urgent, and her hand on his arm is probably the only thing that’s stops him from swinging a punch.

  “You want to fight me, Grayson? Right here, right now.” Dex levels him with a cold, hard stare and then drops his voice so that only Grayson can hear him. “Her pussy must be real sweet to get you this bent out of shape. I guess I’ll find out sooner or later.” He shrugs like Adriana is a foregone conclusion, and Grayson takes another step towards him.