by Amity Cross
It had been almost a month since I laid eyes on Josie, and so much had happened, but this time, I was actually surprised to see her.
She was wearing a pair of shiny, black six-inch heels, the pair I used to have her wear as we fucked—just the shoes. Her skinny jeans hugged her legs like a second skin, making them look long as hell, and her blouse was open one button too many. A hint of black lace teased through the opening, and I felt like reaching up and closing the gap before someone else ate her alive.
Once upon a time, I would’ve ripped her shirt open to expose her breasts, but now I didn’t feel the urge at all.
“Hey,” she said, her red lips pouting in that sexy way she always used when she wanted something from me. Usually, that something was doing her up against the nearest hard surface. A wall, a table, the ground…
“Josie,” I said, my eyebrows rising slightly.
“You look surprised to see me,” she purred, stepping closer.
Yeah, I was fucking surprised. The last time I saw her was when she put a full stop on the car crash that was our relationship. She and I were done, and the last place I expected to see was The Underground.
“What are you doin’ here?” I asked, itching to go talk to Lori. Storm was prowling, and I didn’t want him to prowl near the bar before I had a chance to warn her about his abusive sexcapades.
“Hamish,” Josie scolded. “You know why I’m here.”
“Josie…”
“We do this all the time, right? Fight, break up, get back together…” She ran her hands across my chest and pulled her bottom lip into her mouth. It was a move that always got me going. The coy yet sexy come-hither look.
Glancing over Josie’s shoulder, I could see the bar in the distance through a break in the crowd. Lori was flittering back and forth, grabbing down bottles from the shelves and pulling beers, and I swore one eye was on us. Turning my attention back to the woman in front of me, I stared at her and wondered why my dick wasn’t working. This was the way we’d always done things. Fight and then make up with a couple of orgasms, but something was different this time.
I’d gotten a dose of reality at that wedding. I’d come to realize that our whole relationship had been unhealthy from the beginning. We should’ve had fun and left it at that. Trying to make something out of lust had been a big mistake.
“What do you say?” Josie asked, pressing against me. “You know it’ll be good.”
“Josie,” I said more firmly.
Her gaze snapped up to mine. “What? Don’t you want me?”
Curling my hands around her tiny wrists, I pulled her hands away. “What about Dean?”
Her eyes narrowed, and her nose wrinkled—cues that let me know I’d said the wrong thing. “Dean…”
“Is a fuckin’ cock sucker,” I snarled. “He obviously did somethin’ to make you want to come back here.”
“Then what’s the problem? Isn’t this what you wanted? Us, together?”
“Josie…” I took a deep breath and let her wrists go. “He hurt you. This is a reaction, not a solution. What happened at Ash and Ren’s weddin’…it made me realize we’d never make it long-term. We want different things. Deep down, you want another man.” I glanced over at the bar where I caught Lori staring at us. She straightened up and turned away to serve another customer. “And I…” I still wasn’t sure how to finish that thought or if I even should considering all the crap I was dealing with.
Josie turned and followed my gaze, her expression dropping. “Shit…”
“Whatever’s happened, you need to work it out with him,” I said. “I’m not goin’ to be the guy you use for revenge.”
She bowed her head and swiped the back of her hand over her eyes. “Don’t worry about it,” she said, beginning to look embarrassed.
“Don’t think anythin’ of it.”
Josie shuffled on the spot, curling her arms around her stomach. “Is she nice?”
I tilted my head to the side. “Is who nice?”
“The woman at the bar you keep looking at. Does she treat you nice?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know if she feels the same…or if what I feel is anythin’ more than physical.”
She snorted and shook her head. “She’d be a fool not to.”
Lifting a hand, I placed it on Josie’s shoulder and squeezed. “Dean can be fuckin’ stupid, but I saw the way he looked at you at the weddin’. If you want it, you’ve gotta fight for it. Fuck knows I fought hard enough.”
She sighed, glancing at the people milling around us. “I’m sorry for coming here and trying to drag you into my petty shit.” Turning back to me, she added, “I’m sorry for what I did to you at the wedding. I should’ve—”
“Like I said…don’t think anythin’ of it.” Turning her gently toward the exit, I said, “C’mon. I’ll walk you to your car.”
“I really am sorry, Hamish.”
“I know, darlin’,” I murmured. “But it is what it is.”
12
Lori
I was still pissed at Hamish.
Well, not exactly pissed as in extraordinarily angry with the guy but still pretty bloody annoyed.
If I let a little more common sense in, I’d see that he was just trying to look out for me. Storm was the biggest asshole of the bunch, and whatever he’d said to Hamish in the cage had caused a ruckus that people were still gossiping about almost a week later.
Talking about Storm…I hadn’t seen him since he got his ass handed to him. He was probably off someplace licking the soda water off his wounds. As long it was far away from me, I didn’t care.
Catching sight of Hamish through the crowd, I smiled. Ironically, he was the one bright spark in my otherwise mundane existence. It was ironic because of that time I swore off fighters for good. Funny how fate worked against us sometimes…but was it fate or just blind stupidity? Either way, I really liked him, which went against the fact I was trying to be angry with him for meddling.
Really, was it so bad having an Underground champ on my side if things got rough with Storm again? Probably not.
Realizing Hamish was walking my way, I straightened up and busied myself so he didn’t think I was daydreaming about him. That’s when I saw her.
Josie.
His ex.
I remembered seeing her around a little when she and Hamish were a thing. She didn’t come all the time—people said she worked with some fighters in the AUFC—so I figured she’d come see Hamish fight when the season was in downtime in Sydney.
It must suck doing the long distance thing. I wondered if that was why they broke up in the first place. I’d never asked him, but I figured it hadn’t been any of my business. It wasn’t like I wanted to pick up where she left off.
She was beautiful. I mean, Bel was up there in the stakes of what men wanted—big boobs, pouty lips, and feminine sensuality. Then there was Josie with her perfect blonde hair, perfect clothes, and perfect body, who looked like she’d just stepped off the catwalk of a Jean Paul Gaultier show at Paris Fashion Week.
If it came down to her and me in a fight to the death, there was no competition. Josie would win by default.
Before I realized what was happening, jealousy came right up and sucker-punched me in the heart.
There was only one reason why she’d be here, and as she pressed her body up against Hamish’s, I narrowed my eyes, and my hands tightened around the glass of beer I was currently pouring. Turning the tap off as the head began to overflow, I slammed the glass down in front of the customer I was serving, snatched the money from their hand, and practically threw the change at their face.
Then I went back to staring like a jealous girlfriend. Which I had no right to do.
“Who are you staring at?”
I shivered as Stu’s slimy voice broke through my reverie. “Nobody.”
He snorted and shook his head. He didn’t believe me, but I didn’t care what he thought. “So when you’ve finished staring at nobody, reme
mber there are customers to serve.”
I rolled my eyes before turning to face him with a fake smile plastered on my face. “Sure thing, boss.”
Attempting but failing to put Josie and Hamish out of my mind, I served the next few customers, but I couldn’t help myself. When I glanced back, his hand was around her back, and he was guiding her away.
Typical.
Who was I kidding, anyway? This whole thing was a mess. Friends with a fighter? Was I crazy? Right now, I was. Damn, I had to pull myself together, or tomorrow night, people would be gossiping about the obsessive bar chick and her infatuation with Goblin after their supposed one-night stand. Stalker much?
“Lori.”
Turning, I found Hamish leaning against the bar. The customers who’d been waiting had scattered, and I shook my head. I’d fast learned he was the nicest guy, but he did have an intimidating presence about him. One look with the right amount of force behind it and people ran. Fast.
Then there was the look that had women swooning… I bet his ex had returned to try to get back together with him. Who wouldn’t? Goblin was a catch and then some.
“Was that her?” I asked, ashamed at the flare of jealousy I’d let overtake me.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah, that was Josie.”
I snorted and played with the stack of glasses so I had something to busy my hands with.
“You know, I haven’t thought about her in a while.”
I glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. So maybe he didn’t just fuck her after all. “Oh yeah? You got over it that quick?”
“I don’t think it’s somethin’ anyone ever gets over.” He shrugged. “I just haven’t thought about it. Not since I started hangin’ out with you.”
I paused, eyeing him awkwardly. What did he mean by that? Should I remind him of the friend zone, or just smile and say thank you?
“You’ve given me a new perspective,” he went on, not even noticing that I’d tensed up. “That’s a good thing.”
“If you say so.”
He leaned closer. “Have you got a minute?”
“Yeah. I’m due a break…”
“Good.” He stepped around the end of the bar, grabbed my hand, and tugged, towing me through the warehouse to the side door.
Outside, the air was cold, and the storage area was dark. The whole space was lined with empty kegs waiting to be picked up by the guy Stu paid off to do a dodgy first thing in the morning. It smelled like stale barley and hops mixed with a little bit of piss. Totally romantic.
Hamish pulled me into a little alcove and glanced around, but we were alone. Realizing the position we were in, me against the brick wall with him mere inches in front of me, I began to tremble. If we were anything but friends, this would be the part in our story where we kissed. The moment the notion passed through my brain, it was all I began thinking about. Kissing Hamish McBride.
So not cool.
Then there was that Josie woman he’d led away earlier. Had he gone out back to kiss her? Shit, was I stupid? Guys like him didn’t just kiss a girl out back. They fucked like animals.
The thought of Hamish fucking like a beast had my tremble amped up to an earthquake. Now I was thinking about his cock.
Great…
“Why did you two break up?” I blurted, sinking back against the wall.
Hamish frowned and tilted his head to the side. “Where’s that comin’ from?”
I shrugged, feeling my cheeks heat with embarrassment.
He sighed and glanced away into the darkness. “She wanted me to go pro and move to Sydney with her. I wanted to stay in Melbourne and make a life here. That was the first problem. The second was she had feelin’s for another guy.”
“Oh,” I murmured, beginning to feel childish considering the thoughts that had gone through my head earlier.
“It was a long time comin’.”
I didn’t know what else to say, so I said ‘oh’ again. Lame.
“Listen, Lori…” He hesitated, and I glanced up at him.
“What?”
“You and Storm…”
It was my turn to frown. “What about me and Storm? I told you…”
“Do you know why he came back?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No. The other night… Well, that was the first time I’d seen him since…” I didn’t want to elaborate on the foursome I’d walked in on, so I added, “Since two years ago.” I watched him closely, my earlier thoughts about fucking like animals fading into the background, and I slapped his chest. “What do you know?”
“I didn’t like the way he talked about you,” he began, his eyes beginning to fill with anger. “You weren’t tellin’ the whole story, Lori.”
“So you set out to prove me a liar?” I exclaimed.
“No.” He stepped forward, practically caging me against the wall. “I went out to try to protect you.”
“Protect me?”
It had been like a month since I found Hamish sitting at the end of the bar. A month of talking, hanging out, and a few casual conversations between his fights. That was hardly any time to get to know another person, let alone feel so strongly about them you wanted to go out and do a bloody background check on their asshole ex.
“He got kicked out because one of the ring girls claimed he’d abused her.”
“What?” For a moment, I wasn’t sure what Hamish had said. I’d heard him, but it didn’t sound real.
The world was spinning. I could feel the blood draining from my face and pooling in my toes. Storm was a master at emotional manipulation against the women he slept with, but physical abuse?
“The girl filed a complaint with the UFC, and the police alleged that he put his hands around her throat and tried to strangle her. There were other marks on her body…marks easily covered by clothin’. Sponsors canceled their contracts with him, and people boycotted, so the only thing the UFC could do was kick him out. Zero tolerance.”
My body felt numb, and I slumped against the wall, slipping down it a few inches. Hamish curled his hand around my arm, trying to steady me, but I shook him off.
“Lori…” His voice was low and calm, reassuring and full of concern all at the same time. I knew he was trying to make sure I was fine, but the only thing it did was spin the merry-go-round faster and faster.
I didn’t know why I asked it, but it was the only thing I could think of at that moment. “You looked into all of that for me?”
I glanced up at him and hesitated when I saw the look on his face. His eyes were dark and full of emotions—anger, jealousy, and something else I didn’t know—as his hands fisted into the hem of his T-shirt like he needed something to hold onto. It was yet another instance of feelings blurring the line, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it.
“He’s not a nice guy, Lori,” he said. “He needs to get the message to stay away. That’s what you want, right?”
I swallowed hard and nodded, starting to feel cold. It was more to do with finding out about my ex-boyfriend’s newly developed choking habit than the actual temperature out here.
“What did he do to you?”
I froze, my gaze falling to the ground at my feet. “Does it matter?”
“It does if he did to you what he did to that girl.”
I wasn’t prepared for the fierceness in his voice, and an odd sensation ricocheted through my body.
“Lori?”
His hands found mine, and I closed my eyes, willing the tears that had begun to well to fuck off. I did not want to cry in front of Hamish ‘Goblin’ McBride, terror of The Underground.
“He didn’t,” I managed to get out.
“Are you sure?”
My eyes flew open. “Of course, I’m sure.”
“Okay,” he said, not looking convinced. “If he tries anythin’, you let me know, and I’ll be talkin’ with him. Got it?”
I knew enough about Hamish to know we’d be arguing about it all night if I asked him to leave it alone, so I n
odded. Truthfully, I was glad for the backup. Someone caring enough about me to go and beat the living shit out of a guy that treated me bad was a comforting thought.
What I didn’t get was why me?
I wasn’t anything special. Not by a long shot.
13
Hamish
Standing on Lori’s front porch, I stared at the front door, studying the stained glass.
All I had to do was raise my hand and knock, but I was hesitating. The plastic bag in my hand was getting heavy, the food I’d brought over becoming colder as the minutes wore on.
It was Tuesday night, which meant I’d been at the hospital all day sitting with Ma as she was pumped with radioactive poison that was supposed to help shrink her cancer. I was feeling tired and helpless, and I should’ve gone home to bed, but all I wanted to do was think about something else. Lori hadn’t let me down so far.
Did that make me selfish? Maybe she was using me for the same thing. Yeah, when I thought about it that way, it didn’t sound so bad.
I hadn’t invited her to my place yet, but I wasn’t sure that was a good idea. I had letters from the hospital and bills strewn over the kitchen counter, and all in all, my apartment was a barren wasteland. I didn’t like things cluttering up my life. Furniture, knickknacks, crap that accumulated dust… It was all shit that weighed me down when all I wanted was to be able to move at a moment’s notice. Maybe that was the fighter in me, or maybe it was a result of my current predicament. Who knew. I just didn’t like it.
And I didn’t want Lori to ask all the awkward questions I didn’t want to answer.
Sighing, I raised my hand and knocked on the door. Footsteps thumped from inside, becoming louder as they approached the door.
Instead of Lori, it was her ‘special’ housemate Bel, who I’d been assured was going to be out tonight.
“Hello,” she purred.
“I’m here for Lori,” I grumbled, shoving my hands into my jeans pockets.
“Lori!” she called out. “It’s your Irish beefcake!” I narrowed my eyes, and she laughed. “Oh, don’t be so grumpy. You’re damn fine, and you know it.”