by Josie Kerr
Pierce struggled to get free, and when he looked into Colin’s eyes, the big fuck had the audacity to wink and wiggle his eyebrows at him.
“You done, boy?” Colin asked.
“Don’t call me ‘boy,’ and fuck no.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
And Colin let loose with a flurry of small jabs, coming quickly and painfully down on Pierce’s face and upper chest.
Damn, he’s gotten even faster than he was when we last fought in Vegas.
With no signs of Colin stopping or being stopped, Pierce did what any sane man would do.
He tapped.
“What?” Pierce scowled at Colin, who was studying him in a way that made Pierce extremely uncomfortable. “Ow! Goddamn, Goody. Where’s that light touch you used on me before? Damn.”
Ryan snorted but kept the cotton swab on the cut above Pierce’s eye. “Hell, you usually put those guys to sleep before they had a chance to mess up that pretty face of yours.” Ryan pulled the swab away and peered at the cut. “Hm. I think you might need a stitch or two.”
“Nah, just glue it.”
“You sure?”
“Yep. I’ve had worse cuts that I’ve glued. No biggie.”
Ryan looked at Colin. “C, you have an opinion?”
“Well, I’d rather you get it stitched, but I get why you don’t want to. It’s fine—use the glue,” Colin acquiesced after peering at the cut.
“You two know that you’d never have gotten away with this if Junior were around,” Ryan remarked as he sealed up the wound on Pierce’s face. “Paddy, I’m shocked that you let them get away with it.”
The wiry Irishman bent down and peered at Pierce’s face. After examining it from just about every angle, he stood up and nodded.
“Ah, you boys are both still pretty,” Paddy said with a grin. “I actually wanted to see if this big git could keep his cool.” He tipped his head toward Pierce.
Pierce scowled. “You callin’ me a git, old man?”
“Don’t worry—you’re not a real member of Doyle’s South unless Paddy has called you a ‘feckin’ idjit’ or a ‘bleedin’ git.’ ” Colin jerked his chin up at Pierce. “But tapping wasn’t an idjit move, not at all. You kept your head and kept yourself safe from undue injuries. That’s smart. I’m not sure you would have done that before.”
Pierce turned to Colin, but Colin held up his hand. “Dude. Do not apologize again, or I’m gonna sock you right in the mouth. I don’t want to hear it. You’ve apologized, and it’s done, all right? Let’s leave the past there. New gym, new team, new Pierce.”
“You really mean that, don’t you?”
Colin scoffed. “Hell yeah, and you know I don’t blow smoke up people’s asses. If I didn’t want you here, you wouldn’t be here. Look, man, I’m gonna be straight with you—you have some really bad habits, habits that Raptor encouraged. The trick is going to be retraining to get rid of them but not losing the beauty of your rawness.”
Pierce snorted at Colin’s flowery words but quickly sobered when he realized the earnestness of Colin’s statement.
Colin tapped his fingers on the bench where he sat. “The number one criticism I’ve gotten ever since I started wrestling, even when I was on the middle school wrestling team, is that I was too controlled, that I relied too much on pure technique.”
“Well, that technique won you a few belts . . .”
“Only because the men I was fighting didn’t want the belt more than I did.”
“What the fuck? Do you think I didn’t want that belt?”
“No, I do, but I think you wanted Andrea more—”
Pierce barked a bitter laugh. “And there it is. I was wondering when we were gonna discuss that psycho.” He shook his head.
“Pierce, man, look at me.” Colin grabbed Pierce’s shoulder. “We’re not discussing Andrea. We’re talking about you and your fighting. And if you hadn’t interrupted me, I was going to say that I think you wanted Andrea more and you didn’t have enough discipline to overcome the emotion of the situation, so you just wanted to brawl.”
“Yeah, and you fucking handed my ass to me.”
“Think about the last time we met. What was different?”
Pierce considered the ill-fated expo fight and the weeks leading up to it. He was so preoccupied with what his alleged girlfriend was up to that he’d barely been able to concentrate on fighting. The reality was that he should have cut her loose the moment she started showing interest in Colin again.
No, he should have never gotten involved with her in the first place. But once he found out that she’d been with Colin, his biggest rival, the temptation to take something from him was just too great.
Pierce would never forget the look on C’s face when he caught them fucking in the bathroom of the motel where Colin’s victory party was being held. Colin’s eyes had gone dead when he told Andrea where she could expect all her belongings to be delivered, and then he turned and left without a glance back.
Talk about ice cold. That was the moment Pierce truly understood the meaning of Colin’s nickname.
Pierce cleared his throat. “Well, you had a lot on your plate. Hell, you weren’t even actively fighting anymore. You’d started DS Fight Club, you had a baby on the way . . .”
Colin blinked. “What? You mean Maude? Maude’s not my biological child.”
It was Pierce’s turn to blink. “What? Andrea told . . . oh, fuck me.”
“Oh, man.” Colin shook his head, and Pierce could see his jaw working. “Remember Tripp Holbrook? He’s Maude’s father.”
Suddenly an entire host of things that never made much sense fell into place, and they all revolved around Andrea Michaels.
“You gonna tell me all the connections you just made?” Colin said with a chuckle.
“Andrea told me that you had been fucking around on her with Bailey, and I believed it because, you know . . .”
Colin nodded. “Go on.”
“Tripp was actually the person who convinced me to . . . make it where Dig couldn’t fight you in the expo. Holy crap—she played us all, didn’t she? Oh my fucking God.” Pierce scrubbed his face. Now was as good of a time as any. “Speaking of, I got a letter from the Department of Corrections of Wisconsin a few days ago. Seems Andrea is out and has been for four months. I went ahead and got a restraining order. I know she’s not supposed to leave the state, but . . .”
“Shit, yeah. I hear ya. Bailey definitely needs one; though, I don’t know if Andrea will try anything after their last encounter.”
“Did she really punch Andrea out?”
Colin chuckled. “You would have been proud. Apparently they were all-out brawling in the lobby of the hospital, with Bailey on top and waling on Andrea.” He chuckled again. “That’s my babydoll.”
“Speaking of.” Pierce nodded toward the lobby area where Colin’s wife and little girl stood, talking with Nanda. When Nanda and Bailey swiveled their heads toward the men, Pierce chuckled at the expression on Bailey’s face. “Uh-oh, looks like you might be in trouble.”
Colin grunted and shook his head. “We good?”
“Yeah, we’re good.”
“Excellent. Junior’s back tomorrow. Expect him to tear your ass apart about your technique.” Colin pushed off the bench and trotted over to Bailey. He picked her up, Maude still in her arms, and gave them each a kiss.
Damn.
Once again, a pang of jealousy hit Pierce hard in the gut. Colin had always had it all—a successful career, financial stability, and most of all, a supportive team and family.
Pierce scrubbed his face with his hands as if the action would wash him clean of all the bullshit he’d dealt with most of his life. He needed to focus on what he had now, this new opportunity that he had been blessed with, and put the past out of his mind.
After all, if Colin could move past the wrong that Pierce had done him, Pierce should be able to as well.
Chapter Eleven
�
�You know what, Ashley? I don’t think I can do this.”
Annie hovered in the doorway of the cardio kickboxing classroom, her heart already thumping hard. She could feel the prickles of anxiety creeping up her neck, and yeah, nope. Not gonna happen.
“Girl, you are white as a sheet.” Ashley peered closely at Annie. “Are you sweating?”
Annie nodded, feeling the clammy sweat running down her back.
“I definitely can’t do this. I’m sorry, Ashley.”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “You don’t owe me an apology. I should be apologizing to you for bullying you into coming to the class. Don’t think a thing about it.”
With a relieved sigh, Annie slumped against the cool cinderblock wall. “I’m just gonna catch my breath and then head home.”
“Good idea. You need to rest up for book club.”
Annie snorted. “What are you planning—full-contact reading?”
She gawped when Ashley just wiggled her eyebrows and called, “You never know,” over her shoulder as she went inside the classroom.
With Ashley, you never did know. Oh God, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that maybe she wasn’t up for socializing with a bunch of people that she really didn’t know, even if it involved something that she loved, like reading.
Annie slid onto a bench and put her head in her hands, more than a little bit frustrated with herself. She knew she really needed to try to go back to class, but boy, it was harder than it looked.
She took a deep breath and recounted the things that she had accomplished, in an attempt to stave off the growing sense of hopelessness.
She’d gotten her real estate license.
She’d made her first unassisted sale.
She’d left that abusive douchebag she had been married to.
Yes, she’d actually accomplished a lot in the past three months. Annie took a deep, cleansing breath and then opened her eyes.
She saw Damon Pierce sitting by himself across the gym with the most heartbreaking expression on his rugged face. She followed his gaze to the front desk, where the owner of DS Fight Club, along with his cute curly-haired wife and equally curly-haired little girl, stood talking to Nanda, the gym manager, and another big fighter called Dig. Dig had his big arm looped around Nanda’s shoulder, and his fingers drifted across her upper arm, making small circles.
Annie sighed. I get it, Pierce. I totally get it.
She thought about the list she had at home. Not far down the page was probably the scariest item on it.
Ask someone you’re interested in out on a date.
Pierce definitely interested her. She’d watched him all night at the bar, sitting amongst the other fighters and their significant others but seeming removed from them at the same time. No, Damon Pierce wasn’t like the other fighters; though, she couldn’t quite put her finger on what set him apart. But Annie knew she liked him.
And she certainly was attracted to him. When he’d prevented her from falling and walked her back to her car? She’d nearly swooned. Maybe she should have because he’d need to hold on to her again, put those big hands on her again.
Sigh.
And he was looking right at her now, with a different sort of look on his face. A softer look.
Aaand now he’s walking over here.
Oh boy.
“Hey, Annie.”
The sound of Pierce’s rumbly voice made Annie’s stomach feel all funny.
She cleared her throat. “Hi, Pierce.”
He pointed with his thumb at the classroom. “You here for Tig’s Cardio Kickboxing class?”
“No, well, yes. But no.” She waffled, managing to both shake her head and nod at the same time. “I mean, I was going to go but decided that it’s just not for me, so . . .” She shrugged.
Pierce nodded. “It’s pretty intense. You strike me as more of a yoga woman.”
“Yeah?” Annie cocked her head. “How so?”
“You need to relax; you’re kind of tightly wound . . . well, shit. That came out wrong.” He chuckled and rubbed the back of his shaved head. “What I meant is that given your difficulties . . . aw, hell. I’m just going to shut up now. Nice to see you again, Annie.” With a heavy sigh, Pierce turned around and started walking toward the back of the gym, his shoulders slumped.
“Damon Pierce, would you like to go out sometime? With me?” Annie blurted. Oh God, why did I use his full name? Oh my Lord, I’m such an idiot.
“Sure. I’d like that.”
Her eyes snapped open. “What?”
He cocked his head at her. “I said, sure. I’d like that.” He took three strides back to her so that he was standing so close she had to look straight up at his formidable height. Annie gulped.
“What did you have in mind?” he asked.
“I have absolutely no idea,” Annie stammered. “I didn’t think you’d agree.”
A frown creased Pierce’s brow. “So . . . you don’t really want to go out?”
“No, I mean, yes, I mean . . . I’d love to go out. I just really didn’t think this through.” Annie twisted her fingers around in her hand. “Sorry?”
“Darlin’, don’t you ever apologize for asking for something that you want. Do you have a phone? On you?”
“Um, yeah.” Annie scrabbled in her bag and pulled her phone out to hand to him. Pierce quickly tapped some information into the phone and handed it back to her.
“I added my contact info. You can call me when you decide what it is you’d like to do.”
“Okay.”
“And you should really put a lock screen on your phone. If someone ever got a hold of it, they could go right in and see everything. It’s not safe.”
“Okay.” Annie swallowed hard.
Pierce cocked his head at her again. He looked like a big bald eagle sizing her up before he ate her. “You sure you’re okay, darlin’?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Annie, I thought you were headed home?” Ashley looked from Annie to Pierce and back.
“You just let me know, Annie, all right?” Pierce gave Annie a wink. “Ashley.” He nodded his head at Ashley in both a greeting and a good-bye and walked away from the gawking women.
“What was that about?”
Annie gulped. “That was about me asking out a big fighter.” She looked at Ashley. “I have lost my mind.”
Ashley cackled. “Oh, honey, no, you haven’t. But you’re definitely coming to book club. We’ve got shit to talk about.”
Five sets of eyes looked expectantly at Annie, who took a huge swig of the frozen drink Ashley had shoved in her hand, as she recounted her conversation with Pierce.
Em was practically vibrating with excitement. “Oh, this is so romantic!” She clapped her hands together.
“Oh Lord. She’s got the clappy hands,” Ashley snorted. “You’re in trouble now.”
“Why am I in trouble?” Annie looked from face to face.
Bailey leaned over and patted Annie’s hand. “You’re not in trouble. Em just gets really excited about things. So what do you want to do for this date?”
“I have no idea. I thought that’s what you were going to help me decide.”
“You could go to a movie,” Charlotte offered, topping off everyone’s drinks from a frosty pitcher.
“Nuh-uh, chica. Too expensive for some something you can’t even really talk during.” Nanda shook her head. “I think you should go dancing.”
Annie snorted. “Me? In a dance club? Right. I can’t even handle walking down the street half of the time. Next idea, please.”
“Hello—lunch date!” Ashley rolled her eyes as if everyone else had lost their minds. “It’s something to do that allows you to talk and get to know each other. It’s also a finite amount of time, so if disaster strikes, you can get the hell out of there. But if it goes well, well . . . you can move on to a more romantic encounter.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
Annie gulped. “Romantic encounter? Y’all, I haven’t
ever had a . . . romantic encounter.”
“What do you mean? You were married until not too long ago.” Ashley’s frowning at Annie caused her to squirm.
“I wouldn’t ever call any of my encounters with Jeff ‘romantic.’ Mostly just practical and kind of awkward. It’s just the type of relationship we had.” She shrugged a shoulder. “Jeff wasn’t a passionate man.”
“Then, you better hold on to your magic panties, girl, because Damon Pierce? All he is, is passion.” Nanda tipped her drink toward Annie. “I’ve watched him fight for years. He’s a brawler—hardly any technique at all, but he puts it all out there, everything.”
Ashley nodded, her expression serious. “The man is wild. I’ll admit that I’ve never liked him, mostly because I could never sense what he was going to do—he’d be just as likely to throw a chair at his opponent as to not even show up for a presser. Completely unpredictable. And that last legitimate fight he had? The one where he almost put C down? Well . . . I still have a hard time getting past that.”
Annie’s eyes grew larger the longer Ashley talked. What in the world had she gotten herself into?
Charlotte laid a soothing hand over Annie’s. “Don’t pay any attention to Ashley or to the stories of the old Pierce. He’s a sweetheart even though he’s kind of growly.”
“He’s never been growly at me.”
“And that’s significant. I’ve spent quite a bit of time with him, well, not with him, but around him. He helped Ryan tear out and install my new cabinets.”
“Ryan? Ryan with the beard and the sad eyes?”
“That sneaky sumbitch. That’s why he’d never tell me who Jason had working for him. I should take him over my knee,” Ashley muttered while she drained the remains of her glass.
A surprised laugh escaped Annie’s lips, but Ashley just waved her off. “He’s my baby brother. I can definitely still put him over my knee.”
“Oh boy. I don’t know why I always forget that. You two look just alike.”
Ashley blanched. “Oh God, I need to wax my mustache, don’t I? Why didn’t y’all tell me?” Ashley stroked the area underneath her nose. “Damn this stubble.”