“You are, dude. The best.” Rider scooted closer.
“I warned her if she didn’t keep her hands wrapped around the ropes above her head, I would restrain her.” Gage slapped his palm over his forehead and rubbed it down his face. “I misjudged her reaction. Severely, apparently. And that isn’t like me.”
“Not at all. And you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it either. Kayla…she has issues, don’t you think?”
“Clearly.” Gage rolled his eyes.
“Did you talk to her, after I mean?”
“Nope. She bolted. I tried, but she ran.”
“But you’re going to?”
“Of course. First chance I get. Monday morning, I guess. I don’t exactly know where she lives, and I don’t have her number either.” Gage stood. “Let’s get to the ring. Joe is probably pacing, waiting on us to get started. And I need the workout.”
Rider stood. “Okay, but I’m gonna kick your ass out there today. You don’t look like you slept a wink.”
“I didn’t.” Gage pushed the door to the gym open and headed for the cage.
“’Bout time you guys showed up.” Joe stood inside the fence, glancing at his watch and smirking. “Rough night, fellas?”
Rider jumped onto the raised platform first. “Yeah. Somebody failed to get laid.”
Gage shoved him into the ring. “Somebody’s about to get their teeth knocked out.” He pulled his gloves on and then stretched his torso and legs, loosening up. “How’s Emily?”
Rider smiled. “Fantastic. Don’t think you can weaken me by bringing up my woman. It won’t work.”
“You two were able to separate long enough to come work out? I’m surprised you didn’t bring her to the gym with you the way you’ve been plastered to her lately.”
Rider bounced around, ready to spar. “Ha ha. You’re just jealous. If you want what I have, talk to Kayla. I know you’re interested in more than doing a scene with her. Whatever skeletons she has, flush them out and make her see you.”
“Yeah. We’ll see. She hardly says two words to me as it is. I’m not sure she’s willing to sit down for a heart to heart.” Gage bounced into the center of the ring. He stepped to one side and stretched against the fencing. Thank God for MMA workouts. If it wasn’t for the satisfying release he got from sparring with Rider and the rest of the guys at the gym, he wasn’t sure he’d be completely sane.
He’d only been back in Vegas for two years. Gage had enlisted in the army straight out of high school and worked for the military police. After two tours in Iraq, he’d been exhausted. When it came time to reenlist, he decided to give up the military and return home.
Within a week, Gage met Rider at the police station and found out the man was hugely involved in MMA. Gage had dabbled in the sport in the army, so it was perfect timing and good luck that landed him at the gym with five other guys from his weight class. The owner, Joe Marks, was a gem. Gage had never made a better decision in his life. Training with Rider and the other four guys in their group had been a godsend after leaving the army.
Even better, soon after meeting up with Rider and establishing their friendship, he learned that Rider and the other guys belonged to a fetish club nearby. The minute Gage entered Extreme for the first time, he knew he was at home. He’d researched BDSM over the years, intrigued by the concept, but he’d never been to a club. His life was perfect. He had a nice civilian job as a K-9 trainer at the police station where Rider was a cop. He had the instant bond of friends, and Extreme—the best place to loosen up and be himself at the end of the week.
After burying himself in classes and research, Gage had turned out to be a damn good Dom. He got compliments from everyone, including the owner. And all sorts of women asked him to do scenes with them on the weekends. It was common knowledge he had a knack for spanking and flogging. He could ease the stress of anyone beneath his hand as though it were second nature.
And then there was Kayla. The woman had shown up out of nowhere at the police academy a few weeks after Gage’s return to Vegas. He knew few details about her. She was clearly beloved by the chief of police, John Edwards, who hired her as the front desk secretary at the attached police academy where Gage’s K-9 unit was also located. She was quiet and timid. She was hardworking and diligent. And she was fucking hotter than hell.
Every time Gage passed by her desk, he swallowed his tongue. He felt like he tripped over his words around her. When she smiled, which didn’t happen often, he melted into the floor.
He never had the balls to approach her, and she had the most obvious barrier around her that she wore like a shield. It screamed “stay the fuck back.”
Not that he didn’t speak to her. He did, almost every day, in an attempt to be friendly and make conversation. But her protective shell was thick, and she didn’t put off vibes that encouraged more than a professional relationship.
A few months after, when he saw her at Extreme, he nearly dropped his soda. He was pretty sure he did swallow his tongue that time, choking so badly on the sip he had in his mouth, he had to leave the room.
Kayla wasn’t just smokin’ hot, she was fucking out of this world.
And she’d shocked the hell out of him.
She didn’t hold her head any higher than she did at work, nor did she dress as provocatively as other submissives, but her demeanor told him she was indeed submissive, or had been at one point.
Whatever her story was, Gage was intrigued immediately. And still he hadn’t had the balls to proposition her. The first time she asked him to do a spanking scene, his dick got so hard he had to jerk off in the restroom as soon as it was over. She never once asked him for anything more than the release from the scene. No sexual overtures were made. So, he kept his cock in his pants and his palms firmly on her perfect smooth ass.
“Dude?”
Gage jerked his gaze to find Rider standing in the center of the ring.
“We gonna spar, or are you gonna stand there stretching that leg for the rest of the day?” His eyes twinkled with mirth. “She has a firm grip on you, buddy. You’re going down.”
Joe stepped closer to the center of the ring, shaking his head. “I’m losing the members of this Fight Club left and right to women. When will it end?” He threw up his hands in mock defeat. The man had dubbed the six of them The Fight Club a long time ago. And it stuck. The guys trained together and belonged to the same club, Extreme. They had each other’s backs. And Gage felt like he had an extended family.
“Eh, we’re still here, aren’t we?” Rider asked. “I think my woman likes my abs.” He clenched his stomach, accentuating his six pack, and patted himself with his gloves. “Don’t want to lose this figure.”
Gage rolled his eyes. “Emily? She’d fall all over you if you never lifted another muscle. Now let’s fight. I have pent up energy to burn.”
Chapter Three
Gage got to work early on Monday morning. His German shepherd, Thor, stayed right on his heels. He headed straight for the front desk of the police academy, thinking to confront Kayla and ask her to lunch.
She wasn’t there yet. Marci, the private secretary for the chief of police, was at the front desk instead.
“Where’s Kayla?”
Marci smiled. “Not ‘good morning, Marci. So nice to see you.’ Just, ‘where’s Kayla?’”
Gage chuckled. Marci was good natured. He knew she was teasing. “Good morning, Marci. So nice to see you. Where’s Kayla?”
“Good one. She called in saying she would be a few minutes late. I’m covering for her until she gets here.”
“Then I’m sure you won’t mind telling me how she likes her coffee. I’m making a run.”
Marci lifted an eyebrow.
“And you too, of course. What can I get you?” Gage grimaced at the way he was handling this situation.
“Sure, stud. Whatever.” Marci rolled her eyes. “I’ll have mine black if you don’t mind. Kayla is a frufru girl. Let me write her order down for you.�
� Marci grabbed a Post-it note off the corner of the desk and jotted several words. She winked as she handed the note to him. “Good luck, stud. Leave Thor here with me. I hardly ever get to see him.”
Gage smiled and walked Thor around the front desk. “Stay with Marci, pal. Be right back.” He often took Thor with him across the street for coffee, but if Marci needed some lovin’, Gage could share.
Thor retired from the military at the same time as Gage. It worked out splendidly because Gage had worked with the dog for many years and two tours in Iraq. The two of them were attached at the hip, literally. When Gage heard he would be able to adopt Thor and keep him, he breathed a huge sigh of relief. Thor was nine, but showing no signs of slowing down.
Now that Gage worked as the in-house K-9 trainer, Thor came to work with him every day. Everyone adored him, and he was the perfect example to help train the new puppies coming in. Most days Gage wasn’t sure who earned his paycheck, Thor or himself.
Gage made his way across the street and back with three coffees before Kayla arrived. He left her iced, decaf, vanilla latte in the center of her desk and tucked a folded note under it. Lunch was all he said. No question mark. No name. She would know who it was from, and it wasn’t really negotiable.
He liked Kayla. Surely she hadn’t missed that detail. He’d been flirting with her forever it seemed, but the woman either never took the hint or didn’t return his affections. No. That wasn’t true. There was more to it than that. She was guarded. That shield of hers kept him at arm’s length. It didn’t mean she wasn’t interested. She had no choice but to face him today, though. No way was he going to let what happened Friday night slide without addressing it.
The morning was busy. Several new puppies had been placed with handlers recently, and he spent his days training the handlers to work with their dogs. It was the most fulfilling job in the world, and he was damn glad to have spent eight years training military dogs, which made him more than qualified to take this job when he opted not to reenlist.
By the time Gage rounded to the front of the building with Thor looking for Kayla, it was after twelve. He prayed she hadn’t already given up on him and left. A grin spread across his face as he found her bent over behind the desk, flipping through a filing cabinet. “Ready?” he asked without hesitation.
Kayla shot upright. “Oh. Crap. You scared me.” She set one hand on her chest.
“Sorry. I thought you heard me coming. Lunch?” Thor sat next to him and wagged his tail. If Gage didn’t know better, he would think Thor was excited by the prospect.
“I can’t do lunch today, Gage. I’m sorry. I was late getting in. It’s busy around here, and I’m struggling to play catch up all day.” She pulled out a file and sat at her desk. From the corner, she lifted a brown paper bag. “Besides, I brought my lunch,” she added as if that made all the difference in the world.
He leaned over the edge of the desk. “You’re avoiding me.”
“Nope. Just busy.” Her gaze shifted away from him.
“Dinner then. You didn’t bring that in a bag also, did you?”
He saw her flinch. “Gage, I can’t do that either. I don’t even have a car today.” She bit her lower lip as she lifted her gaze to him.
“Where’s your car?”
“In my garage. It wouldn’t start this morning. Luckily my neighbor was able to bring me to work. He’s going to pick me up at five.”
He? Some guy brought her to work? Why did that make him want to punch something? “He is, is he? Well, call him and tell him not to bother. You have a ride. We’ll swing by your place. I’ll look at your car, and then we’ll go to dinner.” He lifted a hand when her mouth popped open, undoubtedly with her next excuse on the tip of her tongue. “Kayla, I insist. We aren’t going to walk around here for weeks on end ignoring the elephant.”
She nodded, letting her mouth fall shut.
“’K then. Glad that’s settled. I’ll meet you here at five.” He turned toward the front door. As he reached to push it open, he heard her small voice one more time.
“He’s seventy-six, by the way.”
He turned to face her. “Who?”
“My neighbor.” She smiled broadly and turned her back to him.
Gage shook his head, his own smile spreading wider. So, she knew he was jealous. Good. Fine. Let her. She wasn’t wrong.
»»•««
Kayla couldn’t think the rest of the day. She’d fully intended to deflect Gage’s advances, but the man hadn’t taken no for an answer. After her encounter with him at noon, she’d been a ball of nerves.
At five o’clock, she grabbed her purse from her bottom drawer and stood.
Gage rounded the corner from the K-9 unit moments later. “Ready?”
She nodded, glancing down at Thor. Her hands shook, and she clasped them at her sides, balling them into fists. It’s just a ride home…and dinner…and a look under your hood… God, she almost moaned at the last thought.
Gage set a hand at the small of her back as he led her to his Jeep Wrangler. Black of course. And high off the ground. It suited him. And it was functional, which was more than she could currently say about her ten-year-old, midnight-blue Camry she’d bought used when she moved back to Vegas two years ago. At the time she was pressed for funds. Hell, she still was. She wondered how much this repair was going to set her back.
Gage opened the passenger door and held her arm as she climbed inside. He reached for her seatbelt next, and she batted his hand away. “I can handle a seatbelt, Gage.”
“Right. Sorry.” He shut the door, circled the hood, opened the rear driver’s side door to let Thor in, and then settled himself in the driver’s seat and turned to Kayla. “Address?”
“Oh, right.” Kayla rattled off her address, and before she could give him more specific instructions, he nodded.
“Got it. I know that area.” He pulled out of the parking lot and onto the busy side streets of Vegas. He took all the back roads, even some she hadn’t ever figured out herself. He really did know where he was going. Neither of them said a word during the drive, making Kayla uncomfortable, but not enough to cause her to start a conversation. The only sound in the car was that of Thor breathing heavily in the back. The poor guy must have worked hard all day.
When they pulled up outside her condo, Kayla quickly opened her door and jumped down from her seat. She used the keypad on the garage door and waited for it to rise while Gage and Thor waited next to her. “You don’t have to do this, you know. I can call a tow truck.”
Gage frowned. “You may have to still, but let me have a look first. It could be something simple. Hate to see you waste time and money on a tow truck if it isn’t needed.”
“Okay.” How could she argue with that logic? If the man was willing…
He turned to Thor as he rounded the car. “Sit. Stay.” The dog obeyed without hesitation, plopping himself down next to the driver’s side door. Gage lifted his gaze to meet Kayla’s. “How old is this car?”
“About ten years. I’ve never had a problem with it until now.”
“You’ve had this car ten years?”
“No. Of course not. I bought it two years ago used.”
“Ah.” Gage rounded the driver’s side and opened the front door to pop the hood.
Kayla watched, admiring the way he wore his uniform. He wore the same thing every single day at work, but today she took a sharper notice of how he managed to fill out his black polo shirt and the way his cargo pants hung around his hips. He still had on his utility belt. Even his boots were sexy. They made him seem incredibly masculine.
She startled when he spoke again. “What did it do when you tried to start it this morning?”
“Nothing.” She came up beside him and peered under the hood with him, as though she had a single clue in the world what she was looking at. He reached inside and fiddled with a few things, pushing his sleeve up above his forearm. His muscles bulged. Kayla licked her lips while she watched him
work. She had no idea what he was doing, but looking at him was not a hardship.
She may have been celibate lately, but she wasn’t dead. She knew a sexy man when she saw one, and Gage was by far the sexiest specimen she’d seen in this lifetime. If only she could get that thought out of her head and stop staring.
He leaned down, and she watched his back ripple under the strain. His shirt pulled tight, and she suddenly found herself wishing he wasn’t wearing the black polo shirt at all.
Gage righted himself and turned to her. “Can you try to start it for me?”
“Oh. Sure.” Kayla pulled her keys from her purse and squeezed behind him to get to the driver’s side door. There was barely enough space for one person, let alone two at the hood of the car, so her front brushed against his ass on the way by. She swore he stiffened his butt cheeks. She even glanced down to stare at them on her way by.
Lord, she needed to stop this infatuation she had for the man. No way was she going to take a relationship with him, or any other man, further than the occasional scene at the club. Anything else would be more than she could handle. Possibly ever.
Kayla exhaled a breath as she slid into the car and turned the key. Nothing. She stepped back out. Thor glanced up, but he never moved.
“I’m betting it’s your battery. Have you ever replaced it?”
She shook her head.
“It’s very corroded, and since the car isn’t even trying to turn over…”
“So I need a tow truck then?”
He shook his head, holding his hands out to avoid touching anything. They were already black in some spots. “Of course not. I’ll pop this one out and run it up to the parts store. They can test it and sell me a new one. Won’t take half an hour.” He leaned back under the hood to detach the battery.
She felt useless, and frankly she was. She knew nothing about the mechanisms of a car.
Gage popped a black, icky box out and held it up. “I’ll be right back, and then we’ll drop off Thor and go to dinner.”
Kayla tried not to react. She didn’t want to spend more time with him than necessary. She feared getting to know him any better would make things worse. She never should have approached him at Extreme in the first place. That had been her first mistake. Her second had been letting him talk her into doing it again. And the list went on…
The Fight Club - Boxed Set Page 65