“Do what?”
“Turn something that was my fault around and make it yours?”
Now he smiled. “Baby, no matter what, and above all else, as a Dom it’s my responsibility to see to the needs of a submissive in my care. Not hers. You have every right to be angry with me for what happened Friday night.”
“Me?” She widened her eyes incredulously. “Are you kidding?”
“Nope. My job. If you give me a second chance, let me in, I promise to make sure nothing like that happens again. Whatever issues you have, we’ll work through them. When you’re ready to tell me more about your hiatus from Vegas, you will. I’m asking for that chance.” He bent his knees to get level with her face.
She shook her head. “I can’t do that to you.”
“Do what?”
“Lead you along thinking I’ll ever be ready to give you more.”
“My risk. Not yours.” He stepped closer until his face was inches from hers. “You said yourself you felt safe with me. Can you deny you’re interested in me?”
“No, but—”
He cut her off. “Then I can work with that. Spend some time with me. If all it amounts to is you conquering some of your fears, it will be time well spent. If you fall head over heels in love with me and can’t stand to be without me even for a minute, time well spent.”
She flinched. “Been there done that. Got the scars to prove it.” She shook her head. “I can’t jump into this with you. Not now. Probably not ever. It’s too fast. I don’t have a good track record making rash decisions.”
Ouch. She said everything and nothing at the same time.
“Kayla, I’m not asking you to move in with me and declare your undying love. This may be Vegas, but I’m not planning to drag you to some Elvis church, either. I’m talking about getting to know each other. Safe. Sane. Consensual.” He reached with one hand and tucked her curls behind her ears.
She leaned into his touch.
Thank God. She was leery. He got that. But she was also interested.
“You’ve known me for two years. Have I ever given you any reason to believe I wasn’t one of the good guys? I get that someone fucked with you. That’s clear. I’m not him. I swear I’ll prove it.”
She gave him a wan smile. Thank God. It was better than nothing.
“Listen. I promise not to pressure you to do anything. I’ll take my cues from you. Whatever you need from me, it’s yours.”
“Who are you?”
He smiled. “Gage Holland.” And then he glanced at his watch. “And I’m late.” He released her reluctantly, stepping back a few paces. “There’s one thing you need to know about me, if you don’t already.”
“What?”
“When I’m not at work, I’m usually at the gym. I fight amateur MMA on the side.”
“What’s that?”
“Mixed Martial Arts.” He grinned. “Love it.”
“Like boxing?” Her shoulders relaxed.
“Sort of. But rougher. Less rules.”
She smiled. “Huh. That, I’d like to see.” She softened more under his touch. Good. Great. Excellent. He’d found a topic that didn’t make her skittish.
He nearly collapsed. The woman wanted to see him fight? His heart beat faster, and his cock jumped to attention. She was full of the unexpected, and the idea she wanted to come see him made him hornier than hell. “Anytime you want. But right now, the guys are waiting on me to work out. They’ll give me shit for weeks if I don’t come because I’m with a girl.” He chuckled. It was true.
“What guys are those?”
“Well, the owner of the gym, Joe Marks, calls us The Fight Club. And honestly, you probably know almost all of us, because the six of us dubbed The Fight Club also belong to Extreme.”
“Really?” Her face lit up more. “Intriguing. Who are they?”
“Rider, for one.”
“Rider? Huh. Guess I can see that. You two look almost the same.”
Gage lifted an eyebrow at that comment. “You have the hots for Rider too?”
She giggled at that. Her voice sounded like music. She was always so serious. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her let go. Finally, a subject she found interesting. Who would have thought? “Of course not. Besides, he has a girlfriend.”
“Yes. Emily. Attached at the hip.” He eyed her closely.
She grinned wider. “No, I don’t have the hots for Rider, as you put it. Stop looking at me like that.”
He shook his ridiculous jealousy away and continued. “The other four members of our so-dubbed fight club are Rafe, Mason, Zane, and Conner. If you hang around me long enough, you’ll meet them all. I’m sure you’d recognize them.”
“Is Rafe the one who got married a while back?”
“Yep. He’s the one. Katy. You’ve probably seen her too. Small, about your size, curly brown hair a bit shorter than yours.”
“Oh, right. I’ve met her. She’s sweet.”
“That she is. And super fucking intelligent too. She’s a lawyer.”
Kayla’s shoulders slumped. “Ugh. My current goal is to get back in school and finish my first degree. I can’t imagine how much work and how many years it would take to reach that.”
“You’re going back to school?”
“As soon as I can afford it.”
“That’s awesome. I’m sure you’ll do excellent at anything you set your mind to.” To hell with the guys. They could harass him for a month if they wanted. He had Kayla engaged, her eyes twinkling with interest in several subjects for the first time. No way was he going to leave.
“You need to go.” She glanced at her own watch. “What time are you supposed to be there?”
“Now.” Ugh.
“Go.” She pointed at the door and then turned to look at Thor. “Does Thor go to the gym?”
“Not usually. I’ll run him by the house.”
“Leave him here with me. We’ll go out back. I can throw a stick.”
Gage froze at that idea. It would mean he had to come back. God bless his dog. “You don’t mind?”
“Not at all. Love your dog.”
“You’ll think about everything I said?”
“Sure.”
“I might be late.”
She shrugged. “I’ll live.”
He hesitated a moment and then decided to go for it. He stepped into her space again, hauled her against him, and kissed her forehead. It wasn’t her lips, but it was a start. He released her just as fast, knowing if he didn’t, he never would. As he headed toward the door, he turned to Thor. “Be good, buddy. I’ll be back.”
Chapter Six
Kayla sat on the back patio on her favorite chair, her legs curled under her, her head tipped toward the clear night sky.
Thor lay at her feet panting from the two thousand times he’d run across her tiny lawn and brought her back the only stick she managed to find in the yard. She didn’t even have a tree. More like an oversized patio with a few feet of grass around it.
She couldn’t believe what had happened in the last few days. How had she gone from permanently lonely and depressed to having a huge sexy boxing guy pleading with her to give him a chance? And what was she supposed to do with that?
He said he didn’t care how long it took her to open up to him about her past, but he didn’t realize the time frame on that was two hundred years. Was it possible he could live with that?
Of course not. Who was she kidding? No one could accept those conditions. That’s why she didn’t pursue relationships. There would never be a way to avoid discussing a four-year hole in her life.
She took a deep breath and let it out. For the first time in…forever, she felt like maybe she could give herself another shot at life. Gage made her see that. Even though she couldn’t possibly continue this farce with him, at least she knew she could come out of the fog and find some sort of happiness.
She was twenty-six years old. She could never be what someone else deserved or needed, but i
f there was anyone on the planet she wanted to spend time with, it would be Gage. Hands down. His sexy self had starred in more than a few of her dreams since she’d first met him two years ago. But date him? Submit to him? Could she do it?
Could she not?
She’d essentially been seeing him for two days. It seemed like longer. He’d wormed his way into every aspect of her life quickly. Hell, his dog was running around her yard. She’d shared several meals with him. They were already an item.
The sliding door opened behind her, and she turned to find the very man in her thoughts stepping outside. “Woman, you leave your front door unlocked?”
She smiled. That was the first thing he had to say to her? She didn’t respond. “You’re back.”
“And you leave your front door unlocked.” He took the seat next to her, pulling it to her side.
“Only when a two-hundred pound hunk of muscle is going to return for his guard dog, and I’m sitting out back.”
“Well, it isn’t safe. Don’t do it.” He glanced at the small table next to her where her phone sat. He picked it up and handed it to her. “Put my number in there. And then send me a text so I’ll have yours. Next time I’ll call when I’m almost here instead.”
Next time. She hadn’t consented to that verbally yet.
He rattled off his number, and she quickly sent him a text. The vibration of her text hummed in his pocket, but he didn’t retrieve it right then.
Thor lifted his head briefly, but then he set it back down. “You wore my dog out.”
“I did.”
“Thanks. Now I don’t have to take him for a walk tonight. More time with you.” He turned back to face her.
Suddenly she felt nervous, like a teenager on her first date.
“Did you think about what I said?”
“Yes.”
“And?” He leaned forward, brushing a lock of hair from her cheek and tucking it behind her ear.
How was she supposed to say no to that? Everything he did was tender and sensitive.
“I suck at relationships.”
“I don’t.” His confidence was swift and startling.
She met and held his gaze in the dim light coming from the kitchen.
He watched her intently, waiting. Not pressuring her with words, but nudging her all the same with his incredible presence and the way he looked at her.
“I’m rusty. And I haven’t been with a man in…”
“Two years?”
“Right. About that.”
He smiled broader. “So you’ll give me a chance?”
She nodded, her bottom lip making its way between her teeth. No way in hell could she turn him down. Her resolve melted in the face of his intense stare. “Like a date?”
“Dating. Like a couple.”
She curled up her nose. “You want to have a relationship with me?”
“Of course.”
“I don’t know, Gage. That’s a lot. It’s so fast.” She curled her fingers into fists, hoping the bite of her nails digging into her palms would ground her. Her heart beat faster, considering what he was offering her.
“We’ve known each other for two years.”
“In passing.”
“Long enough for me to know I like you and you to know I won’t hurt you.”
“I can’t date you, Gage. I can’t date anyone.”
“Ever?” He narrowed his gaze.
“Well, yeah.” It sounded stupid when put that way.
“Never. You’re never going to date anyone again.”
“Right.” Her voice was softer.
“Kayla, that’s jacked up.” He set his hands on his jeans and rubbed his palms. “Do you like me?”
“Of course.” She sucked in a breath when she blurted those words too quickly.
Gage leaned forward until his face was inches from hers again. “Look, I know you have issues. Hell, we all have issues. I’m asking you to set them aside and take a chance.” He paused and then continued. “I’ll make you a deal. I won’t so much as mention what happened to you while you were away from Vegas. If it’s that painful for you, let’s set it aside indefinitely. I also won’t pressure you to sleep with me. Take all the time you need. Or if it never feels right, don’t take that step. We’ll go our separate ways.
“But let me be your friend and sometimes Dom. We can hang out together, eat meals, go to movies, whatever. And in between we can go to the club or do some D/s scenes at one of our houses. Whatever you want.”
She hesitated. It was impossible to tell this man no. There was no other person she’d rather dominate her at the moment, and she needed that. There was also no other person she wanted to spend time with outside the office and the club. And frankly, she needed that too. But what he was proposing was above and beyond. “So, you’d take a risk like this, hang out with me, dominate me, befriend me, with no promise of more?”
“Yes.” He didn’t hesitate.
“Why?” Even though she thought she was losing her mind considering this proposition, she found herself propelled to accept. He’s not Simon… He’s not rushing you, pressuring you… Dragging you to the altar and out of town…
He lifted one hand and cupped her face. “I believe you’re worth it.”
A flush stole its way up her face, making her skin burn. She had the urge to turn in to his palm and kiss his hand.
Seconds went by. He waited.
“Okay.”
The way his face lit up made her sure of her decision. She was nervous as fuck and had no idea how to go about dating someone, let alone a giant Dom, but her heart told her to try.
Gage reached down and hauled her off her chair and into his lap. He nuzzled her neck with his face. “You won’t regret it. Swear.”
When he lifted his face again, he met her gaze. “May I kiss you?”
She melted, her body oozing into his lap like honey. The man asks for permission to kiss me? Two seconds into this new relationship and she was a blithering idiot. All she could do was nod.
His lips met hers, his gaze still holding her hostage. Soft, gentle, and so fucking fantastic. At first he nibbled across her mouth, and then he angled to one side and deepened the kiss, his tongue stroking the seam of her lips. He didn’t pressure her in any way, but she opened to him, craving more than he was giving. In fact, she slipped her tongue out to meet his first, delving into his mouth and tasting him for the first time. Mint…and Gage. Pure Gage. The best flavor she’d ever had. He’d gone out of his way to suck on a mint on the way to her house. Just in case…
Simon had never bothered to adjust his breath for her. At least not after the “honeymoon” stage. She’d hated kissing him. And hated it more and more as the years wore on.
Kayla broke the kiss with that bad memory tainting her. She shook the thought of Simon from her head, literally, and unfortunately, made Gage think her weirdness had something to do with him.
He squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to pressure you.”
She shook her head again, harder this time. “No. That was…perfect. I just… It’s not you.”
“’K.” He set his forehead against hers. “Good.” He pulled her closer.
She could feel his cock pressing against her hip and sat very still.
“I need to go. You need to get to bed.”
She pulled back, stunned. He would leave with his cock like that?
“What?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head again. She was making herself dizzy.
“You’re going to be a mystery every minute, aren’t you?” He smiled. There was no malice in his statement.
“Probably.”
He narrowed his gaze. “How many men have you been with?”
She opened her mouth, not to speak but because she couldn’t believe he would ask that.
This time he shook his head. “Don’t answer that. Sorry.”
She swallowed. She needed to grow some balls and give him a few tiny detai
ls. If she didn’t, this would never work. “One. And he was an ass.”
Gage froze, his eyes darting back and forth staring into hers.
She worked hard to hold his gaze so she could watch his reaction.
“Fuck.”
That wasn’t quite what she expected, but she agreed. “Yep.”
He took a deep breath. “Well that explains a lot. No wonder.” He lifted his hands from her arms to her face and held her cheeks. “I promise you this will be different. I’m not an ass. I am a Dom. And I think you like that part, but I’m not an ass. If I ever do anything, no matter how small, you don’t like, you’ll tell me and I’ll stop.” He narrowed his eyes again, as if making sure she understood.
She nodded slowly. She couldn’t believe this guy. Was he real?
“Kayla, I don’t know what the fuck happened to you, but I can tell I won’t like it. Keep it to yourself for a while. It’s a good plan. I’ll want to know. Later. But for now, just knowing you’ve had a rough past is enough. It affects how I handle you. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me that.”
She decided to speak up. “See, I don’t really want to affect how you handle me. I’m a grown woman. I don’t want kid gloves.”
He grinned. “And when it’s appropriate, I’ll keep that in mind.” That was all he said.
Jesus. She was in so much trouble. Already she’d divulged way more than she ever expected to tell any human in this lifetime. She’d agreed to make something of this relationship with Gage not ten minutes ago, and she was in so deep she wasn’t sure she would ever escape.
She also wasn’t sure she ever wanted to.
∙•∙
Gage drove home with his hands gripping the steering wheel as though it might fly out the window if he didn’t hold on tight. And it was entirely possible. The windows were down, after all. Partly because Thor loved to sit in the front seat with his head halfway out the window, and partly because Gage needed the cool night air to keep from combusting.
He’d left Kayla on her doorstep, kissing her several more times until he needed to practically run for his car before he lost his resolve to leave at all. The last thing she needed was for him to pressure her to sleep with him. And by that, he wasn’t thinking of the kind of sleeping he’d done next to her last night.
The Fight Club - Boxed Set Page 69