Denying The Bad Boy (Tattooed and Pierced #2)

by Jenika Snow

  “Shit, Alex, you look like a fucking beast right now. All you need is some smoke coming out of your ears.” Vince held up his fists and beckoned him closer. Alex didn’t want to do any fancy moves. All he wanted at that moment was to beat Vince’s ass and get out all of this anger that suddenly filled him. He charged Vince and saw the fucker smiling. “That’s it, buddy, don’t hold back.”

  They came together in a tangle of fists and kicks, each one knocking the other in every available spot. Alex got hit in the gut more times than he cared to admit, but he got a good uppercut to Vince, causing the other guy’s lip to split wide open.

  “Motherfucker.” Vince stumbled back and swiped his thumb across his mouth, bringing it down to look at the crimson smear on his hand. His face turned an angry shade of red, but Alex didn’t give a fuck if he pissed the fighter off. Vince had wanted to fight, and when he started talking about Mary all hell had broken loose.

  “What the fuck is going on?” The sound of Dylan’s voice boomed throughout the gym, and Alex realized everything was eerily silent. Looking around he noticed all the fighters had stopped what they were doing and stared at them. “I asked what the fuck was going on.” Dylan stood on the other side of the ring and glared at both of them. His short blond hair stood up on end, and by the sweat dripping from his body it was clear the big fucker had been training. “This is a fucking training center. If you assholes want to fight dirty do it someplace else, you feel me?”

  Alex nodded and sent a glare at Vince who was already staring at him. “Go ice your fucking face, Alex. Vince, get the blood cleaned off the mat,” Dylan barked out and turned, but not before he muttered something about young dumbasses.

  Alex turned and climbed out of the cage and made his way to the back medical room. He grabbed a gel-pack from the freezer and slammed the door closed a little harder than necessary. God, he was acting ridiculous, getting pissed at his friends, and over what? Some girl he had just met? She was going to be his fucking tutor, yet here he was, with a fucking hard-on for her. He sat his ass on a chair and slapped the cold pack on his bruised cheek. Maybe that was all it was: getting between her legs.

  “Shit.” He ran his hand through his damp hair and hung his head between his shoulders. He was losing it, and going ape shit crazy on his friends over it. It had to be the fact Mary wasn’t like any other female he had gone after before. She was just so good, clean, and wholesome. The chicks he went after were already there waiting for him, their panties down and their legs spread. They didn’t wear clothes that covered more than they showed, and they certainly weren’t smart enough to tutor idiots like him. The sound of the door opening had him dreading talking to Dylan about what his problem was, because honestly he had no fucking clue.

  “Dylan, man, I’m sorry about that. I just snapped over some stupid shit.” And it was stupid, given the fact there was nothing between him and Mary. He lifted his head when Dylan didn’t respond and saw Vince leaning against the wall right across from him. Shit, he felt like a damn asshole, but he was still pissed that Vince had said that shit about Mary.

  “What’s up?” The nonchalant greeting had Alex straightening and eyeing Vince suspiciously. Vince grinned and pushed off the wall, moving toward him. “You were hella crazy back there.” He opened the fridge and grabbed a gel pack from the compartment, pressing it again his already swelling eye. “Never seen you get that fierce.” He leaned against the fridge and stared at Alex.

  “What, man?”

  “I mean, that girl yours or something? That why you went ballistic when I was talking about her?” Vince saying anything about Mary had him curling his hand into a fist and gritting his teeth. He looked at the ground and tried to calm the fuck down.

  “Nah, she isn’t mine. She is actually going to tutor me.” He looked back at Vince who hadn’t said anything and continued to stare.

  “Yeah?”

  Alex nodded, knowing what Vince was going to say next. The MMA fighter was a big motherfucker, and fell into the heavyweight category. His black hair was shaved close to his head, and his equally dark eyes never revealed anything. He was a scary bastard, and a fighter no one fucked with, but something had snapped inside of Alex when he was locked in the cage with him, and what started off as friendly sparring and grappling had ended up in him snapping and taking it too far. This was the guy he considered a close friend for years, but all it had taken was Vince saying something about a girl that he had only known for a few fucking days.

  “I’ve never seen Dylan that pissed.” Beads of sweat trailed down Alex’s spine.

  “Nah, he gets wigged out on occasion, but it’s not anything getting in the cage and fighting out the fact he’s pissed can’t fix.”

  Yeah, he had seen Dylan fight a few times, and the man was insane in the cage and a force to be reckoned with, but his anger had always been controlled. He had let it slip when he saw them going at it in the ring.

  “Listen, man, I’m sorry about snapping out there.” Alex leaned back against the chair and rested the gel-pack on his thigh. His face throbbed something fierce, and he knew Vince had gotten a few good hits in on him, but looking at the other guy’s face showed Alex had gotten his share of hits in, too. “Just don’t say anything like that about Mary again, yeah?”

  Vince didn’t say anything for several seconds, but then he gave a tight nod. “Sure, man. I meant no offense, and didn’t know you were that tight with her. Last I heard you were still dropping panties.”

  Alex winced, actually fucking winced at Vince’s words, and what was the fucking deal with that? He had never really felt nasty for the life he lived, but right now he was feeling particularly dirty. He thought back to all the girls he had slept with, and the term man-whore had never felt more real than it did right now, or when he had been in Mary’s presence.

  “Shit, Alex, you look like you’re about ready to puke. You sure you’re okay?”

  Dammit, was he okay? He was letting some girl affect him to the point he was throwing punches at his friends. “Fuck. Yes. No. Hell, I don’t know.” He felt like some kind of adolescent teenager that just realized jerking off felt good. He glanced over at Vince, and the asshole was grinning at him. “What?”

  “So you aren’t with that chick?” Alex gritted his teeth, about to go another round just for the hell of it. Vince raised his hands in surrender. “I’m not asking so I can have a go at her.” He waited for him to continue but it appeared Vince was waiting on his response.

  “Nah, like I said, she’s just tutoring me.” He tightened his hand around the pack, and the gel inside started to become warm in his hand. But what he didn’t say was that he wanted her bad. Of course Alex didn’t need to speak for Vince to read his damn expressions that were clearly on his face.

  “But you got a hard-on for her.” It wasn’t phrased as a question. Vince tossed the gel-pack in the sink and stood to his full height. Nothing was said for several long minutes as Vince stretched his back and lifted his arms above his head. “Well, if you’re not with her, then you can hit up Tainted with me tonight.” Vince looked bored, but Alex knew the guy was raring to go. Alex should have said no to going to the new and hottest club in Columbus, but he needed to unwind, and get his mind off of doing filthy things with Mary. Yeah, he’d go with Vince, he’d find a girl to fuck, maybe take her in the back hallway. Or, if he was really feeling dirty he’d fuck her in one of the bathroom stalls.

  But even thinking about putting his dick in another female had the damn thing shriveling up in his shorts. Shit, he just needed to be with Mary, but first he needed her to help him pass his course, because fucking her before would make a whole lot of shit uncomfortable.

  “I’m fucked in the head.”

  Vince slapped him on the back. “Alex, we’re all fucked in the head. But it isn’t anything a little alcohol and wet pussy can’t handle. So you in, brother?” Vince moved toward the door, but stopped right before he went back into the gym. He looked over his shoulder and cocked
a dark eyebrow. They held each other’s stare, and Alex knew he was waiting for his affirmation that they were hitting it up tonight.

  Vince opened the door, and the sound of fighting and grunts filtered into the medical room. Vince waited for his answer, and Alex knew he wouldn’t back out.

  “Yeah, man, I’m in.”

  Chapter Seven

  Mary pulled her BMW into the compact driveway of Alex’s house. She cut the engine but sat there for several moments. Why was she suddenly so nervous?

  Uh, possibly because you have been lusting after this guy every time you see him, and now you’re going to be seeing a lot of him, close and personal. After she went to the gym and worked out so hard her legs had felt like pudding, and she had probably lost enough water weight to fill her kitchen sink, she had gone home and taken a shower with water so hot it could have melted her skin. A pair of jeans and a tee seemed like fine attire to go out in, but when Darcy had seen her clothes she made a scoffing noise and shook her head. She had all but dragged Mary back into her room and rummaged through her closet until she found a dress thrust in the back of her closet. It was a black, tight little thing, one that she had only worn once to a dinner with Lance. She should have burned the damn thing, but she had spent too much money on it, and well, it was a beautiful dress. Made from French silk with practically no back and formfitting enough that it actually looked like she had a figure, Mary had worked all summer just to buy it. Maybe not the best way to spend her money since she only wore it once and it was now associated with her ex, a guy she never wanted to think about again, but she told herself she’d wear it again. Yeah, that had never happened, until tonight she supposed. It seemed too fancy for going to a nightclub, but Darcy assured her one could never be overdressed, especially to this particular place, one that was known by everyone, but where only a select few could get in. But lucky for them Darcy knew the bouncer.

  Yay for them. Insert sarcasm.

  Mary was still a bit hesitant on going, but all it took for that uncertainty to vanish was looking at Darcy and the sad expression she carried when she thought no one was looking.

  Darcy planned on meeting her at the club at eight, so that gave Mary a little over an hour to tutor Alex, and then swing back home to get ready before heading out. So now here she was, staring at Alex’s house, feeling all kinds of anxiety and anticipation, which was dumb because she had done this type of thing a hundred different times. This was no different. He was no different, and she needed to remember that. She grabbed her bag that was filled with several books she had checked out from the library on Human Sexuality. Figuring they would start from the beginning since she had no idea what he even absorbed in the class, if anything at all, she made her way up to the front door. Bringing her knuckles down on the door three times she dropped her hand but instantly clasped them together in front of her.

  Several long moments passed, and she lifted her hand to knock on the door again. She knew someone was home because the sound of loud laughter, and a football game on the television playing in the background came right through the door. She had sent Alex a text earlier today telling him she’d be here at six, so he should be expecting her. Seconds later the door flew open.

  “What the fu—” Adam stopped midsentence and stared at her. He lifted his hand that wasn’t holding the edge of the doorframe and ran it over the top of his head, further disheveling the strands. “Oh, sorry ‘bout that, Mary.” He looked over his shoulder toward the stairs and then turned back to her. “I thought you were someone else. Come on in.” He moved out of the way, and she stepped inside. The house smelled funky, like sweat, old gym socks, and something stale.

  “I’m here to tutor Alex.” She turned around to face him. Adam shut the door and glanced at the stairs again.

  “Oh, okay. He’s upstairs primping.”

  Primping? “Excuse me?” Adam grinned and shook his head.

  “He’s getting all pretty for his date tonight.” Something twisted in her stomach at Adam’s words.

  “Oh, well I wouldn’t know anything about that. I’m just here to help him with his class.”

  Adam was staring at her strangely, and she hoped her sudden and irrational disappointment was written across her face. Before anything else was said the sound of heavy footsteps descending the stairs filled her ears. Adam grumbled something under his breath and headed back into the living room. Mary turned around and watched Alex making his way toward her. He wore a pair of loose fitting distressed jeans and a button down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up his forearms, showing off the muscular, tanned flesh, and the first two buttons at the collar of his shirt were undone. His hair was damp and the strands were spiky around his head, but that wasn’t what caught her attention. A nasty bruise marred his cheek, and there looked to be a gash right above his right eye.

  “You weren’t waiting too long, were you?”

  She shook her head, his words kind of going right through her as she stared at his wounds. “God, are you okay?” On instinct she reached out to him, but he took a step back. Mary was immediately embarrassed for doing something like that, so she took a step back herself.

  “Yeah, I’m good.” She wanted to ask what had happened, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Besides, Alex did have a reputation for getting into fights. Mary looked up at him again, and even though someone had gotten in a few hits, she had no doubts the other guy probably looked worse. He was close, far too close for her comfort because a rush of heat filled her. The scent of soap and a light undertone of cologne filled her nose, and she actually felt herself leaning toward him.

  “Whoa, you okay?” It was only when he placed his big hand on her shoulder to steady her, or maybe it was to keep her away, that she realized what she was doing.

  Oh my God. Heat rushed up her neck and covered her face. There was no doubt in her mind that she looked like a tomato, but whether Alex saw that or not was a mystery since his expression remained stoic. “Um.” She cleared her throat and quickly looked toward the living room. Adam and a few other guys sat around the big screen TV watching a football game. “No, it’s fine.”

  When she looked back at Alex he was watching her with a strange expression, and a tick under his cheek jumped. She looked to her right, into the kitchen, but it seemed there was some kind of card game going on with several more guys. Was this how it was all the time? She had only been here a few times in the late evening to help Adam, but it had never been like this. It seemed chaotic and crowded, and as if to prove her point the guys in the living room started roaring out at something that happened in the game, and the ones in the kitchen were swearing and talking about “eating out pussy” and “fucking chicks in the ass”.

  “Maybe tutoring on a Friday night wasn’t the best plan.” Mary wasn’t a prude by any means, even with her upbringing. She meant it as a joke, but when she caught his eyes, saw something flash behind them, she suddenly felt far too dizzy. What was it about this guy that made her feel so on edge? Had it just been too long since she was with someone, touched by someone, or had sex? Lord, it had been far too long since she had any kind of sexual interaction with someone, not since the last time she slept with Lance. Just thinking about her ex put her in a sour mood, but then again it was welcome because anything was better than this arousal she had for a guy she could never give herself to.

  “Sorry about them.” He didn’t look embarrassed, but then she supposed there probably wasn’t much, if anything, that rattled Alex. “It’s like this most days.” He looked around and then suddenly seemed uncomfortable. Huh, I guess the Great Alex Sheppard can be shaken. “I hate to say this because it’s going to sound like some kind of lame pickup line, but it is kind of crowded down here. Can we do this in my room?”

  Her face instantly heated again at his words, because even if he didn’t mean them in the way she was thinking, Mary couldn’t help but imagine what they could be doing in his room instead of studying. Her silence must have made him think
she was uncomfortable with the idea when in reality she was picturing all kinds of very dirty things. “There really isn’t anywhere else in the house, and I didn’t think these assholes would take up both rooms where we could have studied.”

  He glanced down, and she couldn’t help but smile. She should have told him hell no to his suggestion, because heaven help her it had to be bad news to go into Alex Sheppard’s room with him, where they would be so very alone. “We can go someplace else. Shit.” He looked up and her and gave her a pained expression. “Sorry.”

  “Alex, really it’s fine.” Mary was quite proud of herself for keeping it together when she felt herself unraveling inside.

  “You sure? I don’t want to make you feel weird or anything.” It wasn’t like she had never tutored someone in their room before, although it wasn’t really the norm, and the ones she had helped in their rooms had been female. The problem was she had never wanted any of the people she tutored. But then here was Alex, so freaking gorgeous that she couldn’t stand it, and wrong for her on every level.

  Just get through the next few weeks and it will be all good. You can go back to your life where Alex Sheppard doesn’t even know you exist. The problem was she hated thinking that, hated knowing that it was true, and that his date tonight wasn’t really a date, but his next piece of ass. That sour feeling that thinking about Lance had caused inside of her grew. She wouldn’t be anyone’s piece of ass, and if she let herself be with Alex that is exactly what she would be to him.