I blocked as many of the blows as I could and I hit him a couple times, but I was no match for him. The other members were gathered around, urging Rock on, but their chants and cheers just sounded like muted noise. I tried to put it all out of my head and focus as blow after blow came at me.
Rock nailed me in the ribs then sent a swift uppercut to my chin. I saw black before I fell to the canvas.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Leah
I heard the cheers and it pissed me off, but I didn’t want to emasculate Will in front of the club. Deep down, that was what this was – proving that he was capable of holding his own and to gain respect around the guys. I wasn’t going to take that away from him.
When the cheering escalated then stopped, I left the office, afraid of what I’d see when I went out there. Will was laid out on the canvas, knocked out.
“Dammit, Dad.”
“He deserved it,” he grumbled back and ripped his gloves from his hands.
I hopped up into the ring and knelt beside Will. His face was already showing the bruises and swelling. “Will,” I called to him, trying to get him awake. “Come on.” Damn, my voice cracked and I hated it.
“You really forgive him?” Dad said over my shoulder.
“Yeah. He fucked up, but he’s done everything he can to make it right. Including letting you beat the hell out of him and signing the deed to this building over to us so we own the gym outright and no longer have to lease it.”
“Let me beat the hell out of him,” he scoffed. “There was no letting. He was nowhere near ready to be in the ring with me.”
I shook my head. “How many hits did he get in, and how much did they hurt?”
Dad stopped. “Yeah. Thought so,” I said, nodding. “Will didn’t even try, otherwise you’d at least have a bruise or two.”
Will started to come around, so I quickly removed his gloves. I looked up at Tuck and he moved in to help me. “Can you help him to his car? I have to grab something out of the office.”
“Yeah.” Dad followed me to the office. I moved to get my stuff.
“When did you get a dog?”
“Yesterday,” I snapped. “You shouldn’t have fought him. He made a mistake, and he was making up for it.”
“When Striker made a mistake, you wouldn’t forgive him, even though he’d fallen in love with you. His mistake was far less harmful than Will’s, yet you’re willing to forgive him?”
I gave him a deadpan, scathing look. “I think you even you can come up with an answer to that, Dad.”
“You’re in love with him.”
“Ding, ding, ding, ding. We have a winner.” My sarcasm wasn’t helping the situation, but damn.
Dad sat in my chair and stared at me as I moved to collect my things. “How’d you hurt your hands?” he said, noticing the bandages.
“Same way I always hurt them,” I grumbled, shoving the canned dog food into my bag.
“He bandaged them up.”
“Yeah. He was here.”
“I don’t apologize,” Dad ground out between clenched teeth.
“I’m aware, and I’m not asking you to. All I ask is you take the damn olive branch he’s offered you, and offer him one in return. You have no idea what he gave up to buy us this gym – to make this right.”
Tuck was sitting in the car with a now conscious Will. The men were talking seriously from the looks on their faces.
When I approached, I rapped my knuckles on the window. Tuck slid out of the driver’s seat and held the door open while I climbed in and took his place. I put Fidget on Will’s lap and threw my bag in the back.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, as I pulled out of the parking lot. I looked at him and winced. The morning sunlight was peeking through the buildings and hitting his face. His skin looked clammy as the dark bruises and swelling started to take over.
“Your dad has a right hook from hell.” He winced as he talked and I noticed that his lip was busted.
“You’re a mess.” I smiled and shook my head.
His rumble of laughter turned into a groan. “Don’t make me laugh; it hurts.”
“Serves you right. You’ll get no sympathy from me. I told you not to climb into the ring with him.”
“I had to,” he said simply.
I rolled my eyes and headed toward his house. Good thing his mom wouldn’t be able to see him like this.
“When did you get a dog?” he asked, while Fidget licked his fingertips.
“She’s cute. What’s her name?”
“Fidget.”
“Cute. Mom will love her. She’s wanted a dog for a while now.”
I laughed. “You do realize my dog lives with me, right?”
“Yes, but I plan on convincing you to move in with me as soon as I can move again.”
“Does your cockiness know no bounds?” I shook my head.
He grinned as much as he could with his face in its current condition. “Nope, because you can’t resist me.”
“You’ll hurt yourself carrying around that ego.” I laughed and nudged his arm.
“That was mean.” He groaned, holding his arm where I’d nudged him.
“I think your ego could use a beating every once in a while.”
I pulled into his driveway and into the garage. “Do you want me to hide the fact that you got your ass kicked from your mom?” I asked before we got out of the car.
“No. She’ll wonder why I’m groaning as I walk.”
I took Fidget from him, and he followed slowly behind me. His mom was sitting on the couch; a voice filled the living room as it narrated a book.
“What are you listening to, Mom?”
“I’m listening to the new Cassidy Stone novel, Forever Silenced. It’s so intense. How was your workout?”
“Rough. I got in the ring with Rock and he kicked my ass.”
Fidget chose that moment to bark, and immediately I saw tears fill Janine’s eyes. I knew then I’d be sharing my dog with his mom.
“Hey, Janine,” I said, letting her know I was there. I moved to sit beside her on the couch and pulled Fidget from her carrier.
When I put the puppy into her arms, she smiled and laughed as the dog plied her with kisses. “She’s precious.”
“Thanks, I named her Fidget.” It just fit, she was so exuberant and full of life, and that’s what I needed. I needed life in my solitary world. “Will she bug you having her around the house?”
I looked at Will as I said the words. Why bother putting off what we both wanted? He could stand up in my world, and I belonged in his. Everything else, we’d figure out along the way.
Epilogue
Leah
Will moved me in a few days later. He was hardly healed from his beating, but he was determined not to give me a chance to rethink it; but I wasn’t about to change my mind.
There was something about him that soothed me. He liked my smartass remarks and even returned them with cocky, sarcastic comments of his own. We went to the gym in the mornings before he went home to work from his office there.
Mom came to the house, and what I thought was going to be an awkward family barbecue, turned out really nice. I could tell Mom was worried when she came into the house, but Janine was gracious and kind. She hugged my mom long and hard as she cried on her shoulder.
I looked up at Will, relieved. He smiled down at me and wrapped an arm around my waist, kissing me lightly on the lips.
Mom and Janine headed to the kitchen to work on putting together a salad, while Will and I went outside to check the ribs.
Dad came in with Papa and a case of beer. For us, barbecue and beer went hand in hand, so I wasn’t surprised to see it. We stood outside talking, enjoying the nice fall weather and getting ready to watch the football game.
It was the perfect day for a family barbecue. I discretely passed the beer that Ddad handed me to Will and went to check on Mom.
After all, we were having baby back ribs for a reason…
Epilogue Two
Will
I watched as Leah walked away toward the house. In the last few weeks, we’d been able to hide her condition from Mom, but the morning sickness was getting worse, and when Mom made popcorn, her favorite snack, Leah wanted to gag.
It was time to tell her and hopefully start planning a wedding. The ring was burning a hole in my pocket. I’d had it for the last couple weeks – even before we found out she was pregnant, but I decided to wait and ask her today when everyone was over for dinner.
Rock had given me his blessing, and he accepted that I meant what I said when it came to his daughter – I loved her, more than I ever thought possible. She may be his Pebble, but she’s my rock.
The food was on the table, and we were sitting on the back patio. Fidget was already under the table waiting to attack any scraps that fell her way.
I stood up, and pulled Leah up beside me. My arm wrapped around her waist, and her body close to mine. God, I loved the way she fit against me.
“We didn’t just get you all here for family and football.” I smiled down at Leah, and turned to our parents and her granddad.
“We’re pregnant.” She smiled broadly at our family.
We went through the hugs, handshakes, and tears of the grandmas-to-be. When things finally settled back down, I laced Leah’s fingers with mine and kissed her where she should be wearing my ring.
“Something’s missing,” I said loud enough to get everybody’s attention. All eyes were on me when I pulled the ring out of my pocket.
I looked down into Leah’s tear-filled eyes. Already, her smile was answering my unspoken question. Mom wasn’t sure what was going on. “What’s missing?” she asked, and I laughed as I slid down onto one knee. I saw Rubble lean over and whisper into Mom’s ear.
“Leah Slate-” Fidget saw me on the ground and came to get in my lap which caused Leah to laugh. “Hey, I’m trying to be romantic here.” I shooed the dog away and Leah picked her up and put her in her lap.
“Leah,” I continued, “I had this whole speech planned out to convince you to marry me, but I can’t seem to remember any of it, so I’ll just leave it at this: I love you – more than you will ever know. Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” I slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her deeply, to the cheers of our family. Both our moms were crying again, Rock and Rubble celebrated with another beer, and life really couldn’t get any better.
Sometimes the best laid plans are meant to go off-course and sometimes even the nerdy guy gets the girl.
THE END
About the Author
I spend my days working, my evenings with my two wonderful kids, and my nights are when the characters in my head are given free reign. The tagline for Phoenix Bar, "Beauty After the Burn", holds special meaning for me and really helped to give birth to the story. Like Phoenix, I've had to rebuild my life from the ashes. It's been a long journey with a roller coaster of emotions and stresses, but I can truly say where my life is now is more beautiful than where it was.
Other Works by Annelise Reynolds
Steel Demons MC Series
Phoenix Bar
Ember’s Burn
Demon Protector (Coming 2017)
Holiday Heartthrobs Novella Series
Bidding on Santa
Stupid Cupid
Keep Reading for a sneak peek inside Sweet Treats a collection of erotic short stories by Annelise Reynolds
Available now on Amazon
Sweet Treats
Treats For Two
Music pounded through the speakers. My girlfriends were on the dance floor grinding on each other and whichever guys they happened to be dancing with at the moment. I needed a break, and a drink. It had been a long time since I had been out on the town; I was too busy studying for the BAR. But when Jean called me wanting me to go out to celebrate Chloe’s birthday, I couldn’t say no. I’d said no too much over the last couple years.
My feet were killing me in my heels, the heat from the bodies smashed together tight inside the room had me sweating.
“A bottle of water please,” I said when the girl came to ask me what I wanted to drink.
“Water,” a voice to my right said. I looked over at the man, and my mouth went dry. He was gorgeous. His dark hair and eyes smoldered as he raked my body from head to toe. “That’s not very much fun.”
“Fun, I’ve had. Now, I need to hydrate.” I took the water from the girl, and was reaching for my card to pay for it when the guy told the girl to put it on his tab. She gave him a curious look and walked away. “Thanks for the water.” I tipped the bottle in his direction and walked away, kicking myself for not responding to his flirtation.
He was gorgeous, took care of his body, and was clean cut. His cocky confidence was palpable. I was a few feet away from my friends when I stopped. I watched as each of them rubbed on a dick, and it reminded me that I hadn’t had any in a while. I had a friends with benefits relationship for a while, but he found someone to be with, so it had been a while.
“Shit.” I cursed myself for letting the sexy as fuck guy get away. I turned back to see if I could find him, where I left him, but he was gone. “Damn.” I went back to the bar and asked the girl if she saw where he went. She shrugged, saying she was too busy to keep tabs on him. I told her to pour me a shot of Patron, the liquid burned as I downed it. Kicking off my shoes, I climbed up onto the stool, then the bar itself. Yeah, I’d probably get kicked out, but it’s not every day a man that looks like that hits on you, and you stupidly don’t respond to it.
“Hey lady, get down.”
“Just a second, I’m looking for that guy.” I scanned the dim room, the bodies that were mashed together, looking for him.
“Look lady, I don’t care, you’re going to get me fired.”
“I’ll get you a settlement then for wrongful termination,” I said over my shoulder, without looking at her. Just as I looked back, I saw him talking with someone, having a drink. “Found him. Thanks.”
I hopped down to a very displeased bartender. Before I left, I had her run my card again and left her a fifty dollar tip, just in case. My heels were right where I left them. I wiggled into them as I signed my name to the receipt, then I went looking for him. He was going to be in my bed, or I was going to be in his. I didn’t care how it happened, but it was going to happen.
He didn’t see me come up behind him, and that was ok. The girl he was talking to seemed annoying as shit, and I could tell he was just waiting for his chance to get away. I acted on impulse and gave him that chance.
“God, it’s so crowded here, I almost didn’t find you.” I went in under his arm and looped mine around his waist.
I felt him freeze for a second, then he relaxed. “Hey baby, I’ve been waiting for you.” Again his baritone voice washed over me, and this time, I paid attention and basked in the sensation it caused. The girl whose bust seemed to be bigger than her IQ gave me an evil look and walked away when he kissed my cheek. “I don’t know who you are, but thank you.”
“No problem. I’m Rachel.”
“Nick. Well, Rachel, since you saved me, I think I owe you a drink.” His smile was perfect, he looked like he just walked off the page of a men’s magazine. Instead of leading me back to the bar where we first met, he went in the direction of the VIP platform. His hand was on the small of my back, guiding me. Heat seared through me from his light touch, and it made me want more.
In the VIP area, there were a few other people, but it was hidden from the main floor’s viewing area, so the people up here had a certain amount of privacy they put to use. One of the couples were just making out heavily, but the other couple were about ready to rip each other’s clothes off, not caring who was around.
“It’s nice here,” I said, observing the room and trying to ignore the other couples.
“You’ve never been here before?”
“No,” I said, taking the drink the private bar tender ga
ve to me. “I’m too busy studying, usually, to go out. The only reason I’m out tonight is it’s one of my girlfriend’s birthday.”
He leaned back on the couch, crossed one knee over the other, his arm stretched out on the back of the couch behind me. The cocky confidence was still there, but he seemed truly interested in hearing about me. “What are you studying?”
“I’m studying for my BAR exam.” His brows rose, seemingly impressed. “I’m not just a pretty face.”
His eyes trailed down my body. “No. Didn’t think you were.” He reached into his pocket. “Excuse me,” he said before shooting off a text. He replaced his phone and sat back, waiting. “So, Rachel, tell me about yourself.”
It was weird, kind of felt a little like an interview, but I figured, since we weren’t dancing, I could kick out of my shoes, relax, and see where the night went. We had a few more drinks, but then he ordered for me to have a water. I thought it was a bit presumptuous, but truthfully, I needed a clear head tomorrow so it was a good switch. “So, Nick, I feel like we’re waiting for something. Care to tell me what it is?”
“Me.” I turned at the voice, and my jaw dropped. He was an exact replica of the man beside me. I looked between the two men, they both had their predatory gaze directed at me.
“Oh.” Wow! My gaze went between the two brothers, and I couldn’t tell the two apart.
“Rachel,” Nick spoke, “I believe you’ve met my brother Nathan. He’s the one who bought your first bottle of water.”
“How did you- You couldn’t have planned this.”
“We didn’t, but when opportunity arises,” Nathan said, “rise with it.” He sat down beside me. “I saw you turn around to find me, I watched as you spotted Nick.” He leaned in, close, his body heat causing mine to spike. “I stopped the bouncers from getting you off that bar and escorting you out, and I watched as Nick brought you in here. You, Rachel,” he moved closer to my ear, whispering in a club, but I heard his words as his lips brushed the shell of my ear, “have sparked a hunger in both of us tonight.” He placed a kiss on my neck beneath my ear. I shivered at the touch of his lips.
Ridin' Nerdy Page 12