UnExpected (The Fighter Series Book 2)

by Matson, TC

Blain bursts out in laughter. “She’s been unstable since I’ve known her.”

  “Blain!” I squeal from Levi’s shoulders. “It’s because you make me that way.”

  Levi chuckles and I smack him on the butt. “You too, ass.” I squeak through my laughter. “Put me down, you brute.”

  “My damsel in distress.” He bends, letting my feet hit the floor. Once there, he grabs my cheeks squishing them together and making me do the fish face. “Aww, look who’s adorable now,” he jests.

  I shove him in the chest. “You two are enough to drive anyone mad,” I tease trying to catch my breath.

  “Have you lived with yourself?” Blain chimes in.

  I squint my eyes with a silly smile. “Have you lived with you?”

  “I’m an angel,” he states nonchalantly.

  “So was the devil,” I remind him grabbing for my coffee mug.

  He chuckles under his breath. “What are y’all getting into?”

  “Hopefully, her,” Levi says bluntly.

  Blain fakes a gag. “Dude. Don’t make me think of my sister like that.”

  “I have to work the restaurant tomorrow morning so I prefer not to do much,” I tell them.

  “Well, I know Jason would like to see you if you guys just want to chill here,” Blain says.

  Levi glances back to me. “It doesn’t matter. If you want to hang out, I’m good with it. Either way you’re on my side.”

  Other than taking showers, we have done absolutely nothing today. And now we’re sitting in the living room with Jason, Brooke and Blain. The conversation has ranged from Blain’s job to Levi’s workout regimen. Even Jason’s girl has put her two cents in talking about her job as a legal secretary. I’m the only one without a career. But I like this feeling of being one big family. It feels great being surrounded by the very people I love.

  Holly doesn’t knock as she bursts through the door. “Look out! The party just arrived,” she announces towing Matt in behind her

  Levi spins around then back to me and whispers, “Holy fuck. She looks—”

  “Good,” I answer for him. “I told you.”

  He stands just in time for her to hug his neck. Months ago I would have laughed knowing all she was really doing was getting to feel him. But now that she’s crazy about Matt, Levi and Blain are off her wish list.

  Levi straightens his shoulders and puffs his chest out when he reaches to shake Matt’s hand. “What’s up, man?”

  Matt’s leery. “How are you? Congrats on your trainee winning.”

  Levi tightens his lips, quirking up one corner. The air is thick and uncomfortable from the bolts of awkwardness of rival meeting rival’s best friend. It’s so profound that my skin feels like it weighs sixty pounds more.

  “Thanks.” Levi nods and then sits back down spreading his arm over the back of the couch.

  I hug Holly and acknowledge Matt letting them know there are snacks in the kitchen. She smiles goofily, reaches into her bag and pulls out the wine we had yesterday. “I’ll make you a glass.”

  “I’m glad you drink that with her. She’s tried getting me to but that tastes horrible,” Matt says to me.

  “It’s an acquired taste.” I smile knowing exactly what he means. Her taste in wine isn’t exactly what I’d enjoy on a daily basis, but it’s…tolerable.

  Suddenly, I’m yanked backward over the arm of the couch sending my feet above me and my back in Levi’s lap. I’m greeted by an abrasive yet affectionate grin with his arms cradling me. It’s in his eyes he’s uneasy about Matt’s company. The smile only affirms he’s restraining unsettled turmoil. The possessiveness in him is sending a message to Ryker through Matt that I’m where I belong and I’m not to be messed with.

  I swing my legs around and slide to his side when Holly comes bounding back into the living room with two glasses of wine.

  “Cheers!” she says handing me one.

  Levi chuckles shaking his head. “That shit smells horrible.”

  “That’s what I said,” Matt agrees.

  “It’s good,” I tell him. “It’s sweet, sour, and cold. It’s every taste in one drink.”

  “Yeah. Including shit,” Levi quips.

  Everyone settles back into their spots and Holly and Matt grab the stools closing the circle we’ve created. Of course Blain has it on ESPN, and of freaking course highlights of Katie’s fight light up the screen.

  “Training a woman has to be difficult,” Matt says and immediately Levi looks murderous. Matt shakes his head. “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I meant that as a man you’re much more powerful than her. You can teach her the moves but you’re only at half percent as you do it. Or am I wrong?”

  Levi taps his fingers on the back of the couch. I can only assume to try to keep his temper in check. “No, you’re right.”

  “Does it throw you off with speed?”

  Levi looks to Blain frustrated, then to Matt. “No.”

  Her fight is still on the TV when they zoom into Levi slapping the mat with fire in his eyes yelling something at Katie.

  Katie Greer had no room for error as her trainer, The Leveler, watched on. And, guys, let me tell you he wasn’t happy with her performance. Fortunately for her, she pulled it together and ended the fight with a knock out…

  “That was a close fight,” Matt says.

  Levi’s fingers tap faster with force.

  “Did she need stitches for the gash over her eye?”

  Levi clears his throat and slides to the end of the cushion and my heart sinks. “Why are you so interested in me?”

  Matt squints and presses his lips together. “Striking up a conversation,” he replies. “I know a lot about the fighting scene. That’s the only common ground I have with you.”

  “Our common ground is that your girlfriend is friends with mine. That’s about as far as we go. I’m not interested in having a friendship with you.”

  I nudge Levi in the ribs just as the uncomfortable air shifts, thickening into unbearable. I glare at Blain, desperate for an intervention.

  “I—” Matt starts, but Holly interjects, pushing his leg.

  Both men settle back into their seats, leaving Holly and me nervous freaking wrecks. The rest of the night shall be oh so fun…

  Chapter 16

  She’s snuggled into my side with her arm draped across my chest, tracing her fingers across my skin. I just blew her mind for an hour and she’s satiated—completely and absolutely satisfied. Her skin is slick with sweat, her breath finally slowing, and I can feel her smile against my chest.

  There are not many words to describe how much I like this feeling. I hate that I’m away all the time.

  I sigh and she looks up. “You okay?”

  I place a kiss on her forehead pulling her closer into me. “Couldn’t be better. It’s late, Sunshine. Get some sleep.”

  It’s been quiet for ten minutes, only our breaths filling the silence in the room. My mind is speeding through thoughts of us and where I want to be with her. My championship fight is closing in and after that, I’ll have time. A lot of it. Normally, Cory gives the choice to the fighter whether they will be continuing immediately after or if they will take a break. I’ll be asking for a six-month break.

  I don’t want any interruptions as Paige and I grow. I feel like I’m cutting her short by focusing on me. Although she knows fighting was here before her, I want no doubts in her mind that I’ll be here with her after I’m too damn old to keep up with the new kids. One day that will come. It’s inevitable. Your body can only handle so much punishment, adrenaline, and determination. The regimen of a fighter can wreak havoc after so long. Brutal beat downs, ferocious workouts, and merciless fights can take a toll on a body.

  There will be a day I meet my match. One that will bring me to my knees begging for a morsel of power, and whether I win or lose, I’ll be busted up. Paige will see my wounds. She’ll be the one to take care of me. Of course that’s if she remains by my side. But let me mak
e one thing very clear—I’ll never let her walk away easily. That will be a fight that I brawl until every aspect of purpose is demised.

  “Levi…” Paige whispers so faintly I almost miss it.

  “I thought you were sleeping,” I tell her softly.

  She puffs out air. “I thought you were too.” There’s a pause in her words and I can feel the tension come over her body. “Do I have anything to worry about?”

  Her words stab me in the stomach. “What the hell are you talking about, Paige?”

  “I don’t know.” She shrugs.

  I twist, sliding my arm out from under her so I can face her. “Talk.”

  She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “Seeing her come out of your room with your clothes…” she trails off.

  “I know how it looked, but I can promise it was nothing as it seemed.”

  “Seeing that right after watching the winning reaction on TV didn’t help. Immediately my thoughts weren’t good. That was…I don’t know. Different.”

  “That was just a winning reaction. Caught up in the rush of triumph.”

  She looks up to me, her eyes submerged in a loving worry.

  “I know it’s the distance between us that fucking puts the doubt in your mind.”

  “I’m sorry,” she mumbles.

  “For what? Telling me you worry? Paige, that only tells me where your heart is. If you only knew a fraction of how much you stay on my mind, you’d never have a concern.”

  “But you work so close to Katie and I know your appetite for sex is—”

  “Don’t go there,” I demand. “She’s work, nothing else. My appetite is for you.” I place her hand over my heart and brush my lips against hers. “This…it’s all yours.”

  She buries her head in the crook of my neck. “I hate missing you all the time.”

  “It’ll get better. After I beat the shit out of Ryker, I’ll be home for a while. And during that time, I’ll make sure I do everything in my power to convince you to travel with me.”

  She giggles. “I love you so much.”

  Squeezing her, I place a kiss on the side of her head. “Get some rest. You have to work in the morning. Plus, too much more of this sensitive shit and I’ll either trade in my man card or I’ll have an all-night Paige-fest. I prefer the latter.”

  Ladies, I hate how your eyes are boring a hole in the back of my head. The answer is no. I’m not going to tell her what Katie did the other night. Tell me what good will come from that? She’ll speculate about me and her and there shouldn’t be any of that. I’m not about to place so much worry in her heart. It will be for nothing.

  Katie crossed a line and I stopped it. That shit won’t happen again. I’ll have that conversation with her when I get back and trust me, she’ll have her ass handed to her. Drunk or not, that shit was unacceptable.

  As for Paige, all she needs to know is that she has my heart. Those four words—she has my heart—are all that’s important.

  Hypocrite? Yeah, call me what you want, but remember, my way always works the best. Yes, I know I’d be an irate bastard if I found out some shit like that went down with Paige and she didn’t tell me. But for now, I’m trusting my gut instincts and that’s not to scare the shit out of my girl.

  I pull her into my chest and rest my head on top of hers. “Sweet dreams, Sunshine.”

  Her body relaxes as she nestles into me and it’s not long until her breathing evens out and she does her infamous sleep twitch. I smile and then allow sleep to haul me into the darkness with her in my arms.

  Chapter 17

  Last night we spent hours with our friends, laughing and cutting up even through the weirdness between Matt and Levi. Both were so cautious of each other, but they eventually shared a few short-worded conversations.

  But after everyone left, my night turned simply incredible. Levi made extraordinary love to me. Slow, steady, and intense with love coursing through his movements as he rocked his emotions into me. It was so passionate. I felt he was peeling away layers of my heart and soul. It left me emotionally raw. Loved. Needed. Wanted. My senses cross fired even leaving me vulnerable.

  That very thing had my mind running wild. The love I felt scared me, but not in a bad way. It was a clear reminder of how devastated I’d be if I were to ever lose him. And this is where Katie bombarded my insecurities and brought out the worst thoughts. I mean, here I am just an average girl with a very unaverage boyfriend. I can’t give him much but my heart. Then there’s Katie who works closely with him, learning the very thing he desires more than me. I’ve never met her, but she’s stunning to look at.

  I know Levi isn’t perfect and as much as I argue with myself that he would never let me down in the most awful ways, I couldn’t help but to bring it up last night. Communication keeps a relationship strong. And I’m glad I brought it up because the way he looked at me, the seriousness of his words…it warmed me from my soul out.

  I slid out of the bed this morning in hopes of not bothering him as I got ready for work. I did well until I exited my bathroom after a shower. He was still lying under the covers but smiling with one eye open. I kissed him deeply and then left for work…strangely with him still in the bed. Normally, he’s up and raring to go but this time, he didn’t budge. Everyone’s entitled to a lazy day.

  Now, I’m floating through my day withdrawn from the real world. The restaurant isn’t very busy and I’ve only half heard what Holly has said.

  “You good?” Holly asks bounding into the kitchen.

  I push off the wall and smile. “Yeah.”

  “You’ve been in a weird zombie state. You sure?”

  “I dunno. It’s weird. I feel like I’m in a land of euphoria, falling in love, but I’m already in love. But it hurts. I guess that saying you can love someone so much that it hurts is true.” I shrug tightening my lips.

  She looks at me like I’ve gone mad. “Are you running a fever?”

  Regardless of how serious her expression is, her lips are ticking to smile.

  “No.” I giggle. “My thoughts are just everywhere.”

  “He screwed you silly last night,” she informs me.

  “Something about seeing Katie in his clothes with him hours away from me bumped something loose, backed out a screw or something. It scared me into realizing how much I care for him,” I state but it comes across as a question.

  “You two have had a bumpy relationship from start to now. What Dr. Holly thinks is that you are realizing you’re in too deep and there isn’t any turning back. You have now exited the infatuation stage and have launched into reality.”

  “I’ve let my guard down…” I think out loud.

  “Yep! And I think it’s great. You deserve to be happy.”

  I smile widely. “So do you.”

  “Matt tickles my happy spot,” she says.

  I hold my hands up. “I don’t need details.”

  She laughs smacking my arm. “Not in that way. He just makes me very happy.”

  She winks and then grabs her plates out of the window and heads out to her tables. I exit the kitchen to check on my one table just in time to see Matt and Ryker come through the door.

  My heart falls. When the hell is he going home? With Levi and Ryker in the same town it feels like someone’s hand is on the button to detonate a bomb at any given moment.

  They sit right at the dividing line of mine and Holly’s sections and the table I need to close out is directly across from theirs. Matt nods at me as I step between the tables focusing on my lovely older couple. I set the check down and tell them to have a great day, but when I turn to walk away, Ryker speaks to me.

  “Hello, Paige.”

  I cringe at how my name falls from his lips. “Hey guys.”

  “How’s your day so far?” Ryker says as he looks over his drink before taking a sip.

  “It’s good.”

  “It’s probably dragging by knowing your boyfriend is in town and you’re stuck here.”

>   I’m sure my expression is just the same as the confusion that is plastered in my mind. I had braced for some smartass statement but instead was given something nice.

  “Hopefully you don’t have much longer,” he adds.

  What the freak is happening here?

  “No, not much longer.” I swallow my bafflement and nod at both men. “You guys have a good day.”

  As if my zombie state wasn’t bad enough, Ryker’s politeness just threw me a screwball. Normally he’s itching to say something sarcastic about Levi, taking every chance he has but this time…

  I’m losing my mind today.

  Home. There’s a new feeling as I step through the door. Today it isn’t an empty house or just Blain. Today I’m coming home to Levi. It’s such a feeling of completeness with a giddy anticipation.

  Blain is sitting at the island with a beer in his hand when I push through the door. Levi is nowhere in sight.

  “He went to take a shower. He mowed the yard.” Blain shakes his head apparently reading my mind. “He said he was bored.”

  “I hate I missed that. I bet that was sexy as hell. I’ve never seen him do manual labor. “Did you guys play bromance catch up?”

  “We did.”

  “Do I need to call Jason and tell him you’re breaking up with him?” I jest.

  “There’s room for all of us.” He chuckles. “How was your day?”

  “Felt like it wouldn’t ever end.”

  “You make good money at Tonic. Why do you keep waitressing?”

  I shrug. “Keeps me busy.”

  “So does Tonic.”

  “I just want things later in life. Travel the world. Have a kickass car. Buy a house that’s all mine and not run by my macho brother.”

  “Paigey, it’s bartending. You see yourself doing this in ten years?”

  “Never thought about it. I like what I do. Maybe one day I could open my own bar?” I shrug.

  “For a woman who has her future planned out, you sure have no road to get there,” he says.

  I tap my chin. “Think of all the times we used to get in the car and just ride with no specific place in mind. We always landed somewhere and had a great time. So I’m unsure of a career. It doesn’t mean I won’t find one in my journey.”