The Girl Worth Fighting for (The Girl #2)

by Julia Goda

  Rainey dropped her hands. “That was fun.” Her big smile and happy eyes made Logan’s heart melt. He liked seeing her like this. Relaxed and glowing.

  “You,” he heard Pete shout and swung his head to look at him. “Stop ogling your girl and get back to work.” Logan smirked at him before he returned his eyes to Rainey, who was now grinning at him knowingly. He returned her grin then turned around to follow his coach’s orders and got back to work.

  Two hours later, he was standing in Pete’s office after taking a quick shower. Jay had been a no-show again today, and Logan needed to know what the hell was going on.

  “This is the third day in a row, Pete.”

  Pete sighed and rubbed his face with both hands. “I know, son. He’s going through some things, but he promised to be here tomorrow.”

  Logan narrowed his eyes. “What things?”

  Pete didn’t answer directly, but instead said, “Personal things that are not my business to share.” His eyes were hard on Logan, telling him to let it go. There was something else there that Logan couldn’t identify but which looked a whole lot like sadness and maybe trepidation. Or was it fear?

  What the hell?

  He crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s going on, Pete? Is he sick or something?”

  Pete’s stare stayed hard and unflinching.

  Logan shook his head and sighed, letting it go. For now. “Fine. He’ll be back tomorrow?”

  Pete nodded.

  “All right, old man. I’ll see you in the morning.” Logan turned to leave but stopped and turned back around when Pete called his name.

  “She tell you who trained her?”

  Logan was a little surprised at that question and the curiosity he saw in Pete’s eyes. But then again, Pete had seen her in action two days ago and again today and knew when someone was skilled. He also saw himself as Logan’s surrogate father, so it would only make sense for him to be curious.

  “Yeah, she did.”

  “And?” Pete prompted when Logan didn’t continue.

  Logan sighed and ran a hand through his hair, uncomfortable with sharing Rainey’s story without permission. “Her father trained her. He used to be a boxer.” Pete’s eyes went wide in shock. Logan quickly continued before the old man could ask him any more questions he wouldn’t be able to answer out of respect for Rainey. “That’s all I can give you, man. And please don’t ask her about it. It’s a touchy subject.” He watched as Pete’s thoughtful eyes went over his shoulder and fixed on something. He turned to see it was Rainey talking to some of the guys they were fixed on. Logan’s own eyes narrowed. He needed to shut that shit down. He gave Pete a chin lift, got one in return, then turned to retrieve his woman from the circling wolves.

  “Ready?” He grabbed Rainey’s hand as soon as she was within reaching distance and pulled her into his side, placing a kiss against her temple. He noticed the smirks on the guys’ faces but didn’t pay them any attention as he looked into her eyes.

  She turned her head and met his gaze. “Sure,” she answered before she turned back to the guys and said, “See you guys later.”

  “See ya” and “Later” were their responses. Logan could feel their lingering looks on her ass she didn’t notice since they were already walking toward the front door. But he did, so he looked over his shoulder to give the men a hard glare. They got the message and went back to their training, chuckling.

  “I’d like to take you to my place tonight,” he said when they were in his truck. He was holding her hand on the console, just like he did every time they were in his truck since that first time.

  “Okay,” she said, then added, “I’ll have to get my car though. I have to work tomorrow.”

  “I can drop you off at work before I have to be at the gym.”

  She shook her head. “I’ll need my car tomorrow. Have to make the rounds. And anyway, I don’t like not having a car there, just in case.”

  “In case of what?”

  She shrugged. “Nothing specific. Things happen. Meetings come up. Lunch dates. Stuff like that.”

  He narrowed his eyes on her for a moment before he turned back to facing the street. “Lunch dates?”

  “Yeah. I go on those sometimes.” He could hear the smile in her voice and squeezed her hand, prompting her. She gave a short laugh. “Like with Bobby and Lizzy. Or I take a couple of the kids sometimes and treat them to a sandwich. Calm down. I think you’ve staked your claim enough for one day, don’t you?”

  “Right,” he said, his lips twitching. She was teasing him and he liked it. Somewhat. “So we’ll stop at your place. You can pack a bag and get your car then follow me to my house.”

  “That works.”

  “Good.” That had been easier than he thought. Then again, after the last two days he felt the change in her, felt the trust she was now giving him, especially after their talks last night and this morning. It was almost like once she made up her mind and opened herself up, she was all in, no reservations, no holding back. He hadn’t expected that. But he was glad and grateful nonetheless.

  He pulled up in front of her house, parked, and they both got out and walked up the stairs.

  “Just give me five minutes to pack some stuff.”

  “Sure.” He kissed her gently on the mouth before she went upstairs to her bedroom. Logan stayed in the living room and looked around. He liked Rainey’s place. It was very her and felt homey. Not like his place. Not that his apartment was run-down or a total bachelor pad or anything like that. His mom had decorated the place for him as much as he’d let her and it was nice enough. But Rainey’s house was more. More comfortable, more lived-in, more everything. It had three bedrooms upstairs; they were small but did their job. There was one hall bathroom. No en-suite, but that wasn’t strictly necessary. Downstairs, she had an open living room with a big picture window facing the small front porch and yard, as well as an eat-in kitchen and a spare room she had currently set up with a small couch and a couple of book shelves, her guitar in the corner, and an expensive-looking camera and a bunch of other photography stuff sitting on one shelf. The way Rainey had decorated felt warm and was fun at the same time, with the blue-grey walls and vintage art. The house looked and felt like it was ready for a family. A smile spread across Logan’s face at the thought of a little Rainey running around the rooms, and his heart missed a beat.

  He wanted that.

  Fuck yeah, he wanted that.

  He knew it was too early, they were just starting out as a couple, but he wouldn’t be disappointed if his little error in judgement from yesterday morning resulted in a pregnancy.

  He dropped his eyes to his shoes and smiled.

  Who would have thought?

  His mom would be delighted if she knew the direction his thoughts were taking. He would have to introduce them soon. She would love Rainey the moment they met. She already liked her just from what he had been telling her over the past month, had been teasing him and making fun of him when he’d told her about Rainey giving him the run-around and making him work for it. At the same time she had encouraged him to not give up, had told him that she always knew the girl who would give him the cold shoulder, who would make him put the effort in and chase her, would be the one to steal his heart. Turned out she’d been right. But then again, he’d known that almost from the moment he’d laid eyes on her.

  He lifted his head when he heard her footsteps on the stairs.

  “Ready.”

  “All right. Let’s go.” He took her hand in his. “You wanna get take-out and eat at my place?”

  “Sure.”

  “What do you want?”

  She scrunched up her face in contemplation for a moment before she said, “I’m in the mood for Mexican. The real stuff though, not fast food.”

  He smiled at her. “The real stuff, huh? You a food snob?”

  She scrunched her nose. It was cute.

  “Maybe a little.”

  He laughed out loud as he led he
r out the door and down to the sidewalk. Their cars were parked behind each other.

  “You know about a place that has the real stuff? Wouldn’t want you to have to eat anything fake.” His voice was slightly teasing. She stuck his tongue out at him. He moved in closer, so close their bodies were touching from chest to hip. Then he kissed her; not just a quick peck on the lips, but a deep and wet kiss. When he pulled back, her eyes were closed and she was slightly panting.

  “Don’t stick your tongue out at me unless you want to use it.” His voice was low and hoarse, holding a promise and a warning at the same time. She opened her eyes slowly. It took her a few moments to focus on him. He grinned as he studied her face, proud he could send her into a daze like that just with a kiss.

  He repeated his question. “You know of a place you like?”

  She nodded but didn’t give him the name of the restaurant. He chuckled and touched his lips to hers once more, this time for a quick but soft kiss.

  “Baby, I need the name so I know where I’m going.”

  She cleared her throat then said in a hoarse whisper, “Casa Romero. It’s in the Back Bay area, close to Lizzy’s house.”

  He grinned at her. “I don’t know where Lizzy lives, but I’m sure I’ll find it.”

  “They have the best enchiladas.”

  “All right then. Casa Romero it is.” He gave her a quick and soft squeeze. “But we’ll drop your car at my place and eat at the restaurant. Take you out on a real date.”

  Her eyes widened in excitement and happiness. Then she surprised him when she placed a kiss on his lips this time and murmured there. “That sounds awesome.” Seemed like she really liked those enchiladas. He’d have to remember that. He chuckled against her lips then opened for her when she kissed him. When she dropped back to her feet and ended the kiss, he slapped her ass.

  “All right, baby, get in the car and let’s go. I’m hungry.”

  She did as he asked and followed him to his apartment, where she parked her car in front of his house before she hopped up into his truck and he took his woman out on their first dinner date.

  Chapter 15

  Rainey

  “LIZZY WILL BE PISSED I came here without her.”

  Logan lifted his eyebrows in question.

  “It’s her favorite restaurant,” I explained on a shrug.

  He smiled at me as we entered. “You come here on your lunch dates?” He was teasing me.

  “Nope. They only do lunch on the weekends. This is usually our first stop on girls’ night out.”

  “Girls’ night out?”

  “Yup. Lizzy, Bobby, and I go out every couple of weeks. We drink, we chat, we laugh. You know,” I shrugged, “blowing off some steam and having a good time.”

  Logan said nothing, but I could tell he wasn’t a big fan of girls’ night out. His jaw was clenched and a muscle jumped in his cheek, but he said nothing.

  Good boy.

  “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about Lizzy being pissed.” I could hear a smile in his voice.

  I followed his line of sight and saw Lizzy sitting at a table in the back, waving her arms at us, a big smile on her face. Cole was sitting next to her, his face contemplative for a second before it split into a wide grin.

  Great.

  I could only imagine the teasing and ribbing I could expect from his ass. On a resigned sigh, I mumbled, “I guess the cat’s out of the bag.” I started to make my way to them when Logan held me back by my arm.

  “What do you mean?” I could see disappointment as well as some anger in his eyes. What was that about?

  I frowned at him, not understanding.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I was looking forward to taking my girl out to dinner for the first time and having her undivided attention, but you not wanting her to know about us pisses me off.”

  Ah. Now I understood. “It’s not that.”

  “Then what is it?”

  I gave him a small smile and explained. “Lizzy already knows about us. Remember I told you she gave me some wisdom about you?” He nodded but didn’t say anything, though his body relaxed slightly. I continued. “She’ll be ecstatic about this. I’m just not in the mood for Cole’s teasing and smart comments. He can be a huge pain in the ass.”

  “That’s what you meant by the cat being out of the bag? You were talking about Cole?”

  I nodded.

  His body relaxed completely as he smiled down at me. “Since when do you let other people tease you? Especially men? What happened to my little firecracker?”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I’ve got my own ammunition. I was just looking forward to enjoying some good food and even better company.” I winked at him, which made him smile.

  “I’m sure you won’t let him deter you from that.”

  “I guess that’s true.” I shrugged.

  He gave me a quick kiss then said, “Come on,” before he threw an arm around my waist and walked me to their table.

  ***

  I was stuffed so full I thought I might have to loosen my belt and maybe even pop the top bottom. My plate was empty, as was everyone else’s, and I leaned back, rubbing my stomach and groaning. I felt Logan’s arm that had been resting behind me on my chair since he had finished eating ten minutes ago move up to grab my shoulder and pull me into his side, where he touched his lips to my temple on a chuckle and said, “I can’t believe the amount of food you can eat.”

  I turned in his arm and leaned back to look up at him. “You calling me fat?”

  His eyes sparkled with amusement. “No.”

  “She’s a pig.” This came from Lizzy, a smirk playing on her lips.

  “Pfft. As if you’re any better.”

  “Hey!” She pretended to be offended. “I’m eating for two.”

  “That’s right, baby.” Cole laid a hand on Lizzy’s round stomach and gave her a gentle pad.

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re just using that as an excuse. It’s not like you lived on salad before you got pregnant. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you’ve got Chinese ancestors the way you inhale Sweet ‘n Sour Chicken.”

  A laugh poorly disguised as a cough escaped Cole. Logan chuckled beside me, while Lizzy glared at her husband.

  “What? She’s right.”

  “Maybe you should come running with me after the baby is here if you’re so concerned.”

  She transferred her glare to me. I burst out laughing.

  “So, what exactly did you have to do to get Rainey to go out with you? Sell a kidney? Your soul?”

  Great. Here we go.

  I prepared to launch into my own friendly insults, but Logan beat me to it when he said, “Nope,” through another chuckle. He pulled me in tighter but said nothing else.

  “Nope? That’s all I’m getting?”

  Logan gave a small nod. “That’s all you’re getting.”

  “I see she’s got you by the balls already,” Cole said. “Take the advice from someone who’s been there, Logan, don’t take her threats seriously. Whatever she threatens you with, she doesn’t really mean it.”

  “Huh,” was what Lizzy had to say about that. I could tell she was gearing up for something. She had that certain look on her face she got when she was ready to teach someone a lesson.

  I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms, waiting for the show I was sure would be hilarious to start. Now Cole had gone and done it and dug his own grave. My eyes were on Lizzy. I had to say I was a little shocked she wasn’t ripping his head off yet.

  “Do we need to duck?” Logan whispered in my ear. I laughed silently but kept my eyes on my best friend. Cole was looking at her as well, waiting, while he cocked his eyebrow, daring her. Her head turned and her eyes came to me.

  “Is Logan staying at your place tonight?”

  I had a feeling I knew what she was up to, but Cole didn’t. He sat back in his chair, smug, thinking he had won this round when Lizzy changed the subject. What he failed to understand was she ha
dn’t changed the subject but was instead setting up her winning blow. And boy, he was so sure of himself, he would never see it coming.

  I shook my head and grinned. “We’re staying at his place tonight.”

  She gave me a quick happy and proud smile before she held her hand out. I dug into my bag and handed her my keys, then my eyes moved to Cole. He was watching our interaction, confused, then his eyes went wide when realization set in.

  “What the fuck are you doing? Why do you need Rainey’s keys?”

  Lizzy directed a level glare at her husband but said nothing. Then she excused herself. “I gotta use the washroom.”

  “Lizzy?” Cole got up from his chair and called after her pleadingly but didn’t follow. He sat back down. “She’s driving me crazy.” He rested his elbows on the table and ran his fingers through his hair. “Thank fuck I have the car keys.”

  As if that would be a deterrent. I chuckled and shook my head at Cole disbelievingly.

  “You must not know your wife very well.”

  His head snapped up. “I’ve known her for almost twenty years. I know everything about her.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “All right.” I nodded, not about to enlighten him. He would find out soon enough. “Ready to go?” I asked Logan.

  “Sure.”

  We waited for the check, and Logan and Cole paid. When the waitress walked away, I saw Cole’s eyes on the hallway that led to the washrooms.

  “Do you mind checking on her? She’s been in there a while.”

  I shook my head once more and tried to hold back the grin that was threatening to split my face in half. “I don’t need to.”

  Cole furrowed his brows at me, annoyed.

  “She’s not in there,” I added on a sigh.

  “What do you mean, she’s not in there. That’s where the bathrooms are.”

  “I know that, knucklehead, but she didn’t go to the bathroom.”

  His eyes narrowed on me. “Then where did she go?” Then it hit him. “Motherfucker!” He burst out then stormed out of the restaurant. I couldn’t hold my amusement back any longer and burst out laughing.