Further To Fall

by Catherine Cowles

  She lived in a decent area, but her building’s security was shit. I could walk right up to her front door without buzzing at a gate or anything. Not smart for a single girl. I heard muted footsteps, and the door swung open. There stood Carter in some super ugly, fuzzy sock-looking things, short-ass shorts, a slouchy shirt that hung off one shoulder, glasses perched on her nose, and her strawberry-blonde hair piled on the top of her head. I tried not to think about my gaze lingering on those legs that seemingly went on forever.

  “You shouldn’t open your door without checking to see who it is first,” I blurted.

  Carter wrapped an arm around her middle, looking past me as though she expected someone else to be behind me. When she didn’t find anyone, she straightened and brought her emerald eyes back to mine. “Uh, hi.”

  “Hi, sorry to be pushy, you should just be careful. LA isn’t the safest place in the world.”

  “Well, thanks. I guess.” Her eyes roamed over my face, then she gave a slight shake of her head as though scolding herself. “What are you doing here?”

  “I, uh, brought you cupcakes.”

  She pushed her glasses up her nose and stared at me. “Are they poisoned?”

  I let out an uncomfortable chuckle. “I know I’ve been an asshole to you, but do you really think I’d poison you?”

  She shrugged sheepishly. “I don’t know, maybe.” I turned at the sound of a door opening and saw an older woman peeking her head out of another apartment. Carter waved at the woman, who scowled in return, and then turned back to me. Hesitating for a moment and then taking a deep breath, she started speaking. “Look, why don’t you come in.” Stepping back, Carter ushered me over the threshold.

  A blast of cool air hit me as I took in my surroundings. Carter’s apartment was one of those shabby chic deals: white, overstuffed couch with a million throw pillows and a brand new wooden coffee table that was purposely scuffed up. I’d always thought that look was stupid, but it somehow worked for her. I also noticed that there was paper, glue, glitter, scissors, and the like everywhere.

  “Sorry about the mess, I’m making decorations for my classroom.” She bent down, clearing the craft explosion, and I tried not to stare at her ass. Carter’s eyes darted from the paper she was trying to put into piles, to me, to the cupcakes, and back to her piles again. “You can set those down here, I guess,” she said, gesturing to the cupcake boxes with an incline of her head. “Do you want one?”

  I cleared my throat. “Uh, no thanks. I start training again tomorrow so I can’t eat any refined sugar.”

  Her head snapped in my direction as she lost a few of the papers on her pile. “You can’t eat any sugar? Like, at all?” She seemed appalled, as if I’d just told her I murdered little, fluffy kittens.

  “Not while I’m training.”

  “That’s awful. Why don’t I put these in the kitchen so you’re not being tortured by the smell?” She took the boxes from my outstretched arms, careful not to touch me in the process. Fumbling just a little, she managed to get them safely to the kitchen counter. “Thanks, by the way. Sprinkles makes my favorite cupcakes. Please, sit down.”

  I sat back on her girlie, white couch and prayed I didn’t get any stains on it. “Yeah, that’s what Liam said. He also set me straight on a few things.” I cleared my throat and rushed through my next words without meeting Carter’s eyes. “Look, I’m really sorry I’ve been an ass to you. I had the total wrong impression of who you were, but that was my fault, it had nothing to do with you.”

  Carter walked back over with two bottles of water. Handing me one, she plopped down on the opposite end of the couch and eyed me suspiciously. “And who exactly did you think I was?”

  I felt a bead of sweat roll down my back. Cracking the bottle of water, I took a swig, buying time to come up with an answer that was truthful but didn’t make me seem like the judgmental asshole I definitely was. “I see a lot of girls come around Liam. Most of them are looking for someone with a big bank account who can buy them designer clothes. Or someone who can make them famous. Or, even better, someone who can do both.”

  Carter’s forehead wrinkled slightly as she studied me. Why did it feel as if she could see into the depths of my soul? I shifted uncomfortably. “I get the feeling that’s not the whole story,” she said.

  I let out a half-laugh, half-cough. “Well…” I started to peel the label off my water bottle. “You also kind of remind me of someone.”

  A hint of a smile played at Carter’s lips. “An ex?”

  “Bingo.” It burned to admit that I had been such an ass to a girl who might actually be Mother Theresa in a smoking-hot body, just because something about her had reminded me of Hailey. God, I was such a dick.

  “She screwed you over?”

  I hesitated in answering, my vision stalling on Carter’s long-ass legs all twisted around like she was a fucking pretzel. Her skin was creamy white, and I found myself wanting to reach out to see if it was as smooth as it looked. When I pulled my eyes away from her legs and towards her face, a flush was staining her cheeks. I forced myself back to the conversation at hand. “Yeah. She did.”

  “Geez, don’t talk my ear off or anything.”

  I grinned back at her, but it had a slightly feral edge. “It’s not something I enjoy talking about. And, honestly, there’s not much to say. She cheated. Repeatedly. I ended it. Now, I avoid that shit.”

  Lines formed between Carter’s brows. “What stuff?”

  She wouldn’t even say the word shit. I fought the laugh that wanted to surface. “I don’t date.”

  Her jaw dropped. “At all? Like the sugar?”

  This time, I couldn’t hold in my laugh, she looked like someone told her Santa wasn’t real. “Just like the sugar. No chicks during training. Well, other than for relieving some tension.”

  Carter’s cheeks flamed. “Um, well, whatever works for you.”

  I grinned. She was so fucking innocent, I really hoped this city didn’t ruin her. “Listen, I really am sorry, and I’d love it if we could start over.”

  “Start over?” She said it as though she were speaking a foreign language and was unsure of what the words meant.

  “Yeah, fresh slate. You’re like Liam’s sister, and I think it would mean a lot to him if we got along.” Carter worried her bottom lip as she silently took my measure. It didn’t seem like things were going to go in my favor, so I reached out, awkwardly patting her hand. Damn, her skin was even softer than I had imagined. Her eyes jolted to mine. “Please, give me a chance. I promise I’m not usually this much of an ass.”

  “Okay.” The word came out as a whisper.

  “Great.” I forced myself to remove my hand from the warmth of her skin. “Why don’t you let my first act of goodwill be teaching you some self-defense?”

  Carter quirked her head to the side. “Self-defense?”

  “Yeah. Liam said you’re going to be working in a not-so-great area, so it couldn’t hurt.” I threw it out there casually, but I was going to make sure this girl could defend herself. The neighborhood her school was in was no joke.

  “Ummmmm…” She nibbled on her bottom lip as her eyes traveled over my shoulders and torso. My dick twitched in response. I needed to tamp that bastard down. Carter was not a hit-and-quit type of girl, and that was all I had room for in my life. “I really don’t think that’s necessary,” she continued.

  I tilted my head down to make sure she met my eyes. “Please. It’s something I can do for you to make up for being such a jerk.”

  Her shoulders slumped just the tiniest bit. “Okay, fine. But fair warning, I’m not the most coordinated person.”

  “You don’t have to be, most of the moves are super simple.”

  “Okay.” She was still gnawing on the side of her lip, and I had to stop myself from tugging it from between her teeth.

  “It’ll be awesome, you’ll see.” I tried to reassure her. “My training is always hellish this first week, so how about a we
ek from Thursday?”

  “Yeah, that should work. Classes start on Monday, so it’ll have to be after school.”

  “That’s fine, we can meet at my gym.” I slipped my phone from my pocket and handed it to Carter, a zap of electricity coursing through my arm at the contact of our fingers. Being in such close physical proximity to this girl was going to mean playing with fire. “Program your number in, and I’ll text you the address.”

  “’Kay. Thanks—for the cupcakes, the apology, and teaching me to kick booty,” she said as she tapped the screen of my phone.

  “Just never call it teaching you to ‘kick booty’ again, and you are most welcome.”

  Carter handed back my phone. “Deal.” She blushed again. “And I’m sorry for insulting the size of your manhood, I was really mad.”

  I let out a choked laugh. “We’re all good, Firecracker.”

  “Firecracker?” she asked, her head tilted to the side in that cute-as-fuck way of hers.

  “I think Firecracker is a fitting nickname. You’ve got some fire in you.”

  Her lips tipped up. “Firecracker, I like it.”

  As I walked to my car, I realized that my cheeks hurt from smiling so much, and I couldn’t remember the last time that had happened.

  5

  Carter

  The car radio cut out as my phone rang through the speakers. I glanced at the screen and tapped accept. “Hi, Liam.”

  “Hey, how was school today?”

  I grinned even though Liam obviously couldn’t see me. The first few days of classes had been exhilarating and exhausting, and I had loved every second of it. “It was great, I think I’m starting to get the hang of things. I don’t feel like I want to barf before starting a lesson anymore.”

  Liam chuckled, “Sounds like a win to me. So, what are you up to right now? Want to meet up for an after-work drink?”

  I grimaced, glad Liam couldn’t see my face. I didn’t want him to make a big deal of me getting self-defense lessons from Austin, so I hadn’t told him. But there was no way around telling him now. “I’m actually going to the gym to get some self-defense pointers from Austin.”

  I was met with silence. After about thirty seconds, I heard a throat clearing and then, “Austin? Austin Lyons?”

  “One and the same.” I turned my car into the parking lot my Prius’s navigation system pointed me towards and slid into an empty spot.

  “Last time I checked, you guys had a strong dislike vibe going.”

  I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel. “We did. But he showed up at my house last week with a million cupcakes and an apology for having misjudged me. I’m guessing you talked to him.”

  “I might have had a word.”

  “Did that word come with the threat of bodily harm?” I asked.

  “Hell no! He’s an MMA fighter, I love you like you’re my own sister, but I don’t have a death wish.”

  I couldn’t help the snort that escaped. “I guess that’s fair.” Now that Liam knew what was going on, I couldn’t resist digging for a little more information on Austin. “So, what’s the deal with his ex?”

  “He told you about her?” The shock was evident in Liam’s voice.

  “A little. He said she cheated and that I reminded him of her. That’s why he was a jerk to me.”

  Liam let out a humming noise from the back of his throat. “That girl raked him over the coals, so I get it, but he needs to stop letting someone from his past ruin his present.”

  I gripped the wheel. Now I had to know. “What happened?”

  Liam was quiet for a few moments. “I’m going to share, so you understand where he’s coming from.”

  “Okay.” The word came out hesitantly because my conscience was at war with itself. Half of me was dying to know what the story was, and the other half felt like it was a total invasion of privacy.

  “Austin comes from a pretty poor community. He didn’t have much money, but he scrimped and saved and worked his ass off to get enough money to move him and Hailey out to LA. He kept working his ass off when he got here. Nightshift security gigs so he could train during the day.”

  “That’s admirable.”

  “It is. Hailey did not get a job. Said she wanted to model, but I never saw any evidence of her actually pursuing that. One night, I was having a party at my place. Austin couldn’t come because he was working as usual, but Hailey showed up. I didn’t think much of it at first, but then she followed me into my bedroom and proceeded to make a hard pass at me. I kicked her ass out and called A immediately.”

  I couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped my lips. “That witch, you’re his closest friend out here.”

  “I know.” Liam’s voice sounded defeated, and if I wasn’t mistaken, it carried a note of guilt. “After he did a little recon, he found out she’d been sleeping around pretty much the whole time they were together. Austin was working so hard, he didn’t see the signs. When he ended things with her, she emptied their joint bank account and stole his emergency cash and anything she thought she could sell from the apartment. She had also applied for a bunch of credit cards in both of their names, which she maxed out and didn’t pay off, tanking his credit.”

  “That’s awful.” My words came out as a whisper. I felt slightly nauseous at the revelation of how badly Austin had been treated. I had a lot more empathy for his view of women now, that was for sure.

  “It threw him for a loop. He dealt with it by turning off his emotions a bit, not letting anyone new in, especially women.” My heart softened even further towards the angry mountain man. Between the softening of my heart and the way my body tingled at Austin’s proximity, I was going to be a mess during this workout. Liam kept talking. “I’m glad you’re hanging out with him. I think you’ll do him some good. Shine some of that Carter sunshine on him.”

  I let out a light laugh. “I don’t know, I might accidentally give him a black eye. You know how I am with physical activity that requires coordination.”

  “Oh, boy.”

  “On that note, I better get in there.”

  “All right, I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Later, Liam.”

  I switched off my car and made my way across the parking lot. The fluttering in my stomach increased the closer I got. I looked up at the faded sign that read Boxing Gym in peeling paint. This was the place. Shifting the bag on my shoulder, I pushed open the door. I was so not sure about this particular exercise in new friendship. The smell of stale sweat that greeted me did nothing to help convince me.

  Tiptoeing a few steps forward, I took in the rows of punching bags swinging back and forth as sweaty dudes grunted each time they made contact. This was certainly not the swanky West Hollywood gym I had joined a few weeks ago. This was the real deal, and I could not feel more out of place in my teacher get-up of pencil skirt, blouse, and heels.

  This was such a bad idea, why had I thought this was a good idea again? Oh, yeah, because of sheepish, adorable Austin with his apologies and cupcakes and broken-heart stories. Ugh, I had no way out of this one.

  A wolf-whistle cut through the steady beat of gloves beating heavy bags. “Mamí, are you lost? Or have I died and gone to librarian heaven?” A sweaty but handsome guy swaggered towards me, licking his lips and removing his gloves as he walked. As he moved forward, I moved back. Part of me wanted to laugh, but the other part was just a little bit nervous.

  “Leave her alone, Carlos, she’s here for me.” Relief swept through me at the sound of Austin’s voice.

  “Shit, man, why you gotta crush my dreams like that? I swear she’s the future Mrs. Rodriguez!”

  Austin grabbed one of Carlos’s gloves and smacked him over the head with it. “Get back to training, Casanova.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Bye, wifey, I’ll miss you!” he called with a massive grin on his face as he headed back to his punching bag, swagger still in full effect.

  “Sorry about that, he comes on strong, but he’s harmless.”


  I laughed out a shaky breath. “No problem. Thanks again for offering to do this.”

  “Happy to. Learning how to defend yourself will give you the confidence to handle situations like that one.”

  I groaned and shifted from foot to foot. “I’m not really a big fan of violence.”

  “We’ll get you used to necessary force, Firecracker. Do you have clothes to change into?” His eyes raked over my body in what felt like a physical caress. Uh-oh, this was not good. “Because as much as I dig the sexy school teacher look, I don’t think it’s going to work for what we’ll be doing.”

  I swallowed thickly and squeaked out, “In my bag.”

  “Come on, I’ll show you where you can change.”

  My eyes darted around, taking in everything I could as we walked through the gym. Beyond the heavy bags was a row of treadmills and mats where men—and one bad-A-looking woman—were jumping rope. Past that was two boxing rings with sparring going on inside. It was actually pretty darn cool, and my nose had already grown somewhat accustomed to the stale sweat smell.

  “We don’t have many women who train here, so the locker room is just a bathroom with a few lockers, but your stuff will be safe there for the hour we’re training,” Austin said as he stopped at a door.

  “Okay, cool. Thanks again.”

  He smiled. “You don’t have to keep thanking me.”

  “Right.” I reached for the door handle and tripped over my own feet in the process.

  Austin let out a low chuckle that hit me in all the wrong places for a platonic almost-friend. “Careful, don’t want you getting injured before we even get started.”

  I gulped and shut the door quickly. Cruddy McCrudderson, this was so not good. I needed to put Austin in the brother-like friend category and stat. Why couldn’t I see him like Liam? Or Ford? I mean, I could objectively see that they were handsome, but they were my friends. They didn’t make my stomach hollow out as if I hadn’t eaten in days, nor did they give me the shakes as if I’d given up coffee cold turkey. I hit myself in the forehead repeatedly while I set my bag down on the bench, hoping that would miraculously knock some sense into me.