Worth Repeating (Worth It All Book 1)

by Elizabeth Perry

  I look down at my shoes, trying to ignore the way that the room spins as I do, and keep my eyes that way until the whistle blows. It’s only then that I finally look up, and honestly, I regret it immediately. Both fighters are standing on each side of the ref, looking straight ahead. Liam’s hand stays down in defeat, while the other fighter has his hand proudly raised in the air.

  But that’s not what takes my breath away.

  It’s the way that Liam is looking at me. At us, more than likely. His eyes scan Ana and Gabriella’s, and then, they lock on mine.

  His entire face falls as recognition sets in.

  12

  Liam

  Ancient History

  Rex stands in the corner of my small dressing room, his chest puffed out, as his arms remain folded across his chest.

  “Anything you want to tell me?” his voice is a low growl, which I’ve learned in the two years that I’ve known him, means he’s pissed.

  “My face hurts,” I tell him honestly, because dammit, there’s no sense in lying. I’ve been hit in the face lots of times in my life, but tonight was a whole new exception. Usually, I take a hit, give a few hits, and then read my opponent well enough to block the rest of their shots. I’m quick on my feet, and good at reading people. That’s usually my secret weapon.

  But this fight today, was something else completely. I got my ass kicked in every square inch of that cage. And since not blocking the shots was part of my agreement, I felt every single hit that I took, and trust me, there were a lot of them.

  “Yeah?” Rex snorts. “Well, my eyes fucking hurt, after watching you take all those blows, like a little bitch.”

  I’m immediately on my feet.

  “What did you just call me?” My entire body aches, but I no longer give a fuck. Rex is way out of line, calling me names. He’s got no right. No fucking right at all. He may be my trainer, but that’s where this relationship ends. And I’ll never just sit and take a verbal beating from him, even though I just willingly took an ass kicking in the ring.

  “You heard me.” His hands fist at his sides, his face beet red and now only a couple of inches away from mine. “You threw that fight. You can admit it, or you can lie to me, but I know exactly what you did. You made yourself look like a bitch in that ring, Liam. I just hope it was fucking worth it.”

  He storms past me, the door slamming hard behind him. My body is shaking, as anger courses through me.

  Rex talks to me as if I have so many other choices. He doesn’t understand what it’s like, being nineteen years old and having two people completely dependent on me for survival. He has no right to call me names. None whatsoever.

  There was far more money to be made throwing that fight, than there would have been if I would have won. Yeah, maybe I broke some rules, and played dirty today, but the cash in my hand is going to pay my rent for the next six months on a place outside of the Bricks. A place where people aren’t getting shot on my doorstep. A place where my baby sister can sleep at night in peace.

  I shrug both he and his words off, as the door to my dressing room opens again, but this time, instead of it being Rex storming through in a blaze of fury, it’s Letty. Slinking her way in, and catching my attention with her sexy as sin, skintight outfit on.

  “How are you feeling?” She leans forward, cupping my chin in her hand and studying my face. “Are you really hurting?”

  “Fuck yes,” I croak, leaning into her soft touch and closing my eyes. “Every inch of me is screaming right now.”

  “Then, sit back down,” she orders, pushing lightly against my shoulders until I’m seated back in one of the rickety chairs. She moves around the room, shaking some pills into her hand and handing me an ice cold bottle of water. She sits down across from me, watching me intently, as I take a slow, controlled drink.

  “What are these?” I shake the pills in my hand, my eyes locking with hers. “What are you giving me?”

  “Tylenol and Motrin.” Her lips set in a thin line. “I told you that I’m clean these days, Liam. I really wish you’d start trusting me.”

  “Trust is earned, Letty,” I mutter, shoving the pills into my mouth and swallowing. “You’ve got to give me time, here.”

  Letty doesn’t respond. Instead, she heads into the bathroom, returning a few seconds later with some wet cloths, and then stands before me, cleaning my wounds. Her perfume washes over me, as she leans in even closer. Her large breasts brush against me as she washes my skin, but unlike all of the other times before, this time, as her skin brushes mine, I feel nothing.

  It’s such a foreign feeling to me, having Letty in all of her beauty, right before me, more than willing to let me touch her in any way that I want to, and having zero desire to do so. A part of me wonders if I wouldn’t have seen Abby tonight, if I would be feeling differently about Letty right now.

  I mean, I just willingly got my ass kicked in that ring. There’s no better way to feel like a man again, than to have a gorgeous woman wrapped around my body, begging me to fuck her hard.

  Letty is sure to deliver on that part, no doubt about that. But this time, I don’t want to go there with her again. This time, my body only craves one person. The one person who I’ve forced myself to stay away from.

  “There.” Letty wipes the blood away from my last wound, and then steps back, admiring her work. “You’re going to look like shit tomorrow, but for now, the blood’s gone. You’re still a sight for sore eyes, Liam. I’d still do you.”

  My eyes focus on her.

  Letty is gorgeous. She’s always been gorgeous, too damn pretty for her own good. She’s from the Bricks too, just like me. The only difference between us is that Letty has a parent still alive, whereas, I do not.

  Honestly, though, Letty’s mom isn’t any better than most of the foster parents that I got shipped around to. And the boyfriends that she let into her home and let touch her young daughter are far worse than any foster dads I ever came across.

  Her life has been rough, to say the least, and it has taken its toll on her. As much as her problem with drugs drives me crazy, a part of me understands it. This girl has been through more childhood trauma and abuse than any kid should have ever had to suffer through. Her life is the exact reason why I work so damn hard to keep Bianca safe. The similarities between the two are striking.

  A shrink would say that Letty acts the way that she does, both personality wise, and sexually, because of all of the abuse she’s suffered. Her promiscuity is from being fucked by each and every one of her mom’s dirtbag boyfriends. Her eagerness to fight is her survival instinct, from years of trying to fight those said men off of her.

  And her attachment to me, has more to do with safety, than it does with love.

  There was a time when I would have told you that Letty was my first true love. And maybe, a part of that is true. I do love her. I’ve always loved her, and she’s always going to be one of the most important people in my life.

  But then, I met Abby. It’s crazy, and I know it. But the way that I feel about that girl, well, Letty doesn’t hold a candle to it anymore. Six months ago, I would have never imagined saying that.

  Letty is the kind of woman that I’m supposed to end up with. She should be the one.

  She understands the struggles that I deal with daily. She loves my siblings and helps me care for B when she’s in the right state of mind. I’ve already promised her than when I finally start making some money fighting, that I’m taking her out of the Bricks with me.

  We’re supposed to have a life together, her and I. Eventually buy a little house, far away from the shit storm life that we were forced to grow up in, and maybe one day have our own family.

  But as she stands before me, her dark eyes locked on mine, and as she takes off her clothing, piece by piece, exposing a sexy as sin body, I feel nothing.

  Her body is a work of art. Her breasts large and round, her waist slim, and her ass perfectly rounded. Every inch of her is pure beauty, the kind
that other women pay big money for. Letty was just blessed, or perhaps cursed, with hers.

  I’ve pleasured myself on her body, more times than I could ever count. I’ve had her every which way, and she’s planning on letting me have her again right now.

  Except I can’t make my body react to her. Even as she holds her bare breasts in her hands and stares down at me coyly while she tugs on her own nipples, nothing happens on my end. Not a damn thing.

  “Letty.” I stop her. She looks at me curiously, as this is something that I’ve never done before. I rise from my chair, now towering over her. I grab ahold of her shirt that is sitting around her waist and begin to pull it up. My fingers brush her breasts as I do so, but instead of being filled with lust for her, all that I can think about is the way that Abby’s skin felt underneath my hands. The way that her sweet, innocent eyes focused on mine, as I drove inside of her. The way that she relaxed against me, welcoming me inside of her, and moaned my name.

  “Wait, are you serious?” Letty smacks my hands away, causing her shirt to drop my grasp. “Are you shooting me down?”

  “I mean, kind of. This is just shitty timing, Letty. I’m not feeling that great…”

  “We always fuck after your fights.” Her eyes focus on mine, narrowing as I try to let her down without causing her to lose her mind. “If you’re not fucking me, Liam, then who is it? Who are you fucking behind my back this time?”

  “No one.” Our eyes lock. “And it’s not behind your back, Letty. You dumped me, remember? You left me, to go and get your fix. I told you, that it was me, or getting high. You picked getting high, and I haven’t seen you since. It’s been well over a month! So, stop acting like this.”

  “You met someone, didn’t you?” Her anger is palpable, as her crazy side begins to emerge. “Who the fuck is she, Liam?” Her hands press against my chest, shoving me hard. I grab ahold of her wrists, pulling her half naked body against mine in an attempt to gain control.

  It’s at that moment, the worst possible moment, that is, that the door to our room flies open. Abby stands there, staring ahead at the two of us, her gorgeous eyes wide and filled with shock.

  “Oh, shit.” She blinks. “I’m so sorry. I thought this was the door to the bathroom.”

  She turns her eyes on me and gives me a disgusted snort.

  “My apologies for walking in on whatever this is.”

  The door slams hard behind her, but I don’t make a move to stop her, even though all that I want to do is run after her. If Letty figures out that Abby is the reason that I no longer want her, she’ll lose her damn mind.

  But Letty is smarter than anyone gives her credit for. As soon as the door closes, her furious eyes turn towards me.

  “Is that her?” Her voice is a shrill shriek. “Is she the one? You’re willing to lose me, for that?”

  I have no idea what I’m willing to lose. My guess is that it’s going to be everything.

  “Abby.” I move behind her on the dance floor, as some preppy fuck, probably named Chazz, grunts at me in disgust. I couldn’t care less. I move my body between his and hers, staring hard into his eyes and daring him to give me a hard time. He chooses wisely, moving on immediately, to the next drunk girl willing to dance with his dumb ass.

  She glances up at me, rolls her eyes, and then tries to move away. My hand grabs ahold of her quickly, stopping her in her tracks.

  “Let go of me, Liam.” She tries to jerk away from me, but there’s no way that I’m letting go. Especially not when Letty stormed out of my room, surely in search of her. She has no idea the amount of danger that I just put her in, without even trying.

  “Abby, we gotta go.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.” She snorts, and then yet again attempts to wiggle out of my hold. “What’s the matter? Did you not get your rocks off with your girlfriend? Do you seriously think that I want her sloppy seconds? Nah, bro. I’m good.”

  My jaw clenches at her immediate dismissal of me.

  “Wait.” The blond haired girl, who was standing next to Abby during my fight, glances up at me, and bats her eyes. She glances quickly between Abby and I, looking less than impressed that we know each other.

  “You dirty little slut!” she squeals, staring at Abby with both a look of awe and contempt written clearly on her not so beautiful features. “You had me fooled in there, acting like you didn’t know him. Meanwhile, you’re doing the deed with a boy from the Bricks!”

  “C’mon, Abs. We gotta go. I’ll explain everything later, but right now, my ex-girlfriend is looking for you. You’re not safe unless you’re with me.”

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” She glares at me, but aside from the anger, I see fear flash deep in her eyes. She mutters an apology to her friends, who stare in awe at the two of us, as she allows me to lead her towards the door. I keep my hand firmly on her back, guiding her out towards the parking lot.

  “Where’s your car?” She clicks the unlock button, and her lights flash. I snatch the keys from her hand, and then steer her towards her car.

  “I fucking knew it.” Her voice causes all of the hair on my body to rise. Abby stills next to me, and then glances up at me, fear evident in her eyes. It’s in this moment, that I realize I have a choice to make. Except, the choice is easier than I ever imagined it could be. I know that in this moment, if the choice has to be made between Abby and Letty, it’s the easiest one I’ll ever have to make. No one will ever harm Abby on my watch. I’m willing to lose just about anything to keep her safe.

  “Letty, don’t do this,” I warn her, wrapping one arm around Abby and tucking her securely behind me. “Now is not the time or the place, and your beef is with me, not with her.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” Letty’s voice is low and menacing. She takes a step towards us, her eyes fixed on Abby, who no doubt, is standing behind me with wide eyes.

  “Liam is mine. He’s always been mine, and that’s the way that it’s going to stay. Do you understand me?”

  As I take a step towards Letty, ready to shut her down, I lose my grip on Abby. Before I can stop her, she’s moving away from me, and moving closer to the woman with murder in her eyes.

  “I didn’t know about you,” Abby tells her, standing her ground. “I did have sex with him, I’ll admit it.”

  Letty’s eyes flash.

  “But I didn’t know that he had a girlfriend. I had no idea that you even existed. He’s been playing the both of us.”

  “It isn’t like that.” My voice booms across the parking lot, filling up the quiet night air. “I haven’t been fucking playing you, Abby. It isn’t like that at all.”

  “No?” Her head snaps towards me

  “If you weren’t playing me, then were you playing her?” Her thumb jerks towards Letty. “I fucking doubt it. All that you’ve done, Liam, is use me. You’ve treated me like shit. Like I don’t even matter, and now, I know exactly why. Just be honest with me. For fuck’s sake, just own your shit! You’re caught! Just admit the truth, for once in your goddamn life.” She shakes her head in disgust, as she throws her hands up in the air.

  “You know what, never mind. It doesn’t even matter.”

  “I wasn’t playing you.” I grab her wrist, jerking her back towards me. She yelps in response, staring up at me with wide eyes.

  “Get your hands off of me, Liam.” She jerks away from me hard, nearly losing her balance and toppling over onto the pavement. Abby’s obviously trashed.

  “Then stop trying to run away from me!” We’re starting to cause a scene. Abby’s friends from earlier have made their way out into the parking lot and are watching this horrible show with smirks on their faces. Seeing their smiles over this shit show only enrages me. They’re obviously shitty fucking friends.

  But we’ve drawn more attention than just theirs. A small crowd has gathered behind them, and a few of the preppy pricks that Abby was dancing with earlier look ready to jump in and save her. I fucking dare t
hem to try.

  “I wasn’t playing you,” I force out, through clenched teeth. “Letty is not my girlfriend.”

  I can feel Letty rolling her eyes behind me, but honestly, I don’t care what she thinks. She knows the truth, but in her eyes, it doesn’t matter whether we’re broken up or not. She will always think that she has dibs on me. To be honest, I’ve always felt the same way about her. That is, until I met Abby.

  It’s a whole different ball game, now.

  “Whatever.” Abby just rolls her eyes, and wiggles yet again, out of my grasp. I want to reach for her again and grab her. I want to push her against the wall, to trap her against it with my body, until she hears me out. But I can’t do that with so many people around. Those shit bags will jump in, and while I’m not scared of them by any means, they’ll pull my attention away from her long enough for her to escape.

  “I love you.” The words that I’ve been holding in since the day I met her are now free flowing from my lips. “I fell in love with you the very first time that I saw you. And I wasn’t playing you, baby. Do you know how fucking hard it’s been to stay away from you?” I march towards her, stopping when I’m directly behind her. “I’ve been trying, and failing miserably, by the way, to stay away from you, but I just can’t do it. I am so god damn in love with you, Abby Daron, that I can’t fight it anymore. I know that I don’t deserve you. There’s no way in hell that I deserve to call you mine, but I need you to know, that there is no one else. It’s only been you. It’s only ever going to be you.”

  “Wow.” Letty’s laugh is directly behind me. “That is the biggest line of bullshit that I’ve ever heard. Awe, Liam, you love her? More like, you love her money.” When she leans closer to Abby, I spin around, blocking her from laying a finger on her, and widen my stance.

  “Get the fuck out of her, Letty.” My words are menacing, but I don’t even fucking care. “None of this has anything to do with you. We’ve been over for a long fucking time now, and you know it.”