champion.”
“So?”
“So. It’s awkward. And inappropriate.”
Okay, I was grasping for straws here.
He shook his head, but tossed the clothes back to me before he pulled off his own shirt.
Oh. Consider me distracted. I sighed as I watched his back muscles bulge and stretch when he pulled a different shirt on. This was a tight tank but torn down the middle as if someone had grabbed for it and ripped it. Then he pulled on some pants and I was even more distracted. His obliques stuck out, rippling under his skin, and when those workout pants covered him, they clung in all the right places.
The throbbing began again. My mouth went dry. I wanted a different workout.
“Noah is the same boss that you’ve given love advice to and have gone drinking with. If anything’s inappropriate, that’s inappropriate.”
I sighed. “He’s my boss.”
“And you’re my woman.” He stopped and glared.
A thrill went through me. A primal possessiveness was in his gaze. His lips flattened, though my own still tingled to touch his.
He continued, “I just think it’s smart for you to know how to fight. And I want to make sure you learn the right way. I trained Noah, Emma. I’d like to train you as well.”
All fight fled as he looked at me like that. His wolf-like eyes were tender and loving. My desire for him only magnified, but I contained it. Carter was waiting for me in the basement garage after I finished dressing. A car was already there so I slid into the seat beside him, and he reached over for my hand, kissing the back of it. “Thank you.”
I sighed. He was so damn wonderful.
It was nearing six in the morning, way too early, and when we got out of the car in another basement garage and went through a single black door, I saw that we had it to ourselves.
Carter crossed towards a fighting ring, but I lingered behind. The entire front hallway was covered in pictures of Noah. Most of them were when he was an MMA fighter. He stood in his bright red shorts with other fighters. Some pictures were with other people, whom I assumed were his family. I recognized Brianna in a few and Theresa in others. There were even photographs of Noah and Carter. One caught my eye. It was dated a long time ago, six months after AJ died.
“Carter?”
“Yeah?” He straightened from stretching.
I pointed to the picture. “How long have you known Noah?”
He came over and stood behind me. One of his hands rested on the side of my hip, but he didn’t pull me in. It was just there. His chest skimmed against me lightly as he took a deep breath. “That wasn’t long after-”
“After AJ died.”
“Yeah.” He sounded sad. “He was some punk kid coming in, looking for a job.”
“Really?” I glanced over my shoulder.
His eyes were lidded, going through past memories. He laughed, a hollow echo to it. “I was there when he approached one of the new guys. It was a bakery downtown. That was where some of the product was hidden. I was collecting money for Farve, who laughed when he saw Noah. He pulled up in a fancy car, wearing khakis and a purple vest. He looked ridiculous. Rich punk with daddy issues. That’s what Farve said when he pointed him out.”
“What’d you do?”
“Nothing. Well, nothing to him. I told our guy not to give him a job. Then I was notified a month later that Noah was back demanding a job, so I told the guys to bring him to me. I think Farve thought I’d lost my mind. I wasn’t high on the ladder yet, but high enough with enough clout by then for people to do what I said.”
“What happened?”
He laughed again. Fondly. “They brought him to me and I told him if he wanted a job, he needed to take me down. He mouthed off, said he could do whatever he wanted. That’s when I told him that I was the guy who’d be coming after him if he didn’t make the right payments so he better know what he was getting into.”
“Did he take you down?” I grinned as I asked. I already knew he couldn’t, not then.
He chuckled and shook his head. “No. He still can’t. He can overpower me, but I’m quicker.”
“Like hell you are.”
Noah stood there, a wide smile stretched over his face, as he held a gym bag over his shoulder. He wore a similar shirt like Carter, ripped in places and looking like something he bought from a thrift store. His pants were even worse. Gray, faded in places so much that his skin shown through. The pockets looked like they’d been ripped out long ago. A deep chuckle reverberated from him. “Those are fighting words, my son.”
Carter chuckled. “That’s what I said to him all those years ago.”
It took a moment before I realized Carter had addressed that to me. He nodded towards Noah, who stood next to me now. “She asked about this picture. I was telling her how we first met.”
“Yeah.” A dark haunted look appeared over Noah as he sighed. “That was around the time Theresa’s parents died. I was close to her dad and was fucking angry at the world. I wanted to do damage. I don’t know if it was to myself or to others. Anyways,” he blinked a few times and the darkness disappeared. He forced a smile instead. “Don’t matter now. This man never let me anywhere near that lifestyle.”
Carter had been watching as well but caught my gaze and squeezed my hip. “I paid for his first fight.”
A genuine laugh rippled from the bigger guy. “And all the rest since.”
“You were his sponsor?”
“More or less.” Carter shrugged. His icy blue eyes grew thoughtful again. A shiver went over me. He was remembering AJ. I didn’t know how I knew it, but I did. He murmured, “He reminded me of your brother. Same look in his eye, angry and hurting. Ready to fight. When I saw the kid had talent, I knew he had a different future for him.”
“Kid?” Noah reached around me and punched his shoulder. “I’m two years older than you, man.”
“Age doesn’t mean a thing. I’m older and wiser.” Carter winked at me. “I’ll always be older and wiser.”
“My ass, you will,” Noah griped, but the fondness was evident between the two. As they moved for the fighting ring, I studied more of the pictures. There were more of the two dressed in business suits and still more of action photographs. Noah was in the ring, a feral snarl on his face, his biceps bulging as his fist was clenched and ready to make contact with his opponent. The word “Knockout!” was written underneath. My eyes drifted over the photograph and I sucked in my breath. Carter was in the background. A large and imposing man was next to him. This man sent chills down my back. If I ever saw him in person, I would’ve been terrified. A scar ran across the entire length of his forehead and his eyes were dead.
I glanced to Carter now. He and Noah had moved to the ring to stretch together.
That was his life then. Sometimes I forgot about whom he worked with and what he had done. That was the stranger side of him, the side he kept hidden from me. It came out. I glimpsed it at moments, when we had been ambushed by the cars and with Ben, but it was different. Those moments had been in-the-moment. He had been defending me, but there were times when he didn’t have to defend people.
I drew in a ragged breath.
My heart felt like a hand was squeezing it tight.
I couldn’t forget that side of his life. But then he glanced over and his gaze pierced mine. The hand tightened once more of my heart before it pounded with renewed vigor. It broke free of whatever hold that was and a different sensation flooded me.
Addiction.
And something else. A dark strength.
No matter what path Carter would take us, I’d go with him. I was becoming like him.
“Emma. Come over here. I want to teach you this move.”
I turned and followed. I’d always follow.
The bigger man was waiting when Carter stepped out of his car. They had picked their old meeting place for a reason. No one would be around the abandoned warehouse, but three cars circled the block. Men got out and spread around.
Carter nodded in greeting. He hadn’t been thrilled to hear from his old colleague, but he wasn’t surprised. There’d been no word on Franco’s body. There should’ve been word. The radio sounded from his man. “All clear, sir.”
No time was wasted. Carter asked, “What’s the reason for this, Gene?”
The older and bigger man grinned, but it looked like a sneer. The scar across his forehead stuck out that night. The moonlight illuminated it, casting a shadow over the man’s eyes. Carter didn’t need to see them. He knew this man too well and he knew his comrade was troubled.
“Why couldn’t I have called just to catch up?”
“I’m out.” Carter’s eyes flashed a warning. “What’s happened?”
“You’re not that out,” Gene sighed. His wide shoulders hunched forward as he slid his hand into his front pocket. He pulled out his phone and checked the time. “You know why I’ve called.”
“His murder was called in.” Carter’s jaw clenched. “What happened to the caller?”
“Disappeared.”
“What do the Bertal Elders say?”
“They aren’t saying anything, which is why I need you to come back in.”
“No.” The answer was swift.
Gene growled, “Check your attitude, boy.”
“Check yours!” Carter snarled back. “You’re not calling the shots for me. You haven’t for a long time.”
“Fine,” the older man bit out, his teeth ground against each other as his hand fisted around his phone. “We’ll do this your way.”
“I want a meeting.”
“That’s not smart.”
“They didn’t hold up their end. A body was supposed to be delivered to me. It hasn’t and now their man disappears?”
“Franco is probably alive. You know that. It doesn’t mean they’ve reneged.”
“I don’t care,” Carter lashed out. His eyes took on a murderous glint. “I’ve held up my end. I’ve already given them their royalties. If they don’t agree to a meeting, I’ll go to fucking war.”
He started back for his car.
Gene called after him, “You’d do that for her?”
“I’m doing that for everyone. You, included. The Bertal family will either work with me or I’ll go against them. It’s their choice, but they will be told of my intentions.”
“You’re going to stir up a shitstorm. You know that, don’t you?”
Carter went to his car. The door was opened for him, but he turned back. A dead calm was in his gaze as he met his friend’s. “Shitstorm’s always been there. If we have to, it’s time to take them down. We know they’re weak right now.”
Gene sighed as Carter got into car and left.
The man beside him asked, “What are you going to tell the Elders?”
“To prepare for war.” Gene cast a shrewd glance over the younger man. He was new. He didn’t know the lengths Carter Reed would take to insure his win. And this woman of his had only made him even more lethal, no matter how often he teased him about going soft.
Getting out of the car, Amanda was right behind me. I glanced back to make sure she followed the rest of the way inside Joe’s and she was. Biting her lip and tugging at her sleeves, she rolled her eyes. “Why am I here? I don’t work at The Richmond.”
“You’re my friend.”
“But I don’t work at The Richmond. I’m not going to fit in.”
“Come on. You’ll be fine. Theresa’s already here. She’s holding the table.”
“Oh my god,” she groaned as we went through the door. “You are both nuts for making me come here.”
I shrugged. “It’s Friday Wine Night.”
“No, this is not Friday Wine Night. That happens at home, with pajamas, with the three of us, lots and lots of wine, and pizza. Not here. Not with your stuck-up co-workers and definitely not with your boss here. He’s my boss too. It’s still uncomfortable for me. Noah owns the cafe, remember?” She inched closer and hissed again, “I shouldn’t be here!”
“Oh, hush. You’re here. You’re going to have fun. And you’re teaching again.”
“I’m going back over the break. He’s still my boss.” She grumbled again, “Seriously, Emma. I feel so out of place.”
My hand grabbed her arm and I latched on. “You’re coming.”
She had to, she was my plus one. Carter would’ve caused too much of a commotion. Since getting free from the Mauricio family, his name and image was everywhere. The media’s interest in him hadn’t lessened. It’d been leaked that he had been released from his mafia connections. The news spread fast he’d been made into the poster boy for redemption.
I had a gut feeling that the news loved to report on him. He raised their ratings every time, but when Noah asked if he’d come since Theresa had somehow blackmailed him to going to Joe’s for Friday Karaoke, Carter had laughed before punching him.
They’d been sparring.
As we went inside, I wasn’t surprised to find the place full. Most of the workers from the hotel were inside. Varying expressions of nerves were on most of them, a few were eager and another handful determined—I wasn’t sure for what, but the night would be interesting. Noah Tomlinson was going to make an appearance at Joe’s. The rumor had gotten out. He was rarely in the office since he preferred to work from his home office so it was the first some of the workers met the Big Boss in person.
Theresa popped up from a stool and waved us over. She almost slipped off her stool and pitched forward. Noah grabbed her arm, sitting her back down with a deep scowl over his face.
Amanda started giggling behind me. “He looks miserable.”
“See.” I threw a grin over my shoulder to her. “Nothing to worry about.”
“So says you whose boyfriend is even more intimidating than the boss.” She nudged me with her elbow. “We should go over. Theresa’s going to come over and get us if we don’t march over there.” She paused as we watched our friend start laughing. She hit the table with her hand and kept laughing, even as she spilled some beer from her pitcher.
Noah grimaced as he lifted the pitcher out of reach.
She kept laughing.
Amanda amended, “That’s if she can walk.”
I shook my head. “Let’s go.”
Leading the way, a few people said hello when we moved past. I extended a polite greeting, but I never wavered. Since my promotion people had been friendlier, but there’d been a time when they froze me out. I wouldn’t be forgetting that.
As I rounded the table of girls that I once considered casual work friends, it was the same reception. All of them were warm and a couple gushed to me, but they’d been the worst.
Bitches.
I wasn’t blind to their keen gazes as they watched us approach Theresa and Noah’s table.
“Hey!” Theresa threw her hands in the air again. The glass she’d been holding emptied onto a person walking by. They stopped, but saw Noah’s hulk size and kept going.
They were smart.
Then Theresa hollered, “My friend and roommate! You’re here.”
Amanda and I shared a look. This night was definitely going to be interesting.
Noah’s head leaned back. He gazed up at the ceiling, groaning at the same time.
“Heya, heya. Sit here.” Theresa padded the empty stool on her other side. She jerked her hand to Amanda. “Now.”
I nudged her this time. “You heard your roommate. Get going.”
“Emma,” Theresa wasn’t finished. She leaned forward. Her elbow grazed the top of the pitcher. It started to teeter as she commanded with a wide smile, “You sit there.”