Savage (Park Avenue Kings #1)

29. Cooper

29

COOPER

S AVE ME AGAIN ? When else did he?—

Oh. He had to mean in the club with Mick.

I gripped the back of my neck and looked around, but for once I wasn’t feeling quite so curious. Lachlan taking off, leaving me here, gave me the perfect excuse to go wherever I wanted, explore inside or outside of this place. Eavesdrop on the members milling around. Ask questions. Satisfy the part of me that always wanted to lift the veil on things and see what was hiding underneath.

Only now all I could do was stare at the place Lachlan had disappeared to. I hadn’t been finished with our conversation when he abruptly left, and now that I knew he thought he had to constantly “save” me like I was some helpless kid, I was ready to give him a piece of my mind.

I’m not fucking helpless . And he doesn’t get to just walk away. He’s not the only one feeling stuck, for crying out loud.

With every second that passed, there was a rising need to go after him, even though I had no clue where he’d gone. Shit, maybe I’d just stop on every floor until I found him.

The only thing that made me pause was the thought that he could be on the fifth floor. The sex club floor.

It would make sense. He was pissed off, frustrated, and I’d felt all that tension directed my way. Even when he was upset, there was no denying the sexual undertone that laced every interaction between us. What if he’d decided to use that and take it out on someone else?

My stomach rolled, the thought making me physically ill.

No. He wouldn’t do that. Would he? He could. It wasn’t like we were dating or anything. We’d just been hooking up while we were in this crazy situation together.

And getting to know each other.

And I was realizing how much more I wanted to know and just be around him.

Shit. I was getting in too deep already, and I couldn’t stomach the thought of him with anyone else. Or even the fact that he’d shut down and wouldn’t talk to me.

Or, worst of all, that he thought I was some incapable guy who couldn’t possibly handle any real-world situation without needing a savior.

That had my blood pressure climbing, and I shot toward the elevator. Before I could decide which floor I wanted to go to first, a towering figure in shitkicker boots stepped into the entryway, blocking the doors.

With long, dark hair and crossed, muscular arms on full display, I recognized the intimidating figure as one of the men who had been at King’s meeting. Alessio.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

I glanced behind me, assuming he was addressing someone else, but I was the only one in here.

I narrowed my eyes and waited for him to step inside, but he just kept blocking the door. “You wouldn’t do what?”

“Cooper, right?” Alessio said, even though I knew he was fully aware of who I was. “Let me give you some advice. Steer clear of the raging bull for a few hours.”

“By that, I’m assuming you mean Lachlan.”

“Smart guy.”

“No, apparently I’m helpless, haven’t you heard?” I snapped.

Alessio whistled low and held his hands up, and I thought it odd he wore a silver cross necklace. He didn’t strike me as the religious type.

“Don’t shoot the messenger,” he said. “Just making sure you don’t end up in pieces.”

“Pretty sure I can handle Lachlan’s bad mood.”

He chuckled. “You know, I think you actually believe that.”

Irritation burned through my veins, hot and fast, and though I would probably end up regretting it, I couldn’t stop myself from saying, “Look, are you coming or going? Because I’m really not in the mood for games.”

Alessio raised a brow and then slowly smirked. “Ah. I get it now.” He stepped back, held up three fingers, and said, “Good luck.”

The doors slid closed then, and I blinked, wondering what the hell just happened. But he’d given me the answer in the end, so I couldn’t really hold anything against him.

I pushed the button for the third floor and stared at my reflection in the shine of the doors. My skin was pink from the cold, and my hair was more than a little windswept, but I didn’t have it in me to care at the moment. I was too busy trying to remember what was on the third floor, because it wasn’t like Lachlan had given me a map during the tour.

At least I knew it wasn’t the sex club, which was a relief I didn’t want to think too long on.

The doors opened, and I should’ve known Lachlan would take out his frustration here. With the way he was built, so strong but not brawny, it made sense he’d chosen the club’s gym over anywhere else in the building.

I couldn’t even call it a gym—it was more like an athletic club, so vast it took up the entire floor, which didn’t make finding him quick. I scanned each section, including the free weights, where I assumed he’d be, but it wasn’t until I reached a studio filled with hanging punching bags that I found him beating the shit out of one.

He hadn’t bothered changing, still wearing his suit pants, but he’d gotten rid of everything covering his torso, and sweat gleamed off his muscles as he punched the bag.

Damn he was a sight to see. So much so I almost forgot why I’d followed him up here in the first place.

His back rippled with each blow to the bag, the force behind each punch enough to send a mere human to the ground.

I stayed silent, mesmerized by the display of strength as he pummeled the bag with a ferocity I hadn’t expected. The power behind each hit and kick must’ve taken years of training and practice to master, until he finally got to a point where his arms protested under the fury.

It was one of the sexiest things I’d seen in my life, and despite my irritation over what happened earlier, my body was not immune to what I’d just witnessed.

Lachlan’s back heaved with his heavy breathing as he stilled the bag, and when he turned to move back into place, his eyes fell on me.

Oh sweet Jesus. He looked like he wanted to throttle me, and it was in that moment I realized that maybe Lachlan was right. I did like to run toward danger—right now, all I wanted to do was go to him and climb his body like a goddamn tree.

“What are you doing here? I told you to go upstairs,” he barked, snapping me back to reality.

Or at least a reality where my dick was a little less excited to see him.

“And the last time I checked, I had permission to go where the fuck I want to in here.”

Lachlan raised a brow at my feisty clapback, and when he took a step forward, I immediately took one back.

A savage smirk curled Lachlan’s lips as though he was happy he’d just made me retreat a step. He probably thought he was proving a point—and if that didn’t chap my ass and make me remember why I’d tracked him down here in the first place, nothing would.

I stormed forward, common sense be damned, and when I was close enough that I could feel the heat emanating off Lachlan’s body, I jabbed a hard finger into that perfect, sweat-sheened chest of his.

“ I am not some helpless guy that you need to save.”

Lachlan slowly lowered his eyes to the finger I was poking him with, and just as I was about to pull it back, his hand whipped up and took hold of my wrist.

Quicker than I could blink, he spun me around and pulled me back against him, trapping me in place. “Aren’t you?”

“No,” I said as I struggled against his hold, and Lachlan’s wicked chuckle told me he didn’t believe that for a second.

“From where I’m standing, you seem pretty helpless to me.”

“You caught me off guard.”

“No.” Lachlan nipped at my ear. “I just caught you, which means the only way you’re going to escape…is if I let you.”

My body instantly responded to the raspy threat, my desire now deeply ingrained with being restrained and taken, it would seem. I shoved back into Lachlan, trying to gain some control of the situation, but the feel of his stiff cock pressed up against my ass had me hard.

“Not even going to try?” he said, his breath on my neck causing me to shiver.

For a second, I forgot what he was referring to, because my body had a mind of its own, but then I realized that wasn’t going to prove my point. To show him that I wasn’t helpless.

Even though when it came to wanting him inside me, he might be right.

I angled my neck to the side, wanting his mouth to follow so I could catch him off guard, and when he did just that, I ducked down fast to get out of his hold.

Or should I say tried , because Lachlan’s hold on me was unrelenting, and I didn’t get farther than a few inches.

“Really, Cooper? That’s all you’ve got?”

It sounded like he was disappointed, like he was hoping I’d fight him back, and that fueled my adrenaline.

Helpless, my ass.

With all my might, I pushed out of his arms and turned around to face him.

That was a mistake. Seeing him looking the way he did, so sweaty and sexy, had me wanting to run toward him instead of away.

He began to slowly circle the edge of the mat. Like he was stalking me, waiting for the right moment to attack.

But then he stopped, lifted his arm, and beckoned me.

Lachlan wanted me to attack.

Oh shit.

I looked him over, trying to find a weak spot, but that was impossible. The man didn’t have any. He was primed and ready, all muscle and fierce, unforgiving strength. I was only able to get away before because he let me, and now he wanted me to throw myself at his mercy?

No problem. I was nothing if not reckless.

I shoved my sleeves up my arms and readied myself for the attack. Game on.

Letting him get his arms around me would be a problem, so I decided to aim lower. I wasn’t a fighter, but I’d love to knock Lachlan on his ass just to prove I could.

Rushing him, I aimed for his legs to push him off balance, but I only managed to make him lose a few inches, as he stayed upright.

Goddamn, what was he, a brick wall?

Jerking back, already breathing hard at the effort, I was pondering my next move when Lachlan leapt toward me. I immediately took several steps back, but it was a fake-out, and he smirked.

That reaction pissed me off.

Jaw clenched, I ran toward him and shoved him back with both hands as hard as I could, and he braced himself against me with his forearm. I charged him again and again, each time at a different angle, trying to find any way I could to tackle his ass. He easily batted me away the first few times, but I was unrelenting, and soon, we were sparring. His sweat-slicked skin fucked me up, not giving me anything to hold on to.

“That’s it,” Lachlan growled when I managed to land an elbow to his side to wrestle out of his hold. He caught me again easily.

“Fuck you.” The words ripped out of me in frustration, and I tried one last time to get him on the ground. I almost had him when suddenly, my feet were kicked out from beneath me and I was airborne.

The next thing I knew, I felt strong arms beneath me seconds before my back hit the mat, and then Lachlan was all I could see, standing over me and looking down with a hungry, victorious expression darkening his gaze.

And somehow, I couldn’t even be mad about it.