CHAPTER EIGHT
MAVERICK
My good mood begins to sour as soon as we step out of the office together.
Why did I think having her around all these guys was a good idea?
I mean, I know my guys are good and they’d never do anything to hurt her.
The fight last night wasn’t the usual crew that’s here all the time, and that had me worried, but the men that work here I trust with my life.
But suddenly I’m looking at them in a new light, and it’s like it’s show and tell and I’ve brought my favorite toy from home.
Now I’m not so sure I want them looking at it after all.
Juliet looks beautiful with her red hair piled up in a messy bun and my name stretched across her back.
I’ve never felt so possessive of anything before, and I don’t know why it’s happening now.
Something about the way she blushes shyly when she smiles and scrunches her nose when she laughs.
Every little motion of her hands when she’s nervous makes me want to memorize her like an instruction manual.
I’ve got a burning desire to know everything about her and then some.
“Let’s go to the training ring. Kincade has a couple of regulars this afternoon,” I say as I force myself to walk beside Juliet and not take her hand.
As much as I want to, I don’t want to embarrass her in front of all the guys here and have them talking shit to her.
They can do that to me all they want, but I’ll do everything I can to shield her from it.
“Boss,” Kincade shouts when he sees me coming his way. “Last night’s cut is in the safe, and one of the guys—” He stops talking when he glances beside me and sees Juliet standing there.
His eyes widen like he didn’t know there was someone with me, and maybe he didn’t. I’m so much bigger than she is, my body probably blocked her from his view. I don’t miss the way he puffs his chest out and flexes his arms as he leans against the ropes.
“Well, who do we have here?” His grin is playful, but I’ve been to bars with him. I’ve seen him flirt and pull women without so much as a word. All he has to do is flash that pretty face, and they follow him home like lost kittens.
“She’s mine,” I grit out before I can stop myself or think better of it.
My back tenses, and then suddenly I feel Juliet’s small hand on my back, and the touch does something to me.
It eases the beast inside of me roaring to get out.
As soon as I have my flash of anger under control, I clear my throat.
“She’s my new office girl. This is Juliet. ”
“Hello there, Juliet,” Kincade says in a smooth voice that is far too familiar for my liking. “I see you’ve got the big man riled up. I think you’re going to fit in here nicely.”
His eyes move up and down her body, and I’m two seconds away from climbing in that ring and knocking his teeth out.
“Really?” Juliet flashes me one of her pretty smiles before she looks back at Kincade. “He was in a great mood until he laid eyes on you.”
Kincade and I both let out a bark of laughter as Juliet elbows me playfully.
“Oh, I like her,” Kincade says, and that sobers me up.
“Check the name on her shirt, and keep your distance,” I tell him before I take Juliet by the elbow and lead her away from the ring. If I’m not mistaken, a little giggle escapes her as we go toward the strength and conditioning area.
Next I introduce her to some of the older guys that have been training fighters since before I was born.
This gym was started by my grandfather so we have a legacy of champions that have come and gone in their time.
I learned a lot from my grandfather and my father growing up, and when the time came for me to take over, I put my stamp on this place.
I’m really proud of what I’ve turned it into, but I wouldn’t be here without the people before me.
The old timers try to talk Juliet’s ear off, but she seems to enjoy talking to them too.
Maybe it’s me, but it seems like she’s almost starved for personal interactions.
If there’s one thing this gym has always had, it’s a sense of community, and the older guys here are happy to bring young blood into the fold.
“You’ve had your jaw broken three times?” Juliet gasps as Willy, one of the oldest here, tells stories of his glory days.
“Ask him how many ribs he’s missing,” I whisper to her, and her eyes widen in shock.
“Four,” Willy says and holds up as many fingers. “Had them punched clean out of me.”
“You’re lying,” she says with a laugh, and the sound of it heats my body from the inside out.
“I’d never lie to a pretty woman,” Willy says, and his best friend George scoffs.
“That’s the first person you’re lying to,” George says. “Don’t believe a word he says. But if you want to talk about real injuries, let me tell you about the time I dislocated both my hips and still won my fight.”
“I think that’s enough tall tales for one afternoon,” I say before George can fill Juliet with more stories that might or might not be true.
“Sorry, boys, but my new boss is a real hard-ass,” Juliet tells them and then whispers loudly enough for me to hear, “If I can sneak back over here later, I want to hear all about that hip thing.”
“You got it,” George tells her with a wink.
“I think you’ve got a fan club,” I say when we walk to the front of the gym.
“For some reason I always like talking to old people,” she says and shrugs. “I never knew my grandparents, so maybe that’s why.”
“Really?” I wait a beat, hoping she’ll fill in some of the blanks of her past while we walk to the front desk. I want to introduce her to Cedric since he sees everyone who comes and goes, but I’m also not in a hurry to get there.
“Yeah. It’s complicated, but—”
Before she can say anything, I hear a shout from the front of the gym that gets everyone’s attention.