CHAPTER FOUR
BLAIR
T he morning light filters through the blinds. I’m still in bed, my legs tangled in the sheets, my phone pressed against my ear. I should have been up and getting around by now, but I can’t bring myself to leave my little space of safety.
Since my dad died, things for me have been different.
Something switched in my mom, and she became a complete helicopter.
When we moved to Saint Bipal, though, the reins loosened.
She didn’t constantly ask where I was or try to keep me on some unrealistic schedule.
Instead, she encouraged me to go out, make friends, and experience things.
It was like whatever worry she may have had disappeared. Being here, she felt free, or maybe the grief just wasn’t as bad.
And I feel the past three months, that’s exactly what I’m doing—living life and trying to not let the hurt hurt as bad. Sure, I can be a little reckless—the fighter from last night proves that—but God does it feel good to be in control again. Control of myself and what I want to do.
He was hot. All stiff muscles and fucking arrogance.
Dark hair tousled almost perfectly like he meant to do it that way.
And his eyes… fuck. They were so blue and so intense.
And the way he moved in and out of the ring with a permanent predatory gaze, like no matter what he set his sights on, he would get.
He was strong and broody and so damn intriguing.
The thought of Shay—that’s what the announcer said his name was—has me clenching my knees together, and I know that alone can only mean one thing.
He’s trouble. His attitude should have told me that already, but something about him drew me in.
He seemed so open and willing to kiss me and even go further if I would have allowed it, but nothing else. He’s closed off and cold.
Everything that happened happened fast. And then, when I left…
he looked so confused and almost hurt? Or maybe that was just his ego.
When I made it to the car, I was running on autopilot.
Drove home, took a cold shower, then crawled into bed.
I’d like to say I slept, but I didn’t. Hence why I’m still lying here, listening to Hannah bitch about the cousins who made her miss last night.
“Well, tell me how it went. Did you survive the night?” Hannah’s voice cuts through my thoughts and drags me back to reality.
“Barely…” I reply, staring at the ceiling. “It was intense. The crowd, the fight. Everything. It was like being in a different world.”
Hannah laughs. “Told you it’s wild. But you did good, right?”
“I guess. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Pretty simple. I guess the adrenaline kind of takes over after a while.”
“I know what you mean. It’s honestly the best part,” she giggles. “So, are you hooked yet?”
“Not yet,” I say, a smile tugging at my lips. “But there was something. I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.”
“I get it. It’s a rush, right?”
“Yeah,” I admit, the feeling of last night still buzzing under my skin. “But it wasn’t just the fight. There was this guy…”
Hannah’s voice rises an octave. “Oh?”
I hesitate because although I feel Hannah and I have become decent friends within these last few months, everyone always gets weird when I tell them I’m a virgin. And if I give her all the juicy details, I know she’ll ask why I stopped.
“His name is Shay. He was one of the fighters last night. We didn’t really talk, but there was something between us. Like this weird tension.”
There’s a pause on the other end for a few beats. “Shay Cornell?”
“Yeah…”
“Oh, babe. Don’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“Listen, normally I say ‘do what you gotta do, and do who you want to do,’ but not Shay. He’s a self-righteous prick with a chip on his shoulder since his mom died. Like, don’t get me wrong, he’s hot as fuck, but his demons aren’t worth the trouble.”
I laugh. “Do what you gotta do, and do who you want to do?”
“Yeah. Fucking YOLO or whatever.” Her voice is serious.
“Well, don’t worry. There will be no doing on my part. We stopped before it went there.”
She pauses again. “What do you mean stopped before you got there? Is that all I get? No details?”
I sigh. “He damn near ran me over getting out of the ring, so I said something. When he ignored me, it pissed me off, and I followed him to the locker room?—”
“Not the locker room.” I can hear the smile in her voice.
“When I got in there, we exchanged some words, then he kissed me. Or I kissed him? I don’t even know. I feel it just… happened.”
“Nothing just happens with Shay Cornell. He’s a calculated motherfucker, Blair. I guarantee he wanted you to follow him.”
“Regardless, maybe I wanted to follow him too. Like, the thought of being with someone so dangerous—someone I watched just beat the brakes off another guy—it…”
“Turned you on?”
“I was going to say excite me,” I laugh.
“Same thing. Why did it stop at a kiss, though? Shay always follows through.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you aren’t the first girl he’s lured to the locker room after a fight.” I can practically picture her brows rising as she stares at me through her lashes the way she always does when she’s being serious.
I groan. “Great.”
“Shit happens. But back to the story…”
I roll my eyes. “That’s it. We made out a bit, he pushed me up against the wall, ran his hands under my shirt for a second, but then someone walked in. And when they walked in, I pushed him away and walked out.”
“Damn, cockblock.”
“I was actually thankful. When we kissed, I was ready to go as far as he would. I was in, like, a haze, but when I heard the door, all of that went away, and I realized I couldn’t follow through. I don’t think I’m ready.”
“Don’t think you’re ready? For what, a one-night stand?”
“I swear if you get weird, I’m blocking you and never talking to you again.”
She doesn’t say anything, just breathes quietly on the other end.
“I’m a virgin.”
“Oh. I don’t know what I was thinking, but that wasn’t it,” she laughs. “So you haven’t been dicked down yet—it isn’t a big deal. It’ll happen when it happens, but I have to admit I’m glad it didn’t happen with Shay. You deserve better than him.”
“Is he really that bad?”
“Do I really have to answer that? You met him—I’m sure you can pick it up.”
“I guess. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just questioning shit because that kiss was…”
“I swear if you say magical, I’ll be the one blocking you.”
I laugh out loud. “Whatever. It was something, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just don’t get too tangled up in it. Shay is bad news. He’s cool or whatever, but the moment you let him think he can control you with his dick, it’s over. Just be careful, okay?”
“Okay, Mom ,” I quip sarcastically. “We’ll catch up more later. I need to peel myself out of bed.”
“Later, sweet cheeks!”
I disconnect the call and throw my phone on the bed somewhere beside me, then pull the sheets up over my head.
“Well, good morning.” I hear my mom’s voice sound out from the direction of the door.
“ Ugh ! I just want to sleep.”
The sheet tugs from my face, and my mom stares down at me with a smile. “Sleep tomorrow. I have some exciting news I want to tell you over dinner.”
I level my eyes with her blue ones. “Mom, it’s like 10:00 a.m. I think I have a while to sleep before dinner,” I laugh.
She shrugs and drops the corner of the sheet she’s been holding. “Fair, but this isn’t a typical dinner. We’re going to head to the Clear View Country Club, so look your best. Maybe wear your hair up. You know I love it up.”
I tilt my head. “A country club? What’s going on?”
Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t poor, but we aren’t really wealthy either. We’re comfortable, that’s it.
She smiles. “Don’t ask questions. You’ll see.”
She’s been this way since Dad died—elusive, mysterious, weird—so this isn’t odd behavior, but it still has me scratching my head, wondering what the fuck is going on.
I don’t get a chance to ask any more questions before she floats back out of my room and down the hall.
So much for catching some more z’s. Guess I better start picking out my outfit and taming my hair now.