Chapter 9
nine
. . .
Romeo
“You look worn out,” River said, as he tossed me a sub sandwich before passing Kingston and Hayes theirs.
“Thanks, Dad.” I made no attempt to hide my sarcasm. Obviously, I was tired. I was two weeks into a grueling training routine, and I had a long way to go.
Kingston fell back against the couch in laughter. “Nothing like training season to put Romeo in a foul-ass mood.”
“He’s puking more than he’s keeping down; that’s why he feels like shit.” Hayes shrugged as if he were a fucking doctor. “You’re pushing too hard, brother.”
“No shit. That’s what happens when you train for a fight.”
“Maybe you’re going a little too hard right out of the gate. You’re not going to make it if you’re depleted nutritionally.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? It’s the biggest fight of my life. There’s no backing down. My body will adjust to the training,” I said, leaning back against the couch and chewing slowly.
I didn’t miss the look that passed between them, but I didn’t have the energy to dissect it. I had a second workout with Joey in an hour and a half, so I’d need to rally.
The door swung open, and in walked Nash, with Cutler a few steps ahead of him.
“Hey, Cutler. Give me some.” River held his hand up, and Cutler jumped up and slapped it hard.
Little Dude was a badass, and he wasn’t even six years old yet.
“My name’s not Cutler anymore.” He paused, looking between each of us, and his gaze stopped on me. “Why does Uncle Ro look like that?”
Jesus. Even Cutler is on my ass now?
“Uncle Romeo is stubborn, and he’s running himself into the ground, but he doesn’t want to listen to anyone. Apparently, he prefers to suffer,” Kingston said over a mouthful of food. “Tell us what you decided your name should be.”
Nash groaned and shook his head, and I leaned forward because, for the first time today, I was looking forward to something other than puking in the back alley after my run.
The little dude had been claiming for months that he didn’t think his name should be Cutler. He’d run all sorts of names by us, and then he’d follow it up by saying that none of them were quite right.
But he looked really happy with himself, and I was here for it. The fact that Nash looked tortured by the choice made it even better.
“Let’s hear it,” I said.
He wore a white tee, a pair of dark jeans, and a black leather coat. The kid had more swagger than all of us put together. He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. “From now on, you can call me Beefcake.”
Kingston spewed the soda that he’d just swigged across the coffee table. Hayes had an unusually wide grin on his face for a guy who rarely smiled, and River looked between Cutler and his dad with a wicked smirk on his face.
“Yes. I think Beefcake works.” River held his hand up again and high-fived Little Dude again.
“You guys are not helping,” Nash said, as he took the last two sandwiches on the table and motioned for his son to take a seat on the stool that we kept in my office for him.
“Beefcake is cool, Little Dude. I like it,” Kingston smirked.
“What do you think, Uncle Ro? Beefcake sounds like a fighter’s name, right?”
I ran my hand over the top of his hair and tried not to chuckle because the kid had so much gel in his slicked-back hair that I was afraid it would break in half if I pressed too hard.
“I like it, buddy. Or should I say, Beefcake? It’s a cool name, and you’re definitely the best fighter I know.” I’ve been training him a little bit. He wanted to know how to punch a bag, and he liked to get into the ring and dance around.
I’ve never thought about having kids or a family of my own, but Cutler was the kind of kid you’d change your ways for. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him.
“See, Pops? The guys love it.”
I raised a brow at the new term of endearment he was calling Nash, and everyone tried to hide their smiles.
“Yeah. I’m ‘Pops’ now. Apparently, the name ‘Dad’ isn’t cool enough.” Nash rolled his eyes before taking a bite of his sandwich.
“Pops has an attitude. Am I right, Beefcake?” Kingston said, and Nash flipped him the bird when Cutler turned his attention to the door that had just swung open.
“Hey, Romeo. You’ve got a visitor, and I didn’t want to send her away because she brought you something,” Pinky said.
I sat forward and set my sandwich down, just as Demi Crawford stepped through the door with a bag in her hand.
My shoulders stiffened because she was walking into a rough crowd, and I had no idea what she was doing here.
Yes, I’d filled the guys in on what had happened that night I found her with her door shattered after her brother had broken in.
We didn’t have secrets and they hadn’t pressed when I told them I had to offer her a place to stay.
They’d all have done the same thing, aside from River who said she had enough money to go to a hotel.
“Hey,” she said, not hiding her discomfort when she realized I wasn’t alone.
I glanced over at River, wondering if he’d be a dick and I’d have to step in.
But he just sat there, staring at her like the rest of them did.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just, um, I wanted to run something by you. ”
“Wow. You’re really pretty. What’s your name?” Cutler pushed to his feet and walked over to her.
This fucking kid.
Like I said, the little dude had more swagger than all of us put together.
She smiled down at him. “My name is Demi. What’s your name?”
“You can call me Beefcake.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Nash said under his breath, but I heard him.
She didn’t even flinch. “Nice to meet you, Beefcake.”
“You want to share my sandwich with me?” Cutler asked as he gaped at her.
I pushed to my feet because I could feel her discomfort, and everyone was just staring at her and wondering what the fuck she was doing there.
“That’s so sweet of you, but I’m okay. I need to get back to the coffee shop.”
“Oh, Pops worked on the coffee shop with Uncle King. That was for you?” Cutler asked. The kid didn’t miss a beat.
“Yeah. That was for me.” Her green gaze searched mine, and I could tell she was anxious to get out of there. She held her hand up and waved uncomfortably as they all continued to stare.
“What did you need?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder to see River looking between us. Nash called Cutler over to finish eating, and I turned my back to the guys.
“I, um, I noticed you were getting sick again in the alley when I took out the trash this morning, and I just thought I’d drop these off.”
“What are they?” River asked, and I closed my eyes for a second because he’d think there was more going on here than there was. I’ve avoided her since seeing her at Whiskey Falls bar when I wanted to beat the shit out of Blane Johnson.
“They’re protein shakes. When you’re training hard, it helps to supplement in between your actual food meals. So, you can incorporate post-workout protein supplements,” she said, before clearing her throat.
“That was nice of you, Demi,” Kingston said from behind me. “Our boy isn’t keeping much down with these workouts he’s doing.”
“I’m fine. I’ll try them,” I grumped. I didn’t want her here, knowing how River felt about her. How we all felt about her last name. Her family.
But I’d come to realize that I didn’t hate Demi Crawford the way I pretended I did.
Hell, I’d gotten off to her in the shower too many times to count, and this morning was no different.
So, I’d been keeping my distance for a reason.
I’d never act on this attraction, but it didn’t mean I didn’t want to.
It didn’t mean it didn’t exist.
Because it did.
But it couldn’t go anywhere.
But if River was a dick to her, I wouldn’t allow it. And I didn’t feel like getting into a fight with him at the moment. “How much do I owe you?”
“I was actually going to see if we could work out a trade.” She shrugged, and my gaze ran down the length of her, taking in her black leggings and fitted sweater. Her body was tight and lean, her tits small and perky, and my mouth watered at the thought of tasting her.
Good Christ.
I was clearly over-training because I’d been exhausted two minutes ago, and now here I was, finally hungry for something.
Something that I couldn’t have.
There were lines you didn’t cross.
Loyalties you stayed true to.
These guys were my family.
Ride or die.
Helping her out when she was in trouble that night was one thing. But anything more than that would never work.
She was a fucking Crawford.
Magnolia Falls royalty.
I was getting ready to get into the ring so that another idiot and I could bash one another’s heads in.
Demi and I were from two different worlds, and we needed to keep it that way.
“Like I told you, I don’t need charity. I’m happy to pay for them.”
I saw River move in my peripheral vision, and he walked over to stand beside me. “Don’t be rude, Romeo. Hear her out. What’s the trade?”
Her gaze bounced between us, and she did that thing I noticed her do every time I was around her.
She pushed her shoulders back, lifted her chin up, and locked her gaze with his.
Almost like she’d practiced standing up for herself so many times and had to consciously remind herself not to back down.
“I’d like to take some self-defense lessons. I wanted to see if you had anyone here at the gym who could train me?”
“Did someone fucking touch you?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, and River raised a brow as he looked at me.
I was clearly concerned about her, and I’d just shown my hand.
“What? No. I just think with the gym being next door, it wouldn’t hurt to know how to fight if I needed to.”
“Do Crawfords ever get their fucking hands dirty?” River asked, and I shifted forward the slightest bit, because if he said anything more to her, I’d end the conversation right there.
He had his reasons for being angry. We both did. But they had nothing to do with her.
She didn’t even flinch. “Hmmm… let’s see. I helped with the demo at the coffee shop, and I chopped a whole lot of vegetables to make these shakes, so I’d say yes. This Crawford gets her hands fucking dirty when she needs to.”
A whistle came from behind me, and I turned around to see Kingston falling back on the couch in a fit of laughter. Nash was smiling at her with his hands over Cutler’s ears, and Hayes was just taking it all in.
“All right, then. Sounds like this girl needs some boxing lessons, Romeo.” River extended his hand to her. “Maybe you can get this guy in shape for the fight.”
She smiled as she shook his hand, and then she handed me the bag. “Drink one now before your next workout, and then drink one right after your afternoon workout.”
“All right. I’ll see if Pinky can train you,” I said as I took the bag from her hand, and my fingers grazed hers.
And fuck me if I didn’t get hard just from the slight contact.
Having an erection would not help my afternoon workout, so I needed her to leave.
“I’ll let you know. Thanks for the drinks. ”
“Yeah, sure.” She took a step back, her gaze moving to River, who was still watching her. “See you guys later.”
“Goodbye, Demi.” Cutler jumped up and hurried over to the door to open it for her.
This fucking kid was out of control, and I wouldn’t change a goddamn thing.
“Bye, Beefcake. I hope I see you again soon.” She smiled so wide that my fucking chest squeezed. Damn, maybe I was getting sick. Maybe the guys were right, and I was training too hard and not eating enough to support it. But I just stood there, staring at her.
“Oh, you will see me again,” Cutler said as she stepped out the door, and he closed it behind her. “I think I’m going to marry her someday.”
Everyone laughed, aside from River, who was watching me now. “I think you might have to get in line to do that, Little Dude.”
I flipped him the bird and set the bag down before pulling out one of the drinks she made and walking back to the couch.
I unscrewed the top off the plastic bottle and took a long pull. It didn’t taste great, but I downed the whole thing in two sips and then rested back against the cushion.
“What’s the story there?” Hayes asked.
“No story.” I closed my eyes because I was fucking tired.
“Earmuffs, Beefcake,” River said, which was code for Cutler to cover his ears. “Open your goddamn eyes and stop being a pussy.”
I opened my eyes and raised a brow. “Dude, I don’t have the energy to do this with you. Nothing is going on.”
“Listen, she’s not like the rest of her family. I can see that. But you don’t need to lie to me either. These two fuckers had no problem working for her and telling me how nice she was. Why are you being so weird about it?” he smirked.
Yeah, that’s because they weren’t thinking about the same shit that I was thinking about when it came to Demi.
“I think we all know why,” Kingston said. “You like her.”
“At least Beefcake has the balls to admit it,” River said over his laughter.
“She’s fine. I don’t even know her that well. Nothing’s going on, if that’s what you think.”
“I think we all noticed the way you looked at her the other night at the bar. I saw the way you ran out of there right after she left. And let’s not forget the night you rescued her after her break-in and let her sleep at your place,” River said.
“She slept on Cutler’s bed.”
“Hey. It’s Beefcake,” Cutler said, looking at me like I’d just shot him in the heart.
“Sorry. Won’t happen again.”
“Do you have a problem with it?” Hayes asked, directing his question toward River.
“Listen, that family is toxic in my eyes. They had no problem doing what they did to me and Romeo. But I agree; she doesn’t seem like the rest of them. She probably doesn’t even know what happened back then.”
“But…” Hayes said, raising a brow because we all knew it was coming.
“But I’m telling you, her parents won’t be cool with her dating anyone that isn’t rich like them. So, if you want to go for it, that’s your choice. They fucked you over once, and they’ll do it again. But I’ll be there when they try to run you off because I’ve got your back. Got it?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. Is. Going. On.”
“But you want it to be, don’t you?” Kingston teased.
I flipped him the bird just as Cutler spoke up.
“I call first dibs on the girl.”
And the room erupted into laughter.
But my gaze locked with River, and he knew exactly how I felt.
But acting on it was a whole different story.
Because he was right. Her world and my world didn’t mix.
And right now, I needed to focus on my fight.
There was no room for distractions.
And Demi Crawford was one big distraction.