Chapter 19
nineteen
. . .
Romeo
Holy.
Shit.
I’ve had some good sex in my life. Fantastic sex, even.
But this. This was next level. This connection.
This girl.
Her body. Her mouth. Her eyes. Her pussy. Her laugh. Her voice.
I loved it all.
I always assumed I wasn’t meant to love anyone outside of my family and my friends. I kept my circle small intentionally.
I didn’t trust easily.
I just didn’t know that I was capable of feeling this way about another person.
The women I dated in the past had said I was cold and closed off—and they were right.
Because I hadn’t been with the right fucking woman.
Until now.
I held her against my chest until our breathing slowed.
“Is it bad for you to have a lot of sex when you’re training so hard?”
I chuckled and kissed the top of her head before sliding out of her and moving to my feet to dispose of the condom in the bathroom.
“I probably shouldn’t have sex the night before the fight, but it’s not an issue doing it every day until then.” I stopped to stand in front of her, and my eyes raked over her gorgeous body. I wanted to memorize every lean muscle and curve.
She patted her bed for me to lie beside her, and she settled her head on my chest. “Good to know. I think we need to do that as often as possible. Like, I could make that my full-time job.” I could hear the humor in her voice, and I tipped her chin up to kiss her.
“I wouldn’t argue with that. Sell the coffeehouse and just stay naked in bed, waiting for me to ravish you every day? Sign me up.”
My fingers ran down her arm. Her skin was so soft, her body so feminine. I’d never laid eyes on anyone more beautiful.
And completely unassuming, which made her even more attractive.
If that were even possible.
“I want to go to your fight,” she said, completely out of nowhere.
I traced along her dainty fingers before wrapping her up a little tighter in my arms. “Where’d that come from?”
“I think about it, you know? About seeing you out there. I’m nervous to see you get hit because I’ll want to dive into the ring and help you.
And kick his ass if he lays a hand on you.
Which, obviously, it’s a fight, so that’s inevitable.
You’ll have to take some punches, and that worries me. But I want to be there for you.”
“Wow, you really have been thinking about this,” I chuckled.
“I’ll be honest with you because I want you to know what it’s like.
He’s a badass fighter, Demi. And I’m going to put up the best fight I can, but I’m not favored in any of the odds to win this fight.
They want someone who can go a few rounds with him and put on a good show.
And if seeing me get hit a shit ton of times is going to upset you, I think you should stay home.
Or you can wait at the hotel for me, too. ”
“I don’t want you to get hit,” she said, pressing her elbows to my chest so she could look at me.
“It’s a fight. Escaping without a hit is not an option. I’m just hoping I put up a good fight and hurt him a little, too.”
“I know you said people have been distracting you on your runs, and it can get frustrating.”
“Yeah, I think everyone is just reacting to all the hype from Leo, you know?”
“I know I mentioned it before, but my family has a lot of land, and it’s right on the lake.
There are trails, and it’s really peaceful.
” She held her finger to my lips when I started to interrupt because I was not going to be running on her father’s property.
The asshole would probably shoot me for trespassing.
“My dad isn’t even staying at home right now.
My mom feels horrible about what happened, and so does Gramps.
My grandparents’ home backs up to my parents’ property line, so there is a lot of open space.
You are welcome there, Romeo. And I want them to know you because they’re going to love you just like I do. ”
“If your father doesn’t accidentally shoot me for corrupting his daughter and outing his dark secrets.”
“Well, he’d have to get past me. You wouldn’t be alone,” she said with a laugh. “I’d be riding Teacup. She’s an older Arabian horse, so she’s not as fast as she used to be, but she can definitely outrun you.”
I chuckled. “I’ll think about it.”
“Okay. Let’s get some sleep for now. You’ve got an early workout, and I’ve got to get to work early tomorrow because I missed a few hours today.”
“How are you feeling about everything? You haven’t said much. It can’t be easy hearing your dad admit to everything.”
“I don’t know how I feel. Sad about what he did. Relieved that he owned it. Hopeful that maybe we can all move forward now that it’s out there. He can’t take back what he did, but he can try to do better moving forward.”
She was so honest and positive and full of hope.
I doubted her dad would be anxious to make amends. He wasn’t mad at himself for what he did; he was mad that he’d been caught.
But Demi didn’t see the world as the jaded place that I did.
And I wouldn’t tarnish it for her.
I wouldn’t try to change one hair on her gorgeous head.
“One day at a time, all right?”
I worried about the fact that some fucker who’d attacked her was still out there. There was no restraining order and nothing keeping him from coming around.
And then we had her brother, who was an addict and had already broken into her shop once before, and that dude was dangerous in his own right.
Her father had admitted what he did, but who the hell knew what he was going to do in response or if he’d choose to retaliate or come after me for telling her what he’d done. I didn’t have one doubt in my mind that he wouldn’t want me with his daughter.
But I wasn’t going anywhere.
I’d just have to prepare to battle a lot more people than I’d planned on.
I was training hard for my fight with Leo, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t be the worst coming my way.
Leo was at it again. He’d been interviewed on a national sports station, and he’d basically guaranteed that he’d knock me out in round one. He offered me an additional million dollars if I could go three rounds, and he offered up his entire purse if I could go the entire twelve rounds with him.
I didn’t know how much money Leo had, but throwing around millions of dollars when you didn’t have to was stupid where I came from.
The guys were all here, eating pizza and salad. My body ached from my run this morning and the beating I’d taken last night, sparring with four different guys with one arm tied behind my back to make it more challenging. I’d taken more body shots than anyone should take in one sitting.
But it was all for the greater good.
Joey had decided I needed an afternoon off after getting worked over last night and then running hard this morning.
“Let him run his mouth. It works in your favor. He’s such a cocky piece of shit,” River said, reaching for another slice of pepperoni.
“Agreed. Why in the fuck would you offer someone millions of dollars when you don’t have to? You already agreed to fight the dude. Just show up and fight, asshole,” Hayes hissed.
“Listen, I think it’s great. The entire town is wearing Golden Boy gear, and there’s a goddamn mural of you painted on the side of The Golden Goose. His bullying ass is fueling everyone in Magnolia Falls to rally behind you,” Kingston said over a mouthful of food.
“I saw a bunch of people interviewed on some morning show, and they were all rooting for you to kick his ass. I think you’ve got more than this town supporting you.
Hell, the whole country is talking about this fight,” Nash said.
“And for the record, Cutler made me buy seven fucking T-shirts with your name on them so he could wear one every day of the week.”
“That’s Beefcake to you,” I said over my laughter.
“Listen, the guy can fight. And I don’t even know what to expect when I get in that ring.
I mean, I hope like hell I can last more than one round.
But I’ve never fought anyone like Leo before, so I don’t have a fucking clue.
All I can do is work hard and leave it all out there. ”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You were the kid in the back alley who fought off three dudes way bigger than you when you were young. He can talk all he wants, but you’re going to put up a damn good fight, Romeo. I don’t have one doubt about that.” Kingston reached for his drink.
“Well, good, because I think I’ve got enough doubts running through my mind for all of us.
” I leaned back against the couch. All this talk and coverage on the news was getting to me.
I’d only done one interview with Brinkley, and Joey had convinced me to do an interview next week with a national news channel that would be traveling to Magnolia Falls to meet me. I wasn’t looking forward to it.
“You going to let Beans go to the fight? I saw the way she looked last night when you were in the ring with those guys.” River leaned forward, arms resting on his knees. I loved that they all called her by her nickname now. They’d welcomed her into the fold like she’s always been one of us.
“You mean when Joey let them beat the shit out of him? I don’t get that. You had your goddamn arm tied behind your back,” Kingston said. “I noticed Demi’s eyes were welling up with tears; that’s why I got her out of there. But if I’m being honest, I felt like I was going to lose it, too.”
Everyone chuckled at that. Kingston was a teddy bear beneath his gruff exterior.
“Yeah, Nash had to stop me because I was about ready to climb in there and start throwing some punches. It’s instinct, I guess.” River shrugged. “But we’ve all seen you fight before. She hasn’t. You think she’s up for it, dude?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t think she should go, but she’s stubborn as shit. I told her not to come last night, and she came right through the back door anyway.”
“Is she still not talking to her father?” Nash asked.