Blow (TKO #3) (9 page)

Chapter 17

Tamilyn

After three glasses of wine, I’m already feeling a little mushy. It’s probably good that Austin is here and not Ruston, or I wouldn’t be able to keep my damn hands off him and then we’d make yet another
mistake
.

Austin grabs the bottle of wine from my hand before I can pour another glass. “Hey, you may want to slow down there. This stuff will knock you on your ass.” He laughs a little as he places the cork back inside.

“That’s the point.” I grin as I down the last little bit sitting in the bottom of my glass.

“Didn’t you say you were going to show me those pictures from the fight?”

“Hell yeah.” I had almost forgotten. “I have some prints you can have to bring to the gym with you.” The envelope with the pictures sits on the coffee table in the living room. I hurry and grab them, ready to show off my good work. I’m very proud of these. The action shots made some pretty epic prints.

I thrust the envelope in his direction and he pulls the set out. His eyes widen to match the grin on his face as he goes through the prints. “Holy shit, these are fucking awesome, Tamilyn. Lance and Howard are going to love these.”

“I hope so. I’ve never done pictures like that before so I was thrilled with how they turned out.”

He continues to grin as he flips through the last one. He slides them back in the envelope and sets it on the kitchen table. “I can’t wait to show these to them.”

I grin. I’m proud of my work, and seeing how excited Austin is to see them makes me happier. That’s part of what makes my job worthwhile, seeing the reactions on people’s faces when they see the magic I captured through the lens.

“Are you hungry? I was going to say we could go get something, but how about we order a pizza and just hang out?” he asks, changing the subject.

I look at him and wonder what the hell is wrong with me. He’s being genuine. He’s stopping me from becoming a complete drunk too early in the evening and he wants to get us food. Here I am thinking constantly about his cousin.

“I do love pizza, but there’s this sandwich place not far from here that delivers, so that’s good too. I have a menu in this drawer over here.” I brush past him to get to the drawer and confusion attempts to wash over me.

Did I just feel a spark when we touched?
It’s probably the wine, Tamilyn.

I think Austin felt it too, though, because he just stops. I have no clue what he was getting ready to say but it must not have been too important. I pull the drawer open and see what I’m looking for sitting on top. I grab the piece of paper and hand it to him. His hand brushes against mine as he grabs the menu.

Good thing I didn’t pour that next glass of wine, or I may have just jumped his bones and we wouldn’t be ordering dinner.
My God, did I just think that? I could slap my hand across my mouth right now. Drunk Tamilyn is not my friend. I’m more honest with myself right now, and in this moment I realize I couldn’t pick between Ruston and Austin if I tried. I like both of them. What a fucking mess.

Austin doesn’t realize that I’m standing off to the side practically carrying a conversation with myself, thank God. He’s intently staring at the menu and his head pops up. “This looks really good. What do you normally get?”

“I, uh, I normally get the club wrap. It’s one of the healthier things on their menu, but it’s really good.”

He gapes, and he almost laughs but he doesn’t. “Tamilyn, I’m buying dinner. I know girls like to eat healthy and all that shit, but you’re gorgeous. You have a rocking body. Eat a real sandwich. Come on, live a little.”

My face flushes. His brutal honesty has me squirming in my skin but it feels good. “Okay, um, just get me whatever you’re getting then.”

“That’s my girl.” He grins as he points at the Philly cheesesteak. I can handle that. I nod as he grabs his phone and calls the order in.

He turns his back to order and then places the menu back in the drawer. I notice the muscles in his back as he makes all these little movements and my legs move on their own closer to him. So close that when he turns around, our chests bump. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I mutter.

He brushes my cheek with his fingers and he lifts my face to meet his. “Are you? I could swear you did that on purpose.”

“I, uh…” I can’t even speak before his lips crash against mine. The taste of his kiss mixed with the wine on my breath is intoxicating and my body feels as though it’s floating on clouds. Or maybe that’s because when I open my eyes, I’m sitting on the counter instead of having my feet on the floor. I didn’t even realize he picked me up but now that I stop to collect my thoughts, I can feel the cool touch of the counter on the backs of my thighs.

“You’re so beautiful,” he says, breaking the kiss. I can’t even catch my breath right now to say anything back. We’ve kissed before but never anything as mind-blowing as this. When my words fail to exit my mouth, he leans in again, and my arms wrap around his neck. He places a hand on my bare thigh and I shudder. This is what I get for wearing shorts today. His fingers travel up to the hem on the leg of my shorts and I squirm. These shorts tend to ride up when I sit so the hem is so close to where I’m aching the most for him, and he knows it.

He continues sliding his finger inside the fabric. My panties are beginning to moisten and he’s about to find out just how moist they are. When he touches the fabric, he moans, “Oh fuck.” All he needs to do is slide the fabric over and he does just that. It’s my turn to moan and it comes out a little louder than I anticipated. “You feel fucking amazing,” he whispers into my ear.

He dips his finger into me and I toss my head back as my hips thrust toward him. My eyes are closed. I’m lost in this moment. He continues to finger me, making his movements quicker. My arms move from his neck to around his waist. His lips crash back on mine and all I can do is moan into his kiss. My orgasm is building, my insides are tightening, and I’m so close. I open my eyes briefly before closing them again. When I close them, though, all I can see is Ruston and there goes my orgasm.

Fuck
. For the first time in my life, I fake an orgasm. I pretend to ride out the waves of euphoria that should be crashing around my insides and pray that if we get this chance again, my head will be on straight.

“That was amazing.” I’m not lying. It was amazing. I just couldn’t fucking orgasm.

“You’re pretty amazing. I’m sorry. That happened so fast. I just couldn’t help myself.” He steps back for a moment.

“No. Don’t be sorry, Austin. There’s absolutely nothing to be sorry about.”

“You sure, Tam?” he asks sincerely. Shit, why is he so nice? What happened to the bad boy?

“I swear.” I smile. He helps me off the counter, and I chuckle. “I’ll wipe this off before our dinner gets here.”

“I’ll help you.” He opens the cabinet underneath the sink, grabs the spray cleaner and a paper towel. I think he’s going to hand it to me but he doesn’t. He cleans the whole thing himself.

My mouth gapes. I’m in the process of trying to fight off the guilt. How in the hell could I have thought about Ruston in a moment like that?

Oh, maybe because we drunkenly slept together and it was amazing
. I head into the bathroom. I never lock the bathroom door behind me, but I do today. I need to catch my breath and I need to think for a moment without him standing there looking so gorgeous.

When I finish in the bathroom, I sit on the floor, leaning against the wall. Ruston made it clear what he wants from me, so why can’t I just erase him as quickly as he erased me? I feel around all my pockets for my phone but I remember it’s not in there. I wanted to try to text him. Yeah, I can try all I want, but it doesn’t mean he’s going to text back.

I climb up off the floor and flush the toilet. As I emerge, the smell of bread and cheese steaks hits my nose. As I walk into the kitchen, my stomach growls. I’m so glad I suggested sandwiches. Austin has the table set up with our sandwiches and a beer for himself. I’ve decided I’m done with the wine for tonight, so I fix myself a glass of tea. I stop and stare at the sandwich before I bite into it. Austin raises his eyebrow and eventually tells me just to take a bite. When I do, it’s amazing. I eat the entire sandwich and I’m so full afterward.

We clean up our mess together before I ask him if he wants to watch a movie. I’m actually having a good time with him, just relaxing, and I’m not ready for him to leave. He picks out a movie on TV and I snuggle against his side as it begins. I don’t know how it ended, because somewhere between the beginning and the middle, my eyes closed.

***

Bright lights. Christ, did Austin wake up and turn all the lights on? When I open my eyes, I realize it’s morning sunlight, not the lights in my house. I sit up and realize Austin isn’t here anymore. Did he leave? Oh hell, I’m a terrible host. I just fell asleep on him. I need to check my calendar to find out what day it is, and while I’m examining it, he emerges from the bathroom.

“I didn’t know you were still here.” I startle. “I’m sorry I fell asleep.”

“Don’t be sorry. I fell asleep too. You have a very comfortable couch, by the way.” He smirks.

“Yeah, I should have known the minute we both sat down we’d pass out. We didn’t even really get to talk or anything.”

“I know, because I wanted to tell you something pretty fucking awesome.” I raise my eyebrow. “Howard at the gym asked if I am ready to fight in the ring. The guy whose girl had the baby, he’s taking a few more days off and there’s a fight coming up.”

My eyes widen as the smile spreads across my face. “That’s really awesome, Austin! You should have told me this sooner. I want to be there.”

“I want you there too. When I get all the details, I’ll let you know. I hate to just run out on you, but I have to get to the gym.” He leans in and softly kisses my lips. My fingers roam upward to where his lips just were. It’s funny, but I don’t feel that electricity I felt last night. Maybe I’m just not awake enough yet.

“I’ll talk to you later.” I walk him to the door. His gaze lingers on mine for a moment before he leaves. The first thing I do is lock my door and go grab my phone.

The first thing I see is a message from Ruston that was sent mere minutes ago. My eyes almost cross as I make sure I’m reading this right, because last I heard, he never wanted to see me again. I should just delete these messages. I’m sure he sent them by accident or something, but being the fool I am, I open them.

That was quick Tammy Lou, even for you. You’re fucking him aren’t you? I know he stayed there.

Irritated, I reply quickly.

Excuse me? He fell asleep on the couch Ruston and nothing happened.

You’re a terrible liar. I just hope you’re happy.

I retort.

I’m not, but is that what you want to hear?

I know my cousin and I know you. You don’t have to lie to me.

You said you were done with me, what do you want?

I really want to know.

I want nothing from you. While you were fucking him, I got my dick sucked so maybe we’re even.

You’re a fucking asshole.

You made me this way.

I throw my phone down and scream in the quietness of my apartment. Why is he doing this to me? I don’t care what the hell he does in his spare time but this jealousy has just gotten worse than it was in the beginning. Maybe I should have just screwed the hell out of Austin. Maybe that would have made this a little bit more bearable, because then Ruston would have assumed the truth.

Chapter 18

Austin

I pull up at Lou’s and stare at the spot where Ruston’s truck should be. I figured he would have texted me last night or this morning when I didn’t come home, but I haven’t heard from him. I’m beginning to feel a little awkward, but I’m sure he’s just busy. I shrug it off and grab the envelope of pictures off my seat. I can’t wait to show these to Lance and Howard. Tamilyn caught some amazing shots. I still can’t believe how fucking awesome they turned out. Howard may want to bring her around the fights from now on.

Inside, I wave Lance toward me as I make a beeline for the office. Howard is sitting in his chair sorting through some papers laid out on the desk. He sets his work down when he sees Lance. “What’s going on?”

“Well, remember I told you how Tamilyn took some photos of Lance’s last fight? She got some prints and gave them to me last night. These are pretty fucking epic.”

I hand over the envelope to Howard, and Lance darts over to his side like a little kid. “Open them faster, I want to see!”

Howard stops and glances at him. “Maybe we should look at these later.”

Lance pouts, and Howard’s laughter bellows throughout the small office. “I’m kidding. I want to see these just as bad as you do.” Howard pulls the prints out and his eyes widen. “Holy hell, Lance, look at these.”

I watch with pure satisfaction as they hover over the pictures,
oohing
and
ahhing
at each one. “I’m completely photogenic. I’m the damn beauty queen of Lou’s. Howard, you better frame at least some of these.”

“I damn well plan on it. Listen, Austin, the fight I asked you about yesterday, it’s at the end of the week, Friday to be exact. Do you think she would come and take some more pictures? I’ll double whatever she makes for a typical session if she’s in.”

“Let me text her real quick and make sure she doesn’t have plans. I am almost one hundred percent positive that she’ll do it.”

I tap her name and type as fast as I can. I’m beyond excited for this.

Hey, they love the photos. So much that Howard wants to know if you’ll take pictures at the fights this Friday. He’ll pay you double what you charge.

She replies almost immediately. I’m glad because I am anxious to hear her response.

Of course I’ll take them and he doesn’t have to pay me anything, I promise.

You’re the best.

I look up at Howard, grinning ear to ear. “She said she’ll take them free of charge.”

“I can’t wait for Friday now.” Lance grins. “I fight again, so she’ll get some more good shots.”

“Make sure you wear your lipstick and eyeliner,” Howard jokes. “Austin, tell her thanks again for this. Now, you two get out there and practice. We’ve got some fights coming up.”

I nod and walk out of the office with Lance right behind me. “Garrett is going to be so excited about this. I can’t wait to tell him. What do you want to work on first?”

“Weights first,” I tell him as I toss my phone and keys into the first empty locker I see. “Then we can spar because I want to make sure I have everything down that I need to know. I know I’m ready, but I want to be prepared in every single way.”

“You will be. Don’t worry about that. I’m here to make sure you’re ready. You know what gets me in the zone?” he asks.

Knowing his crazy sense of humor, I’m scared to ask, but the words have already left my lips. “And what is that?”

“Lately Taylor Swift.”

I stop dead in my tracks and burst out laughing. I’m laughing so hard, tears begin streaming down my face. He’s got to be kidding. “Cut it out, man, be serious.”

“I’m fucking serious, you asshole. “Shake It Off” is my shit. Don’t hate.”

I set the weights where I want them and lie on the bench. “Dude, you’re demented.”

“I’m awesome and you’re just jealous,” he insists as he lifts the bar and hands it to me.

I try to hold back my laughter so I can concentrate. Last thing I need is this bar falling on my chest. I complete a few reps before handing the bar back to him. I catch my breath before sitting up.

“So, what should I know to get ready for Friday?” I ask him, hoping he doesn’t bring his so-called motivation back into the conversation.

“It’s simple. Just keep your head in the game. Focus on everything you’re learning here and apply it. No street fighting, though. Keep it clean, but Howard has told you that before, and if you need extra motivation, I’ve got you covered.”

“No Taylor Swift, dude. How many times do I have to tell you that?” I laugh as we step on the mats.

The soft cushion molds to my feet and I’m almost positive if sweat didn’t pour here on a daily basis, I could lie down to take a nap. Sparring is becoming easier and easier for me. At first, I thought it was going to be hard to forget the shit from the streets, but it’s not. After all, I did have some professional experience before I gave it up, and it’s steadily coming back to me. I think there is something really positive coming from all of this. My life is beginning to straighten out for once. I’m happy and doing something I love. And I have a great woman in my life who I’m feeling more for each and every day. Somehow, I’ve softened up. I’m not so badass anymore, but that’s okay with me. Come Friday, I’ll show everyone what I’m made of.