Healing Love (Love to the Extreme) (20 page)

This was the second woman who was leaving him because of his involvement with the cousins. The first time, he’d deserved it. This time, he didn’t. “Will you at least allow me to explain?”

She tilted her chin in the air, a defiant move he’d seen her display many times in the past. “I don’t see how an explanation will change anything. You’re still involved with the McNealys. Have been for a long time, per your words, which means you don’t learn. I just can’t.”

A different kind of pain spread across his chest. It was like Piper was standing right in front of him, condemning him and his decisions, but coming from Kelsey it hurt even more. He hadn’t wanted to tell her about his immense debt to the McNealys, even if the reason had been Skylar’s life. She was a doctor. Made damn good money. What would she want with a man who was in over his head in debt? But if she was going to judge him on his actions, she would at least do it with the full story.

“Just let…
please
.”

Her arms tightened around herself before she shuffled back and allowed him to enter. After she closed the door, she motioned toward the living room. He slumped onto the couch, but she remained standing. He didn’t like the distance, and he could only hope his story would bring her closer.

“You’re really done with the McNealys?” he asked.

She nodded. “I refuse to work for them any longer.”

He studied the way she carried herself. Proud. Strong. Confident. The way she always had, but it was different now. More natural. Not as rehearsed. A switch had happened tonight. He wasn’t sure if it had to do with her disapproval of the Last Man Standing event, the incident with Rodney, or her reaction to that guy’s attack…or a combination of all it. She was getting closer to leaving.

A sad smile came to his lips. “I’m proud of you, Kelsey.”

And he was, even if he didn’t want her to go.

For a long, uncomfortable moment, she studied him, arms crossed under her breasts. Finally she asked, “Why?”

He wouldn’t pretend to not understand her question. It was the same one she’d been asking all night. She deserved a straight answer, but finding the words was proving to be more difficult than he imagined.

She crossed the room to the couch and slowly sat on the edge. There was still distance between them, but much less than before.

“It’s not a simple answer. The first time I was involved with them, I was a member of one of their gambling houses. Long story short, I had a gambling problem, lost a shitload of money to them that I couldn’t afford to lose. To win it back, I put up the deed to a house I’d inherited from my grandfather. I lost that bet, too, along with my wife and Skylar.”

“Jesus, Lance.”

“Sometimes a person has to hit rock bottom. Losing Piper and Skylar was mine. I stopped gambling after that, and cut all ties with them until a couple of years ago.”

He stared off into the distance at nothing in particular, remembering the day his ex-wife had called him, hysterically crying, with the news of their daughter’s diagnosis. The world had stopped in those moments as a horror he’d never felt before took root. The terror had only grown as he watched his child fight for her life.

“What made you get involved with them again?”

“Skylar got sick.”

“Sick? Skylar was sick?”

“Leukemia.”

Kelsey pressed her hand to her mouth. “Oh my God. I can’t even imagine how you and Piper felt.”

“Scared shitless, especially after the treatments didn’t work and the only option left was a new drug our insurance refused to cover.” He still felt fury over that. While his daughter was struggling to beat a disease that had taken over her little body, some jerk in an office was stamping a rejection on their claim. “I tried all the traditional ways to get the money, but was denied.”

Understanding dawned on Kelsey’s face as she sat up straighter. “You went to the McNealys. That’s the money you owe them.”

He nodded. “They gave me a hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Honestly, I think the only reason they gave it to me was because Mitch lost a sister to cancer and he had a very rare moment of compassion. Not that they were completely generous. The interest rate is insane and they are making a nice profit off this, but I didn’t have a choice. We set up a payment plan. I’ve spent the last two and half years paying them back. Things were fine up until the day you found us in the alley.”

“What happened?”

“The McNealy’s were being the McNealys. They decided to make a change to our agreement. I either agreed to fight for them, or I owed the remaining balance in full within twenty-four hours.”

A derisive laugh shot out of her as she shook her head. “Those assholes. What a shitty way to back someone into a corner.” She paused, her gaze searching his. “It’s time for both of us to walk away.”

There was a plea in her voice. It was the second time today she’d asked him to leave the McNealys behind. And for the second time today, he’d have to disappoint her.

“I can’t. I owe them that money. If they hadn’t given it to me, Skylar probably wouldn’t have recovered. No matter how I feel about them, I owe them.”

She studied him for a long moment. “How much do you still have to go?”

“After winning tonight, I still owe them just shy of thirty thousand dollars.”

Shock rounded her eyes, then she shook her head. “I’m not sure why I’m so surprised by that number. I’m a doctor. I know how much treatments can cost.” She chewed on her lip. “I respect you for wanting to honor your debt, but you can’t continue fighting the way you are. Nobody can fight like that and not have serious health consequences.”

And here they went again. Even though what she said was true, it didn’t change the fact it was the only choice he had. She may no longer be afraid of what the McNealys would to do, but he was. He had a daughter to think about, and if he just told the cousins to fuck off, he could be putting Skylar, Piper…hell, even Kelsey…in danger. “I just need to win a few more.”

She swept her hand at him. “Look at yourself. I know you don’t want to hear this, but your body can’t handle much more of this abuse. I’ve known you barely a month and you’ve fought seven times that I know of. Something bad is going to happen. You’re going to break something, or rupture something, or worse. My God, the amount of hits you’ve been taking could lead to brain damage.” She chewed on her lip again then inhaled deeply. “What if I paid the remaining balance off?”

“Fuck no.” He shot to his feet, then groaned as his body protested. He didn’t want her money. If he’d known this would’ve been the outcome of sharing his story, he would’ve kept his mouth shut. “This is my debt and I’ll repay it. No one else.”

“Then pay me back.”

“I will not be in debt to the woman I’m—” He snapped his mouth closed.

Kelsey tilted her head at him. “The woman you’re what, Lance?”

Falling in love with.

The realization hit him with the power of a heavyweight’s fist, leaving him slightly dazed. Fuck, he was starting to fall for this woman. That’s why he’d been so frantic to get to her tonight, to make her understand. Why her judgment had hurt so fucking much.

And what had she done?

She’d offered to save him. To fix his problems for him. The fact she had that money available bothered the shit out of him. She was a well-established doctor, and he was a blue-collar worker who was on the final days of a fighting career. She deserved better than that.

“I won’t take your money,” he said, ignoring her question.

“Lance—”

“No. End of discussion.”

Her lips pressed into a tight line. “Fine.”

God, he hated it when women used that word. It usually meant the complete opposite. But he didn’t want to argue anymore. “Are we good now?”

As he waited for her answer, his stomach clenched.

“Lance, I’m ready to go back home. It’s time.”

He pushed aside his disappointment, cursing the selfishness of the feeling. He knew this time would come, but he wasn’t ready to let her go yet. “Just stay a little longer.”

The idea of a rejection spurred him into motion. Words weren’t enough. She needed to be reminded of what came to life between them as soon as they touched.

He grabbed her face between his palms and claimed her mouth with his. She squeaked in surprise before she relaxed into him and parted her lips. As he swiped his tongue inside, he moaned softly when she sweetened his mouth. God, he loved kissing this woman. Everywhere. Anywhere.

He slowed the kiss to lingering seductive brushes then lifted his head.

She gazed at him, lips swollen and wet from his kiss. “Yes, for a little longer,” she whispered.

He wanted her to always stay, but that wasn’t an option for them. Fuck, he was in for some heartbreak when she left, but he’d be right here with her until she did.

…

Listening to the sound of streaming water coming through the door, Ella stood outside the master bathroom and waited impatiently for him to finish. Lance needing a shower had killed the go-with-the-moment-sex they had been leading up to earlier in the living room, but he’d insisted, saying he was disgusting from the fight and he wouldn’t touch her until he was completely clean. Though she’d suggested taking a shower together, he’d nixed that idea, too.

She’d figured he’d be in there a few minutes, tops. A quick scrub down, then dry off and they could go at it. But no. Twenty minutes had passed, and the water continued to run.

She was done waiting. As she cracked open the door, icy air greeted her and she shivered. What the hell? Wrapping her arms around her middle, she stepped into the chilly room. Had he seriously been taking a cold shower this entire time?

She pulled back the shower curtain, and the wide expanse of his shoulders captivated her. She reached out to touch him, but froze as her gaze dipped to the darkening bruise staining the skin of his lower back. Her stomach dropped.

“Jesus, Lance,” she whispered.

He twisted around, and a grimace contorted his face. The need to shower alone suddenly made sense. He hadn’t wanted to get clean. He was trying to loosen up his muscles.

“Turn around,” she demanded.

Giving a resigned sigh, he slowly faced her.

The earlier splotches on his torso had started to purple. Good God. How was he even moving?

Though she understood now why he continued to fight, it didn’t make seeing his injuries any easier. What he’d done for Skylar showed he was a devoted father.

She respected his choices, she respected him, but there had to be another way. If he was too damn stubborn to find one, she’d find it for him.

“I was hoping the bruising wouldn’t set in until tomorrow,” he said. “I didn’t want you to see this. I know it upsets you, but it looks worse than it is.”

“I call bullshit on that.”

“If you think we’re backing out of tonight—”

“You really think you’re up for it?”

“I think I have a desperate need for you to touch me, and a couple of fucking bruises isn’t going to stop that.”

Still she hesitated. As a doctor, she knew what he needed was rest. Not more activity. As a woman, she needed him.

“Please, Kelsey. I need to feel your touch.”

The raw honesty in his voice compelled her closer. She laid her hand on the bruise on his shoulder. The icy skin yanked a gasp out of her. “Get out.”

As she snatched a towel off the rack, he shut the water off and stepped out of the tub. He reached for the towel, but she shook her head and began patting him dry, first on the shoulders and back, then working her way down. She tried to ignore the painful marks scattered over his body, but she kept pausing in her task to inspect each wound with a doctor’s critical eye. Each one appeared to be just bruising and not caused by some internal injury.

“Stop gawking at them. I’m fine. You have to trust me on that.”

Knowing what he said was true, she took his hand and led him to the bedroom.

“Lay down,” she instructed. When he cocked a brow upward, she crossed her arms, ready for a fight if he planned to put up one. “I’m in control tonight.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Well, that was easy enough, and probably spoke volumes on how dog tired he was. Knowing he was watching, she tugged her shirt over her head, and he growled his appreciation. She didn’t try to cover her scar anymore, not from him. Lance had seen every inch of her body and had never made it a secret he loved what he saw. It gave her power. Strength. And she believed she was as desirable now as she was before she’d been inflicted with it.

Reaching behind her, she unclasped her bra then tossed it onto the ground.

He groaned. “Do you have any idea how much I love your breasts?”

She did. Among other parts of her body.

After she unbuttoned her jeans and slid them off along with her panties, she climbed up beside him. Biting her lip, she eyed the body before her. Even bruised, the man was magnificent, and she wasn’t sure where she wanted to start. Everything called to her—his lips, his neck and shoulders, the hot-as-hell tatted arm, his abs, and the impressive cock, standing proud.

As much as she wanted to close her mouth around the rigid flesh, she decided to focus on the top half of him first. She leaned over him and her nipples grazed the fine hairs on his chest. Everything about this man was an aphrodisiac. She pressed her mouth to his in a slow, sensual meeting of the lips. He sighed into her mouth, causing her to smile.

She loved that he was just as affected by her as she was by him.

Working her way down, she kissed, licked, and caressed his body. She paid special, loving attention to the bruises, brushing her mouth against his skin, and she took encouragement from the soft growl vibrating from his chest. When she finally worked her way down his torso, she took his cock in one hand and closed her lips over the sensitive head.

His fingers immediately threaded into the back of her hair and knotted. At first his hold was light, but with each bob his grip tightened, and she loved the taut feeling. As she gently cupped the twin sacks between his legs, he tugged on her hair, bringing her head up.

“That’s enough, love. Much more and we won’t get to finish this.”