Redemption (10 page)

I dipped my head lower, my mouth skimmed the soft skin below her ear. “I’m bad news, Neveah. I’m not fucking good for you.”

Her eyes screwed shut, but she didn’t stop moving her hips against me. “I’m a grown ass woman. I can be the judge of what’s good for me and what’s not.”

Groaning, I snaked my right hand into the nape of her neck, forced her to look at me and quickened my pace. Her pupils dilated, the open-mouthed pant turned into a low moan, and I felt her pussy tightened against my fingers. The hottest whimper escaped her mouth as she come undone in front of me.

Before I thought better of it, I slid my hand from her jeans and slipped both fingers into my mouth to suck them dry.

Neveah watched, her hands still clutching me for support. “Shit,” she whispered. “We need to—we need to go home. Now.”

She wiggled, trying to get free but I held her there with my hips, both hands pressed against each side of her head. “No.”

Her eyes rounded, a look of outrage crossed her face. “What do you mean, no?” she whispered but venom laced her voice.

Grabbing her nape, I watched her face turn from anger to shame. “I mean no because I can’t go back to the house where I made your dad the promise. I can’t have you underneath me like I want, and I most certainly can’t put my dick anywhere near you because I’d rip you in fucking half. I just wanted to ease your pain,” I whispered the last sentence, praying she understood. “I wanted to see you come, and give you something to ease the ache. Because if you’re hurting anything like me …” I trailed off.
It fucking sucked, that’s what.

“Let me go,” she said, softly. And when I didn’t answer, she shouted. “Let me the fuck go!” Her hand came up to my shoulder, she shoved at the same time she kicked me in the shin.

Shit, that fucking hurt.
I dropped my hands, and she bolted before I could realize what she’d done. “Neveah!” I called out, but my voice was deafened by the music.
Goddammit.

Anger built in my bones, a deep rooted hatred for the promise I’d made started to grow
.
I wanted her so bad that I’d slip, and miss my chance at finding my sister.

I slammed my fist against the wall, racked my hair and stalked toward the car. I needed to figure out how to turn off my dick, or break the promise and pray Wes didn’t find out.

Either way I was fucked.

Chapter Twelve

Neveah

The sweat built on my hairline skimmed down my face, dripping from my chin before landing on the concrete floor of the gym. The Texas summer started to rear its horns, but it would only get worse.

Counting the beads of sweat that dripped from my chin had been my distraction from Dec—Rage.
Rage. What kind of person is named Rage? A hot one, that’s who
. My body stilled hummed at the thought of the night before. His rough callouses pressed against my most personal place, his fingers bringing me to the highest of highs. And yet, he still backed away. I knew he felt that connection when his mouth met mine. There wasn’t any hiding it.

Warmth cloaked my cheeks, but I swallowed the shame. No one watched me in the corner of the gym, scrubbing the floors like Cinderella. Dad hadn’t asked me to do it, I just needed something to take my mind off of him. It didn’t work.

Rage had spent the morning laying gravel in the parking lot before jumping right into practice with the other boys. Dad talked for an hour about an upcoming meet, a practice one for the newbies with a local gym in Huntsville. I’d listened to every detail until I caught Declan’s eye the moment he walked into the gym, but I hadn’t looked back up since. I was too ashamed.

Ashamed that he hadn’t taken me like I’d begged and ashamed that I was blindsided by a stranger. He wasn’t Declan Samuels like I had thought but Rage … whatever his last name was. I didn’t catch it when I was moaning into his mouth.

God—
his mouth
. Those full lips and tongue drove me to the brink of insanity—

“Neveah!”

I jumped backwards, the bucket of water soaked my shorts and flooded the floor around me. “Dammit, Chase. What the hell?”

He grinned, blond hair falling into his eyes as he helped me up. “Sorry, but some guy is here to see you. Over there.” He tossed his head, examining my wet legs.

I glanced over my shoulder and froze. Heath stood awkwardly in the middle of the auditorium with a bouquet of roses hanging from his right hand. Despite the distance, I could see the silent plea in his blue eyes, but none of that matter, because there was a girl standing off to the side. Just staring blankly at the floor with a grim frown on her face.

Who is she?

“Neveah?” Chase squeezed my shoulders. “Are you okay? Is that the douchebag fiancée you were telling me about?”

“That’s him,” I mumbled, straightening my old T-shirt and shorts. “I’ll be back.”

Chase grabbed my arm and shot me a worried look. “Neveah,” he warned.

Pulling my arm from his grasp, I stalked over toward Heath. The smile on his face made my stomach churn.
This bastard has some balls showing his face here.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered harshly, stopping two feet away.

Heath looked down at his two hundred dollar loafers, then back up at me with tears in his eyes. I wasn’t buying the shit. I’d watched him fake cry to his mother for years.

“Baby, we need to talk—,” he stepped forward but I stopped him with my palm.

“
We
don’t need to do anything. And who the hell is she?” I jabbed a finger in her direction.

Heath stepped closer, trying to diminish the distance I’d put between us. “That’s what we need to talk about. This is the girl I—I slept with. We’re here to tell you that nothing is going on.”

What
. I blinked blankly at him, my arms crossed over my heaving chest. “You thought bringing the girl you fucked to apologize would help?”

Heath bit his lip, yanked at his hair and took another step toward me, trying to encircle his arms around my waist. I sidestepped him and looked at the girl next to him. She was a redhead, really pretty with long legs and an angelic face. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, never making eye contact.

“Look at me,” I said.

She drug her eyes up to meet mine and that’s when I recognized who she was. The girl Heath said I had nothing to worry about with. One of the other interns at his dad’s company. “Bastard,” I mumbled beneath my breath.

“Neveah,” Dad called from the ring.

I turned as he jumped the ropes and jogged toward us. He was pissed. “You son of a bitch. You get your ass out of here before you’re picking yourself up on the damn floor you—,”

Jutting my arm out to stop my dad, I caught Rage’s glare from the ring. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and he licked a bead from his top lip. Something about the look on his face made me angrier at Heath. Maybe because he knew he’d cheated on me, or maybe being rejected the night before. Either way, anger flooded through my veins.

“Mr. Wes, I’m sorry—,”

“Save it, Kid. Get out of here before I whoop your ass.”

Shoving Dad to the side, I faced Heath straight on. “This is the last time I want to see you. Don’t come back. I don’t care if it was one time or ten. I would rather saw off my right leg than spend the rest of my life with you.”

Sadness turned to fury. He grabbed my wrist and examined my hand. “Why aren’t you wearing your ring?”

I let out a bitter laugh. “You’re jokin’, right? I just told you, I’m not marrying you.”

“Neveah,
please
.” He began to shake my shoulders. “Please. You know you’re in love with me. You have to understand that it was an accident.”

I gave Dad a warning glare, shoved Heath and clenched my fist. “No, I don’t
have
to do anything but be me. Do what makes me happy and you aren’t it!” I was screaming at that point. I didn’t have to look around to know the entire gym was staring at us. I didn’t care.

Heath went to grab my shoulder again, this time with more force. Bracing my feet, I reared backwards and slugged him in the jaw. It cracked. Heath fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

The sound of laughter and feet slapping against the concrete floor erupted around us. I didn’t care that he was knocked out and lying helplessly at my feet. The redhead beside me looked horrified. She hurried out the door.
Smart girl.

Strong hands gripped my shoulders, and Dad turned me to face him. A huge smile widened across his face. “That’s my fucking girl,” he said. “You just knocked him out.”

I shrugged, giving Heath a pathetic glance. He’d made his bed, and now someone needed to tuck him in because I was finished with it. The fact that my father encouraged this made me smile.
God, I love him.

Chase ran up behind me, threw an arm over my shoulder and rested his head on my temple. “You’re my hero.”

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Even though I wanted to give him a swift kick to the ribs, I didn’t. I almost felt sorry for him lying on the cold floor in front of everyone.

“Well, we should at least put him in his car, he’ll wake up soon,” Dad said.

Chase went to grab him but someone blocked him. Rage stepped forward, lifted Heath over his shoulder and straightened. He looked like a kid compared to Rage. A small smile lifted from the corner of his mouth, his eyes skated down to my toes. Without a word, he winked, and carried Heath out of the gym and out of my life.

Chapter Thirteen

Rage

Wes stood in the middle of our semi-circle in the guest locker room. “Okay guys, let’s give it the best we have but have fun. This competition isn’t for points, just a practice match for this season.”

All the guys around me were stone-faced, their backs straight and eyes focused. And all I could focus on was Neveah in the corner of the room in those damn shorts.

And I thought the yoga pants were bad.

Those little things rode up every time she bent over for something. Her white polo fit snug to her breasts and waist. Joe’s Boxing Gym was printed over her right tit, drawing even more attention to the two un-buttoned buttons down the center.

Someone elbowed me, I sat up straight to everyone staring my way.
Shit.
“What’s up?”

Wes frowned. “Are you okay? You seem a little distracted today.”

I was. When Neveah punched her ex-fiancée out something switched inside of me. There wasn’t just a strong woman in front of me anymore, there was a strong
broken
woman that’s guard was fifty feet wide, hiding her. The sadness was there on her face, even though I felt proud of her for knocking him on his ass, I felt a need to be the person she could lean on.

“I’m fine, just nervous, this is my first fight.”

That seemed to satisfy most of the guys, with the exception of Chase who grinned. Clutching my water bottle, I downed half in one swig.
I’m going to end up beating his ass
. There was too much to worry about. I needed to focus.

The intercom came to live with a loud echo from the announcer. “We’ll begin in five minutes, let all gyms and participants gather in the arena. Again, all players to the arena.”

Coach stepped forward, his arm jutted out in a gestured huddle stance. We all made a circle around him, piled our hands on top of each other’s shoulders, and bowed our head in prayer.

***

I wouldn’t lie and say the other guys didn’t have talent because they did. Every match seemed to get better and better. The time slowly ticked down to my turn, and adrenaline coursed through me like electricity in my veins.

The small crowd wasn’t what made me nervous but that Neveah was on the sidelines helping with each match. She’d kept to herself mostly, besides to help with water and to put on the Vaseline.

The foldout chair next to me slid against the concrete. Chase took a seat beside me, angling his body so that I’d know he was trying to get my attention. “What do you want?”

He grinned. “Nothing. I’m just watching you watch
the match
.”

I gave him a long sideways glance. “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Scooping up his gloves, he palmed them, like he’d never seen them before. “I know you have the hots for Neveah, and I know that Wes asked you to stay away because he’d asked me the same thing four years ago. He doesn’t want to mix his business and his daughter’s love life.”

Leaning backwards, I tried to act nonchalant but knowing Chase had come onto her aggravated me. “I don’t care. I need to be alone before my match. I’m up next.”

Chase pursed his lips. “I’m just giving you a friendly reminder that Neveah is fragile—,”

“I don’t need your advice on her, and I certainly don’t need a reminder. I’m perfectly fine with the promises I’ve made.”

Chase eyed Neveah, who’d turned to look at us, and then winked at her. “Okay then,” he said, standing up. “Good luck with your match.”

I grunted, hoping he’d get the hint and leave. I didn’t need his warnings or advice on anything. Being twenty-seven, I’d had enough life experiences to know better than a twenty-one year old how to handle myself.

      The final round was called, a buzz sounded over the small crowd which consisted of mostly parents. The ring cleared and two small boys ran out to the center to mop up the blood.

Coach waved his hand in front of my face. “Declan, you’re up, bud. You good?”

I nodded, standing to give myself a reason not to look at him. “Son,” he said. “Are you okay?”

Taking a calming breath, I nodded. “Yes, sir. I’m just a little nervous.” Lie, I wasn’t nervous at all. There was just too many body parts wanting his daughter. It was consuming me. I needed her.

Wes smiled. “Don’t worry about it, Kid. I believe in you. You can do this.”

Taking control of my fucking emotions, I swung over the ropes and into the ring. The guy across from me was the oldest I’d seen since we’d gotten here. He was also the biggest, but I expected them to match our opponents. There was no matching in prison. Whoever wanted to fight, just fought.

Turning toward my corner, I saw Neveah refilling my water bottle, her back was to me but her shoulders tense. “Hi.”

She swung around, her eyes dragged over me quickly. When she met my gaze her cheeks were stained red. She had a habit of ogling me without thought. 

“Sit,” she said.

I took a seat in the foldout chair in my corner, letting my legs drop wide, watching Neveah’s eyes as they followed the movement. She lifted her chin, dipped her fingers into the Vaseline and stepped between my legs to apply it to my face. She avoided eye contact, those moss green beauties followed the steady rhythm of her fingers against my jaw. My dick pressed against my shorts, giving anyone that looked a clear view of how hard I was.

Neveah dropped her fingers to my jaw, sliding the Vaseline against my chin. “I like it on my chest too,” I whispered, fully aware of the little breath that left her throat.

Every bone in my body melted at the feel of her fingers on my chest. Goddammit, I was so hard. A low groan slipped from my throat, I moved my hips upward in a calming way, which caused Neveah to look down.

She stepped back, her fingers clutched around the Vaseline tub in her hands. “You’re ready,” she whispered.

I made no movement because I couldn’t. The way her right foot turned inward, a sign of shyness, rocked through me. Her Dad was right. She seemed strong and ready for anything but something hurt her deep. A whisper of a shiver raced over my skin. A need bone deep rooted in my stomach. I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anything.

“Thank you,” I finally said, clutching the foldout chair. My outstretched legs felt like rubber beneath me.

“Declan,” Wes shouted, his hand coming down on my shoulder. “You ready?”

I blinked to clear my vision. There I was, the first semi-public fight, week-kneed like a little pansy ass.
What was happening to me?
I’d never fawned over a fucking girl like that before. But I’d also never been denied something so tempting either.

“You boys ready to fight?” The referee in the corner of the ring stepped forward. “We’re going to fight clean, ya hear me?’

I eyed my opponent, his torso covered in tattoos, a huge tiger’s mouth opened on his chest. “Ready,” I said.

“Ready.”

The ref nodded. “Fight.”

The energy that forms in those first ten seconds after the fight is called, are a rush. Both teams start to yell, your coach starts screaming, but the key was to not hear anything. Just the rhythm of your opponent’s feet on the floor, the sound of his hands missing your face.

He slung a sloppy uppercut my way which I sidestepped easily. Dude was huge but slow as hell. “Hands up, Merch. Get ‘em.”

I squinted my eyes, letting my smile widened. “Yeah, Merch,” I whispered. “Get me.”

Taunting your opponent was a necessity in prison. Talk down on him, tell him you heard him getting fucked in his cell the night before. But in a professional setting I was sure it wasn’t mature.

But it lit fire under his ass. He came out swinging, his eyes wild and it was all it took. I blocked left, braced my hands and gave him my hardest uppercut. Like slow motion, he froze mid-air and fell like a statue toward the floor.

“TKO!” someone shouted.

Once the gym roared to life my tunnel vision vanished. Hands grabbed at my shoulders, and then I was turned around looking at my teammates’ faces. Coach stood in front of me, shaking my shoulders. “Great job, Kid. Damn you knocked his ass out.” He grabbed my head and smiled. “This changes everything.”

It did because I’d loved every second of the match. It’d fed a hunger I didn’t realize existed, and it also meant I
could
be in their lives for far longer than I should.

Through the hugs and congratulations, I found Neveah in the corner of the ring, her fingers clutched around the ropes, her eyes wide and her chest rising quickly. It also meant that my promise should still stand, but something inside of me denied it, I needed her too bad.

I couldn’t go any longer without her.
Fuck my promise, I’m going to bury myself inside of her, and I won’t stop until she begs me.

***

We celebrated with beer and nachos at the gym until Coach called it a night. We had six wins out of ten, mine being the ‘most talked about.’ Despite the buzz running through my veins, I had an even stronger desire for Neveah.

She had excused herself after the match, disappearing into her room for the night. I wanted to check on her, comfort her, but I couldn’t leave because everyone would’ve know.

So I stood helplessly in the shower, trying my hardest not to imagine her and even harder not to stroke my dick. She would be the fucking death of me.

Prying myself from the shower, I towel dried before slipping on some sweats. Something sensual grew inside of me, but the empty bed told me I needed to kill it. I’d be sleeping alone.

My phone blinked red from the nightstand, I swiped my finger across the screen and opened Dante’s text. A picture of my sister and Denver in front of the Eiffel Tower filled my screen.

“Fuck,” I whispered, hanging my head. “This isn’t fucking happening.”

I opened my next text.
Found this on
their
Facebook. They’ll be back soon. We’ll get her, man.

Anger slid over my skin like needles and nested in my chest, weighing down my lungs.
This bastard is going to die. The smile on my sister’s face was real. Real. She didn’t know what Denver was capable of.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I dropped my phone on the bed, my heart hammered in my chest. An invisible string pulled me closer to the door, and before I opened it I knew who it’d be.

The humid wind gushed inside, blowing her sweet scent past me. She held her elbow against her side, her eyes searching my face for a reaction. “Hi.”

I swallowed, examining the leggings and hoodie she wore. “Hi.”

“Good match.”

I nodded. “Thank you. Do you want to come inside?”

I swear I could have heard a pen drop. She lifted her chin to make direct contact and nodded. “I want to come inside, for
a while
.”

My cock pressed against my sweats. The sight of her always did crazy things to me. Knowing I was going to be between those legs added gasoline to the fire.

Pulling the door opened wider, I let my eyes drop to her lips. “Then come in … for as long as you fucking want.”