Stone Cold Knockout (House of Pain Book 1) (15 page)

“
I'm going to take you home and do dirty things to you.” She ran her tongue down his cheek as her hand worked his cock hard and then slow, teasing him like she always did.

“
How far away?” he said, clenching his jaw in restraint.

“
Twenty minutes,” she said, pressing a trail of kisses down his neck. “If we leave now.”

“
Then we go,” he said, bucking his hips into her grasp. He closed his eyes for a moment, reveling in the pleasure. She stroked him once more, but then he took her wrist and forced her hand away from his cock. She whimpered, a lovely little sound that had his cock jerking in response. Ignoring his lust, he slid his throbbing erection gingerly back into his pants. She dragged her fingers down his chest, gnawing on her lower lip, like she didn't want to wait. He smiled, loving that he had the same effect on her that she had on him. Scrubbing his hands down his face, he glanced around the room, lit only with a solitary lamp in the corner.

“
Your room?” he asked, noticing the bunk beds along the walls covered in pink ruffled comforters and the dolls and stuffed animals shoved here and there.

“
It was,” she replied with a smile. “It's Tiny and Yasmine's, now.”

“
I am not the first boy you bring to your room?” He raised an eyebrow and she shook her head mysteriously.

“
No,” she said, stepping around him to open the door. “But play your cards right and you may be the last.” She threw him a wink over her shoulder as she slipped past him into the hallway. He couldn't help but laugh, even as a jealous, possessive thought crossed his mind. He wondered if Hector or Donny had been one of those boys she'd let into her room? What secrets did they have between them that he, as an outsider, had no knowledge of? Anger flared inside of him at the thought of anyone knowing his Gennifer better than he, but it was foolish to obsess over things he could not control. Shrugging off the maddening questions, he turned and followed her down the hallway. He would follow her anywhere, he was beginning to realize, and he wouldn't think twice about it.

***

Gennifer trailed her fingers over Mikhail's broad shoulders, tracing the prominent muscles under his pale skin. His head was on her chest, but she could tell he was still awake, even if he wasn't moving. She stared up at the ceiling fan, rotating slowly above their heads. It was well after midnight. Her apartment was quiet and dark and their bodies were tired after the long day, but her mind was still humming.

She thought about the party and how she'd let Donny piss her off. She'd gotten angry, and Mikhail now knew that there was history between them, no doubt. Gennifer drew her fingers up Mikhail's neck, thinking it silly that her old teenage drama was still coming up to bite her in the ass, years after the fact. Donny still knew how to rile her up. It was her own fault, she supposed. She was young and stupid and never should have gotten involved with one of Big J's fighters. It was too incestuous. But then again, she'd never been very smart when it came to boys.

She'd always been one of those dumb girls who fell for bad boys. Bad boys who snuck into her room at night and drank 40's and smoked cigarettes and were always one offense away from juvie or jail. Bad boys who were always angry and rebelling against something, even if they didn't know what they were fighting for. She supposed she was just like them, always ready to get in someone's face if they pissed her off.  She'd always been angry, just like Mikhail said she was. She'd always been pissed off. She traced her finger down Mikhail's shoulder-blade, wondering what had changed. She wasn't as angry anymore. In fact, she didn't
want
to be angry anymore. Deep down, she knew exactly what had changed her, but she didn't want to admit it yet. She wasn't ready.

“
So can I meet your brother now?” she murmured, wondering what Mikhail's family was like. She wondered if they would answer all of the questions she had. She wanted to know everything about him, she realized. She wanted all of the years she hadn't known him to disappear. She wanted to be his past, present, and future, as fucked up as that sounded.

“
Yes, you will meet Vadim,” he mumbled, his mouth moving against her breast. She smiled, warmth trickling through her chest at his answer.

“
How will you introduce me?” she pushed. He sighed, but didn't answer. Her smile widened, knowing she was annoying him. But she also wanted to know the answer. He shoved up on his elbows and opened his eyes to stare at her.

“
I will say 'Vadim, this is Gennifer, the girl I am fucking' and then we will go on about our lives,” he said, straight-faced.

“
You will not!” she exclaimed, slapping his chest.

“
I will,” he said, but humor sparked behind his gaze as he dropped his chin to the valley between her breasts.

“
You're such a liar,” she said, stroking his cheek.

“
What would you have me say?” he murmured. Gennifer thought about it a moment and then shrugged, wondering if she needed them to have a title or not. All she knew for sure was that she wasn't interested in fucking anyone else and she sure as hell didn't want him fucking anyone else. He rolled over onto his back and she frowned, missing his warm weight immediately. He stared up at the ceiling, crossing his arms behind his head, silently. Gennifer didn't have any more of an answer than he did, so she closed her eyes and turned over onto her side.

“
I'm tired,” she said, ending the uncomfortable conversation she had initiated. “You're always keeping me up late.” He enveloped her in his strong arms immediately, pressing his face to her hair. She snuggled against him, loving how his big body conformed around hers.

“
Go to sleep,
solnyshka
,” he whispered roughly in her ear. “So I can have peace from your never ending questions.”

“
I'll haunt your dreams,” she replied drowsily, his warmth already lulling her to sleep.

“
You always do,” he said, and it was the last thing she heard before she fell into the abyss of sleep.

Chapter 12

G
ennifer couldn't believe it when she looked at her calendar and it was already August. The summer was passing too quickly, she decided. She was having too much fun for it to be over so soon. She and Mikhail had reached a sort of relationship nirvana, their schedules melding easily to accommodate spending a lot of time together. They worked out together on the weekends, Mikhail training her in the mornings. During the week, they met at House of Pain for more training. At night, they would fuck and then fall asleep in each other's arms, either in his Manhattan apartment or her Bronx condo. It was never difficult. Even when he pissed her off during training, they would yell and scream one minute and kiss and make up the next. In fact, everything was going so well that Gennifer almost didn't trust it.

She was waiting for the shit to hit the proverbial fan.

In her experience, life could only be so good before things would get shitty again. She was used to shitty. She wasn't much used to being happy.

As she stepped into House of Pain on a sweltering Thursday night two weeks before Bout It, she didn't see Mikhail. The floor was practically empty. Since the air conditioning had been out almost all summer, it was even emptier than usual. She swept her hand across her forehead, already sweating, and glanced up to the office. She was surprised to see Hector sitting alone at the desk. These days, Erica was usually with him. She dropped her bag off in the locker room and then climbed the metal stairs to the office, the heat making her sluggish.

“Hey Heck,” she said, rapping her knuckles on the open door. He glanced up, a deep crease in the center of his forehead. Even though he wasn't Big J's biological son, they shared the same frown, she mused.

“
What do you want, G?” he asked, leaning back in the chair and lifting his arms over his head in a lazy stretch. 

“
My day was wonderful, thanks for asking. How was yours?” Gennifer said, sarcastically, perching on the corner of the desk.

“
Where's your white boy at?” Hector said, glancing up at her with hooded eyes.

“
Where's your white girl at?” she tossed back. He snorted out a laugh and leaned toward her.

“
She's mad at me.”

“
Why? What did you do?” Gennifer fanned her hand over her neck.

“
You automatically take her side,” he said, a small smile curling over his face. “Why aren't you ever on my side?”

“
I like Erica. I didn't think I would, but I do. I hope you're not being an asshole to her,” she scolded, pointing her finger at him. He stood and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Do you like her?” Gennifer asked softly. Hector dated lots of girls, but he rarely kept them around for long. He had his own issues he was dealing with, Gennifer knew.

“
She's alright,” Hector said, moving to lean on the desk beside her. He crossed his hands over his chest and stared at the floor. Gennifer stared at him, noticing for the millionth time how good looking he was. He was smooth-cheeked perfection; sexy, in a boy next door kind of way. Sweet, but with just enough swagger in him to be a girl magnet. He had always been a good guy, nice to a fault, but he was weak when it came to beautiful women. She wondered what he could have possibly done to Erica to piss her off and came up with a quick assessment.

“
Did you cheat on her?” she asked. He didn't reply and Gennifer nudged his shoulder with hers, prodding him for an answer.

“
I don't want to talk about it.”

“
Oh Heck!” she rolled her eyes. “You're an ass, you know that?”

“
I didn't do anything,” Hector said, finally turning to look at her. “But I'm thinking about it.”

“
With who? Please tell me it's not Xiandria with her hood ass.”

“
Erica wants me to be something I can't be. Not right now.” He rolled his tongue over his bottom lip. “What about you?”

“
What about me?” Gennifer asked, furrowing her brow.

"I'm worried about you," he said.

“Why?”

“
You know why.” He stared at her intensely, worry written all over his face.

"Because of Bout It? I've been kicking ass since birth," she replied with a grin. "I'm ready. For whatever happens."

"You think you are," he said. She shrugged.

"Blind confidence is all I have." She yanked at the hem of her T-shirt, avoiding his eyes. "Besides Mikhail will be in my corner. He's all the confidence I need."

"Is he?"

"Yup."

"What if I was in your corner?"

"That's a big-ass 'what if'. As I recall, you didn't even want me to fight."

"What if I was just scared for you? Because I don't want to see anything happen to you?" he said softly and she felt a flutter in her chest at his words. She wondered what he was trying to say. She'd had a crush on him for as long as she could remember, a little what-if in the back of her mind, although it had faded into the background the older and smarter she got. He had never acknowledged or encouraged any possibility of something more growing between them. But now, he had a look on his face that was anything but friendly.

“
Hector...”

“
G, I care about you,” Hector said, his eyes boring into hers, and for once, Gennifer was speechless. She opened and closed her mouth, not knowing what to say. Then he leaned in and she didn't stop him. She just froze as he got closer, the dumb teenager within her wondering how he kissed, if his lips were as soft as she always imagined. Time seemed to slow as their lips met. Hector kissed her, and it was surreal, to say the least.

Hector pulled her closer, his hands roaming under her T-shirt and up her back. She let him touch her, because she wanted to know. After years of wondering, her questions were now being answered. He was a good kisser, after all. His lips were soft but urgent. He smelled good and his fingers felt good against her skin. Under any other circumstance, Hector's kiss could have been life-altering. But she didn't feel the way she should feel. Feelings for Hector had always teetered on the edge of the realm of possibility, but they'd never been a reality. They were as close as brother and sister, despite the fact that they weren't blood. For most of her life, he'd been the closest person to her, but if she was really honest with herself, he had never gotten past her walls. She hadn't truly ever let Hector in. Even as they kissed, she didn't let him completely in. She didn't open up to him and blossom under his touch. When Mikhail kissed her, she wanted to crawl inside his skin. She wanted to press her body to his and never let him go.

She needed Mikhail.

She wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything.

She
only
wanted Mikhail.

She turned her head, pulling away from the kiss and feeling oddly relieved. Hector let out a low breath, his eyes on her lips.

“Shit, G,” he whispered.

“
What are we doing, Heck?” she asked softly.

“
I had to know,” he said. “All summer, I've been wondering. What could have been between me and you? Why didn't we ever get together?”

“
Did this epiphany dawn on you when Mikhail showed up?” Gennifer said, anger welling up in her.

“
Why are you mad?” he asked, the crease returning to his forehead.

“
Because you're trying to ruin it.” She stood abruptly, needing to put space between them.

“
Ruin what?”

“
Mikhail and I. You're unhappy, so you want me to be unhappy, too.” She shook her head, disgusted. “I can't believe you!”

“
You're twisting shit,” he scowled.

“
No. You're trying to fuck with me!”

“
Are you really happy with that guy, G? He's not like you. He's not like
us
.”

“
You are so full of shit. My relationship is none of your business.”

“
Do you love him?” he asked, looking everywhere but at her.

“
Why? Are you in love with me, Hector? Do you want to marry me and have a million kids and live happily ever after?” Hector dropping his eyes to the floor and didn't answer. His silence was all the answer she needed. Gennifer rolled her eyes and turned to the door. “Fuck off.”

“
I'm sorry, G!” he called after her but she didn't bother to answer. She stomped down the metal stairs, too disgusted to reply. She went to the weights and grabbed the twenty-five pound dumbbell. After a few quick curls, she slowed to a stop. She stared at herself in the mirror for a long moment. She was angry at Hector, but she was angry at herself as well. She never should have let him kiss her. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her, but it had been a mistake. A big fucking mistake. She glanced up at the office and Hector already had his back to her like he couldn't face her. She bit down hard on her lip, wondering how long it would take for them to mend the huge gap that opened between them in a matter of seconds. She wondered how long it would take before they were back to normal.

She couldn't stand the idea of losing her best friend in the world over something so stupid.

Slamming the weight back on the stand, she plopped her hands on her hips. It was then that she looked around and realized that the gym was still empty. She checked the clock on the wall. It was 8:15 p.m. Furrowing her brow, she strode to the door. She pushed it open and stepped out onto the street, a blissful breeze sliding over her skin. It was cooler outside than it was in the gym, which should have been a relief. However, with the breeze came a strange feeling creeping up her spine.

Mikhail was late.

She pricked her ears up, listening for the tell-tale sounds of his bike, but she didn't hear anything above the familiar electric hum of the city. Worry twisted her guts, even though she told herself she was being silly. She hurried inside to the locker room, the strange feeling not going away. She dug around in her bag until she found her phone. She called him, but the phone rang and rang until it went to voicemail.

Without another thought, she grabbed her bag and headed back out into the steamy late summer night. She'd been too happy with Mikhail, and she couldn't shake the feeling that it was all about to turn to shit.

***

The Mini-Cooper's wheels squealed as Gennifer turned into Mikhail's parking garage. Worry wove it's way through her brain, leaving visions of Mikhail in various accidents that left him dead on the side of the road. She hadn't had someone she cared about in so long, she'd almost forgotten what it felt like to worry. She drove past his usual spot, and finally felt like she could breathe again when she saw his bike parked there. Shaking her head, she laughed aloud at her own silliness. She had immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was dead or injured, no other option entering her mind. Parking in a free space, she hopped out of her car and hurried to the door. She entered the foyer and strode to the front desk, praying that he answered. Where the hell else would he be if not at home?

The attendant smiled at her, recognizing her. “Here for 20H?” the older man asked. Gennifer nodded. He picked up the phone, moving slow as molasses, and Gennifer rubbed her palms on the smooth marble of the desk. He tapped in the digits and she could hear the phone ringing Mikhail's apartment. The milliseconds between each ring felt like they lasted hours. Finally, on the sixth ring, she heard Mikhail pick up. She let out a massive sigh of relief. “Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Ivanhof. I have a young lady here for you—” The attendant looked at her, not remembering her name.

“
Gennifer,” she said, her relief giving way to impatience.

“
A Ms. Gennifer here to see you.” The seconds ticked and Gennifer felt like she was going to go nuts. “Okay. Thank you.” The attendant finally hung up and smiled up at her cheerfully, his teeth white. “Go on up.” Gennifer nodded in thanks and hurried down the mirrored hallway of the lush building. She didn't run, but she was pretty close to it by the time she got to the elevator. As the minutes ticked by and the elevator ascended to the twentieth floor, her worry had turned to anger. Why did he ditch their training session? And ignored her calls? When the doors opened, she turned left and stopped short. Mikhail was standing in the hallway outside of his door, shirtless, his face an unreadable mask.

“
Where the hell were you?” she whispered loud enough for him to hear, but not loud enough to be rude to the other inhabitants of the floor. He didn't answer. His expression didn't change. The hallway felt very cold suddenly, and she considered hopping back in the elevator before the doors closed. Unfortunately, she missed her window. The brass doors closed and the elevator descended without her. With no other option, she steeled her spine and moved toward him.

“
Why didn't you answer your phone?” she said. Something was wrong. He didn't respond, just stared at her. When she was close enough for him to touch her, he grabbed her arm and yanked her inside the apartment. The door slammed shut behind them and he pressed her against the wall so quick she barely had time to breathe, let alone think. The apartment was dark, the lamp in the corner the only light in the room. Ominous shadows cut across his face as he brooded over her.