“One time! It only happened once. My undies will be nowhere near the tabloids ever again.” I drop my bag on the couch. “I’m a new leaf remember? Always so overprotective.” I poke him in the belly. “Thanks, Dad, I appreciate you helping with this. Maybe we can give them a real show later?”
“A real show?” he asks with a furrowed brow. “Does this involve my underwear?”
“Eww, no.” I laugh. “You’ll see. Now get out, I need to get ready for my close-up.” Joss and my dad start talking about the security we left with my sister back at the apartment as they leave the office. The only way I agreed to even do this was if Quinn was well looked after.
I know she had nightmares last night. After I heard her screaming and crying shortly after she went to sleep, I left Joss and slid into her bed beside her. She needs me right now, and I hate being away from her when she’s a crazy mess of emotions. Quinn’s repeatedly reassured me she’d be fine. Penny’s supposed to be popping in throughout the week to try and help her and see if she can teach her some calming techniques when she gets anxious.
It takes me a couple of minutes to dress and tape up my hands, then another ten to calm my nerves. You’d think a girl that grew up with all this attention would be used to it. The difference is, the attention was never on me, not all the time anyway. It always had something in one way or another to do with my dad. This. This is all me.
“Get ready for the first day of the rest of your career, Emerson,” I whisper to myself with one hand on the doorknob. When I pull the door open, I’m met with the smiling face of Leo.
“I’m so glad you went with the shorts. Your thighs are fierce, darling, and will have all the little boys drooling. It also helps in the endorsement department if a fitness magazine wants to get you on a cover.”
“I don’t want to make little boys drool.” I roll my eyes. It’s true; I’m in the outfit he called and informed me to wear at ten o’clock last night after he had an epiphany. I’ve learned not to fight with him, even more so after the trip.
After a quick introduction, of course, Leo coordinated my entrance with music, I’m beginning my workout with some of my dad’s best trainers. They start by having me do fast punches on the punching bag, which turns into boxing sit-ups and then on to Russian twists. This is all fine and dandy, but I started training with the exercises. I get the feeling they’re taking it easy on me because they’re unsure of my capabilities.
“Leo.” I point with my finger for him to come over to me.
“Thank God, that was twenty painful minutes I’ll never get back. You ready for this Rebs?” I nod my head, and we go to town.
We move from the speed bag to the punching bag/burpee with a dumbbell combo, to rope work and onto fat-bar pull-ups. I’m working up a sweat by the time we really get started, but I feel great. I feel strong, capable of anything and everything and ready to conquer the world.
“Hit it like you mean it, Rebel.” My Grampy yells as he holds the punching bag steady. “Stop hitting like a girl.” I can’t help but smile and hit him with all I’ve got. When I’ve finished my punch, kick sequence, Grampy cranes his neck around the bag and gives me an approving head nod.
Next, on to my favorite portion of this morning. Sparring.
My dad lined up a girl to spar with me for the end portion of the show, but I don’t plan to only use her. I guess she trains at a gym nearby and she’s the best they have. I’m looking forward to going against her and hopefully making her eat the mat with all the media watching.
After putting on my headgear and gloves, we go at each other for fifteen minutes, and I can tell the poor girl wasn’t ready for this. She has some skill, but nothing close to what I’m used to. For crying out loud, I’m used to Gabe and Leo.
“You’re all set, thanks for all your help.” We bump fists and look for the one person I’m ready to take on. When my eyes lock with his, a wicked smile stretches across my lips.
“Hey Dad, why don’t you and I give them a show? If you think you’re up for it, that is. I don’t want you embarrassing yourself.”
The smallest hint of a smile hitches at the corner of his mouth as he looks down at the ground. My mom has the brightest smile on her lips and tickles my dad’s side quickly, surely coaxing him to do it.
I start chanting Hitman, Hitman, Hitman. A chant he hasn’t heard in quite some time, a person he hasn’t been able to be in even longer. Finally, he makes his way over to me and gears up. I’m so ready for this, and I’m not at all sure what to expect. My dad’s still a fit guy and works out almost as hard as he used to.
“You sure about this Emmy?” He straps his headgear on and places his mouth guard over his teeth.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you, old man.”
“Don’t go crying to your mother when I wipe the floor with you, sweetie. Last chance. We’re supposed to be making you look good in front of the press.” He winks at me.
We circle each other, waiting each other out, waiting for the other to make the first move. I decide to surprise him and go for his legs, and I’m successful. He goes to the ground but jumps up just as fast as he went down. He looks surprised I got one up on him and starts stretching out his neck.
Game on. This is a high like I’ve never felt.
We spar for twenty minutes until we’re both drenched in sweat and panting. At one point, my mom cheers for me so loud she throws my dad off which I capitalize on by landing an elbow to the side of his head. I’m not a sore loser or overconfident on the opposite spectrum, but I can admit that my dad is slightly better than me, but only by a small margin. Anyone watching might think we were even in our skill but feeling his strength and taking the hits lets me admit I was bested. It’s okay; I can now say I kept up with one of the best MMA fighters the world has ever seen.
I did knock him down several times, and I know for a fact he didn’t hold back. Dad knows I would have been angry if I knew he didn’t give me his best. The highlight though? I got him in a toe hold where he tapped out. That’ll be fun to throw in his face for years to come seeing as I grew up hearing that the infamous Hitman never fucking taps.
With my mom guarding the locker room while I shower, I exit to an empty gym. Thank God, I feel like I can breathe for the first time all morning.
“I’m so proud of you honey. So proud.” Mom pulls me in for a hug. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could be prouder of anyone. You made your dad look like a sucker.”
“Hey!” he yells and pulls my mom back into him before nuzzling her neck.
I fake gag and turn around to come face-to-face with Joss. He takes my breath away, and all I’m able to do is stare at him for a long stretch of time. I take in his black tee and faded jeans molded over his sculpted thighs, and it’s like I’m seeing him as a new man. My man. I also have the insider knowledge of what he looks like beneath those garments from our shower as an added bonus every time I close my eyes.
“Don’t look at me like that when there’s nothing I can do about it,” he growls in my ear.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I bat my eyelashes innocently. “Where did you go? I didn’t see you hanging around. Did you see me kick my dad’s ass?”
“I don’t know if you kicked his ass, but I’m impressed. My girl can fight. I was watching from behind the crowd to make sure everything was safe.”
His girl. Freaking swoon.
“Damn, that was good entertainment.” Leo walks over and slings his arm around Joss’s shoulder. “I cannot wait to get a big old bucket of popcorn and watch every single channel the news is on tonight. I DVR’d them all. I can’t miss our big debut.”
“Yeah, can’t miss our debut.” I laugh. “Are you sure you’re okay staying with Penny? You can still stay with me and Quinn.”
“Three’s a crowd, and that’s precisely why P’s making me stay there. She’s hoping my presence wards off a particular gentleman caller if you know what I mean.”
“Ah
. She’ll see how persistent he is sooner or later. You better give me all the dirty details as they happen.”
“You know it,” Leo agrees.
I say my goodbyes to everyone, and when I’m at the door, my dad yells my name stopping me. He runs over and pulls me into his arms. He doesn’t say anything for a moment, but I feel something shifting. It makes my eyes sting.
“I felt it. Your passion, your love. Fuck am I proud of you, Emmy. I’m so glad you didn’t let my grumpy ass talk you out of your dreams, and I’m so goddamn sorry I ever made you feel like you couldn’t tell me. I’m here, I’ll always be here, and I’ll be your number one fan sitting at every fight.”
And cue the waterworks. “Thanks, Dad,” I whisper and kiss his cheek.
“How’s Quinn doing?” He wipes at his eyes quickly before anyone notices our moment.
“Okay, I think it’s going to take some time to get past. She’s strong, she’ll make it through just fine.” My dad nods as I notice the tick in his jaw.
“She’s safe, remember that.” I try to reassure him.
“Do you think she’ll be okay for Uncle Kyle’s birthday party this weekend?” He looks over at Joss. “You’re more than welcome to come.”
“We’ll be there,” Joss answers for us.
“I’m sure it will be a game day decision for Quinn, although I doubt she’ll skip it.”
“Oh yeah.” Dad snaps his fingers. “Your mother wants me to invite you guys over for dinner some night next week. Let us know your schedule.”
“Of course. See you soon.” I kiss his cheek and finally leave.
The ride to my apartment is mostly made in silence, but a good kind for the most part. I can tell something is on Joss’s mind.
“What’s going on?”
“Huh, nothing? Sorry, I’m lost in my head.”
“Nice try. What’s going on?”
“I’ve never been in a room with your whole family as your man.”
“Aw, are you worried they’re going to rough you up?” I laugh.
“No, but do you have any concept of all the extremely large and muscled men in your family? You might have to shield me,” he jokes.
“I’d be glad to.”
I find parking and Joss grabs my hand leading me up to the main door of my apartment building. The paparazzi are across the street shouting, and I can’t help but reminisce about the old days and flip them off.
“Emmy,” Joss growls, and it makes me laugh.
“What would you do if I kissed you in front of them?” I cock an eyebrow.
“Is that a challenge, Miss Cage?” He stops in front of the door and cocks his head my way. I shrug my shoulders as an answer.
“All talk,” he mumbles under his breath, reaching for the door handle but doesn’t get a chance to open the door because I jump into his arms and latch on like a koala bear. My mouth finds his a second later, and I don’t hesitate as my fingers run through his hair.
“Emmy.” Joss pants into my mouth as his hands squeeze my ass.
I see my mistake immediately. This kiss is taking on a life of its own, and I’m sure the photographers got some insanely hot photos. I tap his shoulder numerous times.
“I’m tapping out,” I say breathlessly. “Take me inside before they get pictures of me worshiping you from my knees.”
“Fuck.” Joss bites out realizing he took the kiss too far in public. Not that I regret it in the least bit.
Joss greets the security guy placed down in the lobby and then again, the one right outside our apartment door.
We enter the apartment to find Quinn sitting on the couch with a flushed face and swollen lips. Huh, something’s going on here.
“Um, are you okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, yeah,” she squeaks, and I notice the window’s open. There’s no way she opened it because she’s couch bound unable to use crutches with her broken wrist to aid her sprained ankle.
I run over and peek out just in time to see someone jump off of the fire escape and continue walking down the sidewalk. I turn back to Quinn and eye her skeptically.
“Are you all right? Who was that?”
“Who’s who?” Joss heads for the window I looked out of and steps out on the fire escape.
“Um.” She eyes Joss outside the window. “Can we talk about it in private? That was the guy who saved me.”
My eyes bug out. The guy that mysteriously showed up and saved her from the attack was just here?
“No way. Really?” I ask, and she conveys with her eyes that she doesn’t want to talk about it in front of Joss who’s coming back inside. I let her have her way even though I’m dying for some details.
I clear my throat and look at Joss. “Who wants lunch?” I ask both of them. “I’ll be right back.”
I leave them talking while I run into my room to put my things away. As I’m coming out of my en-suite bathroom, I stop when I find Joss lying on my bed.
“Go ahead and talk to your sister, I’ll hide in here for a bit. I can tell you’re dying to talk to her alone.”
I run over and jump onto the bed. My legs straddle his waist as I start to pepper kisses all over his face. “Thanks for understanding. I may be like a dude in the ring, but I love gossip as much as the next girl.”
“Baby, you are nothing like a guy in the ring. You know what, someday we’re going to spar. There are definitely some moves I want to use on you.”
“I have a few up my sleeve that would rock your world.” His hands rub up and down my spine as a shiver races through my body. “Mister Perfect,” I whisper.
Chapter 23
Emerson
I leave my bedroom and shut the door behind me. I’d like to say that I’m going to take a laid-back approach to Quinn’s situation, but it’s too juicy to be blasé. I walk into the living room and see she’s still hunkered down on the couch watching TV.
Quinn looks up when she notices me. “Where did Joss go?”
“He’s giving us some time to talk. He’s good like that. So…” I look around the apartment. “Do anything fun while I was gone? Or should I say, anyone?” I waggle my brows as her cheeks redden, and I know, I freaking know that something good happened. “Spill.” I jump on the couch landing on my knees. “Don’t leave anything out.”
“How do you know something happened?”
“I saw a man exiting the fire escape, and your lips look like they were thoroughly sucked. You can dance around the topic all you want, but I’m pretty damn persistent.”
“Fine. The guy who saved me, he showed up tapping on the window. I wasn’t sure who he was at first and panicked thinking someone was coming back to finish the job in the park.”
I pull her into my arms. “No one can get to you here, Quinny,” I reassure her.
“Not true seeing as my visitor scaled the fire escape.”
“I’ll take care of it.” I make a mental note to figure that situation out with my dad without tipping him off that something happened.
“Okay. Well, I fell off the couch trying to get away, and he opened the window and ran to my side. Em, he was so sweet. Helped me up, explained who he was and told me he’d leave right then and there because all he wanted was to see that I was okay.”
“Wow, an honorable man. This keeps getting better. Keep going,” I urge.
“I told him not to leave and thanked him for what he did at the park. He didn’t say a lot, not even his name, but I could tell there was something off about him. He has this edge, an air about him that screamed trouble. I knew I should have asked him to leave but I couldn’t. Something deep in me was screaming to keep him here.”
“We talked for a while, he even helped and got me my pain meds. He was ready to leave, was at the window,” Quinn pauses and brings the tips of her fingers to her swollen lips. “He rushed to me, grabbed the back of my neck and kissed me. Em, my world fell on its axis. Never in my life have I felt chemistry with someone like that, it was scary and exhilarating and hot. God, s
o hot.” Quinn covers her face with her hands and groans. “I’m such a whore.”
I laugh. “No, you aren’t. What happened after your life altering kiss?”
“Nothing. He heard you guys outside the door and ran out the window. Damn, why couldn’t you have come ten minutes later? Maybe he would have given me his name or something. I’ll probably never see him again.” Sadness fills her eyes, and I can sense everything she’s said is true. How she feels and the connection Quinn felt for the mystery man.
“Aw, I’m sorry. You did say you got the sense that he was bad news. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to be by yourself with him?”
“I was safe, I know I was. I know in my gut that he’d never hurt me. I didn’t get a sense that he was bad, just that he was maybe into bad things. He’s a little rough around the edges. Totally badass.”
She rests her head on my shoulder as I stroke her hair. “How are you feeling? Better today?” She shakes her head in answer. “It’ll get better. I want you to talk to Penny.”
“Em,” she starts, but I cut her off.
“A lot has happened. You might feel better after talking to someone. She can show you some coping mechanisms to help you out.”
“Fine. But if it gets weird, I’m going to someone I don’t know.”
“Deal.”
“Mom and dad are worried. They still want you to stay with them.”
“Could you imagine going back there? No thank you. I’ve been traumatized more times than I can count by them. Whoever heard of a married couple being together as long as them and still burning hot for each other.”
My body shutters. No, I could never go back there either. They are finally empty nesters, and it will stay that way. Honestly, I pray whoever I end up with is all over me when we’re that old like my dad is to my mom. It would be completely sweet if they weren’t my parents.
Joss pokes his head in a few minutes later, and we welcome him back into the living room to watch some Netflix. It’s amazing to me how quick Joss has shifted from my brother’s friend to boyfriend in such a short period of time.
Rebel: A Brother's Best Friend Standalone Romance Page 15
