The Hastings Series
Page 35
“Nah, just some training. My next fight is tomorrow night. You should come and bid on me. I can promise you’ll win big.” His face was serious now and I had no doubt that this guy wouldn’t lose to anyone soon. I didn’t follow all of his fights. There was a chart online for all the underground fights happening in the US, but I hadn’t checked it in a while.
“Might come by. Who’s the lucky guy?” I joked and he let out a laugh. “Kaleb Fury. Beat him four times already and I have no idea why he comes back and tries to beat me.”
“Probably likes the pain.” We both laughed and Dallas shrugged. “Maybe he’ll realize after my fifth win that he’s got no chance. Probably just likes the challenge.”
I nodded in agreement. I’d been there before. Back when I started fighting, I had one opponent I was never able to win against. Since he was the best at the time, I wanted to be the one to break his lucky streak and take over his position of being the best fighter. Before I got the chance to challenge him again, that poor guy got knocked out by several men one night on the streets. They broke both his legs, damaging them to the point where he’s not been able to fight anymore.
“You really don’t fight anymore?” Dallas asked and turned to look at me. I shook my head and reached for a beer. “I think I’m over it. I fought to get money. Not sure I can just start fighting again after years of no practice.”
“If you change your mind, you know where to find me. Do you work?” That was a reasonable question to ask someone who spent most of his time in his apartment. I shook my head and turned to look at him.
“Not yet. I haven’t really found anything I like. I worked as a mechanic back in Hastings. But I think I need something different.”
“I see. Ever thought about bartending? I always need people at the club.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You own a club?”
“Yeah, a night club upstairs and a fight club downstairs,” he explained with a smug grin. “I have a cave down there. And when I don’t fight, I work upstairs at the bar sometimes. Only if my people don’t have time to work. They’re college students but most times they don’t come in because of exams and all that shit. I usually don’t hire people who work full-time. But since you don’t have a job and you’re not a student, I could get you a job at the bar.”
That was…nice. I took a second to think about it and to be honest, it didn’t sound like a bad idea. Working as a bartender wasn’t really what I had in mind when I started thinking about a new job, but Dallas is a nice guy. So why not just take this opportunity?
“Sounds good to me,” I told him, and he gave me a quick nod.
“Great. I’ll come get you tomorrow night at six and we can go to the club together so I can show you around before it opens at seven.”
“That’s not possible,” I blurted out and hated myself for sounding harsh. Dallas looked at me with a surprised and then questioning look on his face. “What?”
“Your plan sounds good, but I have something planned already for tomorrow night. I can’t cancel.” Being honest was my only option here. “I have a date,” I added slowly, hoping he would realize where I was going with that.
He studied me a while, then opened his mouth, closed it again, and then sighed. “My sister,” he said, a little too annoyed for my liking. Shit. He’s not okay with this.
“Listen, man,” I started, running my hand through my hair, and thinking about how to explain it to him. “She’s great—”
“Yeah, she is,” he said with a laugh and shook his head. “You don’t have to explain yourself. I never had to deal with a guy taking her out on a second date, but I have this weird thing inside of me telling me to make sure you’re not an asshole.”
So he knew about our first date. Why didn’t he say anything about that? “I get it. Hell, my sister is having my best friend’s baby back in Hastings. Believe me, I know what you’re feeling right now. But I can promise you that Gray’s not just someone I want to have fun with.” That also didn’t sound right, but I somehow needed to let him know that my intentions were good.
“I invited her to eat dinner with me here. I’ll cook for her. Well, I’ll at least try. But I really enjoy her company.” I wasn’t sure why I told him all that, but it just seemed right. I knew how he felt.
“Just don’t mess with her.”
I nodded, holding up my hands to defend myself from those words. “Not my plan.”
Dallas went quiet for a while, finished his beer, and then grabbed another one. “Sunday, then. My fight starts at eight. We can go to the club at six, I show you around until seven, and then I’ll get ready for my fight.”
I nodded again, hoping he really accepted what I said before. “Sounds good to me. And, hey…if I mess it up with Gray, I’ll let you beat me up.”
Dallas laughed and shook his head. “You wouldn’t want that.”
Chapter Ten
Gray
I kept staring at the door. I couldn’t get myself to knock on Jagger’s door. I wasn’t nervous. I never was. Especially not when it came to guys. They didn’t make me nervous. Not one bit. But something about Jagger made me feel weird inside. I liked him. A lot. We had an amazing date and we even got closer with his hand on my thigh or his arm around my shoulders as he walked me home. It didn’t bother me on our first date. I felt comfortable around him and I wasn’t going to push him away. He obviously liked me. He even told me. He was a gentleman, holding the doors for me and paying for the food.
He didn’t hold back on touching me. It might be weird for some people to let a stranger you only just met a few days prior touch you, but Jagger did it in such a gentle, unobtrusive way that I wanted his hand to stay there all evening.
The way he talked, so calm and yet determined, he knew what he wanted to say and picked his words carefully. He looked relaxed, as if we did that so many times already. He listened. He was patient with me and my messy way to tell stories. I was all over the place. But he kept his eyes on mine, nodded occasionally to let me know that he was following what I was saying. And the way he kept our conversation flowing without even trying too hard. He knew what he wanted to ask. What he wanted to know about me. And in general, how to keep a conversation going without it getting boring or one-sided.
I think I did well myself. I answered his questions and asked back when I wanted to know something about him. He was honest with me. He was genuine.
Too genuine.
Which is why I was hesitant to knock on his door. He seemed unreal. Too good to be true. How am I supposed to keep up with someone like him?
No. I’m worth this. I deserve a nice guy.
Shaking my head, I pulled myself together and finally lifted my hand to knock. Two knocks. My heart made itself noticeable in my chest now. Great. I take it back. I am nervous.
The door opened, and I held my breath as my eyes wandered from his brown chino pants up to his plain navy sweater, nicely fitting his upper body. Not too tight, but snug enough to see a little bit of his muscles. The sleeves were nicely rolled halfway up his arms. My eyes met his and smiles immediately spread on our faces.
“You look handsome,” I told him, eyeing his hair for a second. It was a little messy, with two or three locks curling around his ears, giving the whole look the finishing touch.
He chuckled and stepped forward, grabbed my waist with his right hand, cupped the side of my face with his left. He kissed my cheek softly and I closed my eyes to make sure I would remember this forever. The way he pulled me in, the way he kissed me, so gentle—that’s what I liked about him. He got close without making me feel uncomfortable. And he wasn’t making this awkward.
He then stepped back again to look at me. “You’re beautiful.” His eyes were now wandering over my outfit. I was wearing an olive-green cord skirt with a white long-sleeved turtleneck. Nothing too fancy. I wanted to still be comfortable.
When his eyes met mine again, he stepped aside and nodded inside. “Come in. Dinner’s almost ready.”
“What are you cooking?” I asked, putting down the tote bag I probably shouldn’t have taken on a date since it was old and grungy. But I didn’t have a purse at home and a backpack seemed a little unnecessary. I pulled out the bottle of red wine I had bought some weeks ago to consume on my own but never actually had the chance to and turned to look at him. “I hope whatever it is goes with cheap red wine.” I grinned, holding out the bottle to him.
He chuckled, amused by my attempt at making cheap wine sound tempting. He took the bottle and looked at the label, then nodded. “I think this will go perfectly with what I’m cooking. Come with me,” he said with a smile and walked into the open kitchen. I followed him, watching him open a drawer and pull out a corkscrew.
I glanced over to the counter, noticing a variety of vegetables, some salad, and different bowls with sauces in them. Then I saw buns sitting on an oven tray, and it all started to click. “You’re making burgers?” I asked, getting my hopes up.
“We are making burgers,” he explained and pulled the cork out of the bottle swiftly. “I know it’s not a nice steak, but to be honest with you…I could never pull off anything other than home-made burgers. Or some frozen pizza.” He looked as if he was doubting himself, looking over at the little buffet he put together on the kitchen counter. I glanced back at it too, then let out a laugh and shook my head to let him know that I was totally into this.
“This is amazing. It’s a great idea, Jagger.” I smiled brightly at him, feeling an urge to hug him tight.
He seemed relieved, visibly relaxing the muscles in his face again. “I’m glad you like it. I had to call Hunter and ask about that special sauce he makes for the diner. That’s his recipe.” He poured the wine into two glasses and handed one to me.
“I bet it tastes great. Thank you for this,” I told him and nodded to the buffet. I took the glass from him and held it up to his, so our glasses clinked. “And for asking me out on a second date.”
He grinned, holding his glass up to his mouth and taking a sip. “Wasn’t the last time I’ll ask you out.”
I hoped so. We hadn’t even started dinner yet, but I knew I didn’t want to leave his place. Not tonight.
Chapter Eleven
Jagger
She liked the burgers. She told me multiple times while we sat at the table and enjoyed our creations. Gray liked Hunter’s sauce, and I was thankful he sent me that recipe. I liked it too. But then, I already knew what that sauce would taste like. I enjoyed Hunter’s cooking skills back in Hastings, and after eating these burgers, I sure as hell would drive over there and eat at Frankie’s diner.
“The third one was a mistake,” Gray admitted and sat down on the couch. I grinned, taking both our wine glasses and putting them down on the small table in front of her. I sat down next to her and leaned back, stretching one arm behind her on the back of the couch. “I think it’s impressive how much you can eat. But I agree. Three burgers are a lot. I’m full too.”
After we cleaned the table and put the dishes into the dishwasher, sitting on the couch with her and drinking wine was all I wanted to do for the rest of the evening. Having her here with me was nice. Her presence was somehow calming but exciting and talking to her was easy.
“How’s work?” I asked, eyeing her face once again. I seemed to do that a little too often but then, she was fascinating. How could I look away?
“Work’s great. I finished the painting I started when you came to the gallery, and now, I’m brainstorming on what to paint next.” Her eyes left mine and wandered around my apartment, then the corners of her mouth turned up. “Maybe I could do one for your place. It does look a bit plain.”
“I agree,” I told her and smiled back, reaching to my glass of wine, and taking a sip. “What do you think would fit in here? More color, or should I keep it minimalistic and neutral?” That was a question I couldn’t answer myself because my sense of color and interior design was nowhere to be found. Besides, this place was too big for just one person and the emptiness in the guest bedroom was sad. I kept that door closed, so I didn’t have to think about buying a bed no one would ever use. Unless Harlow and Hunter would come over one day. Looking for a roommate was not an option. I liked being alone and falling asleep at night without hearing someone going to the bathroom or waking up too early and making noise when I still had time to rest.
It wasn’t a problem with Harlow since she’s the calmest and most attentive girl ever. She did wake up before me most mornings, but she was so careful not to make any noise so that I was able to sleep off the long nights I had most times. Also, back then I was the one waking up in the middle of the night from Hunter or Gunner’s calls. I had to meet them in the middle of the night, making sure our job was done before sunrise. It was hectic and wrong. I realized that working for Gunner wasn’t getting me anywhere and I had to change for Harlow. After all that happened with our dad, I needed a way out. Luckily, Hunter stood right next to me through all of it and telling Gunner we would be leaving his business was easier together than doing it all alone.
“I think some neutrals fit perfectly.” Gray’s voice made me snap out of my thoughts, and I saw her look around the room once again. “I like the dark floor in here and the black frames on the windows. Plants would also look great in here. So maybe…a painting with browns and greens?”
I quickly nodded, thinking whatever she thought would look good in here, I was okay with. “Sounds perfect,” I agreed, putting the wine glass back on the couch table. “Anything else you think would fit in this space?”
Gray studied the furniture around the living room, puckering her lips to let me know that she was thinking. “Other than some plants, I think this place looks great. It’s simple and cozy. And I love that there are no curtains in front of the windows. Sage has them all over her apartment and I think it blocks out too much of the sun.” She turned to look at me again with a smile. “I like your place a lot better.”
And I liked having her in it. Fuck me. Resisting the urge to pull her in and kiss her was hard. I didn’t want to mess this up. But I couldn’t wait to have her just a little closer tonight.
Our eyes stayed on each other’s for a while, then, I reached for her leg and pulled it over my lap. “Come here,” I told her in a low voice, and she moved closer, leaning into me, and laying her head on my shoulder. My right hand cupped the back of her head and my fingers moved into her hair, caressing her scalp.
Her left arm wrapped around my waist from the back, and her right hand gripped my sweater, holding tightly to me. I turned my head to rest my chin on the top of her head, inhaling her scent, which reminded me of peaches with a hint of honey. Interesting mix, I thought. Just what I like.
We stayed like that for a while, not caring about the time passing. It was getting late. We spent most of our evening talking at the table and eating. So now, sitting here in silence felt just right. I liked how we didn’t bother talking, yet we knew exactly what we were feeling and thinking. With Gray, enjoying each other even without saying a word was a big step for me. For example, I didn’t like the pressure Bliss put on me. When she was around, we talked a lot. And as soon as it got quiet for a few minutes, she got mad because, in her eyes, the silence meant that something was wrong. That’s how most of our fights started. Her thinking something was up just because I didn’t talk for a while. I couldn’t stand those moments. But this, with Gray, this was already feeling good.
Her fingers traced up my sweater to my chest, and then back down to my stomach, where she gripped the fabric tightly again. “I’m sleepy,” she whispered, and I turned to kiss the top of her head. I didn’t want her to leave. I wanted to wake up the next morning and have her here with me. In my apartment. So, I risked it.
“You can stay here. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Okay,
” she responded with no hesitation. A grin appeared on my lips, and I grabbed a fistful of her hair to turn her head enough so I could kiss her forehead softly. “I’ll show you my room.”
I took her hand in mine as we got up from the couch and walked toward the bedroom. I led her inside and turned on the lights, then nodded to my clothing rack where all my stuff was hung. “Just take whatever you need. The bathroom is right there,” I said with another nod to the bathroom door located opposite the bed. “There’s a cabinet with some unused toothbrushes.”
“Okay, thank you,” she replied, then looked up to me with a small smile. “Will you be okay on the couch?” Her hand was still holding mine, with her fingers now linked with mine.
“I’ll be just fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“All right, then…goodnight.” I couldn’t help a smile. She was so damn adorable. I squeezed her hand, then let go of it.
“Goodnight,” I said, and she closed the door to my room.
I walked back to the couch, grabbing the pillows from one side and a blanket from the other. I fell asleep on here before. Wasn’t that bad. But knowing Gray was right there in my bedroom was difficult to get ahold of. No need to rush things with her, though, right?
Chapter Twelve
Gray
I couldn’t sleep. Knowing Jagger was out there on the couch when this bed was big enough for three people didn’t seem right. Besides, it’s his bed. I should be the one to sleep on the couch. The evening we spent together was amazing. His company was, once again, very enjoyable. We had so much to talk about and the food…God, those burgers were delicious. I had to thank his friend for letting Jagger use his recipe one day. And I most definitely needed to drive to Hastings just to eat at that diner.