Outmatched: A Novel

by Kristen Callihan

Slowly Dean’s expression lightened. “It could work.” He paced the other way, both of us wearing a groove in the floorboards. His stride grew quicker as he mulled over what I’d said.

  “It could work, Rhys.” He sounded excited now. “But I have no clue how to get something like that started. Do you?”

  I stopped next to the kitchen counter. In my mind, I could still see Parker standing there, pretty as a sunrise, her eyes alight as she watched me get ready to cook. I’d been falling for her from the first. She gave me hope, made me want to reach further, raise my head a little higher.

  I didn’t know shit about organizing a fundraiser, but I was fairly certain she did. I met my brother’s eyes and smiled. “We need Parker.”

  I needed her. That was the truth. I needed her in more ways than one.

  I grabbed my phone and called her, filled with satisfaction that I could do that. Shit, I missed her already. I wanted her. I wanted her so bad, I felt like I was missing something when she was gone.

  She answered with a breathless voice. “Hey, you.”

  A goofy smile pulled at my mouth as my head went hazy with lust. “Hey, Tink. What are you up to?”

  “Thinking about you.”

  Jesus. I was so gone on this girl.

  “Good answer.” I grinned, then told myself to focus. “Can you come over? I need you.”

  “It’s like that, is it?” She sounded cheeky, and sexy as hell.

  I laughed. “It’s always like that where you’re concerned, babe.”

  At my back, Dean gagged. And I shot him a look before focusing on Parker. “Ahem. I need that too. But Dean’s here right now.”

  “You told him, didn’t you?” Pride filled her voice. Pride for me.

  “Yeah. And we got to talking about the fight. I have a plan. Want to help me with it?”

  She didn’t hesitate. “I’ll be right over.”

  Because she was my girl. My right-now girl. And, right now, it was enough for me.

  Nineteen

  Parker

  * * *

  Zoe was a terrible liar.

  I watched her warily as we walked up the front steps of Rhys’s gym. Her dark, intelligent gaze took in the building, her frown deepening as we walked through the doors.

  Under the guise that she wanted to be in on the meeting between Rhys and the event manager, Fiona, for Zoe’s charity Street Warriors, she was tagging along to Lights Out.

  Considering Zoe let Fiona have free rein as event manager, we both knew Zoe was really using this as an excuse to meet Rhys. However, since Ren and the guys had already met my boyfriend (yes, I was calling him that in my head now), I wasn’t going to quibble with my best friend over this.

  That didn’t mean I wasn’t nervous as heck to see what she’d think of Rhys, and I didn’t want him feeling any pressure either. He already had enough stress in his life.

  Two weeks ago, he’d called me to his place after his discussion with his brother. Not surprisingly, Dean had learned about the loan when he dug into the gym’s finances. Upon finding out the extent of the debt and whom it was owed to, Dean proved himself to be a good brother. He immediately began brainstorming with Rhys and they’d come up with the idea of a charity fight.

  I hated that it meant Rhys would still have to fight, but he seemed content with the idea since it would be on his terms. They required my help so I went into full battle-plan mode.

  Rhys had already held a meeting with Fiona at Street Warriors; this was their second meeting to finalize details. Since we didn’t have a lot of time, I’d called in Easton to help, as well as my mother. With both my sister and my mom’s knowledge of society, we picked a date in the social calendar that we knew most people would be able to attend. The event would be held at Rhys’s gym. The idea had been to bring the gym the exposure it needed in the hopes of gaining sponsorship from some of the more exalted guests, but to our delight a few of my parents’ friends involved in community development programs had already visited the gym with my mom to offer sponsorship.

  The fight hadn’t even occurred and already a lot of the pressure was off for Rhys.

  To lure people to the event, Rhys had called in a favor and had gotten ex-heavyweight world champion Jarrod “The Thunder” Johnson to fight him. Jarrod was a little older than Rhys, and although they were friends, they’d never fought each other. Which meant this exhibition fight was a huge draw for sports fans amongst the elite. We’d already secured ticket sales from Diana Crichton Jones—the billionaire I’d met at Fairchild’s garden party—and her fiancé, as well as Adriana Bellington, the owner of Sportsbox.

  She wanted to air the charity fight on her network, and we were donating the rights payment to Street Warriors. The free promotion would only help us out by gaining more of those sponsorships.

  Easton and my mother were the best at organizing receptions, so I’d put them in charge of organizing catering for an after-fight party on the gym’s second level. My quick-talking mom had convinced a caterer and party planner to donate their time and work with us as a tax write-off, so we didn’t have to pay for that either.

  Fiona was in charge of ticket sales, so she was meeting with Rhys today to give him an update on where we were at with those. The fight was in three weeks. Although Rhys and I spent time with one another the past few weekends, I hadn’t seen him as much as I’d like because he was in training mode.

  “This place is sad,” Zoe murmured as we walked across the glass-fronted atrium and through the double doors to the public gym. There were only a few people working out. “A redecoration overhaul is definitely needed.”

  “Hence the charity fight,” I reminded her. “This way.”

  Since dating Rhys for real, I’d visited the gym a few times and knew my way around. I led Zoe to the back stairwell that would take us directly to the second-floor corridor that housed Rhys’s office.

  At my knock, Rhys called, “Come in.”

  His voice sent a thrill through me, and I reached to push open the door.

  Zoe’s groan halted my action.

  “What?” I frowned.

  “You are sickeningly in love,” she whispered, smirking.

  My heart lurched at the word. “Take that back.”

  “Nah.” She shook her head, pushing Rhys’s door open. “I only speak the truth.”

  Attempting to squash the heat her words caused in my cheeks, my eyes darted to Rhys who was standing by his desk with Fiona at his side. Dean and Carlos were also in the room. My gaze flickered from them back to Rhys whose face split into a wide grin.

  “Hey, Tink.”

  Ignoring Zoe’s disturbing last words, I crossed the room with a small smile and went up on my tiptoes as Rhys bent down to kiss me. Everything about him—his smile, the contented expression in his eyes when he looked at me, his cologne, the feel of him under my hands—caused a score of pleasure pain across my chest. His arm moved around my waist, drawing me to his side.

  “Hey.”

  He grinned at me for a long moment and then looked up. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

  Oh, dammit.

  I looked over at my best friend and blushed at the expression on her face.

  It clearly said, “You just made my point for me.”

  “Right. Rhys, this is my best friend and roommate, Zoe. Zoe, this is Rhys. You already know Fiona, of course.” I smiled at the blond grad student who had more energy than anyone had a right to. My gaze moved past her to Carlos and Dean who were both staring way too intently at my best friend. “This is Dean, Rhys’s brother, and Carlos, Rhys’s friend. He also works here.”

  “Hey.” Rhys gave her a chin lift. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Yes, you too. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “I’m gonna go ahead and assume it was all good.”

  “You do that.”

  I kept my gaze on Rhys during this exchange. It took me a moment to realize I was studying his reaction to Zoe. My friend was a knockout, but I did
n’t want Rhys to notice.

  Of course he’d notice; she was beautiful inside and out.

  I was proud Zoe was my friend.

  I just wanted Rhys’s attention for myself while we were in our Honeymoon phase.

  And it irritated me that I could be so insecure and possessive.

  Rhys’s expression was pleasant enough greeting my friend, but there wasn’t any hint of discernible interest beyond that.

  Unlike Dean and Carlos, who both stepped forward at the same time to shake Zoe’s hand.

  Dean glared at Carlos and nudged him out of the way. “I’m the brother.”

  My friend took Dean’s proffered hand. “I’m the roommate.”

  “And I’m Carlos.” He pressed a palm to Dean’s chest and shoved him back like he was a little kid. “Zoe, bonita, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Thanks for helping my boy out with this event.”

  Eyes dancing under the flirtatious bedroom eyes of Carlos, Zoe shook his hand. “Well, it’s mutually beneficial.”

  Carlos grinned, his dangerous dimples popping in each cheek. “Well, if mutual benefits are something you’re interested in, you and I should definitely talk some more.”

  My friend laughed and withdrew her hand. “Oh, I’m not really into sharing benefits with someone whose pool of sexual companions is probably so big, it qualifies as a population.”

  I tried to contain my snort at Carlos’s baffled expression. Clearly, he was used to women falling at the first sight of those dimples.

  “Let’s get back on track.” Rhys squeezed my shoulder as he turned to Fiona. “Tell them about the ticket sales.”

  Fiona beamed at us all. “We’ve sold out.”

  Whoops filled the room and soon, failed flirtations went out the window as we discussed what had been done and what still needed to be done to make the event a success.

  About an hour later, Fiona departed and Zoe sighed as the door closed on her. “I need to get back too.” She gestured to me. “You coming, or going?”

  I shook my head. I was on the desk facing Rhys, who was sitting in his chair, his fingers chasing the goosebumps created as he caressed the back of my left calf.

  She grinned knowingly. “Right. I’ll see you later, then.” Her gaze moved between me and Rhys. “Also, not that it matters, but I approve.”

  I heard Rhys grunt as I beamed at my best friend.

  It did matter to me what she thought of Rhys. Not enough I’d stop dating him, but still, I was glad she could see how happy he made me.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Carlos offered.

  “Oh, you don’t—”

  “It’s my pleasure.” He opened the door and gestured for her to walk ahead.

  As soon as the door closed behind them, I turned to Rhys. “You might want to tell him he’s got no chance. Zoe can spot a player a mile away and she has no interest in them.” I glanced over my shoulder at Dean. “That goes for you too.”

  “No worries.” Dean curled his lip in thought. “She’s gorgeous but I like my women commitment-phobic. Shame. I would not tire of looking at her.”

  “She’s more than a pretty face, you know.”

  “Yeah, her ass and legs are fucking fantastic too.” Dean laughed at my grimace and stood. “I’m kidding, Parker. Guess I better leave you lovebirds alone. But you”—he pointed at his brother—“got training this afternoon.”

  I felt Rhys’s hand slide farther up my leg. “I’ll get my workout in, don’t you worry.”

  Shivering at the promise in his voice, I couldn’t even laugh at Dean’s disgusted expression. “I understand innuendo, fuckface.”

  Rhys chuckled. “You leaving or what?”

  “I got shit to do, so yeah.”

  “I hope that shit has something to do with finding a decent job.”

  “Hey, who is the smartest person in this room?”

  “Parker.”

  I laughed as Dean rolled his eyes. “I meant out of us two.”

  But Rhys wasn’t laughing. “I mean it, Dean. Time to get serious.”

  “I already told you I am.” He left before Rhys could say another word.

  I frowned. “You’re still worried about him?”

  “I’ll keep worrying about him until he nails down a good job and starts to settle. Now, can we stop talking about my little brother and go up to the loft?”

  Before I could answer, he placed his hands under my ass and lifted me up so I had no choice but to wrap myself around him like a monkey.

  “That was a rhetorical question.” His lids lowered over his eyes as he stared at my mouth. “If I don’t get inside you in the next five minutes, I’m gonna lose my mind.”

  I would’ve chided him for such melodrama if his phone hadn’t vibrated on the desk.

  He glanced over my shoulder and scowled.

  “What is it?” I twisted to have a look down at his phone screen. “Who is Colonel Dipshit?”

  “Fairchild.”

  I snorted and grinned at him. “Colorful.”

  Rhys didn’t laugh. “It’s the third time he’s called since yesterday.”

  “He’s heard about the fight,” I surmised, feeling a trickle of trepidation run through me. “Answer it. Just get it over with.”

  The muscle in his jaw flexed. “I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

  “I won’t be able to concentrate until we know what he has to say.”

  Rhys sighed heavily and gently lowered me to the ground. His phone stopped vibrating for a second and then immediately started again. “Colonel Dipshit was too kind,” he muttered under his breath as he reached for the phone.

  I pressed into his side, one palm on his lower back, the other on his abs, my physical support a show of my emotional support. Rhys curled his arm around my shoulders and answered, putting the phone on speaker. “Fairchild.”

  “Morgan,” Mr. Fairchild answered tersely. “You do realize this goddamn charity fight you’re putting together has affected the level of interest in my fight?”

  “Well, it doesn’t really matter because I never agreed to do your fight.”

  There was silence. Then, “You sneaky little fuck.”

  I stiffened at the same time Rhys did, a growl burrowing up my throat.

  Hearing it, Rhys rubbed my shoulder and shook his head at me. “I don’t give two shits who you are, Fairchild. Nobody talks to me like that.”

  “Oh, you’ll care, son, when I’m done with you. Did you think you could get one over on me and survive that?”

  “You threatening me?”

  “Not in the way you think. There are other ways to destroy a man’s life without touching a single hair on his head. Now, here’s what you’re going to do. You’ll continue with this asinine charity fight, but you’re still going to fight for me.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or I start with that little bitch who, according to my staff, really likes getting fucked.” Rhys’s fingers bit into my shoulder, and his expression turned dark. “Well,” Fairchild continued, “I’m going to fuck her too, just in a different way. I’ll start with that job of hers. Not only will I make sure she never works for Horus again, I’ll make sure she never works in Boston again, and I’ll go even further than that and make sure she never works in renewable energy. Every move she makes to further her career, I’ll be there to fuck with her.”

  My heart pounded in my chest, nausea roiling in my gut because I knew Fairchild was capable of doing exactly that.

  “And if that isn’t enough to make you see things my way, I’ll move on to your brother. It would be a shame if someone as intelligent as Dean, with such a bright future ahead of him, were to find himself unemployable.”

  Rhys shuddered against me and I held on tighter, as if I could contain his fury. He opened and shut his mouth. Seeing his struggle, I caressed his cheek, drawing his gaze to mine.

  I shook my head at him and mouthed, “We can fight him.”

  His eyes asked, “How?”

&nbs
p; I thought of all the connections my family had to powerful people in society and although it made me uncomfortable thinking about using those connections, I would to help us out of this. Fairchild thought he was untouchable, but for myself, for Rhys, and for Dean, I’d do anything to prove him wrong.

  “I see I have your attention,” Fairchild said, sounding smug. “Good. I’ll be in touch about my fight, Morgan, so next time I call, answer the fucking phone.” He hung up.

  Rhys’s fingers curled around his cell and seeing his knuckles turn white, I quickly extricated the phone before he threw it across the room. I set it on the desk and turned to him. “We can fight him. My parents have a lot of powerful friends and, although I’ve never thought about them in that way, Charles and Marion Brown are not people you mess with.”

  “I thought the reason you wanted a fake relationship was to keep your troubles away from your parents?”

  I stiffened. “Well, I’m not happy about the idea of going to them either, but I don’t think we should just allow this man to steamroll us. It’s better to ask for help from people who care about us than to let Colonel Dipshit blackmail us.”

  Rhys’s eyes searched mine for what felt like eternity. Then he exhaled slowly. “Parker, you came to me—well, technically, Dean, but let’s not think about that—for help. This job means so much to you, you were willing to pay a guy to pretend to date you to keep it. I can’t let you jeopardize all that.”

  I slid my hand up his chest, resting my palm over his fiercely pounding heart. “I don’t want to jeopardize it either. It scares me. A lot. But the idea of Fairchild using you, what that’ll do to you and Dean—that scares me too. Let’s just get through the charity fight. We don’t know what’s going to come of that. Once we know what cards we’re holding, we can deal with Fairchild. For now, we’ll just find ways to hold him off.”

  Rhys continued to frown. “I don’t want you choosing me and Dean over your job. You’ve worked your ass off for that job. It’s important to you.”

  “You’re important to me too, Rhys.”

  Quite abruptly, Rhys wrapped his hand around my nape and hauled me up his body for a hard kiss. I whimpered in surprise, and he lifted his head briefly to growl, “You really have no idea, do you, Tink?”