I walked at a brisk pace, hoping no one tried to stop me along the way. If they did, my self-defense classes might kick in and they’d find themselves flat on their back.
I opened the doors and the place was packed.
Somehow, Karlie spotted me and made her way through the crowd towards me.
“Jared’s getting ready,” she said, “do you want to see him?”
“Uh-” I paused, not sure what to say. Would saying, “hell yes”, make me look desperate?
“Just follow me,” she said, “I don’t want you getting lost in the crowd anyway. They get really rowdy when they start placing bets. Although, why anyone would ever bet against Jared is beyond me.”
It was a tight squeeze to make it through the crowd and I flinched anytime I bumped into someone.
Karlie led me down the hallway, past Jared’s workout room, and a bunch of other rooms.
We turned left at the end of the hallway and ended up in a huge, open space with a boxing ring in the middle. Bleachers were set up on three sides of the boxing ring.
I saw a guy prepping in the corner, alternating between punching and kicking in the air.
On the other side of the room, Jared was taking deep breaths and stretching his arms. He was shirtless, the white stuff he always used wrapped around his hands and ankles.
He grinned when he saw us and waved us over. I tried not to look at his naked chest, but it was impossible. His body was a work of art, the way his muscles dipped and curved. I was beginning to realize that everything about him was beautiful. Not just the way he looked, but the person he was underneath. He truly had a good, caring, heart.
Dan was rattling off statistics on the guy Jared would be fighting and telling Jared where the best places were to hit the other guy. Jared just nodded and I had to laugh internally. I mean, they were talking about beating up this guy, like a normal person would be rattling off their favorite ice cream. It was a little disturbing.
“I thought you might not show up,” Jared confessed.
“I wouldn’t do that to you,” I said, and it was true, even if I was a bit freaked out.
“I’m glad Karls found you,” he said. “It can get a bit crazy when the people start coming in. We’ve had a couple fights break out over seats.”
My eyes widened.
“Don’t worry,” Jared winked, grinning crookedly, “I won’t let anyone hurt my girl. Or girls,” he said and poked Karlie’s shoulder.
She laughed and said, “Where’s your douchebag of a friend?”
“Somewhere around here,” Jared said. “I can’t be expected to keep track of him.”
“Probably, off somewhere, getting his dick sucked,” Karlie muttered under her breath.
I gasped and Jared snapped, “What did you say?”
“You heard me,” Karlie said defiantly, “and you know it’s true.”
“That doesn’t mean I need to hear my baby sister talk about my best friend getting a blowjob,” Jared shook his head. “Especially before a match.”
“He’s a man whore,” Karlie grumbled.
“Please, stop talking about this,” Jared said. “Besides, you shouldn’t even know about that stuff.”
Karlie rolled her eyes, her hands on her hips. “Jared, this is the twenty-first century and I am sixteen. I know all about the birds and the bees.”
Jared’s eyes widened. “You’re not-”
“No, Jared, don’t be silly,” Karlie, snorted.
“I swear to God, if some prick has put his hands on you, I’ll hunt him down and cut his balls off,” Jared pointed warningly at his sister.
“Oh, I know you will,” Karlie, said. “Maybe you should start with Holden.”
Jared’s eyes threatened to pop out of his head. “He didn’t!”
He started to storm out of the room when Karlie called, “Jared! I was kidding!”
Jared whipped back around. “Don’t lie to me, Karlie. Did Holden…” he took a deep breath. “Did Holden touch you?”
“You mean, did Holden and I have sex? Sex, Jared. Say the word, it won’t kill you.”
“Did you and Holden have sex?” Jared stared Karlie down.
Dan and I watched the siblings, speechless.
“No, we didn’t,” Karlie, said evenly. “I’m a virgin, Jared, so stop being all uptight. I was just joking.”
“That’s not something to joke about, Karlie,” Jared seethed. The veins in his neck and arms stood out against his tan skin.
“Jeez, calm down, Jared,” Karlie held her hands up and took a step back.
“Are you lying, Karlie? Did he have sex with you and that’s why he’s acting so weird?” Jared pointed at his sister, a vein pulsing in his forehead. He looked like he was close to losing it.
Karlie snorted. “I would not have sex with ‘Marky Sharky’ if my life depended on it,” color stained her cheeks. “I don’t know what his problem is.”
Jared began to calm down. “Don’t make jokes like that, ever again,” he warned.
“I won’t, promise,” she said.
“Good,” he took a deep breath. “And don’t ever get me that worked up before a match ever again.”
Karlie rolled her eyes. “Pull that stick out of your butt, Jare.”
“Just go sit down,” Jared pointed to the bleachers. “You’re getting on my nerves.”
“Good luck,” I told him.
He flashed me a small smile. “Sorry about freaking out. I just can’t stand the thought of someone hurting my sister. Let alone my best friend.” He ran a hand through his short dark hair.
“I completely understand, really.” I put my hands in my back jeans pockets. “I’ll be over there with your sister, cheering you on.”
His smile widened. “Nothing would please me more.”
I was tempted to stretch up on my tiptoes and kiss his cheek, but I was afraid of what might happen if I did.
It would be really awkward, if all I did was kiss his cheek and I’d end up running away.
No, my lips would be staying away from his cheek.
“Good luck,” I said again and took the seat beside Karlie. “So,” I said, “Did you call Holden, Marky Sharky?”
She laughed, shaking her hair in her face. “That’s what everyone in the gym calls him, since his last name is Marks. He hates it.”
“You like him,” I stated.
She looked up at me, her large brown eyes, blinking owlishly at me. They were a lighter shade than her brothers, but no less stunning. “Is it that obvious?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I just notice things more than other people do.”
“Please don’t say anything,” she begged. “I hate being a cliché, crushing on my older brother’s friend,” she bowed her head. “It would never work anyway, I mean, he’s eight years older than me.”
“You never know,” I said with a shrug.
She snorted. “It doesn’t matter anyway, he’s an ass-hat.”
“What about Rodney?” I questioned.
Karlie looked down at her beat up pair of Converse. “I don’t know. He’s my dance partner. I don’t want to complicate our working relationship with a romantic one. Besides, I’m only sixteen.”
“You’ve definitely got your head on better than most sixteen year olds,” I told her.
She smiled widely. “I have Dan and Patsy to thank for that,” she paused, “and my brother.”
“What happened to your parents?” I asked.
She looked up at me with a sad smile. “That’s not my story to tell, it’s Jared’s.”
I looked across the room at Jared. He was talking to Dan but his eyes caught mine and he grinned.
From beside me, Karlie said, “I don’t know if you’re dating my brother, or not, but I’ve never seen him happier.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Really,” she nodded, with a smile. “He smiles and laughs more. I’ve never seen him happier and I just want to say thank you and…”
“And what?” I asked, when she didn’t continue.
Shimmery brown eyes met mine, “Please, don’t break his heart.”
I didn’t tell her, that she shouldn’t be worried about Jared’s heart; it was mine that would be shattered if something happened.
“I won’t,” was what I said, instead.
“He’s a great guy,” she said. “I’ve never seen him in a relationship before, so it’s nice to see him sticking with one girl that he actually cares about.”
“Has he –uh- been with a lot of girls?” I asked.
“Honestly? Not really. Jared’s too busy, being Jared, to waste his time with a girl, even a one-night stand. I’m not saying he’s a saint, because I know he’s not, but he doesn’t sleep around, if that’s what you’re wondering. That’s just not him. Now Holden, on the other hand, has slept with practically every woman under the age of thirty in a ten mile radius.”
“That really bothers you, doesn’t it?” I asked.
She shrugged. “It shouldn’t, he’s not my boyfriend or anything, it’s really just the point of it. I don’t think it’s right to sleep around like that. I’m not saying you have to wait for marriage or anything, but I think you should wait for that one special person. The person that leaves you breathless when they walk into a room, the person you miss the minute they’re gone. I think you should be in love, not lust. If that means I’ll be a virgin the rest of my life, so be it. But I’m not giving it up just because some guy thinks with the wrong head.”
I laughed loudly, and Jared looked over at us with a funny look.
“Well said,” I told her. “I agree completely with you.”
She smiled. “I really like you, Katy. I don’t have many friends, but I think we could be.”
“I think we could be too,” I said. I didn’t think Piper would mind, so I asked Karlie if she’d like to join us at the mall.
“Yes!” she squealed. “Jared never wants to take me shopping!”
“What are you screaming about?” Jared asked, appearing in front of us. “I can’t be distracted my entire match by you two.”
“Katy, invited me to go shopping tomorrow with her and her friend,” Karlie explained.
“Really?” Jared looked at me with a raised brow.
“It will be a girls day,” I shrugged.
Jared grinned. “That sounds like an awesome idea. What time are you going? I can drop Karls off at the mall.”
“No, no,” I waved my hand back and forth, “I’ll pick her up.”
“You sure?” he asked, putting his hands on his hips.
“Positive, there’s no point in you having to drive out of your way. I can pick her up,” I assured him.
His smile grew. “I’ll text you my address,” he winked and walked back over to Dan.
“I’m so excited now!” Karlie squirmed on the bleachers. “Tomorrow is going to be so much fun.”
“It is,” I smiled. “So, how come you live with Jared and not Dan and Patsy?”
Karlie sighed. “I love Dan and Patsy, but Jared is my brother. When he got his own place, he asked if I wanted to move in and I said yes. Dan and Patsy didn’t mind; they know Jared will take care of me. He always has.”
“You and Jared are very close,” I commented.
“We are,” she said, pushing her long hair back, away from her face. “Most siblings aren’t, especially ones eight years apart, but Jared’s always been there for me.”
“That’s good,” I said, starting to freak out a bit as the people began to trickle in, trying to get the best seat.
Holden was among them, Patsy trailing behind him.
Holden took the space next to me, and Patsy took the empty place next to Karlie. I could feel Karlie tensing, beside me, but I didn’t know how to comfort her.
“Hey Holden,” I said.
“Hey,” he replied, looking down at the floor.
Okay, then.
Dan climbed into the middle of the ring, and spoke to the crowd.
I didn’t hear a thing he said, because I was too busy watching Jared.
Jared danced from foot to foot, shaking out his arms, with his eyes closed. I saw his lips moving silently, and wondered if he was praying. He looked imposing, dangerous even, as he stood there.
Dan said something and Jared bound into the ring, under the ropes.
The other guy soon followed. He was a little shorter than Jared, but bulkier. They were definitely on even footing.
I was so lost as to what was happening that I jumped when the other guy threw a punch at Jared.
I jumped straight up out of my seat and screamed, “Jared! Get him!”
I swear I could hear Jared chuckle.
Jared ducked out of the way of the guy’s flailing fist and sunk his own fist into the guy’s side. The guy -what did Dan say his name was? Joe? Josh? Jake? I’m pretty sure Dan said his name was Jake- grunted from the impact, throwing a kick at Jared.
Jared seemed to glide around the ring. A few times, I was sure his feet weren’t touching the ground. His body glistened with a sheen of sweat, but he didn’t seem to be breathing heavily.
He was incredible, the only way to adequately describe him was, a beast.
Jared completely dominated in the ring. The other guy never stood a chance.
The fight was over in a matter of minutes. Jake fell down and stayed down.
Dan came back into the ring and declared Jared the winner.
Jared didn’t smile, when Dan raised his arm in the air. Instead, he looked solemnly at Jake. I could tell Jared felt bad, but what else was he supposed to do.
Jared climbed out of the ring and Dan tossed him a towel. He wiped his face, chest, and arms, clean of sweat and then made his way towards us.
“I’m gonna go shower quick, and I’ll be right back. Don’t run,” he pointed at me.
“I won’t,” I laughed.
“Good,” he said and made his way out of the gym, causing quite a few females to turn his way. I honestly couldn’t blame them.
Holden stood and pulled his shirt off. He grinned at Karlie and said, “Are you going to root for me, kiddo?”
“Not likely, Sharky,” she snorted.
“Aww, I’m hurt,” he put his hand over his heart and grinned cockily. “How will I ever win my fight without you on my side?”
“I’m sure you’ll manage,” she sneered.
“Lighten up, kiddo,” Holden said.
“Call me kiddo again and I’ll kick you in the balls,” she said, vehemently.
Holden rolled his eyes. “I doubt that.”
“Wanna make a bet?” She challenged.
“No,” he squeaked.
“I didn’t think so,” Karlie grinned. “I’m sure your posse will cheer you on, anyway. You don’t need me.”
“But I do,” Holden whispered under his breath.
“What?” Karlie gasped.
“Nothing,” he said, his jaw clenched. “I’ve got to go get ready.”
We watched him walk over to Dan and start warm ups.
“I will never understand him,” Karlie said. She looked over at Patsy to make sure she was occupied and then whispered to me, “He’s always sending me these mixed messages. I don’t know what to make of them. I’m so confused.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t exactly have a lot of experience in the guy department.”
“You don’t? But you’re so pretty,” she gaped at me.
I shrugged. “I’ve only ever had one boyfriend and that didn’t turn out too well.”
“Oh,” she said.
“Is this seat taken?” A guy asked, pointing to the empty seat next to me.
Oh crap.
“I- oh- um-”
“Yes, it is,” Jared, growled out, standing behind the guy. He was freshly showered, drops of water still clinging to his hair, and he’d changed into a pair of jeans that hugged his body and a plain white t-shirt. His tan skin looked even darker next to the
white of his shirt.
“Oh, my bad,” the guy grinned at me and winked before moving off to another part of the bleachers.
“I swear,” Jared sat down, “I leave you alone for five minutes and the wolves descend.”
“Not wolves, men, Jared,” Karlie pointed out.
Jared chuckled. “Okay, squirt. The men descend. Happy, now?”
“Yes,” she laughed.
“Are you hurt?” I asked Jared, inspecting his face and arms for cuts or bruises.
“Nah, he only got a couple of hits in and they weren’t good ones. I’m perfectly fine. Promise,” he added when he saw my doubtful expression.
I still looked at him skeptically.
He chuckled. “If I was hurt, would you kiss it and make it better?” I blanched and he only laughed harder. “I was only kidding, kitten. Don’t look at me like that.”
I tried to school my expression into something resembling normalcy, but with that comment, it was kind of difficult.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,” Jared looked at me apologetically.
“It’s okay,” I assured him. “It was just in jest. I know you didn’t mean it like that.”
“Sometimes, I forget that you’re so breakable,” his brown eyes darkened. “You’re like this fragile piece of glass that someone has placed in my hand and if I make one small stumble, you’re going to go crashing to the ground, shattered at my feet.”
“I don’t want to be breakable,” I whispered.
“I know you don’t,” Jared said. “But you are, and that’s okay.”
17
I entered the address Jared had given me, into my navigation system, and went to pick up Karlie.
I pulled up in front of a small cottage at the end of a cul-de-sac, in a nice neighborhood.
The house had a small front porch with a lone rocking chair. Its roof was grey with blue siding and an orange door.
It was charming and definitely not the bachelor pad, I had envisioned for Jared.
I parked on the street and hopped up the porch steps. I knocked on the door and heard Jared holler, “Just a second!”
The door opened and Jared grinned. “You’re here.”
“Yep,” I nodded, swaying slightly back and forth in nervousness.
“On my front porch,” he chuckled. “Is this a dream?” He smirked, rubbing at the dark stubble covering his cheeks and chin.
Unraveling Page 11
