Undaunted (No Rival Book 2)

by Charity Parkerson

  Knox reached over her shoulder, clicking the trash icon. With the picture deleted, he scrolled over to the next one while she stared transfixed at the scar running from his palm all the way to his elbow. The kind of damage people ended up with after they’d slit their wrists, not in the attention-getting way, in the intent-on-dying way. The camera had not been playing tricks on her mind. “Weakness is a family trait,” he said against her ear. “This is a much better shot,” he added, dragging Mandy’s focus back to the screen. She blinked away tears. Her heart ached as Knox set his chin on her shoulder. “How do I crop this one?”

  Not trusting her voice, she silently showed him how to adjust the settings on the camera and use the edit feature. Drawing her closer to his chest, he wrapped his arms around her and held the fragile equipment between his hands. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t stop studying the deep line and wondering how she’d never noticed it before. The more she thought about it, the more she recognized he didn’t invite her stare. When he was near, her eyes danced away in fear. Not of him but of what he did to her senses. Her skin shouldn’t heat the way it did in Knox’s presence. She’d had sex with his brother, for heaven’s sake.

  “Oh yeah. This one turned out awesome. You should make a copy for Max and Ryan.” Forcing herself to concentrate on the screen, Mandy took note of how Knox had enlarged the image until only the men’s faces were visible. Somehow, she’d managed to capture their unique personalities with perfect clarity.

  A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she recognized what Knox meant for her to see. “Oh. They are in love,” she said quietly, and a deep, silky chuckle slipped past his lips at her reaction. The sound went straight to her core, dampening her panties. Turning her head, she inspected the lines of his face.

  “Thank you.”

  His eyes flickered in her direction at the words before skittering away uncomfortably. He didn’t shift away, even after transferring the camera back to her hands, and his heat seeped through her thin shirt.

  “No thanks needed. It cost me nothing to help out.”

  “You spent time and energy on me, that’s something, and it means more than you could ever know.”

  Discomfort rolled off him in waves. Mandy stepped out of his embrace, sparing him from dredging up a response. Donning the same overly bright smile she used to get through a day of waiting on tables, Mandy turned the screen so Ryan and Max could see it. “This is my favorite.”

  * * * * *

  The roar of the crowd muted inside Knox’s head. His focus locked on his opponent. Another weekend filled with back-to-back brutal no-holds-barred matches. It was second nature, and most likely didn’t say good things about him. The two ribs that were probably broken whispered he was an idiot to keep this shit up. Sometimes it was the little guys who snuck one in on him. It wouldn’t happen again. The smug look on his opponent’s face since landing the nasty kick to Knox’s side had to go. An opening appeared. His knuckles cracked against the dude’s jaw with enough force to shake the bones in his elbow. Since it already hurt, Knox twisted at the waist and swiped the same elbow across the skinny fighter’s temple. He went down hard. Facedown and out for the count.

  “Stupid bastard,” Jimmy spat the moment Knox reached the edge of the mat. “You have at least fifty pounds on him. What the hell was he thinking?”

  “Nothing now,” Knox answered without an ounce of shame. The sharp pang in his side carried away any remorse and ratcheted up his temper. “If he can’t take the punishment, then he should get out while he can.”

  Jimmy gave him a sharp nod. “Yep. I can’t argue your logic.”

  There wasn’t any back-slapping or congratulations in his world. People came to see blood and win money. That was it. If he came out on top, then he was golden and the crowd loved him. If he lost, then they were likely to do anything. Nobody enjoyed losing a bet. Luckily, he won nine out of ten times. His vicious nature was widely known. If someone was crazy enough to place their money against him, they weren’t usually stupid enough to lose their life by confronting him over it afterward.

  With his bag packed and money in hand—minus Jimmy’s cut, of course—Knox headed for the back door. Dodging all the weirdoes who got hooked on fighters and the people who were just straight-up weird for no particular reason was always the fun part of escaping the warehouse. Two steps from the door, Knox caught a glimpse of Rhys. A willowy blonde hung on his arm. Knox’s heart slammed against his chest. With a dip of his chin, Rhys acknowledged him and the girl turned her head in his direction. It wasn’t Mandy. The relief washing over him caused the room to spin, until the fury set in. This goddamn bastard had really shown up to his fight with another woman, even after their chat. He couldn’t fucking believe it. If Mandy experienced even an ounce of the anger Knox was feeling each time Rhys had done this to her, he couldn’t understand why she hadn’t killed him. She owned her rage, for real she did.

  Rhys took a few steps in his direction, all smiles like the big-ass douche he was. When he caught sight of Knox’s stare, he must’ve understood what Knox wasn’t bothering to hide. His steps faltered. For a moment, an expression of complete dejection settled across his features, and Knox felt like shit. What was he supposed to do? Damned if his loyalties weren’t split right down the middle. The moment of floundering cost him an escape. Rhys closed the distance between them.

  “Did you win?”

  “Don’t I always?”

  The blonde tittered. He hated her. It wasn’t her fault, but it didn’t matter. Knox had never been accused of having a reasonable nature, and he didn’t feel moved to start tonight.

  “What brings you by, little brother?”

  Rhys’ most charming smile snapped into place. “I was bringing Peggy here.”

  “Penny,” she said, interrupting him.

  A look of confusion passed over Rhys’ face. “Isn’t that what I said?”

  She tittered again. “It’s so loud in here. Maybe you did.”

  Knox added weakness to her list of transgressions.

  “Anyhow, I was bringing Peggy to see your match, but we were late on account of, um, some stuff.”

  It was too much. It really was. “Huh. Sorry you missed it.”

  The girl set her hand on Knox’s arm and he pulled away from her touch. “I-I. Sorry,” she stammered. Well, that was it. She was a personal space invader. He hated her times three.

  “If you’re looking to see a fight, you should convince Rhys to sign up,” Jimmy said, cutting into the conversation.

  A smile lit her face, and she used it against Rhys. “Oh could you?”

  The hopeful note in her voice almost made Knox laugh. It would be hard for his egotistical brother to turn down anything now. In an attempt to save him, Knox elbowed Jimmy and lowered his voice for only him to hear. “He can’t fight here, Jimmy. They’ll slaughter him.”

  Jimmy being Jimmy, he couldn’t take a hint. “You should challenge him. There’s lots of big bets on a brother versus brother battle. You could make a ton of money.”

  “How much are we talking about here?” Rhys asked, his attention officially snagged. Knox groaned but Jimmy took a good look at the crowd surrounding them.

  “It’s a huge showing tonight, so I’d say around eight thousand to the winner.”

  The amount sounded a bit familiar and a wicked smile pulled at his lips. “You know, eight grand reminds me of a certain bill that needs paying.”

  Never one to back down from an open taunt, Rhys returned the evil grin. “Here are the terms of my surrender: I win, and I’ll pay off the monstrous hospital bill. If you win, you pay it off.”

  A hint of pride in his brother returned, and Knox motioned for Jimmy to make it happen. “Either way, Mandy wins, so I’m in.”

  “It looks like a new challenge has been issued, folks. Get your wallets out and place your wagers. Our own Knox Collier will be up against his brother Rhys. They are well matched in size and training. This’ll be an entertaining
one to watch. Not to mention high odds mean big payouts, so get your picks in before it begins.”

  The announcements continued for fifteen more minutes, giving the crowd time to spend their hard-earned money while Rhys and Knox changed clothes and had their tape signed off on by an official. Luckily, they were close enough in size and weight so Rhys was able to borrow some of Knox’s clothes. It was a rush job if Knox had ever seen one, but as far as he was concerned, Mandy deserved it.

  The black wire cage nearly shook with the excitement rolling through the building. Stone-faced, Rhys appeared steady and Knox dipped his chin in approval. When the bell rang, it didn’t matter who stood across from him, Knox went in hard. Sweeping low, he took out his legs and Rhys hit the mat. Without giving him a chance to recover and cupping his fist for more impact, Knox drove his elbow into Rhys’ cheekbone before springing back to his feet. The horde of onlookers roared their approval as blood dripped from the open cut beneath Rhys’ eye.

  One for Mandy. Rolling back onto his feet, Rhys shook off the blow. Faking to the left, he landed a right jab to Knox’s injured ribs, but he paid for it for the close contact and pain he inflicted when Knox took advantage of the move by head-butting him across the bridge of the nose. A second one for good measure.

  “Goddamn it, Rhys. Remember where you are. No rules. No mercy!” The trainer in Jimmy showed itself as he emphasized his rant by banging on the cage.

  Taking the advice to heart and ignoring the blood that was now gushing, Rhys tackled Knox. The broken bones in Knox’s side screamed in protest, stealing the air from his lungs. A moment of darkness surrounded his vision, and Knox wondered if he might lose. Then he heard it. The blonde chick giggled. Oh. Hell no. Rhys made the mistake of only pinning his upper body. Bracing his feet, Knox pushed off before snagging Rhys’ body with his legs and flipping him over. The change in momentum allowed him to pin him to mat. Rhys put up a good fight but a forearm to the windpipe had him tapping out. In a show of respect he never offered anyone else, Knox helped Rhys to his feet before slapping him on the back.

  “I’m damn proud of you for showing up, but you have too much heart for this place.” Rhys swiped at the blood on his face as they left the ring. The fire racing down one side of Knox’s body forced him to add, “Although aiming for the cracked ribs was a genius move.”

  Rhys halted mid-step and his panicked gaze shot to Knox’s midsection. “Aim for—you should have told me ahead of time. Holy shit. I could have punctured one of your lungs. What the hell is wrong with you, Knox?”

  He should have known. “See? Too much heart for this place.” Squeezing his shoulder, he steered Rhys toward the locker room. “Come on. If I pass out from the pain, I’m liable to wake up in some creeper’s basement.”

  At Rhys’ insistence, Knox let Jimmy drive him home, but he flat-out refused to go to the hospital. He had survived worse. The only way he would agree to leave his truck behind was upon Rhys’ promise he would make sure it he had it back in his driveway before morning.

  “Huh. That’s a nifty trick.” Knox silently agreed with Jimmy’s assessment as he eyed the Sierra parked in its usual spot. How Rhys had managed to get the truck home before him was a mystery. “Want to see an even better trick?” Jimmy asked, holding up a cocktail napkin with scribbling across it. “I got Penny’s number.”

  It hurt to laugh. “At least you remember her name.” Moving slowly, he slid from the SUV, grunting his thanks as he went. The quiet, upscale neighborhood had gone to bed hours earlier. Only a few lights lit the windows on the street. The tan stone walls of his house stood out in the dark even after Jimmy’s headlights disappeared. Punching in his security code to disengage the lock on his front door, Knox slipped inside, closing off the world with the snap of his front door. Silence engulfed him. He’d forgotten to leave a light on…again. The cherry dining room table caught his gym bag when he tossed it. Veering to the left, he dipped inside the first open doorway straight into his bedroom. Bypassing the king-sized bed, he kept his focus locked on his goal. The shower called his name. As soon as he crossed the threshold, a motion sensor switched on the overhead light. Knox flinched against the sudden assault on his senses.

  He dumped the contents from his pockets onto the gray marble vanity. The cellphone moved of its own accord, taking him by surprise. In his exhaustion, it took him a moment to understand an incoming text was vibrating his phone across the counter. Bracing his elbows against the cool surface, he swiped his finger across the face and read the message.

  It occurs to me you don’t have my number, so here I am. Please take advantage of the new knowledge. I know my gratitude makes you uncomfortable, but you can enjoy it while I’m not looking. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. There’s no way I can repay you. {{HUGS}} That’s all I have but I hope it counts for something—Mandy.

  He could hear her voice. Feel her hug. The temptation to jump in his truck and go to her was unbearable. To keep himself from doing anything stupid, he stripped. The bruises would keep him from storming her door even if being arrested for indecent exposure didn’t. Turning the water as hot as it would go, he stepped into the center of it. Steady, pulsating streams from five different showerheads hit him all at once. He bit out a hiss. In an attempt to escape the pain, he pictured Mandy. The look in her eyes as she stared at his chest. Blood rushed to his groin and his cock lengthened. Dropping his chin to his chest, Knox stared down at the erection that was too stupid to realize she would never want him in such a way. The sensation of her hair brushing his cheek as he enlarged a picture on her camera came rushing back to him. Even her sweet smell seemed to linger in the steam. His hand slid down his stomach. She’d turned her head until her lips were mere inches from his. It was torture. He’d wanted to claim the sexy mouth as his own. His fingers slipped lower until he gave into the inevitable by palming his shaft. Did she moan when she found release? With her pussy in his mouth, he would ensure it.

  The base of his spine itched as he pumped his fist. In his mind it was Mandy’s inner muscles squeezing him. His breathing hitched up and his eyes fell closed. He wanted to fuck her. Hard. Until they both collapsed from exhaustion. A gasp rose in his throat and his balls drew up tight. Hot semen shot out in a stream as an orgasm rolled through him. Bracing his weight against the wall, Knox fought to breathe. His hands shook. Fear like he’d never known welled inside him. Somewhere along the way, Mandy had become necessary to him, and he understood what Drew had been trying to tell him. There was no low he wouldn’t stoop to in order to have her, and his scruples were pretty damn non-existent already.

  Chapter Four

  Knox didn’t come for coffee, not the next day nor the day after that. She watched for him each morning only to end up disappointed. By the time an entire week passed, she felt deflated. In hopes of achieving the perfect prints, Mandy had dropped her memory card off with a professional for enlargement after the photo shoot. She added an extra order for Max and Ryan as Knox had suggested. When the time—finally—rolled around to pick them up, she carefully tucked the packages in her messenger bag and headed straight for Grid Iron. If Knox wouldn’t come to her, then she would go to him. She missed him and she wasn’t above forcing her way into his life.

  The last time she’d visited the fitness center, she’d been with Knox. She half-expected they’d give her hard time at the door and refuse to allow her entrance. To her surprise, the same curvy brunette was working the desk, and she waved Mandy inside with a smile. “You have perfect timing. The guys are between classes.”

  The cheerful woman looked vaguely familiar. Mandy had been too nervous about the photo shoot the last time they’d met to notice, but now she couldn’t shake the feeling. Unable to stop herself, she asked, “Have we met someplace other than here before?”

  A line formed between the girl’s brows and she scrunched her face up in thought. She truly was adorable. The thought caused Mandy to smile. “I don’t think so,” she answered after a moment.


  Mandy shook her head. “Who knows? Maybe it’s just one of those things. There is something familiar about you. I’ve probably waited on you at Black River once or something similar.”

  “People do tell me I look a lot like my brother, so maybe that’s it.”

  “Who’s your brother?” Mandy asked, immediately curious.

  “Ryan. I’m Kerry Crawford,” she added, holding her hand out for Mandy to shake. Mandy eyed Kerry’s dimples and green eyes framed by unnaturally long lashes.

  “Oh, I see it now!” She accepted Kerry’s hand before adding, “I’m Mandy Everett, in case I didn’t say so the other day. Wow, it seems like everyone is related.”

  “Eh,” Kerry said, waving off Mandy’s words. “It’s the way of the world. Somebody in your family hooks you up with a job, and then you never leave because you’re comfortable. You know how it is.”

  Mandy pulled a face. “Unfortunately, yes. I’ve been at Black River for an eternity. Hopefully, with your brother’s help, I’ll be out of there soon,” she said, tapping her messenger bag. The phone rang and Kerry tossed a glance in its direction.

  “The guys are in the same room as last time. I guess I’d better act like I work here.”

  With a final wave over her shoulder, Mandy wove her way through the stationary bikes and weight machines until she reached the back of the club. The door stood partially open. Peeking in, she spotted Max and Ryan on the opposite side of the room with their heads together and checking out something on Ryan’s phone. Hesitant to disturb them, she paused in the doorway. After a moment of simply observing them together, she wished she’d brought her camera. They had something she wanted to capture and freeze in time. She was almost jealous. Max pushed the phone aside and touched his lips to Ryan’s, making Mandy a bit ashamed of her intrusion.