Fighting for Love

by L. P. Dover

  “Good, text him,” Caleb insisted happily. “I’d love to see him come to your rescue.”

  I scoffed, keeping my gaze on the phone while I finished my text. “I’m not texting Matt, jackass. Do you honestly think I’m that stupid? You obviously want him here, so I’m not going to give you that. I’d pity you if he were to come.”

  Bursting out in laughter, Caleb shook his head and gloated, “Oh no, love, you’re the one I’d pity with having to watch me kick his ass. By the way, I wasn’t going to rape you if that’s what you were worried about just a few minutes ago. Trust me, I don’t have to rape anyone to get a piece of ass. A couple of days ago it seemed like you wanted it, so I thought, what better way to mess with Matt’s head by fucking his girl.”

  “How is that even possible? I met you before Matt even started coming around again,” I shouted. “Matt and I hadn’t spoken in ten years.”

  “Exactly,” he sneered. “When I found out you two had a past and that Hayley had access to you, I figured why not give it a try. I can be charming when I want to be. You sure as hell fell for it. However, it would’ve been perfect if you let me fuck you, but seeing as you chose him over me I guess I have to deal with what I got.”

  “How did you find out about me and Matt, Caleb?” I snapped angrily. No one knew other than Lexi and Jace. Surely, Lexi didn’t tell Hayley; she wouldn’t share my secrets even if it was with her sister, would she? Jace was out because I couldn’t see where there would be a connection to Caleb.

  “Was it Hayley?” I growled.

  Nonchalantly, he shrugged and said, “No, it wasn’t Hayley. That bitch is clueless, and no, I’m not going to tell you who. I’m entitled to my secrets, and if I told you it would ruin all the fun. I must say it worked out great that I had an easy outlet to get to you through Hayley. She was determined to set me up with one of her friends, and when I suggested a woman with your qualifications she delivered just like I knew she would.”

  What a lying piece of shit.

  “So basically everything we did and talked about was a lie?” I asked through clenched teeth.

  When all he did was smile at me, taunting me, I marched up to him and slapped him across the face as hard as I could. The sound echoed through the room, but it only made him grin wider. “Bastard,” I spat.

  Caleb rubbed his jaw and winked at me. “You sure do have fire, love,” he teased. “I can see why he got all pissed off when I mentioned your name. Little did he know that I’d already had my lips all over your body by that point.”

  Gasping, I stepped away from him and closed my eyes tight. No, no, no … it couldn’t be. Please tell me it’s not the same person. I was stuck in a nightmare that I couldn’t get out of. I felt sick to my stomach, and by the look on his face when I opened my eyes he knew I had begun to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Matt never told me the guy’s name, but he told me to be wary of someone. Except, Caleb didn’t look like the guy Matt described; his eyes were green and he had dark blond hair. What was I missing?

  “He told you about me, didn’t he? I figured he would. Did he say stay away from the big, bad wolf with the two colored eyes?” Rolling his eyes, he reached in with his fingers and took out one green contact, revealing a lighter shade of green underneath, and then the other one which happened to be so dark it looked black.

  “Surprise,” he boasted triumphantly, letting his contacts fall to the floor. “I guess it might be time to introduce myself. I’m Kyle … Kyle Andrews.”

  Holy shit!

  I felt like such an idiot. He utterly and completely had me fooled and I had no clue. If Matt had never come back into my life, I knew without a doubt I would’ve fallen for Kyle, and most likely slept with him, if he’d kept up his charade long enough. The thought of what that would’ve done to Matt infuriated the hell out of me. He would literally and seriously kill Kyle if he was here right now.

  “Shelby!”

  Oh, thank God, he’s finally here.

  “Jace, I’m in here,” I shouted, rushing toward the locked door.

  Kyle grabbed my arm before I could unlock it and turned me around. “You know this isn’t over, love. For what it’s worth, I really did enjoy kissing those lips of yours,” he murmured, lifting a finger toward my mouth.

  Backing out of his grasp, I glared at him and smacked his hand away. “Fuck you,” I snarled. “You know, I’d be careful if I were you. You may have your connections in this world and be able to get away with the shit you do, but I can guarantee you I have more. Especially in the media, which would believe me any day over a pathetic scumbag like you.”

  Incredulously, he lifted his brows and his smile faded. “Are you threatening me, love?”

  “I don’t threaten,” I told him, narrowing my gaze. “That was a promise.”

  Jace banged on the door and tried the handle. “Shelby, what’s going on? I got your text and Lexi said you were up here somewhere. If you don’t answer me I’m going to break down the goddamned door,” he shouted.

  I glared at Kyle one more time before unlocking the door and jumping into Jace’s arms as soon as I saw him. Everything came crashing down once I knew I was perfectly safe. “Oh my God, Jace, get me out of here,” I pleaded desperately. When he let me go, I grabbed his hand and led him toward the stairs as fast as I could.

  “What happened, Shelby?” he demanded.

  Squeezing my hand, he stopped me before we could go down the steps. When he turned to look at the room we just left, Kyle stood there in the doorway with a smug expression on his face.

  “What did you do to her?” Jace hissed.

  Kyle smiled and shrugged a shoulder. “Oh, let’s see … I’m pretty sure it’s something you’ve never done with her. I heard you didn’t swing that way.”

  “You son of a bitch,” Jace snarled, taking off after him.

  Jumping in his way, I placed my hands on his chest and dug my heels in the floor to try to keep him back. His eyes were wild and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to stop him.

  “Jace, stop!” I shouted, grabbing his chin so I could get him to look at me. “He didn’t hurt me, I promise. He’s just being a dick and trying to get you riled up. Please, just get me out of here.”

  Pushing against him, he finally relented and put his arm around my shoulders, moving us toward the stairs. I needed to talk to Lexi and Hayley to figure out how Kyle could’ve found out about me and Matt, but I wanted to get home more.

  ON THE WAY HOME, I told Jace everything that happened between me and Kyle, and also about the things Matt and I had been doing together. Thankfully, by talking to him about it, he became a little more open minded to the idea of Matt and I giving it a second try. I didn’t want it getting to the point where I’d have to choose between them.

  Lexi called, freaking out, to see if I was okay, so I gave her a quick rundown of what went down. I told her what Kyle had said about Hayley, and if I wasn’t so shaken up I would’ve called her myself, but honestly, I didn’t want to deal with anymore at the moment. Lexi promised she never told anyone, including her sister, about mine and Matt’s past. I had no other choice but to believe her.

  Jace also swore to me that he never told a soul about our past. Before we got to the house, I texted Matt and asked if he’d come over, but I didn’t dare tell him about Kyle. He was on his way to my house, so I tried to prepare myself before the shit storm. No doubt Kyle was chomping at the bit for him to find out. If I didn’t tell him myself, I was sure Kyle would find a way.

  “Are you sure you want to tell him tonight?” Jace asked. “I understand you want to tell him first before Kyle can, but you know once you do he’s going to want to go after him.” Yes, I know, but there’s no choice. Kyle deserved to get more than just his ass beat; he needed mental help. I mean, who in their right mind gets off on tormenting others like he does? One word came to mind: psychopath.

  To calm my nerves, Jace poured me a shot of vodka and another once I downed the first; it didn’t take long
for it to work. Jace offered me another one, but I declined with a shake of my head. I could already feel my muscles relaxing and the fuzziness spreading to my brain.

  “I don’t think I should take another one. I didn’t eat much for dinner and I don’t think I need to be drunk when Matt gets here,” I told him.

  Jace grinned and put the vodka back in the refrigerator. When he shut the door and turned around, he had a white and pink box in his hands. “I actually might be able to help with that. After you left I went out and bought you something. An apology only goes so far, but I knew of something that would go further with you.”

  He handed me the box, and I didn’t have to open it to know what was in it. I didn’t indulge often, but when I did it was with one specific thing that had been my favorite since I was a little girl … chocolate covered strawberries. I never wanted a box of chocolate for Valentine’s Day or a cake for my birthday; it was always the strawberries I wanted.

  “Thank you,” I cried, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. “I haven’t had any in so long.”

  As soon as I opened the box to take a look at them, he reached in and stole one. “Oh, I know you haven’t, but neither have I,” he admitted.

  There were eleven of them now, since Jace took one, but there were some covered in dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white along with tiny chocolate chip morsels on top of that drizzled in swirling lines of more chocolate.

  Closing his eyes, Jace took a bite and moaned, chewing slowly. “You know, if you tempt Matt with these you might be able to take his mind off of Kyle. These things are awesome.”

  “In all honesty, Matt has every right to go after him, but I’ll make sure he doesn’t leave. All it takes is a little persuasion,” I noted, flashing him a wink.

  Jace rolled his eyes and groaned. “Ugh … I’ll make sure to sleep with ear plugs in tonight.” We both laughed, but quickly looked straight toward the door when the roaring sound of a motor stopped just outside the front of our house. “Is that him? It sounded like a motorcycle,” he pointed out.

  I shrugged, having no clue because I never looked in Matt’s garage when I went to his house. When I tried to stand up, I almost fell over from trying to balance on my four inch heels. Before Jace could get to the door, I kicked off my shoes and followed on his heels. As soon as he opened it, Matt was coming up the front steps with a helmet in his hands.

  “Nice bike,” Jace offered. “Is that a Ducati?” Over his shoulder I saw a nice, shiny red and black motorcycle parked on the side of the street.

  Dressed in a sporty, black and red protective coat and gloves, Matt nodded and threw Jace the keys. I waited for him to tell Jace to fuck off—especially after the way he was treated by him—but he didn’t. “Take her for a ride if you want. I don’t mind. If you need to wear my gear you can,” he insisted, taking off his jacket and gloves. “Just be careful with her. She has a lot of power.”

  Jace’s eyes lit up when he accepted Matt’s gear. “No worries, man. I used to race dirt bikes when I was younger, but you know, I think I’ll take you up on that offer. It might be a good thing if I leave for a while anyway.” With the helmet and keys in one hand, he extended his other to Matt. “Thanks, man. I’m sorry for the other day. I’m sure you understand why I did it.”

  Nodding, Matt shook his hand. “I understand. I’m glad she has you to help her. By the way, thank you for picking her up. I told her I would’ve done it.”

  Jace bit his lip and laughed. “Yeah, well, it’s a good thing I did. Okay, on that note I’m going to go.” Then to me, he leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I’ll be back later. You can do this.” Jumping down the steps, Jace bounced the whole way to Matt’s bike. I hadn’t seen him that excited in a very long time.

  Furrowing his brows, Matt watched Jace climb on his bike and get settled before revving the engine and taking off. “I didn’t know you had a motorcycle,” I announced nervously.

  Shrugging, he grinned and turned his emerald gaze to mine. “I don’t ride that much anymore, but from your text I got the impression that you needed me here as fast as I could. That’s why I rode the bike. I honestly didn’t expect you to get back so early.”

  I scoffed and hooked my arm through his, his skin a little damp from wearing the leather jacket. At least he wasn’t like some of the people out there who didn’t wear any protective gear because they wanted to look cool on their bikes.

  Leading him up the stairs, I sighed and said, “Yeah, well, I didn’t expect to be home so early either.”

  Once inside, I shut the door and grabbed my box of strawberries before leading Matt to my room. It actually worked out perfectly that Jace took Matt’s bike for a ride; this way, once he found out what had happened he wouldn’t be able to leave. Matt took off his shoes and shirt, settling on my bed with his hands behind his head; his heated gaze sweeping up and down my body.

  “You look so amazingly hot right now,” he murmured. His gaze slowly drifted down to the box in my hands and he grinned. “I take it there are chocolate strawberries in there?”

  “How did you know that’s what was in here?” I asked.

  “Shelby, they were your favorites. It’s kind of hard to forget that stuff considering I bought them for you every year.”

  Yes, he did, even when I knew he shouldn’t have spent his money on them. The thought alone made me want to break down in tears. He was always selfless and giving even when he had nothing to give. I don’t see how anyone couldn’t fall in love with him.

  “I bet your date didn’t like having to watch you walk away, did he? How did that go, by the way? I’m not going to lie, it took every single ounce of control I had not to show up at the restaurant and take you away.”

  Setting my strawberries on the dresser, I reached over and closed my door. With my back turned, I took a deep breath and whispered, “I hated every minute of it, too.”

  Matt chuckled. “That bad, huh?” Worse than that, I thought.

  Licking my lips, I turned around and sat down beside him on the bed, finally meeting his gaze. His smile slowly disappeared and his muscles tensed. He could always tell when something bad was coming; he grew up with constant bad news.

  “There’s a reason why Jace said it was a good thing he picked you up, isn’t there? Go ahead and tell me, Shelby. Either way, I know it’s not going to be something I want to hear,” he remarked dejectedly, sliding off of the bed.

  Stalking across the room, he ran his fingers through his hair before stopping at the bay window. Maybe I should’ve blurted it out and gotten it over with.

  “What happened?” he demanded, his voice a low growl.

  Here I go.

  Regretting having to tell him, I took a deep breath and let it out quickly, rushing the words out as fast as I could, “Kyle Andrews happened, Matt. He lied to me and said his name was Caleb. He’s the guy I’d been seeing.”

  Immediately, his back stiffened and he turned around, his gaze full of fire and rage. “Are you fucking kidding me? What did he do to you,” he stormed angrily. “Please tell me he didn’t hurt you or touch you in any way.”

  With each second I stalled I could see him getting angrier. I didn’t want to tell him that Kyle had touched me and kissed me, and most of all I didn’t want to tell him what he did tonight. It would only add more fuel to the fire.

  Matt stalked closer and when I got to my feet, he gripped my arms and held me tight as if I’d run away. “Tell me,” he demanded. “Did he put his hands on you?”

  Now is the time to be smart. If I told him yes, then he’d lose it; I couldn’t tell him yes.

  “He didn’t hurt me,” I told him. “Kyle knew better than to do that. Look, I know you’re mad, and trust me it pisses me off, too. However, he only did it to get a rise out of you. He didn’t expect me and you to cross paths again, so his goal was to flaunt me in front of your face. I didn’t even know he was a fighter. He told me he was a personal trainer and a volunteer fireman.”

  Breat
hing hard, Matt just stood there, glaring at me with his hands still gripping my upper arms. Clearing my throat, I licked my dry lips and continued, “The one thing I don’t understand is how he found out about us in the first place. My first thought was Hayley, but I never told her anything about our past, and I know Lexi didn’t. Jace already told me he didn’t tell anyone. Who out of the people you know would be involved with Kyle?”

  Closing his eyes, Matt scoffed and clenched his jaw. “This is unreal. No one I know would get involved with that fucker. Where’s this party at, Shelby? I’m going out there … now.” He brushed past me toward the door, but I jumped in his way and blocked his path by spreading my arms across the door.

  “No, you’re not,” I warned him. “If you go after him you’re just giving him what he wants. Why would you do that? You’re better than he is, Matt. Show him that he doesn’t get to you.”

  “How can I do that when he’s messing with the only thing I care about?” he shouted. “He knows he can’t fight me fair, so he’s doing this to screw with my head.”

  “Then don’t let him,” I whispered softly.

  Rising up on my toes, I caressed his cheeks, which were now rough with the hint of stubble; it was sexy and I loved it. I gently kissed his lips; at first he was tense, but then his arms snaked around my waist and he gave in.

  “We can’t let him win,” I told him. “Whatever he throws our way we have to let it go. Can you do that? For me?”

  Matt sighed and lowered his forehead to mine. “I don’t see how without wanting to rip off his fucking head, but if that’s what you want I’ll certainly try. I can’t make any promises.”

  I kissed him again. “That’s all I ask.”

  When he pulled away, his gaze landed on the box of strawberries and a slow smirk tilted the corner of his lips even though deep down I knew he was still angry. “I have an idea. If you want me to forget about Kyle, let’s say we try out these chocolate strawberries a different way. You up for that?”

  “Are you?” I teased back, biting my lip.