“I told you so.”
“I did, but that’s beside the point. Answer me one question honestly this time.”
“What’s that?”
“Why did you go to the ring the other night? It’s not part of your job and you had no reason to be out there.”
She took a deep breath and held it for a moment as she steeled her nerves. “For the same reason I risked losing my job by going to the hospital with him.”
Derek’s jaw ticked and he closed his eyes and shook his head. “For the love of God, Emma. Why him? Why my arch enemy? Are you angry at me for something? Is this your way of getting even?”
His questions speared her directly in the heart. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around his chest in a hug. “No. God no. I’m sorry, Derek. I love you and I wouldn’t do anything to intentionally hurt you, but a person can’t help who they fall in love with.”
“Are you kidding?” He pushed her to arm’s length. “Emma, he’s a sleaze. He has a reputation with women. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I’m twenty seven years old Derek. I think I know what I’m doing.”
“You don’t have a clue of what you’re getting yourself into. Stop this before you get hurt. Stop this or I’m going to.”
Anger flared to life, quickly replacing her fear of rejection. She long ago turned into an adult and she’d be damned if anyone, even Derek would tell her what to do. “Don’t you threaten me, Derek Cruise.” She poked a finger at him. “I am a grown woman and I can make my own decisions on who I want to date. I’m damn tired of bending to your wishes without even so much as a consideration to my feelings.”
“You know this business, Emma,” Derek stressed. “You know how hard it can be on relationships. Just look at what happened to mom and dad.”
“What happened to mom may not have had anything to do with wrestling or dad. Even if our lives had been different she might have still disappeared. I for one am tired of spending my life living in fear of what might happen. It’s time I live for today.”
“So I have no say in this?”
She took a deep, calming breath then reached for his hand. “No, you have no say in this. You’ve always been there for me. You’ve always protected me, but you can’t keep treating me like some fragile doll. I won’t have it.”
Knowing what she was about to say would change their relationship forever, she tightened her grip. “I’ve loved you and Bryan more than anyone else in my life and I still do, but I’m warning both of you…stay out of my love life.”
* * *
With a bottle of Ginger ale in hand Emma stepped out of catering and headed for the staging area. Ever since the showdown with her brother two weeks ago she’d been feeling ill and today seemed to be no different.
Over the last two days both Holt and Marissa had mentioned that she seemed to be loosing weight. The fact was she had lost about five pounds from lack of appetite alone. She knew Holt was starting to worry, but there was little she could do to reassure him. With the chaos now taking place in her life all she could do was hold on and pray the ride would end soon.
The sound of raised voices had Emma quickening her pace and her stomach dropped at the sight in front of her. There, in front of the cameras Holt and Derek were going at it like two wild dogs.
Groaning she took off at a run and barely managed to sneak between the men before they came to blows. “Stop it!” she shouted at them both. “Enough.”
“Emma, tell your brother to mind his own business,” Holt ordered. The anger in his eyes appeared very real and she wondered if this promo, like so many of the others had spilled over into real life.
“You tell your boyfriend he needs to remember who is in charge around here.” Derek shot back. Being one of the main superstars in the industry, Derek held a position of authority in the locker room. It was a position some one like Holt rebelled against.
“For the love of God, I am begging you to stop this.” Emma screamed as her blood pressure surged. “Both of y-” Her word ended in a gasp as pain flared in her abdomen and she doubled over.
“Emma?” Holt’s concerned voice pierced the through the haze of pain clouding her brain. “What’s wrong?”
“My stomach,” she managed to gasp. The next thing she knew he’d scooped her into his arms.
“Somebody find Doctor Andrews and tell him to meet us in medical,” Derek called as he cleared a path in front of them. Within minutes Holt was placing her on the padded table. He brushed the hair from her face. “Any better?”
She gave small nod. The stabbing pain had slid into a dull ache, but at least she could breathe now.
“Doctor Andrews will be here in a minute,” Derek said as he walked through the door. The concern in his face nearly made Emma cry. How could the two men she loved hate each other so much? “You don’t look well. You haven’t looked well the past few days.”
“I’m sure it’s just a stomach bug or something like that,” she tried to reassure him even as another wave of nausea crashed over her.
“She was fine until you wormed your way into her life.” Derek glared across her at Holt.
“Me?” Holt angled a finger at himself. “How do you know this isn’t caused by something you did?”
“Out!” Dr. Andrews shouted from the doorway. “You two want to rip each other to shreds, fine, but you’re not going to do it here. Out. Both of you.”
Derek patted her hand as he continued to glare at Holt. “Just take it easy. Doc will find out what’s wrong.”
She watched him go then cut her gaze back to Holt. He smiled down at her, but she could still see the concern in his eyes. “If you need me I’ll be right outside.”
Emma nodded as he leaned in a kissed her forehead then turned to go. Thankful for the peace and quiet she turned her attention back to Doctor Andrews. He gave her an empathetic look as he picked up his stethoscope. “What do you say, Emma? How about we find out what’s making you feel so rotten?”
“Sounds like a plan, Doc.”
“Good. Then you just lay back, relax and let me do all the work.”
* * *
Holt stood with his back to the warm wet spray, enjoying the feeling of the water pounding against his sore muscles. His match tonight hadn’t been a headliner by any standards, but it had still left him sore. Falling backwards from the top turnbuckle onto the padded floor might not be enough of a drop to cause serious injuries, but it still hurt.
As his muscles slowly began to relax his mind started to wander and his eyes drifted closed. It still amaze him how so much could change in a person’s life in such a short amount of time. With DEVIOUS currently on hiatus he once again found himself climbing the ranks towards the championship title currently held by Emma’s brother. That match would take place at their All Hollow’s Eve show.
Beyond the ring his life had also taken a new turn. In the matter of just a few weeks he’d gone from bunking in a room with Garrett to sharing a bed with Emma. There were times when he still couldn’t quite believe she was actually his. Now if he could just figure out a way to get Derek to back off and give Emma some space.
Their conversation with Doctor Andrews should have put a stop to the battles. Short of sending Emma for testing, which she refused to do, he’d been convinced that Emma’s symptoms stemmed from Holt and Derek’s constant fighting. Holt had done his best to curtail the constant barrage of venom spewed by Derek and his younger brother Bryan. Unfortunately he wasn’t perfect and his ego had overridden his good sense on several occasions.
Their confrontations made for excellent television and the EUW’s ratings had been through the roof the past few weeks, but it was definitely taking a toll on Emma.
Trying to come up with a way to end this war without killing the ratings he turned off the tap, pulled the curtain back, and stepped from the shower. He grabbed a towel and began drying off. What they needed was a secret truce that only those involved needed to know. If Emma knew that the rea
l battle was over, she could handle the fake battle much better. Of course convincing Derek would be the problem. The only person in the EUW who had a bigger ego than Holt was Derek. The World Champion was going into his eleventh year in the EUW as the champ for the seventh time. Just like Holt, Derek had done it all, but only more times and the rising stars in the locker room tended to look up to him.
Of course with his antiquated views on what the whole bad versus good story line should be, he was slowly losing favor with management. Their competitor had already managed to blur the lines between bad and good and was eating up the ratings because of it. If the EUW had any hope of surviving they would need to follow suit.
Holt wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped from the bathroom. He walked to the edge of the bed and looked down at Emma who lay curled up in bed sound asleep. Dark circles ringed her eyes and her cheeks were sunken. She’d definitely lost more weight than was healthy. How much more could she take until she ended up in the hospital?
He tossed the towel aside, crawled beneath the covers and pulled her against him. She mumbled something incoherent and curled into him. It was at that moment he made the decision. No ratings or money was worth ruining her health. For Emma’s sake he would find a way to convince Derek and Bryan accept a truce. Hell, he’d guilt them into it if necessary, but nothing, not the ratings, not his salary, and certainly not either of their egos were worth Emma’s well-being.
Chapter 8
Holt blew out a breath, steeled his nerves and lifted a hand to knock on the locker room door. After two weeks of accusations and animosity the situation with Derek had only grown worse. While Emma put on a good face for the cameras and her friends, when they were alone she would often break down. Having her family pretty much turn their backs cut her to the bone and as hard as Holt tried, he couldn’t seem to make up for that loss. It killed him to see her so unhappy and ill and he needed to try and do something to make this situation right. The door opened and Holt came face to face with the source of Emma’s pain. A scowl crawled across Derek’s face. “What do you want?”
“Nice to see you too.” Holt slapped a hand on the door and gave it a shove. If Derek wasn’t going to open the door further, he’d just invite himself in. “We need to talk.”
Derek let the door bounce against the wall and slam shut, then folded his arms across his chest as he turned to look at Holt. The utter distain Holt saw in Derek’s face hurt more than it probably should have. After all, he hadn’t done anything directly to Derek to make him hate Holt so much.
“I have nothing to say to you ‘Pretty Boy’.”
“Well I have plenty to say to you and you’re damn well gonna listen.” Holt shot back.
Derek rolled his eyes skyward and leaned a shoulder against the wall. “Whatever. Just say what’s on your mind and get out.”
“Emma is what’s on my mind.” Holt began to pace. He always seemed to think better when he was moving. “And she should be on your mind too.”
“Emma knows how I feel-”
“Everyone from the janitors to the CEO of this company knows how you feel about me and Emma being together,” Holt cut him off. “It doesn’t change what’s happened or how Emma and I feel about each other.”
“All right.” Derek shoved off the wall. “If we’re going to talk about this, then let’s talk. Just how do you really feel about my sister?”
Holt met Derek’s stare and didn’t blink. “I’m in love with her.”
Derek smirked and shook his head. “Really? Well forgive me for my skepticism but I seriously doubt that.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re incapable of loving anyone other than yourself. So why don’t you stop playing games with her heart?”
“You don’t know anything about what I am or am not capable of and this isn’t some game,” Holt nearly growled. “Yes. I know I have a reputation and yes, that reputation is somewhat justified, but that’s all behind me.” He shook his head. “Damn it, Derek. I’ve never met anyone like her. She’s sweet, and caring and understanding and…amazing.”
“Wow, we actually agree on something. Emma is amazing,” Derek agreed. “And I don’t want you ruining that.”
“Me.” Holt angled a thumb against his chest. “I’m not going to ruin anything. If anything you’re working on ruining that with your nasty attitude.”
“I watched that little girl suffer after our mother disappeared,” Derek raged, his voice boomed off the concrete walls. “I helped her pick up the shattered pieces of her life and was by her side when she needed me most. I would die to protect her. Can you say the same?”
“Yes.” Holt deadpanned without hesitation.
Derek’s brow winged up in surprise and he lowered his voice. “Really? You’d die to protect Emma?”
“In a heartbeat.” Holt didn’t blink.
Derek narrowed his gaze then cocked his head to the side and appeared to study Holt. “You really mean that,” his said, his tone half statement and half questioning.
“I do.”
“Okay.” Derek nodded and appeared to calm a little. “Let’s say I actually believe you. You already have Emma which means you’re obviously not here to get my blessing. So why are you here?”
“I’m here because the woman you say you love is heartbroken that you’re angry with her. You heard Doctor Andrew’s the other day. We’re the reason she’s sick. She’s carrying the weight of our war on her shoulders and it’s slowly sucking the life out of her.” He began to pace again.
“It’s killing me to see her like this knowing that we have to power to stop it.” He stopped and looked directly at Derek. “I know you and I have our differences and I know you loathe me because of the way I do business here, but if you love her as much as you say, then do what’s right by her.”
“I don’t need you telling me what’s right.” Derek pointed a finger at him.
“No you don’t,” Holt agreed. “Look, I’m not asking for you to like me. Nor am I asking for your blessing. Hell, I’m not even asking for you to accept us. All I’m asking is for you to separate your personal life from business. Be there for her when she needs you and tolerate me when she’s around and I’ll do the same. The rest of the time you can hate me as much as you want.” He shrugged. “Hell, you can beat the shit out of me in the ring as much as you like. Just don’t take our differences and place them on Emma’s shoulders anymore.”
For several long seconds silence filled the air before Derek dropped do the bench and looked up at Holt. “Okay.” He gave a nod of acceptance. “You’re right. We need to find a way to get along for Emma’s health.” He raked a hand through is long dark hair. “Hell, maybe I have blurred the lines of reality and fantasy a little. For Emma’s sake I’ll try and separate the two. But-” He lifted a hand and pointed a finger at Holt. “I’m telling you right now, if you hurt her I will hunt you down and make you wish you were dead. Understand?”
Holt gave a nod. “Understood.”
* * *
Emma checked her clip board. As soon as this match ended, they’d cut to commercial and then come back with a one night only DEVIOUS tag match.
“Jill,” she turned to her assistant. “Let Garrett and Holt know they need to get ready.”
Strong arms slid around her waist and warm breath drifted across her cheek as Holt’s low tenor registered in her ears. “We’re ready. Are you ready?”
Unable to stop herself she sank into his embrace and turned her face toward him. “I’m always ready,” she whispered as he lowered his mouth to hers.
“Don’t I know it,” he murmured before claiming her lips.
“Would you two get a room?” Garrett groaned. “Oh wait…you already have a room and this isn’t it.” Emma felt the impact of Garrett’s smack against Holt’s shoulder. “Stop sucking face and get yourself together. You can get your nookie later.”
Holt was grinning as he pulled away then glanced over his shoulder at Garrett. “You’re
just upset because Gene sent Marissa home.”
“I am not,” he nearly folded his arms over his chest like a petulant child. “Why did he have to come up with that stupid storyline about her getting hurt?”
Emma did her best to hide her grin as she stepped out of Holt’s embrace and proceeded to give Garrett a hug. “She misses you too.”
“Yeah?” Garrett glanced down at her as she pulled back. “How do you know that?”
“I talked to her earlier tonight. Gene is pissed about you two becoming a real couple and he’s trying to put some distance between you with the hopes it will blow over and you’ll both move on.”
Garrett frowned. “Really? So he really thinks I’m some kind of a bad influence?”
Emma could hear the hurt in his voice. “It’s not that. It’ just that he didn’t want Marissa getting involved with any of the wrestlers for real. She also has a bit of a reputation for using men and tossing them aside. Personally, I think he’s testing you guys to see if you’re both serious about your relationship.”
“Oh I’m serious all right.” He grinned. “I promise you that if I have anything to say about it one day I’ll be Gene’s son-in-law. Won’t that just piss everyone in the locker room off?”
Holt laughed and slapped Garrett on the back. “Well until you’re invested in the company, I think maybe it’s time we get to work.”
Emma nodded and remembering she was also supposed to be working glanced down at her paperwork. “We’re coming back from commercial in thirty seconds so get yourselves ready.”
Holt snuck one last quick kiss. The beginning of DEVIOUS’ music began and the two men disappeared through the curtain. Emma turned back to watch the monitor and nearly ran directly into Derek. “Uh…hi.”
“Hi.” He glanced down at the floor. “So, how are you feeling?”
She gave his question a shrug. “I kept lunch down today and according to Doctor Andrews I’ve gained back two pounds. It’s not much but considering how I’ve been feeling it’s a good step.”
“I’m glad to hear you’re feeling a little better.”
Wrestling Desire Page 6
