by Abby Niles
After the referee backed away, giving the all clear for them to fight, Lance circled around Kelvin. The size difference was hard to ignore. Not that he hadn’t gone against bigger men before—he had, but they still fell within his weight class.
This dude was fucking huge.
The man swung out a massive arm. Lance ducked then countered with a right hook into his side. The man lumbered around.
Lack of speed was one disadvantage guys this big had—though a punch from this fucker would knock Lance straight the hell out—because their strength was brutal. The best thing he could do was keep moving. He danced around Kelvin, making sure to stay outside the man’s reach and going in for punches and leg shots only when the fighter left an opening.
Aggressiveness wouldn’t help him. This was a defensive fight. They couldn’t just go at it the way all the other fighters had. He had to be smart about it, use his opponent’s size against him.
At the lack of action, the crowd began to boo. Every damn one of them could kiss his fucking ass. Real fighting wasn’t just about swinging blindly at each other. It was knowing your opponent, knowing yourself, and not getting caught up in the chaos.
“Fight me, asshole,” Kelvin said around his mouth guard and lowered his arms.
Seeing the opening he needed, Lance took him up on his invitation and swept in with a powerful uppercut underneath the chin. Everything around him slowed as Kelvin’s head snapped back. The man stood there for a second before he fell backward. The canvas thundered under the crash of his body.
Stunned silence followed for a fraction of a second before the entire place erupted in fury.
The referee lifted up Lance’s arm, yelling, “Winner.”
People were cussing and tearing up pieces of paper. His gaze swept the room and found Gabe and Mitch leaning back against a wall. In unison, they clapped and gave him a nod of respect. Satisfaction rolled off the two men, confusing Lance. Hadn’t they wanted him to lose?
He looked around at the commotion from those attending.
It hit him. The McNealys had gambled, too. They had deliberately put him up against someone larger, but not to make him fight for free. To get people to bet against him. Those two had just made a small fortune off his win, and Lance was now five grand closer to being out of debt to them.
The sooner he paid off that debt, the better off he’d be.
As he exited the cage, his gaze went to Kelsey’s office. The door was open this time and she was standing inside the doorframe with her arms hugged around herself. An intense, puzzled expression marred her features, then she stepped back and closed the door.
How had she felt about the fight? For some insane reason, he wanted to impress her the same way she awed and impressed him, and that only confused him more.
…
Thank God this night was over.
Over the last three hours, Ella had stitched up three head wounds, treated two others with butterfly bandages, and cleaned up an assortment of other injuries. Luckily, none had been severe enough to warrant a trip to the hospital, even though some of guys had been downright gruesome as they were brought back to her area.
Blood was part of her job, she was used to it, but knowing that fighting had inflicted every one of the injuries she’d treated had taken its toll on her tonight. Not to mention the fights she’d forced herself to watch between patients. After her panic episode, she’d been determined to stand there and see what was in front of her and not get caught up in her past. Unfortunately, she’d kept slipping into her nightmare and having to fight her way back to the present.
The end result was complete and utter exhaustion, both mentally and physically. The physical she could deal with. The mental just beat her down, and she hated feeling like that.
She finished sterilizing the room, making sure everything was disinfected, and that any used instruments were placed in hazardous material containers. The cousins had supplied her with everything she’d needed to do what they referred to as simple procedures. She even had Lidocaine.
As she backed out of the room, she flipped off the light then closed the door. The only light left was dim emergency lights. So many shadows. So many places to hide. Her stomach twisted hard as her heart began to pound. At least right now, there was some light. Once she got outside, it would be complete blackness. God, she didn’t want to walk to her car. There was an unnatural silence after all the yelling. She was alone. No one was here—including the cousins.
They’d come in about forty-five minutes after she’d finished checking out the Goliath Lance had fought and tried to hand her a wad of cash. She’d refused it. She wasn’t taking any money from this place. They’d merely shrugged and said their goodbyes. She hadn’t been shocked that they’d leave a woman out here in the middle of nowhere by herself, and as much as she hadn’t wanted to be left alone, she wasn’t going to ask them to stay.
Ella jiggled the handle to make sure the door was locked then turned around.
“Thank God. You took for fucking ever.”
At the sudden masculine voice, she screamed and jerked her head in the direction it came from, slapping a hand over her heart. Lance was leaning back on one of the metal chairs, arms crossed over his chest.
“Don’t do that.” She leaned over, placing her hands on her knees, and took in a long, slow breath. She was real close to passing out from the fright.
“Jesus, I’m sorry,” he said and jumped to his feet. “I thought you knew I was out here.”
“Well, I didn’t,” she snapped. “I thought I was alone.”
Lance laid his hand on her back and rubbed up and down her spine. The motion soothed her, and she became more aware of Lance touching her than she was of her surroundings. The masculine, woodsy scent of his cologne wrapped around her—she closed her eyes and inhaled.
As she straightened, she noticed his incredulous look. “You actually think I’d leave you here by yourself? Damn, woman. That says a lot about what you think about me.”
“Oh, chill out. I’ve been closed off in my own little world for the last hour. Nothing against you, you big baby.”
A sudden grin came to his face, and her heart fluttered. So much for hoping this whole McNealy business would stem her attraction to him. It seemed she was fighting in every aspect of her life right now, her past, present, and future. God, it was draining.
She started walking toward the exit. Lance’s steps echoed behind her before they caught up.
“I watched your fight,” she said, needing to focus on something she could control, like their topic of conversation.
“What’d you think?”
Naughty things. Watching Lance in the ring had been the only time she hadn’t veered off into her past. Everything about him had held her captivated—his body, his moves, his confidence. She’d found it all incredibly hot. Hotter than she really should have. But only she needed to know that. “I remembered our conversation about size difference from a few days ago and wondered how were you doing it.”
“I used his size against him.”
That grabbed her attention. She stopped and faced him. “How? I want to be able to do that.”
Brows furrowed, he studied her so intently she had to keep from fidgeting. Stop trying to figure me out, Lance, and answer the question.
“There’s a difference between what I went up against and what you go up against, Kelsey. Someone who outweighs you can still have amazing speed. Someone who outweighs me is not as flexible. That’s why most heavyweight fights rely on stand-up. They wrestle, but when it comes to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, it’s rare a heavyweight has a good ground game. There are a few, but not many.”
“That makes sense.” Not that she liked the answer. Watching Lance go up against Kelvin had reminded her so much of her going against Randy. She’d thought, hoped, Lance had some pointers he could teach her. She turned to start walking again, but Lance latched on to her upper arm, stopping her. She turned her face toward him. Concerned confusion etch
ed his features.
“Why are you so focused on size difference, Kelsey?”
Shit. She swallowed. Lance had probably earned the right to know her motivation—at least some of it. The last thing she wanted was to talk about her past, especially not after the emotional wringer she’d been through tonight. “It’s intriguing, don’t you think? A person going up against, and then defeating, someone they shouldn’t be able to. I saw the reaction from the crowd. You were favored to lose.”
“I was.”
“But you didn’t.” She shrugged nonchalantly and hoped her blithe tone relieved his concerns for now. “That’s intriguing. Now, though, I just want to get home.”
Without another word, she opened the door beside the closed bay doors and strode into the parking lot and complete darkness. When she’d arrived earlier, the place had been bright from the lights inside the warehouse and the headlights from the cars. Now there wasn’t even a streetlamp to chase away the night. Hell, there wasn’t even a moon.
The crunch of the gravel underneath their feet and the chirp of crickets in the distance were the only sounds. Besides Lance, how far away was the nearest person?
When they neared her car, she pressed the unlock button on her car keys. The clicking boomed in the silence. She stopped at the driver’s side, opened the door to allow the light from the interior to brighten the area, then faced Lance. Despite the shadows darkening portions of the face, she could still make out his perplexed expression. So her explanation hadn’t fooled him. Damn it. It probably hadn’t helped that he’d also witnessed her in the midst of a panic attack. Double damn it.
“Thank you for staying,” she said. “This would’ve been creepy by myself.”
He reached for a strand of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers. Her breathing hitched tight in her lungs. Need built inside her, about to combust out of control. She wanted to feel his touch. Wanted him. It didn’t seem to matter how involved he was with the cousins. Nothing doused the attraction she had to this man.
As he tucked the hair behind her ear, the feel of his fingers sliding across her scalp sent electrical shocks spiraling downward into a soft, pleasant throb. God, the desire was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before.
It scared the hell out of her.
She started to get into the car, but was stopped by his hand slipping into the hair at her nape. Desire made her nipples hard, her body pulse to life. Her gaze latched on to his mouth as he lowered his head. She wanted this. She accepted this. Couldn’t wait to feel his lips against hers.
Instead, he pressed them against her forehead. She clenched her eyes closed against the rush of disappointment that hit her.
“As long as I’m around, you’ll never make that walk alone,” he whispered against her skin, and then pulled back.
She couldn’t stop a surprised gasp. Not only from his words, but how safe and protected they made her feel.
As their gazes locked, the air between them sparked. She could lose herself in those gray eyes. She could lose herself in him. He was the first man to storm into her life who made her feel safe. That was dangerous. She couldn’t rely on someone else for that feeling. She needed to find it for herself.
She looked away, intentionally breaking the moment. “I-I need to get home.” She slipped inside and Lance gently closed the door. When he just stood there, she rolled down her window. “I’m not leaving until you get into your car.”
A crooked smile curved his mouth. “Always my guardian angel, aren’t you?”
“Just returning the favor. You made sure I got to my car safely, I’m doing the same.”
“You don’t have to watch over me, Kelsey.”
“The same goes for you, too, you know. I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it a long time.”
“I’m going to take care of you. Nothing’s going to happen to you while I’m around.”
Again that sense of security enveloped her, and she believed him. But as much as she liked the idea of Lance watching over her, he wouldn’t always be there. Her goal was to go back home. Allowing someone to take care of her defeated the purpose of being here.
“Go to your car,” she said.
“Good night, Kelsey.” There was an unmistakable huskiness to his words.
“Good night, Lance.”
She watched him stride across the gravel to his Jeep. When he climbed in, he turned on the engine, the headlights popping to life. He started to back up then stopped and flashed his lights once. Understanding his message, a small smile played at her lips. She backed up the car and headed to the road, Lance tailing her in his vehicle.
And again she felt safe.
Chapter Five
“Oh. My. God.” Ella stared down at the bags of groceries in her hands.
She hadn’t.
Quickly, she lowered the bags to the ground then patted her pockets. Groaning, she threw her head back.
She had.
What else could go wrong today?
It’d been one of those mornings. First, she’d forgotten to put coffee grounds in the coffeemaker, so after she’d taken her shower she’d returned to a pot of hot water. During her shower, she’d used shaving cream to wash her hair. To top off that terrible start, she’d gone to the store for a specific thing, but failed to purchase it and had to go back in—twice. Now she’d locked her keys in the trunk.
Ella glanced toward the windows in her living room, but there was no use even trying. She checked to make sure the windows were locked at least three times a day. No reason to break the window either. Her keys would still be in the trunk, and she’d have to clean up broken glass. Thank God she’d been mindful enough to slip her phone in the back pocket of her jeans before she’d grabbed the grocery bags.
She tugged her phone out and tapped the internet search app. After typing in “wrecker services in Cheney, KS”, she hit call on the first one that popped up. A dispatcher answered and Ella left her information and hung up.
Twenty minutes. Not too bad of a wait.
She plopped down on the top step of her porch and cupped her chin in her palm. She blamed Lance for her absentmindedness today. The man had dominated her dreams last night in a way that made it clear what she wanted.
She wanted to indulge in that man’s attention, his touch. And why shouldn’t she? After everything she’d been through, just feeling an attraction was a huge milestone for her. She should just go with it.
Her body might be the one thing that would stop her though.
She placed her hand on her stomach, tracing the rigid, scarred skin beneath. She’d never been insecure about her appearance, until this lovely addition. She hadn’t worn a two piece in years. Since she hated looking at it, she couldn’t imagine a man finding it appealing.
A wrecker pulled up, thankfully bringing her out of the morose thoughts. She rose and dusted off her butt, but stopped as a man who looked vaguely familiar climbed out of the truck. A baseball cap covered his hair and shadowed his face, but she’d know that tattooed arm anywhere, and her heart skipped a beat.
Lance.
He turned and started his way up her walk then lifted his head. His gray eyes rounded. “Kelsey?”
“You look as shocked as I feel.”
“You are the last person I expected to see. I thought you lived in Wichita.”
“No, I drive in. You have a wrecker business?”
“Yep. That’s the reason I run late for training from time-to-time. If I’m late, it’s because I’m on a call.”
It had never crossed her mind that Lance had another job outside of the gym and fighting.
“How long have you been in the wrecker service?” she asked.
“Six years.” He glanced down at his phone. “Says here you’ve locked your keys in the car?” She didn’t miss the amusement in his voice.
“Shut up. It’s been a long morning.”
As he inspected the car, he said, “How so?”
“Did you use shaving cre
am to wash your hair this morning?”
A chuckle burst out of him. “Ahh. It’s been one of those days. Just give me a minute and I’ll have those keys free.”
He returned to his truck and retrieved a slim jim. Back at her car, he slipped it between the rubber and the window. Within seconds, a click sounded and he opened the door. The jeans stretched taut across his ass as he leaned inside.
Damn. She bit her bottom lip. Everything about Lance was nice to look at—clothed or unclothed. Last night she’d gotten a view of him without his shirt—a very distant view. But that distance hadn’t taken away from the chiseled muscles of his abs or chest, but left her longing for a close-up. That longing was back in full force.
Her trunk popped open, taking her attention away from his delectable ass to the back of her car.
“Oh, thank God! You’re a life saver.”
“Nah. Just have the equipment needed to get the job done.”
Boy, did he ever. She wanted to throttle herself for the random thought. Seriously? From his ass to his junk? Damn dirty mind and erotic fantasies.
“How much do I owe you?” she asked, just to get herself back on track.
He waved his hand. “Not taking your money.”
She gaped at him. “I have to pay you. You drove out here.”
“I told you last night I was going to take care of you, didn’t I?”
There was that protected feeling again. She was uneasier with that than she was with her attraction to the man. She could learn from Lance, but she had to protect herself and couldn’t rely on him.
“I don’t think that included car issues,” she teased, trying to lighten things.
“It included walking you to your car, so I don’t see why this is any different. In fact, I can think of a few other ways I could take care of you.”
Had he just moved closer?
Yes. Yes he had.
Her heart thumped hard against her ribs. Now, these feelings she could get on board with—wanted to get on board with.
“What other ways could you take care of me?” she shocked herself by asking.
