by Abby Niles
As she melted against him, he tugged her down on top of him and brushed his tongue across her lips. Without hesitation, she parted them, allowed him entrance. It was the first time in a long time she lost herself in a kiss—no thoughts, no worries, just enjoying the intoxicating feel of his tongue sliding against her, the heady taste of mint he brought to life in her mouth, the soft, enjoyable noises he made.
The fingers of one hand knotted in her hair as the other skimmed down her waist to rest on her hip. A lust-fueled fire erupted over her body, making her nipples harden and an arousing ache pulse to life between her legs. The small, encouraging moan that escaped her mouth was unintentional, but it had been so long, so very, very long, since she’d felt like this, she couldn’t keep it contained. His hand slipped over her bottom and pulled her closer, bringing her lower body in contact with his, allowing her to feel his arousal.
Caught up in the moment, she shifted closer, draping one leg over his hip. He ground into her then stiffened with a pained growl.
“Damn it,” he mumbled. Ella immediately tried to move away to give him space, but he tightened his hold. “Don’t move. I like having you here.”
Relaxing half into the cushions and half into him, she studied the tense, pain-filled lines of his face, then caressed his cheek. His eyes opened and stared back at her. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since you came out of nowhere, all ninja badass, and brought Ralph to his knees.”
She chuckled softly. “And I’ve wanted you to kiss me since you called me hot stuff.”
“That was two days after we met,” he softly teased. “It took that long?”
She tapped the tip of his nose. “Remember you were an ass when we first met. I wanted to hit you, not kiss you.”
Leaning back against the throw pillow, he smiled. “Oh, yeah. Glad you don’t think I’m an ass anymore.”
“No, you’re still an ass. I just see there’s more to you than that now.”
An intense expression crossed his features as he ran his fingers up and down her arm, causing goose bumps to pucker on her skin.
“Like what?” he asked.
The vulnerability in his voice shocked her. Lance always came across as confident—why he’d need reaffirming words from her made no sense. But she said, “You’re a phenomenal trainer with endless patience, you’re funny, protective over those you care about, and you’re an amazing father.”
He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he stared directly at her. “I’m also all kinds of fucked up.”
“Who isn’t?”
“You’re together, Kelsey.”
A disbelieving laugh shot out of her mouth. “The last thing I am is together.”
“Still, you’d be better off staying away from me.”
She craned back. “That’s the second time you’ve said that, but I don’t see you fighting too hard to keep a distance.”
“Because I can’t. You’ve become a weakness to me. I need you to be strong for both of us.”
“What if I don’t want to?” And she meant that. She was ready to move forward to the next stage with him.
Closing his eyes again, he lightly shook his head. “I’m no good for you.”
Why would he think that?
“I’ve got my own skeletons I’m wrestling with.” She ran a finger along his jawline. “I don’t want to think about my issues. I just want to enjoy the moment for a change.”
All she seemed to do was worry about Randy, her training, the future, the McNealys…everything. She was so damned tired of it. But with Lance, things just happened. Exciting things. She selfishly didn’t want to lose that.
As he remained quiet, she nudged him. “What do you say?” The indecision in his eyes concerned her, and she pushed up on her elbow. “If I’m being too pushy—”
“No, you’re not. I’d love to stop worrying with you. It’s just…” He trailed off and glanced away.
“What?”
“It’s not that simple for me. I think it would be best if we kept things the way they are.”
The bitter taste of rejection clogged her throat. She pushed off the couch and stood. “Of course. You’re right.”
“Kelsey.” Reaching for her, Lance went to sit up then clutched his stomach, groaning.
“I’ll get you a blanket. You can sleep on the couch tonight.” Before he could say another word, she hurried out of the room, grabbed a quilt from a closet, then tossed it at him from the doorway. As she rushed up the stairs, a harsh burn attacked the back of her eyes.
This feeling of rejection was stupid. There was no doubt Lance wanted her, but she felt the rebuff all the same. For the first time in years, she’d forgotten. In his arms, she’d forgotten.
Stop worrying.
What he wouldn’t give to do just that. With an arm slung above his head, Lance stared at the darkened ceiling as he listened to Kelsey moving around upstairs. Every single bit of him wanted to march up those steps and wipe away the hurt he’d seen on her face before she’d fled the room.
The last thing he wanted was to hurt Kelsey. Damn it, he shouldn’t have kissed her. But with her hands moving across his body, he couldn’t stop himself.
Now he’d fucked everything up and made it more complicated. He couldn’t afford to stop worrying. That worry was the only thing keeping her safe from him.
He’d downplayed the fights to Kelsey, because he was ashamed to tell her the truth. Since he had more experience than the other fighters, the high rollers had wanted to see him put to the test before they placed any bets on him. The cousins had made it clear that since this wasn’t a paid event and no bets were being made, he wouldn’t get credit for these fights. When he’d instantly refused, they’d put the smackdown on him. He either fought or they involved Piper.
So he’d fought, all the while knowing he wasn’t getting paid. With each opponent he went against, his fury had risen. He’d be damned if they’d hold Piper and his daughter over his head every goddamn time they wanted him to do something. He was no one’s fucking puppet. The decision was made. He was going to finally talk to his ex-wife and tell her everything. He was terrified of losing his daughter, but he couldn’t have Skylar around this. And her needs came before his. Period.
He was about to take the control out of the McNealys’ hands, and they were going to be pissed. The last thing he needed was for them to switch their focus from the weakness he had for his daughter to the weakness he had for the woman upstairs.
Had they kept to the original fighting agreement, they’d have no issues. He’d fight and give them the money. But this bullshit strong-arming and threatening was going too far with him, and he would not tolerate it. There was a quicker way out of this and he was damn well going to find it.
Chapter Six
Lance kept his attention on the road, aware of Skylar’s continuous stare. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen him this way before. But he always prepared her for it. Let her know he was going into the cage, and he’d be a little banged up afterward. This morning, however, she’d burst into tears when she’d come downstairs and seen him, something he’d never dealt with and didn’t know how to handle.
He’d made his decision last night, but seeing Skylar’s reaction had solidified it. It was time to tell Piper the truth. If he lost Skylar, then he had no one to blame but himself, but he refused to have her anywhere near him when the bushwhackers were watching his every move.
As he cut off the engine to his Jeep in front of Piper’s, he inhaled deeply. God, he didn’t want to tell his daughter this. “Baby, I need to talk to you about something.”
“What, Daddy?”
“I’m going to have to go away for a bit, okay?”
The tears that immediately brightened her eyes felt like a sledgehammer to his chest. “W-why?”
“I have to take care of some things and it’s best if you stay with your mom while I do it.”
“But I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too.” Fr
om the emotions suddenly strangling him, he had to clear his throat. “I’ll call and check in as often as I can. It’s just for a few weeks. When I’m done, everything will be better. I promise.”
Her bottom lip trembled, but she finally nodded.
“Now I want you to go inside and tell your momma I need to talk to her.”
She threw her body across the seat and latched her arms around his neck. Against the threatening sting behind his eyes, he closed them and squeezed her tight. He was doing this because it was best for her. He had to remember that.
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you, too, baby.”
She pulled away and then ran up the walk into the house. Lance’s muscles screamed in protest as he climbed out of the Jeep. Sore was not a strong enough word to describe the agony burning through his body. In almost twenty years of fighting, he’d never taken on three men in one night, and he felt every punch and kick he’d received.
Closing the door behind him, he waited for Piper to come out. This wasn’t going to end well, and he still wasn’t sure how to tell her. But there was one thing he was sure about. He wasn’t going to lie.
Piper closed the door then hurried down the front steps. As she neared him, her eyes rounded, and she froze. “What the hell, Lance?” Her head whipped toward the house then returned to him, fury etched in every line of her face. “Did you fight with Skylar there?”
“I need you to listen.”
“Listen? Listen? You show up last night completely fine and take our daughter out only to return looking like you’ve gone twelve rounds in a boxing match. What the fuck, Lance?”
“She didn’t see this happen.”
“Where was she then?”
A part of him wanted to say with Gayle, but he couldn’t allow this to continue.
“With a friend of mine.”
“Wh—”
“I need you to listen.” That had come out harsher than he’d intended, but at least she’d snapped her mouth closed.
She crossed her arms under her breasts. “Fine. Explain to me what the hell’s going on.”
He swallowed. “Do you remember the loan I took out for Skylar’s treatment?”
She nodded.
“I didn’t get that loan from a bank.”
Her arms slowly lowered to her sides. “W-who did you get it from?”
The lowering of her arms signified she’d figured out who the second he’d said the money hadn’t come from a bank. She just didn’t want to voice it. “Who do you think?”
Closing her eyes, she cupped her hand over her mouth and shook her head. This time he couldn’t decipher her reaction. “I can’t even process this right now. I’ve spent years believing you got that money from a bank, not your low-life friends.”
“Banks don’t give that kind of money to guys like me, and the McNealys are not my friends.”
“Jesus, Lance.” Tears rimmed her eyes. “Why would you go to them? They kicked me and our daughter out of our home.”
Lance swallowed. “I know that night—”
“You know nothing about that night. You. Weren’t. There. They barged their way into my home and scared the hell out of me while I was holding our daughter. When I refused to leave, Mitch grabbed me by the throat and thrust the deed in my face and told me if I didn’t leave willingly, he’d force me out.”
He’d found Piper crying hysterically in her car. When she’d looked up to see him standing there, the rage that had encased her face had said it all. They were over. Without a word, she had left with their daughter and he didn’t see Skylar for months. Then her diagnosis changed everything.
“I swear to you I’m not gambling. I haven’t made a bet since that night. The only reason I went to the McNealys is because it was my only option. I had to give Skylar every chance to beat the leukemia.”
“I-I don’t know how to feel right now. If you hadn’t done it, Skylar would’ve never recovered. I get your motivation. I understand it. But look at you.” She waved at his face. “That’s what happens when you get involved with those two. I would’ve never allowed you to have Skylar back had I known you were mixed up with them again.”
“I know. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
At his blunt answer, she jerked back. “W-why are you telling me now? Jesus, Lance, did they do something to her? Are you lying to me, and she did see this?”
“No.” He circled his face with his hands. “This is not what you think, but they did approach me while I had Skylar with me. She didn’t see them, but they were there. And as much as I don’t want to lose my daughter, I can’t have her around this. I need you to keep her until I get out of this mess. Once I am, things are going to be different.”
Piper stared at him with sad eyes. “I really wish I could believe you. But I know how you work. For some damn reason, you can’t seem to break away from those two. After this, there’ll be another reason you get involved with them.” She started backing up the drive. “And I’m sorry. Skylar will not be around that. I have to protect her.”
The pain that slashed across his heart almost brought him to his knees. He knew this would be the final outcome, had expected it, but all the preparing in the world didn’t stop the agony. “No matter what you think, Piper, I did this for her.”
“That’s the saddest damn thing about this. I know you did.” She shook her head. “But the McNealys are never the answer. You should’ve talked to me, included me, and we could have come up with a solution together—for our daughter. But you did something behind my back, again, and this time lied to me about it. How am I supposed to trust you when you keep doing the same thing over and over?”
There were no words to defend himself. He had deliberately kept her in the dark about how he’d gotten the money because he’d known she would’ve never taken it—even to save their daughter. The McNealys terrified her, he’d known that, and still he’d gone to them. And he didn’t regret it. His daughter was alive, and that was all that mattered.
She pointed at him. “I won’t be involved with this, Lance. If I see one hair on either one of those assholes’ heads, I’m going to the cops. As much as they like to believe they have the police department on their side, I’m sure there are a few they haven’t been able to buy off.”
With that, she turned and stormed back up the driveway.
He watched her go. As the front door closed, the curtains in the living room pulled back. Skylar’s face came into view and she gave him a sad wave. Emotions hit him hard and he blew her a kiss before climbing into the Jeep and leaving.
He glanced at his watch. He had an hour to get home, collect the needed paperwork and get across town to his meeting. If everything went as planned, he’d have the McNealys paid back by this afternoon and all this shit would be behind him. Finally.
…
“I’m sorry, Mr. Black,” the loan officer said as he shuffled through the stack of papers. “We can’t approve a loan for the amount you’re requesting.”
Lance stared at the man. This was the second time some suit behind a desk had denied him a loan. “I don’t understand. I have a house, a business, and more than enough income to cover a sixty thousand dollar loan.”
“You have a house that still has a renovation loan attached to it. As for your business, while you’re doing fiscally well, the month to month income is inconsistent.” He held up Lance’s bank statements. “On paper you make a decent living, Mr. Black, but your bank account says otherwise. It’s too much of a risk for us to approve a loan for the amount you’re requesting when your debt to income ratio is so high.”
His debt to income ratio was so fucking high because of the amount he was paying the McNealys each month. God, he couldn’t fucking believe owing the McNealys would be the reason he’d be denied this loan.
All he needed was sixty thousand dollars. He was good for the money. More than good. What he’d owe the bank a month would be hundreds less than what he was paying the cousins right now.<
br />
“Again, I’m sorry.” The man put all Lance’s paperwork in a folder then held it out to him from behind the desk—a clear dismissal.
“Yeah, sure you are.” He snatched the folder from him and stormed out of the bank. After he climbed inside his Jeep and slammed the door, he hit the steering wheel with his palm. Fuck.
Nothing about this was fair. This all began because he’d been desperate to get Skylar the treatment she needed. Now the McNealys were being complete douchebags. And he was fucking sick of it. He’d tried to go about this the legal way, and that hadn’t worked.
If he was going to have to fight his way out of this goddamn debt, then he was going to go balls to the wall with it.
The McNealys had an offer coming they wouldn’t be able to refuse.
Chapter Seven
Though the atmosphere was fun and festive, Ella was having a hard time getting into a cheerful spirit as she walked down the main strip of the Annual Cheney Fair with Amber. Her crappy mood was the main reason she’d agreed to come in the first place. She’d hoped some rides, games, and cotton candy would help her feel better. So far, it hadn’t.
“What’s up with you?” Amber asked. “You’ve been acting weird all week.”
Other than the fact she hadn’t seen or heard from Lance in almost five days?
“Just have a lot on my mind.”
Truth was, she was freaking hurt. When she’d gone downstairs the morning after his rejection, he and Skylar had already left. Then she showed up at Coolier for their training session to only find out that Lance had arranged for Billy to train with her all week.
“You know, if you want to talk about anything, I’m here to listen.”
She studied the woman beside her. Despite witnessing Ella’s reaction after the accident, Amber hadn’t shied away from her. She always talked to her at the gym, invited her to go out, just trying to be a friend. What would it hurt to open up? She really couldn’t talk to Brooke or her mother about anything going on.
