Brawler

by Charity Parkerson

  Gunnar didn’t accept the topic change. “Go after him. If not, you’ll regret it.”

  “I can’t fix it.”

  “You can’t break it either,” Gunnar said, pointing out the obvious.

  “He’s leaving in the morning.”

  Gunnar shrugged. “It’s not like he lives on another planet.” Gunnar snorted before adding, “Even though he acts like he’s from the planet of dumbassary. Still, there’s nothing stopping you from chasing him as far as he runs.”

  Aden glanced around at the new life he’d built for himself. “You’re on the feckin’ clock, Gunnar. Why are you standing around nattering on like an old marm? Let’s get you taped up.”

  Gunnar shook his head. “You’re an idiot.”

  “That’s always been true,” Aden agreed as he found the tape he’d used earlier for Remy. “I’m not likely to change anytime soon.”

  “You’re not even going to ask why I chose to come back, are you?”

  Aden kept his gaze locked on wrapping Gunnar’s hands. “You’ve always been too nice for your own good.”

  “Liam made me come back.”

  A snort escaped Aden. “You also married someone too nice for his own good.”

  “He is nice,” Gunnar agreed. “But he’s also smart. He reminded me of a few important details. Boston is… Boston. If he hadn’t been a miserable, cheating bastard, I wouldn’t have come back here to this town where I grew up and reconnected with the love of my life.”

  Against his will, Aden couldn’t stop staring at Gunnar’s smile. He looked so certain of every word he spoke.

  “Sometimes, Aden, you have to make horrible mistakes before you can fully appreciate someone amazing. I can’t spend any more of my life worrying about the past. Before yesterday, I didn’t know about you and Boston, and it didn’t hurt me when you told me. It seems a bit stupid to get pissed off about it now. I think we were all different people back then.” Gunnar’s face screwed up in thought as Aden slipped gloves over his taped knuckles. “Except maybe not Remy,” Gunnar added. “From what I witnessed when I walked in, he seems to be the same ridiculous guy he’s always been.”

  Without thought, Aden’s mouth lifted in one corner. Goddamn. His chest hurt. He missed Remy. “Let’s get started.”

  Gunnar didn’t budge. “You won’t give an inch, will you?”

  Aden snagged his punch mitts from where he dropped them earlier. “What would you have me say, Gunnar? You should hate me. So too should Remy. If I could wave a magic wand and take back that night, I would in a heartbeat. If you’re needing my blood here, then fine. Remy was the one for me. I don’t know if people get more than one, but I won’t be searching for another.”

  “Go after him. I’ll take over training for you until you get back.”

  Gunnar’s offer meant more than Aden could express for more reasons than the man would ever know, but it was too late. “Thank you for the offer.”

  “But no thanks. Is that what you’re saying?” Without waiting for an answer, Gunnar jumped in Aden’s ass with both feet. “You know what your problem is? You don’t care to find out if it’s too late,” Gunnar answered, once again not giving Aden time to speak. “This isn’t about Remy, or me, or Boston—for that matter—any longer. It’s you, punishing yourself. Let me tell you something. You can be as hard as you want for the rest of your life, but it won’t make up for the times when you were weak.”

  Aden wanted to deny Gunnar’s words. He couldn’t, but it was also his choice. “Remy deserves someone better than me.”

  Gunnar snorted before flipping his eyes to the ceiling and releasing a loud sigh. “I don’t fucking know why I’m arguing for either of you. Do what you want. If you decide you want to run after him, then my offer still stands. If not, what the fuck ever. I’m fine to never talk about this again.”

  Awesome. Aden could go back to being dead inside. Just as he deserved.

  *

  Remy’s heart raced. It also screamed for him to turn around, go back inside Aden’s training center, and steal a few more minutes with Aden. His feet kept moving. He hadn’t felt so alive in years. Now Gunnar was here, and the moment was gone. Remy stood with his hand on the door handle of his car for way longer than he intended as the memory of Aden’s laughter rang through his head. He’d forgotten how it had felt to make Aden happy. The man barked and growled at everyone; everyone except Remy. The more obnoxious Remy behaved, the angrier Aden should get. Instead, Remy’s ridiculousness fed something inside Aden no one else saw. The moment Gunnar had shown up, Remy had known their moment was over. Aden would retreat and so would Remy. They were only real when they were alone together.

  Time slipped away as Remy slid behind the wheel of his rental. For as long as Remy lived, he would never forget the first time he’d seen Aden unguarded.

  The training center had been empty of all other patrons for close to an hour. Remy liked staying late. When everyone left, and he had the place to himself, he felt like an overachiever. For him, that was a good thing and a matter of pride. If he never won a title, it wouldn’t be because he didn’t put the work in.

  Aden had been cleaning for over half an hour. No doubt, the giant Irishman couldn’t wait for Remy to leave so he could go home. Honestly, Remy didn’t know why he continued lingering. He’d finished his session twenty minutes ago.

  “Would you like some help?” It wasn’t as if Remy had anywhere else to be.

  Aden glanced up, surprise etching his features. “Brown-nosing doesn’t earn points with me.”

  A smirk pulled at Remy’s lips at Aden’s choice of words. “How do you know? You’ve never had my nose in your ass.”

  A low chuckle rumbled from Aden, shocking Remy speechless. He’d never seen Aden smile, much less laugh. Damn. It was kind of hot.

  “You’ve been screwing around for the past half hour. Your offer is a wee late. I’m almost done.”

  Remy didn’t want to leave now. He’d heard Aden’s laughter, but maybe it had been a fluke. “Oh, I didn’t intend to help you clean. My offer was for entertainment purposes. You clean. I entertain.” Remy burst into song. “Nobody polishes the way you do.” Remy added a Pip slide to his song. “You’re the king of wiping down steel.” There was no beat or rhyme to Remy’s song. His dance moves also didn’t match anything, but Aden’s smile was firmly in place. The man had a dimple in the apple of his cheek right below his eye. Jesus. It was ridiculously adorable for such a hard man.

  “You should stick to boxing.”

  “You think?” Remy asked, moonwalking.

  “Do you have an off switch?”

  Remy cupped his hand behind his ear. “What’s that? It’s hard to hear over the sound of my awesomeness. Did you ask if I like to switch? Not especially. I’m more of a bottom.”

  Aden scrubbed his hand over his face as if trying to wipe away his smile.

  Remy pointed at Aden as he moonwalked toward the door. “You should lock up and get a drink with me.”

  “You’re not supposed to be drinking. You have a match this weekend.”

  “Of milk. A drink of milk. Damn. You never let me finish.”

  “Are you finished?” Aden asked, sounding serious.

  Was he? Remy thought it over. The butterflies dancing in his stomach warned he should walk away now. The heat in Aden’s gaze had Remy’s feet glued to the floor. When Remy didn’t move or respond, Aden tossed his rag aside.

  “I have a ton of protein samples in my office. They’re probably not great, but they’re free.”

  “Sounds interesting. Life on the wild side suits you.”

  “You have low fun standards if you expect protein gets my blood pumping.”

  Remy turned the lock on the gym door, officially closing them off from the world. “I meant me. This wild ride will definitely get your blood pumping.”

  *

  Somehow, Aden managed to make it through the day. He only worked three hours on Sunday mornings, and only then for his m
ost prominent clients. Today, he’d barely made it through those one hundred and eighty minutes, except for the ones he’d spent with Remy. His steps slowed as he reached his car. There was a note on his windshield.

  “Crossfit Chad has new digits.”

  Aden bit back a chuckle as he stared at the phone number. It wasn’t a New Orleans area code. After saving Remy’s info to his phone, Aden opened his search engine and looked up the area code. Nevada. Why did Remy have a Nevada number? Aden stared into space, debating. He couldn’t let Remy go. In truth, Aden never really had. Everything Gunnar had said earlier was the truth. Aden deserved years of misery for every ounce of hurt he’d caused, but he couldn’t walk away from Remy forever without knowing there was zero chance for them. Digging through his wallet, Aden went in search of the card Daniel Long handed him before he’d run after Remy the night before. When he found it, Aden didn’t hesitate to dial the number.

  Daniel answered on the third ring. “Hello?”

  “It’s Aden.”

  “Did you change your mind about that interview?”

  Aden didn’t stop to consider if this was a mistake. There was no limit to how far he’d go for Remy. “I’ll answer your questions in exchange for some info.”

  “All right.” Daniel didn’t hesitate in his agreement. “What sort of information are you looking for?”

  “Everything about Remy Bergeau. Where’s he living now? Where does he train? Everything.”

  “Deal.”

  Satisfaction roared through Aden. It was a small step, but it was in Remy’s direction—where Aden belonged.

  Chapter 3

  There was nothing except a plain and locked steel door with a keypad at the address Daniel had given him. Aden had known No Rival fight club was an exclusive training facility, but he’d been expecting something different. There didn’t seem to be a way inside. At a loss, Aden cast a glance around the quiet parking garage, trying to decide what to do. Daniel hadn’t had a home address on Remy. All the man had known was Remy now lived somewhere just outside Vegas and was a member of No Rival. He’d only known that much because it had—apparently—been a huge deal. No Rival only trained MMA fighters, but they’d taken on Remy. It was unheard of.

  A bald man who matched Aden in size caught Aden’s eye as he moved in Aden’s direction. He had a gym bag in one hand and a blond toddler balanced on his hip. The man smiled when he caught sight of Aden standing there, no doubt looking lost. He looked nice and somewhat familiar. It wasn’t until the man reached Aden’s side that recognition hit.

  “Drew Alexander,” Aden said as a way of greeting. Drew was the world MMA heavyweight champion and owned No Rival. It had been several years since they’d seen each other. Drew hadn’t changed much.

  Drew’s gray eyes flashed with good humor. “Aden Dawley. It’s been a long time.”

  Aden nodded. “It has.”

  “If you’re headed inside, do you mind giving me a hand? Punch 8539 into that keypad, please?”

  Aden did as asked, disengaging the lock on the door before holding it open for Drew. “Who’s this fella?” Aden asked, nodding toward the toddler as Drew passed.

  “This is my youngest, Ethan.” At the mention of his name, the little boy held up a toy car for Aden to see.

  “That’s awesome, wee one.”

  Drew motioned Aden toward an empty office. “Come on in.” He set Ethan on his feet before closing a baby gate across the office door and tossing the gym bag on the floor. Ethan immediately began tearing open the bag, pulling toys, diapers, and clothes out into the floor. “What brings you by?” Drew asked as he settled in behind his desk and waved for Aden to take the seat on the opposite side. “I thought you were off living the beach life somewhere down south.”

  “And I thought you were only training MMA fighters,” Aden shot back. “When did you decide to dip your toe into the boxing scene?”

  “Ah, Remy,” Drew said, as if all his questions had been answered. “You know I’ve always been a collector of champions. I met Remy at a charity event a couple of years ago. Remy is an impressive and memorable guy,” Drew said with laughter lacing his words. “He was in the market for a new trainer and I was willing to give it a try if he was. We’ve done well together.”

  Ethan pulled on Aden’s pants leg. Aden automatically lifted the boy into his lap while keeping up his end of the conversation. “I’m glad he’s found a good home here.”

  Drew leaned back in his chair and linked his fingers behind his head while eyeing Aden with open curiosity. “Is this a welfare check of sorts?”

  Aden switched his focus to the little boy currently playing with his fingers. Drew’s expression was too searching. Aden wasn’t ready to give up any answers. “I guess you could call it that.”

  “Ethan doesn’t usually let anyone hold him. He’s too busy tearing the place down.”

  “Kids have always liked me,” Aden said, sounding absent even to his ears. “Back home in Dublin, I have a score of nieces and nephews.” Not that any of his three sisters would let him anywhere near their kids anymore. Being a junkie did that to a person’s life. It didn’t matter he’d been clean for three years. They hadn’t forgotten, and he wasn’t forgiven.

  “Come on, then,” Drew said, coming to his feet. “Remy should be around here somewhere and I need to do my rounds, check in on my boys.”

  Aden came to his feet as well with Ethan still held in his arms. He glanced around, unsure of what to do with him. Even though part of the room had been converted into a playroom, surely Drew didn’t intend to leave Ethan alone in the office. Neither did Aden think the child should be toddling around with a bunch of rough fighters. Since Drew wasn’t reaching for Ethan, and the boy seemed content enough, Aden held on to him.

  He followed on Drew’s heels, stepping over the baby gate and heading into the heart of the building. Aden took in every detail of the club. It was clean, but it wasn’t high tech. There was a ring, an octagon, and a practice mat for sparring. Different styles of punching bags hung from the ceiling and treadmills lined the walls. It couldn’t have been more apparent that Drew stuck to the basics of teaching. Aden’s respect for the man grew. He hated all the new age bullshit people used for training. Men faced each other in the ring with nothing but their fists and their pride. No one needed a ten-thousand-dollar machine to teach them how to do that. Aden could also tell the level of professionalism inside the building was off the charts. It was obvious the men recognized how lucky they were to train with the best.

  When Remy came into view, Aden’s heart sped, but his steps slowed. Focused on his task, Remy didn’t turn at their approach. If Drew said a word to Aden, Aden didn’t hear him. The pounding of his pulse drowned out everything. He’d never seen Remy look so serious. It was unnerving—like it wasn’t him. The club disappeared around Aden as he watched Remy. His punches hit their mark every time. Remy’s sleek muscles moved in time with his every punch, reminding Aden of the nights they’d spent together. Remy’s muscles had been covered in sweat then too. Aden’s gaze swept down Remy’s body, measuring and calculating.

  “Your footwork is getting lazy.”

  Remy froze. His arms dropped to his sides. He turned his head, meeting Aden’s gaze. If he was surprised to see Aden, he didn’t show it. “Is that so?”

  Without realizing what he was doing, Aden sucked a deep breath through his nose as Remy’s sexy accent rolled over him. He held Remy’s stare and nodded. “Do you mind?” he asked Drew while barely sparing a glance for the man standing next to him.

  “Go for it,” Drew said, reclaiming his son and freeing Aden to climb into the ring.

  Aden tried not to think about the body he touched as he repositioned Remy’s hips. Dropping to his knees, he readjusted Remy’s footing. “Love the shoes,” Aden said without thought.

  “You know red is my favorite color,” Remy shot back. Laughter sounded heavily in his voice as he added, “Especially when I’m staring down at it.”
/>   Aden glanced up, meeting Remy’s gorgeous stare. His mouth quirked. “I’m sure.” After coming to his feet, Aden stood hip to hip with Remy, mimicking his pose. This lesson wasn’t only a reminder to Remy but a demonstration for the other men watching as well. After all, Aden was a trainer at heart. He made a quick show of the exact steps he expected Remy to make. “You can’t let yourself get lazy in your footwork,” he said, rocking forward and throwing a fake punch before bouncing back on his heels. “Throwing a punch isn’t everything. You also must be able to withstand getting hit. If you’re unbalanced, you’ll get knocked on your arse.” He demonstrated the move once more before dipping out of the ring and getting out of the way. “Don’t get knocked on your arse, Remy.” This time, as Remy swiped at the punch mitts, his footwork was perfect. “There you go,” Aden said, cheering him on.

  Ethan tugged on Aden’s sleeve and he let the boy change hands once more while keeping his gaze locked on Remy. As always, he was so damn proud. Everything Remy did impressed him. After a minute, Remy backed away and headed for the ropes. His wicked expression had Aden’s feet frozen to the floor. Remy dipped his head through the ropes and blew a raspberry on Ethan’s chubby cheek, making the boy giggle. Aden’s breath caught in his throat with Remy right there, inches away. His eyeliner was missing today. Aden didn’t realize he’d said the words aloud until Remy focused on him. “The people here don’t accept me the way you do.” Before Aden saw the move coming, Remy swept past Ethan and pressed a quick kiss to Aden’s lips before moving away just as fast.