He blinks, and his jaw goes rigid. Shit.
“Do you think we’re to a point where we don’t necessarily have to keep it a secret from everyone?” I brace for his reaction, expecting him to tell me that we need to keep things quiet for the sake of his job or some other excuse that will hurt but I’ll accept.
His hand cups my jaw, and he runs his thumb along my cheekbone. “You ready to go public?”
I blink up at him, shocked at the sincerity I see in his eyes. “Am I . . .? Fuck yeah, I’m ready to go public.” I slam my mouth closed. Eager much? I mentally groan.
The corner of his mouth jumps a tiny bit. “Not sure you fully understand all we’ll be takin’ on.”
A cloud of worry settles over my brief excitement. “Explain it then.”
“Media attention, reactions from your friends—”
“My friends?” I’ve already told him I don’t have a lot—or any—friends.
“The Slades.”
Well, except them. “I’ll talk to them. They just want me to be happy and”—I shrug—“being with you makes me happy.”
“Our age difference is going to be a problem for a lot of people. I’ll do my best to shield you from that, but you need to know there’s gonna be talk, and that shit will not be pleasant.”
“Do you not know me at all? I can handle a few harsh words, Cameron. But I do love”—his eyes change for a split second, like shutters automatically dropping down over them before he realizes it and pushes them away—“the fact that you want to protect me from that.” I rake my fingers through his hair.
“All right then. Public it is.” There’s worry in his eyes, but he’s giving me what I want, so I ignore it.
I’m sure he’s concerned about how the announcement of our hanging out is going to go down. I just hope he’s not too worried that he backs out.
“I’ll talk to Raven today.”
He leans in and kisses my forehead. “I’ll talk to Slade at the gym.”
Oh crap, this is really happening: a real public relationship or at least the most real and public relationship I’ve ever had. My heart beats faster and my palms get sweaty.
He pulls his phone from his pocket, and once it’s in his hand, I hear it vibrating. His eyebrows pull together before he locks down his jaw.
“I gotta get this.” He releases me and turns away, moving out into the living room. “’Li, what’s up?”
My stomach plummets. The front door opens and closes. He’s taking a phone call from his ex-wife and moving outside for privacy. So whatever he has to say he doesn’t want me to hear.
A weight of jealousy mixed with curiosity presses in. I fill up my coffee cup and move to the wall closest to the front door to see if I can pick up words or maybe a tone. The low rumble of Cameron’s voice comes through. I lean closer, close my eyes, and concentrate.
“. . . sounds good. I’ll see you after I get off.” He pauses. “I’m at home, why?”
My gut lurches into my throat. He’s not telling his ex-wife where he is. Why the motherfuck not?
“Ry said he was going out with some friends last night.” Another long pause. “Look I gotta run. We’ll talk when I come by later.”
My eyes fly open, and I race as fast as I can with a cup of hot coffee back to the kitchen. Awareness overtakes me as he strolls back inside. I’m standing in my kitchen, wearing an old tee and sleeping shorts while the guy I’m dating, kinda, I guess, is talking to and making plans with his former supermodel turned seriously fucking gorgeous older lady, D’Lilah Monroe. Who, by the way, he lied to about where he was. What the fuck is that?
He leans a hip on the counter and looks up at me. “What’re your plans today?”
Oh, I don’t know, probably sit around and fantasize about all the many ways you’re able to break my heart. “Work. Lunch shift.”
He grunts. “I need to get to work, but I’ll call you later.” His eyes narrow on mine and he tilts his head. “Oh fuck. What happened?”
“What? Nothing. What’re you talking about?”
He pins me with a glare and allows a few seconds of silence to tick between us. “You want this shit, you work for it. And by work, I mean you do not fucking lie to me if something is pissin’ you off.”
“Rich coming from you.”
His head jerks and he blinks. “Repeat that.”
“I find it laughable that you expect honesty while you’re lying to your ex-wife about where you are.”
His eyes flash with anger. “You were listening.”
“I thought you wanted this.” I motion between us.
“I do. But with ’Li things are . . . complicated.”
I don’t want to know, I really don’t, but I have to ask. “Are you still in love with her?”
“No.”
His answer came so fast, as if he didn’t require even a fraction of a second to consider the question. My pulse calms. A little.
“Oh, well.” I take a sip of my coffee. “I, uh, wasn’t expecting you to be so certain.”
“Well, I am.” He moves closer and hooks me around the neck to pull my face to his. “I didn’t tell D’lilah where I was because, like I told you before, she upsets easily. I got a half million things to do today, which now includes swinging by her place to show her how to work the TV, which I’ve done about ten times already. Last thing I need is her busting out the waterworks to further complicate the complicated day I already have lined up.”
I lick my lips, wanting so badly to lean in and shove my tongue into his mouth. “That makes sense.”
“Yeah, it does. And when I’m over there tonight, I’ll talk to her about us. Then I won’t need to lie to her anymore.”
Us.
“That would be good. But um . . . I don’t want her to be upset.”
“Sweet of you, babe, but the woman upsets over fucking everything. She’ll get over it.”
“Right.”
“In the meantime, you talk to your girl Raven. I’ll pull Slade aside today and lay it out for him too.” He cringes slightly, as if the very thought of talking to Jonah is an unpleasant one.
“Deal.”
He covers my mouth with his and kisses me so deeply that I have to brace myself against the counter to keep from falling. When he breaks the kiss, I sway.
He nips at my lip. “Stay on your feet, babe.” And with a wink, he leaves.
~*~
Cameron
My morning has been overloaded, and getting a late start only made matters worse. While waiting on the board to make their final announcement about the possibility of me returning to the octagon, I’ve got future fights to set up, promo shit to approve, and enough in-house auditing BS to last me a fucking lifetime.
I flip open my notebook and check again to make sure I have the free half hour I need. Yep, open. I write going public in the empty space. “Layla, you mind grabbing Slade for me?”
She doesn’t answer, but I overhear her on the phone talking to Killer, who now owns the title of Locker Room Manager. “Cam needs Jonah to his office ASAP. What? Oh, Axelle’s great.” A long pause. “Sure, I’ll let her know. Thanks.”
“Killer’s sending him over.” She moves from her desk to the chair across from me but doesn’t sit. “You need me in here to take notes?”
I shake my head and lean back in my chair. “No, this is some personal shit that needs to be settled.”
“Uh oh. That sounds intense.”
I’m hoping after he hears me out it won’t be, but it’s possible. “Nothing to worry about.”
Her eyes narrow. “You sure? I mean should I have Blake come sit at my desk?”
I know what she’s asking without her saying the words. She thinks whatever I have to say is going to set Jonah off. She’s right. But fuck if I need a moderator or a bodyguard.
“I got it.”
“You feel like letting me in on what’s going on?”
I shake my head. “What is it about women always needing to be the f
irst to know?”
“Don’t ask me. It’s in our DNA. We can’t help it.” She props her hand on her hips. “So? You gonna tell me?”
“After I talk to Slade, we’ll talk.”
As far as I can tell, Jonah is the only person who looks after Eve like a father. It makes sense now, after the day we had lunch and he’d clearly sensed what was going on between us, that he’d be protective. He’d alluded to the fact that I didn’t know anything about her. My guess is that he was talking about her father.
That being the case, I’m going to have to pull back my pride and come at this like I’m asking permission. The thought makes my jaw lock, but I’d expect no less from a man interested in dating my daughter.
Shit.
As soon as the words filter though my brain, I cringe at how easily they came.
“You needed a word?” Jonah’s standing in the doorway to my office.
“That’s my cue.” Layla turns and passes Jonah on the way to the door. “Hey, Jonah.”
He nods to Layla, and she shuts the door behind her.
I stand and motion for him to grab a seat. “Won’t take long.”
He glares at me for a second too long, proving his point, and then sits. Things have been quiet between the heavyweight fighter and me since that afternoon at Nori. I can tell he’s still not over it, but I’m hoping what I have to say will help.
I take a deep breath and sit back in my chair. “It’s about Eve.”
“Fuck.” He shakes his head, but doesn’t move his eyes from me. “I told you to stay away from her.”
“Couldn’t do that.”
“Yeah? Well now we’ve got problems.” His jaw ticks.
“Let me explain.” I lean in, resting my crossed forearms on my desk. “I like her.”
His eyebrows pinch together, further enhancing his already pissed-off expression.
“She’s uh . . . different.”
“You fuckin’ kidding me with this, Cam? You like her? She’s different? Do you have any idea what that girl’s been through? She needs . . .” He shakes his head. “No, she deserves better than that.”
That’s the second time Slade has referred to Eve’s past. I register on some level he knows more about her than I do, but that’s overshadowed by jealousy that another guy holds her secrets.
I have no right to want that part of her. Deep secrets are often embedded in a part of our souls seldom shared with others. Lord knows I’ve got secrets of my own that I protect. Eve’s no different, which is not a surprise. I sensed it in her early on. But her hiding them doesn’t keep me from wishing I knew them.
“You’re right. Eve deserves better. But I’d be an idiot to turn her away.”
He leans in, his temper obviously working to get the best of him. “She’s twenty-one. You takin’ advantage of a—”
“I’m not taking advantage of her.” Am I? Does spending time with someone because you like the way she makes you feel equal taking advantage? Thoughts for another time. “I don’t know what else to say besides we’re hanging out and we’re not going to hide it anymore. I know Eve’s dad is a fuckin’ prick, your wife is the closest thing she has to family, and you’ve taken on the role of her protector.”
“You know about her dad?”
“Fuck yeah, the dude’s up in her shit, causing problems. Wouldn’t mind the chance to face off with the dick.”
“You get that chance, call me. I want first dibs.”
“Can’t promise you first, but I’ll keep him planted ’til you arrive.”
“Good enough.”
The tension in the room fades.
“Bottom line? Eve’s not comfortable hiding our hanging out from you guys.”
He cringes, as if somehow those words mean something. “Yeah, I can’t imagine she is.”
“I told her I’d square things with you, she’s gonna talk with your woman today, and once you two are in the know, we’ll share.”
He takes a deep breath, leans back in his chair, and rubs his jaw before dropping his hand. “You sure you know what you’re doing? This whole thing sounds like a recipe for bad shit.”
“Not sure what you mean by that, but fuck you very much for your confidence.” He’s not wrong to be worried. I’ve never loved anyone outside of my kids, and after Rosie . . . Well, I’ll never set myself up for that kind of pain again.
“All right, man. She’s a grown woman. If she wants to hang with your ugly ass, that’s on her.”
“You care about Eve the way you say you do, you won’t make this shit harder than it has to be.”
“Yeah, I’d have said the same shit if I were in your shoes.” He stands and extends a hand. “I’m good.”
I rise and shake his hand. “Nice to know.”
“If you hurt her”—he leans forward, his palms on the desk—“I’ll kick your ass.”
“If I hurt her, I’ll let you kick my ass.”
He doesn’t look completely sold, but he’s holding it in well. That should make Eve happy. And even though I don’t love the woman, I do enjoy making her smile.
I should call her and tell her the good news. Bringing my phone out of my pocket, I scroll to her number.
“Cam, your teleconference starts in three minutes,” Layla says from her desk.
I stow my phone. It’ll have to wait until later, if she doesn’t hear it first from Raven, who no doubt will be called by Jonah the second he gets a chance.
“Go ahead, Layla.” I pick up my desk phone. “Patch me in.”
Work first, play later. That’s the way it is, the way it’ll always be.
Twenty-One
Eve
I cruise into work just on time, a spring in my step and belly full of food after grocery shopping. That overage from last night not only set me up with a stocked kitchen, but I was also able to make a small payment on my past-due electric bill.
Happier than I’ve been in a long time, I called Raven on my way to work, and she agreed to meet me for coffee at the end of my shift. I can’t wait to tell her about Cameron and me. Hell, I still can’t believe we’re officially um . . . dating? Or . . . doesn’t matter what it’s called. Fact is we’re letting people know that we’re together, which is more than I could’ve hoped for.
Throwing smiles to anyone who’ll look my way, I head to the back office to lock up my purse. Life is good. So, so good. And it’s been so long since I’ve had good I’m going to rub everyone’s face it in for as long as it lasts.
I push through the office door and freeze. “Oh, Seth, you’re here.” Fuck. I was hoping the GM’s lackey would work the night shift. Oh well, not even he can bring me down. Not today.
“Ms. Dawson.” He knows my first name, I’ve asked him to use it repeatedly, but he continues to speak to me like the creepy bad guy from “The Matrix.” I roll my eyes and move to the filing cabinet to stash my purse.
“Before you do that, have a seat.” He motions to the chair on the other side of his—or rather my—desk.
I huff out a long breath that I make sure is loud enough for him to hear. He’s going to lecture me and waste my time about something like making sure the silverware is double polished instead of single.
“What’s up?” I take a seat, my purse in my lap, and wait.
He stands up, moves around the desk, and sits on it at an angle with one foot still on the ground. “Is there something you’d like to share with me, Ms. Dawson?”
I clutch my purse tighter. “Um . . . no?”
He nods, crosses hairy forearms over his wimpy chest, and tilts his head. “You sure?”
My mouth goes dry, and I force a casual shrug. “Pretty sure, yeah.”
He narrows his eyes. “Anything eventful go on here last night after I left?”
“Not really. Eduardo stayed late because you let all the kitchen guys take off early, so he was stuck with dish duty.”
“So you don’t have anything you’d like to share? About last night?”
He can�
��t possibly know, can he? “Can we cut the twenty questions, and you just get to the point?”
“The deposit from last night.”
I suck in a breath. Holy fuck. How does he know about that? He left at least an hour before I did. Unless . . . “What about it?”
A quick smile of pity appears before he wipes it away. “Honesty will avoid formal charges, Ms. Dawson. Think about that, and let me ask you again. Do you have anything you’d like to tell me about the deposit last night?”
My mind races and my face heats. He set me up. That’s the only way he’d know about the overage and the only reason I wasn’t able to figure out where the extra money came from. Asshole.
“I was short on money this month. We got slammed last night, so I never got a break to eat dinner.” I shrug.
He nods for me to continue.
I swallow hard and bite the inside of my mouth. Last night, I was so hungry and so desperate it didn’t feel as wrong as speaking the words feels now. “I took the money.”
“Hm.” He studies his khaki pant leg. “So you admit to stealing?”
“Yeah, although I wouldn’t call it stealing. I’ve been working here since I was sixteen. There’ve been nights where we get slammed, and I have to work through my break. If it’s that big of a deal, you can take it out of my next paycheck.”
“Ms. Dawson, there’s nothing that justifies stealing. That money didn’t belong to you. No matter how you twist it in your head, stealing is stealing.”
“Okay, fine. I apologize. When I get my next check, I’ll reimburse you. Now, can I get to work so I can earn a paycheck that’ll keep me fed so I’ll no longer have to steal?”
“I’m afraid we’re going to have to let you go.”
Everything goes still: my breath, heart, every muscle in my body. Even my eyes refuse to blink.
“You can go ahead and collect your things, and we’ll have your final paycheck, minus the amount you took, ready for you in two days.”
Is this a joke?
I blink as blood returns to my brain. “Hold on. You’re firing me?”
“Yes. You’re being let go, but because of your honesty, we won’t press charges.”
Fighting the Fall Page 16
