Redemption

by Tia Lewis

  He relaxed, giving me a wink. "That's awfully nice of you Hannah. We do like your cupcakes."

  I tore off the slip and pinned it to the board of my to-do orders for the week. "Duly noted. You can pick it up that morning. Thanks for coming to me for your business."

  Benji said goodbye and walked out of the shop, causing me to blow out a breath in return. That had to be at the top of the most interesting customers this week, not to mention he was easy on the eyes. "Wow he was super-hot," Lillian remarked as she came around the corner. "And nice. Who would have thought that they were next door?"

  "What were you doing, spying?" I asked, arching a brow.

  She shrugged, not even disagreeing. "Alright, so I was listening in. I wonder what the birthday boy looks like? Maybe he needs a present in the form of a blonde who needs to get laid. Think we can make a cake for me to jump out of?"

  I thought back to the guy from the other night, the way he had looked at me with naked hunger in his eyes. He was a dangerous guy in more ways than one. The way my body had reacted to his open stare had made me go home and take a cold shower to stave off whatever it had been. I couldn't get involved again. Still, I knew his name now. Anthony. The name did kind of fit him.

  With a sigh, I shrugged off any more thoughts of that guy as I reached for my phone with the intentions of researching this fighting thing that was going on next door. My text messaging alert popped up, displaying yet another text from James. Since I wouldn't answer his phone calls, he was now starting to text, a lot, having sent at least ten today. I had ignored them, not even giving them a cursory glance before deleting them. I didn't know what else I could do to make him go away, and I certainly wasn't going to open that door again. I was finished with James. I just wished he could get the clue and leave me alone.

  "Hey, Hannah are you okay?"

  I looked up, realizing that Lillian was still standing there, a concerned look on her face. I hadn't told her about James, not wanting to look at the past but focus on the future. But with him still attempting to reconcile with me, it was harder than I had anticipated. "Yes," I said hastily, tucking my phone back into my pocket with a quick smile. "I'm fine. Just a back order that I really needed to come in today."

  She gave me a look that told me she didn't believe me but didn't press any further and I took off toward my small office, intending on doing some research for this fighter cake. I didn't want to share that kind of information with anyone. That was part of my past, a past I would love to forget. With a heavy sigh, I sat down in my chair and turned toward the computer. It was time to focus on this cake and knocking the socks off of Anthony the fighter.

  Chapter Five

  Anthony

  I climbed the steps to the lounge, wondering what this impromptu meeting could be about. Benji had kicked my ass today, but I was getting better, able to anticipate some of his moves that he tried on me. I felt quicker, even if I didn't look it. Larry had watched from outside the cage, looking angry the entire time. We hadn't spoken since that day in the office, and I knew he hated the fact that I was training again. Well, he would just have to get over the fact. I was going to fight, and I was going to win.

  I pushed open the door to the lounge and looked at the scene, confusion setting in. "What the hell is this?"

  "Happy birthday man," Benji said, a grin on his face. The table was littered with pizza boxes from my favorite pizza place, with an open cooler of beer on the floor near the door. There was a box on the table as well, with the bakery from next door's emblem on it, the top still closed. More fucking cupcakes. They were trying to kill me.

  All the guys were there, lifting their bottles as I walked into the lounge. Yeah, today was my birthday. I hadn't celebrated it in years, too old to make a big deal out of turning another year older. But still, it was nice that they had remembered. "Thanks," I finally said, nodding to the pizza. "You really know your way to a guy's stomach."

  They all laughed and the pizza was passed around, the ooey gooey cheese perfect after the grueling workout. When someone sat a beer in front of me, I paused, looking at the amber colored bottle. It had been at least a year since I had taken a drink, my mouth salivating at the thought of just taking a sip. After my knee surgery, I was far down in the dumps. My career was pretty much over, the title stripped from me because I couldn't defend it any longer and my girl gone, not wanting to be around a guy who couldn't even get it up because I was so depressed. Larry was there, of course, but even his company hadn't been enough. The pain was bad even with the small amount of pain pills I was consuming, so I turned to alcohol to numb it all, my life, the pain, everything. For months I had drunk myself into a stupor, waking up in my own vomit and trying to figure out how I survived only to hit the bottle again. One day I had looked into the mirror and not recognized the dude that stared back at me. I looked older, felt like shit, and hated looking at myself. It was then that I realized I was being a dumbass. So, I had cleared the apartment of all alcohol and started going to the AA meetings. Now I was sober and not wanting to fall off of that wagon. I had come too far do so.

  I pushed the bottle back and grabbed a water from the fridge behind me, sitting at the table. If anyone noticed, they didn't say anything, the talk everywhere from sports to the fight that had been on TV last night. I ate my pizza in silence, a part of me glad that I had such a group of guys around me. They all had their own issues, just like I did, but would give the shirts off their back to help each other. I was a lucky guy to have friends like this. And I knew they would support me in my return to the cage, no matter how much they thought I was making a mistake. Though I had never heard any of them talk about it, I was sure each one of them had a piece of them that wanted to do the same. I was just the guy who was willing to put my life and my health on the line. "More cupcakes?" I asked, pointing to the box.

  Benji grinned. "Nope, we got you something extra special."

  I looked at the box. "What is it?"

  "Beats us," Paul said with a shrug. "We haven't looked yet."

  I frowned as they pushed the box toward me. If it wasn't a load of cupcakes, it must be a cake. I hadn't had a cake for my birthday, ever. My old man didn't believe in birthdays, saying they were just another day. So were Christmas and any other holiday that might bring about a present. As a result, I never recognized any of them, thinking just as he had. Just another day, another sad day in my existence.

  Not wanting to disappoint the guys since they had gone through all of this trouble for me, I opened the box. Shit. It was a cake, a fucking awesome cake at that.

  "What is it?" Travis asked as I stared at the cake, feeling all sorts of emotions roaming through my body. For it to be my first cake, it sure was going to be hard to top it. The cake was a pair of sparring gloves, the icing detail so intricate that they looked like I could just pick them up and put them on. There was a small emblem on each one where the maker's logo normally went, but instead, she had gotten the logo of the club on them, right down to the swirling tornado that graced the sign above the gym. Across the knuckles were the words 'Happy Birthday Anthony' in bold letters, a nod to me. She had made this for me without even knowing what kind of guy I was and had killed it.

  "Damn," Benji said as he looked at the cake over my shoulder. "She killed that thing. I didn't give her any direction either."

  "Wow," Travis stated as I pulled the cake out of the box, not believing that our little baker next door had done such a bad ass job. She was really much more than cupcakes; that was for sure. "I'm thinking I've found my baker."

  "You don't need a baker," Paul said, looking at the cake. "But it is a pretty sweet cake. I can't believe she did all that work and wouldn't let you pay for it, Benji."

  My head snapped up. "You didn't pay her?"

  Benji shrugged. "I tried, trust me and had I known it was going to be this epic, I would have shoved the money under the door. I still might. That took a ton of work and effort."

  I couldn't help but agree myself. It
had to have taken a lot of time for a free cake. That said a lot of her character and I had ogled her relentlessly like she was just another chick. The feeling didn't sit well with me.

  "I don't want to even cut into it," Benji was saying, pulling out his cell phone to snap a picture. "Think we could memorialize this somehow?"

  "I think you better take more than one pic," Travis laughed, already passing out the plates. "Because I want a piece of that."

  I pushed the cake toward them, a thought churning in my head. I had to go thank her for this. She didn't know how much this cake, my first cake, meant to me.

  Chapter Six

  Hannah

  "Are you sure you are going to be alright? I can stay just a little while longer?"

  I wiped down my work island with a rag and shook my head, shooing Lillian toward the back door with my hand. "Go! You have a hot date to get ready for."

  Lillian grinned and opened the door. "See you tomorrow! I'll have all the juicy details."

  I laughed as she shut the door, thinking that Lillian was far too graphic sometimes with her 'details'. But she had a life, and I didn't so I could live off of her details for now. After all, I was at a bakery at eight o'clock on a Friday night. Clearly, I didn't have a life.

  The door opened, and I looked up, hating that I forgot to lock the door. I had already cleared out the case for the night. "I'm sorry," I said, walking around the corner. "I, What are you doing here?"

  "Hannah," James said, standing on the other side of the display case. "I knew I would find you here."

  I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him. He was exactly as I had remembered, with more clothes on this time. "Get out."

  His grin slipped and his gaze sharpened, his arms hanging loosely at his sides. "Come on Hannah. We need to talk about what happened. You are ignoring my calls, my texts."

  "For good reason," I interrupted. "You slept with my assistant, James. There's nothing more to say between us."

  "But I love you," he pleaded, his handsome face dropping into a sad expression. "I can't live without you."

  I felt that familiar tug on my heart at his words, remembering the times I would melt when he would say them to me. I had believed him, heart and soul, when he had said them the first time, picturing my future with James where we would live in a cute little house and have a big backyard for our children. But those dreams had been illusions, a fragile glass ball that had been shattered by his betrayal. Of course, I could say that I was lucky to catch him before I made anything final, such as marriage and children, but it hadn't helped the hurt. Nothing would. "You should have thought about that before you decided to sleep with Jenna."

  "She means nothing to me," he spat out, disgust on his face. "It was her fault I lost you anyway. She had been shaking her ass in front of me for months whenever you weren't around. You can't blame me for that."

  I laughed because he was just simply ridiculous in his thought process. "Yes, I can James. You should have kept your dick in your pants in the first place. We are done, through, over with. What part of that can you not figure out?"

  He took a step forward, and I was glad that the display case was between us. James had never hurt me, but he did have a temper and more than once I had seen him go off on other people. That look in his eyes told me he wasn't going to just give up on us, no matter how much I desperately needed him to. "Please," I said, lowering my voice. "Go and find someone that can make you happy."

  "You made me happy," he snapped, slamming a fist down on the display case. I flinched, worry spreading through my bones now. I wanted him out. He was making me extremely nervous.

  The door opened suddenly, and my box retriever walked in, his eyes shifting from left to right as he surveyed the scene. I could only imagine what he was seeing, the paleness of my face, the anger that was showing on James. The anger in the air was palpable, and I was embarrassed that anyone else was witnessing this. "Um, we are closed for the night," I forced out, my voice shaking. "Please come back tomorrow."

  Instead of walking out, the fighter crossed his arms over his chest. "No, I don't think I'm ready to leave yet."

  James turned toward him, and I came around the counter, knowing this was about to blow up. "Didn't you hear the lady? She wants you out."

  Anthony rolled his shoulders and suddenly I felt concern for James. He didn't know who he was about to mess with. "It's fine," I murmured, looking at Anthony. "I've got it under control."

  "I could hear you both outside," Anthony said, shifting his focus on James. "I think you better leave."

  James laughed harshly and looked back at me. "Are you sleeping with this fucker?"

  Of all the things I would have anticipated to come out of his mouth, that was not one of them. "What?" I asked, surprised.

  He didn't have a chance to answer. In one swift moment, Anthony had him jacked up against the wall, effortlessly holding him up a few inches off of the floor with one fist. "You shouldn't use that language in her presence," he said softly. "And I don't like being called a fucker."

  James tried to say something but was unable, grabbing at Anthony's hand as he tried to free himself. As much as I was glad that James had finally met someone that was not going to take his shit, I couldn't have him killed in my bakery. "Please," I said, touching Anthony's shoulder. Under his shirt, I could feel the steely strength of his muscles, the tremble as he held James against the wall. "Let him go."

  He looked at me, and I felt the breath leave my body as I took in the anger in his beautiful eyes, not scared but something else, something I hadn't felt in a long time. He clenched his jaw and lowered James back to the floor, turning his attention back to my ex. "Get out," he snarled. "And don't let me catch you here bothering her again."

  James took a look at me, and by the look on his face, I knew this was far from over. He was coming back. With a mutter, he walked out, leaving me with my savior, my avenging dark angel. Or demon. I wasn't sure which one to classify him as. Anthony blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair before looking at me. "I'm sorry."

  "No, no," I started immediately. He had gotten James out of here, and I couldn't thank him enough. "Thank you for er, talking some sense into him."

  He chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I've never heard it called that, but whatever floats your boat."

  I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling exposed now that he had seen something so personal. "Did you like your cake?" I asked, changing the subject. I had done something very special for him, knowing that he would probably appreciate what was clearly his love.

  His expression changed, and I was surprised to see him shut down so quickly. "Yeah," he finally said, looking down at the ground. "Er, thanks. I heard you didn't take any payment for it."

  I nodded absently. "Well, you did help me the other night. It was the least I could do."

  Anthony looked up, and I saw the swirl of emotions in his eyes, wondering what was up with this guy. Now that I had a minute to look at him, he was all hard muscle and very little softness, his eyes a mix of blue and gray that resembled storm clouds. There was a small flame that licked out from under the collar of his t-shirt at his neck, but his arms were covered in a thin long sleeved shirt, so I was unable to see any more tats.

  "Like what you see?"

  I looked back at his face, the wry grin that was on his lips. "Turnabout is fair play," I said softly, giving him a cheeky smile. His grin widened for a moment, and I felt the breath leave my body, thinking of how his entire demeanor changed when he smiled like that. Oh boy. "Yeah," he finally said, shoving his hands in his pant pockets. "I guess you are right."

  I cleared my throat, my face feeling hot all of a sudden and looked away. "I um thanks for all that. I had already told him to leave a few times."

  "Hey, if he comes back, you come next door," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'll take care of him."

  "I, thanks," I said, figuring it never hurt to have someone on my side for once.
"For everything."

  "Thanks for the cake," he answered, walking toward the door. "Lock the door behind me."

  I hurried over to the door just as he was shutting it soundly, throwing the lock before leaning against it, fanning my face with my hand. My fight with James was now replaced with the encounter with Anthony, making me wonder what his story was about. He had shadows in his eyes, shadows that had me curious, very curious. He was also the first man who had made me feel as if I was the most important woman in the room, making me feel things that I had thought died with James. I was in some serious trouble with this one.

  Chapter Seven

  Anthony

  "Alright again! No, you can't jab that way. He will take out your legs, and you will be on your back before you know it."

  I growled and dropped back into my stance once more, wanting to punch Benji in his smug face, without the helmet on. For the last two hours, he had told me everything I was doing wrong, to the point where laying on the mat would probably be more effective than actually trying to make a move on the fighter.

  "That's enough."

  I dropped my stance and looked up, seeing Larry climbing into the cage with a frown on his face. "Give us a moment, will you?" He asked Benji, looking over at me. Benji bowed out, and Larry stood in front of me, looking at me with a critical eye. I had seen that look before, numerous times. "What?" I forced out, spitting out my mouth guard.

  "You look like shit in here," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why are you fighting so bad?"

  "I'm not intentionally trying to," I ground out. I wasn't. Hell, I thought I was doing a decent job of sparring with Benji until he started unloading on me.

  Larry looked at me a moment longer before shaking his head. "You are really planning on doing this aren't you?"