by Josie Kerr
Pierce pulled out Annie’s chair. She stood beside it and blinked until Pierce smiled at her and nodded his head at the chair. Annie returned his smile and took a seat at the table. Pierce took his own seat and began offering Annie the various dishes, only serving himself after she had selected her choices. He began eating but stopped when he noticed Annie sitting motionless on the other side of the table.
“Do you not like the food?” He paused, a fork dripping with noodles.
“No, no, the food is good. I was just thinking . . .”
“About?” he coaxed.
She gave a little shrug. “It’s just kind of odd for me, a man serving me. I mean, you trained all day, with the exception of our lunch date, and then came over here to check on me, arranged everything at the police station, and you also got dinner? It’s really . . . sweet.”
Pierce snorted. If there was one word that had never been used to describe him, that word was ‘sweet.’
“Well, I was hungry and I figured you were hungry, so . . .” He rubbed the back of his head and shrugged. “I know I’d appreciate it if someone fed me after a crappy, stressful day.”
“Well, thank you.” She picked up her fork and began eating.
They finished their dinner, making some small talk, but mostly eating in silence. Pierce got the impression that Annie’s jackass ex didn’t ever do anything for her, and he found himself wondering how much of a marriage they actually had.
She grew more and more agitated the later it became, and when they were doing an awkward ballet of cleaning up the dishes, Pierce bumped into Annie, and the woman had just about jumped out of her skin, causing her to lose hold of the dishes she had in her hands. The plates crashed to the ground, shattering, and Annie burst into tears.
“Annie, sweetheart,” Pierce started as he tried to pull her into his arms, but she jolted and pushed him away.
Annie immediately began apologizing but still physically stayed away from him, backing her way into a corner of the kitchen, her eyes wide and fearful. She stammered an excuse of not being used to a man in her personal space, and Pierce began to second-guess strong-arming Annie into letting him stay at her apartment. He had been just about to suggest that one of the fight club women come over when Annie announced she was going to bed.
“Um, there’s only one bathroom, but it’s accessible from the hallway. Oh, uh, let me make up the couch with some sheets.”
“Annie, just tell me where the linens are, and I’ll take care of it.”
“I don’t have cable or anything, so . . .”
“Annie, it’s fine.” Pierce wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her but knew that any physical contact would likely end in disaster and push the skittish woman even further away, so he resisted and only smiled in what he hoped was a comforting and nonthreatening manner at her. “Where did you say the linens were?”
“Oh. Oh, right. Um, in that little closet in the hall.”
Pierce nodded and headed to the hallway. As he gathered some sheets and a blanket, he heard several doors shut, and then a shower began running. He made up the couch and huffed a somewhat bitter laugh as he was reminded of many nights of his childhood, making up a couch in a house where his family was staying until they decided to move on.
He heard the shower cut off and a door shut, followed by the snick of a lock. Though he understood why she locked the door, the fact that she felt she needed to do so made him sad.
After his own trip to the restroom, Pierce padded out to the made-up couch and turned off the light, hoping that he could actually get some sleep.
He awoke with a start when he heard Annie squeal. Pierce sprang from the couch and met a hysterical, hyperventilating Annie at her bedroom door. Annie flung herself at him, practically climbing him, and he wrapped his arms securely around her.
“There’s someone on the b-b-balcony,” she stammered. “I thought I saw someone on the balcony.”
Pierce stroked her hair and her back, hoping to calm her while he frantically tried to ascertain the odds of someone actually being on the balcony of her second-floor apartment.
He pressed his phone into her hands. “Stay here, and if I call out, I want you to dial nine-one-one, okay? I’m going to check your bedroom.”
He stepped into the darkened room, lit only by a security light shining through the vertical blinds on the balcony’s sliding door. He could see the security bar in place, and nothing seemed amiss, though he didn’t go out onto the balcony itself. Pierce approached the window and peered out. Then he turned around and went back into the living room to find Annie in a ball on the couch, his phone still clutched in her hand.
“May I sit down next to you?”
Annie nodded. “Please,” she whispered.
Pierce lowered himself slowly onto the couch, and Annie curled into his side.
“I didn’t see anything, sweetheart, but once it’s light, I’ll check more thoroughly.” He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.
“I don’t want to sleep in the bedroom.”
“Okay.” Pierce hesitated for a moment but then pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’ll be right back.”
He grabbed the comforter off her bed and went back into the living room. He lay back on the couch and opened his arms. Annie crawled into his embrace, and he pulled the comforter up around her shoulders. Kissing her hair once more, Pierce cradled her against his chest and hoped that she’d sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
Annie awoke early, the sunlight barely peeking through the living room blinds. She kept her eyes closed and remained very still, wanting the intimate moment to last. She was curled into Pierce’s side, her head on his chest. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat soothed her. Pierce’s arm draped protectively around her, his hand resting lightly on her hip. Annie inhaled deeply and snuggled closer to him.
She squeaked with surprise when he gave her rump a little squeeze.
Annie raised her head to find Pierce squinting at her with an amused expression on his face.
“Um, good morning?”
He answered by pulling her tighter to him and snaking his other hand around the curve of her waist.
“Good morning,” he rumbled and kissed her on the forehead.
“Hi, um, yeah. I, uh, need to get ready for work.” Annie scrambled to sit up.
“Sure.” One hand still cupped her bottom, but he put the other arm behind his head. The sleeve of his T-shirt strained around his flexed bicep. Annie averted her gaze to focus anywhere but his handsome face and big arms. His T-shirt had ridden up, exposing part of his flat belly and a glimpse of a dark line of hair that extended into his boxer briefs.
Oh boy.
Annie snapped her eyes back to his face before she gazed any lower. She felt herself flush red and sprang from the couch to run into the bathroom.
Annie splashed water on her face and tried not to think about that trail or Pierce’s boxers or what was in Pierce’s boxers.
There was a small tap on the bathroom door. “Annie, I’m going to check out the balcony, so I’ll be in your bedroom for a minute. Is that okay?”
“Sh-sure, Pierce. I’m going to get ready for the day.”
She could hear him open the sliding glass door as she took a sink bath and brushed her teeth. She slapped on some makeup, took a deep breath, and peeked into the bedroom.
Empty.
She bolted into the bedroom, dressed quickly, and then forced herself to still. She sat on the bed and took a few calming breaths, and then a few more, until she no longer felt like she was going to jump out of her skin. With a quick nod at her reflection in the dresser mirror, she went into the living room to find Pierce sitting on the edge of the couch, intensely studying the romance novel she’d left lying on the end table. Licks of ink extended beyond the neckline of his T-shirt, and the sleeves were stretched taut across his heavily tattooed biceps. Her eyes wandered down his long legs and ended on his bare feet. He had big square feet, like
his big square hands.
He has Fred Flintstone feet, and I think they’re sexy.
Annie giggled at the realization, and Pierce whipped around to face her, a very guilty expression on his face.
“Oh, you look like the kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar,” she said.
“Are all the books that you read like this?” He held up the novel. “This is dirty. Holy hell.”
She shrugged. “I’ve got racier ones, but no, they’re not the norm. That’s a really good one, though.”
He whistled. “Damn.” He opened his mouth to say something else, but then just shook his head. He slipped the bookmark back in place and laid the book on the table. “If you’re finished in the bathroom, I’d like to take my turn.”
“Oh, sure. Um, you want some coffee? Without milk, of course.”
“No, I’m good. I’ll be quick. I know you have to get to work.”
“Oh, okay. Yeah.”
Annie put the kettle on for tea and busied herself in the kitchen while Pierce was in the bathroom. She peeked into the pantry just in case food had appeared.
It hadn’t.
She was spreading peanut butter on a piece of toast when Pierce came out of the bathroom. He hadn’t shaved, so he was more stubbly than usual, which obscured his dimples.
Annie liked those dimples. A lot.
“Hey.” Pierce leaned in the doorway to the small galley kitchen.
“Hey,” Annie said through a mouth full of peanut butter toast. “Would you like some peanut butter toast?”
Pierce chuckled and grinned. Annie liked the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, too.
“Nah. I’m good.” He scratched at his neck, his smile fading. “Look, about last night . . .”
“Pierce, I am so sorry. I guess I’m just jumpy because, well, I’m just a nervous person normally, and between this woman and, well, everything, I’m kind of a mess. My imagination got the best of me.”
Pierce stepped into the kitchen, and once again, she was almost overwhelmed at how big he was—tall and broad, filling up the room.
“Someone was on your balcony, Annie.”
“What? I’m on the second floor.”
“But there’s that big hill right next to your neighbor’s apartment. I was able to pop onto their balcony without any problems.”
“But you’re really big. Surely . . .”
He shook his head. “Trust me, someone smaller could definitely do it.”
“And you’re sure that someone was out there?”
He nodded. “The chair and your plant were knocked over, and there was a smeared shoe print in the dirt.”
“Oh my gosh, Pierce. There was someone out there! God, you just told me that. I’m sorry. Oh, jeez. Um . . .”
“Annie, sweetheart, stop.” He put his hands on her shoulders. “It’s going to be okay, all right? We’ll call Johnny and tell him about it, and it will be fine.”
Annie nodded.
“So let’s do that, and then I’ll take you to work.”
She nodded, and with a big sigh, she picked up the phone to call Johnny.
Ashley’s eyes grew bigger and bigger the more Annie described her meeting with Johnny, and her jaw clenched harder and harder, which Annie now knew was not a good sign.
Ashley held her hands up and blew out a cleansing breath. “First of all, Annie, you did not have to come in today. We could have made arrangements.”
Annie shook her head. “Oh no, I had to. I had to call my appointments and rearrange them since that woman stole my schedule.”
“I want someone to go with you to these viewings, and you can fuss and fume and throw a fit, but you’re not going alone. Period.”
“Johnny said the same thing, and Pierce about had a fit when I said I had showings.”
Ashley’s eyebrows raised. “Pierce? He was at your house this early?”
Annie rolled her eyes. “He . . . spent the night at my apartment last night.”
“He give you a ride to the office today? Is that why I didn’t see your car?”
Annie nodded. “He said he’d pick me after work, too. He’s going to stay for a while at the apartment, and Johnny said he’d send a car around to check periodically. So . . . I should be fine.”
Ashley got a very different expression on her face then. “You like him. Pierce, I mean.”
Annie shrugged a shoulder. “He’s . . . sweet.”
“Uh-huh.”
“He is. He’s just, you know, a little rough around the edges.” Annie shrugged again. “But anyway, that’s what’s going on with me.” She smiled weakly.
Ashley surprised her by hugging her fiercely. “God, you are so brave, woman. You’re awesome.”
Annie barked a surprised laugh. “Brave? Me? Come on. I have panic attacks. I didn’t talk to people for years. I’m little mousy Annie.”
“Um, hello? You got out of a horrible marriage. You talk. You got your real estate license, and I’m pretty sure you’re going to be our top earner this month. You asked an MMA fighter to lunch. And you’re not afraid to let people help you. You’re brave as fuck, Annie. Don’t let anyone try to say you’re less than, because you aren’t.”
“Ashley, you’re going to make me cry!” Annie wiped her eyes.
“Oh, come here, lady.” Ashley hugged Annie again. “I think you should take off early. You can finish rescheduling tomorrow.”
“No, I want to finish it today and get it over with. Besides, Pierce has his own work—I can’t expect him to be my chauffeur. I’ll make these calls and then give him a call.”
Ashley grunted at her and then gave her a wink. “Fine. But I’m going to tattle on you if you decide to stay too long.”
Annie hugged Ashley back, and after her mentor left her office, Annie sat down at her desk to reschedule the last of her appointments.
As she clicked through her electronic calendar, she considered the big fighter who seemed intent on protecting her. He’d said that he hadn’t liked the way Jeff talked to her, like she was less than, and Ashley had said something similar. Those comments created a warm feeling in her belly, something she’d never, ever had before, even prior to her marriage. Her father had definitely made her feel “less than.” He had made her feel like she was absolutely nothing, defective.
She was beginning to realize that the person who was defective was her father. But she couldn’t dwell on her past. She was divorced now, and she hadn’t heard from Jeff since he’d shown up at her office in a rage and Rory Doyle had bodily picked him up and set him outside the door with a warning to never come back.
And her father’s opinions of her were definitely a moot point, as he was dead. Both of her parents were dead, killed in a house fire less than a year after she was married. She’d been so upset that she’d reverted to not speaking again, at least until Jeff had shaken some sense into her. She’d never wanted that to happen again, so she made sure that she did everything he wanted, whether it suited her or not. It wasn’t worth his cold rage.
Annie flipped to her To Do list and added an entry. Jeff wouldn’t let her go back to her hometown, saying that since both her parents were dead and literally cremated and her childhood home destroyed, there was no reason for her to return and that it would upset her too much. The old Annie nodded and silently accepted the decree of a more knowledgeable person. The new Annie wanted, no, needed to go back, even if it was just to see the grave marker and the new house that now stood on the site of her childhood home.
She looked at the list and ran her fingers over the neatly crossed-off items. All the fulfilled entries had a small note beside them, signifying what she did to achieve them.
Ask someone you’re interested in out on a date.
That item had one word beside it: Pierce.
Annie had the sneaking suspicion that Pierce felt like he was “less than” and that it was the reason why Jeff’s behavior upset him so greatly. She didn’t think he was less than, not at all. Rough?
Wild? Yes. But not less than.
She also knew that she was insanely attracted to him in a way that she’d never felt for anyone before, not even Jeff. Especially not Jeff.
She found herself wondering if he was as wild intimately as he was in the octagon. She’d watched web videos of every fight that she could, multiple times, except the fight where he beat Colin, because his expression as he alternately looked at Colin and at the woman who she now recognized as Andrea made her sick to her stomach. But those other fight videos? Well, the man definitely had stamina. And passion.
Annie thought she just might be ready for some passion, so she called Pierce and told him that she wanted him to stay with her again that night and that he could pick her up whenever he was ready. Her heart thumped so loud when she made this confession that she figured he could hear it over the phone.
Ashley was right: Annie definitely liked Pierce, and it was time to stretch out of her comfort zone.
Because Annie was brave, and she definitely was not less than.
And she wanted Pierce to know that she thought the same of him.
Chapter Eighteen
“Okay, boys, let’s try this again. You know the drill—light sparring, rules of the cage, and all that folderol. Are ya ready?” Paddy looked from Pierce to Colin and then to Junior, who stood outside the cage, observing. After all three nodded, Paddy clapped his hands and moved out of the way.
Colin moved in for an immediate takedown, diving for Pierce’s waist, but Pierce surprised the big former champion by catching him with an arm around the neck and flipping into the full mount position.
“Shit,” Pierce heard Colin say with surprise.
Colin struggled and got loose, but Pierce quickly moved his arms around Colin’s middle and moved his leg between Colin’s. He rolled both of them onto their sides, and then he locked his legs around Colin’s as he tightened his arm around Colin’s neck.
