by Lea Hart
Tenacity was his talent, and the woman who was showing up in a bit would soon discover that. As he got close to the receptionist, he heard Bree’s southern drawl. Why the sound made his heart beat a little harder, he couldn’t say.
That was a damn lie. He could say. He just didn’t want to. He was twisted up over the woman and he didn’t see it ending anytime soon.
He’d racked up more submissions in Strikeforce history than anyone else, and the little southern blonde standing in front of him was going to be the one to make him submit. No way around it. There was a takedown in his future and she was going to be the one to do it. Eventually, he’d be on the ground and probably damn happy about it.
“Bree, you’re here.” Watching her eyes crawl over his body with interest made him smile because she’d played it cool from the moment they met. As far as he was concerned, it was about damn time he saw some heat from her. Truth was he’d have been happy with any scrap of attention…because he was that far gone.
“Hey, darlin’. How are you?”
Stepping around the receptionist desk, he held his arms open. When she shook her head and stepped back, he remembered that he was bare-chested and dripping with sweat. “No sweaty hugs today?”
“No, not today.” She held up her hand to make sure he didn’t get too close. “I’m a little early because the meeting I had with my brother didn’t take as long as I expected. I’m going to catch up on calls, and I can meet you at the Starbucks across the street whenever you’re done.”
“You want to come back and see the gym?”
“Will they consider me a spy since my brother has one?”
“I doubt it.” Just as he was about to lead her back, he saw Nate walk in. Shit, there was going to be no way out of this. “Here comes my brother.”
Bree turned around and smiled. “How nice that I get to meet your family.”
“Yeah, sure,” he mumbled as his brother walked over. “Bree, I’d like you to meet my oldest brother, Nate.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Nate. Are you the surfer or the snowboarder?”
“Surfer,” he replied as he shook her hand gently and gave her the famous Hall smile.
Matt watched his brother and wondered why he was so interested in pouring on the charm. Must have something to do with his sixth sense. Unfortunately, Nate knew when anything important was about to happen, and he must’ve figured that Bree was the thing that was about to happen to Matt. Which meant his brother was going to be up in his business and that was never a good thing. “Let me show you around, Bree.”
Slinging her bag higher on her shoulder, she shook her head. “I’ll see it another time. Let me get out of your way so you two can visit. I’ll head across the street. Just come and get me when you’re done.”
“I’ll keep you company while my brother finishes his workout,” Nate said with a grin.
“Well, all right. That would be nice. I’m sure you have some interesting stories to share about your brother. Hopefully, he’s paid you off to keep the most embarrassing ones to yourself. My two brothers and I have a mutual no-destruction policy, so we keep our mouths shut when meeting new people.”
Matt gave his brother a smile and then punched him in the arm. “You hear that, Nate? Family protecting one another.” He was wild in his youth, and Bree didn’t need to hear every gory detail.
Nate punched him back and smirked. “Come on, Bree. Let me buy you a cup of coffee.”
There was no way he was leaving Bree in Nate’s company for longer than was necessary. “I’m done for the day, so I’ll shower up and be ready in twenty minutes.”
“You go on,” Bree said as she took Nate’s arm and led him toward the door. We’ll be at Starbucks.”
Maybe he could shower and change in ten minutes. Stalking toward the men’s locker room, he hoped like hell he still had a date for fish tacos when he came back.
***
Bree studied Nate and decided that the two brothers didn’t really look anything alike, except for their eyes. Nate was staring holes through her and she wondered what he hoped to find. Crossing her legs, she drank her tea and waited.
The last several years had taught her that it was best to keep your mouth shut for as long as you could. That allowed other people to show their cards. Which meant that you didn’t have to.
Looking out the window, she noticed the wind pick up and scatter bits of trash across the parking lot. Might not be the best night to drive into Santa Cruz after all. Maybe they could just grab a bite in San Jose and then she could head home. Hearing Nate clear his throat made her realize he was ready to make his opening shot. This was going to be interesting.
“My brother has never had a woman meet him at the gym, so when he told me that you were stopping by, I had to see it for myself.”
“Really?”
“I figured you must be someone special, so I wanted to meet you. The pictures of you two all over the internet made me think Matt has finally fallen. I’ve never seen him look at a woman the way he was looking at you.” Sitting back, he gave her a smile. “Kind of reminds me of pictures of my wife and me.”
“Are those the pictures from the club in Vegas?”
“Yeah. You haven’t seen them?”
“No. I ignore the gossip sites. Guess I should take a look and see what’s out there. I’m not real excited about having pictures that suggest we’re more than friends.”
“Why’s that?” Nate asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Bree noticed the scowl on his face and felt like laughing. Nate was protecting Matt and she thought it was sweet. “It doesn’t reflect well on the company or me if people think I’m interested in a client.” She lifted her tea and took a sip. “Also, my friend Tony keeps trying to warn me away from Matt because of his wild reputation.”
“The thing with Tony is bullshit. They got into it last year when a girl Tony was interested in went after Matt. Seems the woman was trying to make Tony jealous and my brother got caught up in the middle of it. As far as I know, Matt doesn’t hold bad feelings.”
“I figured it had something to do with a girl.”
“Matt is a lot of things, but he would never make a play for a woman who was taken. He has a well-developed sense of right and wrong and he doesn’t play games. As a kid, he got into more fights defending his friends than I can count.”
“My brothers are like that, too. My youngest brother, Bryce, is a SEAL, and he was defending people as far back as I can remember. Seems his desire to protect was always a part of him.”
“Matt was getting into scrapes in grade school, and I noticed that nothing ever scared him. I have ten years on him and he’d challenge me when he was half my size.”
“He’s like that in the octagon. I’ve watched some of his fights and he’s got no fear.”
“Been that way since he could walk. Our dad was a big guy with big hands and he’d say to Matt, ‘If you do that’—whatever it was he didn’t want him to do—‘you’ll get a spanking.’ Matt was four years old and I remember thinking to myself, I don’t want a spanking from my dad and I’m fricking ten years older than him. Matt would think about it for a second. Then he’d do whatever he was told not to do, he would get his spanking, take it and just walk away. I didn’t do that. Matt was gnarly—he was definitely on another level, like, ‘You know what? I can take that spanking. It ain’t shit.’”
“So, his relaxed surfer vibe covers up a will of steel?”
“Yeah, pretty much. I’m figuring that you already know that, though. Otherwise, a woman like you would never spend five minutes with a fighter. Maybe you and Matt are alike and that’s what’s drawing the two of you together.”
Shrugging, she remained silent and thought about what Nate had said. He wasn’t far off in his assessment of what was drawing them together. Matt had intrigued her from the moment they met, and his tenacity probably had a lot to do with it. He’d shown who he was in his fights, and it would be interesting to see
if he was that man in everyday life.
Looking up, she saw him walk through the door and felt her heart speed up. Definitely needed to spend some time with him and see what that was about. She’d never been so fluttery and excited in her life, and it would be foolish to ignore the man who was making her feel that way.
When he got close enough, he lifted her out of her chair, into his arms, and kissed her like he owned her. Hearing a couple of hoots and hollers made her pull away. She looked at the afternoon crowd and felt herself giggle.
Yes, Bree Andrews had finally recovered from her broken engagement, broken heart, and broken spirit. And she’d proved it by smooching a big, handsome MMA fighter in public. She grabbed his head and pulled him down so she could speak quietly in his ear. “Your brother had nothing but good things to say, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you.”
He took advantage of their proximity and gave her another kiss, much to the delight of the crowd. When he was finished, he gave her a wink. “Let’s get out of here and head into Santa Cruz.”
Nate stood and picked up their cups. “My work here is done. I’m going to head home and see what my family’s up to.”
Bree stuck out her hand and Nate laughed. “We’re past that because I have a feeling that we might end up as family.” He lifted his arm and he squeezed her shoulder.
“It was nice to meet you, and I look forward to getting to know you,” Bree replied. What he’d just said was buzzing around in her brain and she had no idea what to do with it.
Family? What the heck? They hadn’t even had a real date yet. Shoving her hair over her shoulder, she pasted a smile on her face and decided to think about it another time.
“Me too. Next time you’re in town, have Matt bring you up to the house so you can meet everyone.” He slugged his brother and then walked toward the door.
Bree watched him leave and then saw Matt’s quizzical expression. “He didn’t tell me any nasty tales of your youth, so don’t worry.”
Matt gave her a smile and then stared out the window. “Maybe the Hall brother sibling rivalry is coming to an end.”
She picked up her bag and smiled. “Maybe.” He took her hand and led her out of the shop. As far as she could tell, the rivalry ended long ago. Nate seemed to be looking out for his brother’s best interests. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have wasted time asking about her intentions. Which begged the question…how good were her intentions?
CHAPTER SIX
Wednesday Evening
Bree lifted her margarita, licked the salt off the rim, and then took a healthy sip. Glancing around the Crow’s Nest restaurant, she admired the interior. It was designed to look like the inside of a boat. Teak covered the ceiling and walls, which made the place feel warm and inviting. Which is how she was feeling about Matt. Lord help her.
Turning toward the window, she saw the sun starting to sink and sailboats dotting the horizon, and she knew there wasn’t much she could do about her attraction. Either she leaned into it or she ignored it.
Taking a sip of her drink, she realized she really, really wanted to lean into it. All she had to do was dig up the courage. Which made her as nervous as a cat.
The fact that she had insisted on driving herself demonstrated how out of practice she was when it came to dating etiquette. Matt had tried to talk her into leaving her car at the gym so he could drive them into town, and when she refused, he almost lost his temper. He’d given her a ten-minute speech about how it wasn’t right for a woman to drive herself to a date.
It was actually kind of funny because she was fairly certain that ritual had disappeared long ago. Truth was, the last thing she needed to do was leave herself without wheels.
At some point, she figured she would need to escape. It wasn’t Matt’s intentions that she was worried about. It was her own. The man was like a big bowl of rocky road ice cream…impossible to resist.
Looking up, she caught sight of him as he walked back from the men’s room, and every bit of her did a happy dance. When he kissed her head before he took his chair, she grinned. “Thank you for bringing me. I haven’t been down here in years and I forgot how pretty Santa Cruz is with Monterey Bay on one side and towering redwoods on the other. It’s perfect.”
“It’s paradise, but that can be a double-edged sword,” he said as he took her hand. “If you’re not careful, the place can lull you into complacency. If I hadn’t found MMA, I might’ve taken a job in construction and done nothing more than lived for the weekends.”
“I doubt that,” she said as she lifted her drink again. “The thing I’ve heard most often about you is how hard you work. I doubt you would’ve been satisfied with that life for very long.”
“What else did you hear?”
“All kinds of things. Your brother had a lot to say this afternoon.” When a scowl crossed Matt’s face, she wondered why. “He told me that you always stood up for your friends growing up. Something about getting into fights with boys twice your age if they were going after one of your buddies.”
“Yeah, that’s true. I couldn’t abide someone picking on my friends. I’m still that way.”
“That says a lot about you.” She slipped her hand away, laid it in her lap, and watched him frown. When the waiter set down their appetizer, she winked and let out a little laugh. He didn’t care for not getting his way. That was clear. After the waiter left, she handed him a small plate and then took one for herself. “These steamed clams look delicious. Much better for your fighter diet than the cheeseburgers and ice cream we had the other day.”
“It was fun, though. It’s important to occasionally indulge and enjoy what life has to offer. Misbehaving can be the best choice sometimes.”
“Are we talking about food or something else entirely?” His pretty blue eyes flashed as he smiled wickedly. She knew it was a rhetorical question, but she wanted him to know that she was onto him. “I also heard you indulged in about every pleasure that was offered to you when it came to women, so I imagine you have all kinds of experience when it comes to misbehaving.”
“It’s true. I wasn’t a monk in my twenties. A lot of things came my way and I took advantage of about every single one of them. I’m not going to deny who I was. But I’m not in my twenties anymore and that’s not my lifestyle.”
“The only reason I bring it up is that if it still is your lifestyle, then the company has to take that into consideration when they look for endorsement contracts for you. Morality clauses are not a joke, and it’s best if we have all the information upfront.” She looked at him and wondered what kind of skeletons the company was going to discover. She prayed it wasn’t anything too hair-raising. “I heard you signed off on the agreement that allows the company to do a deep background check.”
“Yeah. I have nothing to hide. With the internet, everything is out there, anyway.”
They ate their steamed clams and Bree enjoyed the view. She wasn’t going to say anything more about what she’d heard because if something resulted from all this flirty fun between them, it was going to be a one-shot deal.
She understood her attraction to him and had a nice slot for it in her mind. If she ever indulged her desires, then it was going to be a one-and-done. The last thing she wanted to do was get herself involved in a relationship. The whole boyfriend/fiancé business was for the birds, and she planned on avoiding that road for a long time to come.
When she moved her legs under the table, she felt his move too. He’d bracketed hers inside his when he sat down and was surrounding her in any way he could. Which was totally caveman and something that should have offended her…and she would be, right after she was done being turned on.
“What did you just talk yourself out of?” he asked as he dumped an empty clam shell on his plate.
“Nothing. Why would you ask?”
“Your face scrunched up and your legs were moving against mine. I figure you’re wrestling with something and I’m guessing it’s the attraction that you
feel for me.”
“Oh, I’m not wrestling with that at all.” Watching him lean back and cross his arms with self-satisfaction was too annoying. Maybe she should just be honest and see what he did. Worst case, he ran away. Best case, they had a fling. “I am attracted to you, and I’m just trying to decide what I want to do about it. Typically, I don’t fool around with men who have a reputation like yours, but I’m thinking that was a mistake. Maybe you’re just the sort I should be fooling around with.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well…I’m not sure if you’ve heard the gossip, but in case you haven’t—my fiancé called off our wedding a month before we were supposed to walk down the aisle last year. It kind of threw me for a loop and I think I’m finally done with it. Which means I should find some fun and start living again.”
“And you’re thinking I’m the person you should have some fun with?”
“Yes!”
“Just fun, nothing serious?”
“Yes,” Bree replied happily.
“So, basically all that behaving got you nowhere and you’d like to take a walk on the wild side with me?” he asked incredulously.
“Well, yeah. Seems you have a lot of experience, so maybe I should take advantage of it and have an old-fashioned romp in the hay. I’m way past due for some meaningless sex, and maybe you’re just the man for the job.”
“No.”
“What?”
“You heard me…N-O spells no.”
“I thought you’d like the idea because I’m not going to try to have a relationship with you. Works out for everyone.” The waiter came and cleared their plates and then delivered their dinner. “Why don’t you look happy?”
“Because you’re trying to use me.”
“Is that what you did with all the women you’ve slept with over the years? Seems that if everyone is upfront about what they want, then no one is getting used. And that’s what I’m being…honest. I have no interest in a relationship. What I do have interest in is some fun. Naked, dirty fun.” She drained her drink, then smiled. “I’m way past due. I’m twenty-eight years old and I’ve spent way too many of those years behaving.”
