The Fight Club - Boxed Set

by Becca Jameson

  And Conner dipped his face between her legs once again, grabbing her thighs and pressing them wide. His tongue plunged into her pussy, his nose bumping her clit.

  She didn’t have any purchase to thrust upward with her legs hanging down the sides of the counter. Completely at his mercy, she gasped as his fingers teased her clit and then pinched it. And then he traded his mouth for the fingers, sucking her swollen nub between his lips and fucking her pussy with three fingers.

  “Oh, God. Conner…” She stiffened as her arousal climbed fast. She needed him inside her. “Please…”

  He didn’t stop. In fact, he increased his efforts and thrust his hand harder. His breath landed across her wetness as he mumbled against her. “Come for me, baby. I need to taste you.”

  That was all it took. Her clit pulsed as he covered it with his mouth again. She dug her nails into his shoulders, unable to keep from marking him.

  If he noticed, he didn’t care.

  When she finally relaxed against him, he pulled back and smiled up at her. “Good morning.” He licked his lips.

  Sabrina nearly collapsed. Thank God she was holding on to him still, or she would have. She felt like Jell-O.

  Conner steadied her with both hands at her waist and lifted her off the counter. “You okay?” he asked as he set his forehead against hers.

  “No.”

  His smile widened. “Good. Then I’ve done my job.” He eased back. “I have to go. I’ll call you between classes. Text me if you need me.”

  She nodded. He was going to leave her there… Naked… Legs wobbly… Nowhere close to sated…

  She could hear him chuckling as he walked away.

  Sabrina took a deep breath and stepped over to the shower. The room was still filled with steam. She flipped the water back on and then shut the bathroom door.

  Might as well get some work done as long as I’m up anyway.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Conner took his seat in the dean’s office at eight thirty. She was alone this time.

  Dean Sheffield cleared her throat. “We got another round of e-mails this weekend.”

  “I bet you did.” Conner stiffened.

  “What makes you say that?” she asked.

  “I’ve had a pile of problems myself this weekend. It appears someone is stalking me. I had to go to the police yesterday.”

  “Oh, God. I’m so sorry.”

  “Yeah, you and me both. And my girlfriend.” He pursed his lips. “Please tell me you didn’t receive pictures of us.”

  Dean Sheffield gritted her teeth in a wince. She opened a folder, pulled out the top paper, and laid it in front of Conner.

  Conner slumped back in his chair in relief. It was the shot of the two of them in his car at the arena. “Is this the only one you got?”

  “Yes.” She cocked her head to one side and narrowed her gaze. “Are there others?”

  “There are. This one is harmless, but some are not. I would appreciate it if you didn’t open any attachments in the future. Trust me. You would regret it if some of the pictures I’ve seen are sent to you.”

  “Conner? Who’s the woman? The e-mail claims she’s a student. There’s no way for us to determine that from this picture. It’s too blurry and taken from too far away through a car window.”

  “You’re going to have to take my word for it. She’s not a student.” There was no reason to admit she had been. He wasn’t currently breaking any rules, so the point was moot.

  “Is she your girlfriend then?”

  “Yes. And I have no idea why someone’s trying to convince you I’m breaking any moral codes here. I am not. I never have been. Believe me, these people have plenty of other pictures that would give you a much better view of her face. They’ve chosen this one on purpose for some reason, probably because they either know she isn’t a student or aren’t positive.”

  “It would help if you told me who she is. That way we could at least eliminate the possibility.” Dean Sheffield leaned forward.

  Conner stared at her, making a decision. “I’d rather not.”

  “Why?”

  “Because she’s been through enough dealing with this. I don’t want her dragged into another interrogation. I’d rather leave her out of this.”

  Dean Sheffield blew out a breath. “That’s not very forthcoming, Dr. Bascott.”

  “I realize that. But my decision stands. She isn’t a student at this university. I don’t want her name being dragged through the dirt.”

  A few seconds of silence passed before Dean Sheffield spoke again. “What’s going on, Conner?”

  Ah, so now she wanted to get friendly and switch to his first name. “I don’t know. And I’m being honest when I say that.”

  “Someone wants to get you fired.”

  “That seems pretty obvious.”

  “You have the police involved now, so that should help.”

  “I hope. But until someone manages to trace where these e-mails are coming from, I don’t have much to go on.”

  “Maybe the police will crack that.” Dean Sheffield stood. “I’ll let you get back to work. I know you have classes to teach today. Please, keep me informed, will you?” She held out a hand, and Conner shook it as he stood.

  “I will. If I find out anything, I’ll let you know.” Conner left the office and made his way back to his building at a quick pace. His office hours started in five minutes.

  As soon as he rounded the corner in his building, pulling out his keys, he found Angelica Hudson already waiting with a huge smile on her face.

  Shit. He’d forgotten she intended to return this morning. She was the last person he felt like dealing with. The girl rubbed him wrong. It seemed lately she came to him for no apparent reason. All he needed on top of everything else was a student with a crush on him.

  “Good morning, Dr. Bascott. I’ve got the first draft of my paper worked out.” She followed him into his office and took a seat across from him as he set his briefcase down next to his desk and plopped onto his chair.

  “Good. Let’s see what you’ve got.” He needed to focus. This was his job. But dammit, this girl was not quite right. Her shirt was too tight, and her cleavage was hanging out for anyone to ogle. Conner had less than no interest in her chest. Again.

  When she leaned forward and set her forearms on the corner of his desk, he was sure she was putting him on. Really? Who did that?

  He ignored her and took the pages from her hand.

  She had done the work. Maybe she just didn’t have good fashion sense.

  “Do you have the outline with you?”

  She pulled it out. “Sure.”

  He needed to look it over. He hadn’t paid much attention to it the first time. “Need a refresher.” He tried to smile as he took the page and glanced down the front.

  She wasn’t a brilliant student by any stretch of the imagination, but she did have a good premise. And the rough draft at least followed the guidelines.

  “This is a good start. Make sure you’re backing up all your facts and you have enough to support your theory.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” She didn’t move from the chair as he handed her both sets of papers back. “Are you okay, Dr. Bascott? You seem distracted.”

  “I’m fine.” He smiled. “I’ll see you in class this afternoon?”

  “Of course.” She grinned as she stood. Was it his imagination, or did she make an effort to adjust her breasts as she prepared to leave?

  She stared at him for several seconds, her mouth opening as if she intended to say something else. But then she closed her mouth and pursed her lips as she turned around and left.

  He exhaled as the door shut behind her. Jesus. He ran a hand through his hair. He needed to get a grip.

  To distract himself before class, he opened his computer and worked on lesson plans for the next few weeks. When he finished, he opened his e-mail.

  Fuck.

  He recognized the sender immediately. The same anonymou
s address as he’d seen on the dean’s e-mail and also Sabrina’s. He hesitated a moment before clicking the button to open it.

  Dr. Bascott,

  You are treading on thin ice. You might want to reconsider some of the choices you are making, or you will find yourself losing everything you hold dear.

  Sincerely,

  A friend

  “A friend, my ass,” he muttered. “Dammit.” What the hell was this all about? Who was trying to frame him and get him fired? And why?

  His mind was preoccupied all afternoon as he taught two classes and then trudged to his car. He’d forwarded the e-mail to Sargent Jacobson to add to the file from yesterday.

  As he folded himself behind the wheel, he caught the glimpse of someone coming toward him out of the corner of his eye. “Fuck,” he muttered.

  Professor Chang approached at a near jog, waving her hands in the air. Just what he didn’t need today on top of everything else. She was out of breath when she reached his side and leaned both hands on the frame of his car to gaze at him where he sat.

  “Tina, I’m kinda in a hurry. Can this wait?” Forever.

  She shook her head. “I just heard the news. I’m so sorry.”

  “What news?” Okay, so she piqued his curiosity. However, he for sure didn’t need any more news.

  She shook her head. “Someone’s trying to get you fired.”

  He gripped the steering wheel with both hands. Great. How many people knew about this? “You already knew this. You received the e-mails yourself. What’s new?”

  “The rumors are growing by the minute. Conner. Be honest with me. Did you sleep with a student?”

  Shit. “Of course not, Tina.”

  “Listen, Conner.” She leaned into the car farther, her breasts at his eye level.

  What is it with women and their damn breasts today?

  “If you need anything… I mean maybe I can help.” She grabbed his tie and gave it a sharp tug. “An alibi or something.”

  Shock didn’t begin to describe his reaction. Tina Chang was offering to say she had slept with him? His ears started ringing with anger. For all he knew, Tina set the entire thing up herself so she could rescue him and get in his pants.

  He shook his head and grabbed his tie higher up to yank it from her hand. “I really have to go, Tina.” He actually had to shove her a bit forcefully to get her out of the way so he could shut the car door. And without looking back, he sped away.

  His heart pounded as he made his way through the streets of Vegas toward the gym. He couldn’t possibly go back to Rafe’s yet. He was fuming with aggravation. If he didn’t burn some of it off, it would ruin the tentative hold he had on his relationship with Sabrina.

  “Fuck.” Sabrina. He pounded a fist on the steering wheel. Maybe he should let her go? His world was insane. Somebody wanted him fired. And that same somebody obviously didn’t want her in his life.

  A punching bag would do him wonders.

  He whipped his car around every corner until he zipped into a parking spot at the gym and climbed out of the Mustang. Slamming the door, he rounded the hood and stomped toward the back entrance.

  Joe glanced up as Conner entered. He paid the man no attention. Not even a nod. It wasn’t like him to ignore the gym owner, who was not only his trainer but his friend. But Conner didn’t have it in him to face anyone.

  Not until he punched the fuck out of something intangible. And perhaps not even then.

  In minutes, he had changed clothes and made his way to the back corner of the main room to tackle one of the enormous punching bags hanging from the ceiling.

  No one bothered him. Thank God. There weren’t very many people in the gym at this hour. Most arrived later in the evening. It was only four thirty.

  He didn’t know how long he fought against the bag before a hand landed on his shoulder. “Dude. Why didn’t you at least put gloves on?”

  Conner jerked his gaze to find Zane staring at his hands. “Fuck.” Conner’s knuckles were a bloody mess, and he hadn’t even noticed. He was also breathing heavily. Sweat poured down his face.

  Zane gripped his shoulder and nudged him backward. “Let me look at that.” He didn’t ask a question. The man was an EMT. When he used that tone with anyone, they didn’t balk. Including Conner. Besides, he was completely spent.

  He staggered backward and dropped into a folding chair along the wall. “Did Joe call you?”

  “Yep.” Zane kneeled in front of Conner and lifted his left hand. He had a bag of supplies next to him. He was prepared. How long had he been watching? “Hold this.” He lifted a shallow bowl up and nudged Conner’s other hand with it.

  Conner winced as he took the edge and held it under his left hand.

  Zane poured something clear over his knuckles. It wasn’t fucking water, either. It stung like a mother fucker. Zane chuckled. “He lives.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I thought maybe you were a robot the way you were going after the punching bag. I was wondering how long you might continue the battle before you realized you were bleeding.” He dabbed at the wounds with a piece of gauze, not lifting his gaze and not asking any questions.

  When he was satisfied with that hand, he switched to the other. “The shower is going to sting like a bitch, dude.”

  Conner winced again as Zane poured more of the evil liquid over his right hand. The pain was actually welcome. It temporarily distracted him from reality.

  When Zane was finished, he set the bowl on the floor and took a seat in the chair next to Conner. “Wanna talk about it?”

  “Not really. You can get the gist of the story from Rider and Gage. I’m in no mood.”

  “Yeah. I figured they knew what was going on with you, but I didn’t want to pry into it without your permission.”

  Conner lifted his gaze. “We’re a team here. The Fight Club.” He gave a wry half smile. “Pry away.” He stood then and walked to the locker room. The shower called to him. And he needed to face Sabrina soon. Though what he was going to say to her was a mystery.

  Chapter Twenty

  “What happened to your hands?”

  Conner tried to smile at Sabrina as he stepped into Rafe’s kitchen. He shrugged. “No big deal. I forgot to wear gloves.”

  “You forgot? How is that possible, Conner?” She had a knife in her hand and a cutting board under her wrists. The huge wooden board was covered with vegetables. She immediately set the knife aside and turned around to wash and dry her hands.

  Rafe sat at the other side of the island nursing a beer, apparently watching Katy and Sabrina cook.

  Conner strode directly to his friends’ refrigerator and grabbed a beer. He downed half of it before he faced Sabrina again. She stared at him with a narrowed gaze. “We should talk,” she mumbled.

  “Yes.” He took a deep breath. He wasn’t stable enough to face her yet. “But can it wait? I’ve had a long day. I need to catch my breath.”

  Sabrina took his arm in her hand and squeezed. “No it can’t fucking wait,” she gritted out, tugging him toward the stairs.

  Oh goody.

  He followed her reluctantly down the steps, shutting the door behind him. He didn’t figure there was any way in hell they would be keeping their voices down, but at least the barrier would possibly keep Rafe and Katy from having to listen to their exact words.

  When Sabrina spun around on him in the huge downstairs living room, she set her hands on her hips and nailed him with her gaze. Yep. She was livid. “You never even called the entire day.”

  Shit. She was right about that. He had said he would call. He opened his mouth, but she cut him off with a shake of her head.

  “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through today?”

  He flinched. He hoped nothing. He hoped she’d been here in Rafe’s home editing quietly.

  “I didn’t think so.” She glanced at his hands. “While you were off punching the fuck out of something—at least I hope it w
as something and not someone—I was at the police station half the day dealing with the next round of e-mails.”

  He startled. Fuck. He stepped forward.

  She held up a hand, palm out. “Don’t even think about it. I’m exhausted. Way too tired to fight with you, and I don’t want any part of you to touch me right now.”

  He cleared his throat. “I know you’re pissed. You have every right to be.”

  “Pissed? That doesn’t come close to how I feel.”

  “Sabrina…” He backed up a few paces and fell into a giant cozy arm chair, downing the rest of his beer as he did so.

  She didn’t say anything else.

  “You do realize this is exactly what the person wants, right?” he asked.

  “What person? What are you talking about?”

  “Whoever is sending these e-mails. Hell, whoever is fucking with me at work. Jesus, even your keyed car might have something to do with this. Someone doesn’t want us together.” And that wasn’t the half of it. Someone wanted him fired. He just hadn’t yet put it all together to see how it was connected.

  “Well, whoever it is can have their way. I’m done.” She threw up her hands and stomped into the bedroom she’d used last night before coming to him.

  He gripped the empty beer can so hard it crumpled, cutting his fingers in a few new places. Finally, he pulled himself to standing and strode over to the doorway where she was stuffing her belongings into her overnight bag. She didn’t pay any attention to him.

  “You’re right. You should go.” It took every ounce of courage he had to say that. It wasn’t that he didn’t want her. He would give anything to storm across the room, throw her on the bed, spank her ass for doubting him, and then fuck her senseless.

  But for now, he needed to let her go. And he needed her to think it was over. It was the only way he could deal with this shitstorm of a world he’d fallen into without taking her down as a casualty.

  He knew if he let her go home and didn’t follow her or contact her in any way, whoever was stalking her would leave her alone. It wasn’t about her. It was about him.

  He had no idea why, but somehow he needed her to think this was over so she would be safe. “This isn’t going to work between us. All we do is fight. It’s how we started out.”