She reached around her back and unfastened the belt that was holding the microphone. Placing it on the table, she stood and took his hand.
He removed his microphone and handed it to the camera guy. “Peace out, Boy Scout.”
The cameraman looked unsure of what to do. “Should we come with you guys?”
Callan shook his head. “No. We’re done filming.”
Josie grinned and practically skipped out of the restaurant at his side. “Come on. I want to take you somewhere…”
“Where are we going?” he asked.
She winked at him before climbing into the passenger seat of his car. “You’ll see.”
Chapter Fifteen
“So, tell me the truth,” Callan began, running his finger down her bare arm as she lay in his arms. They were completely naked and in her bed in her apartment—a place she never brought men, but for some reason, she wanted Callan there.
She rarely had a one-night stand or hooked up with guys, but when she did, it was always at their house or a hotel. She wasn’t one to have people in her space, considering how invasive her life already was. But having Callan here, in her bed, was comforting and all the things she hadn’t thought she wanted.
“What truth?” she asked, stifling a yawn. She was satiated and still coming down from the high of her last orgasm.
“Your brother showing up at the restaurant—was that staged?” he asked.
Josie let out an audible sigh. “Well, no one gave me a heads-up, but if I had to guess, producers sent him there to catch us on purpose. Makes for good ratings.”
He nodded. That made sense. It was a dramatic moment, and he had no doubt that it would play well on camera. “Is that why you weren’t worried when he fired you?”
“Yep,” Josie replied. “Guarantee he knows it was a setup. He’s not going to think there’s anything actually happening between us. Our mother will tell him that, too.”
Hell, her mother would probably tell him it was all a stunt to sidetrack Callan before the big fight. She’d absolutely refused to do so—telling her mother that was a line she wasn’t going to cross—but at the same time, she wanted to spend time with Callan. So…what was she doing?
Was she doing exactly what her mother wanted?
She hated that idea.
“I don’t know how you do it,” Callan murmured, placing kisses against her temple as he pulled her tighter against his chest. “This on-air life twenty-four-seven. These scripted scenes. How do you know what’s real anymore?”
Josie felt a lump growing in her throat, threatening to silence her. She’d been dwelling on this same question for years and had fewer answers now than when she’d started.
“Honestly?” she asked, lifting her chin to be at eye-level with him. “I’m not entirely sure I do.”
“Before my mother passed away, she used to always do this exercise with me,” Callan started explaining. “It was a gratitude type of thing, but she called it ‘three truths.’ The point was to live as authentically, ambitiously, and gratefully as possible because you’re always striving toward your truths. She’d always ask me in the morning—what are your three truths today?”
“That’s really sweet,” Josie remarked. “I’m sorry about your mother. Can I ask what happened?”
“Ovarian cancer. About five years ago.” He lifted his chin slightly, as if distancing himself from the words he was speaking. “I’m okay now.”
She didn’t respond, her heart heavy for him.
After running his hand through her curls, he traced patterns on her shoulder with his finger. “What are your three truths today, Jos?”
She thought about his question and realized it wasn’t as easy as it had seemed at first. “Well, my first truth is that I’m happy right now. Truly content just being here with you.”
“Mmm.” He kissed her gently on the lips and then drew back. “What else?”
“I’m…hmm…” She couldn’t think of anything else and was going blank. “I don’t know. What are your three truths?”
Callan gave her a small smile, the kind where just the very edges of his lips curled up into a near smirk. “That’s easy. One—I’m nervous about the fight on Saturday. Two—I’m aching to be inside you again. And three…well, I think I am really starting to like you.”
Josie chuckled. “Gee, thanks.”
“I’m serious,” he continued, his face stoic and poised as he spoke. “I didn’t come here looking for a relationship or looking to date, but…well, I’d be open to it.”
Warmth filled Josie’s heart at his admission. “I’ve never…never felt this close to anyone so quickly,” she shared.
“Your second truth,” he pointed out. Leaning forward, he kissed her gently. “What’s your third?”
“My third truth…” She paused for a moment, thinking about his words and what they could be. “My third truth is that I’d be open to it too.”
Had she just told him she wanted a relationship with him? Excitement filled her at the very idea.
“So…” Callan began. “We’re doing the damn thing….huh?”
She grinned, taking in the idea piece by piece. “Well…at least until you go back to Los Angeles,” she pointed out. “What would happen then?”
Callan shrugged his shoulders. “Los Angeles isn’t that far. And, there are jobs out there, whereas you haven’t been able to find any here.”
That comment stung slightly, but she knew he wasn’t wrong. She’d applied to hundreds of places and been turned down everywhere. It was like being a chef was not in the cards for her—at least not here in Vegas.
Still, there was something about the way he said it that sounded like he knew something she didn’t.
“Are you asking me to move to Los Angeles with you?”
He looked sheepish, glancing down and then back up at her. “I’m just saying it’s an option. We have a lot of options…”
So why did it feel like there was a countdown clock on them?
Chapter Sixteen
“Are you awake?” Callan whispered in Josie’s ear the next morning.
“Mmm,” she mumbled and then rolled into his chest to cuddle tighter with him. “Barely.”
He ran a hand down her arm, loving the soft feeling of her skin against his. He didn’t want to move, didn’t want to pull apart. Having her in his arms like this…it was everything. He’d never stuck around with a woman long enough to really appreciate how nice it was just to hold her. He was always on the move, always going, but this? This was quiet and gentle and a break from the monotony of his life.
Gym. Work. Home.
That was his entire life, and frankly, he was beginning to wonder if that was as fulfilling as he’d thought. Being around Josie was intoxicating. A little taste and he wanted more. Even if he couldn’t offer her much right now, he knew he didn’t want to say goodbye.
“What if I told you I ordered us breakfast?” he whispered.
Her eyes popped open. “I could wake up for breakfast.”
Callan laughed at the excitement on her face. It was a hell of a lot better than the sadness he’d seen after their conversation last night. “We have a little time before it arrives,” he said, leaning closer to her and kissing her neck right above her collarbone.
She moaned lightly, curving her body into his. “Really…”
“Really,” he confirmed, running his hands down her side until he reached her thigh. Slipping his hand between her legs, he dipped a finger inside her.
Josie gasped, pressing her hips into his palm. “Oh, God…”
Soft, gentle strokes across her clit and she was soon writhing beneath him. He leaned down and flicked his tongue across her nipples, and she arched her back in response. She wanted more, and he was going to give it to her.
He drew her nipple between his lips, sucking and pushing his tongue against the tip. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him closer, and rocked her hips. He pushed a second finger inside her and
used his thumb to swirl circles around her clit.
“Ah!” she cried out, sinking her teeth into his shoulder as her orgasm started to flood her senses.
Removing his hand, he pushed her legs apart and settled between them. Driving his hard cock against her entrance, he filled her to the hilt just as her climax reached its peak. Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him tighter into her, but he thrust quickly and forcefully until he was spilling over into her.
Leaning his weight on his elbows, he stilled. She was so warm, so tight, that he could hardly see straight. Feeling her coming around his dick had set off his own orgasm so powerfully that he could hardly catch his breath.
Knock, knock, knock.
“I bet that’s our breakfast,” Callan said, carefully standing and looking for his pants. Finally, he found them and slid them on, grabbing a shirt off the ground next as he headed for the door. “Eggs and bacon, coming right up!”
Her apartment was small but cozy, and he found himself admiring it as he walked through the living room and toward the front door. When he opened the front door, the delivery man handed him a bag of food and Callan handed him some bills as a tip.
Locking the door behind him, he walked over to the kitchen counter and placed the bag down. Josie was still in the bedroom and hadn’t come out yet, but her phone was sitting on the counter. It buzzed, and he happened to glance down at it.
A text message from Xavier popped up on the screen.
Are you with Walsh?
The phone buzzed again, a second text appearing.
Keep him distracted as
long as you can.
“What the fuck?” Callan whispered to himself, picking up the phone and glancing at the messages. He looked back toward the bedroom and then at the phone again. A nerve-racking thought entered his mind—what if this was the plan all along?
Distract him from training for the fight with a dalliance, only to ensure Gray had the advantage.
The thought was dubious, but…was it?
After all, she’d been the one to admit that sometimes she didn’t even know what was real anymore in her life. What if this had all been fake?
“God, that smells good,” Josie said, walking into the room as she pulled a sweatshirt on over her head. “I’m starving.”
He placed her phone down on the counter, saying nothing. “I have to go train.”
She paused, knitting her brows as she glanced down at her phone on the counter and then up at him. There was no doubt she was trying to figure out why he’d been holding it.
“Okay?” She said it like it was a question, as if she wasn’t sure why he was telling her. “Do you have to go right now?”
He nodded his head, trying to avoid eye contact with her. “Enjoy the breakfast. I’m going to head out.”
“Callan, what’s going on?” She perched on a stool at the counter and propped herself up on her elbows. “You’re being very…”
“Distracted?” He tossed out the phrase like it was a bomb set to go off. His jaw clenched at the thought, and he tried everything to tell himself it wasn’t what he was thinking.
She nodded but seemed to continue to play innocent. “I guess distracted describes it. Are you okay?”
“I just need to get to the gym.” He headed back into the bedroom and grabbed his keys off the nightstand. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Okay.” She stood and walked over to him, pushing up on her toes to kiss him.
He gave her a quick peck that lacked as much authenticity as this entire situation. “Bye.”
With that, he walked out the door and made the decision then and there. He was recommitting himself to training and leaving her—and whatever they’d had between them—behind.
He only made it as far as the car before he heard her shouting his name.
“Callan!” Josie called after him just as he was climbing into the driver’s side of his car. “Callan! Wait!”
He paused, stepping back out of the car and facing her. He really didn’t want to have this conversation. “What is it, Josie?”
“You read my phone.” She stated it like it was a fact.
Well, at least they were both on the same page now.
He didn’t refute her statement, but the muscles in his jaw clenched.
“We need to talk about this,” she continued. “You can’t just walk out thinking whatever it is you’re thinking.”
“And what am I thinking, Jos?” He stepped closer, his fists squeezing into balls. For her to actually deny what he’d just seen was bullshit, and he wasn’t about to let it go. “That this has all been a trick? That you’ve just been using me for almost a week now to distract me from why I’m really here?”
Had any of it been real? Or had he just been falling for a con?
She shook her head, a panicked look spreading across her face. “That’s not true. It’s not what you think…”
“You’re the one who told me you don’t even know what’s real anymore,” he reminded her. Anger swirled in his gut, and as much as he wanted to let this go and get in the car, he felt like he couldn’t stop himself from speaking his mind. “How am I supposed to believe you now? Everything in your life is a lie.”
The words rolled off his tongue before he could even realize what he was saying.
The look on her face was like he’d just slapped her. Her eyes widened, hurt swirled in her green irises. But it was gone in a flash. She set her jaw, breathing in fire as her eyes flamed with anger.
“Me? What about you?” She pointed a finger at him. “You and your team are just using me to up your fame. That’s what this whole ‘date’ was—not just for me but for you. You don’t think I know that your social media presence is lacking? That you’re only hanging out with me to boost your own profile with your audience?”
“That is not fair—”
“How? You said I’m using you, but really…you’re using me.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
He didn’t know how to refute her statement when it…wasn’t wrong.
They stood silently staring at each other for a minute, and then Callan took a deep breath and released it. “It sounds like none of this has been real on either side.”
“Maybe it hasn’t,” she agreed, though the hurt radiating in her eyes tore at him.
Had they just been lying to each other this entire time? Was there anything real here?
“It’s probably best we end things now.” He looked down at his feet to avoid seeing her pain. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her…to use her…and yet, he’d done exactly that. But to be fair, she’d been using him to distract herself this entire time too.
“You’re probably right.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll see you on Saturday in the cage.”
He nodded, even though the upcoming fight was the furthest thing from his mind. He opened his driver’s side door and climbed into the front seat.
She didn’t try to stop him. She didn’t say anything. She just stood there with her arms folded over her chest as he drove away.
He knew he was doing the right thing…so why did it feel so wrong?
Chapter Seventeen
Two days.
It had been two days since he’d seen Josie, two long days of second-guessing his every decision. Callan slammed his fist into the heavy bag and then stepped back, regrouping. The center was emptied out today—completely dedicated to him and Xavier to use for training for tomorrow’s fight.
“Good. Again.” Ferguson coached him from a few feet away. “You need to square your shoulders when you’re striking. Focus on technique.”
Callan repeated the move a few more times, listening to every bit of feedback his trainer had for him along the way. Still, there was an inauthenticity in his hits. A weakness that hadn’t been there before.
“You’ve got to focus, Walsh,” Ferguson chided, coming around to the back of the heavy bag and holding it still. “Where’s your head?”
“So
rry,” Callan replied, shaking his hands out and stretching his neck from side to side. “I’m going to be here. I promise.”
“Promises aren’t good enough. You’ve got less than twenty-four hours until the defining fight of your career. Are you just going to sit down and let him pummel you into the ground? Or are you going to fight your ass off and win?”
Callan clapped his fist into the palm of his opposite hand. “I’m going to fucking fight.”
“Good.” Ferguson smacked him on the back of his shoulders. “Put her out of your mind.”
He arched a brow. “Who?”
“Whatever girl has you twisted up inside.” Ferguson crossed his arms over his chest. “I recognize the signs of heartbreak, kid. You’ve got it written all over your face.”
Ferguson was at least twice his age and a grandfather to two young girls. Callan had no doubt that his trainer was wise enough to sense the emotional disturbance he’d been experiencing for the last two days.
“It’s that obvious, huh?”
His trainer nodded. “But you need to get your head out of your ass and back into the game. You’ve got one shot at this.”
They finished up their session together, and Ferguson instructed him to take the rest of the day off for resting. He was supposed to ice his joints and get a massage. Anything and everything that would ease his mind and ready his body for tomorrow.
“And get laid while you’re at it,” Ferguson said. “Get out that frustration. Or better yet, store it all up and take it out on Gray in the ring.”
If only that was the Gray he wanted to take his sexual frustrations out on.
Callan headed back to the hotel, arriving in his penthouse not long after. He collapsed on the bed with a loud sigh but moved slightly when he felt something small and sharp sticking in his back. Reaching around for it, he pulled out an earring that had been buried in his sheets. It was a small gold hoop, and he immediately recognized it as Josie’s from one of their last nights together.
Misadventures in the Cage Page 8
