by Sarah Bale
She would never admit it but she had kept up with Dev’s career over the years. In most of the photos on the Internet she had seen Marco listed as Dev’s friend and trainer. And brunette women usually surrounded them, with their perfect bodies, hair and smiles.
Mrs. Ingram led her through the garden to a large white building.
“This is the gym. Just go through the open door. They are probably on the sparring mats but if you don’t see them, then check the weight room.”
“Thanks for all your help,” Shannon replied. Just in case she didn’t see the kind woman again, she added, “And thank you…for everything.”
Mrs. Ingram smiled and then left Shannon standing in front of the gym. She took in a deep breath and walked inside. Now or never, she told herself.
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust but when they did she was surprised at what she saw. Dev had built his gym to look the same as the one back in Texas. She scanned the room, noticing that the mats on the floor were the same shade of red used in their old school colors, as was the paint on the walls.
For all his wealth he had created the high school gym of his youth. A scoreboard even hung in the same place, opposite the metal bleachers. The only difference was a large glass window that looked into a section filled with weights.
Sure enough she saw Dev and his friend, Marco, in the other room. Marco held a large pad in his hand and Dev swung at it. She watched the muscles ripple down his back as he lifted his leg and added a kick. Marco grinned and said something and Dev repeated the action, using the other leg.
Dev stopped for a moment and tossed his damp t-shirt to the side. Shannon felt her entire face flush as she looked his body up and down. Years of training and discipline had made him strong and lean.
He was no longer anything like the eighteen-year-old version she’d known so well. The pinup tattoo on his left shoulder was the only thing that seemed familiar. The cheeky woman winked saucily back at her. He must have had it redone because the colors were more vibrant than ever.
Marco looked in her direction, gave a slight nod and then turned and said something to Dev. His head swung around and he caught her gaze. She took a step back at his harsh stare. Uh-oh. He was pissed and she had a feeling his anger was because of her. He pointed to the door that led into the weight room and she walked to it reluctantly. She didn’t want their first real conversation in eight-plus years to go down this way.
She pushed open the door and stepped inside, staying close to the entrance, her brain automatically calculating the quickest escape route from him if something went wrong.
He walked over to a table and picked up a water bottle. Holding her eye, he drank some and then poured the rest over his head and chest. She watched, mesmerized as the water droplets clung to his skin as they made their way downward.
He cleared his throat and she looked up, blushing.
“Shannon, this is Marco Rains. He is my trainer but more importantly my most loyal friend.”
She felt the venom behind his words and flinched. Turing her attention to Marco, she smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Marco stood as tall as Dev but wasn’t nearly as well-built. Marco’s tan skin and dark eyes were nice to look at but he wasn’t her type. No, her type was glaring at her from across the room.
Marco nodded. “You as well. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Again she sensed an underlying meaning behind the words but she chose to ignore it. Instead she said to Dev, “If you’re busy, I can come back…”
He shook his head. “Marco, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Just like that, Marco was dismissed and Dev turned to her. “You’re not getting off that easy. I let you sleep most of the day away and now it’s time to get what I want.”
Her heart pounded. Oh God…did he really know?
Before he could say another word she reached out and offered him the cold cup of coffee from the diner.
At his confused look she smiled sweetly. “You said you heard it was the best so I thought you might want to try it. I mean, it was hot when I poured it…but that was hours ago.”
She hoped her little jest about the coffee would soften his edgy mood. She held her breath and waited.
Chapter Five
Dev eyed the cup in her hand. Fucking smart-ass, he thought with a rueful grin. He took the coffee from her and took a big swig. Shit, it was bitter and he was pretty sure those gritty things on his tongue were grounds. He swallowed and set down the cup.
“Worth every cent. Now, back to what I want…”
He watched as the color drained from Shannon’s face. Good. She needed to know who was in control. He ran his hand through his damp hair. Working out with Marco had taken some of the edge off but he still felt wired.
And that outfit she wore didn’t do anything to help him. She looked like a librarian, ready for him to bend her over a table and fuck her until they both collapsed. His dick got hard at the thought and he knew he was on dangerous ground with her.
He stalked toward her and put his hand on the glass wall behind her head, keeping her where he wanted her.
“You’ve been keeping secrets, Shannon,” he said in her ear. “And I plan on finding out why.”
She inhaled sharply and asked, “How did you find out?”
“Babe, I have my ways. You know that.”
She nodded and whispered, “I never meant for it to happen. You have to believe me…”
Her blue eyes filled with tears, which gave him a little satisfaction but not much. He craved her guilt as much as he craved her body and sometimes it was hard to decide which he wanted more.
“What I want to know is how you did it.”
She blinked slowly and looked up at him. “Did…it…? I don’t understand.”
“How did you rack up two hundred thousand dollars in debt?”
Her entire body stiffened and she looked away. For a second he thought she was going to run but she didn’t.
Finally she said, “My debt? This is about my fucking debt?”
She shoved her hands against his chest, trying to move him but he held his ground. Before, she had seemed scared. Now she seemed angry and he wasn’t sure why.
“Oh, it’s not just the debt, babe. I also want to know why you are working at The Honey Jar.”
She stared at him and then laughed bitterly. “Because not all of us are lucky enough to be picky when it comes to our jobs. Some of us take what we can get.”
He raised an eyebrow and quoted something she used to say all the time. “If you had a college degree, you could do whatever you wanted to do.”
Several emotions flashed in her eyes but the one that made his gut clench was the pain he saw. Her guilt he could handle but he couldn’t bear to see her hurting.
Her face turned into a mask of calmness and she replied, “Yeah, so I’ve heard. If this is all you wanted, then I think I have heard enough.”
He lifted his other hand and pinned her against the wall. “I don’t think so… We started something four days ago and I intend to finish it.”
Her chest rose as she took in a deep breath, and her breasts brushed against him. His arms lowered of their own accord until he could touch her face. Gently he stroked her cheek.
“I want you, Shannon, but I’m not going to give you what you want until you agree to my terms.”
“Terms?” she echoed.
He let his arms fall but didn’t move away from her. If she agreed to his proposition, then she would be his in every way possible with no restraints—but she had to say yes first. He found he was excited at the thought of spending time with her.
“My terms are these: I will pay off all of your debt down to the very last cent. The money will be deposited into your account within twenty-four hours. I will also provide you with a new car or enough cash so you can go to school and get a degree. All of your problems will just melt away if you say yes…”
She looked down and asked softly, “What would I h
ave to do?”
His lips lifted into a slight smile. “Spend one month with me and be at my beck and call. Since I have a couple of fights over the next thirty days, that would also involve traveling with me on the road.”
Shannon was silent for a moment then she lifted her hand and slapped him across the cheek. “You fucking asshole! You want me to be your whore?”
Damn, when she said it like that it did sound bad.
“You have some nerve storming into my life thinking I will drop everything just to sleep around with you!”
He held up his hands in surrender. “Shannon, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Why what?”
“Why do you want me? What has changed since the last time we spoke?”
She wasn’t talking about their encounter the other day. She was talking about their conversation eight years ago. He remembered that day as if it were yesterday. How could someone forget the exact moment their life went to shit?
He blinked, pushing the memory away. Did she remember the day she tore them apart as well as he did?
Cocking his head, he said, “Things change, Shannon. Besides this time it isn’t about love. It’s about sex, plain and simple.”
A short laugh left her lips. “Are you trying to tell me this boils down to…fucking?”
“You didn’t used to have such a dirty mouth but it could suit our new situation well, if you say yes.” He liked her dirty mouth more than he wanted to admit. “Besides we’re no longer naïve teens who believe in happily ever after, now are we?”
Shannon felt her entire world spin and for a moment she thought she was going to be sick. Oh Dev, she thought, did I make you this way?
Slowly she said, “There was a time when we both believed we could end up happy—”
“Yes and then you ruined our lives, if I recall.” Anger dripped from his voice. “No more games. What is your answer?”
Could she really agree to spend a month with him after being on the run for so long? Even considering his offer was a dangerous game to play. If he found out her secret, then he would never forgive her. Her head swam with questions so she decided to ask him.
“What about my jobs?”
“What about them? Call in and quit for all I care. Or I can take care of it for you.”
He replied with a shrug. Choices were that simple for him though.
“If you agree,” he went on, “I can have my people find you a respectable job where you aren’t half naked or dealing with scumbags.”
She flinched at the bite behind his words.
“The owner of the club won’t be happy,” she said cautiously.
That was an understatement. When Johnny Ice found out she was leaving, he was going to raise hell and come after her. He never let someone go when he had invested in them and she had been his work in progress with one goal in mind for a very long time.
“I’ll have my people take care of it. Stop stalling.”
“How will I be introduced to the people I meet?”
His eyebrow lifted. “You won’t meet many of my acquaintances because you’ll be in the hotel room or in my bed. And my friends will understand. God knows they all know our history.”
She hated how her body flushed with heat when he mentioned being in his bed. As much as she despised admitting it, she wanted to be with him again, even if only for a short amount of time.
There was only one thing left to ask.
“What happens when the month is over?”
His lips twisted into a cynical smile. “When the month is over you go back to being nothing and I forget you exist. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
Her heart fell but she accepted his anger. She had done him wrong all those years ago and he would never forgive her. Looking away, she composed an emotionless expression before she met his eyes.
“Yes.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Yes what?”
“Yes I agree to your terms but I don’t want a car. I want to go to college.” She took in a deep breath and tried to remain brave before she faltered. “I’ll be at your beck and call for one month and not a day longer. I do have a few stipulations though.”
“Oh? And what would those be?”
She hadn’t expected him to listen so she spoke before she lost her courage.
“I need to go to my apartment and pack up my things. I don’t want my stuff to get stolen while I’m gone. And my rent is due so I am going to need you to pay it for me.”
“Done. Anything else?”
“I will also need to check up on one of my customers while I’m here. His wife left him and he’s promising to go to AA meetings to get help. I’d like to be there for him.”
She needed to be there for Joe. He was going to need all the friends he could get.
A muscle in Dev’s jaw ticked. “Are you fucking him?”
Was she sleeping with Joe? The thought was laughable.
“You mean your wonderful private investigator wasn’t able to tell you if I was seeing anyone?”
She knew it wasn’t a good idea to be coy when Dev was jealous but she didn’t like the tone he used.
“Are you?”
He moved closer, closing the small gap between them. Heat radiated from his bare chest and her body moved of its own accord to be closer to him. As their bodies touched she could feel his cock hard and ready through the thin material of his shorts.
“Are you?” he asked again.
His low voice made her shiver. Her mouth was dry and she shook her head. “No, he’s just a customer.”
“Are you seeing anyone else?”
His hand rested on her hip, branding her with the heat of his touch.
“No. I’m not.”
He pulled her flush against him and said, “Good—because I don’t share with anyone.”
His pupils darkened as he looked down at her and she tilted her head so he could kiss her. Humor danced briefly across his face and then he lowered his head. Her eyes shut and she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. Oh how she craved his kiss.
His breath warmed her lips and then his mouth was against hers. His tongue entered her mouth and sent the pit of her stomach into a wild swirl of emotions. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she ran her hands through his damp hair.
He responded by lifting her up and then took a step forward, pressing her against the glass window.
“Oh, Dev,” she whispered against his lips.
She had missed him more than she would ever admit but in that moment she would let her guard down. She promised herself that one time wouldn’t kill her. And when the month was over she would walk away from him with her heart either broken or healed but she was willing to face those consequences…later.
Her lips left his so she could nibble at his jaw and then the spot on his neck that she knew drove him crazy. He growled in approval and she smiled against his skin.
“You look so fucking sexy in this outfit,” he said as he hiked her skirt up her leg. “But I want you naked. Now.”
His words literally had her panting. Yes! This is what she wanted. She unwrapped her legs from his waist and he put her down.
“So you think I should be naked?” she asked with a smile.
They were good at this and she was more than willing to play. He nodded and took a step back. For one moment she faltered. She didn’t have the body of an eighteen-year-old anymore and even though she worked out things just weren’t the same. What if he didn’t like what he saw?
She pushed the thought away and pulled the tank top over her head. He watched with hungry eyes as she let it fall and then hooked her fingers around the waistband of the skirt. Slowly she shimmied out of it until she stood in nothing but her undergarments and high heels.
“Sexy Shannon…always showing off your great legs.” He made a circular motion with his finger. “Turn. I want to see your voluptuous ass.”
Heat spread throughout her body and part of her w
ished he would spank her. His big hand smacking her flesh had suddenly become a fantasy.
She pivoted on one heel to face away from him, looking through the glass. She blinked, her mind not immediately registering what she was seeing, and then she screeched in horror. Marco stood on the other side of the glass, a shocked look on his face. Quickly she reached down and grabbed her skirt, trying to cover herself.
“Oh. Did I forget to mention that Marco was back?” Dev asked with a slight smile.
“You fucking bastard,” she yelled.
The warmth she had felt only seconds ago vanished. She frantically tried to find her shirt but the damn thing seemed to have disappeared. Fine. If he wanted to be a dick, then she could play his game too. She dropped the skirt and walked to the door in slow strides.
“Where do you think you are going?” Lust and irritation danced across his face.
She smiled sweetly over her shoulder. “I’m going to my room. Come find me when you are ready to go to my apartment so I can get my things.”
She then walked out of the weight room past a speechless Marco. She noticed with pride that he darted his eyes the other way as she passed. A small victory but one she would take.
“Freaking jerks,” she muttered to herself.
Now all she had to do was keep her head held high until she made it to the safety of her room. Lord, she hoped Mrs. Ingram was used to seeing women walking through Dev’s house in their bra and panties!
Chapter Six
“It’s really not that funny,” Dev said with irritation as he put his training equipment away.
He still had a raging hard-on and he was pretty sure his friend had noticed. Hell, his shorts were tented and there was no hiding his arousal.
Marco chortled. “It was pretty damn funny, man. I wish you could’ve seen your face when she dropped the skirt and left.”
Dev glared at his so-called friend. “I’m glad you find it amusing. Now tell me what you came back for.”
He hated that Marco had seen Shannon like that. Dev honestly hadn’t even realized they weren’t alone until she started to turn around. That was what she did to him though. She made him forget about everything else.
