Linked

by Barbara Huffert

  Guy didn’t share Lita’s chuckle. “Damn, I do like you. I’ll be just over there, pretending to lift weights if you need me.”

  “Well?” Tori snarled at Guy. “I’m dressed as ordered. You ready to tell me what the hell we’re doing here or are you planning on standing there with your mouth open all day?”

  Guy scooped up a pile of pads and motioned for her to follow. “We are here,” He led her to a boxing ring and held the ropes so it was easier for Tori to step inside, “Because you need an outlet for all that aggression you have today. Something more effective than stomping up and down the steps. I help out with the kids from time to time and I’ve noticed that sometimes a hostile kid whose only reason for being here is because he has no other option is more willing to talk after I help him release some of his stress.”

  “And you think that’s what I need too?”

  “I’m not sure but I figure it can’t hurt. Hold out your hands,” Guy requested so he could slip on a pair of gloves. When he added shin guards she gave him a skeptical look. “I thought you might like kickboxing.”

  “Because?”

  “Because you’ll have the opportunity to kick me too instead of just hitting me.” He put on his pads. “I’ll teach you some basics and then we’ll give it a try.”

  “Wait. You’re seriously going to show me what to do and then let me do it?”

  “Sure. I will be defending myself, Tori, not just standing here and we’re both wearing pads so we’ll be fine.”

  “Just defending yourself and not fighting back?”

  “Unless you confess that you were the state champ all through high school I’ll stick with defending myself until you have some experience.”

  Tori’s laughter built until she had tears streaming down her face. “Wish I’d thought of this back then. Can you imagine the lead balloon it would have caused if I’d announced I wanted to be a kickboxer? Would have made all of them have strokes.”

  Guy waited for her to settle down before he patiently explained various moves and positions. Even though he had no intention of acting offensively, he demonstrated how to counter as well as attack. Guy was amazed as her interest grew to the point where she was totally focused. She seemed disappointed when he suggested they take a little break before he turned her loose to test her new skills.

  “Drink some more Gatorade and then we’ll get to it,” Guy hounded Tori until she gave in. He was more than a little concerned by her lack of food consumption with the energy she was expending but there was nothing he could do about that at the moment. He could, however, make sure she didn’t get dehydrated.

  Back in the ring, Guy took a defensive stance and slowly began to circle Tori. At first, she did the same, watching him closely as they moved. Next she tried a few tentative advances, backing off before she was within range. When Tori suddenly twisted and caught Guy with her foot he couldn’t entirely hide his startled expression. After that, Tori’s confidence grew along with her aggression. Soon she was attacking nonstop and making contact much more often than Guy had anticipated.

  Guy considered calling a temporary halt to the action but the look on Tori’s face stopped him. She had been practicing what he taught her for the most part but now her movements became jerky and random. She was on the verge of being out of control and he decided it might be the best thing for her. He’d let her go as long as he was able to prevent her from injuring herself. Guy shifted to block Tori’s foot and missed the hand that slammed his chin. He quickly revised his plan. He’d let her go as long as he could keep her from hurting herself and knocking him unconscious.

  Tori’s arms were flailing wildly when she suddenly stopped and stood with her hands by her sides. She was sweating profusely and panting heavily. Very slowly, she raised her head and met Guy’s eyes. He only had an instant to see her pain before Tori flung herself into his arms, her whole body racked with sobs.

  Clutching her tightly, Guy backed to a corner and slid to the mat, leaning against the pole. He pulled Tori onto his lap and held on. She was hysterical beyond the point where words could reach her. For now, all Guy could do was wait until she was ready to be comforted. Out of the corner of his eye, Guy caught a movement and realized that Lita was on the floor with them. She looked as if she felt as helpless as he did when she helped wrap a towel around Tori so he wouldn’t need to let her go.

  Guy had no idea how much time had passed before Tori slumped against him. “Go check if the men’s locker room is clear and grab Tori’s things,” he whispered to Lita. When she assured him it was, Guy stood with Tori in his arms.

  Within minutes, he had Tori stripped and in the shower warming her body under the water as he rinsed her off. When he had her dried and dressed, he asked Lita to hold her where Tori could see him if she realized that he wasn’t next to her. He yanked off his soggy clothes, showered and dressed in record-breaking time.

  “Thanks,” Guy paused after he had Tori strapped into her Jeep with a blanket tucked around her. “For everything.”

  “Don’t mention it.” She handed him their bags. “Call if I can help.”

  Guy understood what Lita’s simple statement meant and nodded again before leaving her standing in the parking lot as he fought the urge to drive like maniac in his rush to get Tori home.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The numbness faded from Tori’s mind soon after they left the gym. She had to say something but didn’t trust herself to speak without falling apart so she spent the drive staring silently out her window. She’d already made a fool of herself at the gym, wailing like a banshee. The last thing she wanted was to lose it while Guy was driving because he’d pull over and fuss at her and they’d never get home.

  After Guy was satisfied that the cottage hadn’t been invaded, Tori made her way inside. She sensed he wanted to carry her but forced her legs to function instead. It would be all too easy to give in to temptation and let Guy coddle her. She was determined to resist because giving in would make it hurt that much more when he walked away from her.

  Oh, who the hell was she kidding? Tori was already in so far over her head that she didn’t stand a chance of getting through this with her heart intact. She was too tired to fight against what her heart kept trying to tell her. Somehow, despite the ugly reality of what threw them together and the horror surrounding her, she had done the unthinkable. It would probably be the stupidest mistake of her life but knowing that hadn’t stopped her from making it. No, she knew perfectly well how utterly wrong it was but she went right ahead and fell hopelessly in love with Guy anyway. Her mind was still screaming at her to stop but Tori ignored it and only heard the whispers of her heart. Her mind knew it couldn’t possibly last but her heart kept believing all the wonderful things Guy said to her.

  Tori sat in the middle of the sofa and let her head fall back with her eyes closed. On her best day, she wouldn’t have a clue how to deal with the man. Figuring out that in the middle of the rest of the mess was beyond impossible. There was no way she could handle any of it but that didn’t mean she could go on pretending the last two nights hadn’t happened as she had been all morning. Even if whatever she said turned things into an even bigger disaster she still owed it to Guy stop being such a coward. His misdirected emotions had given her something better than she’d ever imagined and it was wrong of her to continue hiding from him. Hell, she should be groveling at his feet for the opportunity he’d given her instead of doing her best to sabotage what little time they had. Instead, why not try for a few more memories to relive in the many cold, lonely days of the rest of her life?

  “Guy,” Tori whispered without opening her eyes. “I know I was horrible to you and now I’m about to take advantage of you but would you please sit with me for a little while anyway?”

  Instantly, Guy claimed the spot next to her and slid his hand into hers, linking their fingers. “You can’t take advantage of someone by inviting them to do exactly what they want to do.”

  “Mm,” she sighe
d and rested her head against his shoulder. “But I was horrible.”

  “You’re scared.”

  “Please don’t make excuses for me. I can’t handle you being nice when I’m being a bitch.”

  “Tough, because you’re going to have to. Say whatever you want but I know what you’re up to and I refuse to fall into that trap.”

  “Trap?” Tori finally peeked at him.

  “Yep. What happened between us last night has you so scared that you think your only choices are to run or prove it was only temporary. Since running is currently out of the question you attempted to piss me off so I would say something stupid that you could use to reject me.”

  “Ah.” She rolled her eyes.

  “But you’re overlooking one very important point. You’re forgetting that I know we belong together. Nothing you say will change my mind. Keep it up if you have to but let me explain something to you. You can stick with it as long as you need to. No matter what you come up with or how many times you push me into losing my temper as I’m sure you will or whatever ridiculous things you throw back at me after I let you bait me into being an asshole, you still won’t get rid of me because I know you’ll see the truth eventually. When you do, I’ll be right next to you, waiting for you to finally admit it.”

  “Is this your idea of not pushing? If it is you better get a clue since it’s no different from when you are pushing.”

  “Ah, yeah, I’m going to have to take that one back. I thought about it this morning when I was holding you, waiting for you to wake up. I kept telling myself that last night was more than you bargained for and I should give you space to understand that’s just how we are together. I forced myself to let you think I was sleeping when you wiggled your way out of my arms. I kept my mouth shut when you pretended that nothing was different this morning. I had every intention of waiting you out.”

  “So that’s why you were being so weird and acting all nice to me.”

  “Yes and no. Yes, for the obvious reasons and no, because I didn’t want to make today any harder by picking a fight with you.”

  “You thought fighting for real was a better idea?”

  “Again, yes and no. You were ready to climb the walls when Todd left. Keeping you cooped up inside would have gotten to both of us in a bad way. Holding on to stress is not a good way to deal with it. Taking you to a secure place and giving you a safe way to let go seemed like the best option. Underestimating your speed and flexibility was a stupid mistake on my part but it’s one I won’t repeat so all in all it worked out pretty well.”

  “Yeah, it was just great. First, I make a fool out of myself by being a snotty bitch to a woman who could kill me and make it look like an accident and then I turn into a blithering idiot and cry all over you. What kind of moron can’t dress herself? What kind of imbecile can’t sit alone for two minutes so you can change without getting undressed in front of a perfect stranger? Yep. Worked out just fine.”

  “One, Lita doesn’t think you’re a fool or a bitch. If anything, you impressed her by the way you saw right through her. Two, crying is nothing to be ashamed of. You burned up all your energy and couldn’t hold it in any longer. Three, if I had given you a few minutes you wouldn’t have needed my help but I needed to get us out of there. Four, Lita’s a professional and couldn’t care less about seeing my bare ass. And five, it’s nice to know that you noticed my naked butt in spite of all that you were going through at the moment.”

  “It wasn’t your butt that I noticed,” Tori stated and groaned.

  “Really? Tell me, tiger, what part of me did you notice?”

  “Open mouth, insert foot.”

  “Come on, Tori. You started it. You have to tell me the rest.”

  “Fine. If you really must know I noticed your penis and realized it was the first time it wasn’t poking out at me.” Guy laughed. “It’s still impressive.”

  “Thank you, ma’am. Glad you approve.”

  “Guy,” she sighed in frustration. “You should really be more interested in whether or not Lita approved. Professional or not, she’s still a woman and I’m sure took a quick peek. You should give her a call once I’m out of your hair.”

  Guy just shook his head at her newest tactic. “Hold that thought while I let Todd know we’re home.” He held her hand so she couldn’t move away. “Hey. Just wanted to let you know we’re home from the gym,” Guy groaned at Todd’s response. “That sure didn’t take long. Would you believe me if I said she was exaggerating? Didn’t think so. Yep, she’s a natural. Perfect instincts when it comes to timing. Next time we spar, I think we’ll see if her defense is as quick as her offense. Hell, yeah, I’m serious. I doubt if I’ll be able to land anything. It’s a good thing for me that she’s not taller or I’d have a broken nose for sure.” Tori’s elbow slammed his ribs, causing Guy to exhale sharply. “Christ, tiger, time out already. Guess she has something against praise since she just jabbed me with her elbow. Hurts like a son of a bitch too since she caught the same spot where I took a few in the ring. If I wasn’t bruised before I will be now and Tori hasn’t even offered to kiss it and make me better.”

  Tori realized Guy wasn’t really joking so she shifted and pulled up his shirt to take a look at his side. When she saw the red smudge where she had poked him with her elbow, she frowned. She had bruised him. Very gently, Tori traced the area with one fingertip. She leaned forward, intended to kiss him but Guy intercepted her.

  “Please, Tor. Not while I’m talking to Todd,” he begged and then laughed. “You guessed it. Todd says wait until we hang up for that. Yeah, she’s a little more relaxed. Listen to this one. Lita told you about everything, right? Well, Tori’s still in denial about our future so she decided that Lita probably liked what she saw and that I should try to hook up with her sometime.” Guy laughed again. “Todd says you should knock it off. He’s sure Lita’s wife, Wendy, would have major problems with that one but might not mind meeting you.”

  “Oh my God,” Tori gasped.

  “She’s so cute when she blushes.” Guy hugged her and let her bury her face against his shoulder while he listened to Todd. “Right. Keep in touch.”

  “They didn’t find them,” Tori stated when he put down the phone.

  “No, but they’re still looking. They won’t stop, Tori.”

  “He said the same thing this morning.”

  “Want to tell me more of what you talked about? I know I shouldn’t ask and won’t do it again if you say no now but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.”

  “All right, Guy.” She turned so she was facing him. “It seems Todd, like Diana and Barry, doesn’t think I’m capable of looking beyond your caveman behavior and seeing the real you. He felt it necessary to give me advice on our nonexistent relationship and tried to convince me that I should listen to what you say while I ignore your brutish personality.”

  “Christ, I’m sorry.”

  Tori stopped him from reaching for her. “Why? He only said the same things as everyone else, including you. What I don’t understand, though, is why, if I’m such a hopeless idiot, they all want you to be stuck with me? Why aren’t they pushing some nice, secure girl who knows what she wants at you instead of a nut job like me?”

  “Simple. We all know I’m so in love with you there is no other woman in the world who could take your place in my heart. We see you in ways that you can’t yet. Or won’t. And it’s obvious that I am the only man who can help you accept how incredible you truly are and they know I won’t give up until you do and even then, I’ll stick close in case you need to be reminded.”

  “Hmm. Maybe you’re all full of bullshit and even more clueless than I am.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

  “Oh, ha, ha. Was Todd joking about Lita?”

  “Preferring women? No. He wouldn’t mess with you like that. Why? You thinking about hooking up with them?”

  “Guy! No! Jeez.”

  “What, To
ri? It’s okay for her to be interested in me but you have a problem when it’s you? Or are you embarrassed because she watched you change when we got there?” Tori groaned. “Hey, you’re the one who pointed out that she’s still a woman even though she’s a professional. Your body is too hot to ignore. Why wouldn’t she admire the view when it’s an attractive one? Or is the fact that she’s a woman what you object to?”

  “No. It doesn’t matter what gender someone is to appreciate how they look. I don’t care who she sleeps with and no, Lita is not the first lesbian I met. I’m from Beverly Hills, remember? There’s not much I didn’t see growing up and I do mean see in the most literal sense since the parties my parents gave usually ended as the anything goes type of events.”

  Guy’s face showed all his conflicting emotions as he sputtered for a response.

  “Don’t bother. My parents were generally in the middle of things so they’d forget about me and not notice when I escaped.”

  “Christ.” Guy ran his hand over his face. “Here I thought you blush so much because you’re shy.”

  “I am shy. I knew what was going on and saw way more than a kid should have but I never ever participated. That’s what you’re thinking. I know it is.”

  “Whoa. Hold on. It crossed my mind but I rejected it just as fast.”

  “Oh. Okay. Don’t get me wrong. Personally, I’m not interested and don’t think there’s much chance I ever will be but if that’s what a group of consenting adults all want, that’s fine for them. Go for it and have a blast. But kids, well, kids should get to be kids and not be exposed to that sort of thing until they’re old enough to understand what’s going on and what other choices they could make for themselves. I’m not saying they should be kept in bubbles and be totally ignorant but they also shouldn’t have to watch their father initiate an orgy by asking who wants their mother to use her mouth on them first.”

  “I wish I knew what to say,” Guy commented softly.