He tapped out, and I released my grip and pushed up from the ground.
I shook my head, energy zinging through me. My heart pounded, and a slow roll of excitement gathered inside me as I opened my arms and looked out to the crowd of fighters who had gathered. “Next?”
“You’ve been out of the game five years, and you think you can walk up in here and act like you’re goddamn better than everyone?” someone hollered from the pack of people.
I cocked my head and waved him up. “I’d be happy to prove it to you.”
But the guy didn’t budge.
I looked down at my hands, and Anna came to my mind—the look of fear and disgust on her face . . .
“I need to train. Is there anyone here who wants to spar? I promise I’ll take it easy on ya.”
So I was a cocky bastard when it came to fighting. At this point, what the hell did I have to lose? The only person who’d given me hope was off-limits, as she should have been from the moment we met.
“I’ll help you train.”
I looked at the fighter. It was Tommy, one of Donovan’s lackeys.
Oh, hell yes.
“You’re going to ruin your perfect ears and get these cauliflower ones like mine. Not sure how you managed to keep yourself looking so damn flawless all these years, but you keep fighting as much as you are . . .”
I stopped the heavy bag from swinging and lowered my fists at the sight of Les on crutches. “I have perfect ears, huh?” I laughed, almost forgetting where I was and why I was there. “What’re ya doing here?”
“Now, shouldn’t I be the one asking?” Les cocked a brow.
I removed my black leather gloves and tossed them. “I’m training. What the hell does it look like?”
“But here?”
“It’s the best gym in the city. You know that.”
“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I got a text that you were here.”
“Well, now that you see me, why don’t you get back to my flat and off your feet.” I tapped at a speed bag, rotating my wrists as I punched.
“What happened? You wouldn’t be here if something hadn’t gone arseways.”
Jax happened, that’s what.
But, no—I couldn’t blame Anna’s ex. Did it feel good pummeling his face? Yes. But the look on hers after had killed me. It had been a much-needed reminder that I was no good for her.
Once a fighter, always a fighter. The sooner I learned to accept that, the better.
I stopped punching when the tattoo on the inside of my arm caught my eye.
Owen is paralyzed because of me.
What if I killed someone next?
“Adam?”
Les’s voice grappled my attention free of my past as the pain tried to rope me back in. “Aye?” I blinked a few times when I noticed Donovan stalking my way. “Shit,” I mumbled.
“I heard you were here, but I had to come and see it with me own eyes.”
“I needed a better place to train.”
“This is the best gym, of course.” Donovan walked past Les as if he were a cockroach.
“I want another fight this weekend. Can you make it happen?”
“Since you bashed your way through the guys here already?” He smirked at me, and I could see excitement brewing in his eyes.
“Can you get me a fight or not?”
“If you answer one question for me.”
I crossed my arms, growing tense in his presence. “What?”
His eyes became thin slits on me as he took a step forward and placed his hand on my sweaty shoulder. “Does this mean you’re back?”
My chest inflated as I took in a deep breath. I took my time releasing it, buying myself a moment to think.
“Yeah, I’m back.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Anna
“I appreciate you allowing me to take time off. I had hoped to be back on Monday, but things took longer to handle than I expected at home.”
John looked up at me and pressed his palms to his desk. “No problem. Is everything okay now?”
No . . .
But I nodded. “There’s one more thing I have to say, though.” God, how could I do this?
“Sure.” His brows pulled together, and my lips went tight as I struggled to find the right phrase.
“I don’t think this internship is working out.”
There. I’d said it.
“Really?” He pushed away from his desk and rose, crossing his arms over his chest as he came around it to face me.
I took a nervous step back. “I should give my notice.”
“And why is that?”
“Um.”
“You can tell me the truth, Anna.”
Ha, the truth? Sure. Should I mention I’d had copious amounts of sex with the owner, who was John’s boss? Or about how Adam beat my ex to a bloody pulp?
I slouched forward a little, losing my confidence. “I don’t think I’m cut out for the business world.”
“But you’re great. One of my best. The project you and Rick have been working on together has been top notch.”
I had no idea how to respond, so I kept quiet, hoping he’d fill in the silence.
John dropped his arms to his sides and shook his head. “Is this about Adam?”
My heart launched into my throat, where it became wedged, blocking off all the oxygen to my brain. “Wh—what?”
“Oh come on, I’m no fool.” He went back behind his desk and braced his hands on it, looking down at the files before him. “Don’t leave on account of him.”
“No. I just—”
“Give it one more month. You have a presentation with Rick the first week in November—it wouldn’t be fair if you abandoned him, would it?”
Shit, he had a point. But how could I stay here? I couldn’t possibly keep living in a hotel room Adam paid for.
“Please. We brought you all the way here.”
The guilt I felt was thicker than the molasses I poured on my pancakes back home. “Okay. I’m sorry about all of this,” I said softly, unable to look him in the eyes.
“And you can make it up by staying—at least for a few more weeks.”
I nodded and forced a smile before leaving his office, my body trembling in shock. I maneuvered down the hall and rushed over to Kate’s cubicle. “Hey, Kate. I kind of need a favor.”
She peeled her gaze away from her computer screen and looked up at me. “Sure. Anything.”
“Is there any way I could bunk on your couch for a few nights? Just until I find a place to stay?” I hated asking for handouts, but this was an emergency.
“Of course. What happened?”
“It’s kind of a long story.”
“Maybe you can tell it over drinks.” She grabbed a pen and scribbled down her address.
“Thanks, Kate. I owe you.” I started to go to my cubicle, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Adam was at work.
I wandered out to the hallway and made my way back to the lobby, passing Bella’s empty desk. I peeked out the window and into the parking lot.
No bike. No Porsche.
No Adam.
And yet all I wanted right now was to see him.
“How do you afford a place like this?” I dropped my bag and looked around the posh, modern space. Gleaming hardwood floors raced to an all-white kitchen with marble countertops. The living room had a gorgeous fireplace and the view . . . I gasped. The city of Dublin was laid out like a map of intricate beauty before my eyes.
Was I missing something, or was she making a hell of a lot more money at the internship than I was?
I moved away from the window and faced Kate.
“It’s a corporate rental. My dad was worried about me staying in the slums or something, so he hooked me up.” She handed me a glass of red wine and smiled.
“Must be nice. What does your dad do?” I took a sip of the wine, allowing the warmth of the alcohol to settle on my tongue and slide down my throat.
�
�He owns, like, half of Wall Street.” She laughed. “Kidding.”
Sure she was.
“Thanks again for letting me stay here a few nights.”
“Girl, you can stay here as long as you want. There are two other bedrooms.”
“Are you sure? I can’t afford much.”
She took a sip of her wine and waved a dismissive hand. “I’m not paying for this—why should you?”
Kate motioned for me to follow her to the living room and we took a seat on the large, cream leather couch.
“So, you gonna tell me why you really need a place to stay?”
Inquisitive Kate . . . “Things just weren’t working out where I’ve been staying.” Adam would find out soon about the hotel. He had paid three months up front—in cash—and when I told the concierge I needed to leave, I requested that they directly reimburse him.
I took a large gulp of the wine. “I’m not interested in a job at McGregor, by the way.” It was better to let her and the other interns know, I’d decided. I’d be one less person to worry about. Rick hadn’t been excited to hear that I was dropping out because we were partners, but I reassured him that I would continue to work my ass off to ensure I didn’t spoil his chances.
“I heard, actually. Rick told Narisa and Narisa told me.”
“Oh.”
“Why?” She tucked her long, jeaned legs beneath her as she turned to face me. “When you went to Kentucky this weekend, did you realize you missed it?”
“Um. No, actually.” I’d missed Dublin when I’d been there, in fact, which was sort of crazy.
“Well, I miss New York. Dublin is great and all, and I am head over heels in love with the Irish accent, but I’m a New Yorker through and through.”
“So you don’t want the job then?”
“Nope. I mean, I’d love to be offered it so I have the bragging rights and all . . .” She chuckled.
“Maybe Rick and Narisa will get it, then. They make a cute couple.”
“Lucky Narisa.” She sighed. “How about you? You catch yourself a hot Irish stud yet?”
Ha. If only she knew. “No.”
Another sip of wine was needed. But when I raised the glass to my lips, I realized it was empty. No wonder my insides were feeling so cozy.
“Here, babe. I’ll get you another.” She reached for my empty glass and got up. When she returned, she offered me a nearly overflowing glass.
“Trying to get me drunk?” I smiled, thankful for the calming effect of the wine. This was the best I’d felt since I got the phone call from my mom about Java.
“Oh yeah.” She waggled her brows and laughed.
“So, have you met a guy you like?”
“Well, McGregor and I . . .”
I spit my wine out.
Like, I literally sprayed Kate with wine from my mouth!
She wiped red liquid off her face, and my cheeks blossomed red. My body was burning, hot and embarrassed.
“You okay, girl?”
I cleared my throat and tried not to lose my cool. “Yeah, I’m okay. Uh, you were saying?”
She eyed me suspiciously and smiled. “Well, last weekend we hooked up.”
Last weekend? But Adam—
“He is so damn sexy. I still can’t believe Adam and he are twins. He is nothing like his brother.”
“Sean? You hooked up with Sean?”
She nodded.
Overwhelming relief poured through me. I couldn’t believe I’d even allowed myself to think for one second that she’d been referring to Adam. But, then again, Adam and I hadn’t spoken since he left the barn Saturday night. Was it so crazy to think that, after I’d ordered him to leave, he’d run back to Ireland to forget me?
God, I hated myself for how I’d handled things at the barn. Or was it the wine making me feel so guilty?
Kate leaned forward as if she were about to spill a secret. “I still can’t believe we saw Adam fighting in that club.” She took a giant gulp of her wine.
Was she reading my mind?
“His body—wow. I mean, Sean is hot and gorgeous and totally ripped, but he’s, like, good-boy hot, and Adam is all kinds of bad boy, ya know?”
“Yeah,” I murmured, not sure how to handle the turn of our conversation.
“God, would I love to have both of them at once. Twins—can you imagine?”
I wasn’t the sort of person to talk to about that kind of thing.
Of course, the things Adam and I had done in the bedroom had not been prudish in the least. I gave myself a mental slap on the cheek. I wasn’t supposed to feel this way after what had happened last weekend. But it had been brutal these last four days without talking to him. So brutal, it felt I had ice in my blood.
“Too bad Adam has a girlfriend.” Kate fanned her face.
“Mm hm.” I stared into my wine glass in a daze.
“Anna?”
“Huh?” I dragged my gaze up to meet her brown eyes.
“You know I’m kidding, right? Not about the Sean part, but about Adam. I was kind of hoping you’d finally come out and admit you’re into him.”
“Into him? What?”
“Come on. You think any of us are buying your innocent act? The way you reacted when you saw Adam in that fight was . . . it was personal, Anna. He means something to you.”
I had no idea what to say.
“Is he the real reason why you don’t want the job? Did he upset you?”
“I just don’t think the business world is for me.” That was the truth, but I knew it wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “Kate?”
“Yeah?”
“You ever do something you know you shouldn’t, but you just can’t stop yourself?”
“Ha. All the damn time.”
“You ever regret it?” I asked softly.
“No.”
“Never?” I was skeptical. Who didn’t have regrets?
“No. Usually it turns out to be the best thing I’ve ever done.”
I processed her words for a moment, attempting to apply them to my life. “Well.” I faked a yawn. “Mind if I turn in?” All I wanted to do was plant my face in a pillow and hide in a dark room.
“I’ll show you to your bedroom.”
“Thanks.”
After I’d changed and slipped beneath the silky sheets on the bed, my phone vibrated against the end table.
I reached over for it and read Adam’s text, tucking my lip between my teeth. Butterflies swarmed my stomach.
Why did you check out of the hotel? Are you okay? Are you still in Dublin?
I thought about what to say as nervous energy unleashed inside me.
I’m at Kate’s. I’m okay. You?
I dropped my phone on my chest and pressed my palms to my face as I waited.
After ten minutes without a response, I began to think there wouldn’t be one. After an hour, I was sure.
It was probably for the best that Adam forget about me.
Probably.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Adam
“What in the bloody hell are you thinking?”
I tipped my head forward and adjusted the knot of my silk tie, not sure if I could look Da in the eyes. He’d gotten back from Asia over the weekend. I hadn’t seen him in six weeks, but that was nothing new. That was the story of my life.
“So you talked to Ma? Holly? Or was it Sean or Ethan who ratted me out?” Our eyes connected, and his pale blue ones bore into me as he relaxed his hip against the side of the desk. I tried to remain casual. I was thirty, after all.
“Five years,” he said. “You went without fighting for five years. What is wrong with you? And don’t spew this bullshit about doing it to protect Les.”
So he’d only spoken to Ma. Holly and Sean knew about Anna.
“You’re back in that criminal’s clutches, and I don’t know if I can save you again this time.”
“I don’t need saving.”
“The hell you don’t. Look at your face!”
“The guy got a few lucky shots.” I knew that wasn’t the answer he cared to hear, but I couldn’t care less.
“You didn’t come to the office last week.”
“And did the floor cave in or the roof collapse?” I tucked my hands in my pockets. “Listen,” I gripped the back of the chair that was the only thing between us, bracing myself against it, “let’s just see what happens in a few weeks when the fight is over.”
“No. Dammit. I can see it in your eyes. The look. I’ve already lost you, haven’t I?” There was a familiar pain in his voice, and I took a step back.
“I can’t watch you do this to yourself again.”
I raised a fist in front of my mouth and tapped it there for a moment. “Then don’t.” I slipped out of his office, not giving him a chance to respond.
How stupid was I to show my face at work? Screw the meetings.
I tapped out a quick message to Sean asking him to fill in for me again, and then rushed for the elevator.
On the third floor, the elevator slowed and stopped. I didn’t feel like making small talk with anyone, let alone explaining my face. The doors opened, but then no one stepped inside.
When I looked up, my pulse slowed.
Anna stood frozen outside the door, clutching a folder to her chest. She took a step back, her black heels clicking softly against the floor, and I lifted my eyes to meet hers.
The doors started to close, but my hand shot out to stop them.
She kept her eyes on me, and I stood there with my outstretched arm.
I should’ve let her go.
She slowly stepped inside, and I allowed the doors to close.
The elevator descended, but God—being so close to her . . .
Without thinking, I stepped forward and pushed the emergency button on the panel. The elevator ground to a halt and the obnoxious ringing from the alarm began roaring throughout the space.
“What are you doing?”
I faced her, but she flinched and moved back, bumping into the mirrored wall behind her.
I looked over her shoulder, narrowing my eyes on my reflection. My face was a blank mask, my eyes empty. Hollow.
Dublin Nights Series Box Set: On the Edge & On the Line Page 23
