“No, you do enough. It’s just there were a lot more dogs brought in this week than were adopted, and we nearly ran out.” She looked sad. “We’re a no kill shelter, but we can’t go on like this much longer. Who’s that?” She looked behind me at an annoyed-looking Delia.
“My manager. I saw her when I picked up the food. I asked if she wanted to come out here and see what I was doing… be nice,” I admonished.
“I’m always nice,” she groused. “Hello,” she called out to Delia, who was looking around the place with wide eyes probably not realizing who I was speaking with or what I’d been doing.
“Delia, meet my baby sister, Bethy. She runs the animal shelter,” I said slowly hoping she realized what what was happening here.
“Oh, oh my God, it’s so nice to meet you.” Delia practically yelled. “I would love a tour.”
“I think we can make that happen, right, Bethy?”
“Absolutely.” She bounced along ahead of us.
“Why is this the first I’m hearing of this?” Delia asked with a cocked eyebrow.
“I figured if anyone from the MMA world knew about it, I would look soft,” I said sheepishly.
“What? Kyle! You can help this place so much more with your celebrity status. It’s a no-kill shelter, right?”
“Yes, my little sister started it with my help. She couldn’t bear to think about what happened to animals that weren’t adopted. I backed it solely for awhile until she started getting donations, and now I just supply the food.”
“That’s amazing. We can spin this in a way that will help the shelter with donations and adoptions but will also help paint you as more than a MMA fighter.” “What do you have in mind?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to be painted a certain way, but like my baby sister, I loved animals and I’d do anything to keep the pinched look off her face when she thought about turning animals away.
“Okay, I’ll do whatever it takes to help the shelter.”
DELIA
My brain was buzzing with ideas as we walked through the shelter. There were some of the cutest little puppies I’d ever seen in the kennels. I was still reeling over what I’d learned. Kyle put up a cocky front for the world to see, but he was different, compassionate. He cared about others deeply. I could see it in the way he looked at his sister. This was dangerous. Seeing him as more than just a client could end up hurting me. I knew that, but it was getting harder and harder to stay away.
“Where’s Gus?” Kyle asked his sister.
“He’s in the yard playing with the puppies,” she said smiling. Kyle looked even more excited. He grabbed my hand pulling me toward an outside door. Four golden retriever puppies surrounded an older dog as he laid in the shade of the building, while the puppies pulled at his ears and tail.
“Gus,” Kyle laughed. “Why are you letting them get you like that, buddy?”
The dog perked up immediately. He looked like an old hunting dog—emphasis on the old. He lumbered over to Kyle, knocking the puppies away from him. I giggled as he dragged the one attached to his tail across the ground, then sat in front of Kyle.
Kyle leaned down, scratching him behind the ears. He wagged his tail and the puppy’s head shook with it. Walking over I pet the little guy on the head. He jumped in my lap licking my face. Maybe I should get a dog—the evil cat never greeted me like that. I shook my head in defeat. That cat would destroy my entire house if I brought a dog home.
“So what’s this idea you have?” Kyle asked as he threw a tennis ball for Gus.
“A pet adoption day.” The puppy was still trying to lick my face, while the others wandered over to investigate. I giggled as the four of them nearly knocked me over in their haste to lick every inch of my face. I was laughing hysterically when Kyle finally came over and peeled them off me.
“Come on guys you’re gonna suffocate her.” He chuckled pulling me up from the ground. “Sorry about that. Those guys are a little rambunctious.”
“They’re adorable.” I laughed. Gus came back with the tennis ball and dropped it at Kyle’s feet. “What’s his story?”
“Who? Gus?” I nodded. “He’s been here since we opened the place. His owner died and the family couldn’t take care of him. He’s old and the sad truth is the older dogs don’t get adopted as often. People want puppies or younger dogs, so Gus has been here and will probably stay here for a long time.”
“Why didn’t you adopt him? You obviously love him,” I commented.
“I wish I could but I have an extremely territorial German Shepherd.” He shrugged. “So what about this pet adoption day idea?”
“I’m thinking we make it an event. Snow cones, bounce houses. You have enough space. It could be a free event but ask for small donations as well, and we can get some of the harder to adopt pets out front and center.” I was bouncing on the balls of my feet in excitement. Kyle smiled before pulling me in for a hug.
“You’re a genius,” he whispered into my neck.
“Don’t get too excited.” I giggled. “You don’t know what you’re going to be doing yet.”
“Do I even want to know?” He groaned.
“Just get some of your MMA buddies together and take pictures with fans and sign autographs.” My brain kept coming up with more and more ideas. I needed to talk to Randy and Darren.
***
We stayed and played with the kitties and puppies for hours. Kyle was perfect it seemed all the animals loved him. I wondered about Missy. Would she love him the way all the other animals did? No, no way. That cat hated everybody. Looking over, I swooned. Kyle was sitting on the ground with one of the golden retriever puppies in his arms. I wished I had a camera. He was this huge muscled MMA fighter, but he handled that puppy with such gentleness. It had all kinds of crazy thoughts running through my head. Thoughts I desperately needed to shut down. The more I knew about him, the more I liked him. It was dangerous. He smiled over at me. “What are you thinking about?”
“Huh? Oh… nothing.” His words snapped me out of my daze. My cheeks heated. “What do you think about doing a fundraiser calendar? The men of AMMA with puppies and kitties. All proceeds go to the shelter.”
“I don’t see anyone actually buying that.” It was the first slightly insecure thing I’d heard him say. His cheeks tinted pink in embarrassment.
“You’re kidding right? Big muscled men holding tiny puppies and kittens, there’s nothing sexier than that.” The words slipped from my mouth without thought and it was my turn to blush.
“Oh yeah?” He grinned getting up, carrying the puppy in his arms. “So, I’m sexy right now?” His husky voice crawled across my skin making me shiver uncontrollably. His predatory smile washed over me as he stalked closer, holding the puppy under one arm as if he were carrying a football.
“You could be sexier.” I shrugged as if I hadn’t just been drooling over him.
“Really now? How is that?” He smirked seeing right through my blasé attitude. His eyes pierced mine and held them there. Our bodies were mere inches a part.
“You two are freaking adorable,” Beth said coming out the door, breaking the silent battle we were waging. Jumping back, my cheeks heated again. It seemed they were always doing that around Kyle. The man had a magnetic personality that completely drew me in.
KYLE
Right after my stare down with Delia, she took off mumbling something about a starving demon. I chuckled under my breath, having no idea what the hell she was talking about. The second she pulled away Bethy pounced.
“Who is she really?” She eyed me with interest. I knew it was a bad idea to bring Delia there, but I wanted to show her I was more than what I did for a living. It had been an awesome coincidence running into her at the pet food store.
“She’s my manager and publicist.” I attempted evasion.
“That’s not all she is,” Bethy sang, which seemed in direct contrast to the evil smile on her face. “Wait until Ma and the fami
ly finds out what I just saw.”
“What did you see?” I groaned. All that happened was a stare down.
“I saw the way you looked at her for one.” She grinned. “I know she is not just your manager and publicist.”
“Whatever, Bethy,” I said running a hand through my hair wishing that my sister hadn’t caught on to the obvious tension between the two of us. “She has some great ideas to help get this place out there and get more animals adopted.”
“Really?” The brightest smile crossed her face and I was having second thoughts about my earlier regrets. Her smile alone was worth all the torment my three sisters would dish out.
“Yeah, she even said something about an MMA charity calendar.” I laughed. Bethy’s eyes grew wide.
“That’s a fantastic idea. You’re going to do it, right?” she begged pulling on my arm like she did when she was little.
“You really think so? I’m not sure if anyone would actually buy it.” I shrugged. I wasn’t insecure. I knew I looked good, but an MMA Calendar? That was a bit of a stretch since our demographic was mostly men. They wouldn’t want a calendar of us holding puppies and kittens. It was ridiculous.
“C’mon, Kyle, you’re smarter than that.” She rolled her eyes.
“Okay, okay. I’ll do it.” I was surprised that her squeal didn’t have every one of the dogs in the place howling. “I’m gonna head out. I’ll let you know once Delia starts making plans for the adoption day.”
She nodded her head vigorously before leaping into my arms for a fierce hug. “Thank you, big brother.”
“You know I’d do anything for you and the pups.” I grinned before walking to my truck.
***
The first invasive phone call came only an hour after I got home. It was a miracle I turned out the way I did with four nosey sisters. “Hey Trace,” I said warily.
“Little brother, when are you bringing this girl to meet the rest of us? I’m hurt Bethy got to meet her first. You were always my favorite.” Her syrupy-sweet voice left me cringing.
“Yeah, to torture,” I grumbled but I was smiling.
“Whatever, it was tough love. Plus, you were always playing stupid pranks on us too.”
“I was.” I chuckled at the memories of putting rubber snakes in their beds when we were little. “The reason you haven’t met her is because she’s not my girl, not yet anyway.” I had no idea why I let that slip.
“But she will be? Does she know this?” She laughed.
“I’ve made it perfectly clear what I want. She just needs to get out of her own head.” I shrugged even though she couldn’t see me.
“Well, whether she’s your girl or not, I still want to meet her. I already told Bethy to let me know when the photo shoot and adoption day are happening so I can come out there,” she said with an evil laugh.
“Ugh,” I groaned. “This is gonna be a family event isn’t it? You know I’ll probably be taking pictures with my shirt off. You might want to skip that part. Just come for adoption day.”
My sister cackled. “It’s not anything that I, or the world, haven’t seen before.” I could practically hear her eye roll.
“Is there a reason you’re torturing me?” I asked, getting irritated.
“You’re the next in line to get married, and maybe if ma starts fussing over you and your new girl she’ll stop hounding me and Jeff for grandbabies.”
“You’re a selfish one aren’t you? I can’t even get this girl to admit that she wants me, let alone get serious. I’m her client. Things could get… messy.”
“Bethy says you two looked awfully cozy today,” she taunted.
“Trace, if the only reason you’re calling is to harass me about my personal life, then I gotta go. I have other things to do.”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry I know you’re busy, Mr. Superstar. I was just trying to get the scoop. Just a warning, Kimmy and Rae may be calling to badger you too. If you tell them more than me, I swear I’ll never forgive you, especially Rae. That brat will hold it over my head for all of eternity.”
“I promise I have no intention of revealing any of my personal life with any of my sisters,” I said. Her huff made me chuckle. “Bye, Trace.”
“Love you, little brother.”
“Love you too,” I said hanging up the phone. Bethy witnessing our stare down that afternoon opened a whole new can of worms that I knew I wasn’t ready to deal with.
DELIA
I was so teeming with ideas for the shelter I started working angles as soon as I got home. I dialed Randy and put him on a conference call with Darren. “I have an idea that may help AMMA and a local no-kill shelter.” I told them once they were both on the phone.
“What do you need from me? You know I’m based out of LA but we make frequent trips to see Cassie and the babies,” Randy rumbled into the phone.
“I was wondering if AMMA could sponsor the adoption day. Kyle’s sister runs a local shelter and they have been getting more animals then they can handle. They are stressing each week to week, not just with the amount of care, but the typical amount of food Kyle donates isn’t enough anymore.” I laid it all out there, hoping my plea would do the trick.
“Wait a minute,” Darren said slowly. “Walker has been single-handedly feeding all the animals in a shelter?”
“Yes, and for a long time now. He backed some parts of it, but they still need financial support. You should have seen how upset his sister was. They don’t want to turn animals away, but their current budget and space don’t allow for many more.”
“What are you planning?” Darren asked. I could almost hear the slyness in his tone.
“A partnership of sorts between the shelter and AMMA. The charity angle will endear AMMA to the public, and you would sponsor the pet adoption event as well as select some of your fighters to pose for a charity calendar.” I waited long minutes before Randy started laughing. “What? It’s not funny.”
“You expect big bad MMA fighters to pose for pictures with cute little animals?”
“My guys will do it. They’re invested in the success of this thing. Their livelihoods depend on it.” Darren sounded excited.
“How much are we talking here? The AMMA hasn’t had a fight in about six months and it was small-time. Obviously it has money, but how much do you need?” Randy had become more practical, and as the technical owner of AMMA, he needed to be concerned.
“Basically just the rentals and photographers and any sets we may need to have for the calendar. I was thinking ten grand and anything not used will go to the shelter.” Randy was quiet for a moment mulling things over, then sighed.
“Ten grand shouldn’t be a problem. Will you have anyone from AMMA at the event?”
“Yes, I planned on having a couple fighters there taking pictures and signing autographs,” I replied.
“Make sure you get some of Max’s guys out here for that. It will help if it’s not only Vegas guys. I’ll pay for their travel expenses,” Randy said sounding more helpful by the moment.
“Thank you, I’ll coordinate everything as well make sure there is plenty of press coverage,” I said more excited than I’d been before. “Well if you two are on board then I will start getting everything going.”
“It’s a great idea, doll. If you need anything else from me don’t hesitate to ask,” Darren said before hanging up the phone.
“Thank you, Randy, I don’t know what I would have done had you not been in on it.”
“Delia, I owe you so much. I just hope you know what you’re doing with Kyle. He’s a bit of a player.”
“I have him under control. Don’t worry about me.” I brushed his concern off easily.
“Whatever you say. I’ve never seen you look so happy as I did when you were on his arm on the museum fundraiser.” He was baiting me.
“He’s a client, Randy. You know I don’t date clients,” I defended.
“Look, I saw you with
that tool Brandon Sullivan, and you never looked at him the way you were looking at Kyle in that picture that was posted in the gossip rag, but then again he was looking at you the same way, so like I said, just be careful.”
“I’m always careful, but thank you. I’ll make sure to keep a good head on my shoulders.” I smiled at Randy’s overprotectiveness. I’d known him for years and he’d always been this way. Once he deemed you his, no one could fuck with you. The thing that bothered me though was that Kyle was his friend, and had stood by him when not many did. That kind of loyalty deserved some kind in return. “Talk soon, Randy.”
“Talk soon, Dee,” he said and I hung up the phone. I’d gotten some great news and I couldn’t wait to share it with Kyle.
***
I never should have gone to the ESPN interview. If I had any kind of self-preservation instinct, I would’ve stayed far away. As it was my fight or flight instincts seemed to be on the fritz too. I stood stock-still outside the cage watching the gracefulness of his moves, the sweat as it glistened on his bare chest. I found myself running my tongue across my lips imagining licking the sweat from his body. I shook my head to clear it, noticing for the first time that Kyle was watching me with hooded eyes. A smirk played at his mouth as his eyes raked over me. “You’re drooling.”
“No I’m not.” I glared at him. Turning around I finally stomped away discreetly wiping my mouth to make sure I wasn’t. I must not have been discreet enough because his big booming laugh followed me in my wake. Slipping into Darren’s office as quietly as possible so I didn’t interrupt the interview was easy enough. Darren was sitting behind the desk looking like the typical MMA trainer; I rolled my eyes. I knew he owned a suit. Would it kill him to look professional for ESPN?
Exposed Page 4
