Full Contact (29 page)
“I see.” I lick my lips, imagining the taste of potato chips on my tongue. “Somehow it always winds up being about sex.”
Ray leans in and kisses me. “Wrong. It always winds up being about you.”
Rampage joins us and hands me a protein shake. I don’t ask how he managed to get the shake before the fifty people lined up at the café. Maybe it’s because Rampage is the ears, eyes, and heart of Redemption. He is also the café owner’s cousin.
“So we’re gonna have a kid running around the gym,” he says.
Ray hisses out a breath, and I look up and frown. “How did you know that? We only just told my parents and Tag today.”
Rampage shrugs. “I know everything that goes on at Redemption, and we need a few kids around here. Liven the place up. Fuzz can teach some junior MMA classes and make the kiddies cry.”
“Hey.” Homicide Hank joins us, with Blade Saw and Doctor Death on his heels. “I got kids. Two of ’em.”
“Everyone knows they aren’t yours,” Doctor Death says, winking at me. He is fully recovered from his fight with Ray and, surprisingly, holds no grudge. In fact, he caught us one night on our way out of the gym and apologized for his behavior. Ray said he understood. His girl did, indeed, have a damn fine ass. But if Doctor Death ever touched her ass again, he’d break all his fingers.
“Fuck you, Death.” Homicide makes a rude gesture, and Doctor Death laughs.
“I do, in fact, get fucked over quite regularly, but that’s my love life. In the ring, it’s you who is going down.”
Homicide Hank takes a swing at Doctor Death. Someone yells “fight.” The fighters leave the café and run over to the mats, where the two miscreants are now going at it full tilt.
“So, this is a Redemption party,” Duncan says, coming up beside me. “Not quite what I expected. When you said most of them didn’t drink when they were training, I imagined the party would be more sedate.”
Ray snorts a laugh. “They’re just getting warmed up. Just wait until those protein boosters kick in.”
“He’s big into the health thing,” I say to Duncan. “He gets up at five every morning, goes for a run, then works out, makes a protein shake, cooks up a healthy breakfast, and he’s ready for work before my alarm has even gone off. It’s so annoying. I wish he’d warned me before we started going out. I’m so not a morning person.”
“You will be.” Ray winks. “I’m gonna whip my girl into shape so we can run together in the morning.”
Before Ray can start his lecture about the healthy benefits of starting the day with exercise, I excuse myself to look for Jess. Although she doesn’t train at Redemption, she never misses a party.
I find her sitting alone in the bleachers, watching Tag and Shayla talking over by the free weights.
“She has a crush on him,” Jess says as I sit down beside her.
“Yeah. For a long time. But Tag isn’t interested. She’s not his type.”
Jess shrugs. “Neither am I, apparently.”
“You’re wrong.” I squeeze her arm. “Now that Luke is behind bars and my parents are in their new condo, and he’s about to become an uncle, he’s changed. He’s happy.”
“I’ve never known him happy,” Jess says.
“If you liked him sad, anxious, and stressed, you’ll definitely like him happy.”
As if on cue, Tag looks up and smiles. He gives Shayla a pat on the back and then jogs over to us, climbing the bleachers two at a time.
“Hey, Sis.” He ruffles my hair. “I’m surprised Ray let you out of his sight.”
“I’m not out of his sight.” I roll my eyes and gesture toward the lat machine where Ray is talking to Blade Saw with his gaze fixed on me. “You think he’d take his eyes off me in a gym full of protein-boosted fighters?”
“Good point. If you were my girl, I’d be watching you too.” His gaze drops to Jess, and I catch the slightest reddening of his cheeks, so faint only a sister can see.
“You…still with Blade Saw?”
Jess freezes, and I poke her in the side.
“Uh…no. Didn’t work out.”
Tag smiles the devastating smile I haven’t seen for years, the one he used to charm his way into all sorts of trouble. “You want a protein shake? Everyone’s watching the fight.”
Jess gapes. I nudge. She stumbles on recovery. “Uh…yes. I like protein. In shakes. And out of shakes. Generally, protein is good. But not meat. I don’t eat meat.”
I cringe on her behalf, but Tag doesn’t seem to notice her sudden awkwardness. Instead, his face softens and he holds out his hand.
“I know.”
After being abandoned by Tag and Jess, I head back to the studio to lock up. Christos and Rose are making out on Rose’s desk, clearly visible through the glass door.
“Hey. Get a room,” I shout.
“That’s my line,” Torment says from behind me.
“Except you used Rampage to deliver it.” I knock on the door, and Christos and Rose break their clinch.
“Gotta keep Rampage out of trouble. He knows too much about what goes on here.” Torment lifts an eyebrow as Christos and Rose push open the door and murmur their apologies on their way out.
“Never got a chance to say congratulations.” Torment follows me into the studio and stands by the door as I turn off the computers and make a quick check to make sure all the equipment is off. Our new Phoenix Ink, Redemption logo—flames with a phoenix rising from the ashes and the studio and gym names in script below—is everywhere. Torment spared no expense.
“And I never said thank you for taking a chance on me.”
“I don’t take business risks unless I’m fairly certain of the outcome. I know you’ll make this place a success.” Torment stands to the side as Ray pushes open the door. Ray’s got his leather jacket on, so I guess he wants to go.
“How?”
“Because once you find the path to Redemption, you never go back.” He nods at Ray and then disappears out the door.
“He’s a bit of an enigma.” I turn off the back lights and push in Rose’s chair. “Sometimes he just comes across as a mindless, ruthless fighting machine, and other times he seems to see into your soul.”
Ray scowls. “You’re mine. Only person who should be seeing into your soul is me.”
I slide my arms around his waist and pull him close. “Yes, I am yours. All yours. Only yours. Forever yours.”
“Good.” He kisses my forehead and then pulls an open bag of potato chips from the pocket of his leather jacket. “Got you something.”
“That’s very sweet.” I take the bag from his hand. “I know how hard this must have been for you. After all, they are filled with salt and bad fats.”
Ray shakes his head. “You got no idea. Eat them.”
Laughter bubbles in my chest. He seems so earnest, I hate to turn him down.
“I still have a bag of chips in my purse.”
“No. These. Eat them.”
I glance down at the bag in my hand. “Why? I thought you didn’t want me eating unhealthy food.”
Ray heaves a sigh. “Please. For me.”
“Okay.” I pull out a chip and eat it slowly, my cheeks heating under Ray’s intense scrutiny. “That was delicious. Thank you.”
He waves at the bag. “More.”
“Are they poison?” I lower the bag and frown. “Are you trying to get rid of me? Is that why you’re pressuring me to eat them?”
“Siahhhh.” He draws out my name, his voice a plea I can’t ignore. I put my hand in the bag and grasp something that is definitely not a chip.
“What’s this?” I hold up a ring bearing an oval-shaped diamond surrounded in a lattice of tiny diamonds that twinkle—nothing ostentatious but quietly different. Like me.
Ray beams, puffing out his chest like he’s just won the underground championship belt. Although now that he’s formally joined the Redemption team, it might one day be the state title.
“Ray Black.” I grab a tissue from Rose’s desk and clean off the ring. “Are you proposing to me?”
“Man loves a woman, wants to spend the rest of his life with her, raise a family together, he asks her to marry him.”
“It’s beautiful.”
A smile spreads across his face. “Does that mean yes? ’Cause my mom said I’d better make an honest woman of you or she’d whup my ass.”
I wrap my arms around his neck. “I didn’t know CIA agents were afraid of their moms.”
“Don’t know anything about CIA agents,” he says. “But I am afraid of my mom.”
“Well then, I’d better say yes.” I lean up and kiss his cheek. “If anyone’s ass is getting a whupping, it had better be mine, and I know just where I want it to happen.”
“Naughty girl,” he says.
“The naughtiest.”
Ray’s lips brush over mine. “My beautiful girl.”
“Yours.”
His smile lights my heart and truly sets me free.
* * *
Priority: Confidential
Bay Area Underground Fight Club (BUFC) Wedding Night
Redemption. 8 p.m.
Headlining: Ray “The Predator” Black and Sia “Phoenix” O’Donnell
Code Word: Forever
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Many thanks to all the MMA fighters who generously shared their stories, and especially Animal, Chainsaw, Rhino, and Blizzard—you rock! To my wonderful editor, Cat Clyne, who loved Ray right from the start, and my agent, Laura Bradford, who so patiently indulges my need for long, detailed explanations. To CaRWA and the Secret Group of Awesome for all their support. And to my family, who have all learned how to cook out of necessity.
New
York
Times
and
USA
Today
bestselling author Sarah Castille writes contemporary erotic romance and romantic suspense featuring blazingly hot alpha heroes and the women who tame them. A recovering lawyer, she once practiced at one of the world’s largest law firms in London, England, during which time she traveled extensively, wrote moderately, and developed a taste for tea, satire, and hard-bodied soccer players. After her first book,
Legal
Heat
, won numerous awards in romance-writing contests, Sarah traded in her briefcase and stilettos for a handful of magic beans and an untrustworthy laptop. Her books have been named as
Publishers
Weekly
’s “Top Ten Picks” and “Best Summer Books” and have appeared on the
New
York
Times
and
USA
Today
bestseller lists. Sarah lives with her husband, munchkins, and a family of owls in the shadow of Canada’s Rocky Mountains, where she is currently working on her next novel.
Against the Ropes
Redemption
by Sarah Castille
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author
He scared me.
He thrilled me.
And after one touch, all I could think about was getting more…
Makayla never thought she’d set foot in an elite mixed martial arts club. But if anyone needs a medic on hand, it’s these guys. Then again, at her first sight of the club’s owner, she’s the one feeling breathless.
The man they call Torment is all sleek muscle and restrained power. Whether it’s in the ring or in the bedroom, he knows exactly when a soft touch is required and when to launch a full-on assault. He always knows just how far he can push. And he’s about to tempt Makayla in ways she never imagined…
Praise for
Against the Ropes
:
“Smart, sharp, sizzling, and deliciously sexy.” —Alison Kent, bestselling author of
Unbreakable
“
Fifty Shades of Grey
meets
Fight Club.
” —
RT Book Reviews
For more Sarah Castille, visit:
In Your Corner
Redemption
by Sarah Castille
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author
He rules in the ring
Two years ago, Jake and Amanda were hot and heavy. But when Jake wanted more, Amanda walked away. Jake immersed himself in mixed martial arts, living life on the edge. But that didn’t dull the pain of Amanda’s rejection—until a chance encounter throws them together again.
A high-powered lawyer, Amanda was a no-strings-attached kind of girl. But two years after her breakup with Jake, she still hasn’t found anyone who gets her heart pumping the way he did. And then he shows up in her boardroom, hot as sin and needing help…
But can he rule her heart?
Jake is darker, sexier, and impossible to resist. As their chemistry builds, Amanda’s not sure if she can stay in control, or if she’s finally willing to let him claim her body and soul.
For more Sarah Castille, visit:
