Full Contact (Worth the Fight #2) (15 page)

Jamie Lynn pointed to her cell phone. “Bad battery—won’t hold a charge.” She pulled Violet into the booth. “Chrissy Martin, Jessica Cross, this is Violet Channing, my best friend from Amarillo, Texas. She’s thinking of moving to town.”

“Welcome. Want a drink?” Jessica asked.

“Hell, yeah!” Violet exclaimed. Then she caught side of something on the other side of the bar. “Omigod! Who’s that?” she asked.

All the women turned their heads.

“That’s Slade Martin,” Jamie Lynn told her, “Chrissy’s brother and Jessica’s unrequited love interest and therefore very out of the question. And you remember my twin brother, Travis. And that other guy next to him, he’s one of the trainers of WtF—”

“What the fuck?” Violet asked.

“Huh? What the fuck what?” Jamie Lynn asked.

“You said WtF, and WtF stands for—”

“Oh!” Chrissy giggled. “No, silly. The gym is called Worth the Fight, or WtF. Get it? Short version is, when the old man who used to own it named it a hundred and one thousand years ago, acronyms weren’t invented yet.” Chrissy giggled some more, then gulped down some more of her drink.

“Yeah, exactly,” Jamie Lynn continued. “So as I was saying, Worth the Fight Academy, or WtF, is co-owned by Slade. And that’s one of his trainers, Cain Sorensen. Oh, and that redhead who just walked over to them, that’s Jessica’s BFF and the other co-owner of WtF, Francesca Silva.”

“Stop right there,” Violet said with a strange look on her face. “I don’t care about the rest. Did you say that’s Cain Sorensen?”

Jamie Lynn nodded.

“Why is Brazil here?” Jessica interrupted. “Ugh! And look, why does she have to be all over Slade?”

“Honey, she’s not all over Slade,” Jamie Lynn said.

“Bullshit, her hand is on his arm. See?” Jessica pointed at the men and was so loud they all turned to look at her.

“Shit!” Jessica slurred, sliding down in her seat. “I think they heard me.”

“I think everyone in the entire town heard you. And by the way, she was kinda touching all the guys. I think it’s harmless—it’s just the way she is. Probably a Brazilian thing.”

Jessica groaned. She didn’t like “just the way she is.” Francesca was trying to poach her man, she just knew it. Women had these instincts about other women.

“I can’t believe he’s here, of all places,” Violet said.

“Who?” Chrissy asked.

“Cain,” Violet responded.

“You know him?” Jamie Lynn asked.

“Of course. Remember him? He started at…oh, wait. You had already moved to Tarpon Springs.”

“Cain is from Amarillo?”

“Yep.” Violet looked down at her drink, her mood entirely changed.

“I don’t know if I’ve heard Cain say an entire sentence. He’s not a talker,” Jamie Lynn said.

“Like…at all,” Chrissy added.

“With a body like that, who cares?” Jessica put in.

And all four women sighed again before Jessica yelled, “Another round!”

Jamie Lynn slid a cocktail over to Violet. “You have a lot of catching up to do, girlie.”

Violet looked over to where the men from WtF were drinking and talking, and mumbled, “I sure do, JL.”

An hour and a lot of drinks, laughter, and more spilled drinks later, the women were talking about shoes when Slade came over to the booth, flanked by Cain.

“Hey, ladies,” Slade said. “Chrissy, Jack just called and asked me to make sure you get home safe.”

“Oh, I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah? How you getting home?”

The four girls burst out in a fit of laughter.

“Violet?” Cain asked, startling all four women.

“Um…hi,” Violet stammered.

Just then Francesca and Travis walked over.

“Vi?” Travis bent down in order to get a good look. “Hell, sugar, I haven’t seen you in a long-ass time. How you doin’?”

Violet, who not five seconds earlier had looked as if she’d seen a ghost, was now smiling from ear to ear. “Trav, how are you? You look great, darlin’.” She stood up and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Watching this, Cain clenched his jaw tight.

“Now that you’re here, I’m great, baby.” Travis winked.

“Wait, no fair.
I’m
baby,” Chrissy pouted.

“There’s plenty of me to go around, ladies.” Travis tipped his Stetson at the women.

“I suppose I could share you,” Chrissy said thoughtfully.

“You definitely need a ride home,” Slade told her. “Flirting with Texas…Jack’ll have a coronary. I’m Slade, by the way.” Slade stuck his hand out and Violet shook it.

“Wow. You
are
dreamy,” Violet said. Slade’s lips twitched, and Cain’s jaw was now clenched so hard that the vein by his neck was pulsating. “Did I just say that?” Violet looked at the girls, who nodded.

“Off-limits, Violet, babe,” Jamie Lynn reminded her.

“Oh I know.” Then she turned to Jessica. “I didn’t mean any harm. Just stating the obvious, ya know?”

Jessica nodded because it was true. The man
was
dreamy—any woman with eyes would agree. Either way, Jessica’s eyes were fixed jealously on Francesca, who was standing back but still very much part of the men’s group. She was obviously not a girls’ girl. In fact, she seemed very uncomfortable at the moment. She whispered something to Slade, who nodded.

“It was nice to see you all,” Francesca said to the women, and waved goodbye.

“So, what’re you doing in town, darlin’?” Travis asked again.

“I’m a nurse. Looking for work. Staying with JL for a while. Amarillo is
b-o-r-i-n-g.
Needed a change—”

“You still talk a lot,” Cain said.

That shut her up. “Oh. Sorry.”

“That’s rude,” Jessica scolded Cain.

“Yeah, Cain. That’s not nice,” Chrissy added.

“Was it a secret?” Cain said.

“Ass!” Violet said as she stumbled out of the booth. She tried to push Cain aside, but he didn’t budge, so she maneuvered around him. “It was nice to meet y’all. JL, I can take you home, my car’s here, and you told me you didn’t have a car last time we spoke. Oh wait…I should shut up…I wouldn’t want to overtalk.” She nearly tripped as she finished her sentence, and Cain instinctively grabbed her forearms and steadied her. Violet’s spine stiffened at the contact.

“No. Don’t think so,” Slade broke in. “Come on, we’ll drive you all home.”

“I’m perfectly fine to…She’s right, you’re so dreamy,” Jessica said to Slade.

Slade laughed.

“I miss Jack. Where’s my Jack? I love drunk sex with Jack,” Chrissy pouted.

“Please, stop with the sex talk,” Slade begged. “My best friend and my sister…No, please, just don’t.”

Chrissy pulled out her phone and drunk-dialed Jack. “Hi, babe. I want to have sex….No, not drunk. Horny.” Everyone laughed. “Oh, yeah! Really?…Yes.” Chrissy put her phone down for a second, pulled at the elastic waistband of her linen pants, and looked down. Then she grabbed her phone again. “Pink lace.”

“Oh my God! Seriously stop that. It’s disturbing,” Slade said, snatching the phone out of her hand. “I’m taking the girls home,” he said to Jack. “They are all drunk. Have one of your guys come pick up her car.” He clicked off and handed Chrissy her phone.

“I can drive. I’m really okay. I just had…” Jessica counted off on her fingers. “One, two, five…like fourteen drinks.”

“Ha. I had twenty-seven drinks.” Chrissy laughed.

Cain picked up the bill on the table and scanned it. Without comment he handed it to Slade, who snorted. “Combined, you all had like thirteen drinks,” Slade said as he threw some money on the table and shuffled the four women out the door. Cain and Travis followed.

“No. I drive. I just got into town. I can drive. I don’t want to leave my car,” Violet insisted.

“Ass in Slade’s car, Chatty,” Cain ordered.

“Seems like you both have the same nickname,” Travis said.

“Shut up, Texas,” Cain said.

“Don’t call me Chatty, you big ogre.” She pushed Cain, who again didn’t budge. “I’m driving,” Violet yelled, and stomped off.

Cain didn’t hesitate: he grabbed her by her thighs with one of his arms and lifted her over his shoulders. Chrissy, Jessica, and Jamie Lynn’s mouths opened in surprise, then they began to laugh and giggle.

“Put me down this instant,” Violet yelled, kicking. “This is illegal. Kidnapping. Plus I’m too heavy. You’ll get hurt.” She continued to kick and scream. Her hair cascaded down Cain’s back.

He moved toward Jamie Lynn, who took a step back. “Car?” One word—that was all he said. Jamie Lynn pointed to a small blue Prius.

“Clown car,” Cain said under his breath. He strode toward the clown car, set her down, grabbed her purse, pulled out her key, and opened the passenger door. Violet stood with her hands on her hips, swaying lightly, but Cain wasn’t done. He lifted her up again and none too gently tossed her into the passenger seat. Then he walked to the driver’s side, awkwardly folded himself into the car, revved it up, and took off.

“Well, then, I guess he’s taking her home,” Jamie Lynn said. No one spoke for a few seconds before they all began to laugh again.

“That’s the most emotion I’ve seen from Cain in all the years I’ve known him,” Slade said. “Not to mention the most words.”

“I’ll take you home, sis,” Travis said to JL. They said their goodbyes and took off. Then Chrissy and Jessica got into Slade’s big truck.

“You girls drank too much. You’re going to feel terrible tomorrow morning,” Slade said as he drove.

“Poor Jack. He’s going to have to deal with my bitchiness tomorrow.”

“As opposed to your regular delightful disposition?” Slade teased.

“Screw you, Slade. I am so totally delightful. Jack loves me.”

“You’re lucky. I don’t even have aspirin for the killer headache I’m going to have in the morning,” Jessica said.

“That’s the best part of having an awesome fiancé,” Chrissy said, and yawned. “Jack always takes care of me,” she mumbled, and a moment later she was snoring.

Jessica couldn’t help but look at Slade, who was staring at the road, his grip tight on the steering wheel. Before she too fell asleep all she remembered thinking was,
Yes, Chrissy is one lucky woman.

Who the hell is shining a spotlight on my face?
That’s the first thing Jessica thought when she woke up the next morning. She opened one eye and then shut it again. She really needed to invest in blackout curtains. She also needed a couple of aspirins as soon as possible.

She sat up slowly, trying to recall the previous evening. There’d been alcohol and alcohol and more alcohol involved, of that she was sure. Then there’d been Slade. She remembered getting into his car, and that was about it.

She glanced down and saw that she was in her favorite T-shirt, but she didn’t remember changing into it. She looked around her room and noticed that the clothes she’d worn the night before were neatly folded over the chair in the far corner. Reaching up, she felt the tangles in her hair. She cautiously threw her legs over the side of the bed and attempted to get up, but a surge of dizziness stopped her. Then her bedroom door opened and there stood Slade, clad in only navy blue gym shorts, looking gloriously sexy.

What the hell?

Suddenly her stomach churned, and she hastily threw the covers aside and ran to the bathroom.

As she heaved over the toilet, Jessica felt warm hands reach around the back of her neck and hold her hair back.

“I’ve actually had worse hellos than this,” he teased as he rubbed her back.

At last, spent, she stood up slowly and wobbled over to the sink to brush her teeth.

“Can you hold yourself up for a minute?” he asked. She nodded, and he stepped out.

She hadn’t bothered looking at herself in the mirror before, but now she did. She had raccoon eyes, and last night’s red lipstick was smeared around her mouth. Quickly she washed her face and combed her hair as best she could. Then another wave of nausea hit. She kneeled in front of the toilet, dry heaving. She laid her head on the cold tile.

Slade returned with some water. “That bad, huh?”

“Nah, I’m good,” she said weakly. “Just such pretty tile. I need to be close to it.” She closed her eyes.

Slade laughed and handed her a glass of water and some aspirin. “Drink some water, take this, and get in a cool shower. I’m making you toast. You’ll feel better as soon as you’re out of the shower.”

“Promise?” Right now she felt like hell.

“Promise.” He smiled, and her heart melted.

He was back in her good graces. How could he not be? When he’d heard Chrissy talk about how Jack took care of her, something in him felt…off. Jessica looked so alone; he knew he had to take care of her. No, he
wanted
to. She was his woman. He’d never wanted to do much for anyone before, but something about this woman made him want to do all sorts of things that had nothing to do with sex. Well, sex too, but that wasn’t all. He took Chrissy home first and sent Jack a text telling him to hurry home because it was an ugly-drunk kinda night. Then he went to Jessica’s.

She was blitzed. He’d had those kinds of drunks on many occasions, so he knew how it felt. He stripped her of her clothes (and spent more time than he should have staring at the body he hadn’t had for too long now), and then grabbed her favorite T-shirt and slipped it on. She hadn’t even stirred. He took off the T-shirt he’d been wearing and laid next to her on the bed. Sleeping with her, even though it wasn’t at all sexual, made him sleep better than he had for the last few weeks.

Now she was in the bathroom showering. He wanted to be in there so bad. They’d had a lot of fun in that shower before they’d started playing this ridiculous
friends-only
game. He was lying on her bed, legs outstretched and crossed at the ankles, when she emerged with only a towel covering her body, still looking a little green.

“Better?” he asked.

She looked at him quizzically. “Uh…yeah. Thanks.”

“Good. Here.” He patted the mattress next to him and handed her a plate with a slice of dry toast. “Eat this. You’ll be good as new.”

She followed his directions without fuss. When she’d finished her toast and drunk some more water she finally spoke again. “Thanks, Slade. Thanks for everything. Again, you took care of me. I don’t even know what to say. You’re always taking care of me.”