Hurts So Good (12 page)

She stood, and decided she would just head over to the office and find something to do, because sitting around here and thinking about how she hurt Graison would only make her feel like even more shit. Occupying herself with mindless, pointless things might help clear her head. At least she hoped it would.

****

Mack stepped out of one of the shower stalls that was in the locker room at Harlond’s training facility, and grabbed the towel. After quickly drying off and wrapping the terrycloth around his waist, he headed over to his duffle. His muscles ached from working out for the last four hours, and as much as he had wanted to grab his cell and call Jane, he had held back. He didn’t want to be overwhelming, but he wanted her, wanted to be with her in every possible way. His need clouded his mind with images of the two of them naked together in his bed. But she had a boyfriend, and being with a woman—even the one he loved—didn’t mean he was about to do anything while she was taken. But that thought pissed him off, because in his eyes Jane was
his
. But until she wasn’t in a relationship, even if that relationship was not going in the direction she saw it, Mack wasn’t about to cross any lines. But they could be friends. There was nothing wrong with reconnecting some more and spending time with someone he cared about in a purely platonic way.

Yeah, but your thoughts are anything but platonic. In fact, they are downright filthy, you sick bastard.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he ran his hand over his damp hair and stared into the gap of his duffle. He could see his cell, and it would be so damn easy to just pick it up and dial her number, and ask her out to lunch.
Just as friends, and strictly innocent.
Fuck, why did shit have to be so complicated? He grabbed his boxer briefs and jeans, shucked the towel, and got dressed. Before he could grab his shirt the locker room door opened and the sound of Taylor and Harrison talking echoed off the walls. They rounded the corner, and Taylor came to a halt when he saw him.

“Oh, hey, man. I was looking for you after the fight, but I heard you
hightailed
it out of there with some hot piece of ass. I been trying to call, but you won’t pick up your fucking phone.” He hadn’t seen Taylor until right now, and he was far from calm over the fact he had taken Jane to the fight and then just left her there. But hearing Taylor call Jane a “hot piece of ass” had his blood boiling with rage. “Damn, man, you
lookin
’ pretty pissed. You not get laid?” Mack clenched and unclenched his hands at his side. Harrison cleared his throat, and he glared at the other fighter. Harrison McNamara was a new member of the training facility. At twenty-five he was already one of the most well-known MMA fighters in the professional organization. They were both sweaty from their workout, but where Harrison was at least smart enough to know he should be wary of Mack right now, Taylor seemed oblivious to the fact. He even had the balls to start talking about the pussy he had gotten last night.

“Uh, I’m
gonna
just shower at my place.” Harrison cleared his throat again, grabbed his bag, and left him and Taylor alone.

“Dude, did you hear what I said?” Taylor turned around. He ran a towel over his blue tipped Mohawk, which wasn’t really a Mohawk anymore from all the sweat. “I’m telling you, her pussy was fucking tight, like squeezing my shit to the point I thought it might break off.” Mack didn’t care about any of that. All he could think about, and see, was Jane in that crowded basement with that motherfucker holding onto her like he had some kind of claim. He moved so fast that Taylor’s eyes widened slightly when Mack was right in front of him. He slammed Taylor against the lockers with enough force that the sound of flesh hitting metal seemed to vibrate the whole fucking room. “What the hell, man?”

Mack leaned in close and bared his teeth. “What the hell?”

“Yeah.”
Taylor tried to move, but Mack pressed his forearm harder into Taylor’s chest, making him immobile. No way was the asshole getting out of his hold, not when he had two inches and a hell of a lot more muscle mass on him than Taylor did. He leaned in so they were almost nose-to-nose and let a low growl leave him. The more he was in Taylor’s presence, the more pissed he got.

“You put my girl in danger.” Okay, so Jane wasn’t really his girl, but that wasn’t the fucking point right now.

“What in the hell are you talking about? You got a girl now?”

“That girl you took to the fight the other night, Jane, you left her alone, and if I hadn’t seen her when I did…” He shook his head and felt his muscles grow tense at the thought of what could have happened to her. “I don’t even want to say what could have happened, but you put her in that situation.” There was clear confusion on Taylor’s face, but then realization set in. “Yeah, asshole. You shouldn’t have even brought her to that hellhole to begin with, but the fact you left her alone.” Mack shook his head and gritted his teeth. “Not cool, man.”

“Damn, dude, I didn’t mean any harm. I thought she was a Chaser—”

He cut him off. “I don’t care if she was a Chaser. You don’t leave a female unattended at an underground fight. You know the fuckers that come to those things. But you brought Jane there, and I really fucking care about her.” He wanted to hit Taylor right in the face, maybe hear something break. He let go of him, and Taylor rubbed the spot on his chest that Mack had been pressing against.

“I’m sorry. I had other things on my mind, and wasn’t thinking. What can I say? But shit, Mack, there isn’t any need to get psycho. There was security around the cage, and I made sure she was front and center and right beside one of the guards.” That was the last thing that Mack needed to hear to lose his shit. He tightened his hand into a fist, and before Taylor had time to react Mack slammed his fist into the other fighter’s cheek. Taylor grunted and pushed Mack back. They grappled for a second, and Taylor got a hit in Mack’s face. Pain exploded in his jaw, but just as he was about to hit the other guy again, the locker room door opened and a thick arm wrapped around his abdomen and hauled him back.

“What the fuck?” The sound of Larson’s voice had Mack stilling, and Taylor taking a step back. Larson moved so he was between both of them, and looked at first Mack and then Taylor. “We don’t do this kind of fighting at the center, right?” When neither answered right away Larson said in a deeper, anger-filled voice, “Right?” Both of them were breathing heavily, but that one shot Mack had gotten in wasn’t enough, especially since it was clear Taylor didn’t think he had done anything wrong.

“Right.”
Mack said that one word through gritted teeth and closed his eyes, trying to get his shit together. Larson was right. The training facility wasn’t for dirty fighting, but rage had taken hold of Mack, and at that moment he hadn’t given a shit that doing so at Harlond’s house could very well get his ass kicked out of the center. Taylor nodded, but didn’t say anything. His cheek was already turning a light shade of purple, and his left eye was starting to swell.
Good.
Mack hopped that shit hurt. Without saying anything else, Mack picked up his t-shirt, pulled it on, and grabbed his bag. “I don’t have time for this shit anyway.” Mack headed out of the locker room and was making a straight line for the front door when Harlond’s voice stopped him.

“What the fuck happened to your face?”

He stopped, gritted his teeth, and then instantly winced when pain radiated from his jaw all the way up to his forehead. Looks like he’d be hurting from Taylor’s hit as well. He turned around in time to see Harlond stalking toward him. He stopped right in front of him, eyes on his jaw, and his scowl deepened. “I know damn well you didn’t spar with anyone today, so care to tell me how you got that shiner?” The locker room doors slammed open, and Taylor and Larson came out. Harlond didn’t miss the damage to Taylor’s face as well, and when he turned that scowl back to Mack, he suddenly felt more like he was being scolded than anything else. “Care to tell me why Taylor looks like he was beat to hell as well, and why you forgot the rules about no fighting at my center unless it is strictly for training?”

“Taylor put my girl at risk the other night, and I was paying back in kind.”

Harlond was silent for a moment.
“Your girl?
Didn’t know you were seeing anyone aside from the occasional Chaser.”
Mack didn’t respond, just clenched his jaw again, and reveled in the pain the action caused. “Jane. He put Jane at risk.” Harlond slowly nodded, looked over at Taylor again who was talking with Larson, and lifted his hand to run it over his jaw.

“I’m not even going to ask what Taylor did, but despite the fact you got a history with the girl, you do not start shit in my house. Got it?”

“Yeah.”
Mack just wanted to get the hell out of there. Fighting sounded really fucking good right now, but what he wanted more was to see Jane.

“Good. Now get the hell out of here and cool off.” Harlond slapped him on the back and turned, making his way toward Taylor. He’d say the same shit to him, because even if he trained each and every one of them, Harlond looked at them as more than just fighters. He was like a father figure to everyone, and there would be a good dose of scolding coming Taylor’s way, even if it was Mack who had started everything. He tilted his chin in acknowledgment when a few of the guys spoke to him, but his focus was getting the hell out of here and seeing Jane. Just thinking about her had him calming down, and he knew, without a doubt, she was his Achilles’ heel.

Chapter Eight

Jane grabbed a few legal documents and set them on her desk. She’d have to enter them in the computer since everything was going to be digital. She had been working for several hours already, and even if she would have rather been spending her Sunday at home, resting before she had to tackle the grand opening, she needed something to occupy her mind.

“Hey, Jane, do you want to go to lunch, or maybe I can bring you back something?” Celine leaned against the doorframe. She had come in as well to help out, and Jane couldn’t help but smirk at her Victoria’s Secret Pink apparel, and the fact her hair was in a messy bun.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Celine pushed off the doorframe and walked into the office. She sat down on the seat across from Jane’s desk and smiled.

“Sure. What’s up?” Jane needed a female’s perspective on this whole Mack and Graison situation, and since she didn’t talk to anyone in Absinthe that she used to go to school with, that left Celine. And even though they had never really had a “girl talk” the secretary was sweet and honest, and Jane knew she wouldn’t judge her.

“I have this friend that is in this relationship, but she knows that it isn’t going anywhere. She loves him, but isn’t
in love
with him.”

“Huh, your
friend
seems like she is in a jam.” Celine smiled softly, and Jane knew that she wasn’t fooling her.

“Okay, look, I am not really one to talk about my relationship problems with anyone else, but I feel like I’m doing something wrong, and just want some honest advice.”

Celine nodded. “You
be
honest with me, and I’ll be honest with you.” She smiled again.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Jane rubbed her eyes, and suddenly was really tired. She told Celine everything, but of course left out the stuff that had happened with Mack after his parents’ died. She explained everything in a condensed form, and when it was all said and done she waited to see what an outsider would think about it all.

“So you didn’t break up with your boyfriend at first because you thought he deserved for you to give it a chance? But you knew your feelings weren’t there anymore for him? And then you ran into your ex-boyfriend, the one that you never stopped loving, but couldn’t be with, and you really know that you should have just broken it off with the current BF because your feelings for your ex never died.” Jane nodded. “You want my honest opinion?” Again, Jane nodded. “Yeah, you should have just broken up with the current BF before taking the promotion since you knew things just weren’t going where you thought, but you’re also only human, and were thinking about his feelings.” Celine crossed her legs and then looked down at her legs. “I don’t know either guy, but you talk about them like they are both special to you. But only one holds your heart.” Jane was surprised Celine had gotten it so easily, and said it in those few short words that made everything fall right into place, even if she had regurgitated what Jane had just said. “Ugh, I have a love/hate relationship with these sweats.” Celine ran her hands over her thighs. Jane couldn’t help it, and she laughed at the shift in conversation. “But the thing is
,
if you have feelings for this Mack guy, it would be almost criminal to ignore it.” Celine leaned back and tilted her head back so she was staring at the ceiling. “I wish I could have a love that lasted that long and an entire town away.” She snapped her head forward and stared at Jane. “Does he feel the same way about you?”