Knockout (Fighting For Love Book 1) (9 page)

GRAYSON

The feel of Adriana against him is what he thinks Heaven must feel like. He sifts his fingers through her dark hair; it feels just like he had imagined it would, like silk. This sense of peace, of calm, he hadn’t experienced it in such a long time, he’d almost forgotten what it was like. Being with her quieted all the fears, doubts, all the memories in his mind. He had never been able to talk to anyone like he could to her; it was like she understood him, even when he didn’t say anything.

When she had touched his scars, it was like she was taking the pain away, tuning out the memories that always sat just over his shoulder, infiltrating everything he did, everything he was. She made him feel less broken. She awoke all kinds of emotions in him; he wanted to keep her safe, to protect her from anything that might hurt her or cause her pain.
One of those things would be you, genius,
his brain reminds him uncharitably.
Not this time
, he swears to himself, not this time. He thinks back to Willow’s question that morning,
Do you believe in soulmates, Grayson?
He was starting to.

His cell vibrates from inside his jeans somewhere at the foot of the bed. He doesn’t get up; he’s not in any hurry to move; and, he doesn’t want to wake Adriana, she’s only just fallen asleep. But it starts ringing again almost as soon as it’s stopped. He flicks a glance of annoyance at the time on the clock radio, it’s still early, and the sun’s only just set. It could be West setting up a time for training in the morning.

Reluctantly, he slips out from underneath Adriana, careful not to disturb her and digs in the pocket of his jeans to find his cell. He answers without even looking at the screen, padding quietly into Adriana’s kitchen so his voice doesn’t wake her.

“It doesn’t look like you’re busy training, kid.” The voice on the other end of the line makes Grayson’s blood run cold, as does the nickname that’s a reminder of a night he only wants to forget.

“How did you get this number?” Grayson had always been careful about who he gave his cell number to, and he changed it every six months just to be sure. Only a handful of people should have it.

“You shouldn’t be worried about that. What you should be worried about is winning your match next week, and your little extra-curricular isn’t going to help to keep you focused, is it, kid?” Morrison’s tone could be mistaken for solicitous or even kind, if you didn’t know him. But Grayson knew him better than most, and he knew that the bookie was neither of those things.

“Don’t call me that.” He hates the reminder that Morrison always crowbars into their communications. It’s his way of not-so-subtly telling Grayson that he knows about his past, he knows what happened in the ring that night and a word from him could ruin all of Grayson’s chances at going straight. “What do you want, Morrison?”

“I want you to be in the best shape of your life. You’re going to need to be to fight Kong. That means no nookie my horny young friend.” The bookie chuckles to himself.

“What? You’re having me followed? What the fuck, Morrison? What does my private life have anything to do with you?” Grayson clenches and unclenches his fist, trying to get his anger under control. “It’s never been an issue for you before.

“That was then, kid, this is now. You bring your A game to the fight or the deal’s off. And from the moony way you’ve been looking at that piece of tail you’re with, your mind is not where it needs to be.” Morrison lets out a sigh as if he’s disappointed in Grayson.

“You let me worry about where my mind is. If that’s all you called to say…” He feels the old hate for this man bubble up to the surface.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t want her to find out about a certain underground fight that you were involved in. I bet a nice girl like her would be horrified.” Morrison’s tone is bored.

“You wouldn’t dare.” Grayson’s voice would cut glass.

“Try me. You cut her loose, focus on the match, and I don’t tell her who you really are.” The threat in Morrison’s voice is clear; there’s no mistaking it now.

“Why are you doing this? Why now?” Grayson grips the cell hard, resisting the urge to throw it to the floor and destroy it.

“Why does anyone do anything? Because I can, kid.” Morrison ends the call, typically needing to have the last word.

Grayson cradles the cell in his hand, cursing Morrison in every way he can think of. He had always had a way of corrupting anything good that came Grayson’s way. But this is one step too far. He can’t give up Adriana, not again, not just because of Morrison’s control-freakery. But he knows that Morrison doesn’t make idle threats; he never has. There’s no doubt in Grayson’s mind that if he doesn’t do what he’s been told that Adriana will find out the reason he had to walk away from her…that he’d killed a man.

Perhaps she would understand, if he could explain to her that it was an accident. But even if she did, he was afraid that she’d never look at him in the same way again and that would be worse than not seeing her, knowing that she thought of him as a killer. He’d known that getting involved with Adriana could be dangerous, that he was involving her in the mess he’d made of his past. It was Grayson who had put Adriana on Morrison’s radar; he’d brought this on himself.

There is only one decision to make, no matter how much it hurt him and no matter how much she will hate him for it. However, that was preferable to something happening to her. He couldn’t have that on his conscience. Grayson stands in the kitchen for a few more minutes, working up the courage to do what he knows he has to.

ADRIANA

She had made excuses, thought up every possible reason that he would have slipped out in the middle of the night without a word. Perhaps there was an emergency, or he’d suddenly realized there was somewhere he had to be. She’d tried to rationalize why he hadn’t responded to her text message the next morning and why when she’d finally got up the nerve to call him, the automated voice at the end of the line had told her that the number was no longer in use.

It was a lot of trouble to go to just for a one-night stand. If Grayson had to change numbers every time he slept with someone, she’s amazed he would ever be able to keep up. She had rationalized the change in number, perhaps his phone had broken or he’d lost it or it was stolen before he could explain to her why he’d snuck out like a thief in the night. 

But as the days ticked by without a word, she began to suspect that the most obvious conclusion is usually the right one. He had made her believe that he cared about her, and then he had disappeared into thin air, again. She had made a complete fool out of herself…again. She had fallen back in love with someone who clearly didn’t care the slightest bit about her…again.

“Grade A asshole!” Willow’s voice on the end of the line stirs Adriana from her thoughts. “I knew I should have ripped his eyes out when I had the chance.”

Adriana smiles at the anger in Willow’s voice. There’s something comforting about having a friend who is willing to inflict bodily harm on your behalf.

“Easy tiger.” She picks up her keys and starts heading out of the door. Work would help her stop thinking about Grayson. Work would save her. Work would distract her from the fact that tonight was his big fight, the fight that would put him on the map.

“Let’s go out tonight. You can’t spend another evening in that sad little apartment crying and watching
Greys Anatomy
on repeat.” Willow has known Adriana long enough to know that’s exactly what she’s been doing the past week.

“Will, the last thing I’m in the mood for is getting all dressed up and going out to some club. I’m at the part of the mourning process where if I can’t wear a onesie then I’m not going out!” Adriana locks her apartment door firmly and spins around, realizing she’s going to be late for work when she comes face to face with a bald man built like a bull.

“Adriana, good to see you again.” West’s voice is kind and calm, and he makes no bones about having turned up uninvited.

“Will, I’m going to have to call you back.” Adriana ends the call without taking her eyes off of Grayson’s coach. “Nice to see you West, you visiting a friend in the building?” She waves vaguely off to one of the other doors on her floor.

West shakes his head, a little sheepishly now. “No, Adriana, I’m here to see you. It’s about Grayson.”

The seriousness in his voice makes her heart skip a beat. “Is he alright?” She hates herself a little for caring, but she really does, she couldn’t hope to pretend otherwise.

“He’s healthy and strong as an ox if that’s what you mean,” West reassures her.

“Good, well nice to see you West, but I’ve got to get to work; I’m already running late.” She shrugs apologetically at him and starts walking towards the stairs.

“He misses you.” West’s voice stops her in her tracks.

Adriana takes a deep breath, not wanting to dump all of her shit on West, but his words have severed the very thin rein she had on her temper. She wheels around, advancing on a man big enough to lift her with his pinky finger menacingly enough to make him take a step back.

“He misses me? Are you fucking kidding me, West? The guy that broke my heart ten years ago, only to waltz back into my life and do exactly the same thing again, misses me? Well, unless we have two very different definitions of the phrase, I think you must be mistaken. And now, I really do have to go.” She tries to take in some deep breaths to regain control of her breathing. “Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I think a third time would officially make me a head case.” She turns on her heels again, wanting to get away from this confusing conversation as fast as her legs can carry her.

“He needs you, Adriana. He won’t say it, but I know he does. That boy is like a son to me, and it tears me up to see him like this. I don’t know what’s got into his thick head this time, but I do know that whatever reason he’s pushing you away, he thinks it’s for the best.” West puts a fatherly hand on her shoulder. “I’ve never seen him as happy as when he was with you that morning. It was like that damn cloud that he carries around with him had lifted. Now, it’s back. He’s not sleeping, he’s distracted and unfocused. That’s not good for him, and it’s not good for the fight tonight.”

Adriana’s eyes widen at West’s words. “So, that’s what this is about. You need me to turn up because you think that I’m his goddam lucky charm?” Adriana shakes her head in disbelief. “I like to think I’m a pretty good judge of character West, but I didn’t have you pegged as someone who uses other people.”

“This fight, it isn’t just about the title for him; it’s bigger than that, more important. His future is hanging in the balance, and I’m scared he’s going to throw it all away because he’s so busy beating himself up about leaving you that he doesn’t have the energy to beat on the other guy in the ring!” West rubs a hand over his ball head that’s already starting to sweat in the morning humidity. “Grayson’s past is…complicated. He carries a lot of baggage around with him, things that no one should have to live with. He needs someone to help him make sense of it all; he needs someone like you to help him.”

Adriana bites her lip, not wanting to feel anything at West’s words, but she can’t help it; she feels everything. The thought of Grayson going through pain, of him hurting and carrying the burden alone, trying to be brave, trying to do the right thing, it makes her heart ache.

“What are you asking me to do, West?” Her voice falters around the knot in her throat.

“I’m asking you to come to the fight tonight, get his head back in the game. After the fight, you can decide what you want to do with Grayson. All I’m asking for is tonight.” West holds out his hands, palms up as if to demonstrate how little he wants.

“Grayson told me you thought I was a distraction, now you want me front and center at the biggest match of his career?” Adriana shakes her head. It doesn’t make any sense. She absently wonders if all men are so confusing or if it’s just guys involved in MMA.

“I was wrong. I don’t say that very often. You
are
a distraction, but of the good sort. You distract his demons; The Adriana Effect.” West smiles at her kindly.

“He said that?” Adriana clasps her hands together to stop them from trembling.

“Well, I sure as hell didn’t make it up!” West chuckles at his own joke, but he sobers up almost instantly. “I’ll leave you to think about it, Adriana. Tickets for you and your friend will be at the ring if you want them. I hope you make the right decision.” He pats her on the shoulder as he walks past her.

Adriana tries to put some order into her thoughts, but there’s too much to process. “West!” She closes the distance between them, her expression intense. “What’s the right decision?”

West gives her a sympathetic look. “You care about him, don’t you? I think that should give you your answer.” With that, he’s gone, taking the steps two at a time, rushing back to his star fighter.

He needs you
. That was what West had told her. But could she do about it?

Read on for an excerpt from the sizzling sequel

On the Ropes

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