The Fighter's Defiant Lover (The Burton Brothers Series Book 4)
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Authors: Leslie North
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Table of Contents
Salt Lake City, Utah
“Hey Dustin, I’m heading out of here,” Jay called out and gave a wave. Dustin nodded back, his mind preoccupied. Jay was one of the Black Belts that had stepped up to help teach some of the classes at the school.
The Burtons were busy right now, not just with fights, but with a sick kid too. Dustin had offered to take over the school for a time, and he was loving it. He’d always thought the cage was the best—the fight. But he liked teaching the kids even more.
Flicking off the lights out in the main training area, he turned to head out the back exit. Movement outside the front doors caught his attention. He turned the lights back on and glanced out the front window. A lone figure huddled against the building.
What in the hell?
Unlocking the deadbolt, he pushed the glass door open and stuck his head out. “Can I help you?” He folded up a fist, just in case. The winter weather hadn’t let up. Spring had arrived and then vanished under a fresh cold front. Dustin shivered. “You okay?”
He propped open the door with the rubber doorstop and moved closer. He hadn’t showered or changed yet, and his
gi
stank of sweat. It was also a little too thin for this wind. Reaching out, he tapped the shoulder of the thin figure facing away from him.
She spun with a yell and a kick.
“Hey, hey!” Dustin stepped back. She swung again and he reacted, grabbing her arm and spinning her around so her back was to his front. She threw her head back toward his face and grazed his chin. “Dammit, I came out here to help you!”
He tightened his arms around her and lifted her feet off the ground. He knew she couldn’t weigh more than a hundred pounds, but all of it seemed to be distracting curves—and a lot of softness he shouldn’t be groping like this. She froze. And he let go of her. Backing up, he held up his hands, palms out.
She glared at him, pushing her hair out of her eyes. “Help?”
“Yeah, help.” He shivered again in the wind.
She glanced around and shook her head. “Sorry, I was…thinking.”
“Well, mind if we think a little inside? It’s damn cold out here.” He said, gesturing to the gym door.
He led the way back inside. Once in, he shut the door. She turned and faced him, pulling off a cap. Luxurious dark brown hair framed a heart-shaped face. He’d never seen such dark, dark eyes—black almost, but with a warmth in them that left him gaping.
Her features weren’t anything spectacular by themselves, but put all together, she was gorgeous in an understated way. She had long lashes, high cheekbones, and a mouth that begged for kisses.
He crossed his arms. “Who are you and what were you doing outside the school? We closed fifteen minutes ago.”
“The bus was late. I need to see one of the Burton brothers. Or Rachel.”
Dustin straightened, “Just how do you know Rachel?”
She propped a hand on one hip. “She’s only my best friend and my roommate—and who the hell are you? You don’t look like any Burton I’ve ever seen.”
Dustin suddenly knew exactly who she was. “Ah, you’re that Jasmine. Rachel’s mentioned you a couple of times. So, Jasmine from Vegas what brings you to Salt Lake City on a night that’s colder than hell?”
Taking a breath, she stared him in the eyes. “I need someone to help me kill a man.”
The guy in front of her had to be a fighter—with muscles like his, what else could he be? He was also cute, in a grumpy kind of way. A really cute, grumpy way. His black T-shirt molded to every single muscle in his arms, shoulders, and stomach. He had narrow hips and strong legs—she could see that under the sweats he had on.
She’d mentally chastised herself for having such lustful thoughts about a man whose name she didn’t even know. But her libido wasn’t listening.
He crossed his arms and stepped back. “I don’t know what kind of place you think this is, but we’re not in the habit of taking people out.”
Jasmine rolled her eyes. “I didn’t think you were, but you all like to fight, right? And I need a fighter. Someone who doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty or breaking the rules a bit. And maybe breaking a few other things.”
He started to shake his head again and Jasmine could see a flat no coming up in his eyes. But his cell phone rang, and he turned from her to glance up at the clock on the wall. He cursed under his breath. “I’m supposed to pick up Avery—that’s my sister—at the hospital and drive her home.”
“Nothing serious, I hope?” Jasmine tried a smile. Maybe friendly would get him to warm up. And then panic tightened her stomach. “Is that where Rachel is? With Chaz? At the hospital?” She grabbed his arm and hung on. “What happened to Chaz?”
He lost another fraction of his edge and gave her the barest smile. “Nothing bad. But he’s had to have this procedure—don’t ask me what it is. Rachel can tell you.” His frown snapped back. “Did Rachel know you were coming here?”
Jasmine flashed a quick smile. “Yeah. Well, probably. I haven’t wanted to call her, but she knows the asshole and that I’ve been—”
“Asshole?”
She let out a breath. “As far as introductions went, I know mine was a little—okay, a lot—dramatic, but I really do need some muscle to help me. I’d be delighted to give my ex a heart attack—okay, maybe not—but a scare into next year would work. The asshole—that’s my ex—was my ‘on-off again’ boyfriend.”
She put air quotes around the words. “But I finally kicked him to the curb when I caught him hitting on the other dancers at the casino. Trust me on this, it would be a blessing to humanity if the asshole and his business partners made a one-way trip to the afterlife in the near future. I just hope karma’s working.”
He blinked and asked, “You’re a dancer?”
She cocked a hip and waved a hand. “One of the best. But that’s not the problem.”
“Yeah—the asshole, right?”
“Oh, way more than that. Look, can we like talk in the car? I mean if you’re late. I…well, it’s a long story, but the asshole had the audacity to include me as part of the payment for his latest drug deal. Which is why I want to kill him. Two goofs showed up at my apartment the night before last to escort me to Jimmy ‘the Enforcer’ Tressor’s penthouse, where I was supposed to be his houseguest for the next month. Like that’s ever going to happen.”
His frown tightened, and she just wanted to rub it off. No way was he one of the Burton brothers. That meant he was fair game! She widened her smile and kept talking. “I told the goofs what they could do with the idea of me going with them. They didn’t like that and got handsy, so I emptied my pepper spray in their face.” She said with a shrug of her shoulders.
His eyes narrowed. “What did the police say?”
“Oh, I filed a police report against them, but no way am I naïve enough to think the situation is over or that the asshole isn’t going to try and make me keep paying for him. The cops said I might want to leave town for a while, at least until they could can nail my ex for something. And so I’m here taking a vacation.” She waved at her purse. “I’ve got my savings, my grandmother’s ring, and my toothbrush. But I am not trusting that miles are going to help me with the asshole—if he’s in deep he’s trying to drag me down with him.”
She stopped to grab a breath. She could smell the mixture of sweat, deodorant and aftershave coming off the fighter.
Nice
, she thought, easing a little closer for a better whiff. Jasmine shook her head, “I didn’t actually have much time to plan a vacation. It was kind of spur of the moment, if you know what I mean.”
“I’m Dustin.” He put out his hand. He had nice hands—wide and strong. He gave her a firm handshake -- no sweaty palms. That was a point for him, too. “Let me grab a quick shower and then I’ll drive you over to the hospital and you can talk to Rachel. I assume since you said you were waiting for the bus, you don’t have a car with you?”
“I don’t own a car. In fact, I don’t actually know how to drive. Not that I couldn’t learn, but I just really never needed to.” She tried another smile.
The fighter—Dustin—pointed to one of the chairs. “Sit. Stay. I’ll be back and then you can tell all of this to Rachel.”
He turned and headed toward the back. Jasmine crossed her arm. “Sit? Stay? What am I a poodle now?”
At the door to the locker room, Dustin glanced back for another look at the gorgeous woman who was now prowling the gym, looking at the fight posters on the walls. He had a feeling that things were just about to get interesting around here with her around.
His head was still spinning from how fast she could talk. He got there was an ex-boyfriend in there and trouble…the rest of it had slipped past him in a blur. Well, Rachel could sort it out. He was not getting involved with what looked like a hundred and ten pounds of beautiful trouble. He so did not need that kind of distraction right now, particularly when it came attached with an ex-boyfriend.
On-off again.
He wondered if the off was going to stay off, or was she a total, flighty artsy type who would be right back to her ex once the guy smiled at her—and once he bought her something expensive. Dustin shook his head. Vegas dancer and gold-digger were pretty much the same thing in his book.
He showered fast—and cold—changed into jeans, a sweater, socks, boots, and a heavy jacket. He gestured for the brunette to follow him, shut off the lights on the way out and locked the front door.
Jasmine
—what the hell kind of name was that? Wasn’t there a Disney princess named that?
He didn’t even bother trying to keep up with her conversation. She did all of the talking, never even pausing to get his answers when she’d asked a question. She just moved onto the next subject and started talking once again. She talked about the bus trip from Vegas, about her apartment, about having to leave her cat with her neighbor, Mrs. Maxwell, who was ninety-two.
“I just hope she doesn’t have a stroke or something while I’m here. I mean, I’ve heard cats will eat you once you’re dead and I would hate for Timmon to do that to poor Mrs. Maxwell. But Mrs. Maxwell swears her beer and smokes keep her too ornery to die.”
Dustin headed for the hospital.
They arrived in good time, and Dustin parked the car at the front of the hospital. He jangled his keys in his pocket and watched Jasmine extract herself from his truck.
Lord, her legs go on forever.
And ever. She had a dancer’s legs—long and lean—and the body to go with it.
The memory of that body pressed against him warmed him, even though the air was heading to below freezing. When she stopped beside him, he told her, “Rachel should be upstairs in the kids ward with Chaz. Could I give you one piece of advice?”
She looked at him, head tipped to one side and gave him a smile that knocked him back on his heels. “You smell good. Something citrusy, with just a hint of spice. But aren’t you cold? I mean, your hair is still damp from your shower.” She ruffled her hand into his hair.
He couldn’t move. But he got his mouth working. “Rachel’s pretty stressed out right now. Maybe you could take it easy on the whole ‘I need to kill someone’ routine. At least for tonight.”
Jasmine nodded. She started walking, forcing Dustin to walk with her. “Sure. I don’t want to upset her. Oh, and Chaz. I can’t wait to see him. We should stop by the gift store first and get him something, shouldn’t we?” She put a little skip into her step.
Dustin ignored the tingles that travelled from where she held his arm to settle deep in his belly. “I should probably warn you—”
“He’s in bad shape?” Turning, Jasmine stopped and faced him. Her skin looked pale in the parking lot lights that were coming on. “Warn me about what? That’s never good.”
“Slow down. It’s just that Chaz is on immune suppression drugs right now. He’s being kept in an isolation room. So no toys for him just yet.” Dustin paused, watching to see if she would make the jump to where this conversation was headed, but she just continued to stare up at him with her warm, chocolate-brown eyes. “He can’t have any physical contact with people. You’ll have to glove up, mask up, and wear a gown before they’ll even let you enter his room.”
Jasmine swallowed. She nibbled on her lower lip, looked at the entrance to the hospital, and back at Dustin. “He’s doing alright, though. Right? I mean…look you can tell me if it’s not looking good.”
Dustin sighed. “I hadn’t meant to make you worry. I just didn’t want you to be alarmed when you saw the infection control stuff. He’s doing great. They’re just being really careful with him during this phase.” He watched the worry lessen on her face. “Come on. You can see for yourself.”
Grabbing his arm, she fell into step with him. They headed into the hospital with Jasmine talking. “Did you know I was there when he was born? I was Rachel’s Lamaze coach. He was an amazing baby. He didn’t cry, except when he needed something, and he had the most gorgeous blue eyes that could just melt your soul. I hope he still has those. Eyes change colors, you know.”
Dustin let her talk as they entered the elevator. He was hoping all the chatter was her letting off nerves. He’d never liked a girl who talked and talked, but for some reason, he liked her voice. Maybe because it wasn’t shrill, but had a husky quality to it.
When they stepped off the elevator, he was surprised when she stopped at the waiting area. He turned toward her. “What’s wrong?”
“Why don’t you go tell Rachel I’m here first? I’ll wait here until we can talk. I mean, I don’t want to upset Chaz by letting him see me if I’m not going to stay.”
“Why wouldn’t you stay?” Dustin spread his hands wide. “I thought you needed help?”
“I do. It’s just that…well, I can see now that I didn’t really think this through all that much. And you think with a long bus ride like I had, I would have. But I was so mad at the asshole, I just kept thinking about him and how I’d like to punch him in the nose—he’s really vain about his looks, so that would hurt him. And I was all worked up about that. I didn’t think…well, Rachel has her hands full right now.”
She tipped her head back and looked at the ceiling. A sheen slicked her eyes, but she didn’t cry. She looked even more pale under the glare of the hospital lights, and he could see fatigue around her eyes in the shadows she’d tried to hide with makeup. She looked suddenly very young and very alone.
Hoping he wasn’t going to regret offering his help, he suggested, “Why don’t I go get Rachel. You can say hello. Then I’ll take my sister home, and we can go grab some coffee and you can explain more about this trouble you’re in? Sound like a plan?”
She straightened and propped a fist on her hip. “I don’t drink coffee. And I never said I was in trouble—I said asshole is in trouble!”
“Fine. Then you can explain to me again why asshole needs killing.”
She tipped her head to one side. “What’s your name? I mean your full name—names have power and meaning, you know.”
“Uh…yeah. It’s Dustin Caldwell.” He threw in a mock bow—she was named after a princess after all—and added, “at your service.”
“At my service? Really? I could definitely give you some orders.” She grinned and poked his chest. “Just kidding. I’ll just wait right here.”
Dustin nodded and took the elevator up to the kids’ floor. It was easy to find Chaz’s room. Rachel and Beck stood outside, talking to one of the doctors. He waited until the doctor left and then walked up and asked, “Everything going okay?” Movement made him glance to the small area where you put on and took off protective gear. Avery was just stripping off the mask, gown, and booties.
Rachel threw her arms around his neck. “Great! Better than great. The doctor said Chaz is doing textbook perfect!”
Dustin swapped a glance with Beck, who gave a thumbs up. That meant even more to Dustin. He wasn’t sure Rachel wouldn’t always want to see the positive side, but Beck knew how to face a punch.
Slipping out of Rachel’s hold, he told her, “You must feel like celebrating, which is great because you have a visitor down in the waiting area who’ll want to help you with that.”
Rachel looked from Dustin to Beck and back again. “Visitor?”
Dustin nodded toward the elevator. “Don’t want to spoil the surprise.”
Avery stepped from the isolation area. She glanced at Dustin and then at Rachel. “What’s going on? And what surprise?”
Beck put a hand on the small of Rachel’s back. “Dustin’s got someone here to see Rachel.”
Now Avery was staring at him, too. “You ready to go, Avery? Mason said he was cooking for you tonight and told me he’d have me doing a hundred extra pushups if I got you home late.”
Avery punched his shoulder. “As if you’d mind that.”
Rachel led the way to the elevator. As they walked, Avery talked about how well Chaz was doing—and how tired he was from the day. She’d sung him to sleep and had only gotten about four words out before his eyes had shut.
They stepped into the elevator. Beck was out of training right now—he’d taken time off to help Rachel with Chaz, and Beck’s parents were taking up a lot of the financial slack—but the guy still took up most of the elevator.
The elevator pinged, the doors slid open and Jasmine turned from where she’d been staring at a fire extinguisher. Rachel let out a shriek. “Jasmine!” She ran for her friend and the two grabbed onto each other, Jasmine bounding and Rachel hanging on.
Jasmine spun Rachel around. “Rachel! I’m so glad to see you! You look great! Did you cut your hair? How’s Chaz?”
Rachel shook her head. “What are you doing here? Did Beck call you and ask you to come?”
Hands up in front of him, Beck shook his head. “Don’t look at me.”
“No, I—” Jasmine cut off the words. She threw Dustin a look and then forced a bright smile. “Sounds like maybe you could use some moral support. And that’s what friends are for. So how could I stay away?”
Rachel hugged her close. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She started talking about Chaz’s treatment—something to do with how his body didn’t make blood right. That was all Dustin knew. The five of them headed for the hospital exit.
“How did you know where to come?” Rachel asked when they reached the lobby.
Dustin hung back with Beck. He was asking about the school, how classes had gone, casual questions about upcoming fights. Dustin answered absently. He was trying hard not to overhear the girls, but it was hard. Jasmine’s low tones carried in the hard-edged rooms, even though she was trying not to talk loud.
Jasmine shook her head. “I didn’t. I went to the karate school, hoping to find Beck or one of his brothers. I figured they’d know how to hunt you down. And I ran into Dustin instead. That pretty much sums it up.” She leaned closer to Rachel. “By the way, does he have a girlfriend?”
Dustin’s face warmed. Even from here, he could catch a hint of Jasmine’s sultry fragrance. It hovered, hinting at sweetness and something intriguing, under the antiseptic smell of the hospital. He gripped the car keys in his pocket tighter.
He’d never been attracted to a woman this fast—it was more than disconcerting. He wasn’t a saint—but when he was training, he pretty much became a monk. The women—groupies really—who flocked around them didn’t interest him. Those sharks just wanted a piece of any fight winner. Or to console the loser.
Most of those women weren’t there for the fight—they were there for the muscles, the sheer demonstrations of strength, the raw sexuality that seemed to accompany mixed martial arts.
Even at the hospital, he saw the nurses staring at him, the lingering hands on his biceps when he asked them a question about Chaz.
And maybe that was the problem here. How long had it been since he’d been out with anyone?
Rachel got a knowing look in her eye, glanced at Dustin and winked at him. She looked back at Jasmine, and Dustin tried to focus on what Avery was talking to Beck about.
What the hell where they talking about?
“You’re horrible,” Rachel said with a laugh in her voice. “You’ve been in town what, an hour or two at most and you’re already looking for someone to play with?”
Frowning, Dustin glanced at them. It was just as he’d thought—Vegas dancer and a party girl. No wonder she has a sleaze for an ex.
Jasmine shrugged. “I should apologize for having…an appetite? Lord knows the asshole wasn’t anything to write home about! And it’s been…what…a year that I’ve been my own best friend in the downstairs department. It’s good riddance to him. Besides, you’ve got that gorgeous hunk warming your toes at night. Me, I’m still waiting for my knight to show up and sweep me off my dancing shoes.”
Rachel laughed. “More like you’ll knock him off his horse.”
Jasmine laughed. She glanced at Dustin—their gazes locked for a heartbeat. Dustin could feel his ears burning, but he couldn’t look away. She had a great laugh, too, warm and intimate and inviting. He dragged his stare over to Beck and Avery. “We should get going or Mason’s going to have my hide.”
He glanced back at Jasmine again. She licked her lips and leaned closer to Rachel again, mouthing the word, “Girlfriend?”
Rachel glanced at Dustin and grinned. “No. I say go for it.”
Dustin started talking about his training program to Beck loudly—up early, in bed early, no parties, strict diet, and…and
no girls.
He wanted to make it clear there might not be a girlfriend around but he was not up for grabs by any wayward, would-be princess who needed someone to punch out the frog in her life.
