UNBROKEN: A Bad Boy MMA Romance (Midwest Alphas) (Book 2) (4 page)

“Watch it,
woman
,” he slurs.

He looks at me with small amber eyes. I can barely see his face as he reaches up with one hand to pull the black hood of his sweater back over his forehead. As he turns, I see a small, golden crown tattoo on his neck, peeking out against his dark and tan skin.

“Jeez… right back at you,” I whisper as he walks away. He takes long and quick strides towards the back of the store with a hand on his hood to keep it over his head.

“Ready to go?”

I turn to see Charlie standing in the entrance. “Yeah,” I nod. I hold up the bag. “I got some more of that steak sauce you like, too.”

“That’s my girl,” he smiles. He holds the door open for me and we step outside.

***

Tobias’ hand glides across my covered breast before he pulls me in closer to him. I tremble in his arms, pinned against a bed of soft, spiky hay in the barn’s loft. I stare out the large window, watching the stars shimmer in the dark black sky above our heads, as his lips embrace mine over and over again.

As secret make-out sessions go, this one has been fairly standard. We wait for Charlie to turn in early. One of us — usually me — sneaks out first with the other following a few minutes behind. Then, it’s the lips-on-lips brigade until one of us — usually Tobias — turns up the heat.

He moves his hand down my torso to slide his fingers beneath my shirt, inching closer and closer to my breasts hidden beneath it. It’s easy to fall under Tobias’ intoxicating sex appeal, but tonight I find myself holding back.

“What’s wrong?”

I pause and throw my eyes open to look into his questioning stare. “Huh?” I mutter. “Nothing.”

Tobias sighs and his hand abandons the comfort of my bra. “There’s something on your mind,” he says. “What is it?”

“There’s nothing, Tobias…” I say, convincing no one.

“Did something happen in town today?” he asks.

“No.”

“You barely said a word at dinner.”

“I didn’t?”

“Claire…” He smiles at me. “What’s up?”

I bite my inner cheek and push a sharp bit of hay away from my arm. “I was just thinking…” I sigh. “I was thinking about something Amy said…”

“Ah, jeez…” he mutters, keeping his smile.

“It’s not
bad,
” I defend. “It has recently been brought to my attention that the two of us have never been on an official
date
.”

“I see.”

“It’s been almost a year and no date.”

“This doesn’t count?” he quips.

“Not officially, no.”

“Well,” he pauses, “we’re not like other couples, Claire.”

“That’s what Amy said.”

“Then, strangely, for the first time, she and I agree on something,” he chuckles.

“That doesn’t bother you?” I ask.

“Agreeing with Amy? Yes. It terrifies me.”

“No,” I chuckle. “That we’re
unique
.”

“Honestly…” He sits back against a hay bale. “I haven’t thought about it.”

“Oh.” I feel my cheeks turn red. I should never have brought this up to begin with. It shouldn’t bother me either. Tobias and I are happy. We’re perfect, even. The last thing we need is me inserting a problem into our relationship where there clearly isn’t one.

“Claire…”

“Just forget I said anything,” I shift onto my knees. “It’s stupid.”

“Claire…”

“I should go back inside and…
die
.”

Tobias laughs. “Stop. Come here.” He holds out his hand and I take it without looking at him. With a swift pull, he lures me closer to him and I fall back into his loving embrace. He holds me against him, my back to his chest, and whispers thoughtfully in my ear. “Just because I haven’t thought about it doesn’t mean I don’t care…”

“I know,” I reply.

He kisses my neck. “Tomorrow night, we’ll go out.”

I crane around. “Really?”

“Of course,” he says. “This is important to you, so it’s important to me.”

“Tobias, if you don’t want to go on dates, then we don’t have to—”

“Hush,” he says, silencing me. “It’s already been decided.”

“Tomorrow night?” I ask, a smile spreading across my face.

He nods. “Tomorrow night.”

“Where are we going?”

“Nope. I will handle that,” he chuckles. “You just show up and look pretty.”

“I think I can do that,” I reply.

“Good.” He lays a hand on my cheek and pulls me closer for a kiss.

“Thank you, Tobias,” I tell him, our lips grazing.

“Thank
you
,” he smiles.

I spin around and straddle his waist, stealing a few more kisses for myself.

Chapter 3

A Few Bad Men

“The first rule to abide by when looking for talent,” Amy begins, “is that bigger does not always mean better.” She plants her foot on the gas pedal and the car shoots down the highway.

I tug on my seatbelt to make sure it’s nice and tight. “Okay…”

“Take Tobias here for example,” she says as she gestures over her shoulder. She reaches up to adjust the rear view mirror and looks at him in the backseat. “When I first recruited him, the other Dames laughed at him.”

“They did?” I laugh.

Tobias leans forward in his seat. “Wait, they did?” he asks.

“Oh yeah,” she says. “They had fighters like Pike and
Burt the Brute
— you know,
huge
guys with
huge
muscles. Don’t get me wrong, you’re big in all the right places, Toby, but you’re also lean.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” I say.

“I don’t mean…
that
, although…” Amy tilts her head.

“Get to the point, Amy,” Tobias adds.

“My point is…” she continues, “that speed and precision are often far more important than bulk and power. Burt was
awesome
, but he was sloppy — as witnessed in his fight against Tobias. I will not be at all surprised if we see a lot more fighters this season that look like him.”

“I’m flattered,” he mutters.

“I know you’re kidding, Toby,” she says, “but you should be very proud of yourself. We both walked away with a nice payday that night and I, for one, would like to repeat that.”

I turn around in my seat to get a good look at him. Tobias sits with his arms crossed over his chest, once again clad in a sleek, black suit jacket. I bite my lip and smile at him. “I can be proud of him enough for the both of us, I think,” I say, knowing that he’d never admit it to himself. That night took a huge toll on Tobias. He didn’t want the prize money, but I took it anyway on his behalf. He hasn’t touched a dime of it.

“Where are we going?” he asks, his eyes scanning the highway.

“Waynesville,” Amy answers. “We usually don’t recruit from this area because it’s too close to the military base, but Lillian wants to branch outside of our comfort zone this season.”

“What’s wrong with the military base?” I ask.

“You’d think soldiers would make perfect recruits — great physique, a knack for following orders — but for the most part, they’re good boys,” she says. “And good boys like to listen to their consciences.”

I nod. “They’re more likely to tell on us.”

“Exactly,” she grins. “You learn so quickly.”

“I try.”

“Who knows?” she shrugs. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and find a few bad men.”

“Or maybe we’ll get caught,” Tobias says.

“It’s easy to deny involvement with an organization that doesn’t exist,” Amy says. “We’ll just leave and move on to the next town.” She presses the gas pedal and the car lurches forward to pass a slow truck in the right lane.

***

I step into the gym and instantly feel a dozen eyes on my body. Something tells me women don’t usually come around here. The amount of testosterone in the air is enough to choke an elephant. Two fighters spar in a center ring while a few others stand and watch, occasionally barking words of encouragement or moves for them to try on each other. I bite my lip as my pulse spikes. The rhythmic sound of speed bags pop in the air from all four corners, tingling my senses.

The gym members sneer at us, their eyebrows raising with questions. I look to Amy and she seems completely unfazed by it all. She walks across the room with her shoulders steady and her head held high; a perfect display of confidence and grace. I mimic her movements, taking in as much of her as I can, preparing for the day when I’ll have to do this on my own. I look over my shoulder to see Tobias following a few steps behind us, his eyes shifting around for danger.

“Can I help you ladies?”

Amy slows down in front of a man. His thick, tan shoulders extend out of his tank top and he stands above us by at least a foot. Again, Amy shows no hint of backing down from her task. “Hello there,” she greets him. “We’re just here to watch.”

The man blinks and a bead of pure sweat travels down his chin. “You’re just here to watch?” he parrots back.

“Yes, sir,” Amy replies. “Just go on about your business as usual. I’ll come to you if we need anything.”

He eyes us both with suspicion. “You with the government or something?”

“Does the government have reason to be here?” she asks.

“No,” he answers quickly.

“We’re just two ladies in the market for a bit of muscle.” Amy rolls her hand into a fist and playfully taps it against his bulging bicep.

“And who’s that?” he asks, gesturing behind us with his eyes.

Amy casts a quick glance over her shoulder at Tobias. “Oh. Him?” She waves a hand. “Pay no attention to him.”

The man sighs. “Let me guess…” he mutters. “You’re one of those
Dames
?”

I feel Tobias take a quick step closer to me.

Amy raises an eyebrow. “What Dames?” she asks.

“Look, a word of advice —” he leans in closer, “move on to the next town.”

“And why would I do that?” Amy asks.

He twists his forearm to expose his wrist to us. “Because the Kings own the fighters here,” he says. I glance down and see the golden crown inked into his skin above the veins with the letters “XX” written on the crown’s rim.

Amy scoffs. “Since when?”

“They catch an Alpha girl lingering around and…” He pauses for effect. “Let’s just say she won’t be making it home for dinner.”

“Kings?”
I ask.

“The Double Ex Kings, I’d wager…” Amy mutters at me. She clears her throat and reaches into her bra to pull out one of her black business cards. “Well, just in case, if you and your
boys
feel like competing in a
real
tournament, go ahead and give me a call.” She slips the card into his hand and spins around. “Let’s go,” she tells me.

“Ma’am—” We pause and the man bridges the gap between us. He takes the card and slides it back into her bra. His fingers linger against her cleavage and Amy’s lips twitch with delight. “Get out of town,” he growls, his dark eyes bouncing between us. “Do it now.”

I look to the faces of the other fighters, suddenly realizing that the room has gone completely silent. All eyes stare us down.

Tobias’ fingers slowly grip my arm and I notice his other hand clenching Amy as well. “Sorry to have bothered you all,” he says with a firm voice. “We won’t do it again.”

Amy scoffs, but reluctantly follows Tobias’ motion. “Double Ex Kings,” she mocks with rolling eyes. “What a bunch of—”

“Amy,”
Tobias scolds her and she falls silent before pushing open the entrance and stepping outside.

Amy’s heels tap loudly against the pavement as we walk across the parking lot.

“Who are the Double Ex Kings?” I ask.

“A rival fighting tournament,” she answers.

“There are other tournaments?”

“Yeah, but the Midwest Alphas is the only one that matters,” she quips as she slides her pink sunglasses over her nose.

“I’m pretty sure the Kings say that about themselves, too,” Tobias chuckles.

Amy stares at him. “I think having you around is interfering with my mojo,” she says. “Next time, you can wait in the car.”

“Or maybe we should just stay out of King territory,” he says.

“Fucking
Kings…
” she bites. “They spread farther north every year.”

“Excuse me—”