Billionaire Hunt (Billionaire Matchmaker Book 2), page 52
“Lee! You in here, buddy? You okay?”
The man looked from me to Lee and then back at Lee again.
“Who’s this?”
“Angelica. This is Quentin. Quentin this is Angelica. Quentin helped me get out of the gang years ago.”
“Shhh...not so loud,” Quentin said looking around. He was almost the same age as Shepherd, but while Shepherd was lanky and looked emaciated, Quentin was built like a bear.
“I saw Shepherd practically run out of here like he saw a ghost or something. They hoped on their bikes and rode out of here so fast that my men were disappointed. I promised them there would be some action.”
“Tell the boys I’m sorry, but thanks for looking out.”
“We got your back, Lee. You might be out of the gang, but we’re still your brothers. Oh and I don’t think Shepherd will be bothering you again. It seems he’s wanted on a murder charge back in Alabama and someone happily told the police where he could be found. Something tells me poor little Vicki’s going to be holding on to his big brother from a jail cell.” Quentin gave a chuckle and then just like that he left.
“Your old gang?” I said when he was gone.
“Yeah.”
I was silent for a moment, “Thanks for coming for me.”
“I heard what you said back there. You’re definitely not a coward.”
“I might be a lot of things, but coward isn’t one of them.”
“Shepherd would have killed you.”
“I wasn’t going to let him use me to go after you. Avani needs you.”
Lee’s jaw tightened and he nodded, studying me carefully, his eyes grave.
“I’m sorry for getting you into this. Avani was skipping school again and saw them dragging you out. She called me and I ---.” He shook his head, seemingly at a loss for words.
“This is why I don’t do emotional times. My world is dangerous. It sickens me that they took you. It sickens me to think of what they would have done to you if Avani hadn’t seen them take you.”
I didn’t say anything, I just stared down at my hands, trying to find the words that I felt would reach pass Lee’s stubbornness and pride. He had this need to protect me, but I didn’t need to be protected, at least not from him.
“My life was endangered. That’s your fault.”
He closed his eyes briefly and then nodded in resignation, turning away from me.
“But you also risked your life to save mine. If anything, I would say that we’re even.”
Lee slowly turned back around towards me. “Even after all this you still want something to do with me?”
“Call me crazy, but I have a thing for dangerous men who are strong enough to turn their lives around.”
He walked slowly back to me and held my eyes, as he buried one of his hands in my hair. “I wanted to kill them all for taking you.”
“And I would have let you.” I said dead serious.
“I think that makes both of us very dangerous people.”
I smiled at him as I nodded slowly, “We might as well be together, after all, who else would want to take us?”
He laughed, “You have a point. So were you scared? At all?”
“That they were going to kill us?”
“Yes.”
“No. I knew once you arrived that there was no way you were going to let that happen.”
“You have too much faith in me.”
“If you can’t trust the man you’re falling for, then who can you trust?” I said simply.
“Falling for, huh?” Lee said, a smile now curving his lips. His brown eyes searched mine and then he abruptly lowered his head and gave me a hard kiss on the lips.
“Are you sure you want to be mine?” He said when he finally pulled away for air.
“I don’t know. Kiss me again like that or I might just change my mind.” He lowered his mouth back down to mine, happy to oblige.
The End
Wild Fight
Sports Romance
About the Book
“That night you slammed the door in my face, I wanted to ask you out.”
“Sorry about that,” I said feeling ridiculous now. “It was just a shock seeing you...after...well...you know.”
“After I deflowered you in the alley?”
“I wasn’t a virgin!”
“You were tight like one.”
Reckless sex? A one-night stand? Did I really have the audacity? If someone had asked me those questions just six months ago I would have laughed in their face or blushed in embarrassment. But six months ago I hadn’t been a recently single divorcee with a chip on her shoulder large enough to carry Paris, France.
I had no skills, no money and now no husband. What was a girl to do besides get in touch with her wild side? And so, I did. After all, I had nothing else to lose. However, I didn’t know that one night of passion would come with a price. I mean, so what he was a professional MMA fighter. I could handle him...right?
Prologue
“Are you leaving me, Tommy?” I tried to keep the fear from my voice as I addressed my husband of five years. He looked so serene, so calm as he told me the words I thought I would never hear. He simply didn’t want me anymore. I shook my head wondering how that could possibly be. I had given so much to him, to our relationship. I had given up so much for him, as well. How could he not love me? I had done everything in my power to become exactly the woman he wanted me to be. How was that not good enough?
He didn’t answer at first and then slowly his eyes met mine, “I’m sorry, Bree.” I didn’t say a word for a moment. I just stared blankly into his green eyes that I remembered thinking were so beautiful at one point in time. I’d thought for so many years that when he looked at me, those eyes showed an expression of love. However, now they just showed emotional exhaustion and indifference. He was tired of me. Apparently, he was done being with me. My heart started racing quickly and I tried in vain to breathe deeply in and out, while my brain raced in pace with my heart trying to come up with a way to stop my current reality. I felt as if I were having a panic attack.
“What did I do wrong? What’s going on? Tell me and I’ll change it. You can’t just throw our marriage down the drain.” I know I sounded desperate, but I felt desperate. After all, Tommy was the only family I’d ever known.
He shook his head and looked elsewhere, not wanting to meet my eyes. “I should leave.”
“Leave?” I said startled as if he hadn’t already told me that was his intention. “Where are you going?”
We were in the living room of our spacious townhouse that Tommy had bought only last year. We had agreed to move out of our luxury condo in order to start a family. The townhouse was located in an exclusive neighborhood and the school district was one of the best in the state. Not that it mattered now, I thought bitterly. Apparently that wasn’t going to be my life anymore. I was no longer going to be his wife, let alone the mother of his children. I struggled to keep my emotions in check and pushed that thought aside as tears began to pool in my eyes.
“Out. I’m going out. I think you need some space. It’ll give you time to process everything without worrying about my presence.”
“But that’s just it, Tommy. I do want to worry about your presence. I don’t want to lose this. I don’t want to lose us,” I said grabbing his arm.
“Bree---” And it was then that I knew it was really over. His voice had grown cold. He was done with this conversation. I’d heard him use that same tone before when he was firing a manager over the phone. He was done with me.
“I’m seeing someone else. It’s pretty serious. I’m sorry to tell you this way.”
I slowly released my grip on his arm. I hadn’t been expecting that. I had definitely not been expecting that. I went from desperate to angry in the matter of milliseconds. I had never been angrier in my life.
“Who is she?”
He stood up and said dismissively, “Why does it matter?”
“Who is she, Tommy?”
“Stop punishing yourself---”
“Keep that pop-psychology bull to yourself and tell me who she is,” I shouted, my voice shaking in fury.
“Bree---”
“Who is she, goddamit?!” I said now screaming at him so loudly that my throat hurt. I got up from the table, unable to stay seated, too angry and aggravated to sit with my hands folded and pretend to be the perfect wife. I had done that for years. I had been exactly what he asked me to be. And this was my reward?
As he gave me a look of pity, he straightened his shoulders and walked away from me. I didn’t say a word. I was too focused on thinking of the past as I watched Tommy walk away with my future. I had met Tommy when I worked as a cashier at a local grocery store and he was a manager. I had been on my own for a while since I was no longer a ward of the state having grown up bouncing from one foster care to another. So needless to say, I had been flattered by his undivided attention. He was older and I had found him to be charming and handsome. I felt he was out of my league and was surprised when he pursued me. He had been romantic, attentive and as he moved up in the company going from assistant manager, to district and then regional manager, his salary had increased and so had his sense of entitlement. I had struggled to keep up with all the lifestyle changes: the fancy cars, the fancier friends. But, I had thought, I had managed pretty well. But as he walked out of the door, I realized that I was wrong. Apparently I had failed. And now my husband was walking out of the door and out of my life. I was alone again.
Chapter 1
“You sure you don’t mind being here tonight?” My best friend, Jacinda, had to yell over the boom of the music as we tried to find our way to the VIP room. Jacinda was wearing a crown that seemed to be in the shape of a phallic symbol and I tried my best not to stare at it. I was attending her bachelorette party and was wearing a glow-in-the-dark necklace that had a charm hanging from it that resembled a dildo. All the jewelry, and I use that word loosely, was purchased by Jacinda and was deliberately tacky. She felt it was a requirement: tacky and tasteless accessories or it wasn’t really a proper bachelorette party.
“Of course I’m sure. Just because my ex is a cheating bastard doesn’t mean that Milton is,” I said referring to Jacinda’s soon to be husband. They’d known each other since college and frankly, I was just surprised that they hadn’t married earlier. I had met Jacinda when we had worked together at the grocery store. She had worked there part time to offset her college expenses. “Milton is hopelessly devoted to you. He’s the opposite of Tommy. In fact, I wish I had met Milton first.”
Jacinda didn’t laugh at my poor attempt at humor, instead she studied me, concerned. “You’re taking the divorce pretty well considering...”
“Considering that I was a blindly trusting, naive house wife whose husband screwed her over? Yep, I know.”
“Actually, I was about to say considering that you just got divorced.”
I shrugged. The divorce had been finalized pretty quickly. After Tommy left me, he had moved in with his mistress. He had moved on and clearly I needed to as well. He had dealt with the divorce in the same efficient manner as he dealt with everything else. He had contacted an attorney and we saw a mediator. I guess he had been concerned that I would ask him for alimony, but I wasn’t interested in living off of Tommy any more. In our divorce settlement he left me the house, hoping to makes things easier on me, he had said. I had surprised him by accepting the house and as soon as it was signed over to me, I had listed it for sale. I had no interest in staying in the home we had built together knowing that not only had he cheated, but he has also given me the house out of pity, stating that with my lack of skills it would be difficult for me to find work and he didn't want me homeless. I was done being his charity case and the sad part is that he actually thought he was being nice. It didn’t even occur to him that he was being condescending. I had surprised him more during the divorce proceedings than I had during the whole five years of our marriage. After six months, the divorce was final and I was a free woman. Part of me still hurt for the marriage I had thought I wanted. I felt as if he had stolen it from me and then I remind myself that our whole marriage was a sham and I needed to move on and stop dwelling on it. There were worst things than being alone.
“Are you ready to party?”
“Let’s do this.”
Ten minutes later I wasn’t doing much of anything but feeling sorry for myself. No one had asked me to dance; no one even looked at me. It was like I was invisible. I looked down at my clothes. I was wearing tight black pants with a hot pink cropped top that also hung off the shoulders. I knew the look was very 80s, but I thought the 80s was in. I had thought that I looked reasonably hot, but maybe I didn’t know what hot was anymore. Figuring the necklace had something to do with why people were ignoring me, I subtly reached up, took it off and stuck it in my pocket.
“Why are you pouting?” One of Jacinda’s college roommates asked me. They had shown up shortly after we had arrived. Now there were at least five of us. And apparently I was the only one evidently not having a good time.
“No one wants to talk to me. No one’s asked me to dance.” I whined and Jacinda heard me despite the volume of the music. I thought she was too busy doing shots to really notice who wasn’t enjoying themselves.
“Just get out there and have fun. And guys don’t ask girls to dance. That hasn’t been protocol in decades.”
“Really? I feel old.”
Jacinda sighed, “Ashley is having a great time and you guys are the same age. Look.” She gestured to our mutual friend who was standing next to a group of guys whispering into one of their ears, leaning her ample bosom in his direction suggestively. I turned to Jacinda and said “Are you kidding me? Ashley doesn’t count. As long as men are around she’s peachy. She could be in a retirement home flirting with eighty year olds with dentures for God’s sake and still have a great time.”
“Bree, you’re a free woman. Have some fun. Maybe you need to try reckless abandonment. Your whole vibe reads uptight. Relax.” Jacinda said while downing another shot.
“I don’t do reckless abandonment.” I said bitterly.
“Well you should try. Here: Have a drink.” She pushed a shot towards me. I looked at it and then I made up my mind, picked it up and tossed it back. Jacinda’s eyes widened as I said, “Alright, let’s have another one.”
We danced. I drank. (A bit too much, I might add, but I knew my limit.) The alcohol was going to my head and I needed to slow down. I was a lightweight.
“I’m going out to get some air. Be right back, okay?” I called to Jacinda who just nodded in response. I slowly made my way downstairs, careful to hold on to the railing. When I got to the ground floor, I walked out the back exit doors and stood in the alley next to the entrance. I breathed in deeply, enjoying the feel of the night air against my skin.
“Having fun?” I heard a voice say next to me, startling me into complete sobriety. I turned quickly in the direction the voice came from and saw a man standing there. His arms were crossed on his chest. He was wearing dark jeans, a tight fitting white t-shirt and a pair of boots. He was just under six feet, stocky with big arms and a wide chest. His chest from where I was standing looked hard, imposing even. Tommy had worked out religiously, but he didn’t look like this man. Far from it. As the stranger stepped from the shadows, I marveled at how thick his neck was, how his thighs were probably twice the size of my own and I studied his muscular forearms that sported a web of tattoos. He looked dangerous, but yet I wanted to touch him. I wanted to get close enough to trace the outline of his biceps that were clearly pressed against his shirt, biceps that were the size of my thighs. I wondered how those arms would feel wrapped around me and I wanted to know how my breasts would feel pressed against his chest.
I shook my head, not knowing where those thoughts were coming from. Apparently, I’d had way too much to drink and my hormones were running away with me. Too many years in a passionless marriage, I thought sourly to myself.
I looked him up and down, blatantly checking him out and said succinctly, “I thought I was alone.”
“Not quite.”
I continued to study him and he studied me. I saw his eyes linger on my exposed skin and when he looked away and back up at me, I saw a hint of lust there. So I was still sexy after all? I smiled a little to myself. Feeling emboldened I said, “Plan to head back inside soon? If so, can I get you a drink?”
He looked surprised. “I thought as the guy, I should be asking you instead.”
“It’s 2015. We women have to go after what we want.”
He seemed amused as he considered my words, “And I have something you want?”
“Maybe. We’ll see.” I wondered briefly what Tommy would think hearing me come on to a complete stranger.
For a moment the stranger didn’t say a word and his lips tilted up in the corners as he appraised me. I guess he had been expecting a different conversation. I knew I looked innocent and sweet. I had the stereotypical angelic look with a heart shaped face, big green eyes, small nose and my hair was a flurry of inky black ringlets that grew past my shoulders. But tonight, upon seeing this man, I was suddenly feeling anything but angelic. I was interested in taking Jacinda’s advice. I was ready to do something reckless. And frankly, between the alcohol that made me feel brave and the feeling that everyone else in the world was having fun but me, I was interested in burying some of my frustration and stress the good old-fashioned way, in bad behavior and a few more drinks, accompanied by a very sexy man.
“So what do you say?” I asked breaking the silence that was now stretching uncomfortably long.
“I’ll take a beer.”
“And after?” I left the question open-ended.
“We’ll figure out the rest.” I was more than very interested in “the rest.”
Chapter 2
