Impact (The Fight for Life #2) (17 page)

“Kob khun krap,” Leo said when he was handed a menu, and I was determined to attempt the same.

“Kob khun krap,” I repeated what I was pretty sure I’d heard Leo say.

Dam smiled and walked away.

“Kob khun ka,” Leo said, leaning forward. “Men say kob khun krap and women say kob khun ka.”

“Oh my god. Was I really rude? I was just trying—”

“No, no. I love that you tried. Thai is a very difficult language for Westerners to learn and speak correctly.”

“I got that when you told me men and women say thank you differently.” I chuckled.

“Similar sounding words can have different meanings based on the tone they have. Like the word ‘kao’. It can mean rice, nine, knee, to come in, news and a few other things.”

“Seriously? How on earth did you learn it? Sounded to me like you were pretty much fluent.”

“I lived in Thailand for a few years after my dad died. When in doubt, you just say it in a flat, toneless way and hope your listener can work it out from the context. That’s what I did when I was learning anyway.”

“You amaze me, Leo Ashlar. You drive me crazy and often make me want to wring your neck, but you continue to amaze me.”

“Ditto, Juliette Salinger.”

Dam and one of his waiters arrived at our table with several plates of food we hadn’t ordered.

Leo obviously noticed my surprised look. “Everything is good, so I just asked him to bring a variety for you to try.”

“Kob khun ka.” I spoke slowly and tentatively, hoping I got it right this time.

Dam smiled and rattled off something in Thai that made Leo laugh, and I clearly didn’t understand. He seemed happy though when he walked away.

“Dam says you’re far too beautiful for me.”

I shook my head, thinking that was completely ridiculous. Leo was easily the hottest man I’d ever seen in real life, in magazines or at the movies. He was in a league of his own with a heart to match.

“By the way,” he continued. “Dam is spelt D-A-M but pronounced Dum. I remember being terrified to call him dumb when I first met him, but he’s the kindest and most generous man I’ve ever met. He just also happens to be one of Thailand’s greatest Muay Thai fighters ever.”

“Oh wow.” I glanced over at Dam waiting on a table on the other side of the restaurant. “He could be called whatever you want and no one would bother him about it.”

Leo chuckled. “Very true. Nick introduced me to him after my father’s funeral and he trained me in Muay Thai. A year later, when I was still in a terrible state, he took me to Thailand to learn about his culture and train with the locals. I found some peace, thanks to him.”

“Seems ironic to find peace in fighting, but I know what you mean. Do you still train with him?” I asked, riveted by this part of Leo’s past I didn’t know ’til now.

“On and off for five years now. He comes to my cage fights when he’s not travelling back and forth from Thailand. He makes a good living from this restaurant and manages to financially support a range of youth charities in the provinces he grew up in.” He glanced over at Dam, who was serving other customers. “He doesn’t fight anymore, but in his day, he was a legend. Still is.”

“And that’s where you got the tattoos?” I remembered the first time I saw his back at the second fight night and was struck by the designs. He hadn’t yet told me about them.

Leo nodded. “I got the nine-spired Gao Yord first.” He reached around to instinctively rub the back of his neck.

I had studied them closely when he’d slept naked on his stomach one night. There were nine parallel spires of increasing height leading to the centre. Each spire shot out from oval shapes.

“It’s a geometric design representing the nine sacred peaks of Mount Meru,” he continued. “The three ovals one above the other is a Buddhist symbol.”

“Did you practice Buddhism?”

“I wouldn’t say practiced, but I studied it and have a deep respect for it.”

“What does the tattoo mean?”

“It’s said that the bearer of the Gao Yord is blessed with the protection from evil spirits and will have good luck.”

“And the other one? The tigers?”

He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “The Tiger Yant. The tiger symbolises strength and power. Supposedly nothing gets in the way of the tiger because it’s fearless and strong.”

“So that’s the meaning behind it?”

“It helps bring strength, power and fearlessness, but will also drive evil spirits away.”

“Evil spirits, huh.”

He just nodded.

“Well I think they’re smokin’ hot.” I winked and was rewarded by his light chuckle.

“I’m glad you think so ‘cause they’re kinda permanent.”

“Have you ever thought about getting any others?” I asked, intrigued.

“Not really.” He leaned back on his chair and laced his fingers behind his head. “I know for a fact you don’t have any.” His gaze raked down my body and a shiver ran through me. “You ever considered it?”

I leaned forward and rested my elbows on the table. “It had never appealed to me until recently.”

“Oh yeah.”

“They were just far too permanent.”

“Would’ve pissed your mum off too, I’m guessing.”

“I could’ve put it somewhere she’d never see, but my motives were never to piss her off.” I took a sip of water and Leo did the same. “Hiding who I was and indulging my need for adrenaline with boxing, racing and fight nights was never about pissing her off.”

“You are a beautiful person, Jules.” His sincerity made my heart swell and my cheeks burn.

“Thanks.” I scrunched my face up.

“So, I was thinking,” he said, removing his hands from behind his head and reaching for mine across the table.

“Sounds dangerous.”

He chuckled. “I was thinking we could head out to the farm on Saturday and spend the night out there.”

Taken aback, but overjoyed, I nodded my head excitedly. “I would love that.”

“I haven’t forgotten what you said in that hotel bar in Perth, and I think it’s time I told you what happened to my father.”

I sucked in a breath as my heartbeat took off at a sprint. “Thank you,” I whispered.

Dam refused payment and we left after saying our goodbyes.

When we got outside, Leo suggested we go for a walk instead of going straight home.

Before we got too far, he piped up. “So I did have another reason for bringing you here and telling you about Thailand.”

“You did?” To be honest, I didn’t need him to have a point. He had started opening up to me about his past and that was massive.

“I’ve been thinking about your job dilemma a lot.”

“And that made you think of Thai food?” I smirked.

Leo chuckled. “Most things make me think about food, but I did have a point.” He chuckled and I leaned into him, eager to feel his body pressed against my side. “My point was that I thought I had everything worked out from a young age. I knew what I wanted, I studied my arse off, got into uni, changed my mind, and then it all went to shit.” He huffed out a loud breath. “Life doesn’t always work out the way you want it to, even when you have a tight plan and a steely determination to see it through.”

He stopped and turned me to face him. “I was going to be a doctor and I ended up in a fight club in Thailand getting inked.”

“Okay. That’s a fair point.”

“I know I’ve said this before, but life can be messy. When I thought I’d lost my way, I turned to fighting. Not because of my anger towards my mother or the grief from losing my father, but because it’s what I love to do and it helped me work through my grief.”

“I really appreciate you wanting to help me with my job dilemma, but all the things I love to do are hobbies.”

“Start there.”

“Okay. Well, then. Maybe something to do with race cars?” The joy I found in driving was never just about silently rebelling against my mother. I genuinely love it.

“Ugh.” Leo’s groan made me laugh. “Why couldn’t your hobbies be cooking or sewing or something that wouldn’t give me heart failure.”

“If you’re looking for a domestic goddess, I’m afraid you’re with the wrong girl.”

“You don’t have to come up with a solution right away, but start thinking about options. Maybe give your friend Jim a call.”

We walked in silence for a few minutes and my mind went immediately back to Leo’s invitation to the farmhouse.

“Are we staying in the house?” I blurted out, not meaning to put a voice to my question.

He shook his head. “We could stay at Bea and Angus’s place, but I had another idea if you’re up for it.”

“Tell me.”

“I was thinking we could camp in the garden at the farmhouse.”

I squealed. “I love camping.”

“Something told me you would.” He laughed at my excitement. “I can’t really see Isabel camping, so when have you done it?”

“My grandparents used to pitch a tent at their farm when I went to stay with them. They let me sleep in the garden. I loved it.”

“Camping it is, then.” He took my hand and started walking in the direction of my car.

“I can’t wait.” I could barely keep my feet from dancing on the spot.

He stopped and pulled me to him. “God, I’m so bloody lucky.”

Before I had a chance to say anything, he was kissing me. It had started to rain lightly and I felt raindrops land on my eyelashes. It was one of those beautiful moments when everything felt right in the world. Leo had started opening up and appeared comfortable doing so, and I was thinking about new careers. I smiled against his lips as the rain started to fall more heavily and I realised we were actually getting really wet.

“Let’s go home.”

“Don’t you two make the most adorable couple?”

We both spun around to be confronted by Gwendolyn standing on the footpath a few feet away under a large black umbrella.

Leo’s arm tightened around me. “What are you doing here?” he asked in a menacing tone.

“I just had dinner with your parents, Juliette.” Her saccharine smile was really creepy. “It’s so nice they are making an effort with your boyfriend’s mother.” She tapped the side of her nose. “I think they might still be worried he’s going to be their son-in-law though.”

“You have no business with Juliette’s family and you have no business with us.” Leo coaxed me around so we had our backs to her.”

“We need to talk, Leo.”

Leo ushered me under a shop awning a few metres away to get me out of the rain. “Wait here one second,” he whispered, before striding over to Gwendolyn.

I couldn’t hear what was being said, but from the tension rolling off Leo and the angry hand gestures, it wasn’t going well.

After several minutes, Gwendolyn left without saying goodbye to me and Leo returned to me looking like he might explode.

“You okay?” I asked, placing my hand on his chest.

“I’m so sorry about that.” He enveloped me in his arms. “I’m going to sort this out with her.”

When Jules left for work the next day, I headed home then went for a long run to ease some of my tension before meeting with my mother. Having her show up out of the blue rattled me, and I needed to make sure that wasn’t going to happen again. If I was going to keep moving forward with Juliette, I knew this was something I had to do, so I had agreed to meet her today.

When I arrived in Carlton where we’d agreed to meet the night before, I cursed the driver of a red Honda Civic who’d managed to selfishly take up two spots close to the café so I had to find somewhere a little farther away then walk back along the busy street to our meeting place. I saw her immediately when I entered and grimaced when she stood up to greet me.

“Good to see you again, son.”

I shuddered when she called me son, but didn’t say anything. “Have you ordered?”

“Not yet.”

“What do you want?”

“Long black.”

I walked up to the counter and took some deep breaths while I placed my order. I could not believe I was standing in the same room as this woman, but I had a single purpose. Then I’d be gone.

I reluctantly walked back to her and sat down. “What are you doing back in Melbourne?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

“Melbourne is my home too, Leo, and you’re my only family.”

“You need money, don’t you?” I saw through her attempt at nostalgia immediately.

She clasped her hands in front of her on the table and I was met with cool eyes. “I’ve done some research and it turns out you received a much better deal. That farmhouse is worth a great deal more than the Sydney house.”

“Are you serious?” I asked incredulously. “Everything, other than the farmhouse, went to you. You should’ve been set up for life.” I knew it was going to be about money.

She shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. “I may have made a few poor investment choices.”

“So, you’ve blown the cash and now you’ve come crawling back here wanting to further benefit from my father’s death?” My expression was deadpan, but my tone had bite. “Have I missed anything?”

“If you want me out of your life, you’ll help me out.”

I placed both hands on the table and was about to stand up. She was out of her mind if she thought I would give her one cent.

“That Juliette is quite the beauty, isn’t she? Too good—”

“Stop.” I cut her off. Her voice was causing bile to rise in my throat.

“I don’t want you to mention her name again, and after this conversation, you’ll forget she exists. Do you understand?”

“Poor girl has been through so much already.” Her pout was laughable and made my blood boil.

“I can protect Juliette from you.” I had to take some calming breaths to stop myself from strangling her. “You need to back off.”

“She lives in Apartment 516, Highgate Building, Southbank. The concierges, whilst efficient, aren’t always at the desk.” She raised her eyebrows. “She does boxing training every Thursday evening from six thirty to eight with Zac then walks home by herself.” Her smile widened. “I know where she works and her favourite café is McQuillens.”

“I get your point.” The bitch knew she had me over a barrel when it came to Juliette’s vulnerabilities. I couldn’t protect her twenty-four seven.