Maybe This Time (17 page)

“Summer, look.
She wanted me, she tried. I told her I was with you, and it was
serious.”

“That seems to
be a common occurrence for you, right? Girls jumping at you while
you remain the innocent victim,” I spit.

He rubs his
hands down his face in frustration.

“Who was she?”
I ask him through clenched teeth.

“The doctor.
She’s kind of my ex. The one I broke up with just after Reece
died,” he says. His voice is low and sad, but I can’t deal with
both his pain and mine right now.

“So, you
failed to mention that the doctor was your ex, your serious ex,” I
say, hurt and confused.

“I haven’t
seen her at one of these fights in a long ass time. This is the
first one she’s been to one since Reece. I didn’t expect her to be
here,” he explains, his gaze locked with mine. “Look, I have a lot
of baggage in my life. I don’t wanna scare you away with all this
shit. I want you to be happy, Summer, not have to worry about all
this drama in my life. You’re a good girl, you don’t needa be
around this shit. I wanted to keep you away from it, separate. So
yes, I left a few things out,” he admits.

“Why did you
break up?”

He clears his
throat. “Reece died, she was the doctor at the fight.”

And she
couldn’t save him. Surely he didn’t blame her for that?

“That wasn’t
her fault,” I say quietly.

“I know that.
I just pushed her away after that. We weren’t meant to be together
anyway.”

“How do you
know that?”

“I never felt
for her even a quarter of what I feel for you. This intense,
all-consuming need to be around you all the time, to protect you. I
can’t stop thinking about you, even when I’m sleeping I dream about
you. We never had anything like that.”

I look out the
window, wanting a break from the conversation, to see Ryan and Jade
have left in Reid’s car. I didn’t even hear the car drive off.

“Why is she
still in there?” I ask, gesturing to the warehouse.

“There’s
another fight going on.”

Well, that
explains all the cars still in the parking lot.

“Can you take
me home, please?” I look at him, and see that his eyebrow is nicely
stitched. My gaze drops to his neck, where he's attempted to scrub
off the lipstick but there are still smears of it where he missed a
spot.

“Okay. Were
you okay during the fight?” I can tell he’s treading very
carefully, trying not to get me upset.

“Ryan looked
after me,” is all I say. I look at his knuckles on the steering
wheel, which are red and swollen.

“Will you come
home with me?” he asks, sounding unsure.

“I think I’ll
just go home,” I reply, shifting in my seat.

“You know I
need to be near you after a fight,” he says, his voice
pleading.

“Why don’t you
stay at mine?” I offer.

He exhales in
relief and nods twice. “Okay.” He rests his hand on my thigh, his
long fingers spread out.

“I’ll stop by
mine and grab some clothes,” he says.

“You sure
you’re okay to drive?” I ask. I’m pretty sure I saw him take a few
kicks to the stomach.

“I’m
good.”

When we arrive
at his apartment Reid parks and runs inside to get some clothes
while I wait in the car. I drum my fingers on my thigh, thinking
over everything that I’d learnt tonight. I don’t expect Reid to
come without a past, without his own baggage, but this is getting a
little ridiculous. One question is foremost in my mind.

What else is
Reid Knox hiding?

And does it
matter? As long as he’s good to me, and faithful, can I take any
curveball thrown my way? Reid enters the car, pulling me from my
thoughts.

“You okay?” he
asks, his hand on the keys.

“I’m fine,” I
say a little shortly.

“Right.” He
turns the key and starts the engine. He runs his other hand along
his scar, looking like he wants to say something.

“I needa know
you’re in this with me, no matter what. I know I’m gonna fuck up
sometimes, but I’ll always try and fix things. I’ll never hurt you
intentionally, Summer. I just need to know you aren’t gonna run.
You can’t run,” he says, and I watch his Adam’s apple bob as we
swallows.

“Where am I
gonna run to?”

His eyes dart
to mine before he replies. “You know what I mean. If something
happens you can’t handle, you’re gonna want to run from my bed,
from me.”

“Reid-”

“I just need
to know if you want this as much as I do,” he says. And there it
is, the question I was just asking myself.

Apparently I
take too long to answer.

“I see,” he
grinds out.

“Reid-”

He makes a
dismissive sound in his throat, and keeps his eyes on the road.

“Are you going
to listen to me? Or just be a dickhead?” I snap, losing my
patience.

He doesn’t
reply, his jaw set.

“I want you.
But you need to let me in more. You think I like finding out all of
this shit from other people? Or from the lipstick on your neck? How
would you feel if this situation was reversed? If I was caught with
an ex of mine that you never even knew existed?”

I ignore the
growl that escapes his lips and continue. “My point exactly.”

“Tell me about
your exes,” he demands.

“Well, there
are only two. I dated Liam for a couple of months, he was my first
boyfriend. Then I dated Quinn for about a year. We broke up a month
before I moved here.”

“Who did you
lose your virginity to?” he asks boldly, earning a glare from my
direction.

“Quinn, and
he’s the only boy I’ve slept with other than you.”

“Not a boy,
beauty,” he grumbles.

“Man,” I
correct, rolling my eyes.

“Where can I
find this Quinn?” he asks in a suspiciously calm tone.

“Reid,” I say,
trying not to laugh but failing.

“What?” He
shrugs his broad shoulders.

“So, this is
the first time we’re gonna make love after a fight,” I say huskily,
changing the subject.

“Who says
that’s what we’re gonna do tonight?” he asks, playing coy.

I sigh
dramatically. “I thought I was in for a treat tonight, my man
winning his fight, adrenaline pumping through his body…” I trail
off.

Reid grins
widely, showing his straight white teeth. “Be careful what you wish
for, beauty.”

“Why? Cos I
just might get it?” I bat my eyelashes at him.

“Just hope you
can handle it,” he teases, his lips curving into a crooked
grin.

“Oh, I can
handle it,” I scoff, leaning over slightly and running my hand up
his thigh.

He shakes his
head at me, and as he parks on the grass in front of my house, I
can feel the anticipation building. He walks around the car and
opens the door for me, and I step out and stare up at his handsome
face. A little battered, but handsome all the same. I smile and put
my hand out, which he takes into his. He closes the car door, and
locks it with a press of a button. Hand in hand, we walk to the
front door. Before I can even open the fly screen door, Xander
pulls the door open, grinning when he sees us.

“I was
wondering what the hell happened to you two, I just rang Ryan,” he
says, stepping back for us to enter.

“You okay?” he
asks Reid, giving him a once over.

“Yeah, I’m
good,” he answers, slapping Xander on the back.

I pull Reid
towards my room. “Night, bro!” I call out.

“Night. I’m
heading out,” he says.

I spin around.
“Where are you going?” He just smiles cheekily and walks out. He
locks the door behind him.

“Stop fussing
over him,” Reid says, cupping my ass with his large hand.

“I don’t fuss
over him,” I lie.

“I’m gonna
take a shower,” he says, pulling off his hoodie. I don't miss his
wince, and I know that he’s in pain, no matter how much he tries to
deny it.

“Wanna join
me?” he asks in a deep low voice.

“You sure
you’re up for that?” I ask.

He glances
down at his semi hard on. “I think so.”

“I meant, are
you sure you’re not in too much pain?”

“I will be, if
you don’t take care of it,” he says, stifling a smile. He pulls off
his top, and then his shorts, standing before me looking like a
slightly battered Greek god.

I sigh as I
stare at his body.

Sexiest thing
I’ve ever seen. Who knew such perfection existed in real life? In
books, maybe. Or in movies. But in real life?

“You gonna
stare at me all day, or you gonna get naked and join me?”

I bite my
bottom lip, and start to undress. I try for a slow, sexy seduction,
but end up having to lie down on the bed to shimmy my jeans off.
Once I’m fully naked, Reid stalks towards me and bends at his
waist, gripping my hips and throwing me over his shoulder.

“Be careful,
Reid!” I plead.

“I’m fine,
Summer,” he says, carrying me to the bathroom. Yeah, he is.

He puts me
down on my feet, his arousal rubbing against my body as he releases
me. Turning on the shower, he tests the temperature first, before
lifting me in. I moan as the warm water hits my body, and at the
promising look in his eyes. I stand up on my toes and kiss him
slowly, a sensual tease. His tongue darts inside my lips, deepening
the kiss as his hands roam my body. When his thumb swipes over my
nipple, my body jerks in pleasure.

“I want you,”
he growls, pulling his mouth from mine.

“You have
me.”

He lifts me up
in the air, and I instantly wrap my legs around him. “You sure
you’re okay?”

“Nothing’s
gonna stop me from taking you. Want you too bad,” he says before
his mouth is on mine again.

“Then take
me,” I gasp as he pulls his lips away, only to move them to my ear
lobe, nibbling. He moves a hand down between us, and strokes me
gently. He makes a husky sound in his throat when he feels just how
ready I am for him.

When he slides
into me with one firm thrust, a curse escapes my lips and exquisite
pleasure consumes me. My back slams against the tiled wall with
each thrust of his body, and I wrap my arms around the back of his
neck, holding on. His lips return to mine, his tongue mimicking
each thrust. I slide my fingers through his wet hair, tugging on it
as my body erupts with waves of pleasure. A whimpering sound
escapes my lips as he lowers his head to suck a nipple into his
mouth, heightening my orgasm. He bites it gently before he pulls
back, our eyes connecting. I watch his face as he finishes, the
expression of ecstasy turning me on.

Reid pulls out
and kisses me tenderly, his soft lips showing me how much he cares.
We finish our shower, taking turns washing each other. He turns the
water off and gets out first, taking a towel into his hands and
holding it out for me. I step out and he wraps me up in it, kissing
me on the nose. I look up at my man and sigh in contentment as he
dries me with a towel.

Best. Shower.
Ever.

“That’s
fourteen dollars, thanks,” I tell the gentleman I’m serving. He
hands me a fifty and I give him his change.

“Finally
slowed down,” Tag says, coming up next to me. We had a two hour
long rush, the place was packed.

“Yeah. You can
go have a smoke break, if you want,” I offer, knowing he must be
dying for one right about now.

“So, dating
the boss and giving out orders, huh,” he teases, his eyes
playful.

“What?! Tag, I
was just saying…”

Tag chuckles,
pulls out a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his jeans and
heads outside. I can’t help but stare at his jean clad ass as he
departs. Buns of steel.

“Quit staring
at my ass, Summer!” he calls out, not even turning around.

I’m just
finishing cleaning up the bar when Jade walks in. I do a double
take when she walks behind the bar, and starts grinning at me
knowingly.

“You’re the
new chick?” I ask, my eyes flaring.

She laughs.
“Yeah, and please don’t be mad cos I need this job.”

I lift my
shoulder in a shrug. “Tone down your crazy and I’m sure we’ll get
along fine.”

“Consider it
toned down. What happened the other night after the fight?” she
asks.

“Someone’s
nosey,” I huff, cutting up some lime for the tequila shots.

“No,
seriously.”

“We fought, we
made up. I had no idea the doc was his ex. I didn’t even see what
she looked like.”

Jade gives me
a head to toe once over. “You’re way hotter than her.”

I roll my
eyes.

“No, I’m
serious. You’re all hips and boobs with a tiny waist. I’ve heard
the guys talk about how hot you are.”

“Are we
bonding over the mutual dislike for Reid’s ex?” I ask, stifling a
laugh.

She grins
evilly. “Yeah, I think we are.”

Jade looks
cute today, her blonde hair is tied up in a high pony tail and her
makeup consists of lip gloss and mascara. Her tight jeans and black
top show off her slender figure.

“Were you just
checking me out?” she teases.

“Wow, what did
I miss?” Tag says, wiggling his eyebrows at us.

“How come no
one told me Jade was the new girl?” I ask, looking at each of
them.

“I thought you
knew,” Tag says with a shrug. He runs his hands over the stubble on
his cheeks before saying, “Ryan hired her.”

“How’s your
daughter? I have a present for her in my car.”

Tag’s face
lights up. “She’s good. So smart. I’m pretty sure I have a genius
on my hands.”

“Her mum must
be smart then,” I tease, laughing when he pulls on my pony
tail.

“Where’s your
man today?” he asks me.

“At the gym
with Xander and dad.”

“When’s the
next fight?” he asks.

“No idea.” I
look at Jade expectantly.