Maybe This Time (22 page)

“A tiger
doesn’t lose sleep over the opinion of sheep,” I say, flashing Ryan
a mega-watt smile.

Ryan lifts his
head back and laughs. “You are something else, babe.”

“Besides, my
mother taught me to respect my elders,” I say.

“What about
him?” Jade asks, pointing at a cute guy standing at the bar.

Ryan shakes
his head no. “Douche bag.”

“Him?” she
asks, gesturing to a cute blond man.

“He’s a drug
dealer,” Ryan says solemnly.

“He is not!”
Jade gasps.

“Hey, he’s
hot,” I say, checking out a muscular tattooed guy.

“He has a wife
and a mistress,” Ryan immediately adds.

Jade puffs out
a breath. “There’s only one other attractive guy here tonight. The
guy with the dreads.”

“He has a
pregnant girlfriend,” Ryan says.

“You are such
a liar, Ryan,” I say, laughing.

Ryan shrugs.
“You learn things about people when you work at a bar.”

“What about
Tag?” I ask, grinning.

Jade actually
looks like she would consider it. “Guaranteed multiple orgasms
right there.”

“Definitely,”
I agree.

Ryan groans.
“I don’t wanna know.” He stands up and heads to the bar to help out
Reid.

“How long’s
your break?”

“Thirty
minutes. Why? You need a wing woman?”

“Yes,
actually, I do.”

“Maybe you
should ask Tilly.” We both laugh at that.

“Seriously,
Reid can’t stop watching you. It’s not like you’re going to
disappear,” she says. I lift my head up to find him watching me. He
flashes me a grin, which I return whole heartedly.

“Can I ask you
why the sudden need to get laid?” When she instantly looks down, I
know something is up. “What is it Jade?”

The colour
drains from her face, but she tries to school her expression. “It’s
nothing, it’s just time.”

I don’t buy
it, but I let it go. “You wanna come to my house before the fight
next week?” I ask, changing the subject.

“Actually, no.
I’m not gonna go to the fights anymore. It’s not gonna fix
anything, if Reid beats Raptor or not. I’m letting it go, and he
should, too.”

Whoa.
Something is definitely going on here. “Okay, but I’m here if you
wanna talk, alright.”

She looks
relieved that I’m dropping it. “I’ll remember that.”

“I better get
back to work. Look, why don’t we go out sometime this week, and
maybe you can meet someone,” I offer.

She nods.
“Sounds good. I’m gonna head home.”

“Alright,
bye,” I say.

I watch her
walk out with the feeling that something isn’t right.

His name
escapes my mouth as wave after wave of pleasure takes over me. Reid
grunts as he slides into me one last time. I collapse onto my
stomach, my face buried in the pillow. Reid pulls out of me and
pushes my hair to the side, kissing the back of my neck. I lift my
face up from the pillow so I can talk.

“Is it just me
or does it get better every single time?” I ask.

He chuckles
softly. “It’s fucking perfect every time, baby.”

“I thought
so.”

Reid lies down
next to me, and rolls me over so I’m facing him. He lifts the sheet
to cover us both, and snuggles towards me.

“I love you,”
he says, staring into my eyes.

“I love you,
too.”

“Do you? Or do
you just love the three orgasms I just gave you?” he says,
smirking.

“Both,” I say
sleepily.

“Sleep, baby,”
he whispers.

I fall asleep
instantly.

“What’s going
on with Jade?” I ask Tag a week later, who is leaning in a sexy
pose against the wall. Tonight is Reid’s fight against the
sasquatch guy from the restaurant, and even though I’m feeling a
little under the weather, I’m definitely going to be there to
support Reid. After this fight, he gets to fight the guy that his
brother lost against.

Lost.

Died.

If I’m being
honest with myself, isn’t death a chance you take when you enter
something like this?

“I dunno,
she’s been very quiet though,” Tag says, frowning.

“Did you guys
have sex?” I ask, grinning.

“What? No.
Why? Does she want to?” he asks, grinning.

“Who doesn’t,
Tag?” I tease, winking at him.

He throws his
head back and laughs. “No one, babe, no one.”

“That’s what I
thought. You coming to the fight tonight?” I ask.

“Nope, got my
little girl tonight. We’re watching The Little Mermaid and eating
popcorn,” he says, smiling.

My heart
melts. This tough looking guy with his shaved head, muscular build
and goatee is such an amazing father. Goes to show, never judge a
book by its cover.

“Don’t swoon
over me, girl,” Tag says, his eyes twinkling.

“I’ll
try.”

“Try
harder.”

“You’re such a
good father, I can’t help it.”

His eyes
darken. “It wasn’t always this way. I made some fucked up mistakes
in the beginning.” He turns and walks off.

Touchy
subject, then.

“What are you
doing here?” Ryan asks, frowning as he walks in.

“I know you
guys need help for the rush, so I thought I’d come in for an hour
or so.”

“Reid wants
you with him,” he says.

“Reid can wait
an hour without me.”

Ryan doesn’t
look so sure.

“Relax,
Ry.”

“I can’t help
it, babe, it’s an important fight,” he says, rubbing his hands on
his face wearily.

“I know, trust
me, I know,” I say quietly.

“Yeah, all I
know is you better be there. Jade isn’t going for some reason, but
Reid doesn’t care cos he just needs you there.”

“So I’ve
heard,” I say dryly.

Ryan tucks a
lock of my hair behind my ear. “Go home, babe, get ready. We’ll
come pick you up,” he says.

“Alright,” I
tell him, but end up serving a few more customers and wiping down
the bar before I leave.

A couple of
hours later I’m dressed in light denim distressed jeans, a light
pink V neck top and black boots. My hair is tied away from my face,
and flowing down my back in a ponytail. Reid rang me and said he
was going to the location earlier to warm up, so I’ll be riding
with Ryan. I hear a horn sound and rush to the front door, locking
it behind me. Sliding into the car, I shoot him an amused look.

“Beeping the
horn, really? If this was a date you'd be considered a douche.”

“Well, I rang
your phone and you didn’t answer, and unlucky for you, but this
isn’t a date,” he says, grinning mischievously. I watch as he
reverses the car and pulls onto the road.

“Unlucky for
me? Really? I’ve seen enough of the Ryan Knox charm to know how you
operate.”

“How I
operate?” he asks, eyebrows rising.

“Yeah,
flashing that charming smile of yours, your smooth lines…”

“Smooth
lines?” he repeats, scoffing.

“Yep.”

“Babe, all I
need is this face and this body, not to mention what I can do for a
woman in the sheets, and I’m pretty much good to go,” he brags.

“So
modest.”

He shrugs.
“It’s the truth.”

“You’re pretty
hot,” I admit, a little reluctantly.

He laughs. “Of
course you’d think so.”

“I may be
biased, though.”

“Just a
little,” he says, squashing his thumb and index finger.

“I’m a little
partial to those baby blues.”

“You’re
perfect for Reid,” he says, smiling at me with such warmth, I get a
little choked up.

I clear my
throat. “Where’s the fight held?”

“Place you’ve
never been before. It’s a little further out,” he says.

“Is Mia gonna
be there?” I ask.

“Probably.
She’s not the only doctor that comes out, though, so maybe
not.”

“Can I ask you
something?”

He nods his
head yes.

“Why wouldn’t
Reid stop fighting, now that he has River, I mean, wouldn’t that
seem more important?”

Ryan sighs.
“He considered it. But it’s only two fights left, and then he'll be
done forever. He’s come this close.”

“I guess,” I
say, starting to feel a little anxious. I only hope he wins
tonight.

The drive is
about half an hour, and I’m surprised at the amount of people
around the warehouse.

“Shit, there’s
more people here than the last two fights.”

“Yep,” he
says, finding a secluded parking spot a little away from the
crowd.

“He’s gonna be
fine, right?”

“He’s gonna be
fine.”

“Okay, let’s
do this, then,” I say, taking a deep breath.

The atmosphere
is different tonight, it’s thick and heavy. Filled with
anticipation. I can see people holding up signs for both Reid and
his opponent, some more creative than others. For the first time at
a fight, there are seats around the ring. Ryan takes me by my arm,
and I smile when I see familiar faces. Xander, dad and Dash. I hug
all three men and then look around for my man.

“Where is
he?”

“Out back,
he’ll be out in a minute,” he says.

“Can I go see
him?” I ask, my gaze darting.

“Just wait,
baby,” Dash says, pulling me closer to him.

Something’s
not right.

I sigh in
relief when I see Reid walk out. He’s shirtless, and a little
sweaty, like he’s already been fighting. I head in his direction,
stopping when I see his face. He looks mad. No, not mad, he looks
pissed. He raises his head and sees me, and I watch as his face
goes soft right before my eyes. He reaches me in a few quick
steps.

“What’s
wrong?” I ask quickly.

“Nothing, now
that you’re here,” he says, pulling me against his warm chest.

“Tell me-”

“There was an
incident, I took care of it. I gotta head up now. You know the
drill, stand with Ryan,” he says, lowering his face for a quick but
passionate kiss.

“Love
you.”

“You too,
beauty, you too.”

He escorts me
back to Ryan, and they have a silent conversation with their eyes.
After a few moments, Ryan steps forward and hugs Reid. Reid grins,
and pulls away, walking off with my dad and Xander.

“Why’s
everyone so tense tonight?” I ask Ryan so only he can hear. He
doesn’t reply, instead sets his hands firmly on my shoulders, and
positions me so I’m standing right in front of him. The fight
starts, and I watch as Reid and Frank circle each other. Reid
throws the first punch, hitting him square in the face. I turn to
look at Ryan, and then see a familiar face.

“Silas,” I
call out, waving my hand. I frown when I see his nose is bleeding,
and his cheek is swollen. I step towards him, wondering if he’s
okay, frowning when I see the emotions on his face. He looks
worried and unsure.

Worst of all
he looks guilty.

Ryan turns to
look where I’m looking and his face turns to stone. He walks over
to Silas, and I follow quickly behind him.

Ryan lifts his
hand and hits Silas, who instantly falls to the floor.

“What the fuck
are you doing, Ryan?” I shriek, my mouth open in horror. I lean
down onto my knees and put my hands on either side of his face.

“Are you
okay?” I ask him, feeling panicked.

“How the fuck
do you know him?” Ryan asks me in a tone I’ve never heard
before.

“From the
library,” I say, confused. I turn to see Reid rushing towards me. A
glance back at the ring shows a huge form lying unmoving on the
floor. Shit.

I’ve never
seen Reid look so terrifying before. His jaw is set, his fists are
clenched and his eyes are cold as ice.

Unfeeling.

Impenetrable.

I gulp when he
pins me with a scathing look. “Get your hands off him. Now,” he
demands. I take my hands off Silas, but don’t move or stand up.
Silas sits up, wincing in pain. Before I know it, I’m dragged up by
my arm, and then thrown over Reid’s shoulder.

“Reid-”

“Not a fucking
word, Summer,” he growls, and I still. What the fuck did I do? He
takes me to his car, and sits me down in the passenger seat none
too gently.

“Don’t fucking
manhandle me,” I snap, clicking in my seat belt.

Reid ignores
me, starting the car and driving off. After ten minutes of silence,
I can’t take it anymore.

“What was
that?” I say shortly.

“Are you
fucking him?” he asks.

My jaw drops
open. “What the fuck?”

“Yes or
fucking no, Summer,” he says, his knuckles white on the steering
wheel.

“Fuck you,
Reid,” I say, looking out the window. I can’t believe this shit.
I’ve never even looked at another man the way I look at Reid, never
felt for another man what I feel for him, and he doesn’t trust
me?

“I’ve been
stabbed in the back once or twice, but this takes the fucking
cake,” he grits out.

“Maybe instead
of accusing me, you can tell me what you are talking out?” I say,
my voice raising.

“The guy who
killed my baby brother, and you’re touching him like he’s fucking
precious? Feeling his face and shit?” he yells, losing control. My
mind takes a few seconds to catch up.

Silas is a
fighter?

Silas is the
one Reece fought?

Lawyer, always
in the library studying Silas?

“Reid. Silas
is at the library when I study, I had no idea he was the guy! He’s
studying law, I just thought he was a student!” I try to explain,
but it seems Reid’s not having it.

“Worst fucking
day of my life when I realise Mia was right about you,” he
says.

I go silent,
his words having the effect he wanted them to.

They cut.

Reid is a
bastard. I haven’t done shit, and I’m not gonna take this from
him.

“Stop the
car,” I say, keeping my voice calm and collected.

“You may be a
fucking bitch but I’m not a bastard. I’ll take you home,” he says,
his words final.