Reckless Retribution (West Warriors Book 1) (17 page)

“Yes!” She jutted her elbow in a downward motion like she’d just scored a goal.

“You’ve cheered up,” I teased.

“Well, you know what they say. A cage fighter a day keeps the doctor away.” She grinned seductively and wiggled her eyebrows.

I burst out laughing at her and she giggled back. I was starting to think there was some truth to that. Since I’d been working at the club, I’d been feeling great, for the most part. Our petulant giggling was beginning to disturb people eating at the surrounding tables, so we gathered our belongings together and Taylor returned to school, while I made my way to work.

When I walked into the club, Kal was sitting talking with the guys. They all greeted me when I walked to the desk, including Jamie. I put my belongings away then grabbed the disinfectant and set about sanitizing the equipment, wiping them down while they sat with Kal. When I finished, I stored the cleaning things away and walked back to the desk. The guys were out front talking, and Kal came out of the break room with his jacket on like he was going somewhere. “Just going to watch my daughter’s school recital,” he beamed. “I’ll be back in an hour. If you need anything, ask one of them.” He pointed to the guys outside.

“Okay,” I replied. He walked out, and I watched him say goodbye to the guys before he got in his car and drove away. Marc and Leon got in their trucks and went off somewhere, leaving Cam and Jamie.

“Do you want us to pick you up any lunch?” Cam shouted through the door to me.

“I’m okay, thanks.” I smiled at the sweet gesture.

“We’ll be back in ten.”

I nodded to them, and then realized I would be completely on my own without any of them here. I’d never been completely alone at work. I tried not to panic. The phone and the customers kept me busy, and before I knew it, Jamie came back in, eating a sandwich, with Cam nowhere to be seen. With a mouthful of food, he gave me a delicious wink as he walked past me into the break room, and I smiled at him while chatting to a customer on the telephone. He came back out carrying a bucket of water, and my insides heated in anticipation of seeing his glorious body.

When the conversation on the telephone ended, I placed the handset down and sat back in my chair with the perfect view of him. Luckily, the double front doors were wedged open to let the hot air inside the club escape. Pulling his white T-shirt over his head, he tucked it into his snug-fitting shorts and wiped his forehead with his arm. Yet again, I couldn’t help staring at his physique, and I couldn’t believe the other day I was standing right in front of him when he lifted his shirt up for me in the cage. I wish I’d ran my hand down his chest while I had the opportunity.

He started soaping up his truck as Imagine Dragons
“Demons”
blared from his speakers. The band was definitely a favorite of his; their music was all I’d heard him play. The way he rubbed and caressed the truck with the sponge made me want to lie down on the hood and beg him to wash me. Cam’s truck entered the lot and parked near Jamie. Climbing out of it, he said something to Jamie that made him smirk and shake his head in response. They chatted for a while as he continued to wash it, and Cam’s eyes glanced over to the club door.

I lowered my head, pretending to write on my notepad, and when I looked back up, Jamie was turned facing me with a cocky smirk on his face. He bent down and dunked the sponge into the water, and I got ready to dodge it, as it was obviously coming my way. But it didn’t. Instead, he held it above him and squeezed the sponge over the top of his shoulders, and the soapy water and suds trailed down his sculpted body like butter in a hot pan.

Holy shit!
I was about to spontaneously combust in my seat. Biting his bottom lip, he suggestively rubbed the sponge over his chest and stomach, washing himself. Suds trickled down his happy trail, where the droplets ran off down the front of his shorts, and my eyes followed them. Mischievously, he held the sponge out in my direction, and I covered my gaping mouth with my hand and shook my head, laughing. Was he seriously offering me the sponge to wash
him? This guy was the least shy person I knew. Except Taylor. He was the male version of her. At this point, Cam was now bent over laughing at him, and Jamie smiled devilishly back to me and dropped the sponge into the bucket then chuckled along with Cam.

He began to hose the soap from his truck. He was dripping wet and couldn’t care less. I, on the other hand, was so turned on it was unreal. That must have been one of the sexiest things I had ever witnessed. Damn you, Jamie O’Shea!

Cam came walking into the club, shaking his head and still laughing. “Lauren, your face was priceless.”

I blushed, embarrassed. “How the hell should I have reacted to that?” I gestured in Jamie’s direction. No one in their right mind would have ignored him doing that. He was such a tease.

“You know, you starin’ at him like that is just going to spur him on.”

“I wasn’t staring. He should go wash his truck at home.”

“Oh, you were staring all right.” He raised his eyebrows at me, his green eyes full of amusement.

“What do you expect? A hot guy starts washing his truck while shirtless, and I’m supposed to….” I stopped talking and squeezed my eyes shut, mortified I had just called Jamie hot in front of Cam. I wanted to die. Opening them back up, Cam’s eyes had widened and his grin got bigger. “I didn’t mean… I meant…,” I stuttered. He held up his hands in a ‘way too much information’ gesture and walked off to the kitchen.

Jamie came through the door, dripping wet and holding his bucket. I didn’t know where to look, so I focused on the computer screen, hoping he couldn’t see my heart pounding through my shirt. He bent down to my ear, his chest bare and wet next to me, and whispered huskily, “You know, you could have helped me.”

Turning to him, I saw his eyes were glinting mischievously and he had that cute smirk on his face. A breathy laugh escaped me as I watched him stand up straight. “Yeah, you wish,” I retorted, self-conscious. He replied with something that sounded like “yep” as he walked away, but it was too quiet to know for sure. Actually, I would have loved nothing more than to wash him all over with that damn sponge. Leaving the desk, I grabbed the mop and bucket and cleaned up the mess he dripped in, and dried it with a towel before we had a lawsuit on our hands.

Cam walked out and winked teasingly. I quickly turned away, mortified. Seconds later, Jamie followed wearing fresh clothes and sneakers, and I was bummed to see him dressed. They both got in the cage and began sparring. They laughed and talked humorously while they were doing it, which wasn’t like them, and with all that had just happened outside, I wondered what exactly they had done while they were gone. They definitely must have taken some happy pills or something, because this was the most boisterous I’d ever seen them. Leon and Marc returned and got stuck back into their training, and when Kal eventually came back, normality resumed, and I couldn’t help but laugh to myself thinking if he only knew what had just happened. They seemed to do all this stuff when he wasn’t around.

Pulling up a chair next to me, Kal began to show me pictures of his daughter’s recital. He was so proud. It felt really nice that he was including me in his personal life; he kept that very close to his heart and rarely talked about his family. Looking at this beautiful, dark curly-haired girl pictured in a pretty white dress, I asked him how old she was.

“Eight,” he replied. He told me her name was Isabella, and he had a younger son named Zack, who was almost five. His wife’s name was Lucille.

“What about your family?” he asked, putting his cell back in his pocket. There was a guarded look in his eye like he felt a little awkward asking me.

“Just me and Dad. My mom left some years ago.”

“No brothers or sisters?”

“No.”

“Well, you have four brothers now.” He smiled, nodding over to the guys. I had to suppress a laugh when I looked over at them, especially Jamie. I wanted to do very naughty things to that one.

“And you now have an uncle.” He patted his chest. I laughed quietly at his sentiment.

“Thanks, Kal.”

“No problem, sweetheart.” He cupped my shoulder then walked off to the guys. That left my heart feeling warm and fuzzy. It was such a sweet gesture from him. He truly was one of the nicest guys I had ever met.

****

Saturday, Taylor and I decided to hit the bars for a much needed night out. She arrived in a cab at 7:30 and squealed with excitement when I climbed into the car. “You should definitely wear dresses more often. You look amazing.” She squeezed my hand gently.

I had settled on a navy bodycon dress that hugged my curvy figure and showed a little cleavage. Taylor looked amazing too. She had expertly put her black hair up with some strands hanging loosely around her neck, and as usual, her lips were as red as rubies. Teamed with her simple black dress, she looked stunning.

When the cab pulled up, Taylor began to exit the car and, shuffling out behind her, I noticed her dress was completely backless. “Are you not wearing a bra?” I screeched, almost too loudly. I was shocked that she would be brave enough to go braless. I paled at the thought of not wearing my push up.

“Nope.” She let out a throaty chuckle.

“Please tell me you at least have underwear on,” I joked.

“Now that would be lying.” She winked.

The poor cab driver’s cheeks turned pink as I handed him the cash. “Ugh!” I screwed my face up playfully.

We started our night at Lightbar, which was a small, contemporary bar. It had a relaxing atmosphere with a pianist playing soft melancholy music. We sat down in one of the leather booths, and a waiter came to take our order. I ordered a mojito, while Taylor ordered an apple martini. When the waiter went off to tend to our drinks, my thoughts drifted to Taylor and her break up with Jake. “Have you spoken to Jake yet?”

She nodded. “I’ve texted him, but he’s still mad that I didn’t believe him.”

“Just give him time and he’ll come around. Have you not seen him at all?”

“I’ve seen him around campus, but he just puts his head down and keeps on walking,” she said miserably.

I pulled her to me for a hug. I hated seeing her so down. “You’ll work it out,” I soothed. Our drinks came, and our conversation soon turned to school gossip and our impending finals. After a few more drinks, we walked the short distance to our favorite club, Revolution. The music was beating out onto the street, and we joined the people lining up to get inside. I wished we were the type of people who could flirt with the bouncers and get in right away, but we weren’t. Well,
I
wasn’t, but Taylor could. They would probably turn me away, so I would rather stand in line and spare the embarrassment.

When we finally got inside the club, standing near the entrance, almost like it was staged, was Jake and his friends. Jake looked clearly stunned by Taylor; it was written all over his face. She kept herself together though, and linking my arm, we walked straight past him. She didn’t even give him a second glance.

“Did you see his face?” She laughed as we reached the bar.

“I think his tongue hit the floor.” I chuckled.

Then he was upon us. “Can I speak with you?” he asked her, looking forlorn.

She raised her eyebrows expectantly, crossing her arms over her chest. I felt a bit awkward standing there while he was trying to make amends with her. “I’m going to the restroom,” I said, wanting to give them a bit of space. Leaving them to it, I made my way through the corridor to the bathroom.

On my way back out, I found myself standing before an equally shocked Jamie. This was a first. They were never out; I thought I was seeing things. I thanked the angels above that I had put on my cute little dress.

“Hello.” He grinned as his eyes wandered the length of my body.

Flashbacks of him washing himself flooded my mind. “Hey.” I smiled shyly at him.

“Who are you here with?” he asked, looking around the busy bar.

“Just Taylor, why?”

“Come here.” He beckoned me to follow him, so I did, wondering where he was leading me. I trailed behind him, looking through the crowds of people for the other guys, but I couldn’t see them anywhere. I wondered who
he
was
here with. He rounded a quiet, secluded corner and gently backed me up against the wall. It was only then that I took in how handsome he looked in his blue jeans and navy Henley top. The sleeves were rolled up to showcase his muscular forearms. I met his heated gaze and desire for him instantly pooled in my belly.

“Did you mean what you said in the cage?” he asked me quietly, his eyes penetrating mine expectantly.

I thought about the last thing he said to me at work. “What, that I didn’t want to wash you?” I prompted.

He looked back at me, confused, and then shook his head. “No, when we were in the cage. I asked you if you liked me.”

Realizing what he was asking me, I was stunned for a minute that he was choosing to ask me this, here, now. Technically, I didn’t answer him when he asked me that. I did remember him telling me I couldn’t have him though, and that hurt slightly. Well, a lot. “What did you mean when you said I couldn’t have someone like you?” I asked bravely.

“I didn’t say that.” He shook his head.

“Yes, you did.” I narrowed my eyes.

“I meant you don’t
want
someone like me,” he corrected.

“Why would you say that?”

He sighed and shifted on the spot then moved his body toward me, closing the gap between us. “Are you saying that you do?”

My legs started to feel like Jell-O, and I didn’t know whether to tell him the truth or to lie to him. “I don’t know what I think Jamie. You’re nice one minute and an ass the next,” I said honestly.

He let out a surprised chuckle. “You think I’m an ass?”

“Why did you say that, Jamie?” I asked, bringing him back to my question.

Ignoring me, he moved in closer and brought his mouth to my ear. I started breathing heavier in response. “Do you want me?” he whispered.

I had to stop myself from letting out a moan. How could he make me feel like I was about to come undone just by his words alone? This hot guy was standing before me, asking me if I wanted him. I did want him, but I still found myself too scared to admit that to him. Although I was pretty certain he knew the answer anyway.