Relentless Liberation (2 page)

Quickly she snapped her mouth shut and swallowed hard. His
eyes tracked the movement, then dipped a little lower before once again meeting
her stare. “Your name’s Mina, right?”

The deep sound of his voice traveled along her body,
caressing places he’d never seen. The way her name rumbled out in his gravelly
baritone plucked at her nipples and suddenly her pussy lips felt heavy and
swollen. How could her traitorous body react like this when all he’d done was
say her name?

Wait.
“You know my name?”

He smiled and her heart literally stopped. “I wish you could
see the look on your face right now.” Oh she could just imagine.
Poleaxed
more than likely defines it best.
“Yeah, I know your name. I’ve seen you
hanging around with Brian’s girl.”

Dear God—he knew her name and he’d seen her around? He had
actually noticed her? Before her mind could put the cart way out in front of
the horse, she reminded herself that it wasn’t interest in her that had him
learning her name. She
had
been coming here for three months and he had
never once approached her. No, he was just observant. That was all.

“I guess I never really thought you’d pay attention.” His
expression darkened and she didn’t know why but she felt the need to hastily
clarify. “I mean, since every time I see you you’re busy beating the crap out
of someone.”

The corners of his lips twitched. “I notice way more than
you’d think.”

A feminine growl of frustration diverted Tyler’s attention
back to Chloe and Brian. “They fight too damn much,” he said in a low tone.

She couldn’t help her snort of agreement. She knew that they
loved each other but it was this kind of thing right here that made her glad
she was single. “I know, right? They’ve been at it for,” she glanced at her
watch,” almost half an hour now.”

“Did you ride here with them? That why you’re still sitting
here listening to this bullshit?”

His gruffness made her smile and she nodded.

“Shit, you could be here all night waiting for them to
figure it out.” He looked at her, considering for a moment. “I’ll give you a ride
home if you want.”

She might have actually swallowed her tongue and she knew
her eyes were as big as saucers. Oh this was a great first impression she was
making here. By the time this was over, he’d think she was mental. But the
thought of being alone with him, let alone in such a confined space as a car,
made her stomach bottom out.

Of course, he completely misread her stunned silence as
disinterestedness and stood. “I get it, though, if you’d rather wait for your
friends than take a ride from a complete stranger. So no worries.” He hauled
his gym bag over one shoulder and started to walk away.

And she let him get the whole way to the door before her
brain finally got back online and screamed at her that she was about to pass up
an amazing opportunity. Even if deep down she knew it was a bad idea and
probably wouldn’t go anywhere, she might at least get the chance to get to know
him.

Shoving to her feet, she ran after him before he could leave
the building. “Wait,” she called out and he turned toward her. “I’d really
appreciate a ride home, if you don’t mind.”

That killer smile returned and he shook his head. “I don’t
mind.”

“Okay. Just let me tell Chloe,” she choked out.

He laughed. “You’d be better off texting her. I doubt you’ll
get a word in edgewise if you try to interrupt them right now.”

Glancing back at the quarreling lovers, she saw that they
were so absorbed in their argument she doubted they would notice a freight
train coming at them. “Maybe you have a point. Let’s go.” With that, she
followed him out of the gym. Chloe would more than likely be ecstatic to learn
that she had left with Tyler anyway.

The parking lot was mostly empty as they made their way to
his sleek black Lexus. She was impressed by the luxury of the car as she slid
into the passenger’s seat. Actually, she didn’t know what she had expected him
to drive. She didn’t pretend to think she knew anything about him. Well, beyond
his superior fighting skills and the fact that the way he carried himself
caused a flood in her panties. The occasions when she did let her mind wander to
what he might be like in his everyday life, his finances never entered into it.

He threw his bag into the backseat before sliding in next to
her behind the wheel. “Where to?”

She rattled off her address as he started the car. The first
few minutes of the ride were shrouded in awkward silence. Or at least
she
felt awkward, but that was pretty much par for the course. She just couldn’t
for the life of her think of anything relevant to say to this man, who had been
the object of her secret fantasies for months.

In the end he saved her from her internal agonizing. “So how
do you know Chloe?”

Oh good, a simple question
. She could handle a simple
question. “I work with her at the bookstore.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “That makes sense.” He
glanced at her and her expression must have given away her confusion because he
decided to elaborate. “I just mean that I’m surprised a girl like you would
show up to these fights all the time.”

“A girl like me?” And shit, he’d noticed how often she
attended? Did he also notice that she wanted to trip him and beat him to the
floor every time she saw him too?

“Yeah, sweet, shy. Not for nothin’ but you looked like you
were gonna faint the first time I cracked a guy’s nose open.”

Damn, he was definitely a lot more observant than she’d
given him credit for. “It takes a lot more than a little blood to have me
blacking out.”

“So it would seem.” He inclined his head as if to concede
her point. “Still, it was surprising. Kind of a nice change of pace, though.”

To that she had no response. Wasn’t even sure she fully
understood what he meant. She had seen the women who frequented these fights
and she didn’t exactly fit the mold. Most of those women were much sexier,
possessing swaggers that could only come from supreme self-confidence. But
wasn’t that what men were attracted to? Come to think of it, that was more than
likely why he had noticed her at all. No doubt she stood out as a bookworm
among all the sexy amazons, Chloe included.

Just like that all her jittery energy turned inward to
attack her and she felt deflated. Well what kind of impression did she think
she had made on him anyway? Inwardly she scowled. Her fleetingly misplaced
optimism was pathetic.

But he didn’t let her dwell in her self-recrimination for
long. “What about these bloody beat-down sessions is so fascinating to you that
you keep coming back?”

Crap.
Like she was going to tell him that it wasn’t
the blood and carnage that kept her coming or even the gambling. It was him.

“I find the fighting—for all its brutality—to be elegant,
even peaceful, believe it or not. So out of the realm of the everyday mundane
and restrained.” Okay, so that wasn’t exactly a lie but it wasn’t exactly the
whole truth either.

It obviously wasn’t a response he was expecting as his
eyebrows quirked up toward his hairline. Then he barked out a laugh, the sound
making her insides tingle. “You must have some serious repression issues.”

She blew out a breath. “Oh you have no idea,” she said
before she could stop herself. Her eyes flew up to meet his. Once again, his
expression darkened but there was a heated undertone there now that she
couldn’t read.

“What about it fascinates you? Why do you do it?” Her voice
was small in the car but this was something she’d often wondered. Never thought
she’d ever get the opportunity to ask.

He smirked but neither his eyes nor his expression gave
anything away. “Maybe you’re not the only one with repression issues.”

Rolling her eyes, she couldn’t help it, she smiled back.
“Think you have me pegged, do you? I might actually surprise you.” Holy hell,
where had that come from? Like they were ever going to talk again for her to
get the opportunity to surprise him.

“I’ll look forward to it.” His smile widened and while she
was dazzled by the pretty, the car rolled to a stop. With a start, she realized
they were parked in front of her apartment building and that their very brief
and probably sole conversation was over. The one and only time she had gotten
to speak to him and the conversation had revolved around her. How utterly
disappointing.

“Thanks for the ride. I would have been sitting there
forever otherwise,” she said, hoping to stall a little.

“Anytime. You have an early shift or anything tomorrow?”

“No, thank God. I don’t go in until noon.” He nodded and
started tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. It seemed her time with him
was up.

“Well thanks again,” she murmured as she reluctantly reached
for the door handle.

“You’re welcome again. See you around, Mina.” His smile was
warm and had her juices trickling along the seam of her sex but she somehow
managed to get out of the car without falling on her face. He waited until she
was safely inside the building before pulling back out into traffic.

Once in her apartment, she leaned against the door and
expelled a long, pent-up breath. This was the first time all night she had felt
as though her airways weren’t constricted and it was good to let it all out.

She had actually spoken to him! And much to her relief she
hadn’t sounded like a complete imbecile either, which was a surprising turn of
events. She knew that tonight didn’t change anything, except that now she knew
he was a nice guy on top of everything else. Like she needed another reason to
obsess over him.

Even knowing that a single ride home did not equate any sort
of relationship, she could still feel the warmth of his smile tingling through
her veins, fractionally thawing her out. It was a beautiful if unfamiliar
feeling and she didn’t stop smiling until she was snugly wrapped under her
covers and drifting off to sleep.

When Mina got to the bookstore at noon it was packed. It
seemed as though there was a never-ending stream of customers and she had spent
the last three hours doing nothing but ringing people up. Finally there was a
lull as the store quieted down, so she grabbed a stack of pre-ordered books and
made her way over to the phone to call the customers they belonged to.

She had just finished a phone call when she felt the prickly
sensation of someone staring at her. Although she was sure she was just
imagining it, she lifted her head and instantly a wave of heat rushed over her,
making her cheeks burn. Tyler stood on the other side of the counter watching
her with an amused smile tilting the corner of his mouth.

Mina opened her lips to say something. Nothing came out so
she blushed harder, cleared her throat and tried again. “Hi.”
Good grief.
Why had that been so hard?

“Hi.” He leaned forward to brace his elbows on the counter. He
said nothing else, just stood there watching her with that impish smile on his
face and a strange intensity in his eyes.

As though it was possible and apparently it was, her nervous
factor cranked up yet another notch under his scrutiny. “Um…can I help you with
something?” That was an awesome opening.
Way to come across as annoyed to be
bothered
.

But his smile only got wider. “I just wanted to see what
your natural habitat looked like.”

“You’ve never been in a bookstore before?” she squeaked with
a raised eyebrow. Maybe he hadn’t. Maybe he was an illiterate Neanderthal, too
vapid and self-absorbed to bother with the written word. He would definitely
lose points if that were the case and the thought had her relaxing a little.
Reaffirming how completely incompatible they were would make this easier on
her.

“Actually I love bookstores. Something about the way they
smell. And reading’s maybe my third-favorite thing to do. I’ve just never seen
you in a bookstore before or outside of the gym, for that matter.” He shrugged.
“What can I say? I was curious.”

With that comment, his place on that absurdly high pedestal
was once again secured. Her crush just kept getting worse the more she spoke to
him, not better.

“Glad I could help satisfy your twisted idle curiosity,” she
said with more bite than she intended.

Really, her annoyance was more about her than it was him, so
it wasn’t fair to lash out. But right now he was just so convenient, which in
and of itself was odd.

Again he shrugged, completely unfazed by her sharp reply.
“My curiosity is pretty twisted but obviously not so idle.” His smile faltered
slightly but his comment had her coming up short.
What the hell does that
mean?
“Maybe you could help me sort some of it out. Do you have a break
coming up soon?”

For a moment she stood nonplussed, completely unable to
register what he had just asked her. “Let me get this straight. You’re here
because you find me curious and now you want to what, sit and have a cup of
coffee or something?”

“I think you’re with me so far.” His eyes brightened as his
smile regained a few megawatts. Her breath left her.

“Glad we’re on the same page,” she said, though she doubted
they were even reading the same book. “I have a break in about ten minutes. I
could meet you at the café next door.”

Nodding, he stood to his full height and she tried to avoid
salivating or gawking at the play of muscles under his black t-shirt as he
moved. “See you in ten.” With that he sauntered away. Then she had to stop
herself from panting over his loose walk and the way his jeans hung off his
lean hips in the most delicious way. The dizziness of arousal that this man
inspired her to feel was going to be the death of her.

The next ten minutes were agonizing. She wasn’t sure what
his endgame was, so on top of her overwhelming nervousness she was apprehensive
as well—not quite sure how to take him and his seemingly innocuous request for
her company. It was disheartening to think that he might have an ulterior
motive but for the life of her she couldn’t fathom why he’d be interested in
her on any level.

For the better part of those dreaded ten minutes she fussed
with her appearance in the mirror behind the register. She tugged at the plain
gray sweater and baggy black pants she’d thrown on that morning, cursing
herself for not taking more time to get ready. Her mother had lectured her
incessantly about how she should take pride in her appearance and always look
her best when leaving the house. Mostly, though, she’d rather spend the time
sleeping in the mornings instead of getting up early to primp. But in this
case, she hated to admit, her mother had been right.

She couldn’t decide whether to leave her hair up in a
ponytail or take it down. In the end she decided to leave it up. It was the way
he’d seen her earlier and she didn’t want to give him the impression she was so
affected by him that she would try to alter her appearance to please him. Even
though she was and she suspected he already had an idea of exactly how he
affected her, if his amusement at her expense was any indication.

While she fidgeted the whole way over to the small café next
door, half of her expected that he wouldn’t even be there. That it was all some
sort of misunderstanding and he really wasn’t that curious about her anyway.
But as soon as she stepped inside, there he was, sitting at a table and patiently
awaiting her arrival. He looked sexier than sin and all he was doing was
sitting there, for crying out loud.

When he saw her, that mischievous half-smile graced his all-too-kissable
lips. She wanted to run right back out the door and into the relative safety of
the bookstore. Maybe she could hide in the break room until he went away.

As if sensing her skittishness, he stood and made his way
over to her, effectively squashing any wayward thoughts of escape. “Do you want
something to drink? Or maybe to eat if this is your lunch break?”

The thought of food was abhorrent, as the butterflies in her
stomach were currently running an obstacle course. “I’m not really hungry but
I’ll take a small mocha.”

“Okay, sit down, I’ll be right back.”
Wait, is he buying?
Well if he was going to interrupt her otherwise insipid day, making her
simultaneously wet and uneasy as hell, it was the least he could do. So she
complied and took up a seat at the table he’d vacated.

She watched as he ordered their drinks, all warm smiles and
light banter with the barista. If Mina were anyone other than herself she might
even say he seemed approachable. Once again she was struck by how different he
was in real life, as opposed to her fantasies. She was having a hard time
reconciling the man who was considerate enough to give her a ride home and buy
her coffee with the lethal fighter who spit blood and beat his opponents into
oblivion.

Left to her imagination she would have thought him abrasive,
disinterested and, to be honest, just flat-out mean. She never would have
pegged him for the personable, considerate type but so far that was who he
seemed to be. For all of his ferociousness in the ring, she was seeing none of
that now.

He came back to the table and set her drink down in front of
her before he sat. Taking a sip of his coffee, he eyed her over the rim. “What
were you thinking about just now?”

“Nothing really. Why?” She could feel her eyes narrow on
him. This was going to be a difficult conversation if he wanted to be privy to
her every thought.

“You were staring. What was going on behind those hazel eyes
of yours?”

That impish smirk was back and she almost choked on her
mocha. But his blunt question gave her a clue as to why they were sitting
across from each other right now.

He knew she was attracted to him.

Surely he was used to women reacting to him. What did one
more matter, especially someone as unappealing as her? Her only question now
was why he felt the need to call her out on it. She could think of about a
thousand answers to that question and none of them depicted her in a flattering
light.

However painful, this was familiar territory. It was a
situation she knew how to handle and as the mystery of his sudden interest in
her faded, so too did her anxiety. As odd as it sounded, she could actually
relax now that she’d found a reason for his attention that she could
understand.

He either needed the validation of her attraction or he
found it amusing that someone like her would even dream of being with—let alone
pursue—someone like him. More than likely he’d misconstrued her attending the
fights week after week as some sort of hopefulness on her part.

And maybe in her heart of hearts it had been. God, the thought
made her sick to her stomach. She’d never been forward or presumptuous and the
thought that he might find her so was mortifying.

Still, it didn’t explain why he’d been so nice to her so
far. Or why their every conversation, however few and brief they were, revolved
around her. So she found herself back at square one where this man’s
confounding personality was concerned.

She realized she was taking too long to answer as all these
mini-revelations fired off in her brain. In the end she decided to go with the
truth. What, at this point, could it really hurt? “Honestly? I was thinking
that you’re a bit of a conundrum.”

Cocking his head to the side, he gazed at her quizzically as
though this was not the answer he’d expected. But really, what did he expect
her to say? “How so?”

“In your seeming duality. I’m trying to reconcile the two
sides of you I’ve witnessed so far. How you can be so hardcore—and frankly,
terrifying—in the ring and then be sweet and playful outside of it.”

“Listen to you. My duality.” He laughed. “So basically you
think I have split personality disorder. And you think I’m sweet?” Oh there
went that sexy lopsided grin of his. And there went her heart yet again but she
refused to elaborate on his last question.

“I’m just marveling at your multifaceted ability.”

“And that means you think some of my ‘facets’ are
disingenuous?”

“I like that word, disingenuous. At least that means you
were being honest about reading being a favorite pastime of yours.” She
couldn’t help but giggle at his darkening expression, lightening the tone of
her comments. “Listen, I don’t know you at all so I’m not judging one way or
another. Maybe I find you as confusing as you seem to find me. Just trying to
piece the puzzle together, that’s all.”

“I’m not that mystifying. You spend any kind of time with me
and you’ll find that out. Besides, you’re the puzzle that needs to be put
together. Not me.” He smirked into his cup as he took a drink.

“But turnabout is fair play, yes?” She couldn’t believe how
easy this banter between them was. It usually took her a while to warm up to
someone before she could tease them like this.

“True, but since I hauled my ass up to see you I think it’s
only fair I go first.” Amusement was plain in his eyes as he leaned forward and
braced his elbows on the table. “Deal?”

Once again, her eyes narrowed as she considered his
proposal. Eventually she shrugged. It couldn’t hurt and hadn’t she been longing
for the chance to get to know him just last night? “Okay, deal. But I’ll warn
you now, I’m not that interesting. What do you want to know?”

“For starters, it’d be nice to know why you think you aren’t
that interesting.” He frowned.

She rolled her eyes. “And I’d like to know why you find me
so intriguing all of a sudden.” That was only a half-truth. While she was
curious, part of her feared she already knew the answer and she didn’t want to
hear him say it out loud. It was painful enough just to think about and she was
actually enjoying their tête-à-tête.

His lips lifted in a slow, sensuous grin and she had no
doubt he knew very well its effect. As it was, he had her squirming in her seat
and it wasn’t all from his uncomfortable line of questioning. “We’re not
talking about me right now, remember?”

Sighing, she conceded his point and tried to remember what he’d
originally asked her. “I just think my life’s pretty boring, that’s all. I get
up in the morning, go to work, come home, make dinner, read a little before I
go to bed. Rinse and repeat over and over. I think the most exciting things
that happen in my life are in the books I read.” She smiled, fondly remembering
some of her favorite stories. She could get lost for hours in the written word.
“Then there are the fights that I go to every other week, but at first that
wasn’t exactly voluntary.”

“What kinds of books do you read?” She was thankful that he
glossed over the part about her attendance at the fights not being forced
anymore. Though she suspected he knew why that was, so he didn’t feel it fit
their current conversation. It was
new
information he was after, for
some reason.

“All kinds of things. Mostly urban fantasy, though.” Then
she added because she knew it was his next question, “I like them because they
take place in what’s supposed to be our world but it’s like a magical parallel
universe, where just about anything can happen. Much more interesting than my
life.”

She left out the other genre that dominated her shelves
right next to the urban fantasies at home. In the last three months she’d
become fascinated by erotic romance. Just because she’d put her libido on a
strict hold didn’t mean that she stopped herself from fantasizing.

To be honest, she hadn’t really had any good fantasy
material until she’d seen Tyler, so she’d kind of avoided that section of the
bookstore. Now all the heroes of those novels somehow resembled him, even if
they weren’t described that way. But this was something about her that he just
wasn’t entitled to know.

“Yeah, I get that.” His expression was thoughtful. “Now that
I think about it, that’s probably why I read them too.” Now
this
was new
information. Just like everything else about him, this revelation was wholly
unexpected.