The Fighter's Stubborn Lover (The Burton Brothers Series Book 2) (4 page)

From the corner of her eyes, Avery watched Mason approach. She had to admit to a certain fascination with fighters as they trained. She could see a lot of muscle and skin on display, and the way they moved around each other almost looked like dancing.

Both young men on the mats had taken turns being the aggressor. Avery watched them go through the various physical movements. It was compelling in a way, and if this was as far as it went, she’d have no trouble with Dustin and this sport. But she thought of Edward and shivered.

“Think you could pull off those moves?” Mason asked. He came up next to her at the edge of the mats.

“Me?” She shook her head. “I’d probably faint before I could even think about escaping!”

“Oh, I bet you could do more than you think. Especially if you were afraid and your fight or flight response kicked in. Adrenaline’s a wonderful thing during times of intense stress.”

Avery looked at him. “Really? I thought it only gave you a quick burst of energy.”

“It does. But is also increases your heart rate and breathing. That can translate into strength, endurance, and even the ability to temporarily ignore pain.” She pulled back. He smiled and waved at the fighters. “Mostly, it just gives you that little bit of extra umph needed.”

“That ignoring pain stuff—is that why some fighters continue to fight even after their face has been turned to hamburger?”

“Where’d you see that? I thought you weren’t a fan of the sport?”

“How can you ignore something that’s all over cable TV these days? And there are the videos, and the commercials for fights. I get that its big business, but it seems to me the fighters are the ones being exploited.”

“They’re making money, too. But…well, you don’t fight to fight. There are a lot of reasons guy get into the ring. And sometimes…well, sometimes it’s just sheer determination—you have to keep going to prove to yourself that you can. You learn after lots of experience how to ignore certain things.”

She punched a hand into her coat pocket. “Like blood running into your eyes, or dripping off of your opponent onto your chest, or the inability to see out of your eye because it’s completely swollen shut?” She said, glancing at the scar under his eye “How many times have you been injured fighting?”

“Enough. Nothing real serious though. But nice try there to try and get me to see your point of view and switch sides. Except that’s never going to happen.”

“Really? I’m not sure you and I would agree upon what constitutes a serious injury. So where’s Dustin?”

“About that, let’s step outside. The music’s starting to give me a headache.”

She smiled. “Really? Don’t you listen to it this loud when you’re training?” Avery asked. She followed him back outside, pulling her coat tight as the cold air hit her face and stung her skin.

“Yeah. Mostly it helps me focus on what I’m doing. Having the music loud keeps the guys from talking too much, and makes them pay attention to the training task in front of them.”

Avery shivered. She glanced back at the gym and then at Mason. “I can see that part of it. My first semester of college, I couldn’t study in my dorm room if it was quiet. I’d turn on both the television and the radio.”

He gave a laugh. He had a good one—deep and genuine. “Sounds chaotic.”

“That’s what my roommate said! If my parents hadn’t…” She let the words trail off. She didn’t want to remember that time. The hole that the loss of her folks had left inside her. Her asthma had kicked up again then.

She’d had an inhaler as a kid, but she’d thought she’d grown out of it. And then she’d started losing her family. It had seemed as if her chest had been crushed by those losses—leaving her always gasping for air. Now, here, in the crisp cold air, she could feel a tickle in her chest—a little shortness of breath. Cold always kicked it up again.

Mason led the way toward the larger building—what seemed to be the main lodge. Thankfully, he didn’t pick up on the comment she had let drop about her parents. “You didn’t get along with your roommate?” he asked.

She glanced at the snow. She was glad it had stopped coming down. About a half an inch of new powder over the surrounding landscape. She glanced at Mason—why was he being so friendly now? And where was Dustin? She shook her head. “No, we did. But she was a morning person. My first class wasn’t until ten most days and I liked to stay up late studying. So our schedules didn’t mesh too well.”

“That sucks. Did you finish your degree?”

Avery stopped in the middle of the parking lot. “Why are you’re stalling? Where is Dustin?”

Mason grinned and shook his head. “How about some coffee?”

She pulled in a sharp breath. Her chest gave a pang and she asked, “Oh, my…he’s been injured, hasn’t he? Is he in the hospital? Did you have to fly him out?”

“Whoa!” Mason held up his hands. “Not so bad. Dustin got word you were here and decided he didn’t want to see you. Not yet. I’ve got a good idea where he is. Tomorrow Tavvy’s going to check up on him and he’s got to come back for training.”

Avery kicked at a clump of show. “Really—he left because of me?”

“Hey, don’t take it bad. I think Dustin may be worried you really will talk him out of this.”

“Well, if he stays away, I guess I do win.” She sniffed and rubbed her nose. The cold had started to make it drip. And she was not going to think that Dustin’s running away was hurting her. No, she was old enough not to let that matter—and she could ignore that small twist inside her stomach.

Mason shook his head and started for the larger building again. “Let’s not have you getting any ideas about planning a long stay. Like I said, we have a full house. Besides there are other training camps.”

She pulled a face. “Not if you heard Dustin talk about it.”

“Really?”

She glanced at him and trudged through the snow. “It’s all he talks about—training, the camp, the fights. You and your brothers. Sometimes, I feel like—” She cut off the words.

“Like what?” Mason said his voice low.

“I don’t know why I should tell you.”

“Why not?” He threw his arms wide. “It’s just us and the snow.” Stepping up on the wooden porch, he held out a hand to her.

She put her gloved hand in his hand—the steps looked icy to her. Standing close to him, the warmth off his body washing over her, and him smiling at her, she gave into the impulse to confide in someone. “I feel like I already lost Dustin to this fighting already.”

Mason squeezed her hand. “I promise—he’s fine. And he’s not…look, he’s just avoiding you at the moment. It’s damn juvenile, and not the response I would have expected from him, but it is what it is. He and I are going to have a long talk about maturity. Running away from one’s problems never solves anything.”

Avery dropped his hand. “Meaning I’m the problem?”

“No, you’re not. But that’s how he’s just ducking when he should stand up for what he wants. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get out of this weather and sit by a warm fire for a while. Why don’t you wait in the lodge while I grab your things and get a fire started in the cabin. Then you can either rest, or if you want to shower and freshen up, and I’ll fix us something hot to drink.”

Avery glanced at the darkening sky. The sun had already dropped behind the mountains. “I suppose trying to find Dustin right now isn’t a good idea. And sitting by a fire actually does sound good.”

Opening the door for her, Mason swept her a bow. “Hang out and I’ll be back for you before you know it.”

She stepped inside. The warmth did feel good and the tightness relaxed in her chest. She pulled off her woolen cap and glanced around. The lodge looked comfortable—big furniture, a blazing fire, books scattered around the room. She glanced at one of them and was surprised it wasn’t on fighting, but was on computers.

She had been going to college for a degree in IT. When her parent’s had died, she’d quit college to help raise her brothers. She’d used the Internet to teach herself and had worked online from home and while the boys were younger.

She’d made a nice living and she had built up a list of clients whose systems she remotely accessed to keep their networks up and running. That work still needed her attention, and she had four clients whose files needed to be backed up and archived before Monday morning.

When Mason came back, she jammed on her cap and grabbed her laptop from him. “Do you have Internet up here?”

“Sure. Why?” Mason asked. He led the way out and nodded to the nearest cabin. “Right over here. And you’re in luck. This place has the best signal of any of the cabins. You should have no problems if you need to get some work done.”

Avery followed Mason into the cabin. She gasped in surprise. From the front of the cabin, the structure appeared to be a very small space, but once inside, she saw the cabin had a lot more room.

“Amazing isn’t it? Come on, I’ll show you the bedroom you’ll be using.” Mason led her down the hallway. Doors opened into the bathroom and at the end one door stood open, showing an empty bedroom. He set her things down near the bed. “Each cabins had two bedrooms with bathrooms for each. There’s a laundry room at the back.” He waved to the door at the far end of the hall. “Living room up front like you saw. Big meals are served in the lodge, but all the cabins have a small kitchen, which is where I’ll be making you something hot. Coffee or hot chocolate? Your choice.”

“How about tea?”

He glanced at her and grinned. “Trying to surprise me—that wasn’t a choice, but I think we can handle your request. I also have wine and beer.”

She followed Mason back into the living room and into a small kitchenette. She glanced around.

Moss rock covered the west wall around the fireplace. A wooden mantle sat over a large hearth. Mason had a fire burning and it was already warming the room. Comfortable couches done in rich neutral tones, a wooden floor covered by throw rugs, and photos of the pines on the cream-colored walls gave the place a homey feel. “It’s a lot larger than I expected. Whoever decorated this place certainly knows what they’re doing.”

“Yeah, Terry Anders and his daughter run a great place.”

She glanced at him. “Are the cabins all the same?”

“The layout is, but the look is different. Most of the fighters appreciate having a comfortable bed and a great TV, but some of the guys like things a little more Spartan. Hey, do you want to grab a shower while I cook? And how about a snack, too?”

Avery pulled off her coat. “A shower actually sounds really good. Are you sure I’m not putting you out? I mean, you don’t have to cook for me.”

“I never mind cooking. I was the cook for my brothers, and I can still find my way around a kitchen. So how hungry are you? Snack, meal, or starving and could eat a steak?”

Avery smiled. “I can’t believe I’m saying that after the meal we ate at the diner, but I could eat again. Maybe a small steak?”

“A good appetite is a good thing. How do you like yours cooked? Medium rare?”

“Sounds great—but are you sure I’m not keeping you from getting settled in your own place?”

Mason’s cheeks reddened but his smile stayed in place. “You’re not keeping me from anything. Now go shower, and steaks will be done in half an hour.”

With a nod, Avery headed back to her room. She unpacked and hopped into the shower. She hoped that she’d just misread Mason and her sleeping arrangements. Two bedrooms to a cabin. And this was Dustin’s cabin.
Wasn’t it?

She thought back to how tidy everything seemed. The living room didn’t show empty plates or scattered beer cans, the kitchen sink had seemed devoid of dirty dishes, clothes weren’t strewn across the floors. Maybe Dustin had stopped being such a slob. That would be a good thing if he’d learned that much from his fighting training.

Pulling on a pair of fleece pajama pants with cartoon characters, she rubbed her arms. She dragged on a tank top and an oversized sweatshirt and sat on the bed to pull on fuzzy socks. She used her hands to gather her long hair up into a high ponytail, securing it with an elastic band. Her hair was so thick, she hadn’t washed it since it would take hours to dry.

Standing up, she took a critical look at herself in the mirror above the dresser. She almost laughed. She thought she looked much more like a college kid, and not someone well into her late twenties. She ran a hand down the sweatshirt. There was a time she would have worn something slinky and sophisticated. She’d dated a lot when she’d been in college—and she’d just started to fall for David when things…when everything changed.

She gave a sigh. Thoughts of David always left her sighing. He’d seemed the perfect match for her—he’d been mature, kind, thoughtful. But the truth was they’d been more like really good friends who occasionally held hands. David’s focus had been on school—and in some ways he’d been romantic, but not very physical. In fact, looking back on it, David was utterly unlike the man waiting for her outside this bedroom door. She shook her head

Mason wasn’t like any guy she’d ever known. Funny, dynamic, and sexy, she couldn’t imagine him being ‘just a friend’ to any girl. Not given the way he liked to stand a little too close, and certainly not the way he kept staring at her, like he was more than interested. But he was handsome and he had just enough of a rough edge about him to spark her interest. She touched her lips and wondered what his kisses might be like. Rough? Or gentle? And when he stripped down, would he look as good as those other fighters she’d watched tonight?