There’s no way I’m going to endure that torture, no matter how many times she tells me I’ll love it if only I give it a chance. When the next round starts, I’m quick to stutter-step towards her, and I extend my leg and land a solid front kick right into her stomach, forcing her back. She grins, and I know it’s finally on. She moves in quickly, swinging her arm and hooking it at the last minute, catching me square in the jaw.

Holy shit, this girl can fucking punch.

Backing up, I shake it out and try to regroup, but she’s right on me. And just like I predicted, she roundhouse kicks me right in the upper thigh. I’m momentarily paralyzed as I watch her knee come up and move to the outside, splitting her legs wide open. Even though it’s covered, the skin-tight material shows off the sweetest spot.

Backing off a little bit, she’s bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Come on, Rugged,” she says mockingly.

“You think you’re cute, don’t you?” I ask, stalking towards her. She backs away from me, but I follow her. We circle the ring, predator stalking prey, but the roles are blurred when it comes to who’s who.

She ignores me and moves in to get in a quick jab in my ribs before pulling back. Her eyes are shining, and I’m so glad we decided not to wear mouth guards, because she’s smiling wide and it’s fucking gorgeous.

“Don’t you?” she asks, an innocent expression on her face. Shaking my head but smiling, I know I don’t have to answer that.

All the sudden, someone yells, “Knock him out, Charlie!” and she makes a fatal mistake, turning for a split second to see who it is. Little does she know that I saw Kale walk in and I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist cheering her on. I’ve been anticipating it from the moment I spotted him, and he didn’t fail me. The moment I see her head start to turn, I cross the distance between us, catching her off guard. She catches her mistake almost immediately, but it’s too late. I take her down with a sweep kick, and she falls, landing flat on her back. I’m quick to join her down on the mat, my legs straddling her on both sides. She’s trying to catch her breath, all the while glaring up at me.

“That was cheap,” she tells me, eyes pissed off.

Leaning down so our faces are close, I disagree. “Situational awareness, sweetheart. Boxing doesn’t end and begin in the ring. You have to be aware of what’s going on around you, all while being able to zone it out, too.”

Even though she huffs, I can tell she knows I’m right. Leaning above her, I’m trying so fucking hard not to move in and kiss her. Her face is flushed, her breathing labored, and she’s never been sexier.

“Don’t leave,” I’m saying before I can tell myself to shut the hell up. She looks up at me, eyes narrowed in confusion.

“I can’t exactly leave when you’re on top of me, Knox,” she says softly. And as hot as it what when she called me Wellington, I love the sound of her whispering my name.

“No, I mean once the summer ends. When Lucy gets back. I don’t want you to move out.” I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s true, and I might as well put myself out there. If I don’t, I’ll wind up in an empty house again, and that’s the last thing I want.

Her eyes widen and she inhales slowly before letting the air escape her lungs. “You want me to stay?”

Nodding, I bring my lips down to her ear. “Don’t leave me, sweetheart.” My legs are still straddling her, and since I’ve leaned down, our torsos are pressed together. I can feel her breasts pressing against my chest, and I’m suddenly imaging that we’re in the same position, but in my bed instead of the ring. Pulling back up, I look down into her eyes. She pulls her lower lip into her mouth, sucking on it for a moment before she lets it go. Slowly, she puts me out of my misery as she nods.

“Okay, Knox. I’ll stay.” I didn’t realize that my heart was racing until now. It’s finally calming down, knowing that she’s not going anywhere. Without another thought, I close the space between us and press my lips against hers. Her eyes widen, but I don’t move until I feel her arms wrap around my neck, pulling me in closer. Closing her eyes, she deepens the kiss. I move my lips with hers, slowly at first, savoring the feel of her until it’s no longer enough. I need to touch her, to taste her, and suddenly I don’t care that we’re right in the middle of the boxing ring.

Sliding my hand up her shirt, I trace the outline her of stomach, loving the feel of her skin. My tongue pushes against her lips, and she immediately parts them. Her tongue meets mine in a collision that sends all the blood in my body straight to my cock, and I swear I feel her lift her hips in response. Her hands move up to grip the top of my head. I take my free hand and wrap it around her ponytail, pulling slightly, and she moans against my mouth.

I’m more than ready to take her right here when I hear my name called, and I freeze. No fucking way. I’d know that damn voice anywhere, and I feel like life is fucking with me if I’m hearing it right now. Mother fucker, you have got to be kidding me. Pulling away from Charlie, I press one last kiss on her lips before moving away from her. Looking down, I see the look of hunger in her eyes, and I can’t wait to get her home, finally into my bed. I know this is a turning point in our relationship, and for once, I don’t freak out at the word.

Sitting up, she brings her hands to her lips. “If you wanted me to stay that badly, you could’ve just done that without even asking,” she says, a teasing light in her eyes.

“Sorry, sweetheart. I just couldn’t help myself. You’re right, I definitely thought you were cute, pouting while lying on your back after I put you there.”

Before she can respond, I hear my name called again, this time the voice closer than before

“Oh, fuck me,” I groan, and Charlie looks as me, confused. “Just go with it, okay?” I ask, hating what I’m about to do and more than pissed off that the moment’s been ruined.

Twenty seconds later, we’re exiting the ring and joined by Megan fucking Caldwell—excuse me, Wellington.

Chapter 17

Charlie


OH. MY. God. The way that Knox and I danced around each other in the ring is reminiscent of how we’ve been over the past couple of months. There have been innocent flirting and touches, but the way it felt when he was on top of me, whispering into my ear… It was such a turn-on. I’ve thought about his lips on mine more times than I can count, but no fantasy could ever live up to the real thing. I don’t think he actually intended on kissing me, especially the way he simply placed his lips on mine and then did nothing else. I couldn’t help myself. Something ignited inside me and I had to make him take it further. And thank Christ I did. When I felt his erection pressing against me, I almost lost it. Knowing what he’s packing made me want him even more.

I’m still reeling from it, and if it weren’t for the interruption, I’d be begging him to take me home right now. If I had my way, I’m not even sure we’d make it out of the garage. I make a mental note that hot, sweaty sex on the hood of Evelyn is one fantasy that needs to be fulfilled.

A female voice is calling his name from across the gym. When we exit the ring, I come face to face with a very petite, very beautiful woman. She has wealth written all over her, in her designer suit, Gucci purse, perfected hair, and manicured hands.

“Megan,” he says impassively.

Holy shit. It doesn’t take much to put two and two together, and now I’m confused as hell. He’s never said anything about them still being in contact. And I have no idea why she’d be tracking him down at the gym. She takes a moment to look me up and down, but her face is blank and I can’t read her.

“Can we talk?” she asks.

In response, Knox places his arm around my waist, pulling me close. “Whatever you have to say, you can say it on front of Charlie,” he tells her, and I watch as her eyes narrow.

Sighing, she places her hands on her hips. “I know you saw me coming, Knox, and while I appreciate the show, you didn’t need to prove your point that way. You always hated PDA. No need to play it up for my benefit.”

Umm, excuse me? He saw her coming and that’s when he kissed me? What the hell? Was he just playing the pretend role like he had with Drew? Did I totally misread everything? I mean, he got hard, so he had to have been turned on. Then again, as far as I know, he hasn’t been with anyone since I’ve been living there, and now I’m wondering if any female contact would have that effect on him.

As if he’s reading my mind, he makes introductions. “Megan, this is my girl Charlie. Sweetheart, you’ve heard about Megan.”

Well, fuck me hopeless. Pushing away the disappointment, I put on my brightest smile as I snuggle closer into Knox before extending my hand out. “Ah, the infamous sister-in-law, right? How nice to meet you,” I tell her, laying it on as thick as molasses.

She shakes my hand before turning her full attention towards Knox. Pulling away from his embrace, I lean up and place a kiss on his lips. “I’ll let you two talk.” I walk away before he can protest.

Heading towards the locker room, I decide to change and go into the sauna, hoping no one’s in there since there’s only one and it’s coed. I could definitely go for a little relaxation. A few minutes later, I’m leaning back on a bench, enjoying the heat in nothing but a towel, and it feels amazing as my muscles loosen up.

Moments later I feel someone sit down next to me, and without opening my eyes, I’m hoping to God it’s not one of the creepy old men who like to hang out in here.

Kale’s voice interrupts my solitude. “Damn, Charlie, that was quite a show. I had no idea that y’all were like that.”

Opening my eyes, I turn my head towards him. “Screw you, Kale. You messed with my concentration and let him take me down.”

Laughing, he shakes his head. “Oh, I think you’re quite all right with how that sparring session turned out. Looked like it, anyways. So tell me, pretty girl. How the hell did you get Knox Wellington to drop his guard and practically take you in the boxing ring? I’ve never, and I mean never, seen him practice PDA.”

“It was just a ruse, pretend. It wasn’t real. He was just doing it for that bitch’s benefit,” I say. I know I sound like a brat, but it feels like a million different emotions are running through me right now. I thought I’d gotten through to him that night when I told him he was lucky. If he still, eleven years later, is trying to make her jealous or has the need to make a show that he’s moved on, then he’s clearly not ready to start anything with me. I’m just glad I found out before we got home and I made a fool of myself.

Kale looks at me, brows furrowing. “I don’t think that was pretend, Charlie. At least it didn’t look like it.”

“Well, then he missed his calling, because he could win an Academy Award with that performance.”

He shakes his head, apparently not agreeing with me. “Whatever you tell yourself. If he was faking, I wouldn’t mind being your consolation prize. I’m totally cool with being second choice.” He’s grinning at me, and I take a moment to really look at him. At around six feet, Kale’s the shortest of the guys, but he still has a few inches on me. He’s leaner than Knox, and while he’s not as muscular, he has a definition to them that would have most girls salivating. His dark brown hair is almost always messy, unless he’s in uniform, but it’s his smile that I think really draws the women in. Rocking the pretty-boy face of the group, he has dimples in each cheek and they deepen whenever he flashes a panty-melting grin that showcases his perfectly white teeth. If it weren’t for Lucy, I might’ve fallen victim to his charmingly good looks, but he’s always been off limits. Now that I’ve met Knox, I’m more than okay with that.

I’ve known Kale for a couple of years, ever since Dad and I joined this gym. He’s the ultimate playboy and not shy about it. At the same time, he and Lucy have this weird connection. As far as I know, they’re friends who hook up occasionally. They even go out together and play wingman with each other. It’s a strange dynamic and I don’t even pretend to understand it.

“Sorry, Kale. Not gonna happen. I love you, but you know I don’t do casual. And sleeping with you would be like sleeping with Lucy. No, thank you.”

I have to laugh when a shit-eating grin comes across his face. “I like the sound of that. Tell me more. In fact, we don’t even have to play the transference game. I love you ladies enough to let you make a Kale sandwich,” he says, winking at me. “You know what they say. Kale does a body good.”