I didn’t bother turning back to see who he selected. No matter who it was, I knew they were in for a beating. I removed the T-shirt I’d put on and started doing some shadow boxing and jumping up and down to get my body revved up.
“I’ll take him.”
I grinned, turning to see Jacob emerge from the crowd. “Doc, long time no see. I’d hate to mess up those hands of yours. I know they’re pretty important in your career field.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Jacob Reynolds retorted as he jumped up and proceeded to enter the ring.
“It’s your call,” I chided back.
Jacob’s nickname around the underground fighting scene was Doc because that was his profession. But he wasn’t just any doctor, he was one of the top up and coming plastic surgeons in the state. No one understood why he’d put such a lucrative career in jeopardy by climbing into the ring but everyone had their demons.
“Hope you warned all of your patients they’ll need a new doctor soon.”
“You fucking wish,” Jacob snarked back.
“All right, you two know the rules. And fuck making it clean. Make it as dirty as possible,” Buddy cheered, causing the others standing around, watching, to cheer as well.
The bell sounded and all of the bullshit with Connor and Mark, and Townsend Industries fell away. None of that mattered. Almost everything fell by the wayside as Jacob and I locked arms, dueling for supremacy over one another. But Kayla. She was still a lingering thought in the back of my mind. So much so, that when an image of Kayla laughing came to mind, I lost concentration just long enough for Jacob to sweep my right leg out from underneath me.
“Fuck!” I grunted, pissed at myself for being so damn careless. Nothing distracted me while I was fighting, absolutely nothing. Except one woman, apparently.
“Nice fight.”
“Fuck off,” I grumbled at Jacob while returning his fist pound. He’d won that bout and I needed to give respect where it was due. But I wasn’t done. I was still filled with tension thinking about Kayla, and even more so as a result of losing the first fight of the night. I took on another fight and won that one. I thought to take on a third fight but something in me was pulling me back home. I was calling it quits for the night.
****
“You’re home,” Kay greeted with a smile as soon as I stepped into the kitchen.
I was starving by the time I’d arrived home from fighting, but as soon as my eyes honed in on Kay in a pair of skin hugging black spandex leggings and a white T-shirt that stopped right at her waist, my mouth watered for different reasons.
“Hungry?”
My gaze lifted to meet Kay’s and a hunger I hadn’t felt in a long time overtook me. And it most definitely wasn’t for food. At least, that’s what my mind was thinking. However, my body had other plans because a loud stomach growl answered Kay for me.
“You didn’t eat the dinner I left?”
I gave her a quizzical look. “I didn’t see anything.” I stared around the spotless kitchen.
“I left a grilled steak, vegetables, and roasted potatoes. Don’t worry, they’re not the same potatoes from five days ago. I bought more to make since you said you weren’t eating steak or potatoes until I made them for you.”
I had said that. In our second phone conversation while I was away. And I’d meant it. I’d avoided steak and potatoes because Kay promised to make them for me once I arrived back home.
“Where?” I questioned, pointedly looking around but seeing nothing.
“I left the plate in the oven for you. I wrote it on the back of the note.”
I frowned, trying to recall what note she was talking about. “Oh, the one about eating at your parents’ house.” The same one I’d crumpled up and threw out due to my not liking having my plans for the evening changed.
“Sit. I’ll heat it up.”
My feet moved toward one of the kitchen stools and I sat at the center island, watching Kay in those damn leggings as she brought the plate out from the oven.
My mouth watered at the sight of the plate of food and the smell of rosemary from the potatoes hit my nostrils causing them to flare. I was hungrier than I’d imagined.
“This thing was tricky the first time I used it. I thought it was the oven.” Kay’s words pulled me from my own ruminations.
“They do look alike,” I responded. My microwave sat directly atop the stainless steel oven. Both of which were built into the wall.
