“Well, he got in trouble when he was young. It wasn’t his usual style, but when their mom was sick, it was desperate times to get her the medicine she needed. I didn’t know them then, but I know Sean got mixed up in something he shouldn’t have, and Jordan took the fall.” His tone was casual, like spending seven years in jail for something you didn’t do was normal. “That’s the kind of guy Jordan is. Sean made a mistake, but he didn’t deserve to rot in jail. No way Jordan was going to let his little brother go through what we did.” He shrugged again. “That kind of loyalty deserves respect.”
The SUV pulled up in front of the gym, and Dex turned to face her. “Listen, don’t go in there guns blazing. He’s already going to be pissed you’re not?—”
But her seatbelt was already unbuckled, and her door flung open before he could finish the sentence. She slammed it on his muffled, “Shit.”
Thompson Kickboxing was a sleek, high-end gym known for its MMA training that offered classes at all levels. She’d taken an introductory jiu-jitsu class here a while back. The gym had a reputation for grooming up-and-coming fighters and for having top-tier private coaching.
During the time she’d spent taking classes at Thompson Kickboxing, it had become obvious that Jordan was always in high demand. Now that she knew him better, she understood why.
Ivy, who ran the physical therapy clinic attached to the gym, was at the front counter when Vanessa stomped in. “Oh my God,” Ivy said, eyes widening. “What did you do to my rabbit?”
Panic flooded Vanessa’s already frayed nerves. If something was wrong?—
“Is Nigel okay?” she blurted.
“He’spiningfor you. It’s honestly pathetic how besotted he is.” Ivy shook her head. “He parked himself by the door all night, staring, tail twitching. At first, I thought he wanted to stretch his legs in the hallway, but when I let him out, he hopped straight to your door and sat outside looking up at it like a forlorn, lovesick puppy.”
Vanessa slammed her palm to her chest. “He did that?”
“Yes,” Ivy cried. “My rabbit isdown bad. For you!” She threw her arms up, incredulous. “I called Jordan, and he explained how you and Nige bonded while we were gone. At this point, you’re probably more connected to him than I am. I mean, I never let him sleep in my bed. So if you ever want to come over for a snuggle, feel free.”
Tears pricked Vanessa’s eyes. Snuggling Nigel had become her main coping mechanism during the last few weeks. They hadn’t been apart for even twenty-four hours, and she already missed him almost as much as she missed Jordan.
Maybe it was a trauma bond, but it had gotten her through some of the hardest days of her life.
“But I’m guessing you’re not here for me or Nige.” Ivy jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “He’s in the ring with Sean. If you’re here to yell at him, make sure you don’t hop up there while they’re fighting. I made that mistake once, and—” She shook her head earnestly. “Ten out of ten do not recommend. Wait till they’re done. Then you can have at him.”
At the back of the gym, a sparse crowd had gathered around the boxing ring. Others pretended to lift weights nearby, but their attention was locked on the two men inside the ring. Not that she could blame anyone, because the scene before her was impossible to look away from.
The brothers were evenly matched in height and build. To her untrained eye, their skill levels also seemed balanced. What stood out was the difference in their demeanors. Sean looked like he starred in a protein-shake advertisement. His muscles were well-defined, as if he were carved from marble. Perfect. Polished. Safe.
So unlike his brother, who looked like he’d received his training in a prison yard. Jordan was wearing his usual tight athletic tank, covering most of the scars and tattoos she now knew intimately, but nothing could hide the hollow, bruised darkness in his eyes, or the rugged energy that emanated from his body. His dangerous power stole her breath, mesmerizing her.
The two titans collided. Powerful, lethal, unyielding. Their hits could’ve killed a man, but neither of them went down.
Jordan went low, hooking one arm around Sean’s knee, while the other pressed hard on his chest. In a motion so quick Vanessa could barely keep up, Jordan drove forward, lifting, sweeping, and slamming Sean to the mat with amomentum that had Vanessa slapping her hand over her mouth.
A couple of onlookers cheered and clapped before dispersing as Jordan held out his hand to help Sean up.
Sean jumped up, laughing, as though he hadn’t been slammed onto a hard mat a second ago. He shook his brother’s hand and slapped his back, their easy camaraderie perceptible even from where she lingered at the edge of the gym. It wasn’t until the men were making their way to the side of the ring that Sean spotted her. His step faltered as he slid a cautious look to his brother, then back at her.
When Jordan’s gaze met hers, time stopped. As if they hadn’t seen each other in months, all the pieces of her jagged world fell back into place. Her mind cleared, her soul quieted, her heart slowed…then started racing when the dark clouds stormed his eyes again.
She stayed planted, remembering Ivy’s cautionary tale, and waited until the brothers approached her.
“What are you doing here?” Jordan’s tone wasn’t angry. More demanding and a bit confused.
“I came to yell at you,” she replied evenly, ignoring Sean’s snort of laughter.
“You’re supposed to be at the airport,” Jordan stated neutrally as he unwrapped a long strip of cloth from his hand.
“You’resupposed to be with me.” Her annoyance grew like a ball that had started as a low, anxious knot in her stomach this morning, and gathered steam since.
“Dex had you.”
“I don’t want Dex,” she shouted, knowing damn well she sounded like a petulant child. She wanted to stomp her foot to annoy him as much as his aloofness was annoying her right now.
Of course, he added fuel to her fire by remaining silent. So she decided to add some to his by telling him what was really on her mind.
