Tonight, I don’t have the patience for her games. Not when there’s a beautiful, naked woman waiting for me a couple rooms over.
“Jase.” Her voice shakes, and she’s talking quietly. “This whole thing has escalated too far.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” She crossed a line when she sought out Karson. We both know she didn’t do it because she was blown away by his charm. Going after my opponent was just another way for her to get back at me. Her mistake is in assuming I’ll care.
“This war between us is silly,” she continues, her pitch dropping lower. “Surely we can work it out. We were always good together, baby.”
What. The. Fuck.
“No, Erin, we weren’t. You and me aren’t happening. Not ever. You stooped too low by letting your new man attack my girl. Don’t call me again.” I end the call then toss my phone on a chair and leave it there. Erin has never been good at understanding the word “no” and I don’t want her interrupting my precious time with Lena again. Speaking of Lena, she’s going to get a shoulder rub, and a foot rub, and the best damn cuddles she’s ever had. I can’t stop smiling at the thought of her.
* * *
The next morning,when I try to sneak out of bed, Lena’s arms tighten around me. “Don’t go.”
I kiss each of her closed eyelids. “Baby, I have to.”
Her hand fists around my erection. “I can convince you to stay.”
I’d much rather take her up on the offer than go for an eight mile run followed by an hour of pad and bag work. Gritting my teeth, I beg for strength. “It’s fight week, cutie pie. I only have three more days of hard training before the big event. I need to give it my all.” Nuzzling her neck, I trail kisses along her jaw until I reach her mouth. “Next week, I’m all yours.”
Her eyes flutter open, nearly blinding me with their beauty, but mercifully, she releases her hold on my errant cock. “You are?”
“Yeah.” My lips curve up. I love how excited she is by that prospect. My previous girlfriends have always been more anxious to be seen out and about with me than to actually spend time, just the two of us. “I always take a week off following a fight like this one. I won’t be totally free, I’ll have to meet with Seth and Nick to debrief, and the guys will want to do something together, but for the most part, I’ll be yours.”
She frames my face with her hands, looking up at me. “Maybe I’ll take a couple days off, too. I think I deserve it.”
“You should definitely do that, and I’m not going to let you out of this bed.”
“Promise?”
I kiss her. “Fuck, yeah.”
“Okay.” She drops her hands and makes a shooing gesture. “Get going then. Go do shuttle runs or burpees or whatever torture Seth has in store for you.”
I scramble from the bed before she changes her mind, tug on a tank top and shorts, and will my stiffy to do me a solid and go down before anyone sees. Fortunately, listening to sports podcasts while I pound out my run on the treadmill works wonders, and by the time I’m wrapping my hands at the gym, sex is far from my mind. Seth orders me to jump rope for twenty minutes, and I’m halfway through when the door bursts open and two uniformed police officers shove their way inside.
I’m so shocked, I forget to jump, and the rope whacks me across the shins, but I hardly notice. The officers stride across the floor toward me, their boots leaving tread impressions in the soft mats. One of them unclips a set of handcuffs from his belt. In my peripheral vision, I’m vaguely aware of Seth demanding to know what’s going on, but I don’t need to ask. The truth dawns on me with terrible clarity.
Erin went to the cops.
I didn’t leap to do her bidding, and this is the punishment. She wants to see me locked away, my mugshot plastered across the papers and my name in the headlines, alongside hers.
“Jason Rawlins,” one of the cops says in a booming, authoritative voice. “You are under arrest for misdemeanor battery against Erin Daley.”
I don’t try to run. There’s nowhere to go. Numbly, I allow them to cuff me. I’m meeker than a newborn kitten.
“I didn’t do it,” I tell them, knowing it won’t make an ounce of difference. They’re not here to hear my story. They’re here to take me in and let Erin play out her twisted little game in the court of public opinion. “I’m innocent.”
“Yeah, yeah.” The officer with the cuffs drags my arms behind my back with more force than necessary. “Save it for the judge, scumbag.”
His partner clears his throat. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
I tune out the rest of his words, catching Devon’s eye. Beside him, Gabe’s swarthy complexion is paler than usual. Seeing their faces does nothing to reassure me, so I seek out Seth. My coach’s glare could shoot flames, but he’s calm and collected.
“I didn’t do anything illegal,” I say, desperation creeping over me.
Seth nods. “We’ll fix this, Jase. Don’t say anything until your lawyer arrives. No matter what they offer you, don’t open your fucking mouth. Understand?”
