“Sit with me.” He offers a hand but I ignore it because holding his hand would definitely be date-like. I do take a moment to appreciate the strength of it though. The calluses and scarred knuckles show how hard he works. Heat shoots south. Dedication and a good work ethic are two traits I happen to find incredibly sexy.
We circle around the chairs and I smile at the others, then sink into a spot with Devon to my right and Lena to my left. Some guy on Devon’s other side starts talking to him, and Lena ducks her head near mine.
“Did he set this up just to get close to you?” she asks.
I wince. “I’m starting to get that impression.”
She shakes her head. “He’s incorrigible. We don’t mind shifting to put some distance between you, if you want.”
“Thanks, but it’s okay.” She smells like berries, and suddenly I’m conscious of how I smell. Perfume isn’t something I own, and the only fragrance I wear is in my deodorant.
“You want a drink?” Devon asks. “Beer? Water? Wine?”
“Water.” I stand. “But I’ll get it myself if you steer me in the right direction.”
“I’ll come,” Sydney pipes up, and links her arm through mine before Devon has a chance to beat her to it. She winks at me. “Over here.”
As we walk, she talks. “He means well. Honestly. He’s a good guy, but he’s totally full steam ahead when he wants something, and it’s pretty clear he wants you.”
“You think?” I’m not fishing for a compliment, I just don’t get it. He’s only known me for two weeks, and I’ve made it obvious that I won’t be an easy catch. I don’t understand why he’s willing to go to so much trouble when he could easily have anyone else with nothing more than that panty-melting grin and a few words.
“Oh, yeah.” We brush past people and force our way to the bar.
“What do you want?” I ask her as a bartender makes his way along the line of people to us.
“Anything white.”
I raise a hand to catch the guy’s attention. “A water and a white wine, please.”
His gaze skims right over me and pauses on Sydney, lingering on her cleavage. I roll my eyes. See, this is the reaction I’m accustomed to from men. I might as well not exist.
“Water and white,” I snap, waving my hand at him.
He shakes his head, looking dazed. “Yeah, whatever. Coming right up.” He grabs two glasses and pours, then raises his head to check out Sydney again. “You here alone, sweetheart?”
“I’m here with my boyfriend, Gabe Mendoza,” she replies, syrupy sweet.
He swallows, and his eyes flick away from her, as though he’s expecting Gabe—in all his terrifying glory—to materialize behind her. “Oh, right. Well, here you go.”
“Thanks.”
As we return to our seats, I ask, “Does that happen often?”
“Only when I’m by myself. Apparently I look like easy pickings.”
“Hmm.” Other than Devon, I can’t remember the last time a guy hit on me. Maybe what Thaklaew said has some merit and I’m just not what most guys want. I sigh. What do I care, anyway? I’m a fighter. A professional athlete. Not a girl out for a good time. But sometimes it’s nice to feel wanted. And that’s why, when I slip back into my seat, I don’t shrug off Devon’s arm or react when the tops of his fingers brush my shoulder. The scent of his skin is intoxicating, with a faint underlying hint of Deep Heat, and I can’t resist breathing him in. He shifts closer.
“The girls in the first few fights are new to the scene,” he murmurs.
“Figures.” Generally event organizers like to save the best for last.
We watch the first two matches in silence, but when the third set of fighters are summoned to the cage, I recognize one of the women from the photographs Seth showed me. Shaved head, snake tattoos winding up her arms. She looks scary, but from years of fighting, I know not to judge an opponent by her appearance. Some of the toughest women I’ve faced have been petite.
“She’s one of them,” I murmur to Devon.
He nods. “That’s Savage Rose. She’s a pit bull.”
The fight begins, and it doesn’t take long for me to realize he’s right. Savage Rose moves relentlessly forward, and her strikes never let up. She doesn’t give ground, and seems to have an endless supply of energy. The match doesn’t even go two rounds because she lands a solid punch dead center of her opponent’s face and the girl crumples.
