No Regrets (No Regrets #1) Page 7

  “So is Jonesy the best you got?” I ask jokingly.

  Jonesy smirks and mutters, “Better watch it.”

  Jackson shakes his head. “Nope, you gotta work your way up.”

  Jonesy exclaims in an angry voice, “Oh that’s just great, Jax. Here I thought you had some confidence in me.”

  Jackson looks to him and demands, “Go get a shower and cool off, Jonesy. You’ll feel better.”

  This reminds me of when I was training with Carlo years ago. We frequented his basement but on occasion made it to a local gym. It was tiny, owned by an old friend of Carlo’s. There was never any animosity there. Everyone had a goal they were working on and it was understood. I never felt threatened when we went there for practice matches. The atmosphere here reminds me of that gym. My glance moves around at the crowd dispersing and back to Jackson. He’s busily pulling down a rope in the corner attached to the high ceiling. It’s all new but I have a feeling I’m going to like it here.

  “Pace, you ready to build up that strength? I saw some pussy moves back there, better put more into it or you’ll be flat on your back like my momma was five times.”

  “Yep, ready as I’ll ever be.”

  Early that afternoon, I make it back to the rental I reluctantly call home and collapse. There are only two hours until I have to be at Juno’s. I doze off, oblivious to any noises that might have woken me.

  The phone on the table beeps, alerting me that it’s time to get up. In just that short time, my muscles have had a chance to react to the training Jackson put me through. After the repeated rope climbing, I endured more punching and kicking practice. Jackson wasn’t kidding when he told me he’s relentless. But every muscle that aches, I tell myself is one step closer to where I need to be.

  My body practically crawls to the shower and the water, whatever temperature it is, relieves my aching muscles momentarily. I fit the t-shirt with Juno’s logo over my head and run a hand through my hair, leaving it messy.

  Christina starts in on me as soon as I walk in.

  “Hey, Rookie, whatcha up to?” She looks at me. “Whoa, you don’t look so good. Did we kick your ass last night? I knew you were too old for this job. Maybe a nursing home is a better place for you.”

  A grin stays on my face as I stock the coolers to get ready for the horde of people to come. She amuses me.

  We finish ten minutes early, so I slide into a bar chair, and my head falls into my hands with fatigue. She frowns, coming up beside me. “Hey, I didn’t hurt your feelings, did I? Because you can’t be sensitive and work here.”

  Looking up at her pleased expression, I cross my arms and meet her stare. “No, you didn’t hurt my feelings. Come on, what else you got? Fire away.”

  She looks at the ceiling and places her hand on her forehead, as if thinking. When her eyes meet mine, they are bright and serious.

  “Okay, you suck at pouring, and if you keep over pouring, Juno won’t be able to keep this bar open. Your people skills are crappy. People come here to talk, get shit off their chest. You can’t just stand there silently not even acknowledging them or their problems. And don’t think you’re gonna walk away with anything tonight. I’m not splitting with you if you can’t keep up. Step up your game, Rookie.”

  I frown in confusion. “I thought I did a good job last night. I kept up with you. No one went thirsty.”

  She throws her hands up in exasperation and rolls her eyes. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

  I get up, flinching as my muscles respond to the movement. I am definitely not in the best of shape. Juno walks up to the bar, noting my discomfort. “Greylan, are you all right? Are you in pain?”

  “Um, no, I’m fine.” I look at Christina, who’s pretending to ignore us and busying herself with fixing up some bottles that are already straight.

  Juno smiles and lowers her voice, “Don’t mind her. She worries too much.”

  Christina moves to open the door for the first customer of the night. I glance at her and back to Juno asking, “Did I miss something? She doesn’t seem worried about anything. Maybe a control freak, but not really concerned about anything.”

  Juno leans in. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. Christina is my niece. Her parents died in a car accident when she was eight. I’ve been her guardian since then. Unfortunately this is the only life I’ve ever known, so she was raised in an environment not very conducive to a child. The bar is hers as much as mine now. If things aren’t going so well with it, she wears her worry. Don’t take it personally, she means well.”

  My head moves in a nod as I watch Christina make her way back down the bar. She looks at Juno and back at me, her eyes narrowing to slits.

  “Shit, Juno, you told him, didn’t you? I asked you not to. I don’t need anyone’s pity.”

  Juno looks thoughtful for a moment before responding, “Christina, I think you might find that you and Greylan have more in common than you think. It might be good for you.”

  Before Christina can say anything, Juno walks back toward the office. Christina turns to me, fury in her face, and warns, “No pity party in my honor. If you so much as look at me wrong, I’ll kick your ass.”

  I can’t help but smile at her. An ass kicking by this chick might be exactly what I need.

  Chapter 9

  As the weeks pass my new life falls into a familiar routine with training and working at Juno’s. Jackson has already decided to feed me to the sharks and I’m feeling pretty good about it. Tomorrow I’ll fight in my first amateur match since being out of prison. My reluctance to put my whole force into it is slowly seeping away. I know the accident was just that an accident-but it’s taken some time to come to terms with it. I’ve been reluctant to put forth all of my strength in the practice matches for fear of hurting someone else. But Jackson has been persuasive in his commitment to making me.

  I was matched last week with another fighter for practice who’s also trying to break into the amateur circuit, Brandon Davis. Jackson said that if Jonesy is the bottom, Brandon is close to the middle. I’m really looking forward to finding out who’s at the top.

  Brandon almost had me with a triangle leg lock. His legs were clenching my neck and I almost tapped out. But in a last ditch attempt I ended up reaching out and hammering a punch into his side, loosening the grip on my neck. I was able to fall back out of the hold and manage a guillotine, forcing Brandon to tap out. It was lucky but I won. During the fight, Jackson walked away, throwing his hands up in frustration from what I was told by others watching. I found Jackson pissed off beyond belief, throwing junk around his office after the practice run. He threatened to drop me and kick me out of the gym if I didn’t start fighting like I mean it.

  That was enough to convince me to put it all in, not only at the gym, but elsewhere in my life. I had been thinking about convincing Christina to go out with me. I’ve never had to try with women before, but this one confounds me, in an odd sort of way. I saw her with her hair down a couple nights ago and it hit me how pretty she is. Her blue eyes are bright most of the time with her endless supply of energy. At first I was more intimidated by her strong in your face attitude. Now though, I expect it, and I like that we can banter back and forth comfortably.

  My plan is to ask tonight, after the bar slows down. A cheerleader in the crowd at my first fight would be nice. But when I walk into the bar, I’m confronted with an unexpected sight. Trinity sits perched atop one of the bar chairs, giggling with Christina on the other side of the counter. I frown at the sound. I’ve never heard Christina giggle before. She looks up, a fresh smile across her face, causing Trinity to turn around. She leaps out of the chair and hurries over to me. I pull her into a tight hug and my eyes meet Christina’s over her shoulder. That one look tells me that Trinity spilled the beans. My hands move to push her away, averting my eyes from Christina’s sympathetic ones.

  “Trinity, what did you tell her? I don’t fucking need anyone feeling bad for me. I earned everything I got
.”

  She shakes her head. “No, Grey, you didn’t. You need to realize that there are people who care about you.” She glances back at Christina with a sure smile, but Christina looks away shyly.

  I walk past, moving behind the bar, angry with my sister for putting her nose where is doesn’t belong. Christina grabs my hand and squeezes. I pull my fingers away quickly and glare at her. I don’t need this crap, which is why I didn’t tell her.

  Trinity situates herself back in a chair. “So were you gonna tell me about your fight?”

  I snap my neck around, glaring at her. “What? How do you know about my fight?”

  “Grey, come on. I want to support you in any way I can. If you won’t come see me, then I have to come to you. Besides, Parker is keeping up with how your fighting is going.”

  The mention of Parker’s name builds my anger, and the fact that he’s checking up on me pisses me off even more. I slam a glass down, causing it to shatter in my hand. Christina flinches and grabs my fingers as blood starts to trickle from a shallow cut. She looks at Trinity and states, “Maybe it’s me, but I get the feeling Parker isn’t a good subject.”

  Trinity sighs, her whole body making it that much more exaggerated. “No, he’s my fiancé and he’s a fighter just like Greylan.” She eyes me glaring back for a moment before adding, “I think where he is right now is where Greylan is supposed to be if everything hadn’t happened.”

  My shoulders sink and I ask angrily, ignoring my sister, “Do you have a first aid kit? The bar is going to fill up soon.”

  “Yeah, place pressure on the paper towel and I’ll be right back.” That sympathetic look lingers an extra moment before Christina hurries down the hall toward the office.

  Trinity takes a sip of her beer. “Grey, I love you. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Please don’t be mad at me. I told you that Parker is it for me. You can’t ask me to choose.”

  I’m kicking myself for ever telling my sister to come to Juno’s. This whole thing can’t possibly end well. I can quit fighting and let Parker have his day. But I would resent him even more if I don’t try. My body moves around the bar and sinks into the chair beside her. After a few moments meeting her stare, I resolve, “I’ll try, Trin, I can’t make any promises but I will try.”

  She nods, satisfied with my attempt, and grabs my hand. A wince sweeps over my features at her grasp. I look up when Christina lugs a case up onto the bar. My lip lifts at the girl’s lack of strength. At one point she was threatening to kick my ass. I doubt she could hurt a fly.

  The mishap with the glass caused me to slack off a bit during the rush with the big assed bandage she insisted on, but Christina picked up the extra customers. Trinity left an hour after the bar opened, claiming she wanted to be there when Parker came home. I was still angry with her for telling Christina about me. I wasn’t sure I wanted to tell her. Not knowing kind of made the friendship, if that’s what we have, more genuine with no extenuating circumstances. Trinity, of course, made my anger leave when she committed to making it to the fight the following night. I smiled at her solemnity. I know as well as she does that she won’t actually watch the fight. Unless, of course, that’s one more thing that has changed since she’s been with Parker.

  As the night drags on and the last customer leaves, Christina locks the door and turns, seemingly nervous, leaning back against it. I see her linger at the door but focus on restocking the glasses without another glance. I was going to ask her out when the bar closed tonight but my sister ruined those plans. Now that she knows about me I would wonder. If she agreed, I wouldn’t know if it was because she felt sorry for me or if she was really interested.

  When I turn from the glasses, she’s moved from the door to a spot next to me. I’m taken with how near she is. She steps even closer and gently grabs my injured hand. My body comes alive with the movement and I’m ashamed that all it took was her hand on mine. I tell myself to reel it in.

  “How is your hand?”

  I blink a few times, because there’s obviously something different in the way she’s acting. My eyes squint down at her, trying to gauge the change in her tone. She seems nervous. I’ve never seen her like this.

  “Sore but fine.” My eyes remain on hers. She moves closer, my thigh touching her hip.

  I allow a few beats of my heart before I lean down, pausing for a moment to see what she’ll do. She doesn’t move, her breath mingles with mine momentarily before I lower my lips to gently graze hers. Her eyes close as her hands move around my neck, pulling me closer to her level. This encourages me further, alighting my whole body. It’s been a long time since I’ve kissed a woman. My hands move along her sides, causing her body to move with them. As my tongue pushes further, exploring her mouth. I think about how much I wanted to do this all night but had decided against it because of Trinity. A smile spreads.

  She pulls away. “What’s so funny? Do I kiss like a seal or something?”

  I smile, sliding my hands up to her shoulders. “No, definitely not a seal, maybe a lion.” She smacks me in the shoulder, causing me to flinch.

  “Christina, I was going to approach you tonight but I thought the visit from Trinity squashed my chances. Then, here you are pouncing like a lion. Maybe Trinity had the opposite effect.”

  She laughs at my comparison. “Rookie, you are something else.”

  I smile against her lips again. Her hands make their way to my hair, causing a slight moan from my throat. Abruptly I disengage from her for a moment because I won’t be able to stop if I don’t.

  Whispering into her ear I ask, “Would you like to get out of here? I’m not sure Juno would be happy that I’m seducing her niece behind the bar.”

  She nods and grabs her keys, leading me out the door. We lock up and she pulls me to her car parked out front, a black, ‘68 Mustang in mint condition. My eyes roam over the car with approval. “Is this yours?”

  “My dad was a collector. He had more but I had to sell them.” She runs her hand along the roof. “This baby though, I couldn’t part with it.”

  I smile. There’s so much about her I like. We climb in. She asks, “Where to? Your place or mine?”

  “I’d invite you over but I’d be afraid of the embarrassment that might cause me. I’m in a weekly rental for the moment and you don’t want to know what goes on in that place.”

  “Mine it is then.” I can hear apprehension in her tone. At least I think that’s what it is.

  I grab her hand. “Christina, are you good with this?”

  She smiles, her indecision gone. “Heck yeah. It’s not every night a rookie comes on to me.”

  “A rookie, huh?”

  She laughs as she starts the car. “We’ll see…”

  A chuckle leaves my lips. “That sounds like a challenge.”

  The fifteen minute drive is silent, but when I look over, a smile is permanently fixed across her lips and I can’t wait to kiss them again. When she pulls off the highway, the car maneuvers through a tiny neighborhood. This is the last place I pictured her living. She pulls into the driveway of a tiny one story clapboard house with a single car garage. When she turns the car off, I ask again, “Is this yours?”

  She nods proudly. “All mine. Those cars, yeah, they helped with this. It’s small but perfect for me.”

  Yet another thing I like about her and Jackson’s words repeat in my mind, ‘There are two kinds of people, fighters and observers.’ Without a doubt, Christina is a fighter after everything she’s been through. We move from the car to the front door. Once it’s unlocked, I take my own opportunity to pounce. The door closes and I push her softly against it. Our eyes meet and I know she needs this as much as I do. I lower my cheek to hers and kiss the soft skin beside her ear. She turns her face, meeting my lips. This time her tongue moves along my bottom lip, teasing. She bites it softly, making every nerve ending in my body wake up. Her fingers move across my chest and abdomen, outlining the muscles beneath my shirt. I can’t take i
t anymore. My mouth covers her in a deep kiss and I mumble, “Where’s the bedroom?”

  She smiles against my mouth and turns, pulling me down a darkened hall. We enter a room heavily shadowed, but I can see the outline of the bed. I pull her toward me again and tease her lips with little kisses, pulling away after each one. Her hands move to my shoulders. I slide my hands to her waist and pick her up. Her legs circle my waist and I almost lose it with the contact through our clothes. Kissing her, I move us to the bed and set her ass gently on the edge of the mattress. This seems to do it for both of us. We quickly undress each other, pulling each piece of clothing off as fast as we can. I move her further onto the bed and admire her perfect, firm body. My mouth lowers to her neck, trailing to her chest. I take one nipple into my mouth and then the other, pulling them taut, causing her to moan. Slowly I climb back up her body, kissing her lips thoroughly as her hands move through my hair and down over my back. My fingers move lower, gently pushing into her core. Her breathing speeds up.

  She whispers, “Please, I want you inside of me.” That’s all I need. I pull my pants back up onto the bed and lift a condom out of my wallet. As I look down at her needy expression, I fit it over my length and lower into her. She calls out with the movement, making me push further to feel as much as I can. We move together in a steady rhythm that takes both of us over the edge. My breathing speeds at the release and Christina tightens her grip on my back, moaning with her last shudder. I sink to her side and nuzzle her neck as my adrenaline seeps away. She sighs sweetly, whispering, “That was incredible.”

  I lift off of her and chastely kiss each of her cheeks and then her lips. My voice wavers as I say, “Yes, it was. Thank you.”

  She smiles, snuggling her body into my side. My hand runs through her long hair as I smile and she drifts off to sleep.

  Chapter 10