Page 79 of Bad for You

His nostrils flared, then he growled and hauled her out of her seat. Kelly managed to hand the phone back to me before he strode off with her.

The other women booed.

“Traitor!” Jodie called after her.

Kelly flipped her the bird and squealed when Grinder smacked her butt before he carried her out the back door.

Warm lips and a whiskered jaw pressed against my neck. “Okay?” Jesse said against my ear.

I turned and grinned at him. “Yep.”

He hauled me out of my seat before I knew what he was doing. He sat down and tugged me onto his lap. Stones and Spanner joined us as well and we all hung out, talking and laughing and drinking.

Jesse kept his arm around my waist, his hand just under my shirt, touching my skin, like he needed that bit of contact. I leaned into him, my arm around his neck. Every now and then, he’d kiss me, like he needed to do that as well. I loved it. It was one of the best nights I’d ever had.

Later, before we left to head back to Jesse’s house—he wanted me in his house and his bed this time—Mandy and the other women exchanged numbers with me and promised to be in touch.

As we drove away, I hoped I’d get to do it again. Some of Jesse’s family may be a little—okay, a lot—rough around the edges, but they were good people.

I grinned at Jesse and he reached out and took my hand.

He held it all the way to his house.

Chapter Twenty

Lila

Everly sat back down beside me and grabbed my hand. I squeezed hers back and gave her a sideways look.

My best friend blushed. “What? I had to go congratulate Dane on his win,” she said over the noise in the warehouse.

“Oh sure.” I smirked, even as my belly rioted with nerves. “Your hair looks like you’ve been through a wind tunnel.”

She blushed harder and Spanner, who was standing behind us, chuckled.

It was fight night, and we were sitting at the edge of the ring, surrounded by a bunch of Ramblers. Jesse had seated me here, kissed me hard, then after saying something to Spanner, left to get ready for his fight.

Jesse was fighting next and I was about ready to come out of my skin. I’d seen him fight here before. I’d come with Eves. She’d been looking for Dane at the time, and when we walked in Jesse had been in the ring.

I’d never forgotten it.

He’d been fighting a man much bigger than him, and the smack of his gloves hitting flesh repeatedly had shaken me to the soles of my feet. Jesse had won, and the sinister smile on his face, blood smeared across his mouth guard as he smiled down at his fallen opponent, had been etched in my brain since.

“You okay?” Eves asked.

I nodded, tried to smile, and failed.

Jesse had been quiet on the way here, so deep in the zone, that he’d almost vibrated with aggression. He loved it. There was no mistaking it. I, on the other hand, didn’t know how I felt. Yes, there was excitement, but I wouldn’t be human if there wasn’t some fear as well.

The man I loved was about to put himself in a situation where he could get beaten on.

So yep, I was ready to jump up and start pacing.

Eves gave my hand another squeeze. “It’s going to be fine. Jesse’s a good fighter.”

“He’ll be fine, babe,” Spanner said, grinning wide. “Our boy’s a beast in the ring.”

I tried to smile at Spanner, and obviously looked as wide-eyed and freaked as I felt because he laughed and shook his head at me.