Page 66 of Fighting for Irish
Chapter Sixteen
Xander was silent as he wrapped the white tape around Aiden’s left wrist and hand in a practiced, methodical manner. There was no point in going over the game plan they’d worked on during the week to beat Aiden’s upcoming opponent. He was no longer planning on beating him. The new plan was to make the first two rounds look close, then go down somewhere in the third round.
Then it would all be over…
His short-lived consideration for making a career comeback.
The debt owed to Sicoli, plus the blackmail money owed to Sully, thereby eliminating the danger to Kat and her sister.
And his brief departure from reality where he entertained the dream of being with Kat…indefinitely.
It was that last one that threatened to kill him. He hadn’t gotten any sleep last night and had almost raided Xander’s personal stash of scotch. He’d just wanted to drink until he was so numb he couldn’t feel anymore. But he’d tried that tactic after Janey was killed, needing to erase the memory of her being struck by the car only a few feet away from him, and it hadn’t worked then, either. He’d learned the hard way that abusing alcohol was nothing but a one-way ticket to a life of hell.
The difference now was that a life without Kat felt like a different kind of hell. The kind that burned him soul-deep. And he doubted anything existed that could put out the flames.
“That feel okay?” Xander asked after patting down the end of the tape.
Aiden flexed his fingers then made a fist. “Fine.” He nodded for him to wrap his right hand and attempted to turn his thoughts to the present.
The room they were set up in wasn’t very big, nor was it the cleanest. But it gave the fighters a place to get prepped and into the zone. Considering the tourney was underground, he considered the private space a luxury. Most of the time fighters in secret circuits had to glove up on the sidelines right before they entered the cage.
He closed his eyes and tried to visualize how he wanted the fight to go. It didn’t matter if he was taking a fall or not. He still had to walk the fine line of beating the guy up enough to make it look like he was trying without actually knocking his block off for two rounds.
Aiden didn’t move when he heard the hinges creak as the door opened, letting in the deafening noise of the crowd echoing down the hall. He expected a runner to announce how much time he had left, but when the door clicked shut, he froze and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.
Kat.
He felt her there as easily as he felt his own limbs. Taking in a deep breath through his nose, he reveled in her lilac scent for a brief moment before he steeled himself and opened his eyes. Jesus Christ. His memory never did her justice, but this was almost like seeing her for the first time all over again.
She was breathtaking in a cream-colored sundress that skimmed her mid-thigh, leaving plenty of her sexy bare legs to view between her hem and the beat-up cowboy boots she wore. Her unbound hair hung behind her delicate shoulders and graceful neck, which held the necklace he’d given her the night before. Off of her he’d thought it was perfect, but on her it looked even more…right.
Aiden was glad to see that the small length of chain did in fact lay over her scar and the blue topaz made her eyes practically glow. Or maybe that was the fire she was currently directing at him. He’d witnessed a myriad of emotional states from Kat, but he didn’t recall anger ever being one of them. Until now.
“What are you doing here, Kat?” He gestured to Xander to continue taping his hand to give him something to watch other than the rise and fall of her chest with every breath she took.
“I came to support you in your fight, watch you win, and then take you back to my place so you can apologize to Murphy for upsetting him last night and tell him you have no intention of going anywhere.”
Raising a questioning brow, he chanced a quick glance at her. Fuck. He should have kept his eyes closed earlier. Now he was having a damn hard time reminding himself of all the reasons he couldn’t scoop her up and ravish her on the spot. Turning his attention back to the wrap job, he tried to sound as unaffected as possible. “I already said everything I needed to say to Murphy last night. He’ll forget all about me in no time.”
“Oh, you think so, do you?” she fired back. “Did you ever think maybe you should ask him what he wants? Or do you always decide what’s best for everyone else?”
Xander finished wrapping Aiden’s hand and grabbed the gym bag with his street clothes in it. “I’ll wait outside for you, but we’ve only got a few minutes.”
Aiden nodded and watched enviously as his best friend received a smile and welcoming hug from Kat. In return, Xan whispered something in her ear to which she replied loud and clear, “Not a chance.” He laughed, kissed her on the cheek, and moved out to the hall, closing the door behind him.
Aiden told himself not to ask, but damn if his pride ever listened to him. “What’d he say to you?”
She folded her arms across her chest and cocked a stubborn hip to the side. “He told me to take it easy on you because you’re a bloody half-wit.”
He scoffed and unfolded himself from the metal chair he’d been straddling. “I suppose you agree with him, is that it?”
“Based on your theory of me being too good for you, yes, I’d have to say that I do.”
“You are too good for me, Kat. Why is that so hard for you to see?” Frustration had him pacing in the small room like a penned lion. “You’re an amazing person with a good heart and you deserve every happiness you can get.”
Stalking over to him, she grabbed his arm and pulled him up short. “Then I’m not the only one who has bad eyesight because I can say the same to you, Aiden.”
It still affected him to hear her use his given name. Usually she used his nickname except in especially tender moments or when they made love. Now it brought out a Pavlovian reaction in him. One where any time she used it, he wanted to wrap her in his arms and show her just how much she meant to him.
