GRAYSON

 

The dressing room had been tidied up while he’d been in the ring and now it is filled with goodies from various sponsors trying to court him. It really had happened in an instant. He had been plunged into the limelight, and it wasn’t anything that he could have been prepared for.

 

But that isn’t the only thing in his dressing room when he gets back.

 

“What the hell are they doing here?” His question is met with an uncomfortable silence, as he looks at the three girls in various states of undress, posing.

 

“Hey, don’t look at me.” West holds his hands up, backing away from the fight.

 

“Get them out of here.” His voice is a growl directed at Tommy who he knows is the instigator of this little welcoming committee.

 

“Come on, man. I thought you might be in the mood to party after pounding on Kong!” Tommy looks appreciatively at the girls, hand-picked to appeal, all long legs, short dresses, and pouty lips.

 

Grayson levels him with a look that tells him differently.

 

“Alright, fine. Sorry girls, but it looks like our boy’s a little grouchy. But you should totally come to the after-party.” Tommy starts herding the girls out of the room like cattle.

 

“I know what’ll make you smile, big boy. Cassie knows what you like.” The brunette wraps herself around Grayson, whispering in his ear like she’s telling him a secret.

 

She’s hot; there’s no denying that. However, right now, he can’t stand to have another woman’s hands on him. There’s only one whom he wants.

 

“Are we interrupting?” The familiar voice filled with humor makes Grayson’s head snap up towards the open door. Willow is looking at him pointedly, but that’s not where his focus lands; it’s on who’s in front of her. Adriana is standing stock-still, staring at him or, more accurately, at Cassie’s hands wrapped around him like a boa constrictor. She looks like she’s just been punched in the stomach, hard.

 

“We should come back.” Her voice comes out husky, like she has to force the words out, and she goes to turn around, trying to get out of the room as fast as she can.

 

“No. Stay!” Grayson reaches his hand out towards her, and she turns around slowly at his words.

 

This time the look that she gives him is one of disappointment rather than pain, and he’s not sure which is worse. He becomes acutely aware of the woman still holding onto him, her fingernails digging into him ever so slightly, as she gives Adriana an amused glance. He realizes how this must look to her. Adriana had come here to help him out of the hole he’d dug himself, to get him in a place where he could fight and win, and this is how he repays her, throwing the image of him with another woman in her face, like she doesn’t matter at all.

 

“Get off me.” His voice is low and commanding and more aggressive than he had intended. Cassie seems to think about it for a moment and then grudgingly releases him.

 

“See you at the party, baby,” she almost purrs, as she saunters out of the room, looking down at Adriana as she pushes past her.

 

“Classy girl, Fletcher. Didn’t think the ‘Fatal Attraction’ gig was your type.” Willow cocks her hip, her eyes narrowing at Grayson, making it clear just how big an asshole she thinks he is.

 

“It’s just the world.” Tommy shrugs, as he sidles up towards Willow. “He’s just won the biggest fight of his career. Girls come as part of the package. And you are?” He levels Willow with that all-American smile of his, and she raises an eyebrow at him.

 

“Leaving. Let’s go Adrie.” Willow takes hold of her friend’s hand but notices that Adriana has made no attempt to follow her.

 

“You’re hurt.” Adriana looks at Grayson’s lip, which is split and swollen. Plus, bruises are starting to mottle the perfect skin on his jaw.

 

Willow sighs loudly and nudges Tommy in the rib cage. “Come on, Blondie; I think we’ve overstayed our welcome. Why don’t you tell me a little about this after-party?” She winks at him, and Tommy’s shit-eating grin gets a little wider, as he puts his hand on the small of her back and follows her out.

 

Grayson and Adriana continue to stare at each other, as if there weren’t anything or anybody else in the room. West clears his throat loudly, reminding Grayson of his presence.

 

“I should head out, too…I’m sure I’ve got coach stuff to do…” West heads towards the door as fast as he can, mumbling as he goes. But he stops as he gets to Adriana. “Glad to see you, gorgeous.” He gives her a quick peck on the cheek that seems to surprise him as much as it does her before he hurries out of the room, closing the door behind him.

 

The air suddenly seems to have bee sucked out of the room, and all Grayson can do is stare at Adriana, at the woman who has this incomparable effect on him. In her skinny jeans and her black crop top that shows off her beautiful caramel skin, she is the most stunning thing he’s ever seen. He can feel his body responding to her. Between his attraction to her and the adrenaline that’s still pumping around his body, he has to physically stop himself from jumping her right there and then.

 

She’s the first to look away, and he doesn’t think that he’s imagining the blush that creeps up her neck, giving him the impression that she’s read his thoughts. But that isn’t possible, is it?

 

“Let me take a look at you.” Adriana makes a beeline for the first aid kit that’s been given a place of pride in the middle of the room. When Grayson doesn’t move, she nods towards the massage table, which now stands the right way up. “Hop on.”

 

Grayson obeys without thinking, feeling his aching muscles as soon as he moves. He lifts himself gingerly up onto the table and watches Adriana as she busies herself with the limited equipment in the little kit. It looks like she’s gone into nurse mode, figuring out what she needs to patch him up. There’s something unbelievably sexy about knowing that she wants to take care of him. He can feel himself growing hard just at the thought, and he tries to concentrate on the paint peeling off of the wall to take his mind somewhere other than the gutter.

 

“This is going to sting a little.” Adriana doesn’t wait for a response before she dabs at his split lip with something that stings more than a little. She bites her own lip, as he grunts at the pain. “Why did you let him hit you so many times?” She grabs some ice from the champagne bucket that’s been delivered to congratulate him and twists it inside a towel, holding it against his jaw.

 

He hasn’t had a look at himself yet, and the way that Adriana’s looking at him, he doesn’t think he wants to. “I had to draw him out. I knew that he’d go all out in the first couple of rounds. Besides, I wanted to give the crowd a good show.”

 

The shock on Adriana’s face is palpable. “Give them a good show? You mean you let yourself get beaten up so that the crowd got their money’s worth?” She shakes her head as if she can’t believe what she’s hearing.

 

“They come for a fight. Knocking someone out in the first minute isn’t the same thing.” Grayson shrugs noncommittally. Showmanship is part of MMA; it isn’t just about who could hit the hardest and who is the best strategist. It is also about getting the crowd behind you and creating a following; West had taught him that. “When you’re in trouble in the ring, if you’ve got loyal fans, they’ll help get you up off of the mat. The relationship works both ways. It’s give and take.”

 

Adriana shakes her head. “I still don’t understand it. That animal could’ve really hurt you. It wasn’t like he wasn’t trying to!” The gold in her jade green eyes is more pronounced, as they flash in anger.

 

“But he didn’t.” Grayson covers her hand with his and gazes straight at her. “I know what I’m doing, Adrie. I’m okay.” He hopes that the look he’s giving her is one of reassurance, but he doesn’t have time to read her expression as she turns away from him, pulling her hand out from underneath his.

 

The silence stretches out between them. There are so many things that he wants to say to her, but his brain is a mess, and it’s like he can’t maintain one coherent thought. The adrenaline that had been filling his body only a few minutes earlier is seeping out of him, leaving him exhausted.

 

“Did you like the fight?” It’s a lame question, he knows, but it’s the best he can do right now. Besides, her opinion really matters to him.

 

Adriana turns back to him, taking one of his hands and then the other, unwrapping the tape gently. Her fingers work quickly, methodically, like she’s done this a million times. “I don’t know if ‘like’ is the right word.” She sighs deeply, as she reaches his red knuckles. “I don’t know if I could like something that leaves you in this state.”

 

Grayson feels a warmth in his chest that spreads through his body. The fact that she cares what happens to him must be a good sign. But at the same time he wants her to understand why MMA is so important to him; he wants her to see what it means; he wants her to be proud of him. As if she’s done that uncanny thing again of reading his mind, she drops her head so that her hair covers his view of her face.

 

“You were amazing out there, Gray. You owned the ring, and the crowd was totally into you. There’s no question that you’re an incredible athlete.” Grayson feels himself smiling, like a kid who has just been given a good report card from his teacher. “It’s just…hard for me to watch you get hurt. I don’t know if I could do it again.”

 

“But I want you to.” The words are out of his mouth instantly, heedless of playing it cool. “My next fight, you’ll be there, right? It’s the fight for the state title.” He wishes he didn’t sound so needy, but he can’t pretend that it’s not how he feels. Having her this close to him is making his head spin—but in the best possible way. He would give anything to stay like this forever.

 

Adriana looks at him uncertainly, biting her bottom lip in the way that drives him insane. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

 

Grayson feels his stomach drop into his feet like a lead balloon. “Adrie, I’m sorry about the other night. If you give me a chance to explain—”

 

“It doesn’t matter, Gray,” she interrupts him, taking a deep breath as if she’s steeling herself for what she’s about to say to him. “It was a mistake.” The words hit him harder than any of Kong’s punches had. “Let’s just forget about it and start over…as friends.” She looks at him with eyes full of hope.

 

Grayson is floored. Out of all the things she could have said, this was the last thing he would have expected. He had expected her to chew him out over the way he treated her. He had expected her tell him that if he wanted to be with her then he was going to have to shape up, that she wasn’t willing to take any more of his shit. But…friends? That wasn’t the first word that popped into his head when he looked at her.

 

“Friends?” He couldn’t help repeating it like an idiot. He doesn’t think he’s ever been friends with any women, apart from his sister, and she doesn’t count.

 

“Yes, Grayson, friends. You’re familiar with the concept?” Adriana laughs, as she looks at him in mock despair before her expression turns serious again. “It’s what we should always have been. The…other stuff just got in the way.” She doesn’t look at him, as she starts tidying the components of the first aid kit away, but he can see that her hands are shaking a little.

 

Grayson reaches out and settles his hand over hers, feeling the familiar pull inside of him at the contact. He’s hyper-aware of how still her body goes at his touch, like she doesn’t know what to do. “Is that really what you want?”

 

He dips his head towards her, acting purely on instinct, not thinking about the consequences. He pulls her towards him as he zeroes in on her perfect rosebud lips, only inches away, desperate to lose himself in her kiss, in her.

 

“Stop,” she whispers so quietly that Grayson isn’t sure that he’s heard right. “Stop.” The second time her intent is clear, and for good measure, she steps away from him, forcing him to drop his hands from her.

 

He looks at her in confusion. He knows that she responds to him the same way that he does to her. He can tell from the desire in her eyes and the way her face is flushed that she wants him as much as he wants her. So why is she pulling away from him?

 

“I can’t do this again, Gray.” Adriana’s voice is small but full of determination. It doesn’t brook any argument. “The first time things went south I just about managed to pull myself together. I’m not willing to go through that again. And after what happened the other night, you don’t have any right to ask me to.”

 

The pain in her eyes makes Grayson’s heart literally hurt. He used to think that was such a cliché, but it turns out heartache is as real as it gets. He wants to envelop her in his arms and take that sadness away, the sadness that he’s caused. But he can’t. Would it always be this hard to be so close to her without being any closer?

 

“What if I said that things would be different this time? That I would be different?” Grayson wonders absently how it was possible that taking down a two-hundred-twenty-pound guy in the ring seemed like easy pickings next to Adriana.

 

She shakes her head, not a little sadly. “People don’t change, Gray. Besides, like Tommy said, the girls,”—she shudders, probably at the memory of Cassie draped around him—“they’re all part of the package. And I’m not sure that’s something I would ever be okay with.” She shrugs and smiles cheerlessly.

 

“But it wouldn’t be like that.” Grayson stops before he digs himself an even deeper hole. He realizes that he doesn’t have a leg to stand on with Adriana, not after what she’d seen earlier in the dressing room. Words mean nothing. The only way he can prove to her that he can be what she needs him to be is to show her.

 

“So…friends?” Adriana sticks her thumbs into the belt loops of her jeans, like she doesn’t know what to do with her hands.

 

“Friends.” Grayson agrees. He doesn’t add, ‘for now.’ “So, will you come to the after-party?”

 

Adriana shakes her head before he’s even finished the question. “I have an early shift at the hospital tomorrow. Besides, you don’t look like you should be going anywhere tonight except to bed!” She flushes deeply, as it occurs to her what she’s just said. “Alone,” she adds hurriedly, looking around awkwardly.

 

Grayson raises an eyebrow at her, but doesn’t say anything about the slip. “I have to be there. The crew, the fans, they’ll expect me to make an appearance.” He shrugs; it is part of the life. This is what is expected of him.

 

Adriana nods in understanding, chewing her bottom lip. “Well, have a good time. I guess I’ll see you around?” It’s more of a question than a confirmation, but she doesn’t wait for a response before she heads to the door.

 

“Hey, Adrie.” Grayson’s voice stops her with her handle on the doorknob. “Thanks for taking care of me.” He gestures towards his hands and his swollen lip.

 

“That’s what I do.” She shrugs like it’s no big deal, despite the fact that Grayson is desperately searching for a double meaning to her words.

 

“You’re working tomorrow. What about the day after tomorrow? Do you want to come to training? We could hang out…as friends.” He cringes at his own desperation. Grayson Fletcher having to beg a woman to spend time with him…this was a first. However, he didn’t care. There was no doubt in his mind that he would do whatever he had to for Adriana. With the winnings from the fight tonight, Morrison would finally be off his back, and he could start again. He would be free, free to pursue Adriana, free to be with her, free to tell her everything that he’d been holding back all this time.

 

The seconds tick by as Adriana thinks about his invitation, and he feels himself hold his breath. “Sure, that would be nice.” She smiles, and this time there’s no sadness there. It’s one of her smiles that feels like it’s just for him.

 

Before he has a chance to respond, she’s slipped out the door, closing it quietly behind her. He stands there, staring after her dully, pushing down his desire to chase after her. She’d made what she wanted clear, and running after her would just prove what she already believes, that he can’t change, that he can’t be what she needs. This time he would prove to her that he can be whatever she needs.

 

He takes a look around the room, and an envelope catches his eye. It’s not the envelope itself that’s caught his attention; it’s the handwriting on the front of it. It’s one that he recognizes all too well. With all the commotion in the dressing room, with the girls and then his one-to-one with Adriana, he hadn’t even noticed it until now.

 

He stalks over and rips the envelope bearing his name open. As he reads the few words on the card inside he feels a chill go through him. This is exactly what West has been afraid of…that Morrison would go back on his word like the snake that he is.

 

Congratulations on the fight. But we’re not through yet. The next one you throw.

 

He re-reads the phrases again and again, but they still say the same thing.

 

“Not this time,” he says to the note as if it were Morrison he was holding in his hands. “I’m done with you.” He screws up the note and throws it into the wastepaper basket. However, the uneasiness he’s feeling can’t be gotten rid of so easily.