OH MY GOD, Kyle was in the ring. I’d intentionally not paid attention to him the past two days, but the second he stepped into the ring, the whole atmosphere of the gym changed. The tension was so high, the hair on my arms stood up. Dean Jacobson was a great fighter and if anyone in the gym had animosity toward Kyle it was him. I couldn’t believe Tyler was actually putting them in the ring together. Dean was good, but I’d watched Kyle fight; he was better. The last thing we needed was for Kyle to kick his ass and cause more problems.
People who were working out all stopped what they were doing to watch the fight. Dean made the first move and pelted Kyle on the side of the head. His head snapped to the side, but he clenched his jaw and shook it off. The old Kyle would’ve went on a rampage. Hitting Dean in return, I could tell there wasn’t much power to it. What the hell was he doing?
I left my desk to join Tyler at ring side. He was watching with a small smirk on his face. “Am I missing something? We all know Kyle doesn’t fight this bad,” I whispered. The crowd cheered for Dean as he pummeled Kyle, over and over. Kyle would fight back, but with feeble attempts.
Tyler looked over at me and smiled, his gray eyes beaming. “He’s doing what I’d hoped he’d do . . . letting Dean win.”
“Why would he do that? What’s the story there?”
“About four years ago, Kyle spiked Dean’s brother’s drink and he failed the drug test before a big fight. He was suspended for two years. Last I heard, he moved away to the east coast and started fighting again. It sucks he couldn’t be here to fight Kyle, but Dean will do.”
“So, this is his way of finding redemption?” I asked.
“Looks like it.”
“Do you think he’s honestly trying to change?”
He kept his focus on Kyle. “I’m not sure. Letting someone kick his ass is a big deal for Kyle though.”
The beating Kyle took made my whole body ache. I wanted it to be over, but he stood there and took it. By now, the crowd had figured out what was going on. Instead of cheers, there was a somber ambience as everyone watched Kyle take his punishment. Even Dean realized what was going on and had tears in his eyes as he fought for his brother. As he reared back for the last hit, Kyle turned my way and by the look on his face I could tell he had found a semblance of peace. As Dean finished him off, he fell to the mat.
“I think there may be hope for him yet,” I said to Tyler.
He glanced up at Kyle’s still form. “For Kacey’s sake, I hope so. But he still has a long way to go.” With those final words, he turned on his heel and disappeared to the back.
Dean jumped out of the ring and his friends all congratulated him. No one even bothered to check on Kyle, so I hopped up into the ring and looked down at him. He was breathing hard and definitely still awake, but his eyes were closed.
“I think you can open your eyes now. They’re gone.”
He opened one eye and then the other. “I’m sure everyone’s disappointed I’m not dead.”
“Yeah, maybe a couple,” I laughed.
His lips pulled back into a smile which only split his lip further. “Are you?”
“Nope, because as soon as you’ve recovered, you are going to clean the blood up off of this mat.” I held out my hand and he grabbed it so I could help him up. He didn’t even need my help, but he held onto it anyway.
He looked down at the blood and cringed. “Fuck, that’s a lot of blood. How bad do I look?”
I bit my lip and assessed the damage. “Like you just went through the windshield. I do think it was good of you for what you did.” We both jumped down from the mat and I handed him a towel and a bottle of water.
He wiped the blood off his face and gently touched his lip, hissing. “What do you mean?”
“I know that you let him beat you on purpose. I’ve watched you fight plenty of times to know that you aren’t that horrible.”
His green eyes twinkled. “You’ve watched me fight?”
I threw another towel at him and it smacked him in the face. “Only to watch you lose, jackass. Now get cleaned up so you can wash off that mat before the stains set in.” Turning on my heel, I started for my desk and stopped when he spoke.
“And what do I get in return?”
I glanced over my shoulder. “My gratitude. That should be enough for now.”
After about two hours, the mat was clean and the gym was almost vacant. There were still a couple people left, including Kyle who kept sneaking glances my way. He looked better now that his face wasn’t covered in blood. Everyone couldn’t stop talking about the fight. My only concern was that if other fighters wanted to fight Kyle, they’d get a sore awakening. He wasn’t going to go easy on everyone.
“Meg, I can close tonight if you want to leave,” Tyler offered.
I shook my head. “No, go home. I still have to work out. I don’t mind staying. It’s only another hour.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, now go before I change my mind.”
He winked at me and smiled before disappearing to the back. I’d already changed into my sports bra and shorts so I could work out with Jared and Patrick. They liked for me to sit on them while they did their pushups and to ride on their backs when they did their squats.
“You ready, sexy?” Jared asked.
Out of the corner of my eye, Kyle’s head turned abruptly to watch us. Jealousy flashed in his eyes when I climbed onto Jared’s back. Interesting. “Do you have any idea how many women ask about you two? I hate having to break their hearts when I say you have different tastes.”
Patrick lifted his weights and laughed. “We don’t always go one way, sweetheart. Some nights we make exceptions.”
“What?” I squealed, smacking Jared on the ass. “Why haven’t you told me this? There are women in here who would kill to have a night with you both.”
Jared dropped down onto the floor and rolled so that I fell off his back. He towered over me and then lifted me up. “What about you?”
Eyes wide, I stared at them both. “You’re joking, right?”
He shook his head and grinned. “It’s something we’ve wanted to ask you for a while now. Would you possibly be interested?”
Holy hell, I didn’t know what to say. The thought was intriguing, but . . .
“Megan?”
Kyle’s voice brought me out of my stupor. Pulling my hand out of Jared’s hold, I straightened my shorts and cleared my throat. “Yes?”
He nodded toward the ring. “Can you look at something for me?”
“Sure.”
I started toward him, but Patrick stopped me and leaned in close. “You’d enjoy it. Just think it over.” By now, Kyle was fuming.
All I could do was nod in reply and try my best to keep a straight face while I approached Kyle. I joined him, but he glared over my head at them, clenching his jaw.
“What do you want me to look at?” I asked. When he didn’t acknowledge me, I snapped my fingers in his face. “Hello, are you in there?”
He shook his head. “Sorry. My mind was somewhere else.”
“I could tell. You’re not jealous of my time with the boys are you? I didn’t think sexy men were part of your taste.”
He chuckled lightly. “I don’t swing that way, love. And I don’t think fucking around with two men is your cup of tea either.”
“And how do you know? One might not be enough.” I countered.
“If that’s the case, you’ve been with the wrong men. Besides, I know better, your face gave it away when they propositioned you.”
“So you called me over here to tell me that?”
“I’d just hate to see you do something you’d regret. And if you don’t need help then you won’t have problems telling them that you’ll pass on their offer.”
“Right now?” I asked incredulously.
“Why not?”
“Fine,” I said, narrowing my gaze. “Have it your way.” I turned to Jared and Patrick and grinned. “Saturday night, it’s on boys.” They both smacked hands and chuckled.
Glancing over my shoulder, Kyle seethed. “What the hell are you doing?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “Maybe I want double the pleasure. Or maybe I want to find out what has your panties in a twist.”
Clenching his fists tight, he looked over at Jared and Patrick and then back to me. “You really want to know? All you have to do is beat me in a squat match.”
“What happens if I lose?”
His smile grew wide. “Then you tell Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum over there to get bent and find someone else to plow.”
He said it loud enough for the guys to hear. They stopped lifting their weights and joined us. Their curious gazes gave me pause, especially when they grinned at each other. They were up to something.
“You ready, love?” Kyle asked as he stretched his legs.
I cracked my neck and took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”
We started our squats while Jared and Patrick kept track of the numbers. My thighs burned like hell, but I kept going. I wanted to win just to aggravate Kyle. It didn’t help that the boys kept goading him with their words. Every time they would say something, he’d go faster and gain more squats.
“What do you think, J? Chocolate or whipped cream?” Patrick asked.
Jared smirked and licked his lips. “Tits and chocolate are my favorite combination.”
“Mmm,” Patrick moaned.
“Dammit, guys, shut up,” I shouted. My legs hurt so bad they gave out and I fell to the floor, gasping for air.
Kyle laid down beside me. He was breathing hard, but it didn’t stop him from laughing. “The date’s over,” he murmured smugly.
Jared and Patrick came over and stood by our side, smirking. They both looked down at us and shook their heads. “That was too close,” Patrick said.
“What are you talking about?” I grumbled.
Jared grinned wide. “Well, we’re strictly dickly. That would have been awkward for everyone if you’d won.”
“So we came up with a plan to test out the theory,” Patrick finished.
I covered my face with my hands. “Oh my God.”
Jared pulled my hands away. “Don’t be mad at us. I didn’t know how else to make lover boy here jealous. I think I proved my point.”
“And I think you need to get the fuck out of here before I get off this floor,” Kyle growled.
Winking, Jared helped me up and sauntered out of the gym with Patrick by his side. I couldn’t believe they said all of that just to make Kyle jealous. “Please tell me their assumptions aren’t true,” I said, glancing down at Kyle still on the floor.
Kyle sat up and huffed. “I wish I could, but I can’t.”
“My friends hate you. Where do you see anything going? It just could never happen.”
Frustrated, he ran his hands through his hair. “I’m trying to change all of that. You saw what I did today. I let go of my pride and I’ll pay the price of that humiliation for the rest of my life. I need for someone to give me a chance.”
“You realize what you’re asking?”
He nodded. “I do. And I know you don’t trust me, but I’m hoping once you see that I’ve changed, you’ll see me differently from everyone else.”
I couldn’t believe I was even entertaining the idea. I must be fucked up in the head. “So what do you want to do?”
Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly. “We can start out slow. What are you doing this weekend?”
“I told my best friend, Nic, that we could check out the new club in town. I haven’t been out in a really long time.”
Kyle got to his feet and stood close. “I haven’t either. I can meet you there if you want.”
I sighed and looked down at the floor. “If we do this, you can’t tell anyone.”
He ran a hand down my arm and I shivered. It was the first time he’d touched me so intimately. “I understand.”
“Why me, though? Why not find someone who doesn’t know about your past?”
“It would be easier,” he admitted, “and you may hate me, but you’ve also been the only one to show me kindness. You’re the only one who could come close to being considered a friend.”
Tyler was going to kill me, not to mention Kacey if she ever found out. “Okay. Meet me at the club on Friday night. Just don’t make me regret this decision.”
His smile made me tremble. “I won’t.”