Adam

“Absolutely fucking not.”

I looked up at Donovan, whose dark eyes were drilling into me. His arms crossed over his chest, and his shoulders rolled back as his spine straightened. As if that would intimidate me.

“I don’t want to fight. I’m done.” I hadn’t trained or thrown a punch since I revealed the truth to Anna on Sunday. And I didn’t want to, ever again. If she thought I could be better, maybe I could. I owed it to myself and her to try.

“What about our agreement?” He cocked his head, and I focused on the dragon tattoo on his neck. The tongue darted from the mouth whenever Donovan moved.

“Feck the agreement.”

“So you no longer give a damn about Les? Or Anna?”

“You no longer care if I go to the Garda?”

Donovan laughed—a deep, irritating laugh. “You don’t have the balls. You didn’t do it before, and you won’t do it now.”

“Try me,” I bit out.

Donovan closed the gap between us until I could smell his breath on my face, stale and ashy. “Do it, then.” He sniggered and raised his brows. “But you know nothing will happen to me. Anna won’t be so lucky. You can send her back to her little farm in Kentucky if you want, but she won’t be safe there.”

“You won’t touch her.” I tried to remain cool as I called his bluff, eying the three arseholes that were acting as his shield.

“You really willing to take that risk?” He rolled his eyes. “I have a lot of money riding on the match with Frankie. A lot of bets coming in. You’re only two fights in, and people are already favoring you to win.”

My palms twitched at my sides. “And what reassurances do I have that you’ll stop threatening me after the fight in November?”

“I’ll give you my word.”

“Feck your word. You knew Les was my best mate when he started fighting for you a few years ago. Did you bring him under your wing on purpose—was this some plan of yours to get me back?”

Donovan laughed and exchanged looks with the men at his side. “Now that’s a grand idea. I guess you’ll never know.”

I wanted nothing more than to take them all down, right here and now.

I leaned forward. “If this isn’t done after I fight Frankie in November, I’m coming after you. And I won’t stop until there’s nothing left of your face but blood and bone.”

* * *

I tapped out the message and sent it to Anna, my body charged and ready to go. Her response was quick.

Thank you for the gift. But I’m thinking this present is more for your benefit than mine.

I smiled. She was right. Jesus, I was growing hard just picturing her in it.

I started to type a response but stopped when I noticed my sister in the doorway.

She hadn’t knocked, of course.

“If you came here to try and talk me off the ledge again, you’re wasting your time.” I leaned back, my seat reclining.

Holly slid a file across my desk. “I need you to sign something,” she muttered without looking at me. “I’ve been out of the country for a week, if you hadn’t noticed.”

I had, although only because she hadn’t shown up to harass me in a while.

“I thought you weren’t working late these days,” she said as I scribbled my signature on a paper and shut the folder.

I glanced at my watch. It was after seven. Every morning this week I’d been going to the hospital to visit with Abby. I was still kicking myself for what happened to her—and I knew Anna was, too.

Abby was okay. Thank God. I’d checked her into a top-notch rehab facility this morning, with her ma’s support.

“Sean told me, by the way.”

My sister’s voice pulled me back to the conversation. My elbows rested on my desk, my fingers lacing together as I waited for her to deliver her news.

“Sean figured out that you’re fighting because of the intern. Does she have any idea that you’re throwing your life away for her?”

I was on my feet, my heart hammering in my chest. I came around to face her, bracing a hand on the edge of my desk to ground myself. “She has a name,” I hissed.

Holly tilted her head, squinting at me as if she could stare me down. Good luck with that, sis. “Are you sleeping with her, too?”

“And that would be your business because?”

“I’m in charge of HR. I need to know if you’re screwing up in more ways than one.”

“Just go.”

“Send her home. Don’t do this. I’m begging you.” She blew out a loud breath. “You don’t even go to the football games anymore. I remember a time when you’d fly in from Beijing if it meant making a game. We’ve lost you, Adam. You’re gone.” Her voice was shaking.

“Leave my office.” I lowered my head, not able to make eye contact with my damn sister.

When I looked back up a few moments later, she was gone. My stomach roiled with guilt, but I didn’t want to think about it right now.

I wanted to think about seeing Anna.

Within twenty minutes, I was standing outside her hotel door. I thought about knocking instead of using my card, but I was worried she’d answer the door in my gift, and I didn’t want any passersby to get their greedy fill of her.

“Anna,” I called when I opened the door.

The room was dark. I dropped my overnight bag on the floor and shut the door. “Anna?” Fear curled inside me when I didn’t hear a response.

I dashed through the sitting area and opened the bedroom door. There, I wiped a palm down my face in relief. Candles were lit around the bedroom. At least a dozen.

The bathroom door opened, and Anna flicked off the light behind her.

When she entered the candle-lit bedroom, I officially lost my ability to think straight. She was wearing my gift, and only my gift—brown leather cowgirl boots and a straw-colored hat. Her body, golden from the Kentucky sun, moved toward me, her green eyes capturing mine as she came slowly across the room. Her body was fit, her long legs and full breasts on display. This was a woman with confidence. She’d told me that arsehole ex had taken her confidence, but the woman standing before me was completely unselfconscious . . . and utterly breathtaking.

“You didn’t need to buy me these, but thank you.”

She was standing in front of me, and my cock was hard as a rock. I wanted to pull her against me, but at the same time, I just wanted to look at her. I longed to absorb every inch of her into my memory.

My hand swept up to her chest, gliding over her nipple. “Do you know what you do to me, Anna?”

She wet her lips as a sexy smile teased the edges of her mouth. “I think I can tell.” Her eyes dragged down the front of me, landing on the waistband of my dress pants.

“I don’t mean that.” I laughed a little. “Well, not just that.” I pressed my hand to her cheek. Her skin was soft and smooth beneath my palm.

“Then what?” she rasped, her eyes focused on mine.

“The feeling I used to get from winning a fight gave me a high like nothing else.” I swallowed as I processed the ideas that had just begun to whirl in my mind. “Until now. Until you.” I wrapped my arm around her, tracing my fingers down the middle of her naked back before slipping them around the curve of her ass. My other hand grabbed hold of her hip, tugging her closer to me. “I crave you now. When I’m training, I’m not focused. All I want to do is be with you.”

“That’s not good.” She stepped back, and I lost my hold on her. “You can’t lose focus. I—I don’t want you getting hurt because of me.”

If only she knew . . . But no, she could never know.

“Don’t worry, love. I’ll never lose. Not as long as I have you in my corner.” I couldn’t believe I was saying this, keeping her in my life after all the shit I’d done. I knew deep inside I didn’t deserve her, but for some damn reason she made me feel like I did. I wasn’t sure if the feeling would last or how long she’d be here, but I wanted to grab hold of her for as long as bloody possible.

“Promise me you’ll never get hurt.” She pressed a hand to my chest, her lower lip trembling a little.

She was worried about me? For some reason, that thought had never crossed my mind. “I promise.” I tipped her hat to better access her eyes. “I promise,” I said once more.

When she finally nodded, I pulled her into my arms. My cock throbbed against her, and I was desperate to get out of my clothes and feel her skin against mine.

She must’ve read my mind because she began working at the buttons of my shirt. I stepped back and undressed the rest of the way.

Her lips curved into a delicious, seductive smile. “Want me to take off the hat and boots?” Her hand rested on the brim.

“Hell, no!” I roped her back into my arms, and her body smacked up against mine. I lifted her and tossed her gently on the bed. Her hat fell off behind her, unleashing her hair, which wildly splayed out beneath her head as she lay there, looking up at me.

She pulled her legs up, resting her boots on the bed. She placed a hand over her belly button, and her other covered one of her breasts. “Touch yourself,” I said as I gripped hold of my shaft.

“I don’t . . . I’ve never—”

“What?” I released my grip in surprise.

“I mean I’ve never done that in front of anyone.”

I tipped my head back, almost relieved to hear those words. I didn’t want to imagine Anna doing anything with anyone else.

“I want to watch you.” My eyes landed back on hers.

She pulled her lip between her teeth. She probably had no idea how damn sexy she looked.

Her hand slipped down to her pussy, and she softly stroked. Watching her, I grew harder than I thought possible. I wrapped my hand back around my cock, admiring the way her tits rose and fell with each breath.

When her eyes shut and a soft mewl escaped her lips, my body tensed. “Feck.” I grabbed a condom from the stash I’d stored in the dresser by the bed and ripped open the pack with my teeth as I watched her finger herself.

I rolled the condom on, but then kneeled down and spread her legs apart. I ran my fingers from the top of the boot up to her inner thigh. She gasped and her back arched when I moved her hand, pinning it to her side as my mouth came down over her wet center.

God, she tasted so damn good.

She moaned as she grinded against my face. My hands slipped up under her ass, my fingers biting into her flesh as she started to orgasm.

I shifted away and was on top of her in one quick movement, plunging inside her as her body still quaked from ecstasy. Her hips bucked up again, and she groaned, clutching the comforter at her sides.

I pumped harder and faster—letting go of all my problems, only living in the moment as the world slipped fast away. My past seemed nothing more than memories from a movie I’d watched—they weren’t mine, they couldn’t possibly be, not with how Goddamn good I felt right now.

“Adam . . .” She purred my name, and it rolled off her tongue, vibrating against my chest where her lips were pressed.

My body was slick with sweat, rubbing against hers. Her legs were wrapped around me, squeezing, hanging on tight as she rocked into another orgasm.

“Feck, Anna . . .” I growled as I came.

I collapsed off to the side of her, gathering a few deep breaths. “That was . . .”

“Otherworldly?” she prompted, which had me blinking a little as I came down from the high.

“Aye.” I folded my hands on my chest and stared at the ceiling. She rolled to her side and rested her hands over mine.

“Don’t fall asleep. I want more,” she whispered in my ear.

“I wouldn’t dream of disappointing you, love.”