Chapter 12

“You guys know there is a motel, like right around the corner?” Kane’s deep voice jolted Rory.

Flickering his eyes open, snarling at the bright light while pain shot up through his leg, Rory stared up into his brother’s face.

“What in the hell are you doing here, Kane?”

“Meeting you for training, idiot.”

“Oh, my God, hide me,” a soft voice moaned next to Rory, and he felt a warm body wriggle, a face push into the crook of his arm. Turning, he realized it was Clare and that they were smack dab in the middle of the main cage at an empty Legends.

And it was morning.

A very bright morning.

“Hi, Clare, good hiding job. He has giant arms, yet somehow I still spotted you! Is this yours?”

Clare peeked out from behind Rory, pulling the blanket tightly around her frame. Kane was holding up a light blouse, dangling it off one finger. Rory swiped it from him and handed it to Clare. She wiggled it on quickly, and he was sure that the crimson on her face might now be a permanent fixture.

“You guys better get this cleaned up. Pops will be in soon. I don’t even know what he would say to this. Oh, and Quinn dropped off Ace—he’s in the office,” Kane called over his shoulder as he strode away from them, out of the cage.

“Is he gone?” Clare peeked her head up over Rory’s shoulder so he could see her squarely.

Pushing himself up onto his elbows, he turned toward her and admired her petite figure curled up in the blanket beside him. Her blond hair was tumbling down her back in waves and her eyes shone bright green under the morning light. He wanted to take a picture of her like this, so he would never forget how beautiful she was. He grinned at the thought, knowing he sounded ridiculous.

“What are you smiling at?” She narrowed her eyes at him as she carefully wiggled on her jeans to finish getting dressed, still holding the blanket over her.

“You’re beautiful, Clare.”

She blushed an even deeper red against her previously pale, ivory skin, then pushed herself up onto her feet. He quickly followed, easily pulling his clothes on, unembarrassed. He started packing things away, pausing to notice the stiffness and spasms of pain in his leg. He kept a straight face and didn’t show it.

They didn’t say anything as they tidied up and folded the blanket, just snuck smiles and peeks at each other. Once everything was tucked neatly into the picnic basket Rory was now carrying, they exited the cage and he helped her down onto the ground.

Rory grabbed Clare’s arm and pulled her toward him, still enjoying the silence of the empty gym. “I’ve got to go get changed to train my brother.”

“Yeah? What are you waiting for then?” The way the corner of her eyes crinkled when she smiled at him made him want never to stop staring at her.

“It’s tomorrow.”

“So?”

“I promised to kiss you tomorrow, mhuirnín.” He lowered his voice, attempting to sound slightly threatening, but unable to keep the smile off his face.

“Did you? Hmm, I don’t recall.”

“Clare—” he started to argue, but she cut him off by tossing her arms around his neck and kissing him squarely on the lips. It was fast, it was soft. It was gentle, and it was deep. But it was over before he could even register all of that, leaving him gaping at her as he watched her walk away and leave the gym.

His brother called to him. “Rory! Come on! Only a week until the fight!”

Grunting, Rory stormed over to the front desk and hid the basket underneath. Ace greeted him, eagerly wagging his tail. Rory petted him and took him outside for a minute or two before heading back into the locker rooms to change and meet Kane, who had now taken up practicing on one of the bags while he waited.

Rory didn’t have time to think about everything that had just happened with Clare, or what it meant. The moment he entered the ring, leaving Ace on the sidelines, he could hear the anxiety in Kane’s voice, reminding him of how nervous he had been before his first big fight. He owed it to his brother to give him everything he knew.

If he couldn’t be the best anymore, at least the best would still be a Kavanagh.

“I’m ready to go full scale, Rory. Don’t hold back,” Kane told him as he stepped into the cage, making Rory wish he had been able to take some pills that morning for his knee. He had to keep reminding himself that those days were over; he was refusing to rely on medication anymore.

“Tomorrow. Let’s firm up your suppressions today.”

“We did that the last few days. I need something new, I can’t do triangle chokes all day today,” Kane argued, but Rory didn’t care and ignored his protests as he got into his stance. He wasn’t known for caving to his trainee’s wants, which Kane knew.

“Fine, but just for the morning workout. Can we switch it up this afternoon?” Kane gave in, sulking slightly.

“If you can successfully put me in a rear naked choke, we will go full on later.”

“You’re on!”

The two were instantly on each other, blows and blocks going every direction. Kane had vastly improved over their weeks of training, but his techniques were still sloppy. Rory could see he had the power, but the executions weren’t perfect. That was a mistake that he wasn’t going to let his brother make.

Rory knew he had been sloppy in his last fight against Santiago. He had let his ego tell him that his strength was enough, and so he hadn’t focused on techniques as keenly as he should have. He had paid a high price for that mistake, and he was dead set on keeping Kane from paying the same.

A few hours later, the men were drenched in sweat and heading to the locker room for a quick wipe-down and change before they took a couple hours off for lunch, planning to train again that afternoon. Rory had been impressed with Kane’s progress that morning, and they both were eager to continue the prep for Friday night’s fight.

“Rory, bro, what did I walk in on this morning?” Kane pulled a fresh shirt out of a locker and tossed his dirty one into his gym bag.

“What are you talking about?”

“With Clare. Since when do you have one-night stands at the gym, or with someone we know? I haven’t met a girl you’ve been with since that one chick from college.” Kane pulled his shirt over his head.

“Clare’s not a one-night stand. Don’t talk about her like that.”

“Oh, yeah? Playboy Rory is thinking of letting a sweet young thing tie him down?” Kane headed toward the exit.

Rory took two long strides across the locker room toward his brother. With one swift move, he grabbed Kane’s shoulder and pushed him back against the locker wall. With his eyes narrowed and his arm lying flat across Kane’s collarbone, Rory pinned him there carefully.

The move wasn’t completely frightening, just forceful.

“I said don’t talk about Clare that way.” He spoke sternly, with purpose, glaring into Kane’s surprised eyes.

“Calm down—I didn’t mean anything by it.” Kane’s hands went up in defense, but he was beaming with pride, as if he had just won a bet.

Rory dropped his arm back down to his side, gave Kane a withering glare, and stormed out of the locker room.

“We spend a couple of nights together and you’re already stalking me? I knew I was good, but wow,” a low voice rumbled behind her.

Clare snapped her head around in surprise to find Rory standing only a few inches behind her in the office of Woodlawn Rescues. It was a few hours after they had parted that morning. Smiling, she rolled her eyes at him, letting him lean down and give her a soft peck on the lips.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Same thing as you, I’m guessing.” He reached down to pet Ace, who happily wagged his tail between the two of them.

“I knew you worked here, but it’s still funny seeing you actually here.”

“Why?” He stepped closer to her, his hands reaching for her waist and pulling her forward to rest against him.

“Because this room is smaller than you are.”

“That’s why I spend most of my time out in the yard.” He kissed her neck softly, pressing her into him.

Clare exhaled, accidentally moaning lightly at the contact, as his lips traveled the length of her neck. She tilted her head to the side to give him more access, momentarily losing herself in the warm sensations of his solid body pressed into hers. His tongue slid against her smooth skin, devouring her gently.

“I could never get tired of tasting you,” he whispered into her.

“Rory, it’s only my first day. I’ve got to get back to filing.” She tried her best to push him away, but her hands ended up twisting in his shirt instead. She was pulling him closer, arching her body against his.

“I can help you.”

“Help me get further distracted, you mean?” She finally stepped back and locked her arms out in front of her to keep him at a distance.

“You might like it,” he teased, allowing her to push him away. She grabbed a stack of files off the desk and moved over to a tall industrial filing cabinet.

“I think that’s the problem.”

“I’ll catch up with you later,” he conceded with a smile, leaving the office.

Clare heard the door to the kennels open as the barking increased in volume. A shiver ran through her body as she remembered how his hands had just been on her. She loved that he was here working at the same place she was; it made her feel more connected. It was as if they were sharing a part of their lives together, sharing an experience no one else could have with them.

Kiera popped her head into the office. “Clare, Dr. Prentiss just got here.”

“Awesome,” she said. “Um, I didn’t finish the filing yet.”

“Leave it, you can do it later. Come meet him.”

Clare nodded and placed the stack of files back on the desk, then hurried out to the hallway to follow Kiera. The young woman was waiting for her by the exam room door, waving for her to come join her. Following Kiera into the small medical room, Clare was again surprised at how small the place was.

There was a counter to one side with a sink; medical supplies lined the wall. On the opposite side, a metal exam table that folded up into the wall was currently down, with several open folders on it. An older gentleman stood by the exam table, leaning over and writing in one of the folders. He was mostly bald and wore large glasses propped on his nose, a white lab coat over slacks, and a collared shirt.

“Dr. Prentiss, we just brought in a new volunteer. This is Clare Ivers.” Kiera motioned between them.

“Hi, it’s great to meet you.” Clare smiled at him and extended a hand, which he accepted as he smiled back at her.

“Good to meet you, too. We need more volunteers around here.”

“Clare is studying to be a vet one day, so I’ll let you two chat. If you need me, I’ll be out feeding the dogs and checking on Rory,” Kiera said before heading out of the room.

“She’s a good kid.” Dr. Prentiss motioned toward where Kiera had just been. “Is this your first day? Have you met Rory yet?”

“I have.” She smiled shyly.

“Those two are the only reason this place is still open. Patty does an amazing job, but she couldn’t run this place alone. I have my own practice and I volunteer at several other places, so I’m only here one day a week.” He closed some folders and put things away as Clare listened intently.

“First up, I’ve got some annuals to deliver. Want to help me?”

She eagerly agreed to help with the vaccinations, following him out to the kennels.

He greeted each of the dogs as he passed, seeming to know all of them by name. Clare guessed that the shelter had about twenty kennels, but only half were occupied at the moment. The backs of the kennels had sliding hatches, some currently opened into an outdoor pen area. She could see out into the yard, where Rory was down on one knee, working with a large rottweiler.

The next few hours went by quickly as she followed Dr. Prentiss around, helping him perform exams. She did finally manage to get some filing done, and by the time her shift ended, she felt depleted but happy. She kept thinking how lucky she was to have stumbled upon this place, feeling like she was finally doing something to help herself toward her goals.