THANKFULLY, AFTER THE FIASCO IN the pool, Gabriella didn’t mention anything about it when I saw her sitting in the living room watching TV. Matt was still getting his things together for the fight, so it was just me and her, my face heating up in embarrassment again. She had her raven colored hair perfectly straight down her back with a pair of jeans and a black tank top with ‘Team Matt’ written on it in red. I loved it.
“Where did you get that?” I asked.
Immediately, she lifted her gaze and saw me staring at her shirt. “Oh, I had it made. Matt thought it was pretty cool, so I told him I’d wear one to all of his fights. I’ve been doing it now for five years.”
“I really like it,” I told her. “I need to get one made so I can wear it to his fights.”
Her eyes lit up and she fumbled with the zipper on her bag. “I have an extra one in my bag. Do you want to wear it tonight? It’ll go good on top of the blue tank you’re wearing.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
She scoffed and started searching through her bag. “Please, I have a gazillion of them and all in different colors.” When she found what she was looking for, she grabbed it and threw it my way. “This one has blue letters on it instead of red like mine.”
“Great, thank you,” I murmured. Slipping it on over my blue tank top, I smoothed it down. “How does it look?”
“I think it looks hot,” Matt said from across the room. “Are we ready to go?”
Gabriella got to her feet and put her bag over her shoulders. “I’m ready, but I’m following you guys so that afterwards I can just drive home from there. If I don’t get the chance to see you before you fight, you better kick ass out there, okay?”
She hugged him hard and kissed him on the cheek before waving at me and walking out the front door. It was time to go.
“Are Carter and Garrett going to meet you there?” I asked.
Grabbing his bag, he followed me out the door and locked it. “Yeah, that’s what they usually do for the local fights. If we have to travel somewhere then we’re always together.”
I never realized until that moment there would come a time when he’d have to travel to different states for his fights, and he’d constantly be gone. What would happen to us? Would he want me to go with him?
Matt opened the door to his garage and walked over to a brand new, blue Ford Raptor and put his bag in the back seat before coming around to my side and opening the door for me. He used to do the same thing when we were teenagers.
“Thank you,” I said, climbing inside. “Not that many men open the car doors anymore. I’m surprised you still do it.” I paused, narrowing my eyes teasingly. “Or are you just doing it to lure me back in.”
With a sexy smirk on his face, he leaned against the door. “Angel, I don’t have to lure you back in because you’re already mine. Also, you’re the only girl I’ve ever done this for. I never cared enough with others to even bother.”
He shut the door and went around to his side to get in. Once he started the truck and we got on the road, I decided to ask, “So what exactly are we going to do when you start travelling next season? Have you thought about that?”
Since he was driving he couldn’t exactly look at me, but I could tell he didn’t have an answer by the way his brows furrowed and he bit his lip. It was something we needed to talk about if we were going to continue seeing each other.
Matt peered over at me and smiled. “You could always come with me, couldn’t you? I know you probably couldn’t go with me to all of them because of your job, but I’d like for you to.”
“Really?” I remarked skeptically. “You would actually want me tagging along? Your groupies might get a little jealous if they keep seeing the same woman around you.”
“And that’s a bad thing? I thought you would want them all to know I’m taken.”
“Oh, I do,” I said, “but the question is … do you want them to know that you’re taken?” I countered.
Reaching over, Matt grabbed my hand off my lap and brought it to his lips. Softly, he murmured, “I wouldn’t have asked you to travel with me if I didn’t want that, angel … except, you got it all wrong. I want you with me so that everyone will know that you’re taken, that you belong to me.”
“Always,” I whispered quietly.
Intertwining his fingers with mine, he kissed my hand and then let them rest in my lap. I leaned my head against the seat and kept my gaze on him the whole hour it took to drive to Oakland. Each day I spent with him I grew more and more in love with him. I just hope I don’t screw it up.
THE PARKING LOT WAS ALREADY packed when we got to the Oracle Arena, but Matt still had a while before his fight would take place. He pulled his truck into the lot where the fighters and their staff could park and shut off the engine.
“Do you have to have pictures taken like last time?” I asked.
We got out of the truck and he put his arm around my waist as we started for the back entrance to the arena. “No, they don’t need any tonight. I think they’re going to use the same ones they took last time.”
I gasped. “You mean the ones with me?”
Chuckling, he squeezed my ass and palmed it with his hand. “Yes, the ones with you. You were so damn sexy in them, too.”
Thank goodness there weren’t any with Kyle.
It made me wonder why Kyle didn’t show up in the first place. I bet he knew I’d be there that day with Matt and deliberately didn’t show up because it would ruin his cover. Sneaky bastard.
When we got inside, he led us to a back hallway where the guard let us pass. “How does it feel to know that so many people recognize your face?” I asked. “Was it not weird when you’d be out in public somewhere and someone would come up to you wanting your autograph?”
“Oh yeah, it was insane,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “My whole life I was a nobody, but when people started noticing me it was surreal. What’s really fucked up is when I see people we went to high school with, you know, those who never paid me any attention, and they come up to me like we used to be best friends.”
“Really? Who? What do you say to them?”
Nonchalantly, he shrugged and said, “Let’s see … the last time it was Parks Miller and you know how he used to think he was the shit being the quarterback and all, right?”
I groaned and rolled my eyes. “Oh yes, I remember him very well.”
How could I forget him? Matt didn’t know, but Parks used to try to get me to go out with him all the time. He didn’t understand how a girl like me could ever like a guy like Matt. Parks was basically the leader of my group of friends, but when I started spending more time with Matt and not with them they began to shun me.
Trying hard not to laugh, Matt continued with his story, “So anyway, I’m being interviewed after a fight and he comes up talking about how we went to school together and hung out. It was funny because I knew who he was, but as serious as I could be I looked dead at him and said I had no idea what the hell he was talking about. Then I turned right back around to the guy interviewing me.”
Snickering, I looked up at him in admiration. “Good for you. I bet he hated that, but it serves him right for being such a jackass.”
Matt’s face lit up and he laughed. “Oh, you should’ve seen the video. His face turned bright red before he marched away. The thing is, if I didn’t have to work every day after school I’m sure I would’ve been a better quarterback than him.”
“I don’t doubt it,” I agreed.
Finally, we had made it to the dressing rooms where all of the fighters were able to change clothes and get prepared for their fights. Garrett and Carter were talking heatedly up ahead, and when they saw us Garrett came rushing up, his face a mask of worry. Carter followed close behind. They both glared at me, which didn’t make me feel too comfortable, and by the look on Matt’s face he knew something was up; he could spot a problem a mile away.
“What’s going on?” Matt asked.
Both Garrett and Carter glanced quickly my way, and then to Matt. “Uh … there’s a slight problem with your room,” Garrett said. “I think there’s a … something wrong with …” He fumbled for the right words and it was obvious he was trying to think of something to say off the top of his head. He wasn’t doing a very good job.
“Leak,” Carter finished while gaping at Garrett. Rolling his eyes, he turned back to Matt and said, “There’s a water leak in your room and it needs to be fixed. I think someone will be down here soon. Why don’t you two go walk around or something.”
Incredulously, Matt scoffed and walked right past them, dragging me along. “Guys, really? You know I used to work in construction before I started fighting. Leaky pipes are nothing.”
When I peered over my shoulder at them, Carter and Garrett both mouthed the word ‘no’ and shook their heads. What the hell was going on? We were almost to Matt’s room when I jumped in front of him, stopping him with my hands on his chest.
“Hey, you don’t need to be dealing with all of that before your fight. Come on, show me around the arena. I’ve never been here before,” I told him in mock excitement. Whatever was going on I knew I had to keep him out of his room.
Matt guffawed and reached for the handle on the door. “Angel, I promise I’ll show you around the arena once I help them fix this. I do have other skills besides fighting.”
As soon as he opened the door and walked in, I held my breath and closed my eyes. I didn’t have to look to know it was Carter who flanked me on my right because I could feel the tension pouring off of him.
“This isn’t going to be good,” he warned. “I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever you have with Kyle is going to fuck him up.”
The moment he said Kyle’s name, I immediately opened my eyes and all I could see was red. What the hell had he done now? As soon as I rushed into the room, I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands as I stood there, frozen in horror gazing about the room.
“Oh my God,” I cried frantically, disgusted at the sight before me. “Matt, this isn’t what it looks like, you know this.”
He stood there with his back to me and I had no idea what he was thinking because he hadn’t said a single word. All over the room there were pictures scattered on the chairs, the floor, and on the table of me and Kyle when I thought he was Caleb. Shaking with rage, I grabbed a handful and crushed them in my hands.
If there was ever a time when I wanted to seriously cause someone bodily damage it was now, especially when Garrett and Carter looked at me as if I was the biggest whore on the planet; both wore scowls and sneers of disgust. They had no clue what was going on.
Someone had secretly taken pictures of me and Kyle when we were together, and they were all with us either touching or kissing. The ones when we were alone at the beach were the worst because we were lying on the sand and I’d let him touch me without restraint. There were even some when we were in the bedroom at Hayley’s house, after he’d pushed me onto the bed and started kissing me. I intentionally kept mine and Kyle’s intimate moments from him for good reason, but now he was seeing it all up close. The decision to protect him just blew up in my face.
Matt still hadn’t said anything and that scared me most of all. He should know it was all a setup, that it didn’t mean anything. My heart thundered in my chest as I waited there, scared to breathe for fear that any sound would set Matt off. He was a ticking time bomb ready to explode and I had no idea if I was going to be blown up with it.
Garrett came up behind me, and I jumped when he tapped me on my arm. “You might want to get out of here. I’ve never seen him like this and I don’t know what he’s going to do.”
“No, you don’t understand,” I hissed, holding up the crumpled pictures. “I didn’t cheat on him with Kyle. That’s not what this is.”
“I’m sorry, Shelby, but that’s not what it looks like to me,” he said dryly, still tugging on my arm. “You need to leave … now.”
My gut clenched because Matt still hadn’t said anything or turned around to stop Garrett from pushing me out of the room. Was he really going to let Kyle push us apart like this?
“No,” Matt growled low. “She stays.” Finally, he turned around and glared at Garrett and Carter, especially Garrett since he still had my arm in his grasp. “Get your hand off of her and leave. I want you both out.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Carter cut in. “You obviously need to calm down.”
The energy in the air crackled, and when he stepped forward, both Garrett and Carter stepped back. “And I don’t think you need to question what I just said,” he snapped. “Get out.”
Reluctantly, they both nodded and walked out, shutting the door behind them. I didn’t know what to say, so I stood there, waiting on him. When he finally spoke, his voice was laced with rage and despair, “I thought you said it wasn’t serious between you and him. From these pictures I’d say things were looking very serious.”
Taking a deep breath, I lifted my gaze to his and never wavered. I refused to let Kyle get the best of us. “It wasn’t, Matt, I promise. I never slept with him or anything like that. The pictures make it look like more than what it really was. We kissed a few times … that’s it.”
“What about this one?” he asked through clenched teeth, holding up a picture of us at Hayley’s party. “This is the night you were supposed to tell him it was over! That’s the same dress you were wearing when I came to your house. What were you two doing in a fucking bedroom?”
The picture was of Kyle the moment he got me on the bed after I tried to push away from him. His lips were on the swells of my breast and my legs were parted on either side of him, showing the very tops of my bare thighs. It made me sick to my stomach just looking at it.
“What did he do to you?” Matt shouted, his gaze burning through me. He glared down at the picture one more time, his eyes full of fire and breathing hard. “Your arms in the picture are tense, like you’re trying to fight him off, Shelby,” he said, his voice low. “I know how your body looks when you’re enjoying yourself and this isn’t it. If he forced himself on you I’m going to fucking kill him.”
The door opened behind us, and when I glanced over my shoulder it was Garrett pointing at his watch. “You have thirty minutes to get dressed before you need to head out, Matt,” he said nervously.
Clenching his teeth, Matt slowly lifted his angry gaze to him. “I’ll be ready,” he snapped. “Now close the goddamned door.”
Nodding, Garrett disappeared and as soon as he was out of sight, Matt grabbed my face with his strong hands and held me in place. I was never a good liar, especially when I had to look straight into someone’s eyes, and he knew that.
“Look at me and answer the question,” he demanded.
Taking a deep breath, I released it slowly and made sure to keep my gaze solely focused on his. “No,” I claimed in all honesty. “He didn’t hurt me. However, I’m not going to lie, he did scare me at first because I had no clue what he was going to do. When I tried to push him away he wouldn’t move, but as soon as I told him no, he backed off.”
Letting me go, Matt turned his back on me and fisted his hands in his hair. “So that’s what Jace meant when he said it was a good thing I wasn’t there. Kyle would probably be dead if I was.”
“Exactly, which is why I didn’t ask you, I called him to come and get me. Kyle wanted to see if I’d have sex with him so he could rub it in your face that he slept with me. When I refused, that’s when he told me who he was. Jace got there shortly after.”
I had never seen him so worked up, and I had no idea if he’d repel from my touch. I wrapped my arms around his waist from behind and waited on him to respond by touching me back, but he didn’t. Slowly, my heart sank and I backed away, letting my arms slide free.
“Is it always like this, Matt? Has Kyle always tried to find ways to get you down?” I asked nervously. “Because dealing with this shit on a regular basis isn’t healthy.”
Shaking his head, he glanced over his shoulder at me and huffed, “I agree, but no, it’s never been like this before. I’ve had my issues with him but nothing compares to this. The only thing about these pictures is that it isn’t just me involved. I can’t help but get the feeling that someone wants to get back at you as well. Kyle’s a worthless piece of shit, but he’s smart. He wouldn’t just start messing with you if there wasn’t something in it for him.”
“But who?” I asked, circling around to face him. “I don’t have enemies, Matt. I can’t think of anyone who would have a reason to come after me. It has to be someone you’ve pissed off. What about the girls you’ve been with? Surely, there’s a scorned lover in there somewhere?” I added sarcastically.
A woman scorned was a fearsome thing to behold, and I was almost positive he’d pissed off a few, maybe even one that wanted him to pay him back. How could there not be after going through so many of them?
“That’s a possibility,” he agreed, “but how would any of them know about you to want to get you involved?”
The only people on my mind were Lexi and Jace, except I knew they were in the clear even though the coincidence with Hayley was uncanny. However, there was someone else who came to mind that until just recently had spent years hating me. Not to mention, she probably had some friends that got their hearts broken by the infamous Matt Reynolds.
“What about your sister?” I asked hesitantly. “Other than Lexi and Jace, she’s the only other person that would know our history.”
Immediately, he tensed, gaping at me with wide eyes before snapping, “There is no way Gabriella has anything to do with this. Do you honestly think she’d help out that douche bag? The last thing she’d want to do is hurt me.”
Okay, maybe that was the wrong approach.
“I didn’t exactly say that, Matt, but think about it. I love your sister to death, but she’s hated me for years and I’m sure she’s had no qualms about telling someone what I did to you. I’m not saying she’s the one who’s helping Kyle because I agree with you, she wouldn’t deliberately want to hurt you, but what about some of her friends. Surely, you’ve broken a few hearts out of them?”
As soon as I said that it was as if everything fell into place for him. Groaning, he nodded and hung his head before sitting on the plush, brown leather couch in the middle of the room. “There were a couple,” he admitted, running his hands over his face.
“All it takes is the right place, the right person, at the right time. Kyle might have heard or seen something and then made his move. What better way to find out the dirty secrets about you than from someone who had a tie to your own sister.”
Sighing, he leaned over on his knees and held his head in his hands. “I’ll talk to her and see who she keeps in touch with. We both know she has a big mouth.”
That’s the truth, I wanted to say. He still didn’t know that she told me about his plans the night after I left him; the ones about his proposal. Maybe I could talk to her and find out some answers myself.
A knock came at the door, and this time it was Carter, not Garrett, who stuck his head in through the side. “You have five minutes, son. If you want to forfeit the fight we need to know.”
Getting to his feet, Matt scoffed and ripped open his bag, dumping the contents on the table. “I’m not forfeiting, and while I’m gone have someone round up all of these pictures so I can burn them.”
Carter nodded and lifted a brow at me before rushing off. We were surrounded by pictures of me and Kyle, and honestly, all I wanted to do was get out of there so I didn’t have to see myself in them. I was embarrassed and appalled, but most of all I was angry at Kyle for making me look like a fool and for having the audacity to even do such a thing. I couldn’t wait for their fight in two weeks so I could watch Matt beat the hell out of him.
Matt had his head down, wrapping his hands while I stood there motionless. I knew he was still angry, but it was hard to tell if it was all directed at Kyle or if he was a little upset with me because of the pictures. Swallowing hard, I slowly took a step back and reached for the handle on the door.
“All right, I’m going to go get my seat and let you finish getting ready,” I stammered, hoping he’d look up at me. When he didn’t, I continued on, “Gabriella’s probably wondering where I’m at since I’m supposed to sit beside her, so ...”
Realizing I was wasting my breath and looking like an idiot, I sighed and opened the door, taking one last look at all of the pictures and Matt in the center of it all. People dealt with anger in their own ways, and I knew he needed to get his head into the fight and focus. I just hoped we could move past it.
Garrett and Carter paced outside of the room, and as soon as I ventured out they stormed in. My heart pounded in my ears as I walked down the hall; all I wanted to do was run away from it all and get away from the eyes that watched me as I passed. I needed an outlet, a way to let go, and as soon as I turned that glorious corner I found what I was looking for.
“Why hello there, love,” Kyle taunted with a sneer on his face. “How did you like the pictures? I hate that I missed the expression on Matt’s face when he saw them.”
He must’ve just recently finished a fight because he was sweaty and still wearing a pair of black fighting shorts and a blue T-shirt with his sponsors’ names on it. A couple of other guys stood with him, but I didn’t care about them or the knowing smirks on their faces.
The closer I got, the angrier I became and either Kyle didn’t realize how pissed off I was or he was too stupid to back out of the way. Guffawing, he spread his arms wide and opened up that mouth of his again. “Have you decided to come back to me now that Matt’s through with you? Don’t worry, love, you can always be my bitch. I’ll forgive you for making the wrong choice.”
I didn’t exactly think about the consequences of my actions at that point, because frankly, I couldn’t think of anything other than making Kyle pay for what he did. It wasn’t just for Matt, it was for me.
I reacted … and I paid the price for it.