Chapter 3

“I can’t believe you just left,” JL said the next morning, sitting on the counter and eating a donut.

Violet took out the orange juice and eggs. “Yup. For once I was the one that stormed out. And don’t act so surprised.”

“No offense, Vi, but you’re not exactly the poster child for backbones.”

Violet waved the spatula. “I am not a doormat either.”

JL put her hands up in surrender. “Holster that spatula, Bruce Willis.”

Violet looked down at the utensil in her hand and brought it back down to the pan.

“I know you’re not a doormat, Vi. But you are very forgiving. It’s a great quality to have, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes you have to step back and look at things with a different perspective. This guy keeps hurting you.”

“So, what? I should never talk to him again? You know I can’t do that. It’s not in me.” Violet began to crack eggs into a bowl.

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is that maybe if you stand your ground a little longer and he sees he can’t just squash your emotions with his caveman ways, he’ll actually break down and finally voice his feelings. If he actually learned how to talk, that is.”

“Feelings? What feelings would that be?” Violet reached over and wiped some powdered sugar off JL’s cheek with a napkin. “I know that look, JL. What is it?”

“Thanks, Mom,” JL said, brushing a few crumbs of donut off her shirt. “Has it ever occurred to you that maybe Cain has feelings for you?”

Violet looked at JL completely dumbfounded.

“I think it’s sufficiently scrambled.” JL smiled and pointed to Violet’s hand.

Violet shook her head and looked down at the viselike grip she had on the egg, which was now broken and dripping down her arm. “Shoot!” She rushed to the sink to wash up. “He doesn’t have feelings for me. Well, he does have some feelings for me, I’d hope. We have been friends for twenty-eight years. But not feelings feelings. Not the way you mean. No way.”

“You’re rambling, sister.”

She shook her head. “He was Jeremy’s best friend,” she said, as if that should explain everything.

“And?”

“And? And now he barely tolerates me most days. He probably has a sense of obligation toward Jeremy to look out for me. Plus, the fact that he’s known me forever.”

“You already said that.”

“Well, it’s true. It’s friendship. Nothing more. Nothing less. He’s not even nice to me most of the time. Except for last night. For the most part he was nice last night.”

“You know how when you were a little kid and the boys who pulled your hair and threw sand on you were the ones who really liked you? Same thing. But he’s too old to be pulling your hair or throwing sand at you. So he just acts like an asshole.”

“Asshole. Asshole.”

Violet groaned and pointed at her parrot. “Hush, Bird! Why does it only repeat the bad words?”

“I fucking love that parrot!”

“Fucking love. Fucking love.”

“JL! Oh my goodness, stop cursing. Bird! You too. Stop it,” Violet scolded them. JL just laughed, and Bird ruffled his feathers.

“Don’t deflect,” JL said.

“You’re nuts. I was engaged to Jeremy. Cain and I can never be more than friends. He’s my very hot friend, that’s all. No way—you’re reading it all wrong.”

“Aha! So you do find him hot!”

“That’s not really a secret. You’d have to be blind not to find him hot. But that’s all it is. He’s an attractive friend.”

“An attractive friend you want to hump.”

“Jamie Lynn!” Violet snorted. “He’s just my friend.”

JL rubbed her hands together. “Oh, my little grasshopper, I can’t wait to see how this plays out. I hope I have front-row seats to that show.”

“Oh, shut it, JL.”

JL chuckled. “You’re going to stand there and tell me that you don’t have any feelings for him? You counted the days he was gone. I think I saw you the other day ripping flower petals off roses.” JL mimicked the gesture. “He loves me. He loves me not,” she said in a teasing, high-pitched voice.

“Stop that,” Violet huffed. She turned back to the pan. “Did I ever tell you about the day of his first deployment?” Violet asked, and JL shook her head. “Well, he kissed me. It was my first kiss. It was…” Violet involuntarily touched her lips. “Magical.” She sighed. “He gave me this mind-blowing kiss. Didn’t say anything afterward, just gave me this devastatingly sweet smile that I stupidly interpreted to mean something special, and then he left.”

“You and Cain kissed? Why didn’t I know this before?”

“Nothing to tell, really,” Violet said, knowing she was lying through her teeth. There had been so much more to that kiss. At least that was what her sixteen-year-old delusional self had thought. “I thought we’d talk about it when he wrote me. I don’t really know what I expected. I was giddy and so naive. From the beginning Jeremy wrote me almost every week—both of them had promised to write me as often as possible—but it took Cain two months to send me that first letter. I know it was just a kiss, but I was sixteen and thought it meant something. Maybe love, maybe not. He was a complete jerk, though. He actually wrote in that first letter that he was sorry he kissed me. That he felt bad for me since I was so desperate for a first kiss. It was a pity kiss, JL, and I was completely devastated.

“But Jeremy, on the other hand, wrote me weekly and called me whenever possible. From the first letter, it was obvious he had feelings for me, and before that stupid kiss from Cain that left me stupidly confused, I had also felt something for Jer. By the third letter he admitted to having been too shy to ask me out in person, and he told me how much he wanted to go out with me as soon as he came home for leave. After six months I was probably half in love with him and couldn’t wait to see him, and by the time I did see him, I was completely over Cain. Jeremy wrote the most amazing love letters.” Violet sighed as she recalled waiting by the mailbox every Monday in hopes she’d get a letter. “Cain and I never spoke about the kiss again, and by the time they were back home for leave, I was over being mad at Cain and we went back to being great friends. So, trust me, I won’t be making that remarkably embarrassing mistake again.” She remembered his exact words: Grow up, Vi. It was just a kiss. I felt bad for you.

“Well, damn. I don’t know what to say.”

“Nothing to say. It was twelve years ago, and it’s not in me to hold a grudge. I mean, I was hurt for a while, but I quickly got over it. His rejection was actually the best thing that could’ve happened to me, because in time Cain and I went back to being friends and eventually I fell head over heels in love with Jeremy. All’s well that ends well,” Violet said with a smile that even she knew didn’t really reach her eyes.

Did everything really end well? Jeremy was dead. Her heart was still broken and she couldn’t seem to have a normal relationship. Still, she wouldn’t change the time spent with Jeremy for anything—even though he’d died and the pain still lingered.

“That kiss was, what? Twelve years ago, Vi? A lot has changed. His feelings could’ve changed.”

“That’s exactly it. It was twelve years ago, and a lot has changed. I’ve changed. And he’s obviously changed too, and not for the better. He wasn’t always like this. I think he’s still hurting over losing Jeremy. I wish you could’ve met him before that. He was so sweet and so much fun.”

JL snickered. “Sweet and fun? Yeah, no, I don’t think so.”

“No, seriously. With me he was always great, and we used to have so much fun together. The three of us were always getting into trouble. He had his moody moments, of course, and he’s always been on the quiet side, but nothing like he is now.”

“I don’t know, Vi.”

“Look, your question was whether I have feelings for Cain. The answer is that I love Cain. He’s my friend. No, I’m not in love with him and I’ll never be in love with him. Did I count the days he was gone? Maybe. But it was because I was worried about him. Also, he knew my dad and understood our relationship; him not being there when my dad passed away made his absence feel that much greater. Do I find him attractive? Heck, yes. He’s probably the most gorgeous man I know. I’m not going to lie, but if this ever leaves the confines of this kitchen I’ll kick your little behind. Okay?” When JL nodded, Violet continued. “He may not talk much, but when he does talk and says those ridiculously hot inappropriate caveman things, oh God, my girly parts get all tingly. I may be a little tiny bit in lust with him.”

JL threw her head back and laughed. “I still think you’re wrong, but I’ll stop talking about it…for now. I wouldn’t want your tingly girly parts to drip onto the floor. How would I explain it if I slipped on the puddle?” JL hopped off the counter.

“Oh my God, you’re disgusting, JL.” Violet laughed as JL looked over Violet’s shoulder.

“I’m starving. How are the eggs coming along?”

“You just had a bag of donuts. Are you really hungry?”

“You know I am, and don’t act surprised. There’s no way you were going to eat that much food. You made most of it for me.”

“Your metabolism should be studied,” Violet said with a wry look as she portioned the food onto plates, most of it going to JL.

“Why are you up so early, anyway?” JL asked.

“Because Chrissy needs me in today. We’ve been so busy lately we haven’t restocked the supplies in a month. The way the guys at WtF Academy come in, I can’t believe we even have Band-Aids left.”

“She was smart to open her medical practice across the street from the Academy. Just working on them is a full-time job.”

“You’re telling me! Last week alone, your brother came in three times. Chrissy had to stitch up a gash on his cheek, do an X-ray on his ribs, and clean up his knuckles. I couldn’t get more nursing experience anywhere else.”

JL snorted. “If Travis is getting that injured that frequently, maybe he’s not doing a great job with the fighting thing.”

“That’s what I said to Slade when he came in with Enzo, whose shoulder was dislocated. Poor guy—it took both me and Chrissy to pull it back in place.”

“Enzo? Really? Now that guy makes my girl parts tingly!” JL said almost dreamily.

“He’s charming too.” Violet finished her juice. “You should ask him out.”

“No thank you. I’m done with men.”

“Really? You’re going to start dating women now?”

“Ha. Ha. After my last experience with a guy, I’ve decided I don’t need the aggravation. Especially with a man like him.”

“Like what? Hot, gorgeous, successful?”

“No. Judgmental, snobby, boring.”

“I don’t get that impression. Well, maybe boring, but judgmental?”

“He looks at my tattoos like I’m trash.”

“No. He looks at you like he wants you. All of you. Tattoos included.”

“Trust me. I know the look. He wants sex—all men want sex. But at the end of the day, he hates my tattoos and my job, and he’s boring. He doesn’t get me. Every time I quote a movie, he looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. We couldn’t possibly be more incompatible. Anyway, we’re not talking about me and Enzo. I’m not dating for a while.”

“You’re telling me I need to date. You’re throwing men at me. But you refuse to put yourself out there? Kinda hypocritical, don’t ya think? And let’s not forget how obscure your little movie quotes are at times. Maybe he really doesn’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“My situation, or whatever, with Enzo is completely different from your situation with Cain, and you know it. By the way, you left John hanging last night. Not cool. I hope you’ve come to terms with going stag to the reunion.”

“Nice subject change there, JL.” Violet smiled and picked up the plates. “Can you please tell him how sorry I am? Explain that Cain’s just a friend and that I’d like to go out with John again.”

“Again?”

“Okay, not again. More like the first time. Tell him I’d like to finish our date.”

“I don’t know. John’s a nice guy—are you just going to find some weird flaw and bolt?”

“No! I was having a good time. Really, I was.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it.” JL finished stacking the dishwasher and wiping the table. “You want a lift to work?”

“Nah, I want to have my car so I can go to the gym after. See you later.”

“Can I add one last thing about Cain?” JL asked.

“As if I could stop you.”

“Make him sweat a little. He needs to remember how it feels like to lose you so he doesn’t ever think about leaving again.” She winked.

Cain yawned and stretched his arms over his head early the next morning. A soft knock on his bedroom door startled him. The door slowly creaked open, and Violet walked in wearing nothing but her best smile. “Vi?” He rubbed his eyes, trying to get the sleep out.

“I missed you so much, Cain.” She placed one bare knee on his bed and then the other; her motions slow and bold. Her body was just as he imagined it to be: soft, unmarred perfection. Her full tits and perky nipples hung perfect on her chest and her hips flared, creating a perfect hourglass. His mouth watered and his dick hardened. He reached for her waist and pulled her against him, her legs on each side of his thighs. He wanted to question why she was here but thought it best not to say anything that might ruin what would undoubtedly be the best night of his life.

“I missed you so much, love.” He nuzzled her neck as she ground her body against his rock-hard cock, causing a moan to escape. Her familiar scent flooded his senses, and he wanted—no, needed—to be close to her. On her. In her.

“Cain,” she whispered breathlessly. “I need you. Make love to me. Please.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want? Is that really a good idea?” His hand ran down her back to the base of her spine, causing her to shiver.

“Yes. I’ve wanted you for so long. Those months you were gone made me realize how much I need you.”

He sat up higher on the bed and pulled her against him, her thick thighs—the same ones he fantasized about all the fucking time—wrapped around his waist. He could impale her with one move if he wanted, but what he really needed was a kiss first. The kiss all those years ago was something he dreamed about all the time, and now he needed to finish it properly. In the darkness of his room, his lips found her soft full lips, and unlike that first kiss, this kiss was all wanton desire and need. All innocence was gone, replaced by pure sexual desire. He felt her warm wet pussy grinding against his hardened cock, and every time she sucked on his bottom lip his dick twitched. “Violet. God, Violet. My sweet beautiful Violet.”

She ran her fingers through his hair and then leaned forward to take more of his mouth. He tongued her mouth over and over, making her melt closer to him. “Cain. I’ve loved you for so long and I can’t wait any longer.” Even in his wildest dreams, he’d never imagined that tiny little Violet had such a naughty side to her. She lifted a little, grabbed his cock with a firm and sure grip, and positioned it against her warm pussy before sliding down. Her soft head full of blond curls fell down her shoulders as their bodies finally joined after so many years. Both of them let out a soft moan as their bodies came together, her plump breasts pressed against his chest. Her tight pussy was almost too much to handle, and when she began to move he almost—

Beep beep beep.

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

Cain jumped up and fell right off the bed. His cock was hard, his heart pounded roughly against his chest, and he was a sweaty panting mess. “Motherfucker!” He slapped the off button on his alarm clock so hard it bounced off the nightstand and crashed down to the floor.

One day back in Tarpon Springs and he’d already have to start the day by jacking off. It was the sweetest kind of torture, dreaming about making love to Violet. It was slowly going to kill him. It had been one of the reasons he’d left four months ago. He’d thought distance would help. It had, for a little while, but apparently it only took seeing her for a few hours in the bar last night to flood his brain with all things Violet again. It seemed as if his sleep would be fucked once again.

The sun was barely up when Cain’s feet hit the pavement. He liked to run alone and without music—it helped clear his head. These days, sleeping past six in the morning was nearly impossible, and not just because of the Violet-filled porn reel that inhabited his subconscious. All those years in the military had him programmed for early morning wake-up. As he got a nice rhythm going, he thought about Violet’s reaction last night when he’d walked into the Pier. Talk about surprises. She’d run toward him as if he’d gone to war and survived—well, that was actually somewhat true. The things he’d seen since leaving the armed forces and joining the private contracting company were worse than what he’d witnessed during his two tours.

He had missed Violet; that hadn’t been a surprise. But that she’d missed him, especially after he’d been such a dick—that was surprising. Well, maybe that wasn’t entirely true. She was, after all, the most forgiving person he knew. It never ceased to amaze him how both of them, having been raised with fathers who were so similar, had turned out so different. Cain had grown into a distant and reserved man who had no idea how to voice any sort of emotion, while Violet was—as Cain’s own father used to tease—“disgustingly affectionate.” Last night, holding her in his arms had been bliss, but a bliss that he couldn’t indulge in—ever. She was Jeremy’s girl. Always had been, always would be.

Learning about her father had been a punch to the gut. The only family she’d had was gone, and he should have been there. He was so mad at himself it had taken all his self-control not to yell or punch something. He had tried hard to keep his distance since she arrived in Tarpon Springs about a year ago—hell, he’d even fled the country—but he was being selfish. He just had to suck it up, change his sourpuss attitude, and remember that they were friends. Only friends. Last night she’d made it clear that he’d hurt her, and that wasn’t something he could live with. He’d masked his emotions for years, and he could do it again. He had no other choice.

The six years she had dated Jeremy had been hard for him, but he had survived. So maybe all he needed was to see her dating again. Or maybe he just needed to get laid. It had been far too long. Perhaps that was the reason he was so tormented. Excessive horniness could make a man crazy, right? He needed to call Paige. She was a friend—well, really just a woman he’d been sleeping with on and off for a few years. It was a no-strings-attached non-relationship, and after this morning he knew it was beyond time for him to give her a call. She had a nice smile, too; maybe she could help him get his head out of his ass.

Cain wiped his forehead with his forearm as he finished the four-mile run from his apartment to WtF Academy. Before opening the door to the gym, he inhaled the familiar ocean breeze; he’d missed it while he’d been away. He stepped inside, and the clanking of metal weights and the hum of music in the background made him eager to begin training again. From the tapping sound of high heels connecting with the cement floor, he knew Francesca was headed his way.

“Hey, Cain. I have to be in school in an hour, so I can’t stick around, but I left a list of scheduled fights with Tony. There are a few openings still available in your weight division.”

Cain nodded, then asked, “How’s law school going?”

“Kicking my ass. But I love it.” She smiled at him, then went toward the door. Over her shoulder she called out, “Good to have you back.”

Cain walked further inside the Academy and saw Enzo, one of the newer fighters and Francesca’s cousin, with his arm in a sling; he was leaning against the monster-sized cage in the middle of the room. Inside the cage, Slade, the other owner of WtF, was sparring with someone who appeared to be a new fighter. “What the hell happened to you?” Cain asked Enzo.

“Hey buddy, welcome home.” Enzo patted Cain’s shoulder. “Dislocated my shoulder last week practicing some jiu jitsu moves with Slade. Hurt like a bitch. I’m out for a few weeks.”

“That sucks.”

Travis, another fighter and JL’s brother, walked over with a protein shake in one hand, an apple in the other, and butterfly bandages covering a few parts of his face. “He also missed a shitload of training.”

“Some of us have to work,” Enzo replied.

“And you?” Cain asked Travis, gesturing toward his banged-up face.

“Tony kicked me in the face while sparring. Only a few stitches. He could’ve broken my jaw.”

From inside the cage, his hands gripping the fence, Slade said, “It was good to see you yesterday at the Pier, brother. I hear you want in on a fight.”

“Yeah, man. I’m ready,” Cain answered. It seemed the entire Academy was there. “But you guys’ve seen better days.”

“I know. Everyone’s banged up.” Tony, who was taking more of a management role in the gym now that Francesca was in law school, had come over. “We need fighters who can actually fight. Francesca left me a list of fights for you. You think you’re ready? Have you trained at all in the last four months?”

“We don’t need any more injured fighters. This is starting to look like an old folks’ home instead of an MMA training gym,” Slade added.

“I’m ready. Someone has to save your sorry Academy.” Cain smiled wryly, and Slade grinned and gave him the finger before turning back to his student in the cage.

As Cain set his bag down and began to tape his hands, Tony said, “I can fight.”

“Nah. You’re too old.”

“I’m retired.”

Cain chuckled. “That’s what old men say.”

“We’re almost the same age, so be nice to me. You’ll be standing right here in a couple of years,” Tony hissed.

“I’m in as soon as my shoulder heals,” Enzo said.

“No!” Slade and Tony said at the same time.

Travis took a bite of his apple and chuckled.

Enzo glared at his friend before looking at Slade and Tony. “Why the hell not?”

“You’re not ready. This next one is for professionals and you’re not committed enough. You come in and train a few days, then miss a few weeks. We can’t afford any more injuries. At some point you’ll have to choose between those corporate suits and this sport. Until then, you stay amateur,” Tony said, then looked over to Cain. “I hear Ortiz has been asking around. He wants his belt back.”

“Ortiz wants a rematch?”

“That’s the word on the street. You up for that? Could be big. Easily thirty grand if you win. You’ll have to commit to coming in at least six times a week, and you’ll have to deal with the media shit. You may have to cut weight.”

“I’m in.”

“Okay, I’ll talk to Francesca and Slade and to Ortiz’s people and set that up.”

“When?”

“Next year.”

“I want something sooner.”

“There’s nothing. You should focus on killing Ortiz and getting your belt back. I don’t want to risk you getting injured and then being unable to fight. These big fights take a lot of planning, and you need to be patient.”

Cain wanted to get back in the game. He needed to fight. He had all this energy he needed to burn…with his fists. Instead, he nodded.

“Okay. Going to make some calls.” Tony walked toward his office, saying over his shoulder, “You know what to do—you’ve trained most of us. Start soon, because we’ve got work to do.”