Fighting for Desire (11 page)

Dev glanced over at Shannon, who slept sitting up, her head
propped against the window. She looked uncomfortable as hell.

“How much longer until we land?”

Marco glanced at his watch. “Another hour.”

Dev stood and scooped Shannon into his arms. She stirred
slightly but didn’t wake up. He carried her to the back of the plane to the
bedroom.

He bought the jet used, and the former owner, a famous
British singer, had turned the back room into a recording studio. He had no use
for it and had it completely gutted.

In its place he’d had them build a bedroom fit for royalty.
He’d gone all out—from hardwood floors to a large bed, custom designed to fit
the space. The ceiling even boasted stamped copper. Gently he laid Shannon on
top of the covers.

Again he noticed that even in her sleep she still looked
tired and stressed. He wondered if she ever let her guard down.

“What happened to you?” he asked her sleeping form. “What
changed in your life? You had everything and now you just seem…lost.” He sighed.
“I used to envy you and the life you were meant to have. I thought that if I
could keep you, I might have the same chance at a good life.”

A bitter laugh left his lips. “I was wrong. In the end I
didn’t need anyone to make a good life for myself. I only needed me.” Several
memories stirred in his mind but he pushed them away. “In the end I was the
only one I could count on. You weren’t even there for me.”

He ran his hand through his hair. As much as he hated to
admit it, he did care about her and he wanted to know what happened to put her
in the position she was in now. He shook his head. If he was going to get
answers, he would need Marco’s help.

Shannon kept her eyes shut as Dev talked to her. This was
the most real he had been with her and he was only acting that way because he
thought she was asleep. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to hold back
her tears.

The door shut and she peered through her lashes to see if he
was gone. Blessedly he was. She rolled over and pressed her head into the
pillow. There had to be something she could do to regain his trust, even if she
didn’t deserve it.

He would never forgive her for what he thought she did.

“
In
the end I was the only one I could count on.
You weren’t even there for me.”

“Oh Dev,” she whispered to the empty room. “You don’t know
how wrong you are. I was always there for you. You just didn’t know it.”

* * * * *

Someone shook her gently. Shannon mumbled a curse and opened
one eye. Marco stood in front of her with his hands up, as if in surrender.

“Sorry. Dev wanted me to wake you. We just landed and are
taxiing right now.”

She sat up, trying to straighten her hair. A useless effort—her
curls had minds of their own. “It’s okay. I can’t believe I was asleep.”

He smiled at her. “You’ve been out for a while. Dev carried
you in here so you could be more comfortable.”

He started to leave but she stopped him.

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

He lifted his shoulder in a shrug so she went on.

“Has Dev ever mentioned our…past?”

Marco glanced over his shoulder and then replied, “He is my
best friend. What do you think?”

She chose to ignore the snide undertone. “Has his
investigator looked into my past?”

“Are you trying to figure out what all Dev knows about you?
Because he knows everything. The PI gave us an entire file on you. So don’t
think you can try to hide anything or try to blackmail him.”

Oh, she doubted Dev knew everything about her past. If he
did, she wouldn’t be standing on his private jet talking to his trainer and
best friend. She would still be working two jobs, trying to survive.

She held up her hands in defense. “Calm down. I was just
wondering if I could see the file.”

Marco’s eyebrows shot up. “Then you need to talk to Dev.”

She decided before falling asleep that she wanted to know
what he knew about her. They would never be able to move on if he had something
to hold over her head.

“I will ask him then,” she retorted.

Without waiting to see if Marco was following or even going
to reply, she walked away. Dev sat in the same seat as before and glanced up
from his book as she approached.

He put the book aside. “What’s wrong?”

He had always been able to read her emotions, which were
usually plastered across her face.

She calmed herself before saying, “I want to see the
investigator’s report on me.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Why?”

“Because I deserve to know what you know about me.”

“You lived it. Shouldn’t you already know what’s on the
report? Or is there something in particular you are afraid I know about?”

Oh boy
. He was pretty darn close on the last one.

She shrugged. “I want to know what you know. Plain and
simple.”

He stared at her without blinking. Finally he said, “Give me
a day or so. I will have it sent over.”

“Thank you, Dev.”

He stood. “Don’t thank me, Shannon. This changes nothing. At
the end of the month we’re through.”

He walked to the front of the plane, where the door now stood
open. Ducking his head, he disappeared outside. Marco followed right behind him
and shot her a look that told her exactly how he felt. He was merely tolerating
her.

She sighed and grabbed her purse. Once she knew what was on
the report she would know how to move forward. Now her goal was to keep Dev
safe.

Dev stared out the window of the limo, purposely ignoring
both Marco and Shannon. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. Not with his
temper on the edge of snapping.

The Vegas strip flashed by in a blur. As they passed the
front of MGM Grand he saw his face on a large digital billboard, advertising
his fight. He was surprised to see his opponent’s face wasn’t displayed as well.

“MGM Grand felt your face would sell seats,” Marco said, as
if he’d read Dev’s mind. “Arizona isn’t considered a pretty boy.”

Dev huffed. Pretty boy? Yeah, he had been lucky and hadn’t
taken too many hits to the face but he didn’t consider himself “pretty”. His
overall appearance was part of the marketing bullshit that his team loved so
much. He wanted to be respected as a fighter not a cover model.

“Who is Arizona?” Shannon asked with a tilt of her head.

“My opponent. I don’t call the guys I fight by their names,”
he replied. “Ever.”

“Why?”

“It makes it personal when I use their names…gives them
power. I like to keep it simple and refer to them by the name of their home state.
That way when the fight is over, I move on to the next state.”

He knew the explanation sounded strange but he learned years
ago the power of a name. A name could hold you back and even break you. Hell,
his name had caused a few doors to close. Recently it had felt as if the doors
were starting to shut more and more.

Shannon’s eyes clouded over. “I understand what you mean. No
one deserves to hold power over anyone.”

She sounded as if she was speaking from personal experiences
but he couldn’t be sure. From what he remembered she never had to worry about
her name hurting her.

Marco cleared his throat. “Not to change the subject but
when we get to the hotel they are going to want to take a few photos of you and
Shannon.”

“Why do they want to take a photo of me?”

Marco sighed. “I’m guessing you forgot to tell her the
plan?”

Shit. He had meant to tell her about the high-school
sweetheart plan but had been distracted by other things. Mainly her outfit the
night before.

“Plan?” Shannon looked back and forth between Dev and Marco.

“Uh, yeah. I meant to tell you… Marco thinks it will look
good in front of the press if we act as if we are sweethearts who have been
reunited. The paparazzi can be harsh and we don’t want them to find out about
your past.”

“My past? Do you mean that I worked in a shady club or that
I have a large amount of debt? Or could it be that I aborted Dev’s child when I
was eighteen?”

Dev whipped his head around to look at her and was shocked
to find a stone-cold expression on her face.

Her gaze landed on him and she said, “If you were so fucking
worried about your image, then you should have picked a different ex. I’m sure
there are plenty to choose from.” She took in a deep breath. “And don’t worry
about my past. I can handle myself. I have for eight years.”

The limo pulled into VIP lane of the MGM Grand and she
grabbed her purse.

“What are you doing?” Marco asked.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m getting out before anyone has a
chance to take a picture of me. If you need me, I will either be at the pool or
at the bar.”

The limo wasn’t fully stopped when she opened the door and
hopped out. Dev watched as she darted past a group of Asian tourists and
disappeared through the doors of the casino.

“Damn,” Marco said. “She has more of a temper than you let
on.”

“It’s my fault. I should have prepared her.”

“I don’t think anyone saw her getting out of the limo.
Hopefully she calms down before tonight and then we can set up a scheduled
photo session before you go out.”

Dev nodded but didn’t reply. He ran his hands through his
hair and thought about the look in her eyes. How could she be so…cold about the
abortion? Of course she was the one who wanted to get it in the first place so
he shouldn’t be surprised. But still…

“Earth to Dev. Come on, man. Get your game face on,” Marco
said as the limo stopped in front of the casino.

He could see there was indeed a group of paparazzi waiting
to take his picture. He took in a deep breath and then smiled, pushing all
other thoughts out of his mind. They wanted to see Devlin James, the bad-boy
fighter with a killer smile. It’s what he did and he did his job well.

Shannon sat at the bar and drank a Diet Coke. The bartender had
raised his eyebrow when she asked for the soda but slid the beverage her way
nonetheless. She glanced around and wondered what people thought of a woman
alone in a bar, not drinking.

They were probably thinking how pathetic she looked and she
kind of agreed. Her cell phone rang and she reached into her purse to get it.
She expected the caller to be Dev but the number was not his.

“Hello?”

“Shan?”

Molly’s voice echoed and Shannon wondered if her friend was
calling from a bathroom.

“What’s up, Molly? Calling for more information to pass on to
Johnny?”

A low blow but a well-deserved one.

Molly’s voice caught on a sob. “I’m so sorry. He said he
would fire me if I didn’t help him! You know I need this job…”

“Look, I understand why you told on me but your betrayal
still hurts. I thought we were friends.”

“We were. We
are
! I couldn’t tell you. There was a
camera on me the whole time. I had to do it…”

Shannon sighed. Molly probably didn’t have a choice in the
matter but Shannon didn’t trust her friend anymore.

“What did you call for?”

“I wanted to warn you. Johnny is on his way to Vegas. I
heard him on the phone, telling someone he wouldn’t miss the fight for the
world.”

Fear slammed in her chest. “He promised he wouldn’t hurt
Dev!”

“I’m not sure what he’s going to do but you know as well as
I do he rarely misses a night at the club. That’s what has me so worried.”

“Did you hear anything else?”

“He thanked whoever he was talking to for getting him on a
list for some exclusive party. I’m not sure if that will affect you but I
wanted you to know.”

Shannon glanced around, feeling as if someone was watching
her. Two men sat at the other end of the bar and one of them stared right at
her. Both men looked like the type of guys Johnny surrounded himself with. Both
looked dangerous.

“Hey, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Please be careful!”

Shannon didn’t reply and ended the phone call. Picking up her
purse, she walked as calmly as she could from the bar. The hairs on the back of
her neck prickled and her body tensed. A causal glance over her shoulder confirmed
the two men had followed her.

She made her way to the front desk where an employee stood
with a fake smile plastered on her face.

“Welcome to MGM Grand, world-renowned hotel and casino. How
may I help you?”

Shannon glanced over her shoulder. The two men stood a few
feet away. They weren’t close enough to hear her but they could definitely stop
her if she tried to run.

“Ma’am?”

“I’m staying with a friend and I believe he already checked
in. His name is Devlin James.”

The woman’s face lit up. “Yes, Mr. James checked in
already.” She typed on her computer. “May I see your ID so I can verify you are
the other guest listed?”

Shannon handed over her ID and tried to remain calm as the
woman looked the card over. Finally she handed back the ID.

“Everything seems to check out.” She waved a bellhop over.
“Could you show Ms. Bray up to the villa suite?” She gave her another fake
smile. “And here is your key. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Shannon glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah there is. Those two
guys over there are following me…I think they are paparazzi…”

She knew damn well they weren’t reporters or photographers
but she was hoping the casino had some kind of policy regarding paparazzi
bothering their guests.

“We will take care of it for you, Ms. Bray.”

“Thank you. Dev and I appreciate it.”

Okay, using Dev’s name was a little low but if it sealed the
deal, then it was worth it.

She followed the bellhop to the elevators and didn’t look
back once. Angry shouts let her know the men were being escorted out. Now all
she had to do was keep her end of the deal with Johnny and make sure Dev stayed
distracted.

They reached the fortieth floor and the bellhop led Shannon
to the villa suite. At the door she reached into her purse and pulled out a
twenty and a five. She wasn’t sure how much money he expected her to tip him
for just showing her to the room but the man shook his head, saving her from
deciding.

“It has already been taken care of, ma’am,” he said with a
smile.

She smiled back and walked through the door. Sounds of the
TV came from the other room but she took the time to look around. The villa
suite was so much bigger than her apartment. Her shoes clicked on the cream-colored
Italian clay tiles as she walked down the hallway to a large living room.

The room could easily hold a hundred people and was
decorated in neutral colors that added warmth. Marco sat on the beige couch
with his feet propped up on a glass coffee table. Behind him a large wet bar
with an espresso machine stood tucked in the corner.

“Where’s Dev?”

He didn’t even take his eyes from the TV. “In the steam
room. He needed to unwind.”

A steam room? Just how big was the suite? Feeling dismissed,
she left the living room and passed a massive dining room. Fresh lilies sat in
two large vases on the table and she stopped in shock. Had Dev ordered the
lilies or were the flowers a coincidence?

She shook her head and went into another large room, which
she guessed was the master suite. Her bag sat at the foot of the bed next to
Dev’s designer luggage and looked so out of place she had to smile.

Her humor quickly evaporated as she thought about the two
men in the lobby. Johnny made his demands clear. She was to keep Dev so busy he
couldn’t focus on his upcoming fight in Colorado. As much as she hated to
deceive him she knew she must. But he would never trust her by the time they
got to Loveland unless she did something now.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled her shirt off over her
head. Dev was worth saving. She just had to keep that in mind. She quickly
stripped off the rest of her clothing and grabbed a towel to wrap around her
body. Hurrying from the room, she hoped Marco wouldn’t see her before she found
Dev. Luckily Marco stayed in the living room and Shannon found the sauna at the
other end of the hallway.

She reached the closed door and paused before entering an
upscale locker room. Dev’s clothes were lying neatly over one of the wooden
benches but she didn’t see him.

Another closed door on the other side of the room had a lit
sign next to it that read “In Use”. She pulled the towel tighter around her
body and opened the sauna door. Warm steam surrounded her and she quickly
closed the door behind her.

Thick, moist air filled the room and it took a moment for
her eyes to adjust. She could vaguely see the outline of Dev across the room.
Slowly she made her way toward him. He sat on a wooden bench with a towel
wrapped around his waist. His eyes were closed and his head rested against the
wall.

“Marco, I told you I didn’t want to be disturbed right now,”
he said without opening his eyes.

She wetted her lips with her tongue. “It’s not Marco.”

His head snapped toward her and before he could speak she
let the towel fall to the floor. His eyes hungrily looked her up and down,
making her feel powerful. The steam caressed her skin as it wrapped around her
and she took in a slow, deep breath.

“Shannon,” Dev said in a raspy voice. “What are you doing?”

She smiled and walked toward him, letting her hips sway.
“What am I doing? Why the same thing you are, Mr. James. I am here to enjoy the
steam room.”

“I don’t have time for games. I only have thirty minutes
before I train and then head to a meeting.”

“Who’s playing games?”

She stopped in front of him, just inches out of his reach.
Sweat glistened on his body and her fingers itched to touch his skin but she
resisted the urge. She was there on a mission and nothing was going to stop
her.

“Shan—”

She leaned down and captured his lips in a slow, calculated kiss.
He didn’t move so she ran her fingers through his hair. With her other hand she
traced a trail down his flat stomach to the rim of the towel.

She broke the kiss and he watched her with dark eyes, obviously
content to wait to see what she did next. Her lips lifted into a smile and she
took the edge of the towel that was tucked against his skin and pulled, causing
it to fall open. His cock sprang forward and she was secretly glad to find he
was aroused.

“You were so good to me the other night that I decided to
return the favor.”

Dev leaned back against the wall and his legs opened wide, as
if he was daring her. She put her hands on his thighs and lowered to the tiled
floor. Her knees ached in protest but she ignored the discomfort.

Steam swirled around her as she leaned forward and kissed
the head of his cock. The purple tip glistened with pre-cum and she licked it
off slowly, letting the salty flavor burst across her taste buds. Dev moaned in
approval.

“I was always too shy to try this before,” she admitted.

His eyes opened and he looked down at her. “Oh? What’s
changed?”

She shrugged. “Age? Experience? I’m not sure.”

His eyebrow lifted. “Have a lot of experience giving blowjobs?”

She wondered what he would say if she admitted he was her
first. Would he laugh her off? Would he tell her to stop? Would he be honored?
Would he even believe her? No, she doubted he would.

“Shan?”

She smiled up at him. “Don’t worry about it, Dev. You are
all that matters right now.”

Dev opened his mouth to speak but Shannon’s full lips closed
around the tip of his cock. Air hissed through his teeth as she gently sucked.
A moan escaped her and he felt the vibrations against his sensitive flesh.

“You taste so good.”

Her lips opened wider and she took more of him into her
mouth. The steam around them cleared for a moment and he caught a glimpse of
her bright red lipstick as she moved her head back and forth. The sight before
him was one of the hottest things he had seen in his life.

“Fuck yeah, Shannon. Suck me like that.”

She scooted closer and cupped his balls in her hand. Gently
she massaged them while she fucked his cock with her mouth. His hips lifted instinctively.
Her eyes met his and she took him farther in. Fuck, he could feel the tightness
of her throat as he guided his cock past her tonsils but she didn’t gag or tell
him to stop.

“You are so fucking sexy.” His voice sounded hoarse.

She winked at him and moved her head back until her tongue
was lapping the tip of his cock. She licked the underside as if she were sucking
on a Popsicle, never breaking eye contact. Then slowly she eased her head
forward until there was no doubt he was touching the back of her throat.

“Oh God.”

His lower stomach began to tingle and his balls tightened.

“I’m going to come!”

He felt a soft vibration in Shannon’s throat and knew she’d
moaned a response. The sensation sent shockwaves around his sensitive cock and
he grabbed onto her hair as he came, holding her in place. Her throat worked
around him, swallowing his cum until there was nothing left.

His heart pounded in his ears and for a moment it was all he
could hear. Shannon slowly pulled back and he shivered as his cock left her
warm mouth. Her erect nipple brushed his leg as she started to stand. So the
blowjob had affected her too.

Without thinking, he reached down and pulled her into his
lap. She gasped as she looked up at him.

“You are fucking amazing,” he said as his lips caught her
red ones.

He could taste himself on her and he moaned deep in his
throat. Her fingers laced through his hair and pulled him closer.

“I’m so turned-on right now,” she whispered against his
mouth. “Giving you a blowjob was everything I thought it would be.”

His blood pumped with fire and he felt his cock stirring to
life. She wiggled against him, her bare ass teasing him.

“Dev, I want you to fuck me.”

Oh, what a naughty girl she could be. Steam licked their
skin, making both of them damp with perspiration. He reached between her legs
and found that her flesh wasn’t the only thing damp. Fuck, she was so ready for
him but if he didn’t go, he was going to be late for training…

Shannon stood and for a moment he thought she was going to
leave. Instead she pushed his legs apart with her own and straddled him. His
cock hardened just as she slid down onto him with a satisfied sigh. Slowly she
began to move and her slick pussy glided up and down the length of his cock.

Her head fell back as his hips lifted to meet her slow
thrusts. Her soft moans were the only sounds in the room and he watched as she
used his body to pleasure herself.

“Play with my breasts,” she said with her head still tilted
back. “Please…”

He leaned forward and caught her nipple with his lips. He
sucked lightly and then grazed his teeth over it. Her hips bucked in response
and she increased her pace. His free hand moved between them and he rolled her
hard clit between his fingers.

Her gasp filled the room and he knew she was close to
coming. He held onto her hips with both hands and began to thrust short and
shallow, knowing it would send her over the edge.

“Oh yes, Dev! Like that,” she said as she bounced up and
down on his cock.

Her breasts jiggled from the force and suddenly he felt her
inner muscles tighten as she came. Her throaty cries set him off and he came
too, filling her until their mixed juices dripped onto his thighs.

She fell against him with a sigh as her body still trembled
around him. In that moment he realized two very important things. One—he was
going to be late to his training session. Two—they hadn’t used a condom.