Sucker Punched (Resilient Hearts Series Book One 1) (11 page)

Ethan wraps his hand around mine, edging closer. “Caitlin, I never thought or meant to imply that you let Kiaya down, not for one moment.”

Sharply, I say, “Please Ethan, can we just drop this now. If the time ever comes when I feel I can open up to you, I will. But for now, can we just talk about something else? Please.”

He looks deeply into my eyes for a long moment before relenting. “Okay, I’m sorry I brought it up. My intention was never to upset you.”

I am so relived he’s decided to let it go; however, my stomach is still in knots. All I can manage is a small smile before taking another bite of my sandwich.

THIRTEEN

Caitlin

We finish eating, and Ethan insists I relax in the living room while he washes the dirty dishes. There’s a knock on the door, and I make a move to answer it.

“Nope, you stay put,” Ethan insists as I huff.

“Catlin!” is shrieked from the doorway, and Kiaya rushes towards me with Roman and Asher in tow. “I’m so, so sorry. Please, don’t hate me.”

I’m confused again. “What? Why would I hate you?”             

“It’s my fault we went into that bar in the first place.” She shakes her head, and her eyes well with unshed tears.

“Kiaya.” I sigh, beginning to tear up again myself. “I don’t blame you at all. If it wasn’t for you, it could have been a whole lot worse. You were amazing in the bar, and I owe you one.” I try to reassure her.

“No.” She begins to shake her head at me, but I’m having none of it.

I hold my hand up. “I don’t want to hear it. This is Clay’s doing, not yours at all. I don’t want to hear it anymore.” Squeezing her hand I say, “Please.” I want to forget Clay ever happened.

She smiles a sad smile, but relents. “Okay.”

There’s a clearing of throats. “Guys, you okay to stay with Caitlin while I go back to my apartment and grab a change of clothes for tomorrow? I’m going to stay the night.”

“What?” I ask. “Why would you do that?”

Asher and Roman laugh, but Ethan only sighs. “Do you seriously need to ask? Don’t you dare argue. I promised the doctor I’d stay until tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” I repeat.

“Yes, tomorrow.” That’s all he says, and the look he gives tells me he’s done talking about it.

Kiaya glances back and forth between us. “Um, I would stay, but I should get back to my mom. She’s not too good at being left on her own for long periods of time, and I was at Asher’s last night.” Her face turns red, and the pleading look I get says not to ask.

Raising my brows, I smile. “Don’t worry about it. Thanks anyway. Although, even if you could’ve stayed, I don’t think he would let you.” I gesture behind me.

“Damn right I wouldn’t,” Ethan quips. He looks toward Roman and Asher. “I’ll be an hour tops.” He leaves without saying anything else.

“Hey,” Roman says a while later. “How are you holding up?”

“You know, if people would stop asking me that, I would be a lot better,” I reply with a raised brow.

“Is your moodiness because you’d prefer I stay with you instead of Ethan?” he asks with a smirk. “You’re devastated, aren’t you, Caitlin? Look, all you need to do is ask me nicely, and your wish will be my command.” I laugh heartily. Trust Roman to make me feel better. He changes the subject. “Caitlin, as we are not allowed to discuss the last twenty-four hours, can I talk to you about something else?”

“Yes, please.” I sound a little too eager for the topic shift.

“Good. Okay, look. My kick boxing class, you can’t come to it anymore. It’s not fair to the other people because you’re at a much higher level than they are. I hope you understand.”

“Oh okay,” I understand, but I’m really disappointed. I loved training again, and I loved Roman teaching me. He really knows his stuff.

“No, I don’t think you understand.”

“What’s not to understand? I can’t go to your class anymore.”

“No, I want to train you. You’re at a pretty high standard, but I can make you better,” he boasts. “There’s another girl I train, and she’s really good, too. I was thinking of training you together, although it would be more sessions a week. To start, I’ll train you for a week solo just to be sure you are up to her level. What do you think?”

“What do I think?” I say tapping my chin attempting to hide my eagerness. “I’m in!” I shout making him jump. That makes me laugh harder.

“Very funny,” he says dryly. “So you want to do it?”

“Yes, but how many sessions?”

“The other girl trains for three one-hour sessions during the week and two hours on Sunday afternoon.”

“I don’t want to fight professionally or anything like that. I just do it for fun. I’m not sure I want to train that much.”

“That’s fine,” he says. “She does want to do it professionally, so that’s why we train so much. So how about we skip it this week as I’m already booked up and you need time to recuperate. We’ll start it the week after. Three evenings, just us. Then if I think you should train with her, you can attend one session in the week and Sunday afternoons. You can always do more if you want.”

It doesn’t take long for me to think it over. With a smile I say, “That sounds great.”

“Okay then, we’ll start in a week.”

“Great, I’m really looking forward to it!” 

Ethan

I paced the floor like a caged tiger the moment Caitlin went to take her shower. How I had the will power not to strip and get in with her, I’ll never know. It’s because she asked me not to do it. Caitlin’s been through enough right now, and her confidence is shaken. She needs to be able to depend on me, not have me grope her in the shower. Hearing my phone ring, I see it’s Nicola again. This is the fifth time since I left Caitlin’s apartment. Fuck, I knew leading her on last night was a bad idea. Pulling up outside the gym and rubbing my temple, I answer the phone. “What?” I bark down the receiver.

“I’ve been trying to get a hold of you, Ethan Kendricks. Who the hell do you think you are walking out on me last night?” she screams into the phone so loudly my ears ring.

“Caitlin needed help, so I helped,” I state, still rubbing at my temples.

“Caitlin,” she spits.

“Nicola, for fuck’s sake. Don’t start with me; I’m busy,” I interrupt.

“Are you replacing me with her? That’s a fucking insult. I’m worth ten of her.” That’s it; I’ve had enough.

“Nicola,” I warn. “I disagree, and there’s nothing to replace. You never had me. We fucked once. You need to get a grip on reality. We were never a couple. Even if I’d never met Catlin, we still would never be a couple. Get over it, Nicola.” I shut the call down, and my phone beeps almost immediately.

N: Don’t think you are getting rid of me that easily!

I rest my head on the steering wheel and sigh.

Not long after, I grab a quick shower, a change of clothes, and head back to Caitlin’s. I text her.

Me: On my way back. Do you need me to get anything for dinner, or do you want to get take out later?

C: Take out sounds great. My treat as a thank you.

Me: Thank me? I don’t need any thanks.

C: Please!

I don’t want to upset her anymore, so I’ll let her have her way this time.

Me: Just this once. I’ll be there soon.

C: Ok x

I can’t get that woman out of my head! It’s been that way since the first time I saw her. I need this girl in my life, and I’ll do all I can to get her, and keep her for good.

I still have the key to her apartment door, so I let myself in.

“Hello,” I call as I enter.

“Hi,” I hear Caitlin call back. Walking into the living room, I drop my bag on the table. Asher and Kiaya are seated on one sofa with Caitlin and my pain in the ass brother on the other. When Roman notices me, he slides his arm around Caitlin.

“Hey, bro.” He grins up at me. I know he’s trying to get a rise from me, and it’s working.

“You need to get back to the gym, Roman,” I insist.

Laughing, he says, “Okay, see you later, guys.” He leans over, kissing Caitlin on the cheek.

“Roman,” I bark. He’s really pissing me off now, and I’m fast losing my patience with him.

He ignores me, and I hear him say, “I’m glad you’re doing okay. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”

“Thanks,” she says. She looks happy and I know they’re building a good friendship, so I let it go.

Kiaya’s next to speak. “We better get going, too. I need to get back to my mom, and you should rest. Asher’s going to drop me home. What do you want me to tell Len?”

“What do you mean?” Caitlin asks. “Tell him about what?”

“What reason do you want me to give Len as to why you won’t be at work tomorrow?”

“Nothing. Kiaya, I’m going to work tomorrow.” Looking my way, she defiantly says, “And I don’t want to argue about this. I’m bloody fine.”

Kiaya glances at me, and I nod to her.

“Okay,” Kiaya mutters. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Finally, it’s just us. Caitlin’s fidgeting with her fingernails and looking pretty nervous. “Hey, what do you want to do? How about watching a movie?” I ask, hoping to ease the sudden awkwardness.

She seems to be in thought then answers, “I don’t have any movies here or even a DVD player, for that matter.”

“You don’t have a DVD player?” I’m dumbfounded. I mean who doesn’t own a DVD player? “Really?”

“Well, no. I told you I rented the place furnished, and there isn’t one here. I didn’t bring much from England, just a small suitcase. I definitely didn’t bring DVDs, so I don’t need one. I do have a Kindle, though; I read a lot. I can watch movies on it, but I’ll need to stand it up on the coffee table.”

She’s looking really cute right now, sitting there in that oversized t-shirt. “Or we can go and buy a DVD player?” I offer.

“I really don’t feel like going out right now.” No, of course she doesn’t. What a stupid thing to have suggested.

“Netflix it is,” I say, sitting on the small sofa. At least I’ll get the chance to be close to her.

“
The Expendables
? You want to watch
The Expendables
?” I ask, when she points to it on the small screen a short while later.

“I love all the older action movies with those actors in them.
Rocky
is one of my all-time favorites,” she says, surprising the hell out of me.

“
Rocky
? Is that why you decided to move here then?

“What do you mean?”

“You know that Philadelphia is home to the steps he runs up in the film, right?” By the look on her face, it’s a no.

“I didn’t have a clue,” she squeals. “Now I really want to go see the steps, though.”

“It’s a bit late to see them now.”

She laughs, playfully hitting my arm. “Not now, as in this moment. I just want to go see them now that you’ve told me about it.”

“I’ll take you one day, I promise.”

“You will? That’s really nice of you.” She looks at me like I’ve just offered her the world. The urge to kiss her is strong, so I change the subject.

“Of course I will, so back to the film…
The Expendables
it is. I thought I was in for an afternoon of some awful romance crap or something.”

She moves forward and clicks the movie to play, then props the device on its stand so we can watch it hands free. As she leans back, I place my arm behind her and pull her into my side. She doesn’t refuse, but instead leans in and rests her head on my chest and curls her legs onto the sofa. I could get used to this. Halfway through the film, I notice her breathing change. She’s asleep, cuddled into me. Feeling content, I let sleep take me, too.

“Ethan. Ethan, your phone keeps ringing,” Caitlin says, poking me in my ribs. I’m confused and groggy. The film’s still playing, so we couldn’t have been sleeping more than half an hour or so. Looking at my phone, I see it’s Nicola—again. I’m not in a mood to deal with her right now, so I switch it off and put it back down.

“Nicola,” I offer.

“Oh, right.” She looks down at her hands again with a tense expression. “Look… um, if she really is your girlfriend, maybe you shouldn’t be here right now.”

“We’ve been through this many times. Why the hell do you keep insisting that?” I say, more harshly than I mean to.

She sits back in the chair, leaned away from me now with her arms folded across her chest. A furious expression crosses her face. “Maybe because she was sitting on your lap last night at Vertex, and when she wasn’t on your lap, she was snuggled up quite like we were just now.”

“So? You’re not my girlfriend, either. Right?” I instantly regret pointing that out and snapping at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that, Caitlin.”

She looks down at her hands again, and I think she may cry. Placing my hand around hers, I sigh. “Look, I promise she’s not my girlfriend, no matter how much she wants to be. With the exception of last night, I’ve made it clear it won’t ever happen, but she doesn’t listen. She can be very stubborn.”

Still looking down she whispers, “Well, if that’s true, what you did to her last night was unfair. Not just to me, but to her, too.”

Huffing, I reply, “Yes, I know. I was pissed and wanted to make you jealous. It’s not my proudest moment.”

She looks up quickly. “Why did you want to make me jealous?”

Now I’m the one who can’t look her in the eye. “I wanted to make you realize you’re attracted to me, like I’m attracted to you. I was playing games and being a dick.”