Thorn: Carter Kids #2 (26 page)

When I was with Noah, I lost myself in the moment. My brain checked out. I reacted on instinct, on my feelings.

Last night everything had gone from bad to worse, to hot and full of passion, to downright awful, in the space of a few short hours. And in the cool light of day, without any alcohol in my bloodstream, I was embarrassed because of my behavior. I was ashamed of how I had let myself down in front of him.

“Reese fucked me over, Teagan…”

The sincerity in Noah’s voice when he spoke those words was so pungent that I would have believed him if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes.

“…Goddammit, you were my whole life, Teagan. Why the fuck would I have touched her when I had you – a future with you?”

I
didn’t
know. That’s why it
still
hurt so badly. All those years had passed and I was still stuck in that moment – absorbing all that pain.

“You don’t know because you were wrong about me, Teagan. You made a mistake.”

God, I think I wanted to be wrong about him more than I wanted my next breath. Noah was rude, and bold, and rough around the edges, and he infuriated me more than any other human being on this planet; but I
wanted
to believe him.

“You’re wrong about me, Thorn, and one of these days you’re going to realize that.”

Those words continued to torment me long after I arrived at the gym and received a frosty reception from Liam. They stayed throughout the rest of the morning, and with them, came the creeping feeling of doubt.

“Tomorrow... When you’re aching and throbbing and fucking shivering all over. Remember who made you feel that way…”

Noah’s words trickled through my mind, causing me to flush deeply.

He had made good on that promise.

I was aching…everywhere.

I WAS SORE AS SHIT
and in a sour mood. No amount of exercise or strenuous activity seemed to ebb the antsy feeling inside of my body. I had been off kilter since I arrived here this morning. I was hung-over and thrumming with barely contained anger.

By lunchtime, I had knocked out the three sparring partners Quincy had lined up for me. Lucky was the unfortunate bastard currently dodging my blows.

“You still brooding over your girl, Messina?” His voice broke through my concentration, causing me to falter and drop my guard, giving him the perfect opportunity to sock me in the jaw.

“Drop it, Lucky,” I growled, shaking off the blow as the sweat trickled between my shoulder blades. I was regretting mentioning to him that I had run into Teagan last night. I was still reeling over what had happened and I didn’t need his two cents.

Resuming my rhythm, I danced around on the mat, twisting and jabbing, throwing uppercuts and upsets before landing a sweet left hook to his jaw.

“You guys talking about the smoking hot brunette Noah chased out of the bar last night?” Quincy piped up from outside the ring. “Don’t blame you one bit for chasing down a woman like that, Messina.
Hmm
…”

Faking a left hook, I fell back on my left foot before hitting Lucky in the jaw with straight jab from my right. Fucker went down like a deflated balloon.

“What the hell, Noah,” he groaned, sprawled out on the flat of his back.

“What the hell is right, dipshit,” I growled, standing over my ex-cellmate. “That’s my niece you’re talking about.”

“I didn’t fucking say it,” he groaned, taking my outstretched hand and climbing unsteadily to his feet. “And another thing, I can’t believe you fucked her bareback.”

“Dammit to hell, man. I told you that in confidence,” I snarled. Waiting until he was steady on his feet, I socked him again in the mouth.

“Look around dipshit,” Lucky, never one to mince words, pointed out without a second’s hesitation, as he rubbed his chin.

I did and realized Quincy had moved to the far end of the room and was on the phone.

“I told you what happened,” I hissed in a low tone. “I had too much to drink and got caught up in the fucking moment.”
You did it because you want to keep her and you’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen,
a niggling voice inside my mind taunted me.

Shaking my head, I forced the thought down quickly, refusing to acknowledge to my brain what my sub-conscience knew was true. “Just drop it.”

“And if she ends up pregnant?” he stated without any qualms. “Getting caught up in the ‘moment’ just might have cost you eighteen years to life, Noah. What do you think about that?”

“Do I look like the kind of man who walks away from his responsibilities?” I shot back heatedly, glaring at my friend. “Just do yourself a favor, Lucky,” I growled, spotting Quincy returning out of the corner of my eye. “And mind your own damn business.”

“Alright you two pussies, get back to work,” Quincy ordered. “Noah; I wanna see you work more on your right hook. You may be southpaw, but I want you fighting with both.”

“I thought this was supposed to be winding down period,” Lucky groaned, falling into stance once more. “You did win last night, right? Or was I watching a different fight?”

“That’s enough out of you, Lippy,” Quincy shot back, red-faced. “Dedication is the breakfast of champions.” He turned his attention to me and barked, “I don’t give a fuck if you’re more comfortable with your left, Messina. That right hook of yours is a weakness.”

“Come on in here and I’ll show you how weak it is,” I muttered under my breath before getting back to work.

THE REST OF THE DAY PASSED
without a word from Noah, and by five o clock that evening, I couldn’t take another second of silence. My nerves were frazzled and I was all out of patience. I had questions, a bazillion of them, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to function properly until I got the answers.

“I’m finishing up,” I told Liam when I stalked into the office and grabbed my bag and hoodie that evening.

“Are you heading to Krash Saturday night for Steph’s thirtieth-fifth birthday?” he asked me nervously, following me out of the office and through the gym. “You’re invited too.”

“I don’t know,” I told him, not really paying attention. I didn’t care whose birthday it was and Stephanie Murphy was Liam’s cougar friend, not mine. I had only met the woman a half dozen times on nights out. I barely classed her as an acquaintance. And Liam was on my shit list.

My only focus was seeing Noah again, and well, the rest I would figure out when I saw him. I rushed out of the office and through the gym; the urgency I had inside me to see Noah was like a driving force, pushing me out of my comfort zone, compelling me to go to him.

I was halfway down the metal staircase when I heard Liam calling out my name. Reluctantly, I stopped and inhaled a calming breath before turning around.

Liam was delaying me and it was pissing me off.

“Come out Saturday night,” he repeated. “I need to talk to you about something.”

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. “About what?”

He sighed heavily. “I was a dick yesterday. I want to make it up to you.”

Shaking my head, confused and uninterested, I mumbled, “yeah, fine. Text me the details,” before turning on my heel and rushing off.

There was only one gym on this side of the city that was decked out with the caliber of equipment and security that a prized MFA fighter like Noah would require. And I would’ve bet my last fiver that was where I would find him.

MARCHING THROUGH THE ENTRANCE
of Frankie’s Gym several pairs of eyes landed on my face, but I didn’t care. I walked straight past the reception desk that was crowded by women dressed like freaking hookers and numerous photographers and reporters skulking around. Obviously they had come to the same conclusion I had and were looking for Noah.