Worth The Fight (Hard To Love Book 1) (5 page)

“Me?” He leans forward to put his glass on the table and I can’t help but watch his muscles as his sleeve slides up his forearm.

“Yeah, you. I heard there was this shit hot fighter that couldn’t keep a coach because he had a habit of punching them. Seemed like the perfect challenge. I’ve never been one to go with the sure thing.” I’m shocked by the laughter that bursts from me. I don’t think anyone has ever spoken to me like this, like they aren’t impressed by who I am. Maybe it’s because he only just got here or maybe because he genuinely doesn’t give a shit.

“You don’t sound worried that I might take a swing at you. Maybe it’s a thing I do with all my coaches?” It’s his turn to laugh now as he obviously finds my statement funny. I don’t know if I should be insulted or not by his reaction.

“Trust me, Zeke. I'm not worried, I'm pretty sure I can handle anything you can throw at me.” His expression is intense as he stares at me and I know I should look away but I can’t. I swear I feel like I can see everything he's feeling as he sits there, and his dark eyes look heated with passion.

The moment is broken when a girl sits on my lap and kisses my cheek. This time I let the distraction pull me away from Bryce’s enticing eyes. I allow the girl to move her lips to mine, opening up and taking what I want. I try to convince myself that the ass that’s sitting on top of my dick, and the tongue in my mouth is why I’m hard, but if I'm honest, I know that’s not the reason.

I lean forward and grab my glass of water from the table. I don’t really need a drink but I'm looking for a distraction from what’s happening beside me. One minute I’m staring into Zeke’s eyes and the next he has his tongue down some woman’s throat. I look around awkwardly as I try to pretend that the woman isn’t moaning into his mouth as he does only god knows what.

We’d been getting to know each other and it was nice having someone to chat with for a change. That’s the only reason I agreed to go out tonight, I’m sick of going home to an empty apartment with only myself for company. When Zeke had invited me out I’d initially decided I was going to decline his offer. I mean how can I tell him to rest and eat well when I'm out with him partying on the first night? Thankfully, he hadn’t taken no for an answer and made me come out. I had felt awkward to begin with, especially when that girl had decided that she wanted to go home with me. I didn’t know how to get her off me without making a scene, and I definitely wasn’t about to give in to her demands. I had absolutely no interest in her and I didn’t know what to say to her. I don’t want to shout about my sexuality from the rooftops, but I'm not willing to lie about who I am.

Thankfully Zeke had come to my rescue and I thought we were getting along and getting to know each other but then I had to go and say something stupid. Why did I have to say that I could handle him? That statement had caused a hundred different images to race through my mind, making it impossible for me to look away from him. He looked like he was feeling the same thing as me and he couldn’t take his eyes off me, but that changed the second he had female company.

I reach down and adjust the hard on that’s pressing against my jeans, trying to hide the fact that I'm turned on. I just can’t help it when I'm near Zeke, he seems to have this affect on me that I have no control over. I look over to the couple that are still making out and I see Zeke’s hand disappear under the hem of her dress. That’s enough to get me moving. I refuse to sit here and watch as he finger fucks this woman. I grab my mobile and write out a text, sending it to the number that Eddie gave me earlier for Zeke. Once it sends, I stand, put on my jacket and leave the nightclub.

****

I walk into my small one bedroom studio apartment and throw my jacket over the back of the sofa. I'm so fucking tired tonight. I haven’t slept well since I got here, the constant noise isn’t something I'm used to. I grew up in the countryside where the only noise was the sound of crickets and the occasional bird. The constant traffic outside my window now keeps me up most of the night. It just never stops. I'm hoping that tonight I will get a decent sleep since my body is tried after training with Zeke. It’s the first proper work out I’ve had in a long time and I can feel it deep in my muscles.

I shut off all the lights as I walk to my room and close the door behind me. I get undressed before walking into my bathroom to get washed up for bed. Before I brush my teeth, I grab my supplements and swallow them down with a glass of water. I look over my body as I brush and notice my muscle tone isn’t as defined as it was a few months ago. I’ve been doing lots of cardio in the build up to training Zeke, but I can see the effects that not using weights is having on my body. I need to get back into training properly, hopefully working with Zeke will get me back to my previous condition. Fighting at home always kept me fit and toned, but since I gave that up I’ve needed to work harder to keep my body the way I want. Eddie said that I had free access to the gym while I worked there, so I'm going to make good use of it. If I keep Zeke training six hours everyday and then work out for two, I will have my body back into shape in no time. I know there are probably a lot of guys who would look at my body and think I was insane for wanting to work out harder, but I'm surrounded by some of the best fighters in the country all day long. There’s no way I will stand next to them with a soft body, it would be too embarrassing.

I rinse my toothbrush and put in on the side before turning off the light and climbing into bed. I pull the single sheet up my body, leaving it sitting around my waist. I'm still trying to get acclimatized to the heat here, it’s so much warmer than England. I stare at the ceiling praying for sleep to come but all I can think about is Zeke. I’ve trained a few fighters, and been surrounded by more than that in the gyms, but I’ve never felt drawn to any of them like I am to Zeke. From the minute I walked into the gym this morning I’ve felt like I couldn’t take my eyes off him. With his sexy as sin body, a body I want to run my tongue over. Even when he was chasing the pads I had been distracted by the way his muscles tensed as he got ready to punch or kick. The sweat dripping down his body had made me want to lick it off, to taste him as my tongue traced the outline of his muscles. Fuck.
This can’t be happening, it shouldn’t be happening.
I can’t have feelings for my boss, especially when he's straight. It’s like gay lesson number one. Don’t have feelings for the straight guy, but I think I already do.

I groan as I reach my hand out and slap at my alarm until I hit the right button to turn it off. I bury my head in the pillow and will the world to stop turning for a few hours so I can try and sleep this hangover away.

I had no intention of getting drunk last night, training with a headache today wasn’t something I wanted, but when I’d watched Bryce leave while I was kissing that girl, I had needed the alcohol to stop me from going after him. I’d started kissing her to distract myself from the intensity between Bryce and me, I don’t know how or why it happened but it was there. She’d been the perfect distraction, even though I know it had been rude as fuck to Bryce. I had watched him out of the corner of my eye as I’d kissed her. He’d looked embarrassed and it had made me feel like shit, but not enough to stop what I was doing. In fact I had taken it further by slipping my hand up her dress until she moaned into my mouth. I’d closed my eyes for what felt like one second and when I opened them again, he was gone. I’d pulled apart from the girl and had gone after him, leaving her sitting completely alone without explanation, but I couldn’t see him anywhere. After that, I returned to the table and drank myself into a happier place. I don’t know why him leaving had pissed me off so much, it’s not like I had done anything that would make him want to stay.

I hear a noise beside me and a hand lands on my back before I feel a set of lips. This gets me moving quicker than my alarm clock. I sit up quickly, only to regret it instantly when the guy with the jackhammer starts pounding away in my head. I pinch the bridge of my nose in an attempt to try and ease some of the tension in my throbbing forehead.

“Come back to bed, sexy. I’ll be ready to give you a repeat of last night after a few more hours sleep.” I think back to last night, tying to remember exactly what she’ll be repeating, but it’s a lost cause. I don’t even remember coming home let alone coming home with another person. I look down at the mass of blond hair that’s lying across the pillow next to mine and the very naked body that’s only half covered by a sheet.

“Who the fuck are you?” I can’t keep the horror out of my voice, I never let anyone sleep in my bed.
Never
. I fight against the throbbing in my head and jump out of bed, grabbing my boxers and putting them on as I stand up. The blond sits up and lets the sheet fall around her waist as she stretches her hands up over her head. I don’t know if she is clueless to what she's doing or if she’s trying to entice me back into bed but it’s not working.

“Baby, don’t be like that. You know who I am. I'm the woman of your dreams.” Her voice is husky, and a little whiney, and on a normal day I would be ready for round two but today I just want her out of here. It would be helpful if I could remember what happened last night, know what had happened in the club before I left. I can remember everything that happened before Bryce left but everything after is just a blur. I need to get her out of my bed and out of my home. Fuck, now she knows where I live and that shit’s not okay. I hold my head in my hand as I try to think of how to get her out of here, I need to get to training.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I grab my cell phone to check the time and notice that I have a text from an unknown number. I open it, wondering who the hell has my number. I read it a few times before I realize that it’s from Bryce.

‘Don’t get too drunk, sparring with a hangover is a bitch. I expect you in the gym at ten, for every ten minutes you’re late, you will be doing ten minutes on the treadmill. Arrive ready to fight.’

I look at the time and see that it’s already after nine.
Shit, I'm going to be late
. I rush to the bathroom and brush my teeth. I don’t have time for a shower, and while I'm grabbing work out gear to put on I start yelling at the girl. I wish I knew her name, it would make this so much easier.

“You need to get dressed and get out.” I start throwing her clothes in her direction, not caring where they land just as long as she puts them on.

“Don’t be like that. I can make you feel so much better. Just come back to bed and I will blow you until you don’t care anymore.” She licks her lips and I wonder what I saw in her last night, I must have had more to drink than I thought. I lean over, placing my hands the mattress and get almost nose to nose with her.

“I said, get your shit and get the fuck out.” I talk very slowly so she can’t misinterpret what I'm trying to tell her. I don’t want to be an asshole but I don’t have time for this shit. This is why I never let my one night stands stay over, you can’t just leave a crazy in your home. Her eyes widen and I swear her bottom lip starts quivering. I do not have time for this. I finish getting dressed and walk to the kitchen to grab my lunch pack and four bottles of water. I look at the clock on the wall and curse when I see that I only have ten minutes to get to the gym, and it’s a twenty-minute drive. If I leave now I might only have ten minutes of treadmill time, I hope that it’s only running he has planned. I stop when I realize that I'm actually worrying over the consequences for being late. When the fuck did I let him have control? Even with Ethan I was still in charge, still the boss in the equation and he did what I said. But Bryce is very different, his personality and presence has me listening to what he says after only one day. I’ve had sex sessions that have lasted longer than I’ve known him and yet he is firmly in control.

I walk to the front door and throw everything I'm holding into my hold all and grab my car keys.

“Come on …” I call out in the direction of my bedroom.
Yeah I really wish I knew her name.

“You need to leave now. You either do it on your own or I carry you out into the front yard.” As I said before, I'm probably an asshole but I just don’t have the time or inclination to be a nice guy this morning. I have the headache from hell, I'm now running late and I'm pretty sure that I fucked up with Bryce last night. I don’t know what I'm walking into when I get to the gym, I deserve a punch for how I treated him. I was confused about what I was feeling, and needing to prove to myself that I’m not attracted to him so I did things I shouldn’t have. To treat him that way, suddenly ignoring him and practically having sex on the seat next to him, well that shit’s pretty fucked up.

I hear heels clicking on the wooden floor just before the woman walks around the corner.

“You are a real piece of work, Zeke. How can you be so nice one minute and then throw me out the next? I thought we had a connection, you told me I was special.” The snort of laughter comes out of me before I even realize what I’ve done, I swear I would take it back if I could. She doesn’t say anything as she walks over to me and slaps me across the face before storming out. She moves so fast that I wouldn’t have even known she’d done it if it weren’t for the fact that my cheek is stinging. I raise my hand and feel the heat on my skin where she struck. I guess I kind of deserved that one. I pick up my bag and rush to my car, determined not to be more than twenty minutes late.

****

I walk into the gym totally expecting Bryce to be standing just inside the door tapping his watch like my mom used to do when I was younger and would come home late. I was strangely disappointed not to see him and I look around the gym. I still don’t see him, which adds to my confusion. I take my bag to the locker room and only stay long enough to get a bottle of water before returning to the gym. The place is eerily quiet this morning, there are usually half a dozen bodies working out or sparring in the ring, but it’s completely empty. You know when you watch horror movies and the world has ended, you just don’t know it yet? Well that’s what this is like, I feel like I'm completely alone in the world.

Walking to Coach’s office, I look inside to find it empty as well. This is starting to freak me out a bit and I look around warily as I walk towards the back workout room. All the equipment is on the main floor of the gym, but there is also a separate room at the back that has a few hanging bags for specific one to one training. It’s rarely used because most of the guys preferring the public area. We like to train in front of each other, our egos making us work harder, work better than each other.

I can hear a noise coming from inside the room. There are slapping noises and grunts, making it sound like someone’s working out. I approach quietly, not wanting to interrupt whoever is working out and I look through the door. The sight in front of me causes me to stop me in my tracks and all thought flees my mind.

There inside the room is Bryce, and I can’t take my eyes off him. I would take a second to think about why I can’t look away and why my heart is suddenly beating erratically in my chest but it’s taking all the effort I can muster to stay standing. The guy working out in front of me is the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen. He’s topless and is wearing red shorts that are sticking to his ass with the sweat from his workout.
Every time he strikes the hanging bag he's using his muscles contract and shake under the force of the blow. It takes everything in me not to reach out and run my hand over them, I want to know what they feel like under my hand. I want to dig my fingers into them, closely followed by my teeth.  He grunts with each hit and I can feel it down to my core. In a few short seconds he's given me the hardest erection I have ever had. Just looking at him has me more turned on than any woman has managed.
This is wrong.
My dad's words suddenly boom in my mind.
You’re not gay. There is no way in hell my son is gay, we just need to get those ideas out of your head. They’re wrong and there’s no fucking way you will think them.
I repeat his words in my head again and again, trying to get my body under control. I won’t be attracted to a man, that just can’t happen.

I turn and walk out of the room, needing to get myself under control before I speak to him. I need to get over whatever this thing is. I take some deep breaths before shouting out, knowing that he’ll hear me.

“Hello! Anyone here?” I turn away from the door so when he comes out it won’t look like I knew he’s already here. The noise from the room stops, and I wait for him to exit the room.

“Well, well, well. Look who decided to finally turn up. Nice of you to join me.” I take another deep breath before turning to face him, hoping it will be enough to keep my thoughts away from how he looks, how he would feel. When I do finally turn around I see that he has a towel in his hand and is wiping it over his body. My eyes automatically follow the towel’s path.

“I'm like ten minutes late. Are you really gonna make me apologize over ten minutes?” I don’t like the look that passes over his face as he walks past me and towards the treadmill. He presses some buttons on the machine and stands next to it, looking at me with his arms crossed, obviously waiting for me to get on. I stare him down as I walk over and get on, not giving him the satisfaction of knowing that it bothers me. I can easily do twenty minutes of running, that’s not exactly pushing me to my limits. He presses the start button and watches me as I start out at a gentle pace.

“One thing I don’t like is someone who wants to be the best but isn’t willing to give a hundred percent commitment. How much did you drink last night?” Who the fuck does he think he is? I can feel my anger start to build as he talks to me like I'm a kid.

“I'm sorry, but who said you had any say over my life outside the gym? I'm pretty sure I hired your ass and I don’t need to answer to you.” He reaches out and presses the speed button, the pace suddenly increasing and making me need to concentrate more to keep my feet moving.

“I'm your coach, and as much as you try to fight against me, I know what I'm talking about. You’ve made it clear you don’t want me, but Eddie hired me because I'm exactly what you need. So I’ll ask you again, how much did you have to drink last night?” I want to tell him to go fuck himself but the words don’t come out.

“I didn’t have much, a few more once you left.” He reaches out again and increases the speed. My legs are starting to burn as he has me sprinting faster than I normally go.
Shit, he's trying to kill me
. My stamina is pretty good but I run long distances at a lower speed, this is getting difficult. I hear Bryce mutter something under his breath before looking away from me. That has my interest piqued, and even though I need to reserve my energy for the run I want to know what he said.

“Sorry, missed that. Want to repeat what you just muttered?” He looks at me before walking away, ignoring my question. I reach out, press the stop button and jump off the machine. I follow behind him, keeping close so he knows I'm not going anywhere.

“Oh, don’t go quiet now. You’re normally so talkative, so spit it out.” His eyes flash to mine before walking off again. He’s really pissing me off with this ignoring me thing. I catch up to him, matching his fast pace as he moves across the gym. When I get close I reach out and grab him by the arm, turning him towards me before stepping into his personal space.

“Spit it out, Bryce. Tell me what the fuck you said.” His eyes are full of fire and I honestly think he might punch me. He tries to step back but I don’t let him put any space between us. He must realize that I'm not going to let it go because he leans in, anger seeping into his words as he speaks. 

“Fine, you want to know what it was. I said that I thought it would take more than a few drinks for you to finger fuck some woman in the middle of a club. Really fucking classy, Zeke.” I'm not shocked by the anger I hear in his voice, I knew he was pissed off about me ignoring him last night.