Fighting for Love (Second Chances #4)(35)
There was nothing in the world that could break me; not my father when he left, the fights I had lost, nor Kyle Andrews in his quest to f*ck me over. None of that mattered to me … except Shelby. She was the key to everything, my salvation and my redemption.
We had one more chance to make it right, and if she left again there was no going back. I would surely break.
There was no doubt about it.
IT WAS THURSDAY, TWO DAYS before my next fight at the Oracle Arena, and four days that we had gone without any word from Kyle. All week I stayed with Shelby at her house, waiting on him to make some kind of move, but he hadn’t … yet. I think we both knew the time was coming, we just didn’t know when.
“So, do I get to meet your coach today?” Shelby asked, hesitantly glancing down at my bike.
I already had my helmet and jacket on, waiting for her to climb on behind me, but she was stalling. The wheels in her mind were turning, and I knew she was trying to figure out another way to get out of riding on the bike. Over the past several days, I’d tried to get her to ride with me, but being the smooth talker that she was she always came up with a reason not to and I agreed.
Not this time, though.
She was going to ride with me even if I had to tie her down to the damn bike. With no makeup on and her hair pulled back into a ponytail, she still looked sexy as hell and determined to get her way.
Straddling my shiny red, Ducati 1198, I held out my hand. “Yes, you’ll get to meet my coach if we actually get there. You’ll be perfectly fine with me, I promise. Now get your ass up here.”
When she didn’t move, I grabbed her hand and pulled her over to me. Since she didn’t know how to strap on her helmet, I set it down over her head and did it myself, smirking the whole time. “You know, I remember you telling me a long time ago that you weren’t afraid of anything. Since when did you turn into a scared little kitten?” I teased her.
Narrowing her eyes, she smacked me in the arm and mumbled, “Fuck you!” Finally, she grabbed onto my shoulder and swung her leg over the bike, locking her arms tight around my waist. I chuckled when she gripped me harder the moment I revved up the engine.
“Relax, angel, you’re going to be fine. I’m not going to do anything stupid,” I assured her.
Gently, I squeezed her hands just once before putting the bike in gear and taking off down the road. I ended up travelling the scenic route up US 101 to Santa Rosa because I figured she’d enjoy it more. After a while, she let go of some of her fear and giggled when I sped up, except her grip always tightened up again around the curves if we had to lean into them. Riding was relaxing for me, but it also gave me an outlet if I needed to let off steam. Being able to twist the throttle and fly down the road was great to get the adrenaline pumping.
We arrived perfectly intact, and as soon as I parked the bike in the gym parking lot, Shelby got off and tried to remove her helmet. I helped her unclasp it, and as soon as she was free she squealed, “That was amazing.”
“Not as bad as you thought, right?” I pointed out.
Shaking her head excitedly, she unzipped her coat and slid her backpack off, which had her workout clothes in it. “No, it wasn’t bad considering I didn’t have a choice. I debated on making a run for it, but I knew I wouldn’t get very far. Besides, it was actually kind of fun.”
“I’m glad you had fun,” I said, taking her hand and leading her around the building to the front door of the gym. “Let’s get inside so I can show you how to kick someone’s ass.”
As soon as we entered, I noticed there were a couple of guys sparring in the ring who were new fighters in the Middleweight division in the UFC. I’d spoken to them plenty of times and watched them train before. Both were completely fearless and efficient with their strikes, but I figured it had to be in their genetics because they were twins.
“Wow,” Shelby breathed, taking a look around. “You said your coach owns the gym?”
Nodding, I pointed to where he stood by the ring, talking to the Jameson twins’ coach. “Yep, that’s him over there. Come on, I’ll introduce you to him.”
When Carter saw us approach, he smiled and patted the other coach on the shoulder before meeting us on the other side of the ring. “You ready to get to work, son? The guys should be done in about ten minutes,” he said.
“Please, I’m always ready,” I added. Turning to Shelby, I put my arm around her and introduced them to each other. “Shelby, this is Carter. He’s the one who helped me be the fighter I am today. Without him, none of it would’ve been possible.”
Carter chuckled and shook her hand. “Don’t listen to him, he’s just being modest. I’ve never seen a fighter quite like him other than Mason. Next season is going to be epic when they battle it out,” he told her.
“I can imagine,” she replied.
“All right, you two. I’m going to get our stuff out of the back. Start warming up and then we’ll begin.” Turning to Shelby, he winked at her and smiled. “You’re going to have a tough fight on your hands, little lady. I hope you’re ready.”
With a sly grin, she answered, “Oh, I can handle him just fine.”
That she can, I thought, especially when she used her mouth.
While Carter disappeared into the back room, Shelby and I separated to different locker rooms to change clothes. I knew it would take her longer to get dressed, so I met up with the twins who stood right by the ring packing up their stuff.