Ryley's Revenge (Gloves Off #2)(17)

I thought maybe I was being paranoid, that it wasn’t meant for me, but even Gabriella looked pale when she watched Ryley storm into the ring with his blue robe draped low over his eyes. Judging by the lyrics, it didn’t bode well for me. My eyes burned, but I stood my ground and concentrated on staying strong, even though the song and his actions were basically a right hook to the jaw.

“Ashleigh, I’m so sorry,” Gabby sighed. “He’s taking this too far.”

Squeezing her hand, I shook my head and forced a smile. “No, it’s okay. He’s hurt and lashing out at me. After the fight, I’m going to talk to him. If he truly doesn’t want anything to do with me, then he’ll have no problems saying it to my face.”

“Are you sure you want to do that? You might want to be careful loading all of this stress on yourself,” she commented, sneaking a quick glance at my stomach.

“I’ll be fine.” I hope.





By the third round, Ryley still hadn’t acknowledged me. Landon Baker was a tough striker, but Ryley lived up to his fighter name and went on a rampage. He was ruthless, yet held back just a bit to keep his opponent on his toes; he didn’t want it to end. It wasn’t until the last minute of the fight when everything snapped. Before the punch even connected, I knew it was going to be a knockout. The sound echoed through the arena, followed by the thud of Landon’s body falling limp on the mat.

“And the winner by TKO is Ryley . . . the Rampage . . . Jaaammmeeesssooonnn!” The crowd went wild when Ryley’s hand was lifted into the air. He smirked and circled the ring victoriously before jumping out and heading back up the aisle.

My heart was beating out of control, but it was now or never. I had to talk to him, even if it was the last time. “Gabby, I’m going back there,” I announced, getting to my feet. “I have to talk to him.”

“Okay, but I’m going with you. Let’s go.”

Gabriella and Garrett both followed behind, trying to keep up with my brisk pace. As soon as we got to the back, I didn’t care what he was doing or who was in his room, so I turned the knob and slammed it wide open. Gabby gasped behind me and so did the woman who was in the room with Ryley. She jumped to her feet and clutched her chest, her brown hair covering her face when she bent down to pick up her phone.

“What the hell? You scared me,” she exclaimed, lifting her head. Over my shoulder she saw Gabriella and her face softened.

“Megan, can you come out here with me?” Gabriella asked sweetly. “I think they need some private time.”

So this girl was Megan. She was beautiful. I should’ve known that one of Ryley’s close woman friends would be gorgeous. A knowing smile spread across Megan’s face and she nodded. “Sure thing, girlfriend.” She then turned to Ryley. “I’ll meet you outside at the car.”

Ryley nodded at her and then busied himself with taking off his gloves. He still hadn’t looked at me. Once the door shut and everyone was gone, I didn’t waste any time. “Ryley, please stop ignoring me. I need you to talk to me.”

“I think I’ve said everything I need to say. I told you before you were wasting your time. Why can’t you leave me alone? I don’t want you.”

“Then look at me and say it,” I thundered. Charging over to him, I smacked his bag away, grabbing his face with my hands. “I love you, Ryley, and I need you to stop lying to me. Look me in the eyes and say the words. If you tell me you don’t love me, I’ll walk out that door and you’ll never see me again.” Tears blossomed in my eyes and all I could think about was the baby inside of my womb. “If letting you go is truly what you need, I’ll do it.”

Relentlessly, my heart pounded and tears fell down my cheeks. He stared at me and I could feel him leaning closer, his lips almost touching mine. Instead of kissing me, he took my hands and pulled them away from his face. Looking straight into my eyes, he sighed and shook his head. “I don’t love you, Ashleigh. I never have and I never will.”

My world shattered in that instant and everything came crashing down. I couldn’t stand to look at him any longer, so I turned around and rushed out of the room, running as fast as I could. There were people everywhere, but they bolted out of my way when I went storming past. I had to get out of there, away from the humiliation and rejection. It was over. Shock was consuming me; I never really believed he’d say the words.

“Ashleigh, stop,” Gabriella yelled. I was almost to the door but her grip on my arm forced me to halt. When I turned, her face fell and she pulled me into her arms. “Holy hell, what did he say to you?”

Holding onto her, I burst into tears and closed my eyes. “He looked me in the eyes . . .” I choked. “He looked me in the eyes and said he never loved me and he never will. I don’t know what to do. This isn’t happening. This just can’t be happening.”

“Shh . . . don’t worry, Ash. It’ll all be okay. I’ll take you back to the hotel and you can rest. I’ll handle everything from here.”

There was nothing she could do. It was over.





WHEN YOU THINK about words, you never really put it into context how strong they could actually be when spoken. I had gone too far and the second Ashleigh ran away from me, I regretted the harsh response. Hurting her was my goal . . . I didn’t plan on breaking her. Dammit. I let my anger and pain get in the way. Before I could rush after her? Gabriella beat me to it and took off down the hall. How could I be so f*cking stupid?