Tyler's Undoing (Gloves Off #1)(10)

Chuckling, Cole slapped me on the back. “Yeah, we all want the ones we can’t have. If you want to work at it, by all means, go ahead. Just don’t f*ck with this one like you do the others. I actually like Bree, if you mess with her best friend she’s going to hate me by association. Don’t ruin this for me, bro.”

“Wow, you must have it bad for her,” I joked.

Cole shrugged and took a sip of water out of his bottle. “What can I say? She’s the first girl who actually seems interested in who I am and not what I do. You know how that is. Other than Gabriella, when was the last time you could say you met a girl who wanted you for you?”

“Never,” I admitted honestly. Sadly, it was the truth. It was always the same type of girls sniffing around. They either wanted to f*ck me or get recognition.

“And that right there, is why I want someone like Bree.”

Maybe it was the same reason I had the desire to go after Kacey. She had an innocence about her—something pure. I’d never seen it in any female I’d been with, not even Gabriella. Someone like her had always been unreachable, unattainable.

Do I really want to taint her innocence with the shit I bring to the table?

“You know what they say, Tyler . . . it’s not worth it, unless you have to fight for it. We might have done some stupid shit in our lives, but there comes a time when all of that must come to an end. My time is now. You just need to decide when it’ll be yours.”

With a sly grin, he punched me in the shoulder and chuckled all the way down to the practice ring. “And if you call Bree tonight, you better not hit on her. I’ll seriously kick your ass if you do.”

“Like you could,” I challenged. “I seem to remember every time we get in the ring it’s your ass that meets the mat.”

Cole jumped in the ring and bounced on his feet, practicing his jabs. “That may be so, dickhead, but if you f*ck with my girl, you f*ck with me. One of these days, you’ll know how it feels to be on this end.”

Maybe one day I would, but right now I had a challenge to face. Kacey wasn’t going to make it easy on me. If it was a fight she wanted, she’d better be prepared to lose. I loved a good challenge.

And so it begins.





“KACEY, WHAT’S WRONG with you?” Bree rushed out of the gym.

I felt like an idiot waiting by her car, but I really needed to get out of there. “I’m so sorry,” I apologized. “I didn’t mean to leave you in there, but it felt like I was having a panic attack.” It was a lie, but she knew I had a history of panic attacks.

Bree’s brown eyes softened. “Oh, Kace, I didn’t realize. I thought it might have been from what Tyler said to you. He asked if you were going to be okay.”

“What did you tell him?” I asked, eyes wide.

She shrugged and unlocked the car doors. “I told him you had a lot going on in your life right now. He’s actually a decent guy. You should try hanging out with him some time.”

“I don’t think so. I have no desire to date any of those guys in there,” I replied, opening my door and getting into the seat.

Bree started up the car and we headed on our way to her apartment. “Well, maybe you’ll change your mind one day,” she suggested.

Not going to happen.

Once we got to her apartment and freshened up, we were on our way to the restaurant. It was good money, especially with the tips. Although, working a night job where men hit on you constantly, wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Even if I never earned enough money to open up my own restaurant, I still didn’t imagine myself working in a bar any longer than absolutely necessary.





“Only two more hours,” I groaned, looking at the clock.

Bree chuckled and handed me the limes for my gin and tonics. “It’s not that bad tonight. Just be thankful we don’t have to work the late shift. Then you really have to deal with the drunk *s and shitty tips. I did it once, when David couldn’t come in for his shift, and regretted every minute of it.”

Laughing, I finished pouring up the drinks and turned to her. “Yeah, I remember that. It’s a shame he quit to go to medical school. I really liked him. Damn people and their dreams.”

“We’ll be at that point someday, Kace. Our time will come soon.” More patrons started flooding into the bar so Bree quickly smiled at me before strolling to the end of the counter to take more orders.

Grabbing some napkins, I carried my gin and tonics to the two men who ordered them. They were dressed in business suits; one with perfect, combed-over midnight colored hair and green eyes, while the other had really short, dirty blond hair and brown eyes. Both were very attractive and most likely gay, knowing my luck.

“Here you go, gentlemen. Do you want to open a tab?”

“Not for me,” the guy with the blond hair said, passing me a twenty dollar bill.

The one with the dark hair smiled and sat down. “I will. I’m meeting one of my clients here shortly.” He handed me his card.

“All right, I’ll get you set up,” I told him.

He stayed at the bar drinking his gin and tonic, while his friend finished his off and left. Once Bree and I caught up on everyone’s orders, I was finally able to relax and get a glass of water. Every so often, the guy in the suit would make eye contact with me and smile. Maybe he’s not gay.