Fighting Solitude (On The Ropes #3)(69)

Davenport was once again going to get his way. One way or another, whether Quarry found him and beat him within an inch of his life or Quarry broke his hand in another fit of rage, the fight was going to get canceled.

I gave up on Till handling the situation and attempted to step between the brawling brothers.

Unfortunately, Flint caught me around the waist.

But, on the other hand, it was fortunate Flint caught me around the waist because I almost caught an elbow to the face.

When Till and Quarry had made it out the door, Flint promptly blocked me. I was having a nervous breakdown from not being able to see what was going on.

I was seriously contemplating the ramifications of stealing Flint’s cane and beating him with it when Quarry suddenly appeared behind him. Flint gingerly stepped out of the way for his seemingly no-longer-irate brother to pass through.

Raking my eyes over his body, I checked for any type of injury, but his stormy eyes held the only lingering proof of his outburst.

I opened my mouth to ask if he was okay, but his thick arm hooked across my stomach, folding me over and lifting me off my feet.

“What are you doing?” I cried, dangling like a rag doll at his side.

He didn’t answer. Nor did his feet slow until we reached his old bedroom.

After kicking the door shut, he deposited me on the bed. Then my arms were yanked up and my dress was stripped over my head. His shirt followed. Then he landed on the bed next to me. Rolling to his back, he tucked me into his side, and only then did he breathe a huge sigh of relief. His heart was still slamming around in his chest, and his body was stiff, but his words were soft.

“What happened…exactly?”

“Uhhhh, is there a reason we have to be almost naked to have this conversation? If you decide to haul ass out of the room again, it’s going to be embarrassing when I have to chase you down in my underwear.”

“I won’t leave again,” he replied emotionlessly, but his lips found the top of my head.

“Okay, but if you’re planning to have sex with me, you’re going to have to be quiet because I’m pretty sure Ash and Eliza are listening at the door.”

This time, his voice was terse. “My head is two seconds away from exploding. If I f*cked you now, I might kill us both. So, please, just tell me what the f*ck happened.” His lips once again found my head, easing the sting in his tone.

So I told him.

Every single bit.

Except for the hotel room number.

Thank God for Don Blake! Because, if the way his body went rock solid when I got to the keycard part was any indication, I would have in fact been hiding a body later that night.

After I finished, Quarry remained silent for several minutes. I tried to soothe him by tracing the black tattoos that covered one of his pecs, and his breathing gradually slowed and then evened out. I thought for a moment that he’d fallen asleep. But, when I glanced up, his eyes were wide open, staring at the ceiling in deep contemplation.

“What are you thinking?” I asked quietly.

“Honestly?”

“Yeah.”

“Right now, it’s how I’m going to keep your dad from killing Davenport before I get the chance.”

I giggled, relaxing into him, relieved that he at least had it in him to joke. Ten minutes ago, I would have thought it impossible, but when he shifted his gaze down to me, the tiniest of smiles tipped one side of his mouth.

Then it vanished as his expression turned serious again. “I took your dress off because I wanted to be sure you weren’t hiding anything else from me. Downplaying the way he put his hands on you just to keep me reeled in. But I have to be honest with you here: I’m terrified to look at your back. I swear to God, if he left a mark on you—”

“My back is fine.” It wasn’t totally a lie. It didn’t hurt anymore, but I was sure the car door handle had left a bruise.

He closed his eyes and shook his head as if he could erase the thought of it.

“Quarry, listen to me. This is worse than his normal brand of *. I’ll be the first to admit that, but getting a reaction from you is what he wants. It’s what he’s praying for. And, if he doesn’t get it before the fight, you know he’s going to use it in the ring. He’s going to talk shit and have you fighting with your heart and not your head. And, when you give him that, he will beat you.”

Quarry barked a laugh. “Is that your pep talk?”

“No. That’s my ‘keep your head together and embarrass this guy in front of the entire world’ talk.” I pressed a kiss to his still-smiling lips. “You’re so close, Q. Two months.”

He suddenly rolled so I was on my back and his upper body was pressing against me. “And what if he tries something like this shit again? What if it’s worse next time? Then what? Because I don’t give one single f*ck about that fight anymore. Embarrassing him isn’t going to give me peace of mind. Eating popcorn and listening to his screams while he burns inside a fiery inferno might be the only possible thing that could give me any kind of satisfaction at this point.”

“Okay, and if, in six months, you want to follow through with that, I’ll buy the popcorn. But we will watch the inferno on TV in the middle of a public bar so we at least both have an alibi.” I smiled. “For now, though, we’re going to let everyone else handle Davenport.”