Page 5

Jaz nudges me again, putting a little more strength into it so I lose my balance. “This is Leenie.” She turns a bewildered smile to me, rounding her eyes as if to tell me to get with the program because I’m definitely fucking this up.
“Leenie, huh?” Finn turns my way fully, giving me all of his attention. The tension in the air I felt during the fights settles between my shoulder blades.
I mentally smack myself, quickly chanting an internal pep talk. “Nickname.” I shrug, the back of my neck heating in embarrassment. “My parents had to go and give me one of those classic names. You know, kind of like Beverly or Mary. They’re just unsexy.”
He chuckles to himself. “Now you have me curious.” He leans in, and I can smell the mixture of cologne and the sweet tang of sweat clinging to his skin. “Leenie is short for...” He crosses his arms over his chest, his right hand moving to his chin to stroke his clean-shaven jaw.
“Colleen.” I smile with an I told you so look.
He drags his gaze down me, and my skin responds, heating everywhere his eyes catch. His slow perusal lands on my borrowed boots and then moves back up again. “It suits you.”
“A lot of things suit me...” I rake my gaze down his body, making myself abundantly clear, but also taking the time to appreciate his form up close. Studying him from the second floor did not do him justice. His tight black shirt clings to his muscled torso and highlights the size of his biceps peeking out of his sleeve. His angular, symmetrical face is downright striking, but the longer hair softens his features just enough to not be too cutting.
He laughs, catching me off guard in a pleasant way. “You’re fun Leenie,” he remarks, using my nickname which already adds points in my book. It’s nice to skip all the formal bullshit. Sometimes, even after I tell people I prefer Leenie, they’ll use Colleen instead.
Before I can tell him he has no idea how fun I can be, someone else enters the circle, congratulating Finn’s fighter on his win. He’s much more serious, but Finn’s so easy with him that they must have a past. He doesn’t stay long, just enough time to tell Finn he has work to do before stalking off again.
My sexy crush watches him go with a slight frown, but it’s gone again by the time he looks back at me. “My brother,” he informs me, answering a question I didn’t ask.
I turn to see if I can find him in the crowd but he’s already gone. They looked alike, I guess. He was shorter than Finn and stockier with more of a body builder physique, but not the kind who look like they’re on steroids. “Does he also have a sexy name?”
“Depends.” He gives me a teasing smile. “What do you think about Jax?”
I shake my head in disbelief. “Man, your parents must have really loved you guys. They set you up to get laid for life.”
The freeing sound of his laugh cuts away at the giant armor I’ve been wearing since Cole returned. I find myself stepping closer to him as if some of his personality might rub off on me. So much of my life has been filled with tension lately that his easygoing nature is like smelling an aromatic flower, and I can’t get enough.
He takes note of how close I’m getting. “Is this your first time at the Ring?”
I nod, a rush of excitement tingling up my spine just like when I was watching the fights. “Yeah. Honestly, I wasn’t so sure I would like it, but I was brimming with energy the whole time. Your fight—” I stop to correct myself. “Hisfight was explosive.”
Finn glances over my head. “Yeah, Dalton’s worked super hard. He’s a monster in the ring.”
“So, you’re like his trainer?”
“One of them.” The lights dim around us, and he moves his gaze up, face pulling taut for a moment. The space has fully transitioned from fight space to club, complete with lights dancing off the walls and music blaring. Finn leans in so I can hear him over the noise. “Can I get you a drink?”
His closeness sends a warmth over me. “I’d love that.”
“And a more comfortable space to talk?” The flirty wink that follows does funny things to my stomach.
I’m still processing the butterflies when he drops his hand to the small of my back as we walk wordlessly toward the stairs. The light touch shoots pleasure through me. Enough that I need to find an A/C vent stat before I combust. The climb up the metal steps gives me time to talk myself down, so that when we finally hit the second floor, I don’t look like I’ve just short-circuited. Our group stops at an empty wooden bar top, and we all congregate around it. Jared looks right at home talking to the other fighters while Jaz raises her eyebrows at me from under the crook of his elbow.
“That’s better,” Finn says, pulling out one of the metal stools for me. He takes my hand as I settle on top. “What are you drinking, Leenie?”
“An Uppercut Princess.”
His eyes round for a second, and then a sly smile pulls at his lips. “Excellent choice.”
After he turns toward the closest bar, Jaz extracts herself from Jared’s arm and comes right for me. “Holy shit. I thought for sure you’d screwed that up. I’ve never seen you so tongue-tied before.”
I barely hear her. I’m looking over my shoulder at his retreating figure. “Is he not the hottest thing ever?”
Jaz laughs, the sound tinkling above the music. She pushes my shoulder, forcing me to face her. “I mean, I probably shouldn’t say because...” She gestures toward Jared. “But shit yes. Boy is fine.” Her gaze flicks above me, and she slams her mouth shut. “Coming back,” she singsongs and then gracefully moves back to Jared.
“Girl talk?” a husky voice asks in my ear.
A thrill shoots up my spine. I have a thing for men whispering in my ear. Nothing turns me on more, a fact he couldn’t know after just meeting me but holy shit. I turn to him with a grin to match his teasing voice. “Of course.”