Page 95 of Meant to Be

After about twenty minutes of driving I began to second guess myself when we parked outside of what looked like an abandoned building.

“Where are we?”

“You’re safe, Ms. Reyes,” Brutus responded as he held the door open for me to get out.

I exited the vehicle and stood, looking up the total height of the building. It appeared to be about ten stories high.

Brutus moved past me to knock on the door. First two knocks with his knuckles followed by a short pause and then three quick knocks.

I jumped a little when the door suddenly opened. I was even more stunned to see Josh appear, dressed in a pair of workout shorts and a T-shirt.

I frowned. “If this is your idea of a dinner date, you’ve really gotta do something about your romantic gestures.”

A wrinkling around his eyes occurred as he smirked but it was quickly replaced by a narrowing of his eyes and a frown. “You haven’t answered my calls in five days. You moved out without one word. You thought I was going to let you run this time?”

My mouth opened but any response I might’ve had caught in my throat.

“I know why you left this time around. Now, I think it’s time to show you all of me.” He stepped aside, allowing me entrance.

I entered the darkened room and noticed the crowd of men and chairs that sat around a large fighting-style cage.The hell?Inside a man was being helped out and down the stairs by another man, while a large man stood in the middle of the ring, looking around.

“Josh, what the hell is this?” I spun around, jumping a little when the heavy door slammed shut behind Brutus.

“This is my fight club, Kay.”

“Your what?”

“You asked the other night at my parents about my fighting.” He lifted a hand gesturing toward the cage. “This is it. This is where I come to decompress at the end of a hard day or week.”

I turned to look at the cage then back to Josh. “How long have you been doing this?”

“Seven years.”

My eyes bulged. “Since …”

“Chelsea died and you left. Come with me.” He took me by the hand, pulling me closer to the crowd.

“You’re not fighting, are you?”

“I said I’d show you all of me. So yes, I’ll be fighting tonight.”

My stomach muscles tightened in fear. I knew Josh was a formidable opponent to anyone who tried him but that didn’t mean I needed to see it.

“Relax, sweetheart,” he cooed in my ear and pressed a kiss to my temple. “It’ll be over before you know it. Damon,” he called over my shoulder.

I turned to see a man who looked somewhat familiar approaching us.

I swooned just a little when his mahogany cheeks bunched as he smiled. “You must be Kay.”

“Kayla,” Josh corrected. “I’m the only one who calls her Kay.”

I tossed him a look. He simply gave me an arrogant stare back, daring me to say he was wrong. He wasn’t. In fact, I’d always hated that nickname until he started calling me it. Most others couldn’t get away with it but he could.

“Anyway, I need you to watch my woman while I’m in the ring.”

“Where’re you going?” I questioned, tugging Josh’s hand.

“Up there.” He nodded toward the ring. He moved closer, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. “Don’t worry. I’ll make it quick.”