Ruthless Bastard (Dangerous Love 3)

“Oh, yeah, try me.”

* * *

A half an hour later, Rhett dodged the first fist coming at his face, but the second landed squarely on his jaw, sending him flying back against the boxing ring padding.

“You’re right, I don’t like this.”

Rhett turned his head and gave Kinsley a bloody-mouthed grin, while she sat on the bench, arms crossed, one leg bouncing over the other. He turned back to his target, and longtime friend, Theo, and hopped to his feet. He charged forward and took his opponent down with his forearm pinned to Theo’s neck.

Theo had retired from the Navy a few years ago and opened Sailor’s on the outskirts of Stoney Creek, but Rhett had known him in high school. Theo filled the void that many military guys needed filled. Most people thought that adjusting to civilian life was a challenge because of the painful memories they took home with them, and while Rhett had his own nightmares and knew that his time in the military fundamentally changed him, one of the hardest parts of returning to civilian life had been the adrenaline. He’d spent his days and nights being on alert, looking for that threat that would kill him or his men. Letting go of that adrenaline had been impossible, which only fueled the nightmares. He knew the pregnancy was why his dream had come back the other night. Any change brought the nightmares back. But that’s why he came to Sailor’s, to get control of himself, and the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Once a warehouse, now the boxing ring was in the center, with a weight area off to the right, and on the other side were a few punching bags. Theo gave members a keycard to gain access to come and go as they pleased. Only a soldier understood a soldier, and nearly all the gym members came from a military background.

When Theo couldn’t break the hold, he tapped Rhett’s shoulder, and Rhett lurched to his feet. Theo followed. “Leave her at home next time,” Theo said with a grin, his dark blue eyes laughing. “You fight better with her here.”

Rhett wiped his mouth with his forearm then caught the blood there. “I’m not the only one showing off here.”

Theo grinned. “Bring me a pretty lady and a guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do.”

Rhett shot forward with a front kick, but Theo blocked the hit and reciprocated with a body grab. Rhett shifted, latched on to Theo’s wrist, and escaped the hold, sending Theo slamming down hard on the mat on his back.

His laughter boomed in the open space all the way up to the exposed rafters. “Prick.”

Rhett grinned and offered a hand. Theo accepted it and was on his feet a second later. Rhett’s chest felt lighter, his tense muscles slowly relaxing. Only one other thing made him feel so quiet, so calm, and he felt that same tug to get close to Kinsley again. Her soft moans brushing over his body. The scent of her, a pleasing scent he could still smell now. It had been on his mind all day. He’d had sex. A lot. He loved sex, but with Kinsley, sex was…different. Addictive.

Theo bent at the hip, catching his breath, sweat coating his flesh. “And now that my pride has been beaten into the ground, I better get home to the wife.” He cupped Rhett’s shoulder, his hand wrap rough against Rhett’s sweaty skin. “You better go fix up that lip.” He grinned. “Looks like I got a good one in.”

“Please. It’s barely a scratch.”

Theo laughed. “Sure, let’s go with that.” He strode off toward the change room.

Fighting, using muscles and skill for combat, Rhett had trained for years to hone this abilities. The soldier in him needed to be fed, kept in control, and sharp, and he felt per

fectly aligned when he turned back to Kinsley. She still sat on the bench with her arms crossed. The old factory lighting flickered, but there was enough on her to let him see her. A brunette beauty in a grungy place, and yet she seemed to suit the place too.

He stepped through the ropes then moved down the stairs, beginning to unwind his hand wraps. When he met her at the bench, she asked, “Seriously, you honestly think that getting the snot kicked out of you is fun?”

“Yes, it’s fun, and I also don’t recall losing the fight, so I’d say I did the snot kicking.”

She slowly shook her head, frown in place. “Honestly, how that is fun is beyond my comprehension.”

Rhett grinned, knowing there was blood in his mouth. “Getting physical and sweaty doesn’t seem like a good idea to you?”

She cringed. “Ew.” His face was in her hands a second later. “Do you need to see a doctor?”

“Yes,” Theo yelled from the other side of the gym as he walked out of the change room. “Maybe get him his blankie too.”

Rhett gave him a rude gesture and Theo barked out a laugh. He headed out the front door with a wave, and it slammed shut behind him. Rhett faced Kinsley. “I’m fine. Give it a few minutes and the bleeding will stop.”

“What about that is seriously fun to you?” she asked, pointing to the ring.

He shrugged. “Just burns off adrenaline, and I’m good at fighting. Would you ask a tennis player why they like playing tennis?”

She hesitated. “Okay, I see your point…sort of.” She scanned the area and asked him, “Does Theo own this place?”

Rhett got a good look at the cleavage in the vee of her shirt before he nodded, and once he’d finished unwrapping his left hand, he moved on to his right. “He doesn’t make money off the gym. He holds a fund-raiser every year to buy new equipment and pay for the space.”

“Really?” she asked, glancing around again, reassessing. “Why?”