A guy lifting weights leered. “You can see me, baby.”
“Gross.” She turned her back on him to look at me. I sincerely hoped she wasn’t paying attention to the obvious enjoyment the men were receiving from the view of her ass in her short skirt. “Is he here?”
With effort, I relaxed my fists—old habits don’t die at all, especially when it came to protecting my baby sister—and glanced around the gym. Kizzy had tapped her contacts and gotten me intel that said he’d be at The Cage all afternoon, but I didn’t see him on any of the treadmills or weight benches or rowing machines.
Disappointment nearly as sharp as the tang of sweat in the air moved through me. “No. Dammit, he’s not.”
“Looking for someone, ladies?”
The deep baritone made me spin around, fists already extended. My gaze landed on Giovanni’s disgustingly handsome face. His gaze, however, was firmly glued to my sister. Specifically her breasts. From the way his tongue was about to fall out, I had to assume he appreciated her additional nipple tweaking.
Though from the starstruck look on her face, that extra activity wasn’t what was making them so perky right then.
“Carly Ann,” I snapped.
“Carly Ann, hmm?”
He spoke like he was rolling caramel through his mouth. It didn’t do a damn thing for me, but I could tell others who shared my DNA were not similarly unaffected.
“A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Is Carly short for anything?”
“Yes. It’s short for ‘try it and I’ll make sure you taste your nuts every time you swallow for the rest of your life.’” This I delivered with a smile that could’ve melted his caramel right off the stick.
His easy smile disappeared, and Carly broke out of her trance long enough to whack my arm. Then she resumed staring at Giovanni’s bare back as he twisted away to grab a towel. He wore just a pair of black track pants, and I fully expected my sister drop into the fetal position and whimper at any minute.
Ink covered his back from neck to waist. The intricate black designs contained dabs of violent color that offset the heavy bands and swirls. I couldn’t decipher any logical pattern to the tats, though I wasn’t about to look long enough to find out. But I didn’t miss the way he flexed and bunched his muscles before he faced us again.
Showoff.
Another thing I didn’t miss? The tattoo on his right bicep that said no mercy above a single word: June.
Just…June.
“You must be Mia.”
His dismissive look would’ve offended me, had I given two shits what he thought. Since I didn’t, I only smiled wider. “Yes, I believe we met the other night.”
“When you were pulling my hair out like a girl?” He rubbed his towel over the dark hair in question. It hung thickly to his corded shoulders. Both the near-black strands and his shoulders were damp.
“You’re right.” I crossed my arms over my chest and shifted in front of Carly. “I shouldn’t have done that. You should let me make it up to you.”
Now his gaze dropped to my chest. “Drop your arms and we’ll discuss it.”
Oh, this guy was a fuckwit. I’d enjoy putting the drop on him. Maybe I’d choke him for a while before I got him to submit. Just for fun. “I’m not negotiating with my breasts.”
Okay, I sort of had been, but they’d only been the weapons I’d used to get me in the door. Now that I had his attention, I’d revert to my standard MO. No bullshit, no games. Lots of pain.
It had worked for me so far.
Giovanni angled his head and let his gaze wander down my body. “Your legs aren’t bad. Actually, I’d rate them higher than your breasts. Long and sexy.”
Nah, I wouldn’t choke him. That would allow him to pass out too easily. I’d kick and punch until his stomach was the same ugly blue as the 5150 tattoo just above his waistband. “I’d say the same about your penis, but I don’t want to contribute to your delusions.”
His eyes—not black, as I’d first guessed, but a dark blue one shade away—flickered back up to mine. “What do you want from me, Anderson?”
So he knew my last name. I’d make sure he remembered it.
“I want to fight you. I already have a bout scheduled two weeks from Friday against Fox. Now he’s out and you got him that way, so you owe me a match. I already checked around and you’re free that weekend.”