Heart of a Fighter (Rocky River Fighters 1)

Pushing himself off the floor, he turned on the shower. There was an uneasy feeling rolling in his gut, and he knew it was because he wasn’t going to tell her right away. He didn’t want to keep things from her, lie by omission. But he couldn’t just blurt it out, either. He couldn’t take much time to decide how to do it, though. His dragon’s presence was feeling stronger inside him by the minute, and this wasn’t something she could find out for herself. That would be a disaster. More than that though was the knowledge that every minute she didn’t know was one more minute she didn’t realize just how much danger she was really in.

Chapter Eleven

Cammie studied Alex as they ate dinner, her eyes narrowed. He’d been acting strangely for the last two days, and she couldn’t figure it out. She caught him staring at her with what looked like worry and apprehension a few times, but when she asked him if anything was wrong, he’d quickly turn his eyes away and say he was just trying to figure something out. His voice rang with clear, honest notes, but still… something more was going on.

And at night, he made love to her with a desperation that quite frankly scared her. She knew something was going on, but what? She tried talking herself down, because really, she knew Alex well enough to know he felt the same way she felt for him. At least, she hoped he did.

He couldn’t know how rare and life changing a mate was, because he was human, and she never explained what being a mate meant. She hadn’t wanted to get into it, because he’d wonder why she wasn’t claiming him. He might get offended, or try to talk her into doing it. It was the last part that scared her, because she wanted to claim him so badly, it might not be very hard to do. She prided herself on how strong she was, but she could admit to herself she was weak when it came to Alex. More like a newborn kitten, and less like a dragon.

And while she was admitting things to herself, it was time to admit she was falling in love with him. Hell, not falling. She was already there. Finding a mate wasn’t always a guarantee of love, at least not right away. And though it happened fast for shifters, love still took some time. Or maybe it really didn’t, and it just took the human side longer to catch up to the animal side. Either way, she could admit to herself that both sides felt it now.

Now this. As if she didn’t have enough to worry about, what with the very real possibility Alex could get killed because of her, now she had to worry about whatever it was he was trying to figure out. It would break her heart and crush her dragon’s spirit if he decided he didn’t want to be with her and left. But she wouldn’t try to stop him if that’s what he really wanted. Getting out of here, and away from her, was really what was best for him. She wasn’t strong enough to deny him if he wanted her, but she could be strong enough to let him go, if that’s what he wanted.

Looking up from her plate where she was idly pushing mashed potatoes around, her eyes widened as she watched Alex push back from the table, taking his plate to the sink. They hadn’t sat down very long ago, so he must have scarfed his food down. He turned around and hesitated before speaking.

“Can I still use your car tonight, Seth?”

Wait, what?

“Sure, man,” he replied, talking around a mouth full of food. “Keys are on the table by the door.”

Nodding, Alex looked at her and gave her a strained smile before swiftly walking out of the kitchen. A moment later, the front door banged shut, and the sound unfroze her vocal chords.

“You’re letting him use your car? Your precious classic you won’t let anyone else drive?” she asked Seth, eyebrows high. “Where the hell is he even going?”

Seth shrugged and shoveled food into his mouth. “I don’t know. He just asked to use it and I said okay.”

Eyes shooting to Ian, she scowled. “And you’re okay with this?” she asked in disbelief.

“No reason not to be,” he replied in a soothing tone that just served to pissed her off more. “It didn’t take long at all for my shifter gift to kick in with him, and I’ve known he was a good guy from almost the beginning. Something you obviously think as well, or you never would have gotten involved with him. Whatever reason he came here looking for us, it wasn’t to harm us.”

“So if you knew from the beginning he meant us no harm, why did you make me watch him the night of the fight?” she demanded. “That was two weeks after we brought him here.”

“Because I could tell there was something between the two of you, and you were being stubborn as usual, and resisting. I wanted you to spend some time with him, get to know him,” he replied with a half-smile, not even having the decency to look embarrassed.

“You were fucking matchmaking?” she asked, incredulous.

“Language,” he said in an admonishing tone, tilting his head toward Shelby, who was looking on in fascination.

“Hey, maybe it doesn’t matter. Alex could have been on his way to meet his side piece. Or hell, maybe you were the other woman,” Seth joked.

Eyes shooting to him, Cammie glared death daggers, knowing her eyes were full dragon. Seth loved to tease, and she knew that’s all he was doing now, but he just took it too far. “Meet me in the barn in five minutes,” she spat, her throat burning from her dragon’s fire, a puff of smoke escaping while she talked.

She shoved her chair back, the noise almost drowning out his groan, and marched upstairs to change her clothes. After putting on a tank top and yoga pants, she braced her arms on the dresser and took a few deep breaths, hoping to calm herself some before she kicked Seth’s ass. He was an idiot, but she wanted to teach him a lesson, not kill him.

Feeling marginally more in control of herself, she headed out to the barn where the crew was already gathered.

“Cammie, I’m sorry,”

Seth said as soon as she walked in. “I was trying to lighten the mood, but I shouldn’t have joked about something like that. I didn’t mean it. Alex wouldn’t cheat on you. Anyone with eyes can see how crazy he is about you.”

Shaking her head, she hooked her hands on her hips. “I never thought he would cheat on me. This isn’t about me believing it. It’s all good and well to lighten the mood, but you crossed a line that time. This is about pounding it into you that you need to think about shit before you speak.”

Shame crossed his face. “I know I crossed a line. I really am sorry.”

“And I forgive you, but this fight is still happening. Besides, I still owe you for that ‘little lady’ comment you made a couple weeks ago.”

Jax smirked. “I knew she wouldn’t let that slide. All right, let’s get on with this so Cammie can kick Seth’s ass. I need to go work on my music.”