Fighting for Keeps (Rocky River Fighters 2)

Eyes wide, she watched as Zane turned back to her, dismissing Seth. The glare Seth leveled on Zane was enough to raise the hairs on her arms, and even though she felt one hundred percent safe with him, she still fought the urge to back away a pace or two. The muscle in his jaw was jumping in a rhythmic motion, and she watched as he took a deep breath, trying to calm

himself.

“Come on, Amelia. Let’s go back to the table,” he said, placing his hand on the small of her back. A shiver of heat danced up her spine at the contact, and she quickly took a deep breath as she nodded, not trusting her voice.

They started to turn away, and Zane put his hand on her arm, halting them. This time her shiver was from distaste, and the unease she felt around him intensified.

“Get your hand off her,” Seth gritted out between clenched teeth.

“I don’t think you’re man enough to stop me,” Zane taunted.

“Any time you want to test that, I’m ready. You’re the coward who never steps into the ring with us.”

Zane glared at Seth, the hatred in his eyes burning brighter. “This Saturday. You and me. You’re going to learn what a fight with a real man feels like while I wipe the floor with you.”

“You’re on. It’s past time you learned what a little humility feels like,” Seth replied, his hands clenching and unclenching, looking like he wanted to do this now.

“Okay, it’s all settled then,” Amelia rushed out. “I’ll make sure you two are in the ring together. Now if you’ll excuse me,” she said to Zane, voice tight as she pulled her arm away. “I really do need to get back to my friends.”

Turning, she walked toward the table, noticing that everyone there was watching intently. Brow furrowing, she glanced back to see Seth stalking after her, and Zane glaring at his retreating back. That had to be too far for them to hear, but looking at them again and taking in their various expressions, it sure seemed like they had. Maybe that was part of the supernatural elements they possessed. Superior hearing. Interesting.

Taking her seat again, she took another long pull of her drink, almost sighing in bliss at the taste. This really was the most delightful drink.

“You okay?” Cammie asked softly as she nodded to Zane. “You looked pretty uncomfortable over there.”

“Yeah, I’m all right now. That guy’s kind of—” she paused as she tried to find the right adjectives, but before she could finish, Cammie nodded in understanding.

“Overbearing? Arrogant and condescending? Creepy?”

A giggle erupted from Amelia’s throat, surprising her. She’d never giggled before in her life. Pursing her lips, she cast a considering glance at the drink in front of her. Perhaps it was more potent than she thought. But it was banishing the unease and nerves she felt, so with a shrug, she took another sip.

“What is that?” Alex asked with a nod at her drink. “Some kind of panty dropper?”

Eyes widening as she shot a look at him and then at her drink, she fought back another blush. “Panty dropper? What—Ohhhh. I get it. It’s, um, fun on the beach.”

Jax snorted. “You mean sex on the beach?”

Amelia took another drink and then grabbed the orange off the rim. “Yeah, that,” she said before sucking the juice off the slice of fruit.

Glancing up, her eyes landed on Seth. His eyes were tracking her movements with the orange, and feeling bolder, she traced the tip of her tongue over the flesh of the fruit in the guise of catching more juice before licking her lips. He looked up, and the fire in his eyes stole her breath. They locked gazes, and it felt like they were communicating. Right there, she saw all the things he wanted to do with her. Her core tightened, skin sensitive, as her body reacted to the images in her mind.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a sex on the beach before,” Cammie said, breaking the spell. “I wonder what’s in it. It looks good.”

“Vodka, peach Schnapps, orange juice, and cranberry juice,” Jax answered quietly. Everyone’s eyes shot to him and he shrugged. “What? I’ve done some bartending.”

Amelia frowned at him, wondering how he was managing to bob and weave in his seat while at the same time, not appearing to move. Head swimming, her eyes crossed and she looked away, watching as her glass made the same motions Jax just had. She puzzled over it for a moment before it hit her that they weren’t really moving. She was tipsy, maybe even a little drunk. Eyeing her drink for a moment, she pushed it away. There was still half a glass left, and she didn’t think she’d been drinking long. This had to be a new lightweight record.

Giggling to herself, she glanced up to find Seth looking at her, brow furrowed. “You okay?” he asked in concern.

“Oh, I’m fine,” she replied with a wave of her hand, laughing harder when she bumped her glass and it teetered for a moment before staying upright.

“Are you drunk already?” he asked, eyeing her with a smirk.

“Oh, no, not drunk. Well, maybe. Heavily tipsy might be a better description.”

“Is heavily tipsy even a thing?” Alex wondered.

“I think heavily tipsy is just another phrase for drunk,” Seth replied with a quirk to his lips. “That was fast.”