A Taboo Collection

“Fine. I’ll wait. I’ll tell him Friday. I’ll go into the gym early. Talk to him.”

Rowdy

I had a great respect for Eric, Cassandra’s father. He saw talent in my ability to fight, and not just dirty street fighting either, professional fighting. Entering the gym early on Friday morning, I saw that Eric was already here, and his office light was on. It was six, not many people woke this early, and I’d left Cassandra in my bed.

“You’re here early, son,” Eric said, coming out of his office.

“Just hoping to catch some time with you. Maybe have a bit of a chat,” I said.

“Sure. I’ve got some coffee brewing. One cup first thing in the morning won’t kill us.”

Putting my bag down on the floor near the ring, I entered his office, and I was suddenly drawn to all of the pictures of his family. There were so many of Cassandra, and her mother.

“I can never go too far without my girls.”

“Beautiful women.”

“Cass is growing up so fast. It scares me at times. She knows more than I ever did at her age. She makes me so damn proud.”

I was nervous. That same girl I’d been making love to, and loved more than anything, was this man’s daughter.

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

Damn, this was so hard. For the first time ever, I was starting to lose my nerve. I wasn’t afraid of Eric. I respected him, and I’d never do anything to hurt him. This could hurt him though.

“I’ve met someone.”

Eric grinned. “That’s good, son.” But then he brought his brows low, as if he sensed something else. “What? Doesn’t she like you fighting?”

Just say it, you idiot.

Damn, I’d never known anything to be this complicated before in my life. Every time an obstacle stepped in my path, I did whatever I could to smash it down.

“Eric, I want to say that I respect you. You mean the world to me, but I’m in love with your daughter.”

There, I’d said it.

He stared at me.

The silence stretched on.

The heat rose in the room.

And the tension was tangible.

I licked my lips, my hands clenched at my sides.

“You’re in love with Cassandra?” he asked, as if he didn’t really believe I’d just said that.

“Yes.” I picked up my head, proud of that fact.

“Does she know?”

“Yes.”

Eric tilted his head to the side, studying me.

This could go either way, and I didn’t have a clue what he’d say. I remembered my crazy stunt with Malachi. Shit, Cassandra had tried to warn me, and now I was alone with a guy who could rightly murder me for defiling his daughter.

I was going to take it like a man.

Whatever the outcome.

Epilogue

Rowdy

Eighteen months later

Shit, I was doing this, really actually fucking doing this. I stared at myself in the mirror, the guy looking back at me looking scared as shit.

I breathed out, closing my eyes and willing myself to calm the hell down. It wasn’t like I was about to go out and fight to the death, although I had a hell of a lot of adrenaline pumping through my veins right now, as if my body was preparing itself.

There was a knock on the door and I opened my eyes, looking at myself one last time before turning and shouting out, “Come in.”

Eric stepped through the door, his tux making his huge body look … refined. I’d only ever seen him in street clothes or workout attire. Hell, did I look like that to him?

He eyed me up and down and then gave a nod.

“Can’t say seeing you in a tux isn’t weird as hell.”

I grinned, feeling a little lighter.

A year and a half ago I’d told the man in front of me that I loved his little girl, that she was everything to me. But what transpired after that hadn’t been what I’d expected.

I thought there would be a fight, blood drawn, fists thrown. I wouldn’t have fought Eric, and would have just let him go to town on me.

But Eric had stood, walked around his desk, and surprising the fuck out of me, had pulled me into a tight hug. I’d been stiff as fuck, not sure what was going on. But the words he’d told me that day had stayed with me. They would stay with me forever.

“You’re like family, son,” he said and pulled back, looking right in my eyes. “Does she love you back?”

I nodded.

He grinned. “There isn’t a better man I’d want my little girl to be with.”

I snapped back to the present and exhaled. “I’m scared as fuck, man. I’m afraid I’ll screw everything up, that I’m not good enough for her—”

Eric chuckled, cutting me off. “Yeah, kind of goes with the territory, Rowdy. I was the same way with Cass’s mother.”

That made me feel better.

“You having second thoughts?” Eric asked, his brows low, seriousness covering his face.