Page 7 of Nothing to Deny

“About what?”

“Whatever they want.”

He fought with the clients who wanted him to fight with them, who paid him to fight with them. If women could request anything they wanted, they could ask him to be rough and tough and dominant. They could request him to be gentle and tender, to ridicule or praise them. No doubt he had the ability to be whatever a “prep sheet” told him to be.

Baer, if that was his real name, was whatever his clients requested. Who he truly was, both in himself and with women he really cared about, would remain a mystery to them all.

His smile, his mouth, the smooth line of his square jaw, fascinated her. She wanted to put her fingers on his cheek and run her thumb across his lips before leaning in and—

Leaping to her feet, electrified by audacity, she wanted to kiss him. She’d been thinking… This man she’d just met. This man who wasn’t here by choice. This man she knew nothing about.

“Freya,” he said, his fingers grazing hers as he rose to stand beside her. “What’s wrong? Did I say something to upset you? When I said fight—”

“You didn’t upset me,” she said. “I upset myself… I’m sorry, I have to leave.”

Before she could turn away, he caught her elbow and scooped a hand around her face. “Little Skit, what spooked you?” he asked, trying to bring her attention up though she resisted. “Look at me.”

Sensing he wouldn’t let her go, her gaze drifted to his. “We just met.”

“Yeah, and everything was going great. We were just talking. No harm in talking… What changed?”

“I was wondering what it would be like to… kiss you,” she said, disappointed in herself.

It was disrespectful, impudent, to build such a visceral fantasy so quickly.

The concern in his expression loosened.

After a couple of seconds, a smile curved his lips. “Only one way to find out,” he said, strengthening his hold. “May I?”

She might have nodded or made a sound of agreement. Honestly? She wasn’t sure. When he bowed, tipping her head back, and brushed his mouth over hers, everything else blanked.

After testing the texture of her lips, urgency grew in the gentle press. Asking for more, his insistence increased, the growing pressure begged her to open for him. Instinctdemanded her jaw relax until his tongue touched hers and—then he was gone.

THREE

“OH… Looks like someone started without me.”

Holly’s voice whipped her around. Freya hadn’t heard the door open, or anyone come in, but her cousin was there with a tall, handsome man behind her.

“Holly,” she said. “I didn’t—”

“I assumed you had second thoughts and ditched me,” Holly said, coming deeper into the breakroom. “I like this way better. Who’s your friend?”

Her cousin smiled at Baer, a coy sort of flirtatious look that made her uncomfortable. That said, nothing about the situation was particularly comfortable. Before the new arrivals joined them, she’d thought things were as mortifying as they could get. Apparently, the universe took that as a challenge.

The man behind Holly answered the question. “That’s Baer, he’s our best,” he said, then stopped to frown. “What are you still doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be…”

Baer slid his hands into his pockets. “She told me to meet her at Gatson’s,” he said. “I’ve got time.”

“Time to call Christine?” the other man asked.

Baer raised his attention to the wall clock. “Again?”

The man smiled once more, an amused, yet cocky smirk. “Again,” he said. “Always again… Imelda left a message too and Rosemarie.”

On hearing that name, Baer’s smile was instant. “I called Rosie,” he said. “We set something up.”

“Sunderland will be pissed.”

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