Page 3 of Rush
I backed away, a small part of me wishing he would fight harder. All he’d done was some mediocre begging and hadn’t even bothered to cover the erection he’d been plowing into another woman. My heart shattered at that moment, and I didn’t know which way was up. All anyone ever wanted was to be wanted, and he didn’t even respect me enough to get dressed.
“That’s it?” I asked, turning to look at him one last time. “You’re not even going to fight for me?”
Hunter stared at me, and I fancied I saw a little piece of regret flash through his eyes. Knowing it was only my imagination, I bit my bottom lip to stop a sob from bursting free in front of him.
“I’m leaving for Dubai on Wednesday,” he said. “I’ll be gone for two weeks.”
Turning, I fled into the walk-in closet and slammed the door closed behind me. Pulling down my suitcase, I unzipped it, a single tear escaping. Fuck him.
Folding my favorite dresses, I set them into my case, my entire body aching with the effort to keep myself together. Cheated on by the man who was supposed to love me, then kicked out of my home. It was a story from some movie, not real life. This didn’t actually happen to people, right? I was going to wake up, and my perfect world would still be intact. This was at the opener to one of Slattery’s romance novels. This was the hook.
This was my life.
Filling my case as much as I could—jamming it full of clothes, underwear, and shoes—I zipped it closed and pulled out the handle.
The bedroom was empty when I emerged. Stumbling into the ensuite, I gathered my makeup and toiletries, feeling like an imposter in what had been the most familiar place in my entire life other than the office.
Glancing at my engagement ring on the floor, I snatched it up and threw it into my handbag.Consider it collateral.
Dragging my case downstairs, I could hear Hunter in the second bathroom, showering the lingering stench of cheating filth from his toned body. Gathering my handbag, I fished out my mobile phone and called a car to come pick me up.
Rather than wait inside, I stood out on the porch in the crisp autumn air, my heart numb to everything.
How didn’t I see this coming? Hunter and I had been on and off again so many times while we were first dating it was ridiculous. I’d always known he had a wandering eye, but I thought he would put a stop to it the moment he asked me to marry him. I believed him when he said he loved me, but it was all a lie. How had I been so blind?
Standing out on the street, it finally hit me.
My life was over.
2
Ryan
“It’s been almosttwo years!”
I thumped my fist against the punching bag, frustrated when my knuckles didn’t even sting. Not even a little bit.
“It’ll happen, mate,” Ash said. “There just isn’t anyone good enough to fight you.”
I glared at him one more time before staring out over Pulse Fitness. I’d spent years training in a shithole before coming here, and now that professional MMA was in my sights…there was no fucker to fight. What a kick in the guts.
What was I supposed to do now? Wait? I’d waited too long and wasted more time than I liked being idle. I was getting bored. That had always been my problem. Complete and utter boredom. It was frustrating as fuck.
“It’ll happen,” Ash said again, clapping his hand on my shoulder.
Ash Fuller was my coach and hadn’t let me down yet. He knew how the system worked and played within the rules. Granted, he was kicked out of pro, but he was offered another shot, which he turned down to open Pulse Fitness where he now trained my mate Cole and me. Fighting was what we were good at, and Ash…he knew how to take us there. I just didn’t expect it to take so long.
Glancing back at him, I grunted. He stood almost a head taller than me, his build much sturdier than mine. He was tipping the scales into heavyweight, mostly because of the muscle he managed to pack on, and compared to my middleweight, he could knock my block off in two seconds flat. He’d done it before when I’d stepped out of line, and like typical blokes, we sorted out our beef in the octagon.
“Take a break,” he said, nodding toward the front door of the gym. “Let me work on the AUFC. They know you’re ready to debut, but you know those fuckers. They’re waiting for the money shot.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, cracking my neck. Not having anything else to say that wouldn’t get me into trouble, I walked across the mats and into the male change rooms.
Ducking into the shower, I stripped and stood under the cold water until I’d washed away the filth of that morning’s training. It was almost cruel in a way. After so much work, I could finally see the next big milestone, but it wasn’t coming. Everything hinged on one little thing. Ash said it would happen, but when?
I was sick and tired of waiting.
Getting dressed, I shoved my keys, wallet, and phone into my jeans’ pocket and stashed the rest of my gear into my locker. Slamming it closed and spinning the combination lock, I strode out of Pulse and into the cool autumn afternoon.
