Page 33 of The Fighter
My breathing was picking up as my pulse was racing. “You sure you want to provoke me like that? You know I could do all those things to you.”
Raven gave a small shrug. “Oh, I’m sure you will the next time I allow it.”
“Allow it?”
“Yes. I have to allow you to touch me.”
“I don’t want to touch you, I want to fight with you.”
Reaching her hand up, Raven placed it on my cheek. “You’re just like the others. The only reason you want to fight me is so you can touch me.”
My fingers closed around her wrist in an iron grip. “Don’t touch me.”
“Why not?”
“Because I fucking said so.”
It was hard enough to control my need to be physical with her when she didn’t touch me. The last thing I needed was for her to break that barrier between us.
“You don’t like it when I touch you?” Raven didn’t try to move her hand away and I didn’t let it go.
“If I can’t touch you, then you can’t touch me either.”
“But youaretouching me.” Her eyes lowered to her wrist caught in the air by my hand. “Does that mean I can touch you too?”
I didn’t move a muscle when she bored a finger into my shoulder. “Good thing I don’t have long nails or this might hurt.”
“I’m not afraid of pain, Raven.”
She laughed. “It’s sweet how you Nmen are always trying to be tough to impress me.”
My face hardened. “Who? Who has been trying to impress you?”
“Who hasn’t? I’m the only woman here. Did you think no one would make a move?”
The anger I felt in my stomach almost knocked my breath away. “And have any of them made you laugh yet?” I hadn’t forgotten how she had told me that she would choose a man who supported her dreams and made her laugh.
Twisting her wrist, she gestured for me to let go. “Leo, people are going to wonder what’s taking you so long. They might think we’re having an affair.”
I let go and stuffed my hands into my pockets to keep me from doing something stupid like pulling her against me. “I’m pretty sure no one will think that. It’s kind of obvious that you don’t like me like that.”
“True.” She turned and walked back to the table. “And that you don’t like me like that either. I mean, why else would you be fighting for Mila?”
“Why do I get the sense that it bothers you?”
Raven avoided looking at me. “Why would it bother me?”
“Maybe you’re jealous?” My heart was speeding from the thought, but Raven crushed my hope with a dismissive snort. Tilting my head, I watched her move some papers around and cover a book and even though I knew I should just go, my instincts flared up. Raven was trying to hide something. When she took some more file cases and carried them to a pile, I moved over and picked up the book. “What’s this? I didn’t take you for someone to whine about me in a diary.”
Her small gasp when she turned to see me with the book in her hand made me raise a brow and look down to see papers and pictures stuffed into it. Opening the book, I saw old pictures and lots of little notes with questions on them. I read the first one aloud, “Did Dina tell Khan about it? And what about Magni, does he know?” I looked over at Raven. “Know what?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing. Just give it to me.” She tried to take the book and the notes from me, but I moved around and kept it out of her reach while reading the next questions, “Did Dina find out who Khan’s real father is and is he still alive today?”
Like a ship crashing against an iceberg, I stopped and gaped at her. “Raven, what the fuck?”
“You can’t tell anyone.” She tore the book from my hands and it made some of the other notes with questions fall to the floor. In silence, I read,Did Erica cheat on Marcus and could this secret somehow be related to Dina’s early death?
My heart was hammering as I bent and picked up the notes. “Start talking, right now, Raven.”
