Page 82 of Dare to Dance
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Kross
Iworea hole in my bedroom rug as Ruby sat ramrod straight on my bed, gnawing on her fingers. Kade, Kelton, and Lizzie weren’t home, which was good for the time being. Otherwise, I might have lashed out at them. I didn’t want to subject them to the rage flowing through me.
It was all I could do not to bite Ruby’s head off during the distance from Trent’s place to mine. To a large extent, I was furious more with Trent than her. I’d been wracking my brain on how to handle the situation, but I kept coming up empty except for killing him. If I ran the situation by Kelton, I could already hear his response: “You have no evidence. Threats won’t get a cop to call you back, and hearsay doesn’t hold up in court.”
Man, how did my life change so fucking drastically within the span of a month?I shouldn’t have been blown away at the sight of Ruby standing in nothing but a scrap of lingerie in Trent Baker’s penthouse. The woman had surprised me and brought me to my knees time and time again since I’d found her. But I was appalled that she could have even entertained the idea of giving herself to a sleazebag like Trent, even more so since she’d told me she loved me.
I’d been on my way to Firefly to see Ruby when Norma called.
“Get over to the Lexington ASAP. Ruby is in trouble,” Norma had said. “That Trent Baker guy is involved. She’s in a penthouse in that apartment building.”
I knew something had been off with Ruby. She’d acted weird and had been whiter than a ghost when she was at the gym earlier that day.
I had tried to probe Norma for more details, but my cell reception had dropped. Like a wild man, I’d sped through the streets of Boston in a daze. I couldn’t get past the doorman fast enough until I’d threatened him with his life. Then when I’d heard Ruby scream, I wanted to kill. I still did, but not her.Save your frustration for the ring.The way I was feeling, Reggie Stockman would be a dead man if I let loose the rage inside me. Maybe it was best if I threw the fight.
“Kross, stop,” Ruby blurted out.
“Stop what? The hurt I feel because you didn’t come to me for help?”
She lifted her chin. “Why? So you could look at me differently? Or stop me? Then what would’ve happened? You would’ve killed Trent and anyone that got in your way. Then you would mess up your chance to fight. You said yourself you couldn’t get into trouble with your coach. And what about Raven? If you landed in jail, then you wouldn’t have a shot at getting custody of her.”
Squatting down in front of her, I placed my hands on her bare knees. She was still wearing that skimpy dress. As soon as my palms touched her soft skin, something in me snapped. It was as if the contact with her switched off my anger. “I don’t see you any differently. If I did, I would’ve walked away the minute I saw you fighting at Firefly that first night. But after everything you’ve told me, I’m still here. I love you, Ruby Lewis. Even if Raven wasn’t my daughter, my feelings for you would be the same, flaws and all.” I did love her. I couldn’t deny it any longer. When I was away from her, she was all I thought about. When I was with her, I couldn’t get enough of her. The sad part of my declaration was that I had probably always loved her but had never had the balls to admit it to myself.
She gave me a weak smile, and my heart sputtered. I’d expected a happier reaction than that.
“Kross, you can’t throw that fight. I can’t let you do that. I can work for him. This is my mess. I’ll do whatever he wants until I can pay him back.”
I stiffened. “You’re not working for that man, not in this lifetime. Don’t even start with telling me I’m bossy because no matter how you slice it, Trent will have you under his thumb for the rest of your life. There will always be something or some deal that locks you to him.”
She threw up her hands. “Then what are we supposed to do? I’m worried about Raven. What if he harms her?”
I rubbed along her thighs. “I lose the bout tomorrow night.” For fuck’s sake, I had to. According to Ruby, Trent was telling the truth about the judge. That didn’t really surprise me, given the mess that Kade had been through with Lacey’s mob family and how they’d had the Boston Police Department in the palm of their hands. “Trent isn’t going to do anything stupid.” The man might have been into stealing cars and preying on women to get them to sell their bodies, but I didn’t get the impression he would harm a child.
“What about your career?”
I would still have a career in boxing, of that much, I was certain. It just might not be with Gail Freeman or even Jay. “Ruby, you and Raven are my life. Blood comes first. Again, I love you.”
She launched herself at me, throwing her arms around my neck.
Finally, my heart opened wide.
“I thought I would never hear those words from you,” she said. “As I tell Raven all the time, I love you bigger than the universe.”
Laughing, I fell backward, taking her with me. “Bigger than the universe?” I guessed it wasn’t any weirder than Kade telling Lacey that he loved the crap out of her.
She sat up, straddling me, beaming from ear to ear. “Yeah. Raven loves when I tell her that.”
I drank her in, from her million-watt smile to the velvety feel of her thighs to her breasts that were falling out of that skimpy dress. At that moment, my dick jumped, or tried to. She was sitting on it, and that thought alone made more blood rush south.
Then the light went out in her eyes. “Do you think losing will end things with Trent?”
I lifted up to rest on my elbows. “It will. Because if he doesn’t back off, then I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he goes down.” I wasn’t certain how yet. I had to get through the fight first. Then I could figure out a plan.
Ruby brought her finger to her mouth. “You’re not mad at me.”
Deep down, I knew her actions were driven because of Raven. I knew she’d fought for money, for food, and for a place to live. Besides, I couldn’t exactly be mad when I was giving into Trent’s demands, too. “No.”
