Page 12 of A Fighter’s Love

“No intimacy?” Dale asked.

They do want details?

She shrugged. What the hell. “No, we haven’t shared a bed for a long time. I can’t even remember the last occasion.”

A look passed between the two men. She couldn’t fathom it. Was it approval at her words? Relief? They were clearly pleased she hadn’t gone so far in her doormat status she’d allowed Billy to use her body as well. Truth was, since he’d lost his eye he hadn’t been interested in sex anyway. The man had lots of issues, more than she was able to sort out. Goodness knows she’d tried, but the time had come to throw in the towel.

“So when are you going to do it?” Dale asked.

“Do what?”

“Finish it with him,” Jackson said.

“Soon.” She hesitated. “After your fight. He’s so stressed about that.”

“No.” Dale shook his head. “You need to get away from him sooner than that.”

“I do?”

“Yeah.” Jackson nodded. “He’s in the kinda mood we don’t want you anywhere near.”

Jenny bit on her bottom lip. They didn’t want her near Billy and his bad mood. A sense of being cared for washed over her again. She liked it. A lot. Okay, so Jackson and Dale were only doing what decent men did, but still, it was sweet.

“But—”

“No, buts,” Dale said. “The sooner he knows you’re no longer his, the better.”

“Because otherwise, as soon as my fight’s over, there’ll be another reason you don’t want to upset him and this will drag on and on,” Jackson said. “You’ll never be free of him, Jenny.”

“I don’t want that. I want it finished. Ineedit to be finished so I can get on with my life. I’m sure I’ve been overlooked for promotion at work a few times because I haven’t the energy to do that little bit extra to shine. I literally just do my jobs then rush off to be at Billy’s beck and call.” She picked up the bar mat and spun it in her fingers. How had it come to this? She really was at rock bottom.

“When you feel like this,” Dale said, covering her hand with his and stilling her nervous spinning of the mat, “there’s only one way to go.”

“Oh?” she asked, looking at the way his hand engulfed hers.

“Yeah, and that’s up,” Jackson said.

She glanced at him, then at Dale. They finished each other’s sentences. They were so in tune with each other. How had she never noticed that before? The private glances. The way Dale had had the ability to calm Jackson down when he’d looked ready to throttle Billy earlier. The casual, at ease way they were together. Dale hadn’t even asked Jackson what he’d wanted to drink, just ordered him a pint of bitter.

Jenny was convinced they were lovers. She might not have been getting any between-the-sheets action for a while, but she was sure Dale and Jackson were.

“I’m gonna get some crisps,” Jackson said, standing. “Want anything?”

“Yeah, I’ll have some,” Dale said.

“I’m okay, thanks.” Jenny smiled.

Jackson walked to the bar, rubbing at his sleeve tattoo as he went. She found herself studying his body. He wore a tight black t-shirt and loose gray sweats that hung low on his hips. His torso was lean, his shoulders broad. When she turned to Dale, he appeared to be watching the movement of Jackson’s taut butt. He had a gleam of lust in his eyes, of admiration. And why the hell not? Jackson was a perfect specimen of a man.

Dale switched his attention to Jenny, narrowed his eyes a little as though surprised to see her studying him, then took a sip of his beer.

“Jackson always hungry after training?” she asked.

“Yep, always.”

“And you?”

“Sure, but he works out harder than me, and he’s the one with the big fight around the corner.”

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