We’ve known each other forever. He’s like a brother to me.”
Ow! Jerking out of his grip, she rubbed the top of her shoulder where he’d pinched her and glowered at him. He scowled back just as fiercely.
“So. You ready to go?” Brody asked uncertainly.
“More than ready.” She sent Tommy one more scathing glance before heading down the steps with Brody, determined to enjoy her date.
…
Brody “Goddamn Perfect” Minton.
The Golden Boy. Mr. Goodie Two Shoes. Mr. Wonderful.
And a totally perfect match for Julie.
The idea seriously chapped Tommy’s ass.
Hell, his ass had already been chapped before he’d learned who she was going out with. That dress hugged every delicious inch of her body, making him all the more aware of the desirable woman she was.
Making him disturbingly aware that another man, at this very moment, was enjoying every tempting curve of that damn dress and what it revealed. Probably keeping tabs on the gaping neckline in hopes of getting a peek of her abundant breasts.
Fury shafted through him and he increased the speed of his pacing. Where the hell were they?
It was a fucking work night!
The fiercely protective big brother part of him had roared to life as soon as she left, and he’d paced the living room for hours now, it seemed. As the time ticked by, he realized he was way more jacked up than a brother should be about his “sister” being out on a date with another man.
Way more furious about that man seeing her in that sexy dress. And to make matters worse, Tommy had also noticed way too much about Julie’s body in that dress.
What the hell was happening to him?
He didn’t know what he was feeling. He’d never felt anything like it before.
Jesus H. Christ. Had she ever wore her makeup like that around him?
Nope. He would’ve noticed. Because it invited sex. Smoky, mysterious. Fuckable.
She’d used that word, and goddamn it, it was a statement of utter truth.
The woman had been downright take-me-up-against-the-wall-right-now sexy, and he’d been more than happy to oblige.
And it freaked him the fuck out.
He turned at the wall and paced back across the living room again, stopping briefly to peer out the window into the darkness. Nothing. Not a headlight in sight.
He didn’t know what to do with this overwhelming lust he was suddenly feeling for her. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time his dick twitched at just seeing a woman bent over. Sure, he usually felt arousal at such a blatant display of femininity, but it generally took a little friction for his cock to get involved. Not with Julie. He’d wanted to come out and play immediately.
And that freaked him out even more.
He stalked to the kitchen and whipped open the fridge, searching for something to eat, then slammed the door again. He so wasn’t hungry. What he needed was a stiff drink.
He dropped his forehead against the freezer door and bounced it against the cold metal a few times, trying to knock some sense into his head.
Julie wasn’t some woman he could just fuck and move on. This was Julie. His best friend! The crying little girl he’d comforted twenty-some years ago, the one who’d changed his life forever.
He’d made a vow to protect her that day.
Which meant she needed protection from men who thought a relationship was the equivalent of being handed the death sentence. Men like himself.
But she wasn’t out with a Tommy, was she? She was out with a Brody—one of the good guys.
The kind of man a woman would be proud to take home to her daddy, a man who had a list of accomplishments a mile long, who dedicated his time to the needy, who fed starving children, helped old ladies cross the road, and saved animals from burning buildings.
A real fucking superhero.
The kind of guy who, two days ago, Tommy would’ve been thrilled to see with Julie.
But when she’d opened that door and he’d seen Brody—all he’d seen was red.
It was one thing for Julie to date—Tommy encouraged that; he wanted her to go out and have fun. But not with another fighter.
In all the years he’d been in MMA, she had never gone out with anyone from the industry. Not once. If anything, she’d seemed determined to stay far away from the whole scene, unless an event involved him or he asked her to come with him.
He’d liked that. He did not like the thought of her cheering for another fighter the same way she did for him.
She was his cheerleader; she stood on his side of the cage, not someone else’s. And he didn’t give a flying fuck if Brody was in a different weight division. He’d take on Brody in the cage any old day, and he’d show the asshat who Julie would always cheer for.
Except…he wouldn’t be able to issue a challenge like that, would he?
No, he wouldn’t, because he wasn’t a Brody. He was a Tommy, and Tommys made rash fucking decisions that got them banned from MMA.
Julie was dating a fighter while he was no longer a fighter, and that thought drove him mad.