Aiden was glad to see that the small length of chain did in fact lay over her scar and the blue topaz made her eyes practically glow. Or maybe that was the fire she was currently directing at him. He’d witnessed a myriad of emotional states from Kat, but he didn’t recall anger ever being one of them. Until now.
“What are you doing here, Kat?” He gestured to Xander to continue taping his hand to give him something to watch other than the rise and fall of her chest with every breath she took.
“I came to support you in your fight, watch you win, and then take you back to my place so you can apologize to Murphy for upsetting him last night and tell him you have no intention of going anywhere.”
Raising a questioning brow, he chanced a quick glance at her. Fuck. He should have kept his eyes closed earlier. Now he was having a damn hard time reminding himself of all the reasons he couldn’t scoop her up and ravish her on the spot. Turning his attention back to the wrap job, he tried to sound as unaffected as possible. “I already said everything I needed to say to Murphy last night. He’ll forget all about me in no time.”
“Oh, you think so, do you?” she fired back. “Did you ever think maybe you should ask him what he wants? Or do you always decide what’s best for everyone else?”
Xander finished wrapping Aiden’s hand and grabbed the gym bag with his street clothes in it. “I’ll wait outside for you, but we’ve only got a few minutes.”
Aiden nodded and watched enviously as his best friend received a smile and welcoming hug from Kat. In return, Xan whispered something in her ear to which she replied loud and clear, “Not a chance.” He laughed, kissed her on the cheek, and moved out to the hall, closing the door behind him.
Aiden told himself not to ask, but damn if his pride ever listened to him. “What’d he say to you?”
She folded her arms across her chest and cocked a stubborn hip to the side. “He told me to take it easy on you because you’re a bloody half-wit.”
He scoffed and unfolded himself from the metal chair he’d been straddling. “I suppose you agree with him, is that it?”
“Based on your theory of me being too good for you, yes, I’d have to say that I do.”
“You are too good for me, Kat. Why is that so hard for you to see?” Frustration had him pacing in the small room like a penned lion. “You’re an amazing person with a good heart and you deserve every happiness you can get.”
Stalking over to him, she grabbed his arm and pulled him up short. “Then I’m not the only one who has bad eyesight because I can say the same to you, Aiden.”
It still affected him to hear her use his given name. Usually she used his nickname except in especially tender moments or when they made love. Now it brought out a Pavlovian reaction in him. One where any time she used it, he wanted to wrap her in his arms and show her just how much she meant to him.
“Why are you here, Kat?” he ground out.
“Because I’m tired of others deciding my future for me. So now I’m going to fight for what I want. And what I want”—she placed her gentle hands on either side of his face and held his gaze—“is you, Aiden Murphy O’Brien. All of you.”
Ah, hell, he knew he never should have given her his middle name. He blew out a breath and lowered his forehead to hers, keeping his eyes closed for fear of her seeing the coward he truly was if she looked too closely. “Kat, you don’t know what—”
Fingers pressed against his lips cut him off. “Don’t you dare patronize me and say I don’t know what I want. That’s bullshit and you know it.”
He couldn’t help the crooked grin from cracking his stoic mask. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a force to be reckoned with, Katherine Terese MacGregor?”
She rewarded him with a brilliant smile and hooked her hands around his neck. His arms instinctively wrapped around her trim waist and he pulled her against him. “Not even once,” she said, “but I like the way it sounds.”
Aiden chuckled, losing himself to the drug of her happiness. A hard knock on the door yanked him back to the present as a pit bull of a man entered the room. He looked like he’d been in the cage more than his fair share back in his prime and had an attitude to match.
“O’Brien, you know who I am?”
“Yes, sir, Mr. McManus, I do.”
“Good,” Victor said with a satisfied grin. “I’ll be watching your fight. If you manage a repeat of last week, I’d like to talk about your long-term options. I’ll be in touch.”
Aiden barely had time to get out a polite “thank you” before the manager punctuated the almost-conversation with a terse nod and left as quickly as he came.
Kat turned to him, excitement shining on her face. “Oh my God, that was so awesome! I can’t wait to see what he has to say after you win again tonight.”