He leans a hip on the counter and looks up at me. “What’re your plans today?”
Oh, I don’t know, probably sit around and fantasize about all the many ways you’re able to break my heart. “Work. Lunch shift.”
He grunts. “I need to get to work, but I’ll call you later.” His eyes narrow on mine and he tilts his head. “Oh fuck. What happened?”
“What? Nothing. What’re you talking about?”
He pins me with a glare and allows a few seconds of silence to tick between us. “You want this shit, you work for it. And by work, I mean you do not fucking lie to me if something is pissin’ you off.”
“Rich coming from you.”
His head jerks and he blinks. “Repeat that.”
“I find it laughable that you expect honesty while you’re lying to your ex-wife about where you are.”
His eyes flash with anger. “You were listening.”
“I thought you wanted this.” I motion between us.
“I do. But with ’Li things are . . . complicated.”
I don’t want to know, I really don’t, but I have to ask. “Are you still in love with her?”
“No.”
His answer came so fast, as if he didn’t require even a fraction of a second to consider the question. My pulse calms. A little.
“Oh, well.” I take a sip of my coffee. “I, uh, wasn’t expecting you to be so certain.”
“Well, I am.” He moves closer and hooks me around the neck to pull my face to his. “I didn’t tell D’lilah where I was because, like I told you before, she upsets easily. I got a half million things to do today, which now includes swinging by her place to show her how to work the TV, which I’ve done about ten times already. Last thing I need is her busting out the waterworks to further complicate the complicated day I already have lined up.”
I lick my lips, wanting so badly to lean in and shove my tongue into his mouth. “That makes sense.”
“Yeah, it does. And when I’m over there tonight, I’ll talk to her about us. Then I won’t need to lie to her anymore.”
Us.
“That would be good. But um . . . I don’t want her to be upset.”
“Sweet of you, babe, but the woman upsets over fucking everything. She’ll get over it.”
“Right.”
“In the meantime, you talk to your girl Raven. I’ll pull Slade aside today and lay it out for him too.” He cringes slightly, as if the very thought of talking to Jonah is an unpleasant one.
“Deal.”
He covers my mouth with his and kisses me so deeply that I have to brace myself against the counter to keep from falling. When he breaks the kiss, I sway.
He nips at my lip. “Stay on your feet, babe.” And with a wink, he leaves.
*
Cameron
My morning has been overloaded, and getting a late start only made matters worse. While waiting on the board to make their final announcement about the possibility of me returning to the octagon, I’ve got future fights to set up, promo shit to approve, and enough in-house auditing BS to last me a fucking lifetime.
I flip open my notebook and check again to make sure I have the free half hour I need. Yep, open. I write going public in the empty space. “Layla, you mind grabbing Slade for me?”
She doesn’t answer, but I overhear her on the phone talking to Killer, who now owns the title of Locker Room Manager. “Cam needs Jonah to his office ASAP. What? Oh, Axelle’s great.” A long pause. “Sure, I’ll let her know. Thanks.”
“Killer’s sending him over.” She moves from her desk to the chair across from me but doesn’t sit. “You need me in here to take notes?”
I shake my head and lean back in my chair. “No, this is some personal shit that needs to be settled.”
“Uh oh. That sounds intense.”
I’m hoping after he hears me out it won’t be, but it’s possible. “Nothing to worry about.”
Her eyes narrow. “You sure? I mean should I have Blake come sit at my desk?”
I know what she’s asking without her saying the words. She thinks whatever I have to say is going to set Jonah off. She’s right. But fuck if I need a moderator or a bodyguard.
“I got it.”
“You feel like letting me in on what’s going on?”
I shake my head. “What is it about women always needing to be the first to know?”
“Don’t ask me. It’s in our DNA. We can’t help it.” She props her hand on her hips. “So? You gonna tell me?”
“After I talk to Slade, we’ll talk.”
As far as I can tell, Jonah is the only person who looks after Eve like a father. It makes sense now, after the day we had lunch and he’d clearly sensed what was going on between us, that he’d be protective. He’d alluded to the fact that I didn’t know anything about her. My guess is that he was talking about her father.
That being the case, I’m going to have to pull back my pride and come at this like I’m asking permission. The thought makes my jaw lock, but I’d expect no less from a man interested in dating my daughter.
Shit.
As soon as the words filter though my brain, I cringe at how easily they came.