He pulls his mouth piece out and leans in to my ear. “Did he hurt you?” He shouts over the music and I shake my head.

With a swift nod, he gives me to Darryl who passes me off to Jackson. I frown, feeling like a damn pass the parcel. The doors open and Seth puts his black guard back into his mouth and bounces on his toes before storming down the aisle to the ring. Jackson ushers me along beside him and I freeze when eyes from the crowd settle on me. They’re still cheering and whooping, so I guess that’s a good sign. I drop my sight to the floor as Jackson walks me along the front of the room behind Seth. When I see an opening near Dad and Selena, I take it. I speed walk all the way to my seat and sit down. My stomach is in knots. Being watched by so many people is unnerving.

“I was wondering when you were coming back.” Dad chuckles.

Selena hands him a twenty dollar bill and I arch an eyebrow at her.

“He said you were with Seth, I bet him twenty dollars that you were in the toilet throwing up.”

“Gee, thanks.”

She shrugs her shoulders and I glance around the crowd. There are so many ‘Team Seth’ signs and other cards with naughty comments on them. One in particular caught my eye. It’s a huge square piece of cardboard painted a fluorescent orange and in big black letters it says: ‘Pound me, Seth.’

Selena must have seen it too because her elbows dig into my ribs and she points it out, laughing like a school girl who has read the word ‘cock’ for the first time. I giggle, not because I find it funny, but because women actually have the guts to put themselves out there like that. When Seth is in the ring and he shrugs out of his hoodie, Dad launches himself to his feet. He fist pumps and stomps his feet. He’s yelling words of encouragement and all I can think of is how to stop him. All that excitement can’t be too good on his heart. I tug on his hand and he sits back down in his seat.

“I bet I can watch the fight longer than you can stay in your seat.” I challenge him.

His brows draw together curiously. “How much?”

“I’ll bet you twenty dollars. You stay in your seat and I’ll watch the fight. The first to rise out of their chair or close their eyes loses.”

My dad is a very competitive man and I know without a doubt he’ll take the bet.

“Done.”

We shake hands and Seth’s music turns off.

“And nooow, fighting out of the blue corner, hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada, Adam Piiiine!”

The announcer rattles off names of sponsors and then hands it over to the referee. He calls them to the center of the ring.

“As usual, I want a good clean fight and I won’t tolerate anything less. Touch gloves.”

They touch gloves and the referee sends them to their corners. The referee claps his hands and the two fighters run to the middle of the ring. Adam isn’t afraid to throw the first punch and he comes out swinging. Seth manages to dodge them all and dropping low slamming his fists into Adam’s ribs. I can hear the air expel from his lungs every time Seth’s fists make contact. My chest aches and I try to force as much air into my lungs as I can. Seth bounces on his toes, ducking and dodging. Catching a break, Adam takes a step back to catch his breath. His eyes are wide and every now and then they flick over the crowd. He’s scared and Seth knows it too, I can tell by the way his eyes narrow confidently in on him. Knowing he can’t stand toe to toe with Seth, Adam goes for Seth’s legs. With a loud thud, Seth drops to his knees and sprawls with his legs, countering the take down. Adam falls flat on his stomach, and Seth somehow wraps his arms around his neck and pulls. Immediately, Adam’s face goes red, but he refuses to tap out. The red hue quickly turns blue and my hands fly up to my cheeks. Dad looks at me, but I haven’t lost yet. My hands inch closer to my eyes as Seth squeezes harder. The referee gets in Adam’s face. He’s talking to him and Adam can barely shake his head. My heart slams against my ribs and the urge to vomit rises inside my stomach.

“Jesus...” I huff, raking my fingers through my hair.

The crowd is chanting now. “Tap. Tap. Tap.”

Adam’s eyes grow heavy and when I’m certain he’s either going to pass out or die, he hastily slaps the floor of the ring. Seth frees the guy from his grasp and jumps to his feet. Darryl, Jackson and two others tear into the ring to congratulate him. He takes the hugs and slaps on the back with modesty and stalks from the ring. His sexy, dark gaze seeks me out and when he spots me, he flicks his head in the direction of his room. Thankfully, Dad is chatting to someone on his left and doesn’t see Seth’s gesture. Selena on the other hand is shaking her head at me with the widest smile I’ve ever seen her do.

“You still haven’t told me the dirty details.”

I slap her leg and she laughs loudly. I don’t want Dad to hear her. He thinks we’re dating which obviously entails sex, but that doesn’t mean he has to hear about it.

“I’ll be back.” I inform her as I push my way onto the aisle and then up into the walkway to Seth’s room. I feel Don’s slimy gaze on me as I pass his room and I keep my eyes ahead of me, focusing only on the door with the ‘MARC’ sign. My hands are still trembling because of the fight and the door knob shakes in my hand as I turn it. When I step in, a thin sheet of steam envelops me and an electrical current zaps through my entire body when I realize he’s in the shower. I close the door behind me and make my way to the open door of the shower room. My fingertips brush against the moist wood and as I’m about to push the door open, the main door flies open and Seth’s team (including Dad and Selena) pour in. They’re singing and chanting and my arousal diminishes. It seems the sexual urges between Seth and I are going to have to wait. I step away from the door, moving to the far side of the room to stand beside Dad. When Seth emerges from the shower with a white towel hanging low on his hips, he’s wearing the same disappointed expression as me. It’s cute and I smile at him.

He runs his fingers through his damp hair sending droplets of water in every direction.

“We’re all going to Klein’s Bar tonight!” Jackson announces. “Get your dancing shoes on ladies and gentlemen.”

He pulls Selena into an embrace, claiming her mouth with his. Are they together or do they have a similar arrangement to Seth and I?

“I’m going to skip this one.” Seth replies, pulling a white t-shirt from his bag and slipping it on over his head. I almost pout when the top half of his body disappears under the fabric. His team (including my dad) protest his decision. If they get any louder I’m convinced my eardrums are going to burst. Dad slings his arm over my shoulders and speaks above the rest. “Olly needs a big strong man to protect her when we go out and God knows I’m too old for that now.”

I cringe at the use of my nickname and there’s no way my dad is going clubbing. Not in his condition.

“Dad, you’re not going out.”

“Like hell I’m not. Your mom ruined my last outing. I’m going to have fun tonight.”

“Why don’t you and I go out instead, Rick? We won’t go drinking or to any strip clubs, but I’m sure we could find something else—like golf.” Seth suggests, pulling his jeans all the way up and buttoning them. He tosses the wet towel aside and air expels from my lips. I’m shocked Seth would even offer to hang out with my dad. Dad loves golf and he loves Seth, I know he’ll have a good time. I glance sideways at Dad and he’s trying not to smile.

“You want to play golf? It’s been so long since I’ve held a club. When was it?” He asks me.

“Christmas three years ago.”

The only reason I know that is because I caught Blade having sex with a cart girl that same day. Merry Christmas to me. I squash the thought from my mind. It belongs in the past.

Everyone is watching my dad and Seth with a big ‘what the fuck’ expressions. I hope they aren’t going to be pissed off. Seth is the only one that knows my dad has high blood pressure and I know alcohol is going to make it worse. Finally, Dad and Seth agree on golf and leave the room. The team turns their sights to me and I take a slight step back.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m just as shocked as you are.”

“That’s okay, we can party for him.” Jackson states. “We’ll go back to our rooms, change our clothes and meet in the lobby in an hour.”

The team spills from the room, chanting and shouting. I follow closely behind them. The last thing I want is to be caught alone with Don again. I just can’t stomach that guy. The fact he has me in his sights as a revenge fuck is disturbing enough. I picture Don’s hands on me and a grimy shiver rolls down my spine. I imagine him to be relentless and brutal with that creepy dragon tattoo smiling at me the whole time. I’d agree to have a threesome with Selena and Jackson before I’d ever consider someone like Don Russell.

***

We cram into Darryl’s SVU and he drives us the short distance back to the hotel. There are a few security guards fending off some eager fans and when they see that Seth isn’t with us, they turn around and go away.

We step into the glamorous lobby. I’d been too tired to appreciate it last night. It’s open, allowing our large group to walk through without bumping into anyone. The deep red carpets and thick red marble columns with gold edging gives it such a sultry, sexy vibe. If I didn’t know better, I’d assume I’m in some exotic country. We pile into the elevators and Selena and I are pressed firmly against the far wall.

“Are you coming out?” She asks me and I shake my head.

“I’ll wait for Dad and Seth.”

She nods and I can see she has so many questions for me about Dad and Seth, but doesn’t want to ask in front of everyone—which is a first for her and I appreciate it. As soon as we step out of the elevator and into the hallway the questions flow from her.

“So, are you and Seth together?”

“No, we’re just having fun.”

“He chose to take your dad golfing over partying with his team... that seems pretty serious.”

Selena pulls the room key from her handbag and unlocks our door.

“Dad has high blood pressure. Seth is spending time with him tonight so he doesn’t drink or get too excited or stressed—I don’t know how it works.”

I step into the living room of the suite and her brows furrow. “Were you going to tell me if I didn’t ask?”

The bitterness in her tone didn’t slip by me. She drops her handbag onto the arm of the couch and folds her arms over her chest.

“Yeah, I mean, I was going to at some point.” I step toward her. “I didn’t want you to worry.”

“I’ve known your dad since I was a little girl. He’s important to me, too.”

She’s right—one hundred percent right. “I’m sorry...it just never came up in conversation and I don’t want him to know I came here for him, not Seth.”

She drops into the maroon couch. Her long, thin fingers comb through her straightened hair. “You think I’d tell him?”

I raise my eyebrows accusingly because I know she’d tell him. Selena repeats everything to everyone. She doesn’t mean any harm by it, but it’s always at the most inappropriate times. Her green eyes roll in their sockets. She knows very well that she has a loose tongue.

“What are you going to do? You can’t follow him around forever.”

“I can keep an eye on him when he’s around Seth and the boys. The rest of the time Mom will look out for him. I’m sure she has some kind of plan.”

She plays with the ends of her shiny, blonde hair, like she’s deep in thought.

“Are you and Jackson together?” I ask, throwing her question back at her.

Selena shrugs and a smile pulls at her lips. “For the moment we’re just having fun, but we’ve spoken about it. We want to wait until Seth’s tournament is out of the way and we can spend more time together.”

I can’t help but feel jealous. Selena and Jackson have spent less time together than Seth and I and they’re already contemplating becoming official... what the hell am I doing wrong? Nothing. I assure myself. I’m not even sure I want to be in another relationship. It’s too early, isn’t it?

“I’m going to go to Jackson’s room. I didn’t bring any dresses so this is what I’m going to have to wear to the bar.” She tugs on her white cardigan and cringes. “I’ll see you later.”

She squeezes my arm and leaves the room. I grab my dress by the base and tug it off over my head. After tonight, the only thing that is going to help me sleep is a cold shower.

Chapter Thirteen

It’s very late by the time Dad and Seth come back and I hear them long before they make it to the door. Their voices are low and their laughs melodious. The sound of their deep tones meshing together is music to my ears. I swing my legs over the edge of the couch and drop my book on the coffee table. I glance at the cover, I’m never going to finish Atonement and it’s a shame because it’s really good so far. I rush to the door and manage to get it open before Dad gains access with his key card. They’re both smiling and their eyes are glistening with evidence of their happiness. Seth takes in my black sweat pants and tank top with a subtle pout. He seems disappointed I’m no longer in my dress.

“How was it?” I ask Dad as I step aside to let them into the suite.

They both slip out of their shoes and line them neatly against the wall.

“Well, Seth won by a long shot.”

“But your dad gave me a run for my money.” Seth adds, kissing my forehead as he passes me. The action makes me blush. Lately, his actions come across as 'coupley'.