Holding Strong
Page 8

When he rejoined her, she whispered, “You’re so popular.”
Only in certain crowds, and right now he could do without the recognition. “Come on.” Taking her hand, he led her inside and went straight for the elevator. They had to squeeze in with other people...including the guy who’d hit on her earlier.
CHAPTER TWO
DENVER KEPT HIS mouth shut and his gaze vigilant. Cherry returned the man’s smile with a polite nod, then looked away.
“Calling it a night?” he asked her, with a glance at Denver.
Denver stared back.
“Yes,” she said around a yawn. “I’m exhausted.”
Too dumb or too buoyed by liquid courage, the guy eyed Denver again. “You’re a fighter, too?”
Too? Did that mean this bozo was trained? Perfect. Given how he’d panted after Cherry earlier, he’d love to meet him in a competition. “That’s right. You?”
“Just this lame local shit.”
He said nothing to that. Armie made one hell of a living off the “local shit.”
Sticking out his hand, the man said, “Leese Phelps. You’re a heavyweight with the SBC, right? Denver Lewis.”
Without bothering to explain that he’d only recently been recruited to the SBC, Denver gave a brief handshake. “We’ve met?”
“No, but I follow the fights. I’m light heavyweight. Been thinking about moving up, though.”
Probably to dodge Armie. “You fight in this venue?”
“Yeah. You gotta know someone to get in the SBC, right? So I’m stuck here. But I didn’t fight tonight.”
Put him and Armie in the cage together, and Denver knew Armie would annihilate him.
“The SBC lets you wear your hair that long?”
Denver cocked a brow. Yeah, his hair now hung to his shoulders. Long, but who cared? He didn’t. “Doesn’t bother anyone.”
“Huh.”
As the people behind Denver exited the elevator, he allowed himself to be pressed closer to Leese. He started to speak—and Cherry leaned into him.
“I like your hair,” she said. Then she went a step further and reached up to tunnel her fingers through it. In a playful tone, she said, “It’s sexy.”
Denver frowned at her. Sexy was never his intent. He just didn’t bother getting it cut. But sexy? There were still five people crammed in the elevator with them and he felt his ears getting hot.
Cherry looked at Leese. “When you’re as successful at fighting as Denver is, I doubt anyone worries about the length of your hair.”
Leese jutted his jaw enough to look obnoxious. “You’ve only had one fight with the SBC, right?”
Denver didn’t get a chance to reply.
“And he won,” Cherry said with emphasis. Just then, the elevator stopped at her floor and, clutching Denver’s hand, she departed with a brisk, “Have a good evening.”
The hallway was empty, so after the elevator doors closed, Denver drew her up short and backed her to a wall. “What was that about?”
“What?”
“I don’t need you to defend me to that guy or anyone else.”
“I just stated facts!”
“And that bit with my hair?”
“It is sexy.” Again she trailed her fingers through it—and shivered—before getting serious. “But I wasn’t really defending you.”
“No?”
“You were giving poor Leese your patented death stare, and I figured you were about to level him, so...I wanted to defuse things.”
He drew back in insult. “You think I’d start brawling in a crowded elevator?”
“No. But you wouldn’t have to. Your ability is light-years away from Leese’s level and he knows it. He was already intimidated and acting like an ass. I didn’t want you to say anything that would...”
“What?” Even more disgusted, Denver asked, “Hurt his feelings?”
Gaze softening, her attention went all over his body. “Seriously, Denver. Did you really want to argue right now?”
He searched her face. “No.” Hell no. Especially not with her looking at him like that. He moved in again, one hand on the wall by her shoulder. “Thing is, I’m not sure you want what I want.”
For the longest time, their gazes held while her breathing quickened and her cheeks warmed. Finally, in a whisper, she asked, “Do you want me?”
With one short nod, he pressed her to the wall, feeling her all along his length. “Have for a long time.”