Chapter 1
Lily
Watching them spar gets me every time.
Accelerated heart rate.
Shallow breathing.
Skin broken out in chill bumps.
Wet panties.
Of course I act uninterested, like seeing them together in the ring is of little interest to me. Just part of the job. But in reality, my entire being is tuned into Cage and Tripp Garrett. They’re brothers – called Irish twins – because they’re only eleven months apart in age. Tripp, the younger of the two is lean and tone with slightly longer brownish-blonde hair that falls into his crystal blue eyes. He’s every bit as tall as his big brother Cage’s six-foot-two frame.
My eyes, as they often do travel to appraise Cage next. His hair is cropped closer, like he can’t be bothered to style it. He’s hard and lean and perfect. Firm sculpted pectorals, defined abs that I’ve counted on more than one occasion – there are eight of them. I think he must shave his chest and any happy trail that might have been, because even though his hair is thick and his jaw boasts a light covering of dark stubble, his body is completely smooth. It’s almost too much to handle. His smooth, sleek torso evokes memories of the slip-n-slide I enjoyed as a child. And something tells me he’d be every bit as much fun.
I feel my face growing flush as the naughty, dark fantasies rip through my brain.
“Lily – line two has been ringing for five minutes.” My dad, and the gym’s owner and head trainer appears from his office around the corner. “Are you going to answer it or what?” he barks.
Shit . “Strike Fitness, this is Lily. Can I help you?” I say, breathless from my Garrett -brother inspired reverie.
“Hey Lily, its Dane. Are my idiot brothers still there?”
I glance over at the guys again. Cage’s eyes flash to mine for just a second and I feel my nipples tighten in my sports bra. The spilt-second distraction is all Tripp needs to land a punishing blow against the side of Cage’s temple.
I flinch. It’s the same hit that left my older brother in a hospital bed two years ago. “Yeah, they’re still here,” I say, remembering Dane is waiting on my response.
He releases a heavy sigh, but we both know there’s no pulling them away while they’re training. They’re here every day, seven days a week for about three to four hours working out, training, fighting, stretching, and my favorite part of the day, showering – when my daydreams turn far less innocent. I imagine rivulets of hot soapy water streaming over firm muscles and sauntering back into the locker room under the guise of restocking the towels. I’d find them both under the spray of hot water, and that’s where my fantasy stops, because in reality, I have no idea what I’d do with two big men. But something tells me they’d be in charge. Two hot cocks pressed into me, and two sets of hands. My lips would be on Cage’s though, because I’ve been fantasizing about kissing him for at least a year now.
As fun as it is to fantasize, I know I’d never do anything about it. Being in this business, watching what happened to my brother, knowing the risks every time one of these guys walks into the ring, I’d never in a million years date a fighter. Besides, deciding between Cage and Tripp would be damn near impossible anyways.
“Once they’re through, will you remind them I have a date tonight and they need to be home for Luke?”
“Aww, Dane has a date?” I tease.
He suddenly goes quiet, but I’d guess he’s smiling. “Hey, I’ve got to find a mom for all these boys.”
Dane is twenty-six, Cage twenty-one, Tripp twenty and Luke just turned eighteen, but he’s serious. Dane takes his role as caregiver seriously. He’s been their legal guardian for the last five years and works hard to take care of them all, even though they’re all adults now.
“I’ll tell them for you. Have fun tonight.”
“Thanks Lils.”
When I hang up, I realize that Cage and Tripp have finished their
Patricia Haley and Gracie Hill