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Jax. Adam. They weren’t the same people, but . . .
My mind flooded with images of both men. I tried to separate the two in my head, but they kept merging into something ugly and evil.
“No,” I cried and rose to my feet a few minutes later. I pressed my palms to the shower wall and hung my head.
I wasn’t sure how long I stayed in the shower, but when I stepped out, my fingers were like prunes and my face was a hot mess. The mascara had become like strips of icky black tar etched into my skin.
It was then that I cried.
I remembered standing in front of a mirror after Jax had hurt me, my mascara running, my face drowning in tears.
Angry at both Jax and Adam—angry at myself—I turned on the sink and began fiercely scrubbing away the evidence of my tears.
I wouldn’t be a victim anymore.
I was done with that.
But as I stared at my skin, fresh and pink from the rubbing I’d given it, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to Adam than the urge to fight.
“Anna?”
I lowered my head at the sound of his voice. I’d given him the second key to my hotel room on Wednesday.
My gaze flickered to the white hotel robe on the back of the door. I grabbed it and threw it on, then braced my hand against the door, trying to figure out how I’d face him.
“Anna, can we talk?” His Irish voice was soft, pleading.
As much as I wanted to cower in the bathroom, I knew I needed to look him in the eyes when he finally delivered the truth.
I stepped back and opened the door to find Adam sitting on my bed. His hands were clasped together, and his head was bowed. He was in sweats and a hoodie. I’d seen him similarly dressed two weeks ago on the night he’d come to my room with a cut above his eye. He must have been in a fight that night, too.
“What were you doing there?” He looked up at me. This time, there was not a mark on his perfect face. The fight had probably lasted no more than sixty seconds.
I crossed my arms and stood firm a few feet away. “That’s the first thing you’re going to say to me? Really?”
He rubbed a hand over his face and kept it over his mouth for a moment. When he stood up and started for me, I took an immediate step back, my hand outstretched between us.
Adam cocked his head. “Are you afraid of me?” He backed up, cupping his neck as a prickle of guilt wrapped around my spine.
“I don’t know what I am, but I didn’t expect—”
“I told you I was dangerous, that you shouldn’t get involved with me. I warned you.” Adam’s blue eyes devoured mine—pain reflecting off his irises. “I’m a fighter.” He pressed a fist to his heart. “But I’d never lay a hand on you,” he rasped.
And as I stared at the man before me, I realized that I believed him. At least, I wanted to believe him. But I’d never thought Jax was someone who could hit a woman, either. I wasn’t the best judge of character.
“Why do you do it? You run a billion-dollar corporation.” I leaned against the wall outside the bathroom door, needing the support to remain standing.
Adam sat back on the bed, propping his elbows on his knees. “I stopped fighting five years ago. But Les got into some trouble, as you know, and he made a bet on a fight. And he not only lost the fight and the money, but he wound up in the hospital.”
“So how does this involve you? If he’s your friend, couldn’t you front him the money?” That was reasonable—more reasonable than cage fighting. Wasn’t it?
“When I used to fight, I made a lot of money for the people who ran the fights. I was undefeated.”
The muscles in my body screwed tight, and my stomach was tied in knots with anticipation. With fear.
“The guy Les recently fought is also undefeated. And this arsehole, Donovan, who runs half of Dublin, thought it’d be grand if I fought to repay Les’s debt.” He patted his thighs and rose, his hand back on his jaw, black stubble beneath his fingertips. “He wouldn’t take the money I offered, and he threatened Les’s life if I refused to fight.”
It took me a few minutes to process what he’d said to me. “I have so many questions that I don’t even know where to begin.” If Leslie had never gotten hurt, I’d probably never have gotten to know Adam. I wasn’t sure what to make of that revelation. “So was that it, the fight? Are you done?” I laced my fingers through my hair then pushed it to my back as I struggled to maintain control of my nerves. “Is that guy okay? You hit him pretty hard.”
