Unlike Linc, I’ve never been near an Octagon much less fought in one. In fact, I spend most of my day behind a computer, so it’s important that I pry my ass out of my chair and exercise several times a week. I also like being able to defend myself. So, this seemed like a good idea at the time.
“What’re you saying? You want me to go easy on you?”
“Yes! That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
He lets out a snort of derision, lowering his fists. “I got news for ya, Iamgoing easy on you.”
While his hands are down, I lunge with an uppercut.
Despite being big, he’s impossibly light on his feet, and he moves so fast, I barely clip him. “Sneaky, Diamond Man.”
“If I were a UFC fighter, that would be a good nickname, huh? Fists like diamonds.” I like it. Granted, mymoniker is because I’m a gems expert, but no one needs to know that.
“Less talk, more action.”
The man might as well have that phrase tattooed on his face. Linc is definitely a man of few words. He’s The Safecracker and The Muscle. And ever since he married Princess Merritt Fontaine, he’s also Prince Consort of Arcadia. At six feet five inches with an abundance of muscles, he may have retired from the pro circuit, but he hasn’t gone soft.
But I have a feeling once his very pregnant wife gives birth, he’s going to turn into mush.
We continue sparring, until we’re both sweating buckets. Between trying to take my head off and rearranging my ribs, Linc offers me some pointers and shares a few tricks. He really puts me through it, not going easy on me. We’re both very competitive and, even though I might be a few inches shorter than Goliath, I’m scrappy as hell.
Eventually, I raise my fists. “I’m done,” I announce, and bend over at the waist, breathing hard and trying to catch my breath.
“You did good, McKay.” Chest heaving, he expertly unlaces a glove and slaps a hand on the back of my shoulder. I have to say, it makes me feel good to see he’s also a little winded.
We climb over the ropes and jump down onto the floor. I swipe up a towel, wipe my face off and then drag it down my sweat-soaked chest. After draping the towel aroundmy neck, I reach for my stainless-steel tumbler and guzzle down most of the cold water inside.
“Any plans to visit Arcadia in the near future?” I ask.
Linc shakes his head. “No. Mer’s parents are coming to visit once the baby’s born. Maybe a little sooner, depending on their royal duties.”
It’s weird to hear Linc talk about Alain and Eliza Fontaine, the King and Queen of Arcadia, so easily. At first, it was a little strange knowing our rough-around-the-edges friend was marrying into a royal family. But while acting as Merritt’s bodyguard, he fell head over heels for the little brunette princess, and the rest, as they say, is history.
But, hey, better him than me. I much prefer staying at the office, holding down the fort, while the rest of our team—Addie, Knox, Cole and Brighton—head out into the field with Linc.
“What about you?” Linc asks as we start walking toward the locker rooms. “Ever plan on finding someone special and settling down?”
“Nope,” I respond easily, tossing my towel into a bin with other dirty ones. “I enjoy being a bachelor. You can keep your kingdom and duties and endless responsibilities. I much prefer my laptop, a glass of expensive whiskey and my quiet house any day.”
“Tell me how you really feel.”
We stop in front of the locker rooms and I roll my head, cracking my neck. “No interest, pal. I enjoy my freedom way too much.”
He smirks. “I used to be the same way. Until Merritt swept in and turned my entire world upside down. The right woman has a way of making you suddenly want things you never did before.”
“Not me,” I insist. Yet even as I say it, an image of Bella Diamond surfaces in my mind. Not altogether unwelcome, of course, because she’s gorgeous. But a little…
I don’t know. Surprising? Disconcerting? Annoying?
Settling down isn’t in the cards for me, and that’s totally fine. Other than my friends who have found their other halves, I’ve never had a good example of marriage. My parents went through a messy divorce when I was still a kid. I witnessed the vitriol and bitter barbs firsthand. They own diamond mines all over the world, so the fights over splitting property were epic. And they didn’t care enough to hide their confrontations from me.
After the dust settled, Mom took off with a younger man and never looked back. Last I heard, she’s living in Spain with a different, even younger man. We might see each other once a year, if that.
Dad remarried a couple of years after the divorce. My stepmother is a witch, and I stay away. Far away. She married my father for money then positioned her two children in the family business while edging me out. I’d probably be more upset about it if Addie hadn’t come along at theexact right time and scooped me up like some stray puppy. Working at A-Squared has been a godsend, keeps me insanely busy and living a lifestyle I enjoy. Plus, it connected me with my best friends.
“I’m going to laugh when you fall in love, McKay. And then I’m going to say I told you so.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
