Maybe more fascinated than angry, Rissy asked, “Like what?”
“She enjoys being watched, and then watching.”
New ire had her doing a deep inhale. “So you performed?”
She made it sound bad, giving him a frown. “Pretty much, yeah.”
Turning on her heel, Rissy stormed off.
Armie went after her. “You know that was before you, right?”
Her steps slowed.
“And you know you aren’t surprised by any of that shit. I was an overindulging idiot and I know it. What’s more, you knew it. Maybe not details, but I wasn’t secretive about it and neither were the rest of the guys at the rec center. Hell, every man that knows me, including that dick interviewer, feels free to comment on my private business.”
Arms up, she whirled around. “Because you were never private!”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “What would’ve been the point when the ladies all bragged?”
“Oh my God.” She huffed, then dropped her head to stare at her feet. “Just...oh my God.”
Armie edged in closer to her. “I don’t want to fight tonight.”
Head still down, she asked, “What do you want?”
“You. Alone with me.” He lifted her chin, studied her eyes and then her mouth, and he knew, once again, she’d give in to him. “That’s what I want Rissy. Just you.”
She might not understand the significance, but she did let go of her anger.
And Armie knew—he was the luckiest guy around.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
NEARLY A WEEK LATER, Rissy stood in the downstairs area of her house talking to Leese as he unloaded boxes of his personal stuff.
At first he’d been really unsure about accepting the offer. It had come from Armie. Cannon approved. And Rissy claimed to love that he was moving in.
Leese again looked around, a little boggled by his good fortune. It wasn’t that long ago that he’d been a total ass to Denver and Cherry. He’d screwed up big-time and Cherry could have gotten hurt. He’d tried to correct mistakes and to get smarter about everything. Work, play, life. He’d taken a huge attitude adjustment, and hopefully he’d redeemed himself.
For sure, he felt like an insider in the pack, accepted by the guys and women alike.
It was ironic that he’d somehow become a confidant to the ladies. The other fighters might have let go of his past, but that, at least, he knew drove them all nuts. And being a guy himself, he loved it. No, he would never overstep, but he enjoyed rubbing it in whenever the opportunity arose.
“I’m so glad you’re here.”
Rissy claimed that now when she had to come by, even if he wasn’t around at the time, the house wouldn’t feel so empty. Knowing someone else—someone she trusted implicitly—would be coming and going made her feel safer.
Made sense to Leese. Anyone watching her house would no longer be able to count on it being empty for long stretches.
“Yeah, me, too,” he told her. Between his job and working out at the rec center, plus the occasional date, his schedule could be pretty random. If anyone had been staking out the house, hoping to catch her alone, they’d now know that he might show up at any time.
“So you like it?”
He flashed her a grin as he stacked his DVDs into a shelf situated by a modest-size TV. “You’re kidding, right? It’s bigger than what I had, in a better part of town, for less rent and it’s closer to the rec center. The furniture is great, the setup is great.” He still had a hard time believing he’d been invited to move in. “What’s not to like?”
Trailing her fingers along the back of the tan corduroy couch, she asked, “Me? I mean, I might end up back upstairs, so I hope that won’t—”
“Rissy.” Leese shook his head, slid the last DVD into place and stood. Something more was going on with her, but he wasn’t sure what. “We’re friends, right?”
“Definitely. Next to Cherry, you might be my best friend.”
Thank God for Cherry then. He’d never hear the end of it if he was her “bestie.” Biting back a smile, he explained, “I like your company. If you’re here it won’t be a hardship for me.”
She licked her lips, thought about expounding on that and apparently couldn’t. “Are you sure you don’t want me to help you unload?”
Given he liked everything done a certain way, he said, “There’s not that much.”
She followed him as he went into the bedroom to unload clothes into the existing dresser. All of the furniture stayed with the living space. It was neutral, functional and in great shape—which suited him just fine.
Again glancing at her, Leese asked, “So how are things with you and Armie?”
He was negligent about it, tossing the question out while putting T-shirts in a drawer.
Instead of answering, she said, “You’re superneat, aren’t you? All your T-shirts folded precisely, the DVDs in some sort of order. And you hung up your jeans.”
“I got used to hanging my jeans because I rarely had much drawer space.” And since he’d grown up wearing worn-out, secondhand clothes, he now made an effort for his stuff to look fresh and wrinkle-free. “It’s not like you to dodge. If you don’t want to talk about Armie, we don’t have to.”
“It’s not that.” She lifted a sports magazine off the top of a box, flipped through the pages and put it back. “I think we’re okay.”
“You think?”
Edging closer, she sat on the side of the bed—probably having no idea how a guy’s mind worked or she wouldn’t do things like that. “You know how Armie was?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know—overindulging.”
Leese laughed. “I’m guessing that hasn’t changed much.”
Her face went red-hot, making her blue eyes look brighter. “That’s what I’m worried about!”
He carried a box to the closet, asking absently, “What?”
Going drama queen on him, she threw out her arms. “He’s used to...variety. To freaking groups.”
Glad that he now had his back to her, Leese grinned. “Yeah, so?”
“Am I enough?” She flopped back, her head on his pillow. “How is one woman going to make him happy?”
After a quick glance, Leese decided to keep his attention off her. Seeing a woman like Merissa all stretched out on his bed had the natural outcome of making him think things. “I’m guessing that depends on the woman.”
“I’m the woman.”
“I haven’t forgotten, but to me, Armie seems more than satisfied.”
“I don’t know, but maybe.” After a beat of silence, she asked, “How can I tell?”
His curiosity sparked, and he looked at her again. Had Armie given her reason to think he needed more? Or was she just being insecure, given Armie’s well of experience? “As up-front as he is, I assume he’d tell you. Armie’s not exactly shy.”
“Brother in the room,” Cannon said, announcing himself as he strode in. “And yeah, Armie’s about as plainspoken as a person can be. If he wanted anything different, he’d have said so.”