“Seriously, you're hurting me! Get off me and leave me alone!” I didn’t feel threatened yet, but I instinctively went through different moves I’d been taught in case I started to.
The door swung open and Brandon rushed in, followed closely by Bree and a few others. “What the hell, Chase?!” He roared and stomped towards us.
Brandon's fist connected with Chase's face seconds after his hands left me. I shrieked and jumped back as he fell to the ground.
“Keep your hands off her!” Brandon took a step towards me and pulled me close, cupping my face in his hands. “Was he hurting you?”
I just stared at him and put a hand over his reassuringly. I didn’t need a guy coming to my rescue, but damn if Brandon punching him hadn’t just turned me on.
“Come on, let's get you out of this room.” He led me towards the door, stopping at Bree. “Bree I'm sorry –”
She held up a hand to stop him, “Don't. He deserved that one.” She smiled at us before glaring at her brother, still on the floor. Brandon must've hit him hard. “Can you make sure Harper has a bed to sleep in tonight? I don't want him near her.”
“Of course.”
“And keep your hands to yourself.” She said sternly, complete with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes ma'am.” He squeezed me gently once before pulling me through the crowd gathered in the doorway and hall. Once we were in his dark room he turned to face me and cupped my cheeks once again. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I'm fine. He wasn't doing anything other than trying to talk to me.”
“He doesn't need to force you to speak with him, or to stay in the room with him. He should have let you go the first time you asked him.”
“The first time?”
He sighed, “We heard everything Harper.”
I groaned and let my head sink into his chest, silently thanking the dark for hiding my blush, “Awesome. I'm starting to think I'm just not meant to come to this house.”
“Maybe just when Chase is here.” He laughed when I playfully slapped his stomach. “I'll protect you.”
“I noticed that. I think you knocked him out.”
“Trust me, I didn't. I only hit him hard enough to make him think twice before touching you again.” He released me so he could look at my face, or attempt to anyway, it was really dark in his room, “Did that bother you?”
“No, just surprised me. I wasn't expecting it.”
“I'm sorry, it was hard walking in on you two for the second time tonight and hearing you tell him to let you go.”
If I had punched him, I wouldn't have stopped with one. And here he was apologizing for standing up for me. I wrapped my hands around his neck pulling his face to mine, pausing just before our lips touched, “Don't be sorry.” I pressed my lips softly to his twice, before resting my forehead against his.
“I shouldn't have done that in front of you.”
I smiled into the darkness, I understand he didn't know that my entire body was warming over what just happened, but I wasn't about to tell him that either. “You're sure you didn't knock him out though?”
Brandon's rich laugh surrounded me and I sighed at the warmth it carried, “I do this for a living Harper, I’m positive I didn’t hit him that hard.”
“Uh, what? You do what?”
“I fight, didn't Bree tell you that?”
That was a big negative, I'm pretty sure I would have remembered something like that. “Um, no. What do you mean you fight for a living? Fight how?”
“MMA, it's mostly underground fights though. Every now and then I'll do local tournaments, but I prefer the Underground. Less rules, better pay.”
Suddenly his size was a little more intimidating. He was tall, muscled and seriously rugged. But I had thought he looked like an underwear model, or an Abercrombie and Fitch model. “Huh.” I replied lamely.
“That bothers you.” He deadpanned.
I shook my head. Nope, still definitely turned on, even more so now. Was that weird? “How long have you done that?”
“Started going to a gym and training after my dad died, just to let everything out. It wasn't until I ran into Brad and Chase in a gym here my Freshman year that I started on the Underground.”
“They fight too?” How had Bree failed to mention all this?
“Not really, mostly just train at the gym. They've done a few fights, but I haven't seen Brad fight since maybe middle of last year, Chase around the same time.”
“Huh.” I repeated. Man I was all kinds of brilliant tonight.
Brandon's face was guarded while he tried to understand my thoughts.
“That's kind of creepy, but kind of hot. Can I see you fight?”
He smiled widely. “If you want, I'm sure there's another one coming up in a few days.”
“You don't know when it is?”
“Nope, I get a call an hour before it's supposed to happen. Other people start finding out about it after, that way there isn't enough buzz to attract unwanted attention.”
“Unwanted...like cops?”
“You're quick,” He whispered against my neck and I shivered from his warm breath against my skin, “Are you ready to go to sleep?”
Not really, but I nodded anyway. “Where are you going to sleep?”