Page 59 of Fighting Fate

17

The car comes to a stop in front of Rory’s gym. It’s barely dawn, and the sun is just cracking the horizon. Soft pink and peach hues paint our surroundings as I pause to stare up at the sign.

“Roar Fitness,” I read aloud. “Sounds so…majestic.”

The same way that the crowned lion tattooed on his chest looks. I’m guessing there’s a meaning behind it. Although I can’t see it, I turn to stare at his chest, and when I press my hand over the tattoo, he wraps his arm around me.

“Majestic?” he chuckles, guiding me inside. “How’d you work that one out?”

“Well, lions roar and—” I pause as he shows me around the club, pointing out the different rooms and areas. Jan is in one of the private studios in full sweat mode. She barely waves when she sees us.

“Fuck, I’m already regretting this, and you haven’t even told me what we’re doing.”

“I’m gonna make you sweat.” Rory keeps leading me through to the main room. He stops at the door to ask, “What were you saying before about majestic lions?”

“I fucking hate gyms.”

“You do yoga every morning.”

“It’s self-taught, and I don’t do it in front of random people. I hate being bossed around and fuck! Bollocks! Shit! I hate this.”

“You’ve spent your life on a stage, in front of thousands of people…” There’s a confused look on his face as he pulls me close and runs his hands up and down my back, trying to soothe my anxiety.

“When I’m on the stage, I’m not me. I’m playing a part, and the hundreds of thousands of people that watch me aren’t seeing me. It’s my take on a persona. They’re not actually judging me.”

“Taylor isn’t going to judge you, babe.” Pulling me flush to him, Rory nudges my nose with his, silently urging me to give him my lips. “Nobody here is going to judge you,” he says before kissing my argument right out of me.

Everything fades as he nips at my lips, humming muted promises of what he wants to do to me into my gaping mouth. “I’ll make you come all damn night, babe.”

The anxiety of the last day keeps mounting, and I feel like I might burst into tears when he takes me through the double doors into the main area of the club and my eyes freeze on the cage in the middle. My pulse is racing so fast that all I can hear is the blood whooshing in my ears as Rory points out all the different sections with punchbags, treadmills, weights…

Fuck, I can’t do this.

I wish I’d never told him about Peter. If I’d kept my mouth shut, I wouldn’t be here about to make a fool of myself. I wouldn’t be worrying about him making the whole situation worse. Rory getting involved would be catastrophic for both of us.

“Stop freaking out,” he murmurs into my ear, pulling me closer to him. “That first night at the bar, you danced with me in front of a crowd…” Rory’s hands trace down from my shoulders to my waist. In a sudden move, he spins me to face the brick wall painted with murals of other sportsmen. “It was hot,” he breathes over the shell of my ear, making me shiver deeper into him. “It didn’t matter how many people were watching because it was just you and me, babe. You, me, and this sexy ass teasing my cock…”

The conflict of emotions is overwhelming with the skim of his hands from my hips to my arse. The grind of his groin and the scratch of his beard make it impossible to catch my breath. He’s killing me. Every worry and fear dissipates. It’s just me and him. Our racing hearts and burning bodies moving together in the silence. Our lustful need stoking to a consuming blaze.

“This is just another dance, doll.” Between punctuating kisses trailed down my neck, he adds, “And…I’ll be…right here…watching.”

“Why do you need this so much?” I ask, turning in his arms to find his dark stare.

I’m breathless and weak at the knees from his touch and his words. With my heart beating wildly for him…I’m lost to myself. There’s only him—his scent and his heat. My entire existence is on the balance with Rory. The scales are tipping, and in the end, he will win. He always wins.

I want to protect myself from getting in over my head with him, but it’s too late because I’m already drowning in Rory. All the feelings knotting inside me are pulling me under. Fighting this…fighting him is a hopeless cause. No one ever fights fate and wins. They’re lucky if they live to tell the tale.

“Why?” I press, the question coming out hoarse.

“Because you matter to me. Because you’re all I think about. I can’t bear the thought of another man touching you, and the possibility that anyone could hurt you makes me crazy. I’m trying to give you what you want while protecting you.”

“One question…” Where are we going with this?

With narrowed eyes, Rory smiles softly at me. The affection of his words is palpable in the warmth of his gaze. I would be a fool to ruin the moment and what we have right now with questions about our future.

“Shoot,” he rumbles with a nudge of his nose over mine.

Composing myself, I pull away slightly to get a good glance at him from top to toe as I ask, “Do I get a clear shot?”

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