Page 55 of Mine to Ruin

My heart aches for Brandon. I hug him and say, “I promise, I’ll help you figure it out.”

“What if there isn’t a reason and he simply can’t stand me?”

“No, it's not that.”

“How would you know?” he asks, vulnerability shining in his eyes.

I loop my hand around his arm. “Because he stayed away so you could be with me.”

“What?” His jaw drops and his voice shakes. “He would do that for me?”

I nod. It’s clear the two brothers love each other, but there is also resentment.

“Are you coming to the opening tomorrow?” he asks.

I nod, telling him everything Kian taught me about it.

Brandon's eyes widen. “I would have never thought you'd like fighting.”

“Do you think he’d teach me?”

He shrugs, disbelief transforming his face, and he adds, “You’ll have to ask him.”

I can’t stop thinking about asking Kian to teach me to fight, and it only gets worse as we text each other throughout the day. I take a break and slide the key card in the elevator to go up to his floor.

Inside his office, I find Melanie typing on his computer.

“Hi, Melanie.”

“Oh, hi,” she answers but doesn’t take her eyes off the screen. “If you’re looking for Kian, he’s training and doesn’t want to be disturbed. He’s like this before one of his boys goes in the ring.”

“I see, thank you.” I ignore her hidden message of how well she knows him. Because she does. I am not letting that knowledge nor my jealousy burst my happy bubble.

“Whatever.” She leans in the office chair, her eyes drilling into me, and a chill rolls down my spine. “So you and Kian?”

“Me and Kian.”

She snorts. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”

“Why are you so sure it will end?” I ask, and something akin to fear crosses her flawless face.

She quickly hides it. “I am not worried.” Her eyes go back to the computer screen as she waves me off. “I have work to do.”

Embarrassed, I spin around to leave, hoping she doesn’t see how much her words affected me. As I press the button to the elevator, I bend my finger until it hurts, being angry at myself for letting her words question what we have.

I trudge down the long corridor and take the stairs to the basement and inside the underground fighting arena. I push the doors open, and my eyes immediately land on Kian even in a room filled with bodies grunting, training, and fighting.

He is bouncing from one foot to the other, his eyes focused on his sparring partner, every muscle tense, sweat covering his bare chest. He lands punch after punch. He looks feral and powerful in his shorts and I watch him, mesmerized. In the corner of my eye, I see an elderly man approach me. He introduces himself as Dirk, Kian’s trainer.

“I am sorry if I interrupted something,” I say in apology.

His eyes scan me, curious more than anything, and then he answers, “I don’t usually tolerate distractions.”

I blink, not really understanding what he means. Thankfully, he elaborates.

“But on the other hand, Kian doesn’t fight professionally.”

I hear a hint of sadness in his voice, and the painful realization of an unfulfilled wish. But there is fatherly affection there. Kian is very loved, and not only does he refuse to accept it, he’s blind to it.

---