Page 26 of Unexpected Temptation

He looks around, scoffing.

“Fuckingleave,” I growl. “That’s the last time I’ll tell you.”

“You heard him,” Raffie yells after a pause. “Get the fuck outta here. He needs to focus on his next fight!”

Slowly, the man stands. I expect some blustering, but he’s sobered up suddenly. “You think I give a shit about two drunk bitches, motherfucker?”

He’s not wrong about the drunk part. Maya is smiling strangely. A more poetic man might call it enchanting, but that was the sort of bullshit Vanessa said. She’s not evenpresent. Maybe Maya popped a party pill or something. Empty martini and cocktail glasses cover the table.

So he’s not wrong about that, but calling Maya a bitch?Crack!My glove connects with the underside of his jaw, violently closing his mouth. “Fh-huk! Bit my fuggin … Motherfugger!”

Blood spills from his mouth, but then Raffie starts laughing, and so does the fuck’s so called-friend. He even says, “You heard him, bro. Go home and sober up.”

“Telldemto sopper up!” He quickly walks away, rushing for the door, like he thinks I’ll clatter him again. Maya looks blankly up at me momentarily, then rubs her eyes. She looks so gorgeous but so lost. Before I can say anything, though, Raffie’s got his hand on my shoulder. “Save some of that aggression for theMystery Box, T. Come on, be reasonable. One more fight, and …” He leans in and says, “Two hundred and fifty K.”

Holy fuck. That could completely change my life. That could keep the home running for a year, at least.

“For the winner,” I say. “What does the loser get?”

“Just the ten K. Split.”

“I have to split my money with them?” I ask, confused.

“No, split between them.”

“Them, who?”

Raffie pats me on the back with a wink. “You’ll see. You need to get changed and cleaned up.”

“Make sure they drink some water,” I say, talking to the young, slick man sitting at Maya’s friend’s side. He, at least, hasn’t been pawing at her all night. “I get partying, but?—”

“Sir, they haven’t partied, not really. Riley had a few drinks. Maya only had water.”

“Wait, what?” I walk over to Maya, kneeling down, struggling not to … feel. Fuck. Not here. Not ever. But she’s a young woman in need, and I’m not always a monster. “Maya.”

“Tristan,” she murmurs.

“Have you taken anything tonight?”

“Uh, I’m just looking at the lights. At you.” She smiles in that spaced-out way. She reaches for me. I almost let myself do it, touch those tempting hands. I can imagine them all over me, atevery point of my body. Stroking over the scars and the blood and not giving a damn.

She’s clearly out of it.

“Raffie,” I say, standing. “I want arealmedic to check on Maya and Riley. Who was that bastard?”

“The world is full of bastards. I don’t know.”

That’s such a classic Raffie response. He doesn’t want me to go after anybody in the Mob world and make his life difficult. “Hmm. Well, make sure they’re okay.”

“I will. I promise.” Raffie puts his hand on his chest. “Please, focus on the fight. Think of the money.”

“Get the medic,” I growl, walking toward the stairs.

“You’re not climbing down?” Raffie calls over, and a few of his goons laugh.

The petty in me wants to shut the bastards up for laughing, but Raffie needs his little moments like that, mainly because he could never beat a man fairly like I just did.

Still, when I reach the changing room, I see two medics talking to each woman. It’s not my place to tell Maya where to go and what to do, but goddamn, this isn’t the place for a girl like her. After this fight, whatever it is, I’ll get her out of here.

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