Page 20 of A Fighter’s Love

She was aware of Billy following her gaze.

“You found another bloke, huh?”

“No, nothing like that.” She shook her head, turned and reached for a file. “Please don’t think that, Billy, I would never cheat on you. That’s not the sort of woman I am.”

“Yeah, I guess not.” He huffed and ran his attention over her drab cardigan, plain black trousers and sensible shoes.

She knew what he was thinking. No one but him would have her. Well, that might be the case now, but she was going to take a leaf from Stella’s book and spruce up. Stella kept saying they were due a shopping trip.A girls’ day out, with lunch somewhere fancy, she’d suggested. The first stage of Jenny’s plan was to get rid of Billy, and the second to start taking a bit more notice of herself.

“I can’t believe it.” Billy ran his hand through his hair. It was dull blond and held a few greasy curls at the nape. “I told your father I’d look after you, you know, when he was on his last weeks. He’d turn in his grave at this.”

Jenny didn’t much care if her father was doing cartwheels in his grave. And it was typical of Billy to go for such a low blow as a dead parent to try and get his own way.

“But you must see it for yourself, Billy. We’re hardly crazy about each other. That was a long time ago. Now you just want me here, working for you.”

“Not true.” He stepped up to her, fast, in two long strides. “That’s not true at all.”

She backed up.

He held up his palms. “This is about yesterday, when Jackson decided to start beating his chest like a damn gorilla, isn’t it? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to grab you like that.”

“No, it has nothing to do with that.” She gripped the file to her chest. Squeezing it so tight her fingers ached.

“He’s not interested in you, you know.” Billy wrinkled his nose.

“Who?”

“Jackson. I hear he has a very glam chick tucked up in bed waiting for him each night. She’s a model or something. Damn hot with big tits and long legs.”

Jenny pressed her lips together. A glamorous woman was not who Jackson had in his bed. He preferred the man standing next to him in the ring. But his secret was safe with her. She’d keep it until her dying day.

“What we had was good,” Billy said, pressing his hand on her shoulder and stroking his thumb over her collarbone. “Real good, and it will be again when I get the gym sorted.”

She swallowed. It had been a long time since he’d touched her like that. She didn’t like it. “No. There’s nothing left to salvage.”

“There has to be.” He leaned in closer. “Please, Jen, please.”

The whine in his voice reminded her of nails down a blackboard. It was all she could do not to shudder.

She shook her head. “I’m sorry. But no.”

Stay strong. Stay strong.

“You won’t even give me a second chance?”

“Why would you want one, Billy? How can you be happy with the non-state of our relationship?”

A shadow loomed in the doorway.

It was Dale. His broad shoulders filled the frame and he’d removed his sparring gloves.

She caught his eye then set her attention on Billy again. “It’s over. Accept it.”

“But—”

“No.”

“But what about this lot?” Billy gestured to the messy desk. “I don’t know where to fucking start with it all, you know that.”

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