Caged(16)

Deacon choked on his beer. "What the hell, Molly? Why would you . . . ?" His eyes narrowed. "You're fucking with me." 

"Not yet," she said sweetly. "And no more than you were when you said you liked to watch skating on TV."

"I was telling the truth." He sighed. "I changed it to hockey at the last second because I thought it might make me sound like a pussy, all right?"

She didn't believe him. "So you really like figure skating?"

"To the point I fucking DVR'd the world championships and the Olympics." He pointed at her with his beer bottle. "And if you tell anyone that, I'll lie."

"I believe you. Anything you tell me, I'd never tell anyone else."

"Good. Back to your answer. Do you really like it rough?"

"I don't know. I've never had it that way, which is why I said I fantasize about it."

"Jesus, woman."

"What? Men don't look at me and imagine pushing me up against a wall and fucking me, pulling my hair as I'm being fucked, or just taking me fast and hard in the heat of the moment." When Molly looked up at him, her stomach cartwheeled at seeing the hunger in his eyes.

"You toss that out there? Expect I'll pick it up and run with it. Because, babe, I can do rough."

"Good. That's what I want."

"Then that's what you'll get," he said softly. "But sometimes you're gonna get it sweet from me too."

Chills skittered down Molly's arms from his first declaration, and her heart went mushy at his second. "I can deal with that."

The waitress dropped off their food.

Molly eyed the two grilled chicken breasts topped with sliced avocado, the cup of whole black beans, and the pile of plain rice on his plate.

Deacon caught her looking at his meal. "What?"

"That's Tex-Mex?"

"A healthier version of Tex-Mex." He shoveled a scoop of rice and beans into his mouth.

"Do you always eat like this?"

He held up his hand while he chewed and swallowed. "Five days a week. Two weeks before a fight, the warden switches me to bread and water."

"Seriously?"

"No. But I get damn sick of protein shakes."

She drizzled a mix of salsa and ranch dressing over her salad greens.

"Do you always eat like that?" Deacon asked.

"I do now. Once upon a time I would've ordered two chimichangas covered in cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. I would've knocked back two alcoholic drinks, and I'd have finished the meal with a sopapilla sundae." She sipped her water. "I make better choices now."

Deacon gestured to his plate with his fork. "I hear ya. Maddox had me drop ten pounds. It's tough to cut weight."

"I used to fluctuate ten pounds in a week. You look amazing at any weight."

He scowled.

Note to self: not so much with the compliments.

They ate in silence for a while.

Then she said, "Since Maddox discouraged you from pursuing me before, will you tell him about us being together now?"

"He already knows." Deacon scooped rice into his mouth.

"What do you mean he already knows? Did you text him from the bathroom or something?"

"No. I talked to him on Sunday."

Molly set down her fork. "Before you talked to me?"

"Yep."

"You were so sure that I'd throw myself into your arms and let bygones be bygones that you told your trainer we were-happening?"

Then it hit her. Isn't that what you did? Deacon blows in, acting sweet, sexy, and sorry, and immediately you're on board with starting a relationship with him?



       
         
       
        

She needed to get out of here and look for her brain and her backbone. "Excuse me."

Before she blinked, Deacon was on her side of the booth, blocking her in. "You don't get to run off when you're pissed at me. You'll stay and fight."

"Even if I want to scream in your face?"

"Even then. So let fly, babe. I promise I can take it."

"You are so cocky! Did it ever occur to you that I might've accepted your apology, then shut the door in your face so I could move on from whatever fucked-up thing this has been in the past or what it might become?"

He shook his head.

She wanted to smack him for his presumption. She wanted to cry because he'd been dead-on in making that assumption about her. Was she that easy to read? Was she that . . . desperate-looking?

Deacon gripped her jaw, forcing her to look at him.

"Let go."

"Am I hurting you?"

"I can't move with the choke hold you've got me in."