Hammer's Fall (The Breakers' Bad Boys)(39)

Having a family of his own had always been a dream of his, but first he had to lock down things with that woman of his. It had been a few days since he had realized just how much he loved Kali, but he still hadn’t said anything. There just never seemed to be the right time to tell her. Or he’d simply been stalling.

He knew that Kali cared for him, but he didn’t know if she was ready to give him everything that he wanted. He’d be patient though, even if it killed him. They were perfect for each other. Now, he just had to convince her that they belonged together long term.

“I just hope this love shit isn’t contagious,” Dante said with a sigh.

A slow grin spread over Hammer’s face. “You say that, but I’ve seen the way you act around Zoe.”

Dante scowled. “That girl drives me bat-shit. She’s a total pain in my ass, and she works for me. Hell, you’d think she owns the bar the way she’s taken over everything.”

“But you let her,” Hammer said with a laugh. “That woman is smart, and you’re just pissed because she has too much sense to sleep with you. I’ve noticed you stopped banging random chicks in your office now that she’s around. Admit it. You haven’t been fucking around as much since Zoe’s been working for you. And I see the way you are with her. You two fight like an old married couple already.”

Dante narrowed icy blue eyes at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Hammer watched as his friend ran a hand though his black hair in agitation and couldn’t help but poke at him a little more. “Well, if you aren’t interested in her there are plenty of guys that are. A couple of the members were asking about her after their class yesterday.”

“For fuck’s sake, I told her she was gonna get herself in trouble prancing around the gym in nothing more than a fucking bra and those shorts that have her ass all but hanging out,” Dante exploded. Just thinking about the assholes who had watched Zoe at the gym made his blood boil. He was her boss, goddamn it. It was his job to look out for her, and she made it practically impossible to do so, the fucking stubborn woman.

Hammer bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing. He knew his friend had a serious thing for his pretty little bartender, but Dante stubbornly refused to admit it. The women came in for their self-defense class on Tuesday and Thursday nights, but they had also started coming into the gym to work out on the machines or to hit the bags on the days they didn’t have class. Hammer had noticed that whenever Zoe was at the gym Dante was usually there, too, glowering at any man who even looked at her.

Sobering, Hammer thought back to the men that he had caught looking at his Kali. Last night after their class he had grabbed her in front of everyone and kissed her, showing everyone just who she belonged to like some fucking caveman. Damn, he really did have it bad, but it was better than beating the hell out of them for looking at his sweet fairy.

“I just got off the phone with Rhino,” he announced, changing the subject to something safer. Gene “Rhino” Durbin was a heavyweight boxing champion that had started the Cage Fighting League years ago when he retired, long before MMA was considered a mainstream sport.

“Is the old man still trying to convince you to come back and fight for him?”

Hammer smiled. “He might have mentioned that, but I told him I was done. He said he expected me to say no, so he had another offer for me. He said he’d be willing to funnel some of the circuit fighters here at Fight Hard…if I were to take an announcer job with the League.”

Dante’s eyes widened when Hammer told him the salary he had been offered. “So, are you gonna take it?”

“It’s a good opportunity, but I would have to travel all the time. I don’t want to do that. I have a good thing going here.”

“You mean with Kali.” Dante said it as a statement, not as a question.

“Yeah, with Kali and here with Fight Hard. It’s important to me to build up the reputation of the rehab center. I turned it down, but Rhino said he would call me in a few days to see if I’d gotten my head out of my ass.”

Dante snorted at that. “Well, it is a lot of money, but if you don’t want to do it, then don’t. You gonna tell Kali about the offer?”

“I will, but not now. She is so worried about her cousin’s wedding tomorrow that I don’t think this is the right time to bring it up.” Hammer stood. “What time do you have to be back at the bar?”

“See, that’s the good thing about being the boss. I can come and go as I please.”