Hard Justice(15)

They all seemed to assume...something, but Fallon wasn't sure what. "This is my first time here, and it's about an hour and a half from where I live. I'm not sure I'll be around often enough to meet anyone else."         

     



 

"That's a bit of a drive just to have drinks."

"Justice preferred this bar to those more local."

"Yeah, I just bet he did." Brand laughed. "He figures he has a better handle on the competition here."

Fallon tried to deny that. She understood, even if they didn't, that Justice wasn't worried about competition.

"Armie, Cannon, Stack, Denver and Gage are all married. When one of our own fights, we provide the cheering section."

It sounded amazing to Fallon. "I think Justice had other plans, so-"

Stepping in, Tom said, "If he doesn't agree, let me know and I'll bring you along." Then, as another song started, he said to Brand, "I'm cutting in."

This music was slower and Tom quickly caught her waist.

It startled Fallon. "Oh, um..." She watched as Brand got pulled into a dance with another lady. Drat.

"Something wrong?" Tom asked.

Yes, as a matter of fact, his earlier insults to Justice still annoyed her. Justice might not have minded, but she did. Good manners, however, kept her polite. "No, of course not."

He cuddled her closer.

She strained away.

Pretending not to notice, Tom asked, "So I heard you say you don't live nearby."

"I don't, but I'm glad we made the trip. This is a terrific place."

"Agreed. Rowdy and Avery run a good business." He turned a slow circle, and in the process brought her nearer. "I wasn't here before, but they say it was a real foul dive before Rowdy bought it. He did a big reno, kicked out the drug dealers and put in the pool room."

Drug dealers? Fascinated, Fallon asked, "Seriously?"

"Yeah. It's cool now, though. All the fighters hang out here, along with most of the neighborhood."

"You live in the area?" she asked.

"I'm staying here for a while to train. Fighters go to different camps to learn new techniques." He gave a boyish grin and added, "If I can ever sweet-talk Justice into competing again, I want to be ready so I last more than a heartbeat."

Perhaps she'd been wrong about Tom. "You think he will?"

"Fight again? I hope so." He gave her a brief hug and bent to whisper in her ear, "I'm still stung over that knockout."

She laughed with him. "I take it that was unusual for you?"

"To lose, no. Every fighter takes his knocks. But like that? Yeah, first time I was ever KO'd, and for it to happen so fast, well, let me tell ya, it sucked." He circled again and Fallon found herself plastered to his rock-hard body. "Justice has sledgehammers for fists, and that lucky punch caught me just right."

From directly behind her, Justice said, "Know what? I'm feeling pretty damned lucky again."

Fallon jumped; Tom did not, so apparently he'd seen Justice approach.

Keeping her trapped to his body, Tom smiled. Now that he again had Justice's attention, he reverted back to the insults. "One-trick ponies only go so far."

"Maybe you only saw the one trick because you haven't been paying attention. Besides, with you, one trick was all I needed."

"Ouch," Tom said with a grin. They'd stopped dancing, but he didn't let her go. "So that's what it takes to motivate you, huh? A little cuddle with your lady friend?"

"She's a client."

"You still sticking with that?"

"Hey!" Fallon finally caught on. Shoving her way free with a little more force than necessary, she glared up at Tom. "If you want to goad him into a fight, use someone other than me!"

She turned to march away, but Justice caught her hand and anchored her to his side, ruining her dramatic exit.

"Not just yet, Fallon," Justice said when she tugged against his restraint. "Tom has something he wants to tell you."

Oh, good grief. She didn't want to hear anything else he had to say.

Voice jovial, Tom said, "He's right. I promise I only wanted to dance, not incite violence. I'm sorry if my teasing made you think otherwise."

So...had she overreacted?
         

     



 
It didn't matter because Justice said, "She's off-limits."

Tom lifted a brow. "Yeah? For what?"

Sounding as if he chewed gravel, Justice growled, "Everything."

"Ah, I didn't realize." Still fighting a smile, Tom looked down at her. "Really, no insult intended, so will you forgive me?"

She felt like a spectacle. "Yes, of course."

Tom clapped Justice on the shoulder. "Call a truce, Justice. You're making her nervous."

Justice said nothing, but he nodded.

"Good. I want a rematch, you know that. But I don't want or need a barroom brawl. You gotta know I'm not after that."

Justice loosened his stance. "Yeah, I do."

"Thanks." Tom saluted them both and departed.

When she and Justice turned and headed toward a table, Cannon and Armie applauded.

After that, the guys razzed Justice endlessly about being a bodyguard. They heralded him for being oh-so-meticulous in his duties, calling him keenly thorough in exploring every possible threat, both real and imagined.

Fallon would have been offended for him again, except that the guys infused enough obvious respect in their tones for her to know it was only good-natured ribbing.

Justice grinned, in fact, when he gave them each a one-finger salute. Minutes later when the questions started, he patiently answered each one. Miles, especially, seemed interested in the different duties required of a bodyguard.

Fallon didn't mind any of it, until the talk turned to Marcus.

"Ex-boyfriend?" Cannon asked. "I've had some experience with those."

Armie raised his hand. "Me, too."

"No," Fallon denied. "He was never really-"

"He was," Justice interrupted. "But not anymore. Now he's just a pita."

"Pita?" Fallon asked.

"Pain in the ass," Justice explained.

Because she couldn't deny that, Fallon turned the topic to kids, and for the next forty minutes or so, the men talked about their babies. It seemed they had enough stories to last the night.

When Cannon got a text, he read it and stood. "The party finally broke up at my house. I'm heading home."

Armie was right behind him. "That means I can go now, too."

Stack, who she'd met earlier, shook his head at both of them, then finished his bottle of water. "Pathetic." He yawned elaborately and claimed his wife, Vanity, would be waiting for him.

Justice brought her to her feet. "You ready to call it a night?"

"I-" Her words got cut off as each of the men drew her around for a hug. She got passed from one big, hard body to the next, with praise on her pool shooting skills, her dancing, how she'd put Tom in his place, how well she handled Justice...on and on with invented qualities. Well, except for the games of pool. She really had done well there.

Lastly, Stack asked, "You'll be there next weekend for the fights? Vanity would enjoy meeting you."

She glanced at Justice in time to see him rolling his eyes.

Guessing that it was a special weekend for him to spend with his close friends, she knew she couldn't interrupt. "It's probably better if I don't-"

"You can all stop twisting my arm," Justice announced right before hauling her back over to his side. "She'll be there."

Fallon would have objected, but Justice hurried her out the door. She glanced back in time to see the others all grinning.





CHAPTER SIX

THE FOLLOWING WEEK passed in a near blur of happiness. As requested, Fallon presented Justice with an itinerary of the places she wanted to go. Because she'd listed a lot, she didn't expect to get to everything. She'd assumed Justice would pick and choose and let her know what was easiest.

Instead, he covered everything on her wish list, which meant they spent all day, every day, together.

Usually, he'd show up late morning to early afternoon after spending a few hours scoping out their immediate destination. Given the time of day, they'd head to lunch first thing. Justice arranged it so she got to visit nearly every area restaurant, from the mom-and-pop diners to the fast-food chains to the trendy spots. Fallon got him to try a few new things, and she learned the places he liked best.         

     



 

They spent an entire day at the street fair and even got a caricature drawing of them together. Because the artist drew Justice so comically big, and her eyes so enormous, Fallon couldn't stop laughing over it.

Other days were spent at the art museum, a flower show, a butterfly show at the conservatory, a Star Trek exhibit and an outdoor sculpture display at a park. Justice enjoyed the Star Trek exhibit best, and she most enjoyed the flower show. But all of it was terrific.

Tomorrow would be his friend's fight and she was excited, so when Justice showed up late morning, she had a dozen questions ready for him.

When she opened the door and saw him, though, she forgot much of what she'd planned to ask. "You look tired."

Around a wide yawn, he said, "I'm fine."

"Fine my foot." Had she been running him too much? True, they'd been on the go almost nonstop for days. But he hadn't once complained.