Hook (Fighter Romance) (Las Vegas Series #1) Read online

  Car service dropped me off at the airport, and I got onto Sebastian’s private jet. It was nice having friends with connections.

  My phone buzzed and I slid it out. Julius sent a group text to me, Marco and Sebastian. I opened it up, and shook my head at the picture of him in the middle of a group of naked chicks. The caption reading, While your lame asses are working, I’m getting it on.

  I texted back, Maybe you should be working because, at this rate, your ass is going to be broke in a year.

  Julius: Nah, I have Sebastian covering my ass with investments.

  Sebastian: In a meeting.

  Julius: What’s new?

  Knox: I’m about to take off. Wrap your dick before you stick it anywhere.

  Julius: Good looking out.

  Sebastian: Knox, don’t make a mess of my plane.

  Knox: You mean don’t jerk a load off on your seats?

  Sebastian: You’re a sick fuck.

  Marco: Who’s jerking what?

  I laughed at Marco’s text. He was always a few messages behind when he was filming. I slipped my phone back into my pocket, and put my headphones in. It was an hour and a half flight from LA to Vegas and just enough time for me to catch up on a few z’s. I tapped my chest and smiled up. Keep me safe up there, Zoe.

  Once we leveled out, I unclicked my seatbelt and stretched my legs out. The flight attendant, a man with a small build, brought me a piece of grilled chicken and steamed vegetables. The food was the same as it always was when I borrowed the jet, organic and to my liking, but the help on the other hand would take a little to get used to. Before Annabelle came back into Bastian’s life, he only hired female flight attendants whose uniforms consisted of tiny skirts and low cut shirts.

  “Thank you,” I said as he placed the plate down in front of me.

  “Will there be anything else, Mr. McArthur?”

  “No, that will be all,” I responded, and forked a piece of chicken into my mouth. The flight attendant went back to his station while I finished my meal. It was a short flight, but I wouldn’t have time to eat before meeting with Don. And there was no way in hell I was going to eat the shit they served at the casino we were meeting at. I was surprised that food was even legal to serve.

  Growing up on a farm, I understood the importance of organic food and how horrible that processed shit was for the body. There was a reason I was honed to perfection. I was in amazing shape because I knew everything that was entering my body, and I wasn’t about to poison it with crap.

  I rested back in my seat and closed my eyes. It had been a long day, and it wasn’t ending any time soon. If I could just get a few minutes of sleep in now, I’d be good for another eight hours. But, when I closed my eyes, visions of that stripper popped into my mind.

  It had been so long since I had sex. It was too distracting when I was training, so I just avoided the opposite sex all together, but that girl had me craving a hot and dirty release.

  She made me feel like I was more than a job to her. She ground against me, letting my hands roam freely across her beautiful curves without a single warning. She wanted me to touch her as badly as I wanted to.

  I laughed, realizing how naïve I sounded in my own head. It was absolutely ridiculous since it was her job to get a guy all horned up. The hot electric spark I felt between us was nothing more than her trying to make an extra buck. Still, I couldn’t shake her from my mind.

  There was just something about her.

  Chapter Four

  Mila

  I pulled into my parking spot at Paradise Glen, and cut the engine. My eyes felt like they weighed nine hundred pounds, and my body ached in places I didn’t know were possible. I glanced at my watch and sighed. It was six in the morning. I should’ve been home hours ago, but a last minute bachelor party walked in, and they were throwing money around like it grew on trees. There was no way I could walk away from that. Especially not when rent was due in a week, and I was a hundred bucks short.

  Twenty minutes. That’s all I had before I had to get Mackenzie’s ass out of bed and in the shower. I wasn’t in the mood for the fight she would put up like she did every goddamned morning. But, I would deal because getting her on that bus to school meant she was one step closer to her achieving a better life. I fought with her every day and would continue to do so till she made something of herself. I had no choice. It was either use my body or find us out on the streets hungry and homeless. I would be damned if I let Mackenzie have to put up with the shit I did in order to survive. She was going to do something better with her life if it were the last thing I did.

  The building looked like hell in the early morning sunlight. There were shingles missing from the aging roof, and the beige stucco exterior was streaked with dirt and grime. The gates on the terraces were rusted and missing pieces. Not like anyone ever hung out on them. They were mainly used to hang laundry.

  Old man Simpson sat on the stairs leading to the second level, probably just waking up from a late night binger. He looked around disoriented, but, when I passed him by, he raised his hand over his head in greeting.

  “Morning,” I said with a smile.

  He went to stand and fell back down. I would have helped him up if he didn’t reek of booze and vomit. My community service efforts only went so far. It didn’t matter anyway because he was snoring half a second later.

  “Welcome to Paradise,” I uttered, as I made my way to my and Mackenzie’s apartment. The thought of a fresh cup of coffee was the only thing keeping me going. I couldn’t wait to sit down, put my feet up and enjoy my caffeine fix before Mackenzie woke up.

  I eased the door open, not wanting to wake her. The last thing I needed was for her to give me shit about working late. Somehow, she would make it about her because everything, and I mean everything, was always about her. I could stub my fucking toe, and she would find a way to turn it around on her.

  Anger rushed through me as I stepped into the living room, and found two young guys and a bunch of empty beer bottles sprawled out on my floor.

  I flipped the switch on, and slammed my bag on the coffee table, scaring the shit out of one of the guys. “What the fuck is going on in here?!” I yelled, and the kid with shaggy blonde hair jumped up, grabbing his sweatshirt. He had gauges in his ears, and his left eyebrow pierced. His brown eyes took a minute to focus on me and, when they did, I flung my finger to the door. “Out! Out of my fucking house right now!”

  “Chill out, dude,” he said, and it only caused the anger to reach epic proportions.

  “Chill out, dude?! Are you serious?” I stepped toward him ready to grab him by the collar of his band t-shirt and throw him out the door.

  “Nice of you to finally come home,” Mackenzie said from behind me.

  I spun to her, hand on my hip, eyes full of rage. She rested her hip against the doorframe of her bedroom, her pink pajama shorts leaving little to the imagination. “I’ll deal with you later,” I snarled.

  “So, you finally show up, and now you’re going to what? Punish me?” Her tone dripped thick with disdain, and then she laughed. I wanted to smack the smirk off her face, and maybe I should have. She always bitched about how shitty our lives were after mom and dad died. Maybe she needed to see how shitty life could really be. My fingers twitched with desire, but I clenched my fists and fought the urge.

  Blondie bent over and shook his friend awake. Before I could follow through with my plan to toss their asses out the fucking door, they were gone.

  “They didn’t even say goodbye,” Mackenzie said with a sigh.

  “Are you kidding me right now?”

  “Oh, give me a break. Nothing happened. It’s not like you found them in bed with me having a threesome or anything.”

  I rested a hand to my head because I seriously thought it would explode. “You’re sixteen years old. What the hell do you know about threesomes?” I demanded.

  She ran a hand through her dirty blonde hair, and smiled at me with a smirk that was so
much like Mom’s it scared me. “Enough. What happens in Vegas, right?”

  I pushed a finger into the bridge of my nose. It was too fucking early to deal with any of this shit, and the last thing I wanted was to have a conversation with my teenage sister about threesomes. With a deep breath, I dropped my hand, and scooped up a beer bottle from the carpet.

  “Care to explain this?”

  “It’s just a few beers. I don’t see why you’re making such a big deal out of nothing.” She strutted away like she didn’t have a care in the world.

  “Because it is a big fucking deal. You might think you’re an adult, but you’re not. God forbid something had happened here last night. Do you know who would be responsible? Me. I would be at fault even if I weren’t here. And there is no way in hell I’m going to jail because you feel the need to act out.”

  “You’re overreacting. I’m going to take a shower.” She brushed me off, and I wondered if she was even listening to anything I was saying. “I’m thinking omelets for breakfast,” she said just before disappearing into the bathroom.

  The door slammed shut, and I slumped onto the stool along the kitchen breakfast bar. We didn’t have enough room for a real table, so most of our meals were spent here. I also spent a lot of time sitting here contemplating ways to keep myself from murdering Mackenzie. She was my sister and I loved her, would do anything for her, but she really knew how to push my fucking buttons. And lately she seemed to be in overdrive.

  Growing up, she was as sweet as pie, full of love and laughter. After mom and dad died, everything that made her my adorable little sister vanished, leaving behind a bitter brat who had no regard for others. She wasn’t the only person who lost them though. At least she didn’t have to be the one to take on their role. How do you fill shoes so big? It was an impossible task and if anyone were to be bitter it should’ve been me.

  Mackenzie was lucky I didn’t kick her ass out into the streets for this latest stunt. But, brat or not, she was my sister, my responsibility, and all I had left in this world.

  So, I took a deep breath and got up to make the princess her breakfast.

  * * *

  Twenty minutes later, she was sitting across from me, picking at the food on her plate.

  “What?” I asked, seeing the complaint brewing on her overly glossed lips.

  “The egg is a little dry.”

  “Then make it yourself next time.”

  “Mom’s eggs were never dry,” she said, getting in another dig. I wasn’t Mom, never would be, and no one knew that better than me, but Mackenzie found the need to remind me of that every second she could.

  “No, they weren’t,” I said, not willing to fuel the fire she was trying to start. She might have thought she was smart, but I knew her games, and I was no longer falling for them.

  It seemed to work as she stopped talking and finished eating. When she was done, she stood up and put her plate in the sink even though we had a dishwasher that was only a foot away.

  “Can I have fifty bucks?” she asked.

  “Fifty bucks?” I exclaimed. “For what?”

  “There’s these new shoes I really want.”

  I laughed, unable to help myself. She wanted fifty bucks for shoes when I just had to work an all-nighter so I could make rent. “You know we can’t afford it.”

  “You were out all night. I’m sure you made extra money. Unless it was for pleasure.” She narrowed her blue eyes at me, and arched an eyebrow.

  “No, it was not for pleasure. And, for your information, I worked the extra hours so I can pay the rent this month. I have just enough left after that to get groceries for the week. So, I’m sorry but no.”

  She threw her arms down and stomped away. “This is bullshit. If Mom and Dad were alive, I’m sure they would give me the money.”

  “Yeah, well they’re not. They’re dead so get over it!” I screamed and she came to a halt.

  Her blue eyes darkened beneath a buildup of tears. “Nice!” she screeched, and then stormed off to her room.

  I jumped at the sound of her door slamming shut. I grabbed my plate and went to the sink, taking hers out and putting them both in the dishwasher. Guilt ate at me, thinking about the shock on her face when I said those horrible words. But I didn’t do guilt, so it morphed into anger.

  I smashed the bottom rack of the dishwasher back into place, plates rattling and silverware banging against each other.

  “Son of a bitch!” I yelled.

  I took a few moments for myself, before getting my shit together and gearing up for the fight with Mackenzie to get on the fucking bus.

  Chapter Five

  Knox

  I brought the bar down to my chest and used the last of my energy to try and push it back into place. Julius stood there ready to reach in and grab the three hundred plus pounds in case my arms gave out on me. The two of us were in constant competition, seeing who could bench more. Though neither of us relied on that strength. Endurance and skill were more important in both our careers. Still, it gave us something to rag on each other about.

  “I don’t know, pretty boy. You’re looking a little spent,” he mocked.

  “I’m. Not. Spent,” I forced out the words, feeling the veins in my arms expanding. Pressure built in my face as I sputtered out, “Beat this, pussy.” I pushed up one final time and put the bar back into its place.

  “Pussy, huh? Them fighting words,” Julius said, rubbing at his chin.

  “So, you going to do something about it?” I asked, slipping out from the bar and sitting up.

  He handed me a towel and I ran it down my face before wrapping it around my neck.

  “Nah, I have to head out. We have a team meeting getting ready to go into preseason.” He flew in last night, but I hadn’t seen him until this morning. Now I know why. He was celebrating his last night as a free man before his coach got his claws into him.

  “Poor baby has to go back to work,” I joked.

  “Could be worse. I could be working a nine to five behind a desk.”

  “You wouldn’t last ten minutes.”

  “Julius laughed. “You’d give me that long? I was thinking more like five.”

  We headed to the locker room to grab our stuff. I had a full sized gym in my house with state of the art equipment, but, for some reason, it wasn’t the same. I liked to be surrounded by people who were going after the same thing as me. Improving their strength, striving to be a better version of themselves. It was contagious and inspiring.

  Besides, whenever Julius and I tried to work out at my place, we always wound up crashing on the couch and watching the Discovery channel for five hours.

  Julius rubbed at his brows and then stretched his arms, letting out an obnoxiously loud yawn.

  “Better get that yawning out before the meeting. Daniels will be all over your ass.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I got coach handled. Nothing an energy drink can’t fix.”

  “Late night?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

  He laughed. “My night never ended.”

  As we walked out of the locker room to the parking lot, I noticed all the girls’ eyes following us. We were used to it, especially after we were both on the most recent sexiest bachelors of the year list. Even if girls didn’t follow sports, they knew who we were.

  Julius soaked each look up and offered a smile or a wink in return. I ignored them and kept walking. A blonde with braided pigtails smiled at us, making me think of the stripper from the other night. This girls’ body was nothing in comparison to the perfect curves and soft bumps of the stripper.

  My mind drifted back to the intense lap dance, the way she rocked her pussy against my cock, how she felt beneath my hands. I shook the thoughts away, afraid they’d start showing in my gym shorts.

  “Hey, did you happen to hit up the Honey Pot last night?” I asked Julius.

  “Not last night why?”

  “No reason,” I said, and even though he gave me
a questioning look, he didn’t push further.

  I shifted my dick, acting like I had an itch instead of a semi. Fuck, that girl was messing with my head. No, fuck that. It had nothing to do with the girl. I just needed to get laid. It clearly had been too fucking long.

  Julius got in his Escalade and we both headed our separate ways. I turned my Hummer out of the parking lot, and remembered I was out of milk. Unlike my friends, I didn’t have people do my shopping for me. I bet the last time Sebastian was in a grocery store was probably college.

  I shook my head at the thought. I didn’t care how much money I had, I wasn’t incapable of picking up a few groceries myself.

  I pulled into the nearest supermarket and grabbed my wallet out of the glove box. It was a gorgeous day, bright sunshine, temperature in the low eighties, typical Vegas weather and just the way I liked it. Just like every day in Vegas. But, even though I loved the constant perfect sunny weather, sometimes I missed the snowy winters in the mountains I missed my family, but the memories were imbedded with pain and it hurt too much to go back. It was easier to stay away.

  I walked through the sliding glass door of the supermarket and heard a cute young girl gasp in recognition. I watched, amused, as she spun around smacking her friend in the arm. The friend turned with an annoyed look on her face, but when she saw me all the hostility morphed into excitement. The two girls jumped up and down and giggled.