House Of Obsidian: Flawed Love Part 10

I'm a bad liar.

He narrows his eyes. "Chilling? I don't think so. I know you better than that. What're you really doing?"

s.h.i.+t.

"I, ah, just fell. Hurt my ankle."

"s.h.i.+t," he says, kneeling. "You should have called me."

He lifts my ankle and inspects it, frowning because there's not any swelling. He puts it back down and lifts the other, causing my body to jerk a little. A pained groan leaves my throat and I press a hand to my stomach without even thinking. He drops my ankle and reaches over, grabbing my s.h.i.+rt. I try to slap his hand away, but he's too quick. He lifts it and his eyes flare with rage as he sees the dark bruises starting to form.

"What the f.u.c.k happened to you?"

I wave a hand. "I fell."

"Bulls.h.i.+t. Do you think I'm stupid? My dad has knocked me around enough for me to know when something is there from a fist and not a simple trip. Who did this?"

"Rainer, come on, it's fine."

His eyes flash with rage and he barks, "Who did this, Emalie?"

"I don't know."

"You're lying!"

"Rainer please," I say and much to my horror, a tear slides down my cheek.

"f.u.c.k," he says, leaning over and scooping me into his arms. "Sorry."

"Why are you carrying me?" I manage through choked tears.

"Because you're hurt. I'm taking you to the hospital."

"I don't need the hospital," I protest. "I just need sleep."

He frowns. "You could have internal damage."

"I'm fine. Please, Rainer. Just take me home."

He stares down at my face and his jaw tics. "You're not going to tell me who did this, are you?"

I shake my head, looking away.

"I don't like it, Emy. Don't f.u.c.kin' like it at all."

"I know," I say softly.

He places me in his truck gently, and I wince in pain as I'm forced to move.

Neither of us say anything more, but I know how much this is bothering him.

I just can't tell him who did it.

CHAPTER NINE.

NOW a MALI

I can't take my eyes off him, no matter how hard I try-and believe me, I'm trying. There's an air about him that just can't be unseen. He moves across the ring with grace, his big body flexing and pulling. Max moves with a more determined, fierce aggression, but Rainer? It's as if he was born for it. The two of them dance around each other like lions, sizing each other up. I honestly don't know how they can bring themselves to fight when they're good friends outside of the ring.

"How hot are they?" Belle asks, leaning in so she can talk in my ear over the roaring of the crowd.

I nod. "Hot. I can't believe they are so at ease in there."

"Would you believe that Rainer and Max hated each other only weeks ago? They got into a ma.s.sive fight one night, because Max thought I was sleeping with Rainer, which I obviously wasn't. Anyway, after the fight, Max decided to take Rainer on, because he fought so well."

I raise my brows. "Seriously?"

"Yep."

"I never thought Rainer would be much of a fighter. Not that I don't think he can't do it, because he can, he just usually tries so hard to keep his cool."

She smiles. "I think it's his way of expelling pent-up energy. Rainer is calm only because he doesn't know any other way to be."

"Do you know him well then?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Not well. All I know is he and Pippa have a long past that's ugly. Pippa hasn't gone into detail with me, but the two of them grew close due to a life experience together. I think she'll tell me about it one day when she's ready."

So I was right. Pippa and Rainer have connected over something. I just want to know what that something is. I'm not sure Pippa is going to offer that information up easily. I mean, if she hasn't told Belle, there's a good chance she's not going to tell anyone. Which could make things difficult. She holds the answers, all of them, but I have no idea how to get them out of her.

I focus back on the ring just in time to see Rainer drive a swift punch into Max's face. I gasp, pressing a hand over my mouth, horrified but fascinated all at the same time. Max returns the favor, ducking and slamming a fist into Rainer's belly. The two of them fight hard then, fists flying, legs swinging, bodies dodging.

And it's mesmerizing.

As I watch Rainer's big body move, I get hotter and hotter. He's so beautiful, so graceful and yet so deadly. His face is a hard mask and his muscles flex and pull as he moves around the ring as if he was born ready for it. I press a hand over my heart as the fight comes to a close, with Rainer taking the win. The crowd erupts in screams and the sound is deafening.

"Holy s.h.i.+t, if I didn't love my husband so much, I'd wish I was the lucky girl getting to take all that energy tonight," Belle says staring at Rainer.

Yes, I wonder what it would be like to f.u.c.k him right now, while he's hot and bothered like that.

"She'll be very lucky indeed," I agree, keeping my eyes on him.

He spits some blood from his mouth and his eyes scan the crowd. My heart flutters. Is he looking for me? His eyes move straight past me, and focus on Pippa, and that's when I see it. There's a softness there, a deep, intense softness that can only mean one thing. Rainer is in love with her. I can't believe I didn't see it earlier, and at the realization, something breaks inside me.

I've never seen him look at anyone like that.

G.o.d dammit, what am I doing here? What am I trying to prove?

"I need some fresh air," I say to Belle, before turning and shoving through the crowd.

I push towards the stairs and shove my way through person after person, desperate to get out. There's a deep pain in my chest that I didn't realize had gotten so intense. It was okay when Rainer was just Rainer, it was okay that I didn't know his past, and it was okay that he didn't remember me. But what's not okay is the idea that he is in love with another woman. And he is. Hard. His eyes expressed a longing for her that I would die to have aimed at me.

A tear bursts forth and I keep pus.h.i.+ng through the crowd until I reach the front door. The moment the cool, spring breeze hits my face, I gasp it in, taking big, painfully large lungfuls of it until my hands stop trembling. I can't stop the tears through. I stumble on my heels and an agony unlike anything I've ever felt tugs on my heart, seeming to suffocate me from the inside out. I mutter excuse mes to the crowd of people until I'm by the road.

I look left, and then right. I can't see any cabs. I guess I'm going to have to call one. I fumble for my phone when a presence comes up behind me. I feel it so strongly, and I know before he speaks that it's him. Why the h.e.l.l would he come after me? He doesn't even remember my face, so why the h.e.l.l should he care what happens to me? My body goes stiff, but I keep my eyes focused on the road.

"Everything okay?" he asks, his voice low and thick. "I saw you rush out. Are you sick?"

He's just being a good citizen. Of course he is. Why the h.e.l.l wouldn't he do the gentlemanly thing and make sure I'm safe? I want to scream in frustration, but I just keep my eyes to the road.

"I'm fine," I say, but my voice is thick and broken. "I just need to get home."

He curls his fingers around my arm and spins me towards him. He's still s.h.i.+rtless, seemingly unaffected by the group of girls who have stopped to gawk at him. He's got sweat running down his chest, his face is slightly bruised, and there's a little blood around his lip. He smells incredible. Like a man would smell right after s.e.x. Wild s.e.x.

"You're crying," he says, studying my face, running those gorgeous brown eyes over me as if he truly cares.

"And?"

His brows furrow. "Something upset you."

"Yes, but it's fine. I'm going to go home. Great fight."

He doesn't let me go. "You're hiding something, aren't you?"

I flinch. "I beg your pardon?"

"You . . . you have something in your eyes. Hurt. I don't know what from, but I effect you somehow."

G.o.d, he's too smart for his own good. He always was. He used to be able to read me like a book and it would seem it's the same now. I look away, because if I meet his eyes, I'm afraid he'll see the pain in their depths. The real pain. The pain of knowing the man I love so dearly is in love with another woman.

"You just remind me of someone I . . . loved."

He's silent for a moment. "Did something happen to him?"

"Something like that," I whisper.

"I'm sorry I bring back painful memories."

My eyes flash up to his. "No, not it's not like that at all. Believe it or not, I've enjoyed spending time with you."

His eyes study my face, and his mouth softens slightly, lips parting just a touch. "Yeah," he finally says. "I think you're pretty good too."

"Anyway," I say, forcing a smile. "I should get home."

"You got a ride?"

I shake my head. "I'll call a cab."

"No," he says. "I'll take you."

"No Rainer, it's fine. We . . . you don't have to do that."

He puts a hand up. "Least I can do."

"I don't want to push this," I protest as he pulls a cell phone from his pocket. I have no idea how that got there. It certainly couldn't have been there when he was fighting. He must have grabbed it on his way out after me. "You and I . . . we agreed that we would just act casual about all of this, and I don't want you to feel like I'm pus.h.i.+ng for more or that any of this is an act . . ."

"Do you always talk so much, Mali?" he says, his eyes twinkling with amus.e.m.e.nt. I haven't seen that twinkle since we were younger.

My heart swells a little. "No," I say sheepishly.

He presses his phone to his ear and a second later, he says, "Pip, hey, any chance you could do me a big favor?"

My heart squeezes. Dammit.

"Yeah, I need to take Mali home, but my keys are in my locker. Are you still down there?"

He smiles, his eyes so bright, so into every single word she's saying.

"Thanks, beautiful."

Beautiful. Oh G.o.d that hurts.

"Out front."

He hangs up and turns back to me, and I force another smile as we wait. Less than five minutes later, Pippa appears, looking like a fallen angel. She smiles at us and walks over, handing Rainer his keys. "Thanks, gorgeous," he says, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her forehead.

"No problem." She smiles. "Is everything okay, Mali?"

"I think I just drank those cosmos a little fast. I have a belly-ache," I lie.

Her face flashes with genuine concern. G.o.d dammit, I'm so jealous of her, but I can see why he adores her. She's got a beautiful personality.

"Oh no," she says. "I hope you're going to be okay?"

I nod. "I'll be fine. Thanks for tonight, Pippa. I had a great time."

She steps out of Rainer's arms with a smile up at him, and walks over, hugging me too. She's so tiny, even next to someone pet.i.te like me. I hug her back and then watch as she flashes Rainer a warm, affectionate look, before disappearing into the club.