Untamed: Bad Boy Fighter Romance (Fighting for Gisele #2) (7 page)

Micah did miss his family, and in other circumstances he would have seen them more often. It just wasn’t that easy to get away, with the fight circuit and all.

Plus, it had been so long since Micah had been home. He knew his mother Sophia would be glad to see him, and his father, too. But he was a bit of a fish out of water. If he wasn’t killing himself in the gym, or attempting to do the same in the ring, he was lost.

It had been that way growing up as well. Micah had been prone to getting into tussles, friendly sometimes, and other times not so much. His parents were fairly tolerant, but they lived in a nice neighborhood, so it became increasingly difficult to explain
Micah
.

He was where he belonged, chasing after the next fight, with Luke betting that his luck and skill would carry him to the next win. Micah didn’t think beyond that, as there had been no reason to. He was in the prime of his life, and winning. It was the life he’d chosen.

Fortunately, his brother Jacob had good business acumen and had taken over the family wine-importing business when their father retired. That was something Micah wasn’t cut out for, and he was grateful his brother was, thus leaving him free to roam the country in search of his next fight.

Whenever Micah spoke of his family, Gisele seemed very interested. He couldn’t blame her. A big Italian family probably fit her idea of what a family should be. It was certainly the polar opposite of a Russian mob brigade.

Micah knew his family would like Gisele, and for a fleeting moment he thought of taking her to New York. His mind veered in an unfamiliar direction, as he envisioned introducing her. His brothers would accept her right away, and, of course, his mother and sister would delight over Micah hooking up with Gisele.

It was the first time that Micah had considered taking a woman home to meet his family. But it was only a daydream. In reality, he wasn’t the type to bring a girl home, since he wasn’t one for commitment.

Micah’s life was too unpredictable, his fighting too dangerous. He had no business bringing a woman into it, especially one who was looking for a future…and
a normal future,
at that. The best he could hope for was to cherish his time with Gisele while it lasted, and to make sure when it was over that she was safe. That he could manage, but any more than that wasn’t in his plans.

Even as he thought about it, Micah was unsettled. He knew that eventually he’d have to part ways with Gisele, yet the prospect was a downer. He couldn’t for the life of him understand how he’d become so attached to her in such a short time.

What was important, though, was to stand between her and any threat that loomed. That was something Micah was good at. He wasn’t one to back down from a fight, especially when it involved protecting a woman he cared about.

Luke shoved the locker room door and held it open. He spotted Micah sitting on the bench. “Are you wrapping it up in here?”

“Yep, just leaving, and my body is screaming for fuel.”

“How about that buffet we went to last week?”

“Sounds good to me,” Micah said. “What I need is a lot of food.”

Luke sauntered in. He wore his usual jeans with polo shirt, appearing freshly showered. His short beard was groomed and his hair was gelled so it stuck out just so. “Coach says no alcohol, no gambling, and no fighting.”

“There goes my night. What am I supposed to do?”

Luke shrugged. “At least you can eat.”

The buffet was appropriately named Cravings. The expansive restaurant was carpeted in red and orange stripes, colors that were supposed to increase appetite. That was unnecessary, as Micah felt like he could chow down on anything that wasn’t moving.

The carving station was Micah’s first stop, for some coach-approved ham, roast beef, and turkey. It seemed a fighter couldn’t get too much protein. Luke piled up his plate too, although not quite as much as Micah did.

They found a table and ordered iced teas. Luke was willing to forgo alcohol until later, since he had the whole evening ahead. Micah spent some time eating before he looked over at his friend.

“Good mashed potatoes,” Luke said, lifting a forkful.

Micah leaned back to take a breather. He hadn’t seen Luke since his friend had sashayed over to the blackjack table. “So how’d it go with the blonde?”

Luke wrinkled his forehead. “Who?” Then it came back to him. “Oh, her. Well, I think she brought me luck, man. I was on a winning streak.” He gulped some tea. “How’d you do?”

Micah wasn’t anxious to detail his gambling losses. “I’m back with Gisele. When I got to the hotel, she was waiting for me.”

“So what’s happening?”

“I guess Vik has his jaw wired shut for now,” Micah said. “But the good news is that Gisele is not engaged to him.”

“Jeez, what kind of low self-esteem do you need to fake something like that?”

Micah had to smile. “Well, I don’t think confidence is that idiot’s issue, but he was hoping to drive a wedge between us. In fact, he is serious about wanting to marry her.”

“Is he any competition?”

“Naw, he’s just annoying,” Micah said. “She told me that it was a lie…she’d told him in no uncertain terms that she would not marry him.”

“What a fiasco.”

“It turned out okay for me, though.”

Luke raised his brows. “Yeah?”

“The charges were dropped.” Micah dove back into his food, carving a large bite of sweet potato.

“I’m relieved to hear that,” Luke said, “especially after the money you lost at the casino.”

“What makes you think I lost?”

“If you’d won you would have said so. You’re not one to pass up an opportunity to brag.”

“My concentration was off,” Micah said.

“I’ll bet.” Luke spoke through another mouthful of mashed potatoes. “But you have a big fight coming up, and we need the money.”

According to Luke, they always needed the money. Micah knew that his losses hadn’t put that big of a dent in their funds. They’d done well together, especially betting on the underground matches. Still, Micah did want to win.

“Tell me more about this fight.”

Luke pushed back from the table, finished eating. “The upcoming event is being sponsored by Leonid Chernov. Need I say more?”

Leo was another version of Russian mobster. His brigade was vested in underground fighting. They bet heavily and expected to win. Setting up the fights was their business, and they knew how to run things. But a Chernov fight could be deadly; the matches were for real, best man win…or at least survive.

Micah narrowed his eyes. “We better stand to make a lot of money on this one.”

Luke grinned. “
A lot
of money.”

“Then I better get another plate of food,” Micah said. “I’m going to need my strength.”

Chapter 7

While Micah was in training, Gisele didn’t see him often. Many evenings and a few afternoons, she was involved with her duties at the complex. Her brother seemed to keep her busier than before, and she wondered if it was a ploy to keep her away from Micah.

When Abby wasn’t dancing, she’d hang out with Gisele, and today was one of those days. They had a late lunch planned, some shopping, then cocktails at a place with a live band. To get ready, Gisele soaked in a bubble bath listening to music, trying to fill her mind with positive thoughts.

When the water cooled, Gisele got out and put on a robe. She flopped on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. With her birthday approaching, she missed her mother a lot. It would be so much better to share the excitement of turning twenty-one and planning the party together.

Alek had been good about listening to ideas, and provided Gisele with a party planner, but that wasn’t the same thing. She hugged her pillow to her chest and recalled what little she could of her mother Catarina.

She’d had so few years with her mother, and at such a young age. But Gisele remembered her mother reading books to her before bed, baking cookies for holidays, or taking her to the park. It was the little things that meant so much. Not long before her mother died, the family had gone to Navy Pier together.

Gisele’s father was an accountant by trade, but fun loving when he wasn’t working. He’d ridden the Ferris wheel with them, and she had experienced the warmth of being together as a family. Her parents had taken her to the Children’s Museum, although she recalled very little about it. She was still able to remember her mother’s laugh and how good it made her feel. Even better were her mother’s hugs, and when she’d said, “
I love you, sweetheart
.”

Thinking of the loss of her parents made Gisele sad; the years she’d had with them were precious. She clung to each memory: her mother’s perfume, her smile, and how much she’d loved Gisele. Even now, she wondered how different her life would have been if her mother had lived.

Sitting up on the bed with her feet dangling over the side, Gisele opened the side drawer to retrieve her photo album. She had photos of growing up in Chicago, of her Russian family, but, flipping to the back, she looked at the picture she had of her mother.

Catarina was of Italian descent. She had brown eyes and long sandy-blond hair. In the picture she looked happy, and Gisele’s eyes welled with tears. “Mama.” She ran her fingertips over the picture, as if she could touch the lovely woman she missed so much. “I wish you could be here for my birthday.”

Gisele brushed aside the tears and hugged the album. Her early childhood seemed like a different life, and in many ways it was. She remembered her father taking her ice skating, and laughing with him when she slipped. That was what she wanted again, a real family, one that loved each other and laughed together.

Opening the side drawer, Gisele put the book away. She needed to be grateful for what she did have, and not mourn, as that wouldn’t do any good. She knew her parents would want her to be happy, and they would be pleased to know that the Danilovs had taken good care of her.

Her father, Andrew Shelton, had planned for her future. His foresight was going to pay off. Before he’d been put in jail, her father had set up a trust for her, with his assurance that it would provide what she’d need. The stipulation had been that she couldn’t access it until she turned twenty-one, a day that was rapidly approaching.

While Gisele dressed, she thought about her father and how much he must have cared about her. Even during the stressful time of his trial and incarceration, he’d put her first, planning for her future when his own was uncertain. With her mother gone, her father had been the only family she’d had, but then she’d lost him too.

All Gisele had now was the trust, but from what her father had told her it would be enough. She’d saved some of her own money too. It wasn’t that the Danilovs wouldn’t continue to support her, because she was sure they would. But as long as she relied on them, she wouldn’t be on her own, so she was grateful to her father for thinking ahead.

Gisele got dressed and put on her makeup. As she brushed out her hair, she thought of Micah. She shouldn’t involve him in the complexity of her life, yet he’d already been dragged into it. By continuing to date her, he’d come under the scrutiny of the mob.

It made her wonder if women were usually guarded so closely, yet she had no way of knowing. Yuri Danilov’s wife had died long ago, and he hadn’t formed any new attachment. Her brother Alek could be quite the flirt, and he dated when he chose, but he didn’t have any steady girlfriend. Surrounded by men and isolated, Gisele’s only experience was how they treated her.

She couldn’t complain about how they had looked after her, but the men seemed to guard her too closely, as if they perceived danger that she didn’t. She believed that Yuri loved her in his own way. After all, he had raised her, and a family bond had formed over the years.

Gisele had been so young when she’d moved in with the Danilovs, and she’d loved them like any child loves her family. But they couldn’t replace her parents, or that special love. And as she’d grown up, the divergence between the two had become more apparent.

Brushing aside the conflict, Gisele went to her closet to choose a pair of shoes. She studied the racks, seeing the endless rows of shoes as evidence of how pampered she was. Just because her brother watched her a little too closely didn’t mean that she shouldn’t be grateful to him for all she’d been given.

Still, Gisele had a case of nerves about her birthday. She’d waited so long for access to the trust that the anticipation had gotten to her. It would have been just as good if her father had allowed her to have it when she’d turned eighteen. Then all of this would be over, and she’d have moved out years ago.

But wishing didn’t make it true. The crucial day would soon arrive, and Gisele would have to face all that entailed. She didn’t like feeling so alone. Of course, Alek would be with her, but for some reason he felt like the enemy. And as good a friend as Abby was, there was no way that Gisele wanted to drag her into this mess more than she already had. She’d been Gisele’s confidante for years, and without her, enduring the circumstances would have been tougher. But Gisele drew the line at danger, and thus kept Abby on the fringes.

She slipped on a pair of leather pumps and looked in the mirror. The conflict over her impending separation from the Danilovs had her stomach twisted into a knot. Her birthday should be cause for joy, but instead she felt as though she was heading toward her execution.

Gisele ran her hands through her hair and closed her eyes.
Why is this so difficult?
Then a thought came to her, one that provided some comfort. Micah was with her now, and he was a man without fear. She could lean on his strength, and he would be okay with that.

That settled it. Gisele would tell him about the trust. Micah could give her the emotional support she badly needed, and he’d be with her just in case. The decision made her feel better, more confident. She walked out of the closet with her head held a little higher.

Since it was still too early to leave, Gisele went downstairs in the mood for a cappuccino. She strode into the café with a spring in her step, but balked when she saw Alek drinking coffee with Vik. Maybe she could avoid them.

Gisele sat at the counter with her back to the men. She should have asked about Vik during his recovery, but she hadn’t. It was best not to do anything to encourage him, and if he thought she was concerned, that might be enough.

As soon as she placed her order, Vik came up and sat on the stool beside her. “Hello, Gisele.” She looked over at him, noting that he spoke without opening his mouth very much. Likely he was still healing from the jaw fracture.

“Hi, Vik. I see you got the wires out. Is your jaw better?”

Vik wore a dark shirt with jeans. His hair had grown longer since she’d last seen him, giving him a harsher appearance. His look unnerved her. “It will be fine,” he said, then put his hand on her shoulder. “You shouldn’t stay mad, Gisele.”

“What I do is not your business.” Gisele shrugged away from him. “But we can’t avoid each other, since you still work for my brother.”

“I don’t want to avoid you.”

“I know what you want, Vik, but you need to listen to me,” Gisele said. “It’s over. And it has been over for a while. I’m sure you knew, even though you tried to pretend otherwise.”

“You’re just upset.”

Gisele stood up. “You sound like my brother. I’m sick of both of you hovering over me like two old women.” She glared at Vik. “We are done. I don’t know how many ways I can say it, but I’m tired of repeating myself. You have to move on. I mean it.”

With that parting statement, Gisele walked away without bothering to wait for her coffee. She couldn’t put distance between them fast enough. Since Vik’s injury, he’d hung around the complex looking disgruntled. She hadn’t known if it was that he was in pain or whether he was still annoyed that she’d dumped him.

Gisele did her best to steer clear of him, but knew she’d have to face him again. His insistence on seeing her was maddening. The man couldn’t understand that no meant no. She let out a long sigh. It was so damn frustrating.

Gisele took the car to meet Abby, and lunch was good. She made a point to talk about anything but her birthday and all it entailed. She had to get her mind on something else, and didn’t even mention her encounter with Vik.

Fortunately, her friend had stories to tell about the performances that week. It was refreshing to hear about Cirque du Soleil and how the shows were going. Abby really loved the part where the performers went out into the audience. It delighted the crowd, and made her feel like a star.

When Gisele’s phone vibrated, she glanced at the screen. “It’s Micah,” she said, and her friend waved for her to take the call.

“Hey, Micah.”

“Gisele…it’s good to hear your voice.”

That made her feel good. “Are you training?”

“Yes, but I’ll be off early today, so I’d like to see you.”

Gisele’s heart skipped a beat. “That would be great.”

“I’m at the gym,” Micah said. “Why don’t you come by and hang out? You can watch me while I finish sparring, then I’ll be free.”

Gisele looked across the table. “I’m here with Abby right now.”

“Bring her with you. Luke will be around. We can make it a foursome.”

“Okay, I’ll ask her,” Gisele said. “See you in a bit.”

“Ask me what?” Abby said, as soon as Gisele hung up.

“Do you have any objections to watching Micah in the ring for a while?”

“Why would I? You know fighting, and fighters, do it for me,” Abby said.

“Then you won’t mind going out with one.”

Abby widened her eyes. “You have someone in mind?”

Gisele grinned. “You remember the guy who is Micah’s partner…Luke?”

“That cute guy who hangs around with him?” Abby nodded. “That’s not a face, or
body
, you forget.”

“When Micah’s finished for the day, he suggested we all go out together, get a drink or something.”

“I’m in,” Abby said. “Is Luke a fighter too?”

“He is, sort of. I guess he’s had too many injuries so he doesn’t compete.”

“I see,” Abby said, with a gleam in her eye. “I did notice his muscular build.”

Gisele laughed. “I’m sure you did.”

They finished lunch then took the car to the gym. Abby was excited. “How cool to get to watch Micah sparring.”

“It’s not all glamour, you know. It’s sweaty work.”

The gym smelled like a men’s locker room, and was crowded with fighters training. It was loud, too. There was the thud of fists hitting punching bags, machines clanging, and weights banging as they were dropped back onto the rack. The overhead lights were bright, and Gisele spotted Micah in the ring with his sparring partner.

There was a row of folding chairs to one side of the ring, so Gisele motioned for Abby to follow her. They sat down to watch Micah punch. He was all male power as he danced around the ring and struck with force. When his back was to her, Gisele stared at his nice ass and strong legs. She could look at Micah all day.

The coach pushed away from the ropes, lifting his hands to interrupt. He said something and Micah nodded, then the sparring continued. Sweat drenched Micah’s skin, and his chest moved with heavy breathing. The sparring went on for another twenty minutes or so before the coach called an end.

Micah took off his headgear and removed the mouth guard, before patting his partner on the back. Then he turned toward Gisele and waved. Micah stepped through the ropes and jumped down, then walked over to greet her.

His short hair was matted and his face dripped with sweat. Micah dried off with a towel as he stood before Gisele, and her pulse raced. She’d be more than happy to help him with that chore. “Hi, Abby,” he said. “I’m glad you could come along. I’ll go shower. Watch for Luke…he should be here anytime.”

Gisele watched Micah walk away, admiring his broad shoulders, unable to take her eyes off the rippling muscles of his back. She licked her lips, then turned to see Abby looking at her. “I think I’m a fighter groupie at heart. See what I mean about fighters?”