Bounty (22 page)

A
mber turned
and exited the bathroom, leaving Joel little choice but to follow her into the small living room. He watched as she lay her last towel down on the couch. Taking the hint, he sat down on it as she dropped onto the opposite end, about two feet away from him. She was looking at him expectantly, but he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say.

"You're welcome," she finally said when the quiet grew too uncomfortable for her.

He was about to snap back at her that he hadn't asked for this, but something about the look in her eyes told him to bite his tongue. She had helped him, after all. Sure, he could have just sat down in the rain until he felt less dizzy, but she was right about an infection if the wound was really as bad as she said. He didn't need to end up in the hospital. Debt was at least one shitty thing he wasn't saddled with.

"Thanks," he mumbled. She just nodded.

"So... this fighting thing, is that a... hobby? Or...?"

Joel shrugged. "It's what I do."

"Like, do for a living you mean?"

He pulled the towel away from his head and brought it around to stare at the dark red spot that stained it. "I guess."

"Can you really make a lot of money doing that? Enough to live on?"

"I don't need much," he said. Truth was, the money started off crappy and had only recently gotten to a level where he was starting to see light at the end of his homeless tunnel. After winning a lot of fights, more people started to bet on him. But now that he'd lost...

He looked up at Amber, trying to discern the meaning behind her question. Her hair was beginning to dry and he was starting to see red coming through. Her green eyes hadn't left him for a moment as they spoke. He noted again how pretty she was, even more so now that she didn't look like a drowning rat. But the emotion he saw in her face as she looked at him wasn't familiar. What was she after? Was she fishing to see if he had money she could somehow take? Despite his initial misgivings, she didn't seem like she was after anything like that. Still, people never did anything without wanting something in return.

"Just seems like a dangerous way to spend your nights," she said. "Does your family know you do this? I can't even imagine what my mother would say..."

"They're all gone. No one to tell."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

He shrugged. In reality it was true, they were gone from his life, anyway. He found that when he said it like that, people always assumed he meant they were dead. He never corrected them.

"You live alone, then?"

"Sort of. If you consider sleeping in a room packed with strangers alone." He put the towel back against his head after finding a clean spot and then removed it. The bleeding had stopped, at least.

"Strangers?"

"I usually sleep at shelters," he said.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"The money I'm making will help get me an apartment." He didn't know why he felt he needed to explain himself to her. She was nobody to him. Just another stranger with an angle he hadn't figured out yet.

She didn't say anything for a few minutes, and he was content to sit in silence.

"Listen," she said. "You're pretty covered in mud and... blood. If you want to take a shower, I can rustle up another towel. Especially if it's one you'll only use after the shower so I won't have to burn it afterwards." She laughed at her own joke but it died on her lips when she saw he didn't reciprocate.

Why was she still helping him? He still couldn't figure it out. Maybe she thought she could go through his pants when he was in the shower. She wouldn't find a nickel. "I can't pay you," he finally said.

Amber rolled her eyes again and looked at the ceiling as she let out an expressive and exaggerated sigh. "Joel, seriously, just learn to say thank you once in a while. I don't want your money, or anything else for that matter. I'm just trying to help."

His blue eyes stared at her for a moment more as he weighed his options. Finally, he nodded. "Thank you."

"Great," she said, standing up. "I think I might actually have some big sweat pants that you can wear. An old boyfriend left them here and I used to use them for bumming around the house but I was tired of always rolling up the ankles. I have an oversized hoodie, as well. Oversized for me, anyway. Still might be a bit small on you, but it's better than nothing. I'll look for them while you're in the shower. You know where the bathroom is. Just maybe be careful when you wash your head."

Amber turned and walked away towards her bedroom. Joel's eyes fell towards her ass as she did, admiring it. Her jeans were tight and well formed. She was definitely a girl that liked to keep in shape. He kept watching until she turned the corner into her bedroom.

D
igging through her closet
, she finally located the sweatpants. They were a dark grey, and seemed like they would fit him around the waist for sure, but may be a bit short. Her ex hadn't been quite as tall. The hoodie she had was actually an extra-large because she loved wearing oversized tops around the apartment in the winter when the landlord wouldn't turn the heat up enough, but it was an extra-large woman's, which probably would also be a bit small on him. Still, she couldn't have him continue to walk around her apartment with no shirt on. It was starting to get distracting.

The pipes started to bang against the shared wall of her bedroom so she knew he'd started the shower. She grabbed another towel from her closet, one of the good ones reserved for guests. She placed the three items into a neat pile and went out to the bathroom door, intending to leave them just outside but was surprised to see that Joel hadn't closed it all the way. Maybe to allow her to drop them inside.

The mirror above the sink was in plain view through the gap, and when she looked at it she caught a glimpse of Joel just as he was stepping into the shower. The muscles on his back were rippling as he reached into the shower to pull the curtain back and test the water, but she couldn't help letting her gaze drop lower, ignoring them for a moment.

Biting her lip to hold back a gasp, she watched as his firm ass moved when he stepped over the tub and in. There was very little hair on his behind, and only a bit on his well-toned legs. His back was to her, even as he pulled the shower curtain shut, leaving her oddly disappointed that she didn't get a view of the front.

Stop being a perv,
 she admonished herself. 
It hasn't been
 that 
long!

She pushed the door open and placed the pile she was holding on the closed toilet lid. "I'm leaving the clothes and towel here," she said.

"What?" Joel asked from behind the curtain. The running water was probably making it too loud for him to hear her clearly. Before she could repeat herself, though, the curtain was pulled to the side and Joel stood there before her, in all his glory but looking like nothing at all was out of the ordinary. "What did you say? I couldn't hear you."

"I- uh," she couldn't help it, her eyes fell immediately between his legs and her mouth opened in awe. With a mighty force of will, she tore them away from his impressive appendage and looked up at his face again. He was still looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Clothes," she said, pointing lamely at the toilet.

"Oh, thanks," he said. The spray from the shower was coming outside of the tub now with the curtain no longer containing it.

"You should close that," she said. She pointed at the floor.

Joel looked down and noticed the wet floor. "Oh, sorry. Right." He yanked the curtain shut.

Amber stood there, unable to move for a few more moments as his shower continued. She couldn't believe she had just seen this man completely naked. She had only just met him an hour ago! He seemed completely unconcerned as he had stood there talking to her, like he didn't even notice how inappropriate it was.

She then realized that if she was still standing in the bathroom by the time his shower was over, he was likely to end up giving her another show. The fact that she hesitated for a moment at that thought before leaving made her face get hot. She hurried out into the living room to collect herself and wait for him to emerge.

T
he hot shower
felt great against Joel's skin, as much as he hated to admit it. Certainly better than the group stalls at the YMCA where he usually took them. The water there was often lukewarm at best, and he always felt like he had to rush because there was often people waiting to get in. Consequently, showering with other people around was the norm for him, so he thought nothing of it talking to Amber with the curtain open, but he realized as soon as he saw her face that she wasn't as open.

Not his fault she had hang ups about bodies. Although he had noticed her check out his package immediately. Not that he could blame her. If the situation had been reversed, he certainly would have taken a look as well.

Just the thought of seeing Amber soaping herself up in the shower started to arouse him, and he shook his head to clear the thought. He needed to forget about that. He didn't know this girl, and he still didn't trust her. Even if she was attractive and overly friendly.

His body now clean, he tentatively reached up to touch his head to see if he'd be able to rub some shampoo through it. He winced in pain as his fingers met the cut at the back. He knew it would be even worse if he got soap in it, so opted instead to simply lean back and let the hot running water flow through his hair. It stung sharply when it hit the wound, but he ignored the pain as he watched the dirt from his hair collect along the bottom of the tub, swirly madly before disappearing down the drain. He ran his fingers through it until the water beneath him ran clean and then decided that was as good as he'd be able to do for today.

After turning off the water and pushing aside the shower curtain, he wasn't surprised to see the bathroom was empty, but he felt an odd twinge of disappointment at that fact. That feeling annoyed him slightly.

He quickly dried his body off and put on the clothes that Amber had laid out. His soiled pants were in a dirty heap on the floor, and he wasn't sure what he was going to do with them. Now that he was clean, he didn't relish putting them back on later.

"How was your shower?" Amber asked as he emerged from the bathroom. She was sitting on the couch, as she had been earlier, but had changed out of her wet clothes. She was wearing pajama pants and a white tank top. Her breasts were pressing noticeably against the fabric of her shirt and he was pretty sure she wasn't wearing a bra anymore.

"Refreshing," he said. "It's nice to be clean." He noticed her eyes again, quickly scanning his exposed chest and stomach. He hadn't bothered to do up the hoodie.

"Your head okay?"

Joel nodded, still standing by the bathroom door. He wasn't sure what to do now.

"You can sit down again," she said.

"I should get going," he said quickly. "It's late." Probably too late, in fact, for a spot at the shelter. With this rain, it was likely already a full house.

"You have somewhere to be at 1 AM?"

Amber was pretty direct, he'd give her that. And he didn't have somewhere to go, but that didn't mean he felt comfortable being in someone's debt. He was still expecting some sort of catch to all of this goodwill. On the other hand, he wasn't anxious to getting back into the rain and cold, especially with the prospect of not having a place to sleep looming.

"I thought maybe you would need to get up early tomorrow."

"No. I work in a bar, they don't even open until noon. You're welcome to stay a while."

Joel shrugged and then moved back over to the couch, across from her again. He noticed her eyes continued to stray towards his chest and abs, although she was making an effort to not make it obvious. His own eyes flickered to her chest and he noticed the outline of her nipples pressing against the cloth of her shirt.

"Does it still hurt?"

Joel shrugged. He could deal with pain.

"You do that often? The fighting?"

"Whenever they want me to. Usually every few days."

"You just fought last night as well."

"That's right. I saw you there. Randy needed a last minute replacement. I don't generally turn a fight down."

"Why not?" Amber's green eyes were wide as they spoke. He could tell she wasn't use to talking to someone like him. Her world was safe, despite the shitty neighborhood she lived in. She couldn't imagine his lifestyle.

"For the money." 
Because it's all I know how to do. Because I'm alone, but pain is familiar.

"There must be easier ways to earn money? "

"Not for me," he said sharply.

"You could get a job at a restaurant, don't discount how much you could earn in tips, or-"

"I'm not asking for career advice," he snapped.

Amber jumped slightly. He was right, she didn't have a clue about his world.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just... it just seems so dangerous, and you got hurt pretty badly today."

Joel stared down towards the center of the couch between them. He regretted raising his voice. If she wasn't actually after something from him, she didn't deserve it after all she'd done for him. Even if he didn't ask for any of it. He never asked for anything. 
Have no expectations and get no disappointments
. It was the one piece of advice from his father that he'd actually found valuable since being kicked out.

"No," he said. "It's fine. My head is okay. I've had worse. Fighting is just what I do. I've always done it. It's the only thing I'm good at. I'm not looking for anything else."

Amber just nodded slowly, her eyes on the same spot between them.

"I've watched fights on television," she said after a moment. "You seem just as good as any of them."

Joel laughed and Amber looked up in surprise. "Those guys are in a different league," he said.

"Is that what you want to do some day?"

He snorted. "I don't even dream that big."

"Why not?"

Joel threw up his hands. "How do you think you get to do that professionally? Not by fighting in alleyways. Those guys all belong to expensive gyms, they train at different clubs in different martial arts disciplines. They start off fighting in small local promotions, basically small MMA events, and then either get noticed or get a manager and try out for something bigger."

"Where do you train?"

"I don't," he said. 
Not anymore
. "I was on my high school wrestling team. I did well on that. Never lost a fight. I also studied a bit of Judo and boxing after school for a few years." 
If my dad had known that, he probably would have went out and took lessons himself so that he could beat me even worse. Smartest thing I ever did, doing all that behind his back
. "These days I just work out at the Y on my own."

"Clearly," she said. She was looking at his abs again. He watched her until she broke off and looked up at him. When she saw that he had caught her staring, she started to turn red.

"Umm, do you want something to eat or drink?" Amber stood up. "I need a drink." She turned and walked towards the kitchen before he even had a chance to respond.