Enemy Mine

Chapter 62

One more week and your ass is mine.

Deidra's text started my Sunday, although details had already trickled down to me through Deidra's contacts, namely Colin. Apparently, we were fighting in the underground arena here in New York, where she planned to pummel me until I bled out, but I didn't wake up thinking about funeral arrangements.

Willem still hadn't turned up, which had me second guessing my compassion-fueled idea to join the search party. Combined with my insanity-fueled idea to fight a Krav Maga instructor with a grudge, I had plenty of thoughts to plague me as I went through my ritual with Mr. Pearlman. By the time I got him propped in his recliner with a cup of coffee and the remote, I had talked myself into spending some alone time in the rec room.

The padded floor made the perfect surface for tucks and rolls, and the punching bag provided a stand-in for Deidra's face. Since I had left Vincent out of the loop, I didn't bother making the change for this spontaneous visit. I just tied the hem of my tee shirt at my waist, donned my gloves, and ended up clocking twenty minutes of speedbag drills before the rec room door opened and Colin waltzed in, wearing only a pair of spandex shorts.

"Sorry, Reese. I can come back later if you'd rather practice alone." Colin clearly didn't want to come back later. He hadn't even stopped his stride as he continued walking toward me.

"I was just about to leave." I pulled off my gloves, averting my eyes from his well-honed abdominals. Apart from their scars, Colin and Vincent had nearly identical chests, but I refrained from staring at Colin's scars as I walked to the utility closet to put away the gloves. Colin followed me in and leaned against the wall as he watched.

"I see you're not wearing your ring," he said. "Vincent already piss you off? Is that why you're here... venting your frustrations?"

"You're off by a mile. I'm not wearing my ring because I left it right here." I opened the lid of a strongbox sitting on one of the utility shelves and plucked out the ring. "I didn't want to damage it while I trained."

"Oh. That makes sense."

"You sound like you're disappointed that Vincent and I aren't fighting. Don't you want him to be happy?"

"Yes, but I want to be happy too."

"That's completely up to you. No one is stopping you from being happy."

Colin folded his arms across his chest, looking pouty. "Vincent is."

"How is Vincent stopping you from being happy?"

"He has what I want." Colin pushed off the wall, and in two fluid steps he trapped me against the utility shelf, caging me inside his arms. "I want you, Reese. My need is consuming me. I don't know how to suppress it. Nothing works. Not even Sylvie."

"Stop hijacking me like this, dammit!" I pushed against him, and suddenly I felt his lips on my forehead, pressing their warmth against my sweaty skin. "Think this through, Colin. You're being selfish. If Vincent caught us like this, he would tear into you without a second thought."

"I don't care. I would challenge him if I didn't think it would pull the family apart."

My stomach plummeted at his confession. This was not good. "There must be someone out there for you. You've got a lot to offer. Don't make a decision that could fuck up your relationship with your family just because you're lonely."

Colin chuckled softly as he continued to hold me prisoner. "I'm not lonely. I could find a mate if I tried, but I don't want to try. Not when I have exactly what I want right here."

Oh, hell. He's going to make me say it. He's forcing me to throw the truth in his face and hurt his feelings.

"Colin, I'm marrying Vincent because I'm in love with him. You need to find a way to be okay with us being friends without benefits."