Simon Says Excerpt 2
“Dean,” she said dismissively while moving further into the bedroom.
“Yeah.” Dean coughed. “I think I’ll go wait in the kitchen.” And with that, he left them.
Bonnie’s hand lightly touched his shoulder. “Simon?”
He shrugged her off. She had to have noticed the mattress in the hallway, the disarray of the bed, the crumpled photos on the nightstand. “I’ll be out of here within the hour.”
Typical of Bonnie, she refused to look anywhere but at him. She crossed her arms beneath her generous breasts. With a toss of her head, she sent her silky dark hair tumbling over her shoulders. “And just where do you think you’re going?”
“That doesn’t concern you anymore, does it?” Moving around her, Simon went to his dresser and removed a drawer, then upended it over the growing pile of clothes.
“Of course it concerns me.” Bonnie followed on his heels. “Today is our anniversary.”
“Nope. Today is the day it all ends. Nothing more.”
Her voice rose the tiniest bit. “Why?”
“Come on, Bonnie. You’re smart. You already know why.”
“Oh, just great. Because of one little indiscretion, you’re going to throw away a five-year relationship?”
He couldn’t help it; her dense perception of her perfidy struck Simon as funny. “Was it only one?”
“Yes!”
He still didn’t look at her. “Was it little?”
Frustration and annoyance sharpened her tone. “I meant insignificant.”
“I see. Well, that’s too bad for you.”
Bonnie sank well-manicured nails into his biceps. “Damn it, Simon, he was available when you weren’t. I only took the photos to... to keep me company when you’re not here.”
What a joke. “I hope he’s available non-stop now.” Simon pried her hand loose, then immediately dropped it.
“Because I’ll never be available to you again.”
“Bullshit.”
The coarse words shocked him. “Such language for a lady.” Bonnie prided herself on her respectability.
“You’re leaving me,” she rasped. “The situation calls for harsh language.”
“Suit yourself.” His many sport T-shirts joined the stack on the sloping mattress.
Since her present tact failed, Bonnie tried a new gimmick. “You’re kidding yourself and you know it.”
“Is that right?”
“You love me.”
He shook his head on a laugh. “No.”
“We have something special.”
“I was dumb enough to think so.” Simon nodded toward the photos. “Thanks for pointing out my error.”
“Simon, please!”
Never had he heard Bonnie beg. He sure as hell didn’t want to hear it now. “Save it.”
She took a combative stance in front of him. “You’re a family man, Simon. You like the security and familiarity of the same woman, the same place. You cherish stability.”
“I like honesty and loyalty, too. What I don’t like is being played for a fool.”
“You could never be that.”
He laughed again.
“Simon, listen to me. From the time we decided to move in together, you’ve been saying that love and commitment was give and take, and –”
“Yeah, I know what I said, Bonnie. But you gave a little too much to the wrong man.” Simon physically set her away from him.
“I won’t just let you go,” she screamed. “I won’t just stand by while you throw away five good years.”
Once again, she shocked him. It was unlike Bonnie to cause a scene. “Save the hysterics, babe. We both know you can’t stop me.”
“I’ll win you back.” Bonnie lifted her chin with that atrocious statement. “One way or another, you will come back to me.”
Simon tossed his shaving kit toward the rest of his belongings. “Here’s the thing, Bonnie. I’m not all that broke up about you cheating.”
Her glossy red lips parted.
“Yeah, that surprises me too, but I guess you weren’t the big draw.” Simon smiled. “Like you said, it was the comfort of familiarity.”
“Simon...”
“Now that you shot that to hell, there’s nothing here for me. Nothing.”
“You can’t mean that.”
“Every word. So do us both a favor and don’t waste your time pestering me.”
Gregor chose that moment to reenter with more than enough boxes. God bless him and his perfect timing. Simon could hear Dean explaining the situation as he and Gregor came into the bedroom.
SBC fighters were nothing if not loyal to each other.
As if Bonnie didn’t stand there, five feet-nine inches of stacked female smelling of perfume and looking like a fashion icon, the three of them went about their business. Simon didn’t look at her, but he was aware of her all the same. How could he not be? She stayed silent, but she continued to plead with her eyes.
And even distressed, she was one of the sexiest women he’d even seen.
But the second he’d seen those photos, his interest had vanished as if it had never existed. He had no room in his life for rank disloyalty.
Within an hour, Simon had removed every trace of himself from the apartment. It took another hour at the manager’s office, a lot of paperwork and a chunk of his savings, but he got his name off the lease. While Dean drove and Gregor stewed, Simon used his cell phone and credit card to pay off all the utilities, and then have his name removed. He wasn’t really worried about Bonnie running up deliberate bills. She didn’t operate that way. But neither was he a man to leave things to chance.
When he finished, Bonnie was out of his life. Simon felt... renewed. Ready to start over. Challenged by upcoming changes. Yes, it’d be good to spend an extended time with his family.
And then... Looking at Gregor and Dean, he said, “You know what I want to do?”
Dean glanced at him before returning his attention to the road. “Yeah, I do.”
Gregor frowned. “You do?”
Dean shrugged. “He’s going to fight again.”
Simon’s brows shot up. Damned perceptive bastard. But then he and Dean had been a team for a long time, and they knew each other well. Dean would understand his sudden need for physical competition.
Gregor snorted. “No way. Simon’s a trainer.” No one said anything to that, which made Gregor reevaluate. “A damn fine trainer, for sure. But he’s been out of the circuit too long to –”
“Whip your sorry butt?” Simon asked.
Though Gregor towered over both men, he merely grinned at the subtle threat. “Now Sublime, I didn’t say that.”
Simon laughed. It wasn’t that Gregor feared him. Hell, Simon doubted that Gregor feared any man. In almost any physical situation, he’d come out a winner.
Just not against Havoc or Simon. Not yet.
Still, it was respect and friendship that made Gregor turn away from a direct challenge.
“Don’t sweat it, Gregor. You’re good and getting better every day.”
A look of conceit spread over Gregor’s face. “Good enough to go up against Havoc now?”
Both Dean and Simon said, “No.”
Gregor’s expression pinched. “You might’ve retired, Havoc, but damn it, I haven’t given up on the idea.”
Dean said nothing, but Simon relented. “Dean’s retired and he’s not coming back just to accommodate you. When the time is right, we’ll find the perfect contender for you. But for now, I’ll need your help. You’re right that I’ve been out of it for too long.”
“You’ve probably forgotten more about submission fighting than most of the fighters will ever know,” Dean told him. “And you’re in great shape.”
“For the average guy, maybe. But not for the SBC. I’m rusty and I know it.”
Gregor rubbed his hands together. “Dean goes from fighting to owning a gym and training, and you go from training to fighting. The world has flip-flopped.” Raw anticipation brightened his gaze. “So when do we get started?”
Read excerpt 3
