Wrestling Desire 2 (A Contemporary Romance) Read online

  He sighed. “Mostly I don’t feel like there is room for me anymore.”

  She took his hand in hers. “You’re the world champion. How can there not be room for you?”

  “I was the world champion.” He gave her a small smile. “Now I’m just another in a long line of former world champions who is past his prime. Besides, you heard how the crowd responded to me at the Al Hollow’s Eve match. I’m vilified.”

  “So?”

  “So, I’ve spent my life being the good guy, the hero. I’ve never wanted to be the villain.”

  “You’re not a villain. Fans still love you. I love you.”

  He squeezed her hand. “I know you do, bug, and maybe I do still have fans, but I also have some integrity left. It was hard enough deliberately dropping the title to Holt without having to return to watch him flaunt it in my face. I’m sorry, I know you love him and all, but I abhor everything he stands for. What kind of role model is he for the fans?”

  “He’s been the champion before, Derek. Just like you. As much as you may not want to admit this, the fans love him.”

  “I know. Which makes this situation even worse.” He shook his head. “In order to keep up with the competition Gene is letting the company slide away from its founding principles. I can’t abide by the lower standards or morals that are taking place there. Besides-” He let out a sigh. “Let’s be honest here, Em. This is a profession for the young and I’ve been doing this a long, long time. Most of the guys I wrestled with have either retired or moved on.” He took both her hands in his and gave a small squeeze. “I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching over the past few days and as much as you may not want to hear this, I don’t belong there anymore and I’m going to retire.”

  Panic welled in her chest as his resolve became clear. This wasn’t a conversation where he was trying to decide what to do and was asking for her opinion. No. This conversation was his way of telling her that he’d made up his mind. “But you can’t leave.” Desperate, she wracked her brain for some way to change his mind. “What about Bryan?”

  Derek looked up and she noted the sadness in his eyes. “Bryan is at a point in his life where he doesn’t need my guidance anymore. He’s a great wrestler and it’s time for him to step out of my shadow and become his own man.”

  “Okay, but what about me? Who’s going to be here to protect me when things get out of hand back stage and I accidentally get swept into the mix?”

  His smile widened, but it still didn’t reach his eyes. Then he lifted his hand to her face and with his thumb wiped the dampness from her cheek. “Oh bug. You have someone else to protect you now. You don’t need me anymore either.”

  At the sound of her nickname her heart broke. “Don’t say that. You’re my big brother. My protector. I’ll always need you.”

  “No you don’t. You have Holt now.”

  “But that doesn’t mean I don’t still need you.”

  “That may be, but it doesn’t change the fact that Holt is more than capable of protecting you if anything gets out of hand. I may not like him or what he stands for, but I know he loves you very much and I trust him to keep you safe.”

  “But?”

  He shook his head. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Emma. I’ve made my decision. My contract is up in a few months and I’m not going to renew.”

  Emma let out a sigh and sat back on her heels. “I can’t do anything to change your mind?”

  Derek shook his head. “I’m sorry bug. You should be happy though.”

  “Why?”

  “Without me around all the fighting with your pretty boy will finally stop.”

  * * *

  Over the next few weeks Emma struggled to adjust to Derek’s absence and the knowledge that he wouldn’t be coming back. She and Bryan kept up their traditional breakfast and lunches, but there conversations were forced as they struggled to connect. She loved Bryan, but being the middle child he’d faced his own struggles with finding his position in life. Most of the time, the position ended up opposite of Emma’s, pitting them as adversaries instead of allies. The only subject where they’d consistently been on the same side was Derek and with him gone there seemed to be nothing but biology keeping them linked.

  While she struggled with Derek’s absence, it seemed that her big brother’s predictions were coming true when it came to Bryan. With Derek now out of the picture he’d begun to bloom as a wrestling star, so much so that he’d aligned himself into a match for the number one contender position for Holt’s title.

  Now Emma’s heart was in her throat as she stood in front of the monitor watching the match that held the potential to pit yet another of her brother’s against her boyfriend. Worse yet, for reason’s she didn’t understand Holt had taken up a position at the commentator desk while Bryan and his competition Alex Atlantis battled in the ring a few feet away.

  From what she understood from the earlier meeting, Bryan would win the match, setting himself up for a title shot against Holt at ‘Winter Heat’. She wasn’t looking forward to yet another family showdown, but of course getting to the end of the match was the current goal. While Bryan was scheduled to win it didn’t mean he and Alex wouldn’t rip each other apart in the process.

  “Breathe, Emma,” her assistant Jill said as she handed her a cup of water.

  Emma took a deep breath and accepted the drink. “Sorry.”

  Jill laughed. “No problem. I just didn’t want you passing out on me.”

  Emma raked a hand through her hair. “Even knowing the outcome doesn’t make watching this match any easier.”

  “Understandable considering how much you have invested.”

  Now it was Emma’s turn to laugh. “No kidding. With the way they’re going at each other, Bryan will be a bloody exhausted mess when this is over. Then I’ll have to worry about him fighting Holt in a few weeks.”

  “I’m just glad it’s not me stuck in the middle of them two.”

  Emma started to respond to Jill’s statement when movement from outside the ring had her blinking at the screen in disbelief. “What in the hell is going on?”

  Outside of the ring Alex Atlantis seemed to be purposely distracting the referee, but it was movement on the opposite side of the ring that caused Emma pause.

  Jill’s eyes went wide as she stared at the screen. “What is Holt doing?”

  Emma shook her head. “I don’t-” Her sentence ended with a gasp as Holt hopped onto the ring apron, and hit Bryan in the back of the head. Bryan turned to face him only Holt grabbed Bryan by the hair and jumped backward from the ring. His action pulled Bryan forward and his throat bounced off the top rope. He fell backward into the ring and grabbed his throat gasping for air.

  Alex slid into the ring and after a well-placed knee to the shoulder Alex covered Bryan for the pin. Disbelief coursed through Emma as the bell rang and Alex claimed the win. “What?” She glanced from the screen to Jill and back. “What the hell? It wasn’t supposed to end like that. Bryan was supposed to get the win.”

  “I know.” Jill agreed. “I do believe that I smell a rat.”

  Emma did too and unfortunately for her his name was Holt Hendricks.

  Within minutes Holt burst through the curtain with the championship belt in his hand. His gaze locked with hers and her heart sank with the look he gave her. From behind her Gene’s voice carried and she turned around to look at her boss. His attention was focused on Holt. “Get your stuff gathered up and head on back to the hotel. I’ll take care of the fall out.”

  Emma placed a hand on Holt’s arm stopping his forward motion. “How could you?”

  “Em.” There was pain and regret in his stare, but before he could say another word Gene was there.

  “Go Holt. I’ll handle things here.”

  Holt nodded and looked back to Emma. “We’ll talk later.”

  She watched him rush off. Yes, they would talk and it just might be the last conversation they ever had.

&nb
sp; Ten minutes later Emma stood in the locker room doorway and watched as an enraged Bryan methodically ripped the room apart. “They fucking screwed me.” He picked up a chair and threw it across the room. “Your boyfriend and that cocksucker France screwed me.”

  “Bryan.” Emma stepped into the room.

  “No.” He spun on her. “Don’t you dare stand there and defend him to me.”

  She shook her head. “That’s not what I was going to do. I don’t know the circumstances that led to this situation, so I can’t defend him.”

  He appeared for a moment to consider her words, then drew in a deep breath and dropped to the bench. “What were you going to say?”

  Emma took as seat next to him. “You know how this business works and you know what kind of person Gene is capable of being. He’s finally gaining in the ratings against the competition and he’ll do whatever is necessary to keep us there, even if that comes at the cost of his employees. Think about it, Bry. Can you honestly sit there and say you weren’t expecting something to happen?”

  Bryan hung his head and turned it to the side to look at her. “No. I wasn’t and you’re right. I should have been.” He let out a sigh. “When did you get so smart?”

  She gave him a small smile. “I have a couple of brothers who have been great teachers.”

  “Awe hell, Em.” He raked his hands through his hair. “This was my opportunity to get out from under Derek’s shadow and prove I’m a damn good wrestler too. Now it’s gone because Holt couldn’t take the idea of facing a real competitor.”

  “You are a damn good wrestler, Bry. You were cheated and the fans will understand that fact.” She shook her head. “Holt’s never been afraid to face anyone, so I don’t know what made him do what he did, but I plan to get to the bottom of it.”

  “It won’t do any good. The damage is already done.”

  She crouched in front of him and placed her hand over his. “I don’t believe that and I know the fans don’t believe that either. It’s what you represent that matters to them. Take that integrity and that respect, and stand your ground. I’ll be there right beside you.”

  He put a hand on her knee and gave a gentle squeeze. “What are you going to do about Holt?”

  This time she was the one who sighed. That was a question she’d been asking herself from damn near the moment the bell rang. No matter how much she loved him or how little she and Bryan had in common, Bryan was still family. She wouldn’t turn her back on family. Not now. Not ever. “I don’t know yet, but don’t worry about me. Whatever happens, I’ll be fine.”

  Chapter 3

  It was after midnight when Emma finally arrived back at the hotel. Physically and emotionally exhausted, all she wanted to do was drop into the bed and forget. Unfortunately, sharing a room with Holt meant yet another confrontation before she’d finally get to rest.

  Confused and heartbroken by his earlier actions, he was the last person she wanted to see. Knowing there wasn’t any way around the conversation to come she slid her access card in the lock. The light turned green and she pushed open the door.

  Still dressed in his stage gear Holt sat in the dark, propped up on the bed with the championship belt draped over his legs. She flipped on the bathroom light and tossed her purse on the small desk.

  “I was wondering if you were coming back tonight,” he nearly whispered. “Honestly, I wouldn’t have blamed you if you wanted to stay in Bryan’s room.”

  “Bryan has a roommate already,” she replied. For several long seconds she stood in place staring at him. Tears welled in her eyes and she fought the urge to break down and cry. “Why Holt?”

  He shrugged. “Gene told me to and when the owner of the company gives you an order, well…”

  She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “So Gene asks you to screw Bryan over and you just do it?”

  He picked up the belt and gave it a careless toss into the nearby chair. “He didn’t ask me, Emma. It wasn’t framed as a question. He told me that this was what we were going to do and as champion I was going to help. So yeah, I did it. Did I like it? Hell no. The entire situation made me sick to my stomach, but the man holds my career in the palm of his hands.”

  A slow burn of anger grew deep in her belly, threatening to overtake her sorrow. “You did this to further your own career?”

  He glared back at her, yet there was more regret than rage in his stare. “Yes, I did it to protect my career. Around here you have to look out for number one because there’s always somebody wanting to knock you off that pedestal, but don’t think for a second that I’m not carrying a hell of a lot of guilt right now for what I did.”

  She shook her head as betrayal and hurt flowed through her system. “Well that just makes it all okay doesn’t it? Because you feel guilty for doing what you knew was wrong then we should all just forgive you? I don’t think so.”

  He closed his eyes and cocked his head to the side. “I know you’re angry right now and you have every right to be, but please don’t let this affect us.”

  Her eyes widened in shock at his statement. “Affect us? Affect us? Exactly how does this not affect our relationship, Holt? I’ve spent the last year standing on the sidelines watching you and Derek rip each other apart at every turn. I’ve defended you and your antics time and again to Derek and Bryan because deep down I believed you were really a man of integrity and they were wrong about you.” She shook her head and took a step back. “I guess I was the one who was wrong.”

  “Em.”

  She held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t okay. Don’t tell me how you had to do this or how bad you feel, because right now I don’t want to hear it.” She turned and picked up her purse. “You know what, you’re right about one thing. I don’t want to see you right now.” She grabbed her suitcase and headed for the door.

  “Emma, please be reasonable. It’s after midnight. Where are you going to go?”

  “I really don’t care where I go so long as it’s away from you.”

  She didn’t look back as she walked out the door. Right now it didn’t matter where she slept as long as she wasn’t sharing a bed with Holt tonight. The only thing she knew for sure was that she couldn’t go to Bryan’s room. Besides him not having the extra space, the last thing she wanted was for Bryan to think that she was leaving Holt. While she might be angry with Holt right now, she still loved the pain in the ass.

  Maybe she’d check with the front desk and see if they had an extra room. She started down the hall when the elevator doors opened and Garrett stepped out. “Emma?”

  “Hey, Garrett.”

  His gaze drifted from her down to her bag and back up again. “Where are you going?”

  “Anywhere, as long as it’s far away from Holt.”

  A frown claimed Garrett’s face. “Emma, mentally Holt’s in a really bad place right now. He needs you.”

  “Why is everyone so worried about Holt?” she practically yelled.

  His frown deepened as he crossed in front of her and glanced down the hallway in both directions. “Shhh…people are trying to sleep,” he scolded, then reached into his pocket and pulled out his keycard. He opened his hotel room door, grabbed her bag from her hand and tossed it inside.

  “Hey,” she protested.

  “Just get your ass inside.” He gave her a gentle shove.

  Emma stumbled into the room and turned to frown up at Garrett. “Marissa wouldn’t be happy to know you were manhandling me.”

  “Then I guess I’m lucky she’s home taking care of her mother right now, huh?”

  “Garrett.”

  He shook his head. “Save the meaningless warning. I’m bigger, faster and I can be a lot meaner than you when necessary. So you are going to listen to what I have to say.”

  She knew he would never hurt her which meant his threat was just as meaningless. Tired of dealing with overbearing, dominant alpha males she folded her arms across her chest in defiance. “And if I don’t?”

  H
e stepped forward, until he towered over her, his mere presence intimidating. “You are going to listen to me. Even if I have to tie you to the bed in order to make it happen.”

  She shivered with his warning and knowing he would make good on that threat, she backed down. “Fine.” She let her arms drop to her side and sighed. “Since you’re now keeping me here against my will, you might as well spit out whatever is so important that you’d risk getting in trouble.”

  “I’m not going to let you walk out on my best friend when he needs you most.”

  She nearly sneered at him before she caught herself. Not a wise move to piss off an alpha male like Garrett. “Why is it Holt that needs me when Bryan is the one who got screwed?” With a huff she turned and walked farther into the room. “Nobody seems to care about how Bryan’s feeling right now. Nobody feels bad that he’s heartbroken over what happened. Holt has the championship and all Bryan has is a big hole in his chest from where the people he trusted ripped his heart out.”

  “Let me tell you a little something about Bryan.” Garrett advanced on her and despite her instinct to back away from his domineering presence she managed to hold her ground against the big man. “After Derek left with his injury Bryan went to Gene demanding that he be given a push toward the championship.”

  Apparently realizing his overbearing presence Garrett took a full step back and raked a hand through his long hair. “Look. Gene told him he wasn’t ready yet and that he’d eventually get his shot, but Bryan didn’t want to hear it. He demanded for the either the push or to be released from his contract.”

  She couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. Emma shook her head. “Bryan never said anything about wanting to leave.”

  “Then you probably don’t know he’s apparently been courted by the competition, do you?”

  Garrett’s revelation felt like a slap to the face. “Bryan wouldn’t leave,” she shot back even as her stomach twisted with the new information. She desperately wanted to believe her brother, but Garrett had nothing to gain from this situation by lying. In fact by giving her this information he risked placing himself into the fray.