The Fighter's Stubborn Lover (The Burton Brothers Series Book 2) by North Leslie

Author:North, Leslie [North, Leslie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-05-14T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Mason glanced at her, his eyebrows shooting up. Where did all this worry of hers come from? “Do you always assume the worst?” he asked.

She sat down again. “Something’s bothering you?” Her mouth took on a stubborn pout.

Walking past her, Mason threw two logs on the fire. Snow dusted his shoulders. He brushed it off. “I’m cold. You’re probably exhausted. Do you need anything before turning in for the night?” A kiss, a hug, a good lay? His mouth twisted at the turn his thoughts had taken. She’d put on her sweats again, but the memory of legs that went on forever teased him.

She folded her hands together. “Does this have to do with that phone call?”

“Okay, there’s the tenacity I’ve admired in Dustin. Must be a family trait. And, kind of. That was Dustin.”

Avery stiffened. Anger hardened her voice. “And? You didn’t think I’d want to talk to him—or he didn’t want to talk to me.”

“He called from a friend’s phone, and had to drive down the mountain to get any signal at all.”

She stood up and faced him. “When is he coming back? Is he coming back?”

“Kid’s going to take a few days to get his head straight. He knows his ability to train right now is paramount to him winning his upcoming fight.”

Letting out a breath, Avery slumped onto the couch. “Meaning he didn’t want to talk to me.” She brushed at her eyes. “Now I’m feeling like some kind of monster.”

Coming over to her, he sat down and put an arm over her shoulders. He couldn’t leave her like this, hating herself, thinking that her brother hated her. “No, he doesn’t. Look, you’re beat. I can see that in your eyes.”

She swiped at them and gave a shaky laugh. “Meaning I look awful!”

He touched a finger to her cheek. “Not awful. You look—okay, you’d probably look great no matter what, but I’m used to staring at fighters and seeing if they’re worn down or not getting enough of what they need. If you were training here, I’d have you on a high protein diet to put some muscle on you and a solid eight hours of sleep every night.”

She gave another watery laugh and Mason shook his head. “Don’t tell me—nightmares?”

She shrugged. But she didn’t move away from his hold. He liked her close like this, snuggled up almost. “I…I do worry. A lot. And now Dustin doesn’t even want to see me. I know I’m…I’m driving him away, aren’t I?”

“I want you to know, I do get where you’re coming from. I’ve never lost one of my brothers, but hell, if I did…we’re close and I can guess what kind of hole that leaves in your life. But life is…it’s all dangerous.” Mason hugged her closer. “Maybe your brother, Edward, made a bad decision and it cost him. But Dustin’s not the same guy. Yeah, he’s young and sure he’s stupid at times, but he’s careful, believe it or not. And he’s training with some of the best in the business.

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