Claim (Fury Brothers #5)

6. Beau

6

BEAU

I couldn’t fucking believe it.

Bell .

Bell was in my gym.

I stood there, shirt clenched in my grip and stared back at her.

For twenty-eight long days, I’d thought of her—when I woke in the morning, when I was training, when I sat alone in my apartment above Hard Burn. When I jerked off.

I’d prayed she was safe. I’d hated not knowing.

Her hair was black now and loose around her shoulders. I could tell it was a natural color. It suited her better.

She was still too pale, and looked thinner.

I saw panic skitter across her features. She took two steps back.

I strode forward, yanked my T-shirt over my head, and closed the distance between us. The rest of the gym became a blur. I only saw Bell and her big, blue eyes.

“Bell,” I growled.

“I was leaving.”

“No, you’re not.”

I gripped her forearm, and she winced. I instantly loosened my grip. I knew my strength, and I was always careful. My grasp shouldn’t have hurt her.

Gio blinked. “You two know each other?”

“Yes.”

“No,” Bell said.

Gio cleared his throat. “Bellamy wants to learn to fight.”

“Bellamy,” I said slowly, tasting her full name.

“I shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.

“Too late. Gio, we’ll be in my office.”

I took Bell’s hand and towed her to my office. Once we were inside, I closed the door.

She looked around, her eyebrows rising. “This is your office? You work in here?”

Okay, it was messy. There were piles of papers on the desk, and half covering the laptop I did my best to avoid. I knew I had a bunch of invoices in there somewhere that I had to deal with. The couch in the corner of the space was old, with a faded plaid pattern. It was ugly, but I’d had the thing from when I’d first started Hard Burn. It had sentimental value.

I faced her. “Why are you here? How did you find me?”

She got a pinched look and ran a hand through her hair. “I didn’t know this gym was yours. I didn’t know you were Beauden Fury.”

“You didn’t answer my question.” I leaned back against the desk.

She fidgeted. “I need to learn to fight.”

“Why?”

She got a stubborn look. “Because.”

So many damn secrets. I could smell that maddening perfume of hers. Sometimes I woke up thinking I could smell her on my sheets.

“I thought you were going to Florida?”

She shrugged a shoulder. “I made it. Just. To Pensacola.” She reached over and tidied a stack of papers on my desk.

“Why did you run out on me?” I demanded.

She looked up, her lips parted.

I felt my gut tighten. Those were lips that I’d wanted to kiss, but hadn’t been allowed to. That night, I’d had to settle for sliding my cock between them.

And now I was getting hard. Shit .

“Our night together was over.” She fiddled with the end of her hair. “I had a bus to catch. I didn’t want to make it awkward.”

“Nothing about the time we spent together was awkward, Bell.”

Her cheeks flushed. It felt like the air in the office got warm. Both of us were very aware of each other.

She licked her lips. “It was… It was good, Beau. I didn’t want to ruin those perfect hours.”

Damn, this woman killed me. So distrusting, yet yearning for connection. She was the kind of woman I usually steered well clear of.

She deserved so much better than me.

But right now, she was afraid of something, or someone, and I wanted to help her.

If she was in danger…

That was one thing I wouldn’t stand for. And it was one thing I could help her with.

“Why do you want to learn to fight?”

“For protection. I’m a woman who’s on my own. I need some skills.”

There was more to it, although I doubted she’d share. She reminded me of a prickly little porcupine.

As I watched her, she glanced away. Her gaze traced over the tattoos on my arm.

I couldn’t have her here. I shouldn’t have touched someone so young and fresh in the first place.

She wasn’t for me.

I was a rough foster kid-turned-merc-turned boxer. I was rough, tough, and tattooed. That creamy skin of hers had never been touched by ink. I knew, because I’d checked every inch of it.

The reality was, we had chemistry. That one night together had proven that. I’d never come quicker, harder, or so often.

If she was here, in my orbit, in my space, I’d take her again. I wouldn’t be able to help myself.

I cleared my throat. “We have a good self-defense class for women.”

I saw Bell stiffen.

“Shay, the instructor, is really good. She has lots of experience.”

Bell shook her head. “No. I want you to teach me to fight.”

“That’s not a good idea.”