Relentless Liberation, page 1
Relentless Liberation
L.J. Fine
Being stalked from town to town by an unstable ex-boyfriend means demure bookworm Mina Roper is used to keeping a low profile. But after a coworker brings her to an underground boxing competition, shy Mina falls deeply in lust with gorgeous fighter Tyler Serano. The problem? She’s convinced he’s hopelessly out of her league.
Tyler knows his matches are brutally violent, so why does this sweet, subdued beauty keep showing up to watch them week after week? Despite his overwhelming fear of commitment, Tyler’s innocent curiosity evolves into a hot, all-consuming attraction.
Just when it looks like happily ever after might be possible, Mina’s past catches up to her and she’s forced to make a tough choice. Follow her usual escape strategy—or risk it all for a new kind of life with Tyler.
Inside Scoop: Mina’s past includes a nonconsensual sexual encounter and brief violence, which could be triggering for some readers.
A Romantica® contemporary erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
Relentless Liberation
L.J. Fine
Dedication
I would like to dedicate this novel to my mother. You've always encouraged me to follow my dreams and you never stopped believing that I could achieve them. I love you more than you'll ever know.
Chapter One
Mina Roper had shown up religiously for three months. Every time she entered the building, her nerves kicked into high gear and her palms began to sweat. This wasn’t at all her usual scene but she kept coming back for more week after week. Even though every time she did, it felt like all the oxygen was yanked out of her lungs. She had no choice but to take slow deep breaths—otherwise she might be asphyxiated.
It wasn’t the crowd that excited her or the caged violence in the center of all the jeers and shouts. The rush of chance from the high-stakes betting found in all corners of this vast yet cramped room wasn’t it either. It couldn’t have her heart racing like this or cause these electric tingles to shoot along her nerve endings. It certainly wasn’t the smell of stale sweat mixed with fresh blood and antibiotic cream that made her face flush and her panties damp.
No, it was just the dark, menacing man currently squaring off with his opponent inside the ring. Tyler Serano. All of it was him. Which was random and unusual, especially considering that she’d never even spoken to him. She’d forced her libido into submission a long time ago, so the actual physical reaction he inspired in her, above anything, was the reason her interest was piqued.
In fact, it had been numb for so long that she’d gotten used to its absence. She wasn’t at all sure that its resurgence was a good thing, no matter what her friend Chloe might think. Actually she knew that it was detrimental to her mental well-being. Someone like her lusting after someone like him? These kinds of things never ended well. For her.
The first time she had set foot into the gym she’d felt so out of place. It was as if she had stepped into an alternate reality and didn’t know the laws of the land. The sights, sounds and even the smells had been alien to her.
As Chloe had pulled her through the crowd to find a spot with the best vantage point of the ring, she hadn’t been able to escape the impression that everyone was looking at her, wondering why such a drab, mousy girl was in their midst. Despite her best efforts to exude a confident, don’t-give-a-shit-what-these-people-think attitude, she found herself fidgeting with her subdued outfit and smoothing a hand over her long medium-brown hair. Rationally, though, she was fairly certain no one even noticed her.
Few ever did.
But then the fights had started and she had been intrigued, momentarily forgetting her insecurities. Never before had she witnessed anything like it, and the pure aggression took her breath away. It was so blatant and unmitigated, lacking the subtle put-downs and veiled insults she had known her whole life. This was fresh, almost like a relief. No hidden subtext, no ulterior motives, just raw human emotion displayed in its simplest form.
She had stood entranced by what she was seeing until the main fight. That’s when Tyler stepped into the ring and she had lost sight of anything else. All former sense of relief had dissipated and it was as if someone had lit her on fire from the inside out.
That had been it for her. She had needed no other reason or further coercion to come back. As lame as it sounded, just watching him was the most excitement she had gotten in—well, years probably. Maybe even her whole life. And no matter what she did or how she tried to force him out of her every waking thought, he stuck to her mind like Krazy Glue. She couldn’t shake him off or get enough of him. He was like a drug and she had been addicted from the first moment her eyes had landed on him.
Not that he noticed. Or cared.
It was what it was, though, and she honestly hadn’t expected anything else. He wasn’t even the type of man she usually found herself attracted to.
Well, she thought with a frown, that wasn’t exactly true. For the last four years she hadn’t actually been attracted to anyone, so she couldn’t say what her type was anymore. But she felt certain that if she had a type he wouldn’t be it. While he was still completely out of her league, he seemed too abrasive and unrefined. Animalistic. The type of guy who would chew her up and then spit her back out without a backward glance. And yet here she was, for all intents and purposes salivating over a man who “didn’t do it for her”.
Even now she was hypnotized by his graceful movements as he danced around his opponent inside the ring. The beautiful muscles in his powerful arms and back flexed and contracted with every hit he landed, and the black ink of the tattoo spanning his broad shoulders rolled with his movements. The sheen of sweat coating his skin made his well-defined body glow under the jaundiced light shining down on the fighters.
The bout had been in progress for a few minutes and Mina held her breath waiting for it. She dreaded this part every time she saw him fight, but knew it was inevitable. It had to happen at least once before he would finish the fight. She saw the moment he made the decision and knew it was coming.
And here it was.
There was a grunt and a swing as his challenger landed a right hook along Tyler’s jaw. Mina winced. The force snapped his head back but then he pinned his foe with a smile. It was more like a feral baring of teeth, made all the more menacing by the crimson stain of blood coating his pearly whites and the manic look in his dark eyes. She could practically hear his deep, predatory growl over the noisy crowd before he spit the blood out.
Then it was game over.
Watching the strength in his agile movements as he completely obliterated his adversary never ceased to amaze her. It was something she both admired and was fascinated by. From what little she could learn about him, it seemed like strength was just a part of his personality, much like insecurity was very much a part of hers. How she longed to possess even half the nerve and self-assuredness that radiated off him in waves. How different her life would be.
With one last jab to the temple, Tyler took his opposition out and the crowd went crazy. The excitement in the air was palpable as some cheered, some cursed and money exchanged hands. Why anyone would ever bet against Tyler was beyond her, though. The man hadn’t lost a single fight in the time she’d been coming here and watching him. Her gaze flicked over his hard, lean body and she marveled at the fact that he was barely even breathing heavily.
Yeah, it didn’t look like his winning streak was going to take it on the chin anytime soon. He was seriously in some kind of shape.
Chloe elbowed her playfully in the side and gave her a knowing smile, snapping Mina out of her ogling. “I really think you should finally let me introduce you to him.”
Just the thought of being in any kind of situation where she was expected to speak to him had her heart in her throat and her blood running cold. If the mere knowledge that he was in the same room with her could cause her to become hypoxic—even if said room was huge and filled to bursting with rowdy patrons separating them—she couldn’t bring herself to contemplate what would happen if his actual attention was focused on her. Even for so brief a time as an introduction would take it would probably be enough to kill her.
“No, absolutely not” was her standard response anytime Chloe pressed the issue. Never having been encouraged in the past by a friend to pursue any man—or really anything she desired—had Chloe’s persistence on this issue throwing her for a loop. That her friend seemed to think she was capable of attracting any man, let alone that man, was mind-boggling. But Chloe’s confidence in her seemed completely genuine and Mina found her all the more endearing because of it.
“I see the way you look at him, Mina,” Chloe said as she twisted her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “I’ve never seen you look at anyone like that. The force of that longing in your eyes alone is enough to take the chance and go meet him. I know for a fact he’s single.” She singsonged the last bit.
“I’m perfectly happy with our current arrangement. I eat up his body and drool over him from a nice, safe distance and he doesn’t know I’m alive. It works out quite well for both of us.”
Chloe rolled her eyes and was about to reply when she spotted something over Mina’s shoulder. Her eyes narrowed and her pretty bow of a mouth angled down into a frown.
Mina followed her friend’s gaze and saw Chloe’s boyfriend Brian counting out money as one of the resident bimbos rubbed up against him and ran her manicured claws down his chest. Actually, the more she looked at the woman the more familiar she b ecame. That was Amanda, a woman Mina and Chloe had seen sniffing around Brian a time or two before. Seemed she didn’t care that Brian was taken and it also seemed that Brian was disinclined to set her straight.
To be fair, though, that was just the way Brian was. For a bookie who managed an underground boxing ring, he was a genuinely nice guy. And a flirt. Mina knew he didn’t mean anything by it and deep down so did Chloe. But that didn’t stop her friend from feeling possessive, which was a common occurrence now that Amanda had set her sights on Brian.
“Hang on for a second, sweetie. I’ll be right back.” Chloe began to make her way over to them. Mina knew what was coming next and that meant they were going to be here for a while. She plopped down into a chair, crossed her arms and legs and waited it out as Chloe lit into her man.
Though she hated to see them fight, she had to admit she was glad for the shift in Chloe’s focus. That woman could be like a dog with a bone when she got an idea into her head. She knew Chloe wouldn’t let her crush on Tyler rest.
Why couldn’t she have just said no when Chloe had first asked her to come to one of these things? Then there would be no infatuation to speak of and they could all go about their merry ways, no worse off than when they’d started. But at the time, lust had been a stranger to her for so long she didn’t think anything of it when Chloe had finally dragged her to her first fight.
They’d been working the same shift at the small bookstore in the equally small town where Mina had just recently taken up residence when Chloe had first brought it up. Brian belonged to an exclusive gym that Mina frankly hadn’t even heard of until that particular conversation. It turned out that every other Tuesday night the members closed the gym down and turned it into an underground boxing arena.
Brian managed it all. He set up the fights, acted as a bookie and made sure the cops stayed away. It had all sounded so illicit and dangerous when Chloe had explained it to her, like something Mina would read about in one of the novels she adored so much. At the time, she’d wondered why Chloe was even telling her about it given its sensitive nature but by the end of the story her purpose became all too clear.
The gist was that Chloe was determined to find Mina a man. She’d often commented in the short time they’d known each other that she was surprised Mina was single and even in the beginning Mina could see the wheels turning in her head.
But in Mina’s mind, it wasn’t strange at all that she was alone. Men just didn’t see her like that. Never had. She was too plain, too awkward and too shy. Then to top all that off she was invariably attracted to men who were hopelessly out of her league. The few times she’d tried to put herself out there, to reach for happiness in that area, she’d been slapped back into place so hard it had knocked the wind out of her.
Especially the last time. That had been the most painful experience of her life and she had no desire for a repeat.
So no, she’d long ago resigned herself to the fact that the fairytale happy ending that so frequently occurred in those beautiful yet fanciful novels just wasn’t in the cards for her. She was built more for a supporting role anyway, like the heroine’s best friend. Someone had to play that part. It might as well be her.
Thinking she could use a little excitement and knowing that Chloe’s plan to hook her up with someone would be fruitless, Mina had agreed to go with her to the fight that week. Well that and the fact that Chloe was relentless. Mina more than likely couldn’t have gotten out of going if she had wanted to and thus her aforementioned obsession had developed, which had led her here, to this moment.
Pinning away for a man who never noticed her while she waited for her friends to quit arguing long enough to give her a ride home.
Slowly the crowd trickled out of the gym until only pockets of people were left chatting or cleaning up. About twenty minutes had passed and Brian and Chloe were no closer to a resolution. Mina sighed, wondering how late it would be when she got home.
The shifting of the air beside her and the sound of metal sliding against linoleum plucked her out of her thoughts and had her turning her head. Immediately her heart started to beat out a rapid staccato in her chest, her limbs tingled with that pins-and-needles sensation and she almost choked on her own spit.
Tyler was sprawled out on the chair directly beside her. His long legs, encased in gray sweatpants, were spread and stretched out before him. He’d put on a white zip-up hoodie and his short dark-brown hair was damp and messy from a recent shower. She’d never seen him outside of the ring and she couldn’t decide if he was sexier all sweaty and bloody, or cleaned up and lounging next to her with the lazy grace of a jungle cat.
He must have felt her eyes on him because he turned his attention from Brian and Chloe to her. The weight of his dark, intense eyes finally, finally settling on her was so heavy she was having trouble breathing. The corner of his full, luscious lips kicked up into a wry grin as those near-black eyes scanned her face and landed on her mouth which, to her utter mortification, was hanging open.
Quickly she snapped her mouth shut and swallowed hard. His eyes tracked the movement, then dipped a little lower before once again meeting her stare. “Your name’s Mina, right?”
The deep sound of his voice traveled along her body, caressing places he’d never seen. The way her name rumbled out in his gravelly baritone plucked at her nipples and suddenly her pussy lips felt heavy and swollen. How could her traitorous body react like this when all he’d done was say her name?
Wait. “You know my name?”
He smiled and her heart literally stopped. “I wish you could see the look on your face right now.” Oh she could just imagine. Poleaxed more than likely defines it best. “Yeah, I know your name. I’ve seen you hanging around with Brian’s girl.”
Dear God—he knew her name and he’d seen her around? He had actually noticed her? Before her mind could put the cart way out in front of the horse, she reminded herself that it wasn’t interest in her that had him learning her name. She had been coming here for three months and he had never once approached her. No, he was just observant. That was all.
“I guess I never really thought you’d pay attention.” His expression darkened and she didn’t know why but she felt the need to hastily clarify. “I mean, since every time I see you you’re busy beating the crap out of someone.”
The corners of his lips twitched. “I notice way more than you’d think.”
A feminine growl of frustration diverted Tyler’s attention back to Chloe and Brian. “They fight too damn much,” he said in a low tone.
She couldn’t help her snort of agreement. She knew that they loved each other but it was this kind of thing right here that made her glad she was single. “I know, right? They’ve been at it for,” she glanced at her watch,” almost half an hour now.”
“Did you ride here with them? That why you’re still sitting here listening to this bullshit?”
His gruffness made her smile and she nodded.
“Shit, you could be here all night waiting for them to figure it out.” He looked at her, considering for a moment. “I’ll give you a ride home if you want.”
She might have actually swallowed her tongue and she knew her eyes were as big as saucers. Oh this was a great first impression she was making here. By the time this was over, he’d think she was mental. But the thought of being alone with him, let alone in such a confined space as a car, made her stomach bottom out.
Of course, he completely misread her stunned silence as disinterestedness and stood. “I get it, though, if you’d rather wait for your friends than take a ride from a complete stranger. So no worries.” He hauled his gym bag over one shoulder and started to walk away.
And she let him get the whole way to the door before her brain finally got back online and screamed at her that she was about to pass up an amazing opportunity. Even if deep down she knew it was a bad idea and probably wouldn’t go anywhere, she might at least get the chance to get to know him.
Shoving to her feet, she ran after him before he could leave the building. “Wait,” she called out and he turned toward her. “I’d really appreciate a ride home, if you don’t mind.”
