Breaking a Legend Read online

  “Let me know if you ever need any extra tutoring,” he called after her, and she blushed, recalling their previous conversation.

  Casey rolled her eyes and then pushed Clare into the locker room. The interaction wasn’t easily forgotten as Clare showered and got ready for the rest of her day.

  —

  “That might work for an offensive strike, but what are you going to do if your opponent has the upper hand?” Rory asked Kane, less than an hour after his encounter with Clare.

  “How about I learn enough offensive techniques that he never gets the chance? Just ground and pound the fuck out of him!” Kane fooled around as he rewrapped his hands.

  “I’m not going to train you if you’re going to be a cocky son of a bitch.” Rory glared at Kane.

  “All right, all right. Have it your way.” Kane put his hands up in surrender, seeing Rory was in no mood for bullshit.

  Kane moved past where Ace was sitting on the sidelines lazily watching them, and bent under the ropes, climbing back into one of the many fighters’ rings located throughout the expansive main floor of Legends. The building itself was open, like a giant warehouse filled with fighting equipment, rings, televisions, punching bags, weight machines, and all other types of gym equipment.

  “I’m coming at you hard, about to jab. What do you do?” Rory asked, putting his wrapped fists up and squaring off with his brother in the ring.

  Kane looked uncertain, then raised his fists as well, unsuccessfully fending off Rory as he came at him with a jab. Rory slammed him into the ground with one jab and a sweep, causing his brother to tap out immediately.

  “Fuck, Rory. You don’t have to go so hard.” Kane rubbed his shoulder where it had hit the ground.

  “If you can’t handle a simple takedown in practice, then you’re never going to make it through the first minute of a fight. Now come on, use my weight against me. I’m coming at you—move out of the way, then get me with an elbow strike. I’ll be off balance and not expecting it. You have to use the opponent’s own moves to your advantage instead of trying to counter them.” Rory squared off with him again, this time going more slowly and allowing Kane the opportunity to move out of the way of his jab, turn on him, and land an elbow right between Rory’s shoulder blades.

  “Easier, right?” Rory pushed himself up off the mat and turned to Kane, who was clearly proud of himself.

  He bit back a groan as the pain from Kane’s strike radiated through his body, almost intoxicating in its intensity. He had missed the sensation of a fight, missed being in the ring. He hated to admit that his father was right, but his adrenaline was pumping already and his muscles were begging to be let loose on an opponent.

  He felt a twinge of jealousy as he faced off with Kane, showing him another move. His brother was just starting his training, just beginning the life of an MMA fighter.

  Rory knew his days were over.

  That was the only part of fighting that really hurt.

  —

  The brothers repeated the same routine the next morning, ending up drenched in sweat and aching from their training in the ring. Finishing their session, Rory stepped out onto the club floor where Ace was waiting for him as always.

  The duo marched over to the offices. Rory grabbed himself a towel and water bottle on the way, wiping the sweat from his face. He stuck his head in the office and smiled at his mother and cousin, who were busy working on the bookkeeping and membership of the gym.

  “Hey, Ma. Casey, shouldn’t you be at school by now?” Rory asked. “Midterms and all that?” He leaned against the doorframe and took several swigs of water.

  “My first one isn’t until tomorrow, and I spent all weekend studying.”

  “Don’t get her more nervous than she already is, Rory. Hi, Ace.” Deirdre peered over her glasses at him, before reaching out and petting his dog, then went back to the papers she was sorting through.

  “She doesn’t have anything to be nervous about. The smartest Kavanagh we’ve got.” He wasn’t being sarcastic, but Casey still rolled her eyes in response.

  “That’s not much of a compliment since you guys don’t exactly set the bar high,” Casey teased.

  “Oh, ouch. I’m wounded here,” Rory said in a mocking tone, bending over and clutching his stomach as if in pain.

  “All right, both of you, out. I need to concentrate on these membership dues.” Dee motioned for them to go.

  “We’re going,”

  “Casey, help the client that just walked in, please,” she called out as the two filed away from the office.

  Turning to the club entrance, they saw a young woman standing awkwardly in front of the door, glancing around. Casey waved a friendly greeting and headed over to her, smiling. Rory recognized the petite blonde immediately and his face lit up in response.

  Casey was already chatting with Clare as if they had known each other for years, both women giggling. Rory pushed away the nerves he always felt stumbling around in his belly when he was around Clare and took a deep breath, mentally scolding himself for acting this way over a girl. Dismayed, Rory realized that Ace had already trotted over to Clare, begging her for some attention.

  Ace’s friendliness surprised Rory, but it made him like this tiny blonde even more. If his dog was giving her the stamp of approval, then he knew she must be special. He forced himself to stroll over as calmly as possible, hoping to convince himself that the fluttering he felt in his gut was just a fluke.

  Women fell all over him, never the other way around.

  “Casey, need any help with this client?” He smiled at Clare, displaying a false bravado to hide his nerves.

  Clare met his eyes when he spoke, blushing, as he noticed she always did around him. Heat flushed across his skin at the close proximity to her, becoming even more intense when her bright green eyes melted into a warm smile.

  He unapologetically let his eyes roam across her small frame, stopping only to linger on her mouth as she nibbled her lower lip and stared down nervously. A signature move unique to Clare that he found adorable.

  “She isn’t just a client, idiot. This is Clare, one of my friends now. Clare, I don’t know if I ever formally introduced you to my cousin when he was hitting on you in the hall yesterday. This is Rory.” Casey gestured between the two, unaware of the unspoken words passing between them.

  “We met before yesterday, actually. Saturday night. I believe your fist was going through my boss’s face?” Clare’s taunting grin stretched from ear to ear as Casey’s jaw dropped and she turned to glare at her brother.

  “Seriously, Rory? Dad was talking about O’Leary’s? We go there all the time!” She tossed her hands up in aggravation.

  “If it makes you feel any better, it was Cian,” Rory told her, knowing how much Casey disliked him.

  “Oh.” Her annoyed look changed at that revelation. “That’s forgivable then. Sorry, Clare, you know men. Complete asses.”

  “Maybe other men, but not me. I’m a perfect gentleman.” He winked at Clare while he continued to needle his cousin.

  He loved the way Clare’s breath hitched slightly as she scanned his body. Her eyes blatantly traveled over the massive width of the broad shoulders, clearly defined chest, and sculpted abs that he knew were visible through his T-shirt.

  He loved that she was ogling him so overtly, without seeming to realize he had noticed. When she did finally glance back up, her cheeks blushed into a deep crimson color. He didn’t let up on her though, because the way she squirmed beneath his gaze—yeah, he loved that. The corner of his lips tilted up.

  Clare’s eyes wrenched over to Casey and he immediately missed the sense of connection to her. “Um, I was just popping in to ask you if you had any jumper cables, Casey?” she asked. “My car won’t start.”

  “That sucks. Let me check around. I’m sure one of the guys in here does.” Casey shuffled off, leaving Rory alone with Clare.

  “You live around here?” he asked her.

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; He could tell that she was nervous as she bit her lip again and focused on anything but him. Her reaction bolstered his confidence, or at least some small hint of it, that feeling he used to know so well. He had thought that feeling of assuredness was long gone, and yet somehow, Clare was able to bring it back to him. He felt like pieces of the old fighter Rory were coming back.

  “Yeah, actually right around the corner. I’m supposed to start my shift at O’Leary’s soon, but I need my car to work. It’s such a piece of crap.” She kicked the ground with her shoe, another adorable gesture if ever there was one.

  “O’Leary’s is only a few blocks from here. Woodlawn itself is no bigger than fifteen blocks, so why not just walk?”

  “I would, but I don’t get off of my shift until one in the morning. Walking home at that time of day isn’t the best idea for a woman.”

  Rory took a step toward her, which caused her to take a step back, leaving her trapped against the club’s wall. His eyes flared wide with desire as he noticed the nervousness sweeping over her as his second step brought him almost flush against her. Her mouth parted slightly. He held his breath and leaned down, loving the feeling of her heart beating rapidly against him.

  “Something to be scared of, mhuirnín?” he whispered huskily, smelling a soft vanilla scent mixed with something delectable that he couldn’t distinguish.

  Pressed up against her, he felt her legs wobble and her knees buckle. He quickly slid a hand around her waist, steadying her against him. Her hands smashed forward upon his chest and her eyes grew ever wider with anticipation.

  Clare licked her lips and he almost lost control at that sight alone, feeling his entire body stiffen as he fought himself from crashing his mouth against hers right then and there.

  “Careful, mhuirnín, can’t have you falling over me.”

  “I’m fine. I don’t need your help.” She cleared her throat and pushed her hands against his chest, forcing him a few steps back. The sassy side of her that he loved was quickly returning.

  He could have stopped her if he wanted to, but he wasn’t the type to force himself on a woman. He now knew exactly why he felt differently about her than he had all the other women he spent his nights with. She was feisty, not easy. Clare had spirit and pride; she wasn’t one to just take orders from a man. They were traits that he both respected and found frustrating.

  “No luck, Clare.” Casey waltzed up between them, oblivious to the conversation that had just occurred. “Can’t find any jumper cables and none of the guys have any. Most everyone around here walks. I’m headed over that way; want me to walk with you to work?”

  “All right, that sounds good.” Clare gave one last pat on the head to Ace, who had yet to leave her side, then turned and opened the club door. Casey was only a few steps behind her, but she turned around and pointed a finger at her cousin.

  “Don’t even think about it, Rory.” She narrowed her eyes and spoke sternly.

  “What?” He put his hands up, playing innocent.

  “I like Clare, I think she and I could be good friends, and I also think she has had a lot of crap in her life. She doesn’t need more. Especially not from a man who doesn’t have his shit together, like you. I’m not losing another friend because one of my asshole brothers strings her along only to break her heart.”

  “What if I don’t break her heart?” Rory jested, but at the same time, he wondered if truth belied his teasing statement.

  Casey rolled her eyes and huffed, sticking her middle finger up at him as she traipsed out the door. Rory snorted as he headed back to the office. He adored Casey and definitely didn’t want to upset her, but he wasn’t one for taking orders, either.

  He liked Clare, and he had no intention of breaking her heart.

  What he wanted was to possess it.

  Chapter 4

  “I agreed to train him, didn’t I?” Rory responded to his mother, as the two of them and his father talked in the office of Legends.

  “Yeah, that’s a start¸” his father said and grunted.

  “Seamus, he can do a lot more than just that!” his mother exclaimed to her husband from where she was sitting at the desk, annoyed that he wasn’t backing her up.

  “What do you want him to do, Dee? He can’t go back to fighting with his knee messed up,” Seamus insisted as Rory exhaled loudly, not enjoying being talked about as if he wasn’t in the room.

  “He has a graduate degree in business! He can do anything with that!” she insisted, her hand resting on the canine head that was propped on her knees as the rest of the dog sat beside her.

  “I’m standing right here, Ma.” Rory glared at Ace for betraying him by cuddling up with his mother when she was scolding him. The dog ignored him, enjoying the petting he was receiving.

  “Well, then you tell me. What are you going to do, Rory?” Dee turned to him and Seamus put his hands up, trading a look with his son that said he was on his own.

  “About what, Ma?”

  “About your life. You spend all your time drinking or doing God knows what.” Her voice was forceful and stern.

  “I don’t know. I will figure it out. I want to go back into business eventually. It’s not like I’m broke and living on the street. I still have enough money left over from my fighting days to buy this whole damn block if I want to,” he said in exasperation, trying to sidestep around his father to leave the office. He was beginning to feel trapped.

  “When is ‘eventually,’ Rory?” Dee followed him.

  “Dee, leave the boy alone. He’s training Kane, so he’s doing something.” His father tried to step in for him, but his mother was too anxious to be calmed.

  “Exactly—I spent like six hours with him today!” Rory retorted, running his hands over his head, through his thick, wavy hair.

  “Okay, but what about a hobby? Maybe working at a charity or something like that. Something to do with your days would be good,” his mother continued.

  Rory kept a straight face at her statement, since no one in his family knew he was very involved with volunteering at the shelter he got Ace from. It was conversations just like this that made him like to keep his life private. He had had no desire in the last year to share his life with anyone, even his family.

  “Dee, enough,” his father said, with more authority this time.

  “Seamus, I’m just wor—” Dee started.

  “I said enough, leave him alone. He’s twenty-seven years old; he can figure it out by himself.”

  Rory’s mother crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed at both of them.

  “Ma, I’ll be okay, I promise. I love you.” Rory stepped over to where she was sitting with Ace and leaned down to wrap her in a hug.

  “I just worry about you, Rory.”

  “I know, but did you see Quinn’s new haircut? That’s what you should be worried about.”

  “What? But he has such beautiful hair! What did he do?” Dee squawked, standing up abruptly. Ace had to step back to avoid being trampled. It was easy to distract the stereotypical Irish mother with any news about her sons.

  “Where is he? Is he here?” Dee went storming off into the club to find Quinn.

  —

  “It’s not that bad, Cian,” Clare told her boss as she stood behind him in the back office, watching him fix the bandage over his nose in the mirror.

  “Oh, sure, and your martinis aren’t that bad, either,” he snapped back, gingerly reapplying some balm to his bruised flesh.

  “Hey, I’m still in training!”

  “For what? World’s worst bartender?” He turned and glared at her, one brow higher than the other. Clare grabbed her bag off the shelf and swung it over her shoulder.

  “Hey, wait.” Cian motioned to her and then her bag. “You got anything in there for pain?”

  “Sorry.” She shook her head, almost too vigorously.

  “Nothing? Really? I thought women’s purses always had shit in them. I just need some ibuprofen or whatever.”

&n
bsp; “I don’t like drugs, any kind. Would rather deal with a headache than take something for it,” she explained as he stared at her like she had a third eye. She just stared back, undaunted. After her history with Travis, there was no way she was letting drugs near her ever again. Plus, she kind of liked that Cian was in pain.

  “Fucking women,” he muttered.

  “I’m headed home. See you tomorrow,” she called on her way toward the back door of O’Leary’s Pub, secretly glad that the bandage on Cian’s face looked ridiculous.

  She had wanted to ask him if he wouldn’t mind driving her home, but right now she would rather walk in the dark with potential muggers than ride with him. Everything that came out of that man’s mouth was offensive. She pulled her purse around her, peering inside to check on the small wad of cash from her tips that night.

  It’s not like she could hail a cab; taxis stuck to the touristy areas, not the local residential neighborhoods. She muttered angrily to herself as she slammed her hands into the metal back door, opening it with a bang, and storming out into the alley.

  She peered around nervously as the door creaked closed behind her, leaving her to blink rapidly in an attempt to adjust her eyes to the night. She hated the dark, hated not knowing what was around the corner. Moments like this made her think of Travis again, and a shiver of dread found its way down her spine.

  It didn’t matter that she was sure he wouldn’t be able to track her all the way to New York; she still felt like she saw him in every shadow she passed. Pulling her purse tighter against her body, she hurried around the building until the alley dumped her out onto the sidewalk.

  “Someone told me earlier that walking home this late at night isn’t the best idea for a woman.” A deep voice behind her split through the silence, causing her to jump.

  Clare whirled around, her hand clutching at her chest.

  “Holy hell!” she squeaked in surprise as her heart slowly dislodged from her throat to find its way back to her chest. Her skin broke out into goosebumps and her breath was nowhere to be found under Rory’s impenetrable, silver-gray stare. He had a hint of a smile on the edge of his lips above a strong, stubbled jaw, which gave him a powerful appearance, hard and unrelenting.