Stacked Up: Worth the Fight Series Read Free

it a little rough, darlin’?” He wrapped his hand around her ponytail and pulled back, exposing her neck.
    Did
she like it rough? Being that her experience was almost nonexistent, she didn’t know the answer. Except when her scalp tingled and his tongue licked the pulse point on her neck, which he then followed with a bite, she felt her panties get wet.
    “Oh…,” she gasped, just as the bell at the door dinged.
    “Travis? Is that you?” It was a woman’s voice, but from where she stood, Penny couldn’t see her. Travis instinctively shuffled Penny behind him.
    “Get out, Dakota,” Travis practically roared. “Bar’s closed. You want a picture, call my agent tomorrow. Hell, call me. But right now get the hell out.”
    “Five minutes of fame and already a prima donna.” The woman laughed, and then Penny heard the door ding again as she left.
    “Who was that?”
    “Dakota Nelson. The producer of
Fight Night.
They’re supposed to stay inside the Academy. You do know about the MMA docu-series I’m in, right?” He brought her back to him and leaned down to kiss her again, but she sidestepped him.
    “A producer. Like for television?”
    “Yep.”
    Penny gently pushed him away, bent down, and grabbed the rag that had fallen. She had heard something about some filming happening nearby at the Academy, but she didn’t know much more than that. She couldn’t be filmed or photographed. Her family would find her. “Thank you for everything, Travis. I’m sorry for pushing myself on you. But I need you to go.”
    “Wait. What?”
    “That was a mistake.”
    “Didn’t feel like a mistake.”
    “I don’t date.”
    “Me or anyone?”
    “Anyone.”
    “You can’t tell me that wasn’t great.”
    “It was. It felt…” She took a deep breath and tried to rein in her emotions. “It was the best kiss of my life.”
    “Ain’t that somethin’.” He grinned sexily.
    “But it doesn’t matter. It can’t happen again. Please, I need you to go.”
    “First tell me why you won’t go out with me. I’ve been asking you out for months, and now this kiss. There’s something here—you know it and I know it.”
    “I can’t.” She stepped away, but he held her forearm.
    “Talk to me. What could be so bad you’re crying in a bar by yourself? Why don’t you have friends? Why don’t you go out? What’s the mystery? What is it? Let me help.”
    He was right. She didn’t have anything. She only had Sarabelle. The loneliness hit her again.
    Her chin quivered. The strength she’d spent months trying to maintain crumbled suddenly and completely, leaving her feeling bare in front of this man she had such a visceral reaction to. “What do you want me to say, Travis? That you’re right? That I’m alone? That I don’t have anyone? That I have four hundred and thirty-two dollars in my bank account and that it’s not enough for rent? That I don’t have anywhere to go? That I feel guilty for even indulging in a kiss—for forgetting, even for a minute, my troubles?” She covered her face with her hands and let out a gut-wrenching sob. “That I’m scared?” She looked up at the ceiling and sobbed, “I’m so scared!” Covering her face, she hastily said, “I’m so sorry. This is so embarrassing.”
    “Shit. Don’t cry, Penny.” Travis looked ill at ease. “What can I do? What do you need? Don’t cry, darlin’.”
    There was only one thing she needed. Just one. “Can you…I just…I really need a hug.”
    He snorted. “A hug? I can abso-fucking-lutely do that, sugar.” He opened his arms wide, and she walked into them. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her close, and held her. Her body shook, and he rubbed her back soothingly. “Let it out. Maybe you’ll feel better.” And she did.
    She cried for far too long, but he didn’t pry, just gave her what she needed: a release for all the sorrow. The words he whispered could’ve seemed like meaningless platitudes from anyone else, but from him,