She cringed at the name I called her, and she didn’t yet know I did it because of the reaction she gave me every time.

“You might move on by then,” I added.

“To be honest, I don’t care if I do,” she replied.

“No?”

“Relationships are hard work. The thought of starting over again from scratch with someone else tires me out. I need to focus on this,” she pointed to her belly, “and my school work. Not some guy in prison who hurt me. Not trying to sound harsh, but Ryker messed up things in a way that can’t be fixed with an apology.”

I nodded. Smart girl. Well, not the getting pregnant part, but everything else. I respected her opinion, was quite impressed she wasn’t like those girls defending their guys when they absolutely fucked up.

“You had a good fight, by the way,” she then said, finally looking up at me. Her blue eyes brightened a bit and she smiled. “I didn’t think you’d win it.”

I smirked. “You and everyone else.”

“Big cut?”

Remembering the wad of cash in my pocket, I nodded heartily. “Oh, yeah.”

My income had me barely making it by, but with a fight here and there, the injection of cash was welcome and always brought my debts back down to zero. I’d never lost a fight, and people had no right to have a negative opinion of me the way they did tonight, but then again they’d never seen me up against a guy double my size.

And I was already a big guy. So that said something.

She took the plate into the kitchen and rinsed it in the sink. Then she came back and grabbed her backpack. “Where do you want me to crash?”

I resisted rolling my eyes. “Ryker’s room is still there and ready, Al.”

Another cringe. I resisted chuckling.

“Okay, well, I appreciate this very much, Heath. I’ll um… try and be out of your way. I don’t want to be a stress to you –”

“You’re not going to be a stress,” I interrupted solemnly. “We’re going to get through this. We’ll figure it out, alright?”

She nodded and blinked back tears. “Yeah.”

We stood in silence for a few moments; that trademark awkwardness between us grew by the second.

“Okay, well good night.” She whipped around and left the room, disappearing seconds later into Ryker’s.

I looked at my untouched food, not feeling one shred of hunger, and settled it down on the kitchen counter.

“There’s still food left in the kitchen,” I called out to her on my way down the hall.

“Okay,” she called back.

Standing in the bathroom, I slowly peeled off the tape around both hands. I flexed my fingers and looked up at the mirror. My whole body was sore. I may have knocked Tank out tonight, but he got a few hits in that were damn impressive. I turned my back to the mirror, spotting the deep red, fist-sized marks along my shoulder blades. Damn, this was going to bruise something awful tomorrow.

I was used to pain at this point, so it didn’t bother me. Fighting was a good release for me. Kept my aggression levels low and had me grounded in everyday life.

That and sex.

I produced the money from my pocket and laid it out on the toilet seat. Hundred dollar bills stacked atop of one another in a thick heap reminded me why I did this. Still, no matter how much of a release it was, I didn’t want to be doing it forever.

I had a quick shower, all the while wondering how I was going to contribute to this pregnancy. Maybe fight more? I could use any extra income to help, and that way Allie wouldn’t stress so much about money. I could also cut down on other costs: stop the protein shakes because they were fucking expensive, cut out late nights out with the guys, and halting all car projects I had going on the side as a hobby in the car shop.

I sighed. Lot of cutting out shit, I realized. What the bloody hell would I be doing in my spare time?

Just as I stepped out, I heard a knock on the front door. Checking the time, I cursed. I’d completely forgotten about Trudy. Without dressing, I hurried to the front door, not wanting to get Allie out of her room in case Tru knocked again. I opened the door and immediately slender arms wrapped around me. Soft lips touched mine as she pushed up against me.

“Someone had a shower,” she murmured, bathing me with her flowery scent as she slipped her hands down my bare chest to where the towel sat around my hips.

I pulled back before she could get the towel undone and glanced over my shoulder. “I got company, Tru.”

She dropped her arms to her sides. “What? You knew this was the only night I could get off work –”

“I know, but this was unexpected.”

“What do you mean? Who is it?”

Before I answered, I ran my eyes over her body. She’d gotten dolled up for this, wearing what she knew would impress me. Tight jeans, low cut top and sexy heels that made her legs look like they went on for fucking miles. I resisted groaning. Tru never disappointed me on the nights we fucked.

“Heath?” she pressed, raising her brows.

“Ryker’s girlfriend,” I told her. Well, maybe girlfriend. I didn’t understand the “I don’t know” part so much. If you were being technical, they were broken up, and all they needed to mend that technicality was a simple discussion with one another, one that I was sure Allie wasn’t ready for anytime soon.

Immediately she frowned. Tru lived a floor below me and was familiar with Ryker. Had met him on several occasions when we’d started our arrangement a couple months back, but she had never been around to see Allie. I kept Tru at a distance when it came to my personal life. I could see the look of disapproval on her face as she waited for me to elaborate.

“She needed a place to crash,” I told her.

Now the look could cut through flesh. “Where is she sleeping?”

“In Ryker’s room.”

“So what’s the problem then?”

“We can’t do this tonight.”

“Why? She’s in her room, and we’ll be in yours.”

My jaw tightened. How could I focus on her when I knew next door Allie was in bed alone? It wasn’t like before when she was with Ryker in there. I couldn’t share a wall with her and be intimate with Tru at the same time. It felt wrong, which was fucked up because it wasn’t. At all.

When I didn’t respond, she took a step forward, locking those hazel eyes with mine. Those seductive thin lips curved up as she said, “Come fuck the brains out of me, Heath. I’ve been wanting this for days.”