Brawler Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Brawler

  Low Blow #3

  Charity Parkerson

  Without limiting the rights under copyright(s) reserved above and below, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

  Please Note

  The scanning, uploading, and distributing of this book via the internet or via any other means without the permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Brief passages may be quoted for review purposes if credit is given to the copyright holder. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. Any resemblances to person(s) living or dead, is completely coincidental. All items contained within this novel are products of the author’s imagination.

  --Warning: This book is intended for readers over the age of 18.

  Copyright © 2017 Charity Parkerson

  Editor: Hercules Editing and Consultants

  Photographer: Randy Sewell with RLS Images

  Cover model: Luke Pearce

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-10:1-946099-11-2

  ISBN-13:978-1-946099-11-2

  Introduction

  It’ll take one hell of a brawler to fight through this mess. Luckily, Aden is used to uphill battles.

  At one time, Aden was one of the most sought after trainers in the world. Unfortunately, he folded under the pressure. Now he lives the quiet life in Key Largo, running a small but exclusive gym. When he walked away from his old life, he did so with no regrets sans one—Remy Bergeau, the current welterweight champion.

  Remy and Aden have history. That’s the best way Remy can describe the way Aden destroyed his life, leaving his heart and reputation in tatters. Remy might be bitter, but he’s not much on holding a grudge. When his sponsors send him to Key Largo for a photo-op, Remy has no plan beyond getting in and out with his pride intact. Nothing could prepare him for seeing Aden again.

  No one has ever made Aden want to set a match to the kindling of his life like Remy. All it takes is five minutes in the man’s company for Aden to do just that—revealing his every secret. Now, all Aden can do is hope the truth will set Remy free long enough for Aden to recapture the man’s heart.

  Chapter 1

  Brawler: An aggressive fighter who likes to fight on the inside.

  He was wearing eyeliner. Remy Bergeau had always been eccentric. That wasn’t why Aden was currently running his tongue over his teeth and fighting back homicidal tendencies. Equally, it had nothing to do with every man in his training center flocking to get Remy’s autograph instead of working on the individual assignments Aden had set for them. Well, except for Gunnar. That dude was staring at the opposite wall, carefully avoiding looking at Remy, while taking his pent-up rage out on one of Aden’s bags. Like Gunnar, Aden and Remy had history, and it wasn’t a good one. Aden watched Remy smile like he was on stage while signing everything shoved under his nose. As welterweight champ, he wasn’t a big guy. That didn’t matter when a man had been fighting his whole life. Someone as flamboyant as Remy had definitely been holding his own since birth. At one time, Aden had respected the hell out of Remy—skinny jeans, hair gel, and eyeliner aside. Of course, at one time, Aden had also respected himself. Those days were gone for them both.

  It wasn’t every day that fighters in training got to meet the big names. By now, Gunnar’s novelty had worn off with the other men. That was the only reason Aden let this shit go on at all. His men needed to see people who’d made it to the top, so they wouldn’t stop pushing and dreaming it could happen to them. It only took five minutes before he couldn’t take anymore. Bringing his fingers to his mouth, Aden let out an ear-piercing whistle, calling his men back under control and sending them scrambling. Remy’s steel blue eyes slid Aden’s way. He didn’t smile, but Aden knew in his heart Remy was laughing at him.

  “Still a hard ass, I see.”

  Son of a bitch. He’d forgotten the thick New Orleans accent. It was near to being old world southern—like Remy stepped out of a dream.

  “My office. Now.”

  “Mmm, yes,” Remy said, each syllable coming out in a purr as he moved to do as told. “Definitely still a harsh taskmaster. You know how much I like the rough stuff.”

  Aden ground his back teeth when several curious eyes moved their way. The last thing Aden needed or wanted was any rumors starting up about Remy and him. As of now, Gunnar still spoke to him. Remy moved past Aden, heading inside Aden’s office as if he’d been there a hundred times rather than not at all. Aden’s gaze automatically dropped to Remy’s ass as he passed. He considered ripping his eyes out when he realized what he’d done. Goddamn it. It was still the sexiest ass on the planet.

  “Why are you here?” Aden asked the instant the door snapped closed behind them. The barely suppressed growl to his voice was something Remy would have to deal with. It didn’t matter his anger wasn’t Remy’s fault.

  Remy ignored him, doing as he pleased, as always. He trailed his fingertips along Aden’s desk without glancing Aden’s way. “I remember this desk well. It’s hard to believe you brought it with you from New Orleans, but I’d recognize it anywhere.” Turning, Remy hopped up onto the edge and flashed Aden a cheeky grin. His dimples made an appearance, competing with the mischief in Remy’s eyes for top marks in the wicked department. “The first time you fucked me was on this desk. I don’t remember it being this hard.” He winked. “Of course, I was more concerned with your wood than this piece.”

  “Why are you here?” Aden repeated. His voice had gone husky, the way it always did when Remy was involved. Unlike Remy, Aden remembered exactly how hard everything had been that night. Hell would freeze and he’d be carrying around the remnants of his desk in a matchbox before he’d consider getting rid of it.

  Remy’s smiled faded. “I had to see for myself if the rumors were true.” Aden didn’t take the bait. He didn’t want to know. Anything Remy said to him in that hurt tone was a deeper conversation than Aden could handle. Remy didn’t need his input to keep going. “After you pulled up stakes and disappeared from New Orleans, I didn’t wonder about you at all.”

  Ouch.

  “Anytime anyone spoke your name, I shut them down. I knew, wherever you’d gone, you’d still be training Gunnar.” Remy shook his head and a self-deprecating smile shaped his gorgeous lips. “Bitterness has kept me very warm at night. Well, that, and lots of men who—unlike you—have found me to be quite enough to keep them satisfied.”

  Double ouch.

  “But imagine my surprise when I opened The Daily Sports Review the other day and learned that Gunnar, Boston, and you were all happily living alongside one another in the same small town.” Remy enunciated every word, as if hammering nails in Aden’s coffin. Remy slid from the desk, looking unfazed by the knowledge, which did nothing to remedy the rapid beating of Aden’s heart. “Since I’m on my way to have dinner at Boston’s new restaurant and you’re hanging out with Gunnar today, I guess I have my answer.” Remy he
aded for the door.

  Without thought, Aden stepped into his path, blocking Remy’s exit. His brain screamed for him to let Remy go. His heart demanded Aden do something—anything to convince Remy to stay. “Tell me what I can do.”

  “Nothing.” Remy’s answer rang true on every level. The man genuinely wanted nothing at all from Aden. It hurt. “Like I said, I just needed to see it for myself.” Remy tried stepping around him. Aden refused to budge.

  Without a plan, his arm snaked out, snagging Remy’s waist. “Don’t leave. Not yet.” As much as Aden had thought he’d known how deep his self-hatred went, he realized in that moment that he’d known nothing. Aden had always been more than aware of how much he’d lost, but having Remy right there, he couldn’t stand by and watch him go.

  Remy’s gaze was clear of all love, pain, and regrets. He’d let Aden go. Aden could see it. Still, Aden didn’t release him. “Did you ever come clean to Gunnar?”

  Aden dropped his arm and stepped aside at Remy’s question. “Would it change anything?”

  “I guess we’ll never know,” Remy said, sounding overly bright. Aden wondered if Remy would tweak his nose. That’s how goddamn fake he sounded.

  Something inside Aden snapped. He wasn’t a fucking coward. When he’d gone after Remy the first time, he’d done so with everything he had. Even if Remy hated him or never thought of him at all, Aden would still fall at his feet and torch his life. He threw open the door. His gaze locked on Gunnar.

  “I need to see you for a second.”

  Even though Aden kept his tone civil, Gunnar’s eyebrows still rose in challenge. “Um, nope. Fuck a bunch of that bullshit. You can talk to me when he leaves.”

  A growl escaped Aden. “I’m not feckin’ playin’, Gunnar. Move your ass.”

  In a show of defiance, Gunnar’s jaw hardened. “I pay you. Not the other way around. You need to remember that shit.”

  Remy swept past Aden. “Don’t bother, darling. Unlike you, I’d never expect anyone to damage their reputation or lose a friend on my behalf.” Without another word, Remy headed for the door. He didn’t spare a glance for Gunnar. With every step the man took, moving away from Aden, Aden diminished a hair. No one else made Aden feel worse than Remy. He brought the sunlight with him when he walked in a room. The sun hadn’t shone in Aden’s life since the man had walked out of it.

  Before Remy reached the door, he stopped to openly flirt with Mateo, one of Aden’s prize students. Aden made a mental note to ruin the man’s life. A pen appeared and numbers were exchanged. Aden couldn’t watch anymore. He slammed his office door closed and paced the perimeter. The floor disappeared beneath his long stride and Aden lost count of the number of passes he made. With every step, his temper darkened. An old craving rose in Aden’s gut. He deserved to hurt.

  Without a thought to the consequences, Aden threw the door open once more. He locked gazes with Gunnar and motioned him inside. This time, Gunnar came without argument. Once Gunnar was seated across from him, Aden almost lost his nerve. He honest-to-God didn’t know where to start.

  Gunnar didn’t seem to have the same problem. “Is this where you confess you were sleeping with Remy before your meltdown?”

  Aden snorted. “Meltdown,” he repeated, testing the word on his tongue. It seemed as good of a word as any to describe a suicide attempt followed up with three months of inpatient rehab. Aden shook it off since that wasn’t why he’d called Gunnar into his office. Still, he couldn’t let the other half of Gunnar’s statement go. “You knew we were sleeping together?” Since Gunnar and Remy had—at one time—been best friends, it shouldn’t have surprised Aden, but he’d honestly believed they’d been each other’s biggest secret.

  Gunnar’s expression didn’t hold an ounce of judgment or malice. He nodded. “You didn’t do a very good job of hiding it. I never pushed Remy to tell me since I knew it could cost you your job with Cornerman Gym. But I think it’s safe to say everyone knew. The way the two of you looked at each other every time you thought no one was watching.” Gunnar let out a low whistle. “It was hot enough to strip the paint from the walls.”

  Aden fought back a blush. He had to clear his throat before responding. “It was a wee bit more than that. Remy was my heart.” Aden nearly choked on the words. It was the first time he’d said them to anyone other than Remy. It was also the first time he’d made the admission since taking a lit match to everything he cared about.

  To Aden’s surprise, Gunnar smiled. “Why did you let him walk out of here, then?”

  Against his will, a smile touched Aden’s lips. “I admit I wasn’t expecting you to say that.”

  “We’re not friends,” Gunnar said, surprising Aden with his forthright statement. “When you came here to train me, you made it clear you didn’t want to be friends.” A bright smile stretched Gunnar’s lips. “You’ve been an unbending thorn in my side and always riding my ass. With your help, I won the title, and you stood up with me at my wedding. Like I said, you’re not my friend. You’re more like family, and just like with any other family member, maybe I won’t like who you end up with, but I’ll accept whatever dumbass decision you make.” Aden couldn’t breathe and he wanted to tell Gunnar to shut the fuck up, but the man kept talking. “If you want to chase after the rotten bastard who called himself my friend while sleeping with Boston behind my back, that’s on you. Just don’t chase a cheat and expect to catch a saint.”

  With every word Gunnar spoke, the faster Aden’s heart beat. The words burst from Aden’s lips. “Remy wasn’t the one sleeping with Boston behind your back. I was.”

  Gunnar blinked. “I’m sorry. What?”

  “Aye,” Aden said, because he couldn’t repeat the confession.

  A derisive-sounding snort escaped Gunnar. “That’s… what? You’re not the one who I found in my house with Boston, so… what?”

  Aden held on to the last threads of his calm, pulling them to his chest and hiding his heart. When he spoke, there wasn’t an ounce of emotion marring his words. For the first time, Aden sounded every bit as dead inside as he felt. “I don’t know what you walked in on with Remy and Boston. By that time, I was already in ICU, barely clinging to life. Pity death was too big of a pussy to take me. Whatever it was, I can’t imagine Remy ever hurting you. It was all me.”

  For a full minute, Gunnar stared at him as if speech was lost to him. Then his spine seemed to give, and he leaned back in his chair, as if losing the will to move. Aden took advantage of the man’s silence. No doubt, Gunnar would never give him another chance to explain.

  “I was a feckin’ junkie, Gunnar. By the time I had the three of you training under me, I’d already created four world champions,” he said, holding up four fingers. “The expectations. The pressure. Goddamn, Gunnar. It was a massive weight. Fame is a strange beast,” Aden said, because Gunnar was still letting him keep his teeth, and Aden needed it off his chest. “It’s a lot like climbing Mount Everest. If you make it to the top without giving up or dying, you feel like you can’t breathe and you’re so feckin’ tired from the climb, you’re not sure if you even care you’ve made it. There’s a lucid part of your brain that recognizes you should be happy, but you don’t feel it. Everyone expects, once you’ve done it, it’ll be a snap to do a second go around.”

  Aden swallowed. The confessions tasted worse than castor oil going down. “I spent more time high than not. Most of my money went up my nose. That’s not an excuse. Boston and Remy both had their title bouts on the same night. Remy was upset with me because Cornerman contracts required I be present at the match that would bring the most attention to the gym. That meant I had to go to Boston’s. He didn’t make a fuss, really. You know Remy. He can be a bit of a ponce, but he doesn’t kick up nettles unnecessarily. It was more that it was his big night and he wanted me there.”

  Even as the worst night of his life spilled from his lips, Aden smiled at the memory of Remy winning that title. No one deserved it more or had held on to it longer. �
��As you know, they both won.”

  Gunnar nodded. “I’d been scheduled to fight in New York the night before. The airport closed when they got hit with record snowfall. Boston didn’t fuss at all. He said he understood. I couldn’t control nature.”

  Aden nodded. “Yeah. We had two new titleholders, and the party was massive. By the time it spilled back to your place, I had more drugs pumping through my system than I ever had in my life. How I didn’t die, I’ll never know. Wish I had,” Aden said, more to himself. “I hit the bathroom and downed some pills. For the longest time, I stared at my reflection. Nothing would come into focus. For a little while, I think I forgot where I was. The only thought I had in my head was Remy’s fight had ended but he still hadn’t called. Everyone was looking at me all the time and I wanted it to stop. I wanted a normal, regular person life. When I opened the bathroom door, I turned the wrong way, and the rooms kept getting darker instead of brighter. My back hit the hallway wall, and a mouth collided with mine. Remy was there with me, and I was over the moon. We were together, and he was kissing me and he’d won the feckin’ title.”

  Aden stopped, because it was all gone and he couldn’t keep going down that path. For a moment, he stared at nothing while remembering everything. Silence filled his office. There was only one way to make it stop. “I woke up in the middle of the night and I looked over, searching for Remy, but it wasn’t him.” Pain clogged Aden’s throat. As long as he lived, Aden knew he would never forget the way he’d felt when he’d looked over and seen Boston sleeping next to him.

  “How did Remy find out?”

  The sound of Gunnar’s voice startled Aden. He’d gotten so lost in his head, he’d forgotten the man was there. “I told him, and then I hopped a plane to Dublin. Well, you know the rest. Two slit wrists later and some much-needed rehab, here I am. You can punch me now if you’d like.”

  Gunnar shook his head. It was slow, as if he might still be considering it. “I think I just want to go home to Liam. It seems he’s the only person I know who isn’t a liar.” Gunnar came to his feet. His brown hair still clung to his face from his earlier workout, and his blue eyes held a hint of something dark Aden couldn’t name. Aden braced himself for anything. “If I don’t come back, feel free to take it personally.”