The Predator [1] Read online

  Don’t glance at him, K.C.

  Too late. I look up after setting my weights on the leg press to find him sitting on the bench by the free weight putting his earbuds in, watching my every move.

  I finish my workout faster than normal just so I can escape. I don’t know what to do with all this attention. I feel his eyes follow me everywhere. It doesn’t waver when Scott comes in either. Now, his voice adds to the mixture of sensations shocking my body.

  I have to get out of here.

  I’m relieved when I check the time and find that I have fifteen minutes before my class starts. I quickly grab my bag and head out the door without another glance in Chamberlain’s direction.

  But Scott manages to spoil that. “Hi, K.C. How are you?” He smiles an All-American boy smile with the smallest amount of smugness in it.

  “I’m good, thank you. See you around.” I scurry out the door, but not before missing the growl followed by the sound of something hard hitting skin and the distinct yelp coming from Scott.

  I can’t help the giggle that escapes me while I sling my bag over my shoulder and walk to my class.

  XOXO

  THE GIRLS ARE always a little antsier on Friday than the rest of the week. Maybe because it symbolizes playtime and freedom from the rules in place during the week. I’ve always tried to make Fridays the fun days. All week, we work hard, learning new things and putting them together, so why not have a little break once a week, a cheat day, and have fun with it?

  We still do our warm-ups and some ballet, but then I put the ‘fun’ music on and let them loose to do whatever they want. Most of the time, I even join in on the silliness. Their laughter and smiles are contagious. Out of all the days of the week, Fridays are the best. The girls put me in a wonderful mood, which helps me face the weekend at home with my family.

  I always let the girls out early on Fridays, even if I don’t want it to end. The end means I go home to a cold house and mother.

  “Miss Cunningham, can we walk with you?” Kelsey, one of my youngest students, asks as she grabs hold of my hand with her mother behind her.

  “I would love that.” I beam down at her. This is why I’m getting my educational degree. I love kids. I can’t wait until the day I become a mom. I won’t be like mine at all. My children will know and see the love I have for them. I love them now even though I haven’t met their father yet.

  Someday.

  “Are you doing anything fun this weekend?”

  Her dark eyes glitter with excitement. “We are going to the hospital to see my new cousin, and then I’m going to build a snowman.”

  “Really? A new baby sounds like a lot of fun.” She continues to talk excitedly about her new baby boy cousin, making my cheeks start to hurt from my smile.

  When we round the corner, a large hand wraps around my upper arm, bringing not only myself to a stop but Kelsey and her mom as well. “Can I talk to you?” My chest tightens, and my smile turns to shock when I hear Chamberlain’s voice right above my ear. His hot breath tickles the tendrils of hair that are falling from my bun and cause my skin to break out in goose bumps.

  “Are you okay, Miss Cunningham?” Kelsey’s voice manages to help me regain my composure.

  Smiling down at her, I nod. “You have a great weekend. I’ll see you on Monday, and you can tell me all about your cousin and your snowman.” With a wave, she skips off with her mom.

  I close my eyes to try to rein in my breathing. Thankfully, I’m already wearing my coat so Chamberlain won’t be able to see that my labored breathing, or the fact that my chest is tingling, causing my nipples to stick straight out.

  Taking one last deep breath, I turn to look up at him. He is in sweats rather than the shorts from earlier and has a hoodie on that forms to his giant build. “Can I help you?” I squeak out.

  God, he is far more handsome up close.

  His brooding face lifts into a full megawatt smile that blows me back. “Come have lunch with me.” It isn’t a question; it’s a demand, and I don’t like it.

  “No.”

  Yes, take me anywhere please!

  I silence my thoughts and turn to leave, but this time, he grabs my hand. The contact of his bare flesh against mine is overwhelming and sends a burst of sensations through my body.

  Stay strong, K.C. He’s a player.

  “Why not?” He sounds offended. He probably never gets turned down.

  “Well …” I shake his hand off me and look over my shoulder at him. “For one, I don’t even know your name, and second, the whole player thing doesn’t do it for me.” I take another step away from him before he stops me again.

  “Chamberlain. My name is Chamberlain Lawrence.” His voice is gentler now, less demanding.

  Nodding more to myself than him, I turn and extend my hand. “Nice to meet you, Chamberlain. My name is K.C. Cunningham.”

  When he takes my hand again, the same feeling ignites my body. But this time, it is his turn to react. His hand lays frozen in mine while his eyes bore into our linked hands.

  I clear my throat, breaking his stupor. “The answer is still no, I’m afraid.” I amaze myself on how calm and collected I remain.

  “Because I’m a player?” He almost sounds defeated, but I’m not fooled. “You’re smokin’ hot, babe, even if you appear to be an ice queen. I’m totally interested. Just give me a chance.” He follows behind me to the front of the center.

  “I’m not a temperature, Chamberlain.” He laughs, but it’s a nervous one. I stop in my tracks, causing him to bump into me. Turning around, I glare up at him, suddenly very angry. “I’m serious,” I growl. “A girl likes to be told how she looks by a guy but not in that way. It offends me and does nothing but anger me.”

  He scratches his neck, regarding me closely. “Fine.” His deep blue eyes pierce into my pale ones. “What if I told you your ice blue eyes freeze me with a single glance while taking my breath away, and your golden blond hair and the warm smile you give your students are the only things that thaw me, warming my whole body?” He looks down and kicks the floor. “That better?”

  Just like that, what I thought of him has changed completely. No man who is looking for something quick would spend the time to think of those words, let alone actually say them.

  “Okay,” I say softly after a moment or two of silence.

  His surprised eyes snap up to me. “Really?”

  I shrug. “Why not?” I’m curious now, and I’m not risking anything. He’s captivated me from the moment I saw him, and now, I have a chance to get to know him. It’s another step into my own life. “When do you …”

  “NOW!” he demands before I can get my question out. He wraps his large hand around mine, hauling me out into the winter’s day. “I know a great little diner a few miles away …” He stops us in front of an old rusted car. I can’t even tell the make of it. He unlocks it and stops midway. “Unless you have plans?” Hope and excitement fill his eyes so much that I giggle and shake my head. “Great, you’ll have to climb in from this side. The passenger side only opens from the inside. Sorry.” I look up at him as he looks away, ashamed.

  How cute.

  “That’s fine.” I climb in after he grabs my bag and puts it in the backseat. The smell of sweat and dirty clothes takes over my senses and causes me to cringe. Not once does it register that this could be a horrible idea. That maybe I should drive my own car.

  “Are you okay?” he asks as he gets in and starts the car. To my surprise, it starts right away. “Sorry to rush this, but I didn’t want you to get away,” he mutters as he fiddles with the temperature controls. I do my best not to outwardly show how much his words affect me and how disgusting his car smells.

  “That’s fine,” I whisper and watch him in silence. An awkward silence fills the car as he pulls us into the Boston traffic and drives us toward this diner he wants to take me to. Glancing from the corner of my eye, I see a change in him. He seems more nervous now with an overall excitement. H
e kind of reminds me of my students, making me laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” He steals a quick look at me with his own small smile.

  “Nothing.” I shake my head. “You’re just not who I thought you would be.”

  Please, be real.

  “Never judge a book by the cover, panda. I could probably say the same about you if I hadn’t been watching you this week. You’re not the ice queen you look like. There is nothing icy about you; you’re too warm.”

  That causes me to blush and bite my lip as I look away from him and out the window. I don’t recognize this part of town. But I rarely go anywhere outside of home, the center, and the university unless it is to do something for my parents.

  Chapter Six

  WE ARRIVE AT our destination quickly, much sooner than I thought. It is a tiny fifties-style dinner.

  “They have great food,” Chamberlain offers before jumping out. The car rocks, and I slam into the door panel not expecting the movement. I open the door and cringe at the mangled noise that comes from it.

  Who drives something in this shape?

  I take back my thoughts because it’s possible this is all he and his family can afford. I step out and slide on the ice. I try to recover, but I fail, and Chamberlain’s arm wraps around my middle before I fall face first.

  My back is pulled to his front. “You okay?” His breath beats against my cheek.

  Exhaling, I nod. He lets go and takes my hand, guiding me into the diner.

  I’ve never held hands with a guy before. Timothy puts his hand on my lower back to guide me, and I’ve hooked my arm around his plenty of times, but I’ve never laced my fingers with his. Same with the couple of dates I’ve been on. We never got to the handholding. We barely managed conversation.

  Chamberlain’s hand is far from soft; it is calloused and rough from delivering blows to various objects. But it is warm and continues to spread the warmth through me.

  We enter the diner, and Chamberlain is greeted with various hellos from most of the people around the small room including the waitresses and the cook through his small window. “Take a seat. I’ll grab you a menu.” He leaves me to look around for an empty space.

  Table or booth?

  I settle with a booth and slide into the side just as Chamberlain comes back and slides into the seat across from me, handing me a menu.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Pretty much everything is great here,” he offers as he leans back in his seat. I quickly find something that looks good when the waitress walks up. “Hi, Rose. This is K.C.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I say politely to the older woman.

  “Well, it’s about time you find a polite one, young man.” She slaps him with her notepad. Chamberlain lets out another nervous laugh. “Ready to order, honey?”

  I close the menu and hand it back to her. “I will have the cheeseburger with everything except ketchup with fries and a Pepsi, please.” She looks a little taken aback by my order, and so does Chamberlain, but it doesn’t stop the smile that comes back to his rough, handsome face.

  “Make that two, please.” She writes it all down and walks away, saying she would bring our drinks to us soon. “Wow, panda, that surprises me. Someone tiny like you ordering that big of a meal.” I don’t know if it is a compliment or not.

  I’m not tiny.

  “It’s my cheat day. I make sure it’s on a day my mother won’t be around much,” I offer before I realize what floodgate I just opened, causing me to cringe.

  If he notices, he doesn’t say anything. “It’s my cheat day too. My weekends are usually too busy to try to get a burger in.” He laughs. “So tell me about yourself, K.C. What does K.C. stand for?”

  I smile that he somehow picked up on the fact that my name is initials. “You want to try your hand at twenty questions?” I lift a brow in challenge.

  “Sure, why not?” He sits back in his seat, draping an arm over the back to get comfortable and wait for my answer.

  “Katherine Carrie Cunningham. To which I might add I hate. I prefer K.C.”

  “What about Katie?” he muses.

  I lift my shoulders. “I guess that’s okay too. As long as it isn’t Katherine.”

  “Okay,” he replies. “From now on, you’re Katie to me.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Only me.” His warning causes my body to vibrate with a sensation I’ve become accustomed to feeling when he is near. My lower belly tightens and my breathing picks up again. “Your turn,” he whispers.

  I take a deep breath to calm my body, but it doesn’t help. On my inhale, his scent comes with it; a mix of sweat and cologne that I find intoxicating.

  I struggle to think of something. “How old are you?” He doesn’t look much older than I am. His jaw is squared and covered in a light layer of stubble, which I find suits him. His nose isn’t perfectly straight. His lips are pouty and full, making the urge to kiss him overwhelming.

  Growing up, I thought something was wrong with me because no one ever caught my eye. While girls in school talked about having a crush on a celebrity or two, I did not. For the longest time, I played it off because I knew Timothy was my fate. My attraction to Chamberlain proves that I’m not broken, and it feels amazing.

  So this is what I’ve been missing.

  “I just turned twenty-one last month.” Rose returns with our drinks and tells us our meal will be another couple of minutes. “Same question.”

  “Nineteen. I’ll turn twenty this fall.” I take a tentative drink. I’m starting to relax with him. “What do you do for a living?” I’m a little confused at seeing him at the oddest hours at the center and wonder if he has a job or is living off his parents like I’m trying not to do.

  “I work part-time at a garage changing oil and doing tire rotations, and I fight on the weekends.”

  “Fight?”

  “Well …” He rubs the top of his head. “They aren’t legal fights, underground stuff for now. I hope to make it big time someday.”

  “That’s what you want to do with your life?”

  Fight?

  Well, he certainly has the build for it. “Does that make much money?” I’m not sure why I’m surprised he actually fights. After all, he usually works out in a fighting gym.

  Way to go, K.C.

  Make him think I’m a total airhead.

  “That’s three questions, Katie.” He holds up three thick fingers and winks at me. “Yes, I’ve wanted to be a professional fighter since my dad took me to my first fight. And actually, it does pay pretty well. Like any professional sport, there are sponsors and endorsements.”

  Rose brings our food, and we start to eat. “My turn. What does your family do for a living?” Chamberlain asks while prepping his food with mustard and ketchup.

  I drop my fry in shock. “You mean you don’t know?”

  He frowns. “Should I? We just formally met.”

  “Aren’t you from around here? Your accent indicates you are.”

  “Born and raised.” His sharp eyes focus on me, waiting for my answer.

  “Okay.” I lift my shoulders and move to sit up straight. “My father is a politician, and my mother is a bored trophy wife with nothing better to do.”

  “Local or national?” He takes a giant bite out of his burger and then wipes the juice that comes down the side of his mouth, temporarily distracting me.

  “Uh … national.” I can’t help but stare at his mouth. “He’s one of the senators for Massachusetts. I rarely see him, and it’s for the better. I don’t get along with my parents.”

  “At least they are around.” He says it in a flat, forlorn voice.

  Has he lost his?

  “You wouldn’t say that if you met them,” I mumble as I pick my fry back up. Chamberlain mutters something softly that I don’t pick up and choose to ignore it. “My sister is just as bad. She is the exact copy of our mother. All three of them are controlling and manipulative. When people learn my
last name, they either want something from me or assume I’m like them.” Now, I feel humiliated. I know how it feels to be judged, and that is just what I have done to him.

  “You have a warm soul. I can tell.” He reaches over and gives my hand a reassuring squeeze before returning to his food.

  “Thank you. You don’t seem to be what I thought you were. I should know better than to judge others.” I feel ashamed.

  “You’re making it up to me.” He takes a drink and is about to say something when my phone interrupts him. I glance down at the angry text from my mother demanding me to come home.

  I groan and fall back against my seat.

  So it begins early.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “My mother wants me home. I usually am by now.” I feel defeated. I’m not dealing with this anymore. Tonight is the night I tell her she can’t control me anymore. I’m ready for that fight. “Could you take me back to my car, please?” I feel bad. I was really enjoying his company. For once, someone was actually interested in me.

  “Sure, let me pay, and we will go.”

  I grab my things and pull on my coat while I wait for him. Rose raises up to kiss his cheek and then waves at me as we leave. “What are your goals in life?”

  “Hmm?” I blink up at him as he drives us back to the center.

  “Well, you know mine. What are yours?”

  “To become a teacher. I love kids.”

  “I can tell … I see the way you are with your ballet students.”

  I want to ask him how often he watches me in my class, but I hold back. “I’m secretly taking a few classes without my parents’ knowledge. I still need to tell them that. They want me to get a law degree and follow in my father’s footsteps. I want my own life … I want freedom.” I whisper the last part looking down at my hands. “I’m planning to tell them tonight. They won’t be happy.”

  “Parents should be understanding and support you no matter what your choices are.”

  “Are your parents?” I peek at him to find a sad smile.