“I’M NOT for hire!” she said, clearly shaken. He stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her, one brow raised. For a moment, Madelyn forgot how to breathe. Why, he was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen! Even with a few bruises on his face, there was no denying how handsome he was. He stood six feet tall and was ruggedly handsome. She blinked, and only then did she realize he had slowly looked her over from head to toe. Madelyn flinched. Even though she was wearing a red T-shirt and light blue ripped jeans, she felt naked in front of him. Her heart started pounding like a jackhammer, the pressure building in her chest so overwhelming that she wondered if the heavy thumping was visible through her shirt.
“Then why are you here? Who let you in?” He fully faced her. Her attention immediately drifted to his chest, then slowly traveled down to his abs.
Ooh la la.
“Eyes up, lady,” he said. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. He saw her checking him out! She cleared her throat, trying to fight off the shame. She was about to speak when she realized she had forgotten his question. “I’m asking you who let you in,” he repeated as he continued putting on the grappling gloves on his left hand.
“Um, Poncio Pilato,” she said. Her eyes widened at her mistake. “I—I mean Poncio! Not Pilato. Just Poncio.” Her voice rose unintentionally, and she bit her tongue to stop herself from saying anything more.
Keith smirked with unconcealed amusement. “What was your name again?”
“Madelyn Espenilla.”
“So, you want to talk to me? Fire away. Make it quick—I’m out of time.”
Her irritation and resentment toward the stranger resurfaced. “I want you to know that my brother is in the hospital right now because of you. You beat him to a bloody pulp!”
His brows drew together as he stepped closer to her. “Hold on. Who’s your brother?”
“Noah!” she snapped angrily.
“Oh,” he said. “And what does it matter if your brother is in the hospital?”
“It’s your fault he’s there right now. He can barely move his body because of the bruises he got from you.”
He huffed, his patience clearly wearing thin. “Look, Maria—”
“It’s Madelyn!”
He ignored her. “—it was your brother’s decision to challenge me to a fight. No one forced him. I won fair and square. It’s not my fault your brother is weak. But if you ask me, it was stupid of him to challenge me. Your brother is a rookie, yet he was so determined to fight me even though he knew it was impossible for him to win against me.”
“Then you shouldn’t have gone all out on him if you knew he was just a beginner.” She held her head as if a sudden headache struck her. But with the trouble Noah had caused her now, she wouldn’t be surprised if she actually did get one.
“Madison—” he said, and she scowled. She didn’t know if he was forgetful or just deliberately teasing her. “The rule is to knock your opponent down. I can’t do that if I go easy on my punches. Obviously, you wouldn’t understand. But that’s how it works here. And to ease your mind, hitting the opponent’s head is prohibited. That’s a big violation. So don’t worry—your brother is safe from brain damage or anything.”
She crossed her arms. “Fine. But I still believe you have some responsibility toward my brother, Kirby.”
His eyes narrowed at her. “My name is Keith, not Kirby.”
“And my name is Madelyn. Not Maria or Madison. Madelyn, M-A-D-E-L-Y-N.” She even widened her eyes at him for emphasis.
He snorted loudly and shook his head. “I have no responsibility toward your brother. This conversation is over. You can leave now.” He didn’t wait for her response and turned his back on her. But she wasn’t about to let him just walk away. She ran in front of him and blocked his path. He sidestepped her, and she blocked him again.
“Oh, for the love of God! Just give it a rest, woman!”
“I won’t let you just walk away from your responsibilities—”
“What the fuck? I have no responsibility toward your brother.”
“You do! You should pay for his hospital bills and his medicine.”
He laughed, and it only made her more irritated. If he weren’t so big, she might have punched him already. “I’m not going to do any of that. When I was new here, I went through the same thing, and not one of the people I fought paid for my treatment. Your brother just needs a month—or maybe three weeks—of rest.”
“We don’t have money to pay the hospital. Our parents are dead, and we’re on our own. You’re the only one I could think of who could help us. Please, I’ll do anything. Just pay Noah’s hospital bills.”
He crossed his arms, and she couldn’t help glancing at them before quickly lifting her gaze again. “Anything?” he asked.
“Yes! Anything you want…” She trailed off when she noticed him looking her over again. Goosebumps rose on her skin when she read his thoughts. “Anything except what you’re thinking.” She widened her eyes at him.
Keith laughed, amusement clear in his eyes. “Why? What am I thinking?” She rolled her eyes, which only made him laugh harder. “You said you’d do anything. So why the exception now?”
“Excuse me, I still have my dignity, you know!”
“Well, what if that’s the only thing I want?” He shook his head as he looked her over, that mischievous smile still playing on his lips. Madelyn felt not only her cheeks burning but her entire face. Was this guy flirting with her?
Before she could respond, someone knocked on the door. It opened and another man peeked inside. “Keith, it’s time,” the man said.
“Yup, I’ll be downstairs.” The man closed the door after Keith spoke.
“Wait, we’re not done talking,” she said. He turned his back on her as if she hadn’t spoken. He picked up the other grappling glove for his right hand and put it on.
“Tomorrow, I’ll pay your brother’s hospital bills. Then on Sunday evening, at eight o’clock sharp, come here.” She didn’t even get the chance to protest when he grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room with him. His grip wasn’t painful; it wasn’t even tight.
“A one-night stand is still not an option,” she couldn’t help reminding him. Keith didn’t respond and simply kept walking while holding her arm. When they reached the main hall downstairs, Madelyn was shocked to see that it was already packed with people—mostly men. When they saw Keith, the crowd erupted in cheers. She glanced at the man beside her. He must be a popular fighter to have so many fans.
“Let’s talk again after your match,” she said.
Keith looked at her. “You can’t stay here.”
One of her brows lifted at his words. “And why? Because I’m a woman?”
“Well, if you want to see blood and a brutal fight, then stay if it pleases you.”
She grimaced.
One corner of his lips lifted. “That’s what I thought.” He released her arm. “I’ll think about what I’m going to do with you. For now, leave. A woman like you shouldn’t be here in the first place.”
“Miss,” it was Poncio, looking at her. “The match is about to start, and you need to leave. We already called a taxi for you. That’s what Boss said.”
Keith’s head turned toward the newcomer. “‘Boss’? Does he have something to do with this? Was he the one who gave permission to let a woman into my room?” Keith’s voice rose slightly, and Poncio raised his hands as if to say, hold on. She couldn’t believe that despite Poncio’s large build, he seemed afraid of Keith.
“You two can talk about it, Keith,” Poncio replied. Then he gently pushed her forward so she would start walking. Her eyes met Keith’s again, but he was the first to look away. He had already turned and was walking toward the fighting ring. She could still hear the loud applause and excited cheers of the crowd before she finally stepped out of the building.