Pushing the Limits by Jennifer Snow Page B

idea if she could convince Dane to return to the cage, but she knew she had to try. And she pushed aside the wave of guilt over using him, telling herself this would be good for him. It might be exactly what he needed to move forward. Her stomach turned, not buying it.
    Tyson took a step toward her, lowering his voice, as they now had a full gym audience. “You can get him to come back?”
    â€œI said ‘if.’” She had no idea if Dane would listen to her or not, but she was willing to try anything to secure this story.
    â€œFine.
If
you can get Dane to agree to this fight, I’ll answer all of your questions.”
    She extended a hand. “Deal.”
    He ignored it, turning to head into his office.
    She couldn’t resist. “
Cagefighter 5
, huh?” she called after him. The overdramatic, cheesy MMA-based film franchise often showcased real fighters, and she’d seen Faith interview several fighters-turned-actors in recent months, but Tyson didn’t strike her as someone who relished the limelight.
    â€œNo comment,” he mumbled, shutting the office door.
    She grinned as she crossed the gym and headed outside. But her smile quickly faded when she remembered what she’d promised to try to do.
    * * *
    â€œHey. This is a surprise,” Dane said, stepping out through the warehouse door after his shift ended that evening and seeing Colby next to his truck in the parking lot.
    â€œYeah, well, I stopped by to see my dad and I thought I’d see if you were interested in getting a drink or something,”she said.
    He hesitated. He knew he owed her for the new job, but he was afraid of giving her the wrong impression. He wasn’t interested in a relationship or even dating. He was still far too messed up to get involved with someone. His life was a disaster. Falling for a gorgeous woman wasn’t in his plans and Colby was definitely someone he could fall for. The last week since he’d seen her, she’d never been too far from his mind, but he’d kept his head down and focused on learning the ropes of his new job, resisting the urge to call or text her. And politely refusing all other offers to dinner at the Edwards’ home. Her background and his couldn’t be more different, and she was so far out of his league, he wouldn’t dare pretend he could ever measure up.
    â€œUm, well, actually, I’m wiped.” It wasn’t a lie. He couldn’t remember a day in his recent past where he felt as physically and mentally drained as he did that day.
    â€œOh . . . okay,” she said, a look of disappointment flickering across her face.
    Damn. He was a sucker for an upset woman, especially when he still felt indebted to her for the job opportunity. And he couldn’t lie and say the idea of spending time with her that evening didn’t appeal to him. She was like a beam of light in the darkness that surrounded him. Her smile, her easy nature gave him a brief respite from the torment he constantly battled. “But I am hungry,” he said, slowly.
    Her face lit up. “Chinese?”
    He mentally calculated the money in his bank account. He didn’t get paid from this new job until the following week and he’d yet to collect his final paycheck from The Vault, waiting a little longer for the sting of being fired to fade. “How about I make dinner instead?” As soon as the words escaped his lips, he regretted them. Her family home was as close to a mansion as he’d ever been inside, and even the outside of her apartment looked like it cost her triple what he paid for his every month. Could he really bring her back there? Had he made the bed? Cleaned the bathroom? He was about to retract the offer when she smiled.
    â€œAt your place?”
    He hesitated then shrugged. She seemed to like the idea and he really did want to get home, take a cold shower and relax. Besides, he wasn’t trying to impress