said.
"What am I going to say? It's pretty obvious this came from a fight."
"Okay, so tell him you got in a fight but it wasn't because you were competing or anything. Tell him it was a bar fight."
Joel raised his eyebrow.
"Shawn knows me, he knows I work at a bar. He knows you're a hot head. Tell him you came to the bar where I was working last night and saw some guy giving me a hard time. One thing led to another and you ended up like this."
"I think he'd probably question why I couldn't defend myself against a drunk," he argued.
"Fine, tell him it was a group of guys if that satisfies your macho need to look tough," she said. "Anyway, if he questions how beat up you look, just say 'You should see the other guys.'"
Joel laughed. "That might work."
"Tell him to call me if he doesn't believe you. I'll convince him."
Joel smiled and leaned forward, giving Amber a gentle kiss on the lips. "You're amazing," he said. "No matter how much I fuck up, you're always there to bail me out."
She kissed him back. "How about you stop fucking up for a little while?"
Joel kissed her again. "I'll try, Amber. I promise. I know living with me isn't simple."
"Sometimes I think getting in the ring with you might be easier," she teased.
Joel's look became serious as he pulled his head back a bit to look at her. His blue eyes seemed to draw her in as she waited for him to speak.
"I think I love you," he finally said.
Her heart was pounding in her chest. She hadn't been sure he would ever be able to tell her that. "I love you, too," she replied. "And I don't have to think about it."
He leaned forward and their lips met, and then he bent down and swept an arm under her knees, lifting her from the ground with a little wince as he carried her to the bedroom.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" she asked, giving him a little kiss on the earlobe as she held tightly around his neck. He was injured, but she still hoped he'd say yes.
Joel nodded and smiled at her as he lowered her onto the mattress and slid alongside of her. "Just be gentle with me."
She giggled and swung a leg over her waist, pulling herself on top of him as she looked at his battered face. It didn't matter what he looked like, she really did love him. "Fat chance of that." And then she lost herself on his lips.
Joel
Joel took a couple of days off to heal before heading back to Rock House, at Amber's insistence. When he returned, Shawn asked him to come into his office.
Joel was impressed when he stepped into the owner's private room for the first time. Plaques and framed magazine covers adorned the walls from when Shawn was still a competitor. There were trophies and medals on display as well, but he didn't have time to examine them as much as he would have liked.
"So a bar fight, eh?" Shawn sat down behind his desk and picked up a little blue stress ball, working it in his hand as he looked up at his young protégé.
Joel nodded, sticking to the story he had already gone over on the phone when he had called to tell his trainer that he wouldn't be in for a couple of days.
"Joel, I know I made myself clear the first night that you weren't supposed to continue your after-hours fighting, although obviously if this was really just a case of you defending your girlfriend, that's another situation altogether."
"If you'd like, you could call and talk to her. She should be home, she doesn't work today."
Shawn's gaze drilled into Joel, his bottom lip pulled down below his teeth before he finally put the ball down and exhaled heavily. "I have no doubt she'll tell me the same thing," he said. "Look, Joel, I don't know what happened for sure. Maybe your story is true, and maybe it isn't. And since I don't know for sure, I'm not going to do anything about it. But let me be clear. If anything like this
"What am I going to say? It's pretty obvious this came from a fight."
"Okay, so tell him you got in a fight but it wasn't because you were competing or anything. Tell him it was a bar fight."
Joel raised his eyebrow.
"Shawn knows me, he knows I work at a bar. He knows you're a hot head. Tell him you came to the bar where I was working last night and saw some guy giving me a hard time. One thing led to another and you ended up like this."
"I think he'd probably question why I couldn't defend myself against a drunk," he argued.
"Fine, tell him it was a group of guys if that satisfies your macho need to look tough," she said. "Anyway, if he questions how beat up you look, just say 'You should see the other guys.'"
Joel laughed. "That might work."
"Tell him to call me if he doesn't believe you. I'll convince him."
Joel smiled and leaned forward, giving Amber a gentle kiss on the lips. "You're amazing," he said. "No matter how much I fuck up, you're always there to bail me out."
She kissed him back. "How about you stop fucking up for a little while?"
Joel kissed her again. "I'll try, Amber. I promise. I know living with me isn't simple."
"Sometimes I think getting in the ring with you might be easier," she teased.
Joel's look became serious as he pulled his head back a bit to look at her. His blue eyes seemed to draw her in as she waited for him to speak.
"I think I love you," he finally said.
Her heart was pounding in her chest. She hadn't been sure he would ever be able to tell her that. "I love you, too," she replied. "And I don't have to think about it."
He leaned forward and their lips met, and then he bent down and swept an arm under her knees, lifting her from the ground with a little wince as he carried her to the bedroom.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" she asked, giving him a little kiss on the earlobe as she held tightly around his neck. He was injured, but she still hoped he'd say yes.
Joel nodded and smiled at her as he lowered her onto the mattress and slid alongside of her. "Just be gentle with me."
She giggled and swung a leg over her waist, pulling herself on top of him as she looked at his battered face. It didn't matter what he looked like, she really did love him. "Fat chance of that." And then she lost herself on his lips.
Joel
Joel took a couple of days off to heal before heading back to Rock House, at Amber's insistence. When he returned, Shawn asked him to come into his office.
Joel was impressed when he stepped into the owner's private room for the first time. Plaques and framed magazine covers adorned the walls from when Shawn was still a competitor. There were trophies and medals on display as well, but he didn't have time to examine them as much as he would have liked.
"So a bar fight, eh?" Shawn sat down behind his desk and picked up a little blue stress ball, working it in his hand as he looked up at his young protégé.
Joel nodded, sticking to the story he had already gone over on the phone when he had called to tell his trainer that he wouldn't be in for a couple of days.
"Joel, I know I made myself clear the first night that you weren't supposed to continue your after-hours fighting, although obviously if this was really just a case of you defending your girlfriend, that's another situation altogether."
"If you'd like, you could call and talk to her. She should be home, she doesn't work today."
Shawn's gaze drilled into Joel, his bottom lip pulled down below his teeth before he finally put the ball down and exhaled heavily. "I have no doubt she'll tell me the same thing," he said. "Look, Joel, I don't know what happened for sure. Maybe your story is true, and maybe it isn't. And since I don't know for sure, I'm not going to do anything about it. But let me be clear. If anything like this
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