KNOCKOUT Read Online Free Page A

asked, staring after the car.
    “I don’t know… We were alone,” I whispered, breathing hard. Mr. tall dark and handsome had just saved me for the second time, and all I wanted to do now is run away and forget any of this had ever happened.
    “Well I’m pretty sure your friend there had some company…”
    “My God…”
    I was crying now… Crying like I’d never cried before. Emotions were rolling over my body. If this man hadn’t come… If he weren’t there for me… He reached out and combed the hair out of my face with his fingertips.
    “What’s your name?” he asked calmly.
    “I’m… Bria…”
    He stepped closer and my mind went blank. His thin t-shirt clung to his abdominals like plastic wrap.
    “Let’s get you out of here, Bria,” he said.
    “Wh- where’s your car?” I asked.
    “Nearby. I was out for a run but we’re close to my gym. I’ve got a phone there. We can call the police from there and I’ll give you a ride home when we’re done...”
    “Okay.” I let him lead and stayed at his hip like a new puppy dog. As we walked away from the alley, I kept my head on a swivel, looking for my attacker.
    “He’s gone Bria. Don’t worry.”
    His confidence was out of the ordinary yet still so real. I felt safer walking with him than I ever had felt in my entire life. The way he spoke was comforting, not because he was the nurturing sort, but because he did it with a tone that showed he could never be wrong.
    “Just up ahead,” he said. I own the gym. I’ll go in and grab a clean shirt while you use the phone. I’ll have you home before Kimmel is over, princess.”
    The gym looked more like a damn cathedral. The front doors stood more than fifteen feet high.
    “This is your place?” I asked.
    “Yup.”
    “It’s huge. So what, you’re like a fitness trainer or something?”
    “Yeah, something like that. My name’s Luke Greer. Pleased to meet you.” Luke stuck out his hand as if to offer a formal introduction. It was cute.
    “Bria,” I said, letting my hand be enveloped by his.
    “I know, you told me all ready,” he said with a wink.
    Electricity shot through me when we touched. My cheeks must have gone a rosier red than the gas station attendant’s. I tried to play it cool but he was so attractive. When he turned his attention to the front lock I had to steal a gaze at his running shorts. Even in the dim light I could make the outline of his impressive size. The man was carved out of steel. Everything about him was fluid and sexy. The way his muscular build moved was so… flawless .
    “Coming?” he asked.
    I shuffled in behind him as he flipped on the bank of florescent lights. Inside was a massive open room full of neatly spaced equipment. The floor ran from wall-to-wall with thick blue mats. On the perimeter, there were punching bags spaced at about twenty foot intervals. In the far corner was a huge platform, sort of like a boxing ring, but with a cage around it.
    “That’s like those things on tv,” I said. “You know, where the guys fight… it’s a boxing thing, right?”
    “That’s the octagon,” he said. “An eight-sided fighting platform inside of a cage.”
    “Do people who come here actually do that?” I asked.
    “Only the crazy ones,” he said as he used one arm to yank his shirt off over his head. “I’ll be right back. Phone is in the corner. Police aren’t worth a shit on this side of the city but maybe they’ll get something done if you make a report. You get a good look at either of the assholes?”
    “I guess,” I whispered, wishing his face was clearer in my mind. All I could think of was the shining blade in his hand, or the way he’d grinned at me… And I hadn’t gotten so much as a glimpse at the man who tried to hit me with the damn car.
    Luke disappeared down a hallway off the main entrance without waiting for my response. I don’t know that I could have said much anyway. I was too mesmerized by the view from behind as he