“So, are you and my son seeing each other, or are you just tonight’s prize?”

“Ma,” O’Connell growled. Clearly, Sylvia had become bored of playing nice, and O’Connell was beyond pissed. Whether she was saying this to get a rise out of him or me, I wasn’t sure, but by the death grip that he had on my hand, I could tell that he needed some reassurance.

“Don’t be testy, son,” she replied. “It’s not like you’ve ever talked about her before, is it?”

He ground his jaw as he tried not to react to his mother’s baiting, and I was beginning to get a sense of how toxic she was.

“I talk about her all the time. You don’t know that because I moved out over a month ago.”

“Maybe you should move back in, lovely. You’d have your own room and then perhaps I could get to hear about what’s important in your life.” She sounded so genuine when she asked him to move back in that it was easy to forget that she was the reason that he moved out in the first place. He squeezed my hand again, almost like he was reminding himself that I was still here. I was aware that I’d done nothing to give him the support that she was undermining.

“Thanks, Ma, but I’m fine at Kieran’s.” I could see that she was ready to press her case before I jumped in.

“In answer to your question Mrs. O’Connell, yes, Con and I are seeing each other, and I’m sure that we’ll get to know each other better now that we’ve been introduced.”

Kieran and O’Connell grinned a mile wide as I admitted for the first time that O’Connell and I were more than just friends. There really wasn’t any point in continuing to pretend that our relationship was just friendship. For some crazy reason, O’Connell had chosen me, and like the hurricane that he was, he’d blown into my life whether I was ready for him or not.

“Perhaps, we should see how long this lasts before we invest any time in getting to know each other. After all, my son tends to go through girls like they’re disposable.”

“Ma!” O’Connell admonished in horror.

“I’m sure that was true once, but I’m betting that he’s never introduced a girl to you before,” I replied.

Sylvia looked as though she was sucking on lemons, and I knew she didn’t like me answering back. Frank gave the same look me when I said something in public that I knew I’d pay for in private later. She wouldn’t say whatever else she had to say to me in front of O’Connell, but this conversation was far from over.

“Come on, sunshine. We need to leave your boy to talk business.”

I could practically see the gleam in Sylvia’s greedy eyes as Kieran nodded toward the sponsors talking with Danny. Glad to be away from this conversation, I muttered, “See you soon,” and kissed O’Connell briefly on the cheek, which earned me a pulse racing smile.

“It was nice to meet you, Sylvia,” I lied politely. “I’m sure that we’ll see each other again soon.”

“I’m sure we will,” she retorted, as though it were a veiled threat. I had to work hard not to cringe.

Kieran led me back to the changing room, which was packed full. Mac had obviously invited my friends back there, and with the guys from the gym euphoric from the win, it was like a mini party.

“Oh man, Con rocked! I can’t believe that I’ve never been to a fight before,” Nikki enthused, and I grinned. “Em, that man of yours is seriously fucking hot.”

She wasn’t wrong, and now that I didn’t have the fear of him getting hurt hanging over me, the reminder of my promise totally turned me on. Hot and sweaty was a look he wore well. The thin sheen of moisture only highlighted a body that I alone would have free rein to explore. Lust made me uncomfortable, and I squirmed in my seat, wondering what delicious things he would do to me later. After so many weeks of hard training, I imagined that he’d want to party a bit first, he’d certainly earned it. With my friends around me, I was relaxed enough to enjoy myself as well. Someone was playing music while we all waited for the guys, and O’Connell’s smelly sweaty changing room was beginning to feel more and more like a nightclub.

“Where’s Ryan?” I asked Nikki, looking around.

“Don’t know, don’t care,” she replied in a tone which made it patently obvious that she did care. I didn’t want to upset her anymore by pressing for the details. She’d tell me in her own time or not at all, but privacy was a gift that well-meaning friends rarely cherished. She nudged me with a smile.

“I’m good, Em. Buzzed from the fight and ready to party. Look, I’m going to get us a couple of drinks from the bar, okay? Keep my seat for me.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not going anywhere,” I replied.

I was so lost in thoughts about what O’Connell and I might do when he was done with the sponsors that I hadn’t even noticed anyone until she sat down in Nikki’s seat.

“Well, now would be as good a time as any for us to get to know one another.” The malice in Sylvia’s eyes was completely unrestrained as she glared at me with contempt. I tried to remember all the rules I lived by when I was around Frank, but it was too late. I wasn’t that person anymore. Danny, O’Connell, Kieran, Tommy, Nikki, and all the other guys had changed me. Granted, beneath the surface, my insecurities were still there and still deeply ingrained, but my skin was thick enough that I couldn’t subjugate myself to her petty insults.

“What can I do for you, Sylvia?” I asked, politely.

“Well, for starters, you can fuck off back to whatever hole you crawled out of before you decided to latch your claws onto my son.”

“Wow, we really are foregoing all pleasantries,” I baited, unwisely.

“Bitch,” she sneered as she leaned toward me, “this is me being polite.” I shrank back into my seat. I’d gone from ‘please to meet you’ to ‘bitch’ in under ten minutes. I really must secrete some kind of chemical that made people hate me on sight.

“Why would you think that I’d want to stick my claws in him? I care about your son, and I believe that he cares about me. I don’t understand why you would be concerned about our seeing one another.”

“Is it all an act, I wonder, or are you really that naive? My son is on his way to the big time. Some of the promoters were very accommodating and most respectful when they learned that I was Con’s mother. It seems to me that he will walk away tonight with a boatload of sponsorship money, and with the fights they have lined up for him, this is only the start.”