Paradise Found: Cain (Paradise Stories Book 2) by L.B. Dunbar Read Free Book Online Page A

at least, of her situation with Joey Montana, the man Cain killed.
    “Watching the man you love, crumble before you, and knowing there is nothing you can do about it,” she paused, turning to face me. “It was awful to witness.” Her eyes weren’t cold, but compassionate. She’d witnessed pain: her own heartbreak.
    “Cain didn’t kill him, but it was hard to reconcile that fact for a long time. It was his blows, but Montana’s will that killed him in the end.”
    The truth was vague to me. When Cain left me, I believed he had killed a man. It wasn’t until recently, when I met Abel, that I learned the facts. Another Internet search provided the news reports of Cain’s clearance from charges of murder and his reinstatement into the UFC. Foolishly, I began to research the UFC, wanting to know more about the fight world. I worried that Cain had the power to kill again, or worse, get killed himself.
    “Montana had a concussion. He wasn’t cleared to fight, but he did anyway. He needed the money, so I was told. He bet against himself. Elma would kill me if she found out I told you, but I think you need to know. I don’t believe Cain Callahan did anything on purpose. I think he was fighting a fight to win . That’s what Montana was doing. Why would it have been any different for Cain?” Her eyes shifted to her jeans and she pinched at the denim fabric.
    “I loved Montana. As much as you can love someone who loves the fight,” she sighed. “He didn’t love me in the same way.” Lindee was sharing more than I needed to know about her relationship with Montana, and I didn’t understand why.
    “I don’t believe Cain is a killer, but I’d still watch my heart if I were you. Fighters love the fight, not love. That’s where the saying comes from. I’m a lover not a fighter ,” she laughed without humor. “It’s because the fighters aren’t lovers.”
    I risked my own confessions if I argued with her. I disagreed, however. Cain Callahan was an excellent lover. Although the physical impression was almost a year old, the memories seemed fresh. But on further examination, I understood what she meant. Cain might have been a master of the bedroom, but I wasn’t going to be the queen of his heart. The cage was his mistress. The fight was his lover. I had been a fling that resulted in a label: wife.
    “You don’t have to tell me these things,” I said softly, reassuring her that there was no need to overshare. I sympathized with her, but I wasn’t going to lose my heart to Cain again. A foolish woman tempted in the garden; once bitten, I needed to be twice shy. The Cobra left a lasting sting.
    “I think I do. I can see that look in your eyes. You’re conflicted. If I thought he was in love with you, I’d say run to him, but I don’t trust men in the industry, except maybe Abel. He might be the exception.” She smiled. “But the rest of them? Run in the opposite direction, Sofie, run as fast as you can.” Her hand gripped my arm in urgency and I winced at the pinch. Her voice was desperate, warning me against a danger I had already tasted.
    I laughed bitterly. “I don’t think I’ll need to run far. He never comes after me.”

To my utter surprise, someone was seated outside my apartment door. Slumped against it with his back, elbows braced on his knees, the figure sat with his head in his hands.
    “Cain?”
    He looked up at me with an extra edge to his chiseled face. He pulled off brooding and intimidating well, but I wasn’t afraid of him. Oddly, I never had been, despite the size of his arms and the power I’d seen him use against his own brother. Physically, he didn’t frighten me; emotionally, I was scared out of my mind.
    He stared at me for a moment, as I stood before him. Dark eyes searched my face with trepidation. Uncertainty soon passed. One hand on the floor pushed him upward and muscles under his short sleeves flexed. The quick rise to his full height appeared effortless. He made