The Fight for Love (Contemporary Romance) by Kate Goldman Read Free Book Online Page B

something to you but clearly not. I forget that you’re as famous for sleeping around as you are for your fighting.”
     
    Lucie knew she was taking cheap shots but she couldn’t help it. She was so hurt the words were just tumbling out of her with no control.
     
    “So, yeah, see you around, Dalton.” She turned and began storming off back towards the main area of the gym. She half expected Dalton to dash after her, to declare that he was wrong, that he couldn’t just let her walk out of his life. But he didn’t follow her. Lucie lurked on the parking lot for several minutes in case he changed his mind. When he didn’t, dejected, she got into her car and drove back over to the newspaper.
     

Chapter 8
     
    Dalton was still staring at the door Lucie had stormed out of when Steve came back clutching a fresh cup of coffee.
     
    “Is it safe to return?” he asked jokingly.
     
    “I guess,” Dalton shrugged and tore his eyes away from the door.
     
    “Another woman scorned, eh?”
     
    “Mmm,” Dalton didn’t want to talk about it. He’d seen the hurt in Lucie’s eyes when he basically told her that she’d never really matter to him, at least not more than fighting. He wondered if that was even true or if he was just saying how he was supposed to feel?
     
    “It’s quite a life you lead,” Steve commented with a wry smile.
     
    “I’m done with the punch pads today,” Dalton shot a resentful glance up into the ring. “Let’s hit the weights.”
     
    “You sure?” Steve looked concerned. “You hit them pretty hard yesterday. You don’t want to go overdoing it.”
     
    “I’m sure.”
     
    Dalton gritted his teeth beneath the vast weights as he pushed the dumbbell up overhead. His arms shook precariously beneath it. The weights had definitely been a bad idea. His body was still too exhausted to properly work them. But Dalton didn’t care about that. He just wanted to feel the burn of the pain as his muscles strained to support the immense weight. Because when he was in pain he wasn’t thinking about Lucie. His mind became blissfully clear as he tried to regulate his breathing and focus his entire body on keeping the weight suspended above him.
     
    “You’re doing great,” Steve commented but he sounded far away. Dalton was getting lightheaded. But he didn’t care. The harder he pushed himself the more distance there was between him and his feelings.
     

***
     
    It started to rain as Lucie drove back into the city. She turned on her car’s windshield wipers which struggled against the falling raindrops that mirrored the tears silently streaking down her cheeks. Lucie had been certain that what she felt with Dalton was real. She didn’t expect him to become her boyfriend overnight but she certainly didn’t anticipate that he’d just go cold on her, never wanting to see or hear from her again. She was just another notch on his bedpost. Dalton had used her up and spat her out.
     
    Clinging tightly to the wheel Lucie continued to cry. It made her feel weak to be so distressed over a man but she couldn’t help it. She’d actually cared about Dalton. How could the man who had so selflessly defended her in the parking garage turn out to be so cold and heartless?
     

***
     
    A week passed but the pain in Lucie’s heart did not lessen. She knew that she needed to forget about Dalton but that was easier said than done. She felt like he was suddenly everywhere she looked – invading every part of her life. He was on the billboard she passed on the way to work advertising designer men’s underwear; he was on the canned soft drink she grabbed on her lunch. He was everywhere. It was as if the universe was telling her not to let Dalton go.
     
    But she’d done as Deena had suggested, she’d confronted him and he’d told her that they were over. That his first love was fighting. How was she supposed to compete with such conviction?
     
    “I’m sorry it didn’t work out,” Deena