The Boxer's Addiction: Endless Obsession Read online

  THE BOXER’S ADDICTION

  ENDLESS OBSESSION

  GIA BAILEY

  Copyright © 2022 by Gia Bailey

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Covers by LoveTheCover.com

  CONTENTS

  1. Cami

  2. Liam

  3. Cami

  4. Liam

  5. Cami

  6. Liam

  7. Liam

  8. Cami

  9. Liam

  10. Cami

  11. Liam

  12. Cami

  13. Liam

  14. Cami

  15. Cami

  16. Cami

  17. Liam

  18. Cami

  Seven years later

  Endless Obsession Series

  About the Author

  Also by Gia Bailey

  CAMI

  “Table three needs refills, hun,” Sookie, my mildly annoying, motherly manager called to me as I made my way back toward the front. I always took my lunch break at noon, but today, my schedule was off, and I didn’t do well with being hangry. I was hassled, late and grumpy. Only the thought of tonight picked me up.

  Tonight, I was going to a fight.

  I grabbed the coffeepot and milk and made my way around the counter. “On it.”

  Lulu’s Lunches was a small, greasy diner, but what we lacked in clean tables and menu options, we made up in portion sizes and prices. Folks that frequented Lulu’s wanted a lot of food, and it didn’t particularly matter if the food was good or not. At table three there was one of the two exceptions to this rule.

  Detective Ellis didn’t seem to like the food at Lulu’s much, but came everyday regardless. He always ate sparingly, like he was forcing himself. Today, his eyes fixed on me as I approached. He had a long, unnerving stare. Maybe it was part of the deal of being a cop.

  “Cami. You’re running late today,” he said. I hated that my name was stitched on my uniform for all to see. If it wasn’t bad enough to be on my feet and my threadbare converse for nine hours a day, smiling at people who were usually assholes, or putting up with unsolicited advice, lousy chat-up lines or cheap tips, I also had to give another part of myself. My name.

  “It’s Camille, and yeah, we have a new girl to train, so I’m running behind,” I told Ellis, as I refilled his coffee. He took it black, and it was all he seemed to consume at Lulu’s, despite ordering a sandwich every day. Only one person in the world called me Cami, and I hated it when customers tried it. Detective Ellis did it a lot, despite my correcting him every time.

  “She won’t be taking your hours, I hope,” he said, a frown crossing his pale forehead.

  I shook my head. “Not if I can help it. I like the day shift.”

  “I know you do.” Ellis’s grin looked eerie for a moment, and I shrugged and looked away. This dude was weird, but today, I wasn’t going to let it bother me. On fight days, nothing could get me down.

  I glanced at the clock over the counter, and a thrill of anticipation zinged down my spine. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can get for you.”

  “Oh, I will Cami. I will.”

  Four hours later, I stuffed my smelly uniform into the locker in the small changing room at the back of the diner, and fluffed my hair in the mirror. I wasn’t bothered day to day about my appearance. I didn’t want customers to hit on me, and trying to look pretty felt counter intuitive to that. There was only one person who I cared about making an effort for, and tonight, I was going to see him. Beside the small mirror in my locker I had two photos. One of Tokyo, the city I’d dreamed of visiting since I was old enough to discover free mangas from my local library, and Liam; my best friend, and the only man in my life.

  Liam Mason had been my childhood crush. Maybe crush was putting it mildly. I had been head over heels for the guy then, and I still was. When I’d been in 9th grade, he’d moved to the US from Ireland. Everything about him fascinated me. His accent, his twinkling green eyes, and his sense of humor. He’d been an instant sensation at school, and despite that, I had become his closest friend. Little old, boring me, with my sad trailer home and single alcoholic dad. I didn’t know what Liam got out of my company, but his arrival in my life had changed it completely. I’d had a safe place to go when my dad was on a losing streak, and would come home mean and drunk. I’d had a friend in my corner, someone who never left me. My life had only improved since he’d come into it, and now, in my darkest, deepest of fears, I worried that would soon change. Since we graduated, only a few years ago, I’d pretty much lived up to my father’s aspirations for me, working at a diner, and trying to figure out what the hell to do with my life. I’d done alright at school, but not enough to get a scholarship anywhere, and besides, there was nothing I wanted to do, except visit Japan. I hadn’t even worked out what I wanted to do when I was there. I guess, I’d never even been good at dreaming. Liam, on the other hand, had a calling. He’d always been a good fighter, but since he’d gone professional, he was rising swiftly up the ranks. Soon, he would be a real life celebrity, with the money and fame that went with it.

  Where would our friendship be then?

  I stared at my tired expression in the small heart-shaped mirror inside my locker. My skin looked rough and my eyeliner had crept into the small lines under my eyes, making me look like I’d been rubbing my eyes all day. My hair was dry from the diner AC and I was pretty sure I smelled like fries and coffee. I stuck a hand in my pocket and pulled out lip gloss. It was that gloppy kind that suffocated your lips and could catch the odd unsuspecting fly if it got too close. I smeared it on. The tube was pretty, and there was some kind of gold glittery stuff inside the pale pink gloop. Liam had gotten me it. Everything pretty I owned had been a gift from him. I blinked at my reflection. Great. Now, not only was my nose shiny, but my mouth too. I dropped the elegant tube into my purse and slammed the door of my locker shut. Who cared what I looked like? Tonight wasn’t about me. I’d never been particularly vain, but lately, around Liam, and only around him, I felt more and more self-conscious. I didn’t like the feeling, but couldn’t deny it either. Things were changing between us, and I wished that didn’t make me as shit-scared as it did.

  LIAM

  Fight days were always the worst. Other fighters were anxious before a match, scared of being hurt, getting beat, losing, but not me. I was anxious because my schedule wasn’t my own. All day long, my coach was in my face, and the media frenzy that had started to follow me around was inescapable. It was the price of fame, and the cost of earning the fortune I needed in order to live the life I wanted, and to give the woman I loved everything she’d ever dreamed off but knowing that didn’t make it any easier to endure.

  Fighting was my bread and butter, but my passion, my fucking calling, was watching over Camille. On fight nights, she arrived at the arena on her own, and knowing she was leaving work and taking a bus alone filled me with violent, anxious energy. Energy that I unleashed on my poor opponent, match after match. I was on a roll, the boxer on a hot streak who couldn’t lose. None of it mattered until I saw Cami waiting for me by the ropes, safe and in front of me, where I could watch over her.

  I could claim to be simply overly protective, a concerned friend, or a man prone to paranoia, who liked to check in on his nearest and dearest, but it would all be lies.

  The truth was, I didn’t care about anyone except Cami. I was a very sick man, and watching the object of my obsession was the only thing that soothed my fucked up mind.

  Cami could never know, of course. I was pretty sure I could get her to forgive me for most things, but not finding out how long I’d been watching her from the shadows. No, my addiction to her wasn’t something she would forgive. I’d scare her, and I didn’t want that. By indulging in my fixation on her, I had made her off limits, and ruled myself out of being with her; the only thing I’d ever wanted.

  “Liam, are you warmed up?” Taylor, my coach, called to me. He was a wall of a man, old, scarred and tattooed as fuck. He oozed the energy of an ex-fighter who could still knock anyone’s ass on the floor if they pissed him off. He was the closest thing I had to a father these days.

  “Ready,” I said, flexing my wrapped knuckles until they popped. I was antsy, all thoughts focused on the ring, and Cami beside it. She had no idea that she was my secret weapon. I could bulldoze through a wall if she was on the other side. When a man stood between me and the end of the match, and getting my hands on my girl, he was done for.

  Taylor watched me bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet, and a knowing smirk tugged into place. “Right, well, let’s get out of here. There’s a lot riding on tonight.”

  “I know.”

  Huge sponsors were rumored to be in attendance tonight. If I won and impressed them, I was set. The days of hustling, pushing my body to the limits and my mind even further, would be over. Well, at least for a while. These sponsorship deals for sports drinks, athletic wear and supplements would see me become a household brand. Then, with that money and freedom, I could finally do what I’d been planning to do since the first day of 9th grade, when I walked into my new class, a thousand fucking miles from home, and locked eyes with the most beautiful and kind girl I’d ever seen. Cam
ille. Even her name was lovely. My one goal remained the same; give Cami the life she deserves.

  “You don’t have to remind me. I’m not losing tonight.”

  CAMI

  The arena was buzzing tonight. Fight nights always felt electric, but tonight was something else. I ducked inside gratefully. Lately, the bus ride into the centre of town where the boxing venue was had felt a little tense. Hell, when Liam had started to fight, I’d gone to all sorts of dodgy areas to see him, but we’d always gone together, and I’d never felt scared. I could walk through the ninth circle of hell with Liam at my side, and never be afraid, that was the kind of confidence that he inspired.

  Tonight though, since the moment I’d left the diner and walked to the bus stop, I’d felt watched. It was a feeling I had often, and I chalked it up to living in a big city. There were always eyes on you, whether or not you could see them. I’d asked Liam once if it was the same for men, and he’d gotten so quiet, I’d immediately regretted asking him.

  Loud music was bouncing around the venue, and blue and purple strobe lights zoomed here and there, making me feel like I was walking into a club and not a place where two men were going to face off and shed each other’s blood for money. A frisson of tension always cramped my guts at Liam’s fights. He never got seriously hurt, and yet, I knew there had to be a day when it happened. I didn’t know how I’d cope with seeing him go down. I’d probably vomit right there on the sticky floor. I made my way down the rows to the front. I had a reserved seat at every fight, right by the ring. I sat down and shook my denim jacket off. It was July and hot as hell outside, never mind in the packed arena. Behind me, I felt eyes on the back of my neck again, and twisted around to see who it might be. Three girls sat just behind me, homemade banners clutched in their hands, watching me with narrow gazes. Their mean and overly loud whispers were easy to overhear, no doubt their intention.

  “I mean, look at her. She isn’t even pretty.”

  “She doesn’t look smart, either. I bet she’s good in bed.”

  “Please, she’s probably just grateful. Grateful girls will do anything, no matter how gross, to keep a guy’s interest in bed.”

  I swallowed the knot of anger that welded my throat closed and turned around. I saw by the ringleader’s expression that she’d realised I’d overheard and was happy about it. Turning stinging eyes back to the ring, I blinked a few times to clear them. Never let them see you cry. Never let them win. My old high school mantra played on repeat in my head. Sure, I’d had plenty of bullies at school who’d thought making fun of the trailer trash girl counted as a college extracurricular, considering how much effort they’d put into it. They only got worse when Liam singled me out to befriend. It blew their tiny minds that the handsome, built, funny Irish guy had chosen me, the crappiest offering our little town had, as a friend. Worse than the bullies were the well-meaning students who had treated me like a charity case. I’d take cruelty over pity any time.

  “Cami, fancy seeing you here,” a voice said beside me, making me jump. Detective Ellis was settling himself in the seat beside me. I stared at him, too shocked to speak. I never saw anyone from the diner over this side of the city. “I hope you don’t mind if I sit with you.”

  “No, of course, it’s fine,” I muttered. Liam always had a block of seats reserved behind his corner. I usually sat there alone, and his coach, Taylor, would bounce up and down from one seat, leaning through the ropes to talk to Liam.

  “So, boxing? You’re an unusual girl. I’ve never met another woman who’d come to a boxing match alone,” Ellis said, settling in to chat. Great. Now I was stuck with a distraction when all I wanted was to see Liam fight.

  I shrugged. “I only come to see my friend’s matches. I’m not interested otherwise.”

  “Ah, which fighter is your friend?”

  ‘Liam Mason.”

  “Well, I hope he does well tonight. My money’s on him.”

  “He’ll win. He always does,” I said confidently. Ellis’s eyes felt like ants crawling over my left cheek. When was the match going to start? As if I’d made it happen., the lights suddenly dimmed, and a voice came over the loudspeaker. Liam’s music blared, and he appeared, jogging along the hall toward the ring. My eyes riveted to him, and I forgot Ellis was beside me. His body always looked great, but on fight nights, when his muscles were shining lightly with sweat, and his tattoos flexed as he moved, I could barely look away. It was an effort enough not to drool. My best friend was the finest specimen of a man I’d ever seen, and I couldn't tear my eyes from him when he was shirtless. Longing blossomed deep in my belly, an achy, empty curiosity for all the things that men and women did together. I had no real life idea. I didn’t date. I worked, or I hung out with Liam. I hadn’t any time or inclination to do anything other than that. Still, starting in high school and building every day, the need to experience what everyone talked about, intimacy, sex, kissing, love, grew stronger and stronger. The problem was that there was only one person who made me feel this way, and he was my best friend. Off-limits.

  Liam strode across the ring to his corner, bending down and hooking his arms through the ropes to stare at me. He smiled, his mouth guard flashing red between his teeth, and I waved enthusiastically like I was army and he was BTS. His eyes flashed to Ellis beside me, and a flicker of curiosity passed across his features, and then his opponent entered the ring, and he turned to meet him. I sat on my hands and watched the match. Ellis might have been talking to me, I didn’t register it. Once the fight started, it was all I could do to keep up with the swift movements. I had a ridiculous superstition that if I looked away for even a moment, Liam would get hit, so I never risked it. The boxers touched gloves, the bell rang, and the fight started.

  LIAM

  My opponent tonight wasn’t the easiest match I’d fought. He was tricky. I should pay more attention to him, considering the sponsor deals hanging on tonight, and yet, I couldn’t keep my mind on task.

  There was a fucking guy sitting next to Cami, and whenever she looked at the ring, he looked at her. I wanted to tear over the ropes and clock him hard, hard enough to put him down permanently. My blood was roaring and thirst for violence was up. Being in a fight did that, but seeing another guy trying to get close to Cami did it a hundred times faster. Edwards, my opponent, moved in quickly, and I had to tear my eyes from Cami to dodge him. He was big, slower than me, meatier, but packed a powerful punch. I couldn’t afford to let him corner me, or land one. I bounced on the balls of my feet, flowing across the ring, staying out of his reach. When I saw an opening, I darted in and landed two solid hits, winding him. I danced away as he stumbled, recovering quicker than I’d like. My eyes went back to Cami. The guy watched her like she was the show tonight. He was itching to get pounded into the ground. Edwards came for me again, and I blocked him, absorbing a hard blow that made my mouth guard rattle. Just then, I registered the movement or the soon-to-be-dead guy sitting next to Cami, stretching an arm overhead, and then settling it around the back of her chair.

  Boom. Pain exploded across my jaw. I saw stars. I staggered back, raising my fists too late to defend myself, and felt every single blow Edwards rained down on me thud through my bones. Well, I was paying for my distraction and that made sense, but hell, my fury burned only brighter. Not only would that guy pay for thinking he could touch Cami, but for distracting me too.

  The bell rang, and Taylor gestured to me wildly from the corner.

  “What?” I spat my mouth guard out and let him squirt water in my mouth. Blood lay heavy and metallic on my tongue.

  “You know what. Get a fucking grip,” Taylor muttered.