MacDermot grinned, patting his bicep since she couldn’t reach his shoulder without getting on a stepladder, “You’ll get used to it. Now let’s go get your girlfriend.”

“She’s not my—”

“Who’s his girlfriend?” the She-leopard asked.

“Malone.”

And when all the females replied, “Awwww,” Crush sighed and briefly thought about retiring and opening up a little bar on a Barbados beach somewhere.

Cella ducked the fist to her face and swung her own left, slamming it into Smith’s jaw. She danced back on her toes, and smiled at Smith. Cella loved fighting Smith. She was one of the few who could actually take a punch to the face without all that sobbing and pleas for mercy.

Cella hated that.

Smith came back up, swinging at her again. Cella ducked, but she got a knee to the face and then Smith kicked her right out of the ring—again.

She slid face-first into a big pair of feet while the crowd that had been growing steadily since she and Smith stepped into the ring cheered and roared.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Hey. She knew that voice. “Daddy?”

Big hands reached down and picked her up off the floor. “Now you’re freaking me out.”

Cella shook her head, trying to clear her vision. She saw coal-black eyes staring at her. She knew those eyes! From somewhere.

“Hey ... you.”

“You don’t know my name, do you?”

“I will ... as soon as that ringing stops in my ears. But I will say you’re very cute.”

“Hey, Malone,” Smith called from the ring. “Don’t you remember? That’s your boyfriend.”

“Pretend boyfriend. He’s a perfect pretend boyfriend ... I think.”

“I don’t understand,” MacDermot cut in. “Why are you two beating the hell out of each other when you know we’re going to work tonight? The team will be here soon.”

“Don’t yell at me, cop.” Cella wrapped her arms around the bear’s waist and rested her head against his chest. “Don’t make me get my boyfriend to beat you up.”

“You’re bleeding all over my shirt.”

“It’s black.”

“Yeah, but now it’ll be sticky.”

Now that the bell Smith had rung had finally stopped ringing, Cella looked up at, uh ... Crushek! That was his name! “Yeah,” she shot back, “sticky with my love.”

Both MacDermot and Smith laughed and, after sighing, the bear wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her off the floor.

“Hey!”

“Come on.”

“Come on where?”

“To get you cleaned up.”

He walked off with her, stopping by one of the Groupmembers, a fellow polar, to ask, “Bathroom?”

The polar grunted and jerked his head. Seemed it was enough, though, because Crushek found the co-ed locker room. He placed her on the long sink and pushed her hair off her face to look at her bruises and cuts.

“So is that how you guys communicate with each other? Grunting?”

“ ‘You guys’?”

“Bears. He grunted and you seemed to know exactly where to go.”

“Why waste words when a nod in the right direction is all that’s needed? God, you heal fast.”

“Hhhmh. It’s a Malone thing.”

Crushek wet a paper towel and began to remove the blood from her face. He had such a nice touch, too. Considering the size of those hands, she always expected him to be much more fumblelike about it.

“So do you always fight your team members?” he asked.

“No. But I always fight Smith. She’s gotta jaw like granite. I figure if I can survive a fight with her, I can survive a fight with damn near anybody.”

“Yes. That’s what you want to base your friendships on. Whether your buddies can take a hit to the face.”

“What about Jai?”

“Jai?”

“The one you keep calling Dr. Davis. All serious and shit about it, too.”

“It’s called respect.”

“You’re just a suck up because she’s the team doc.”

“Can you blame me? She’s actually helped the victims of you and the Marauder. She should get a medal.”

“Don’t call them victims, just the opposing team. No use giving them special titles like victims. And,” she went on, “I wouldn’t have to hurt anyone if they didn’t go after Novikov. I’m only protecting him. That’s my job, in case you don’t remember.”

His eyes narrowed. “Wait a minute. You hit Dr. Davis?”

“Of course not. That’s the point. I have a healthy range of friends. Some I can punch in the face and some I’d never, ever consider it. Well, actually, I have considered it with Jai because she can be a snobby bitch, but I’d never do it. She’d crumple like a house of cards and then I’d feel bad.”

“That’s big of you.”

“I am all heart.” Cella laughed and reached for Crushek’s T-shirt, pulling him closer so that he rested right between her legs.

“I am still thinking about our last kiss, which is huge for me because I find most beings downright forgettable.”

“Isn’t that a cat thing?”

“Yeah. But once we lock on ya, it’s hell getting rid of us.”

He gazed down at her. “I thought I was just your pretend boyfriend.”