by Emma Nichole
“Uh, no…I’ve been on duty all day, Faith.” He shakes his head. “Where are you today?”
“What do you mean?” I shut down my computer and flip off my lamp.
“You just seem distracted, is all.” He leans down to give Arya a scratch on the head, which she absolutely appreciates.
“No, I’m not. I’m okay. I guess I just didn’t sleep well.”
“Everything was okay getting home with Marco?” he asks, and I immediately know he heard about the fight.
“You heard.”
“Everyone heard. Nora pounced on him as soon as he walked through the door last night. His manager saw the video on Twitter and emailed it to her. It hasn’t gone insanely viral, but that doesn’t mean it won’t.”
I place my head in my hands and sigh.
“What happened, Faith?” he asks, and I look up into his eyes.
I recount it all to him, beat by beat. The asshole bumping me then calling me names. Everything.
“So, really, it could have been a whole lot worse,” I tell him. “How upset is Nora?”
“She’s furious. Said he has too much to lose to risk it over something so silly.”
I cringe at that statement. He was fighting over me.
“Shit. Faith, that’s not what I meant and not what she thinks either. I guess he’s had some health issues, and shouldn’t be doing half the stuff he is. She was scared.”
“Health issues? What’s wrong with him?” I stand and gather my things, but my attention is solely on Case.
“I don’t have the full story because I’m not so sure Nora does, but his body has taken some damage over the years, and his manager wants him to retire. He refuses.”
My mind does this thing when I hear new information, where it takes it, puts it into a blender, and out pops the worst-case scenario.
“He didn’t mention it at all,” I say, trying to hide the concern on my face.
“Why would he? I’m sure it’s not something he wants to talk about,” Case replies.
I shrug a bit, feigning nonchalance. “I hope he will be okay.”
Case and Arya give me the same tilted head stare, like they are confused by me.
“What?” I ask.
“Come on.” He nods his head toward the door. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
We step out into the balmy air with Arya prancing at our side in relative silence. I can tell he has questions he wants to ask, things he wants to say, but he doesn’t speak. I pull my keys from my bag when we come within feet of my car.
“You’re being careful, right, Faith?”
I sigh heavily then turn to face him, placing my hands on his shoulders. “Yes, pseudo big brother, I am being careful. I appreciate your concern, I really do, and I promise I’m fine.”
“After everything, Faith, I just want to make sure.”
“Every day is a battle. You’re the one who told me how to fight those battles every day and learn how to overcome them. But eventually, we all have to live our lives. I can’t let something from my past dictate whatever is in front of me. Even if it’s just someone I like to have fun with.”
“Fair enough.” He leans over to give me a hug. “I have a few hours left, so I better get back out there. Call me if you need me, okay?”
“I will.” I bend down to give Arya a little boop on the nose with my nose. “Keep your daddy safe out there, girl.”
She gives my face a lick as if to say, “Duh. I always do.”
***
Falcon is waiting for me outside of the gym when I pull into the parking lot. He’s wearing the same pair of basketball shorts as last time, but this time, he’s wearing a black, wifebeater-style tank top that showcases those arms and that glorious tattoo.
I nearly have to stop and catch my breath before I climb from the car, but he doesn’t give me a chance. He is opening my door for me before I can even slide my gearshift into park.
“Hi,” he says, before extending his hand to help me from the driver’s seat.
“You’re very prompt.” I giggle and lay my hand in his, getting out of the car.
“I came early for a run, so I was already here.” He leans down and kisses my cheek. Heat spreads from the point of contact and simmers over every square inch of my skin, pooling into an electric tingle between my thighs. Something so simple, an average peck on the cheek, is making me want to climb him like a tree.
This is something I’m not used to. Not in the least.
“I see. Good run?” I reluctantly move away from him to grab my bag from the back seat, which he promptly takes away from me to carry himself.
“Great run. Six miles, in fact.” We walk side by side toward the entrance, slower than normal, like we want to extend our time together as much as possible.
It even seems like he is taking the long way around cars in the parking lot to keep the conversation going. Honestly, it makes me smile.
“Running is my favorite cardio. It helps me escape. I crave the racing heart and the sweat.” The innuendo in my words is unintentional, but I don’t do a thing to change them or take them back.
He glances down at me with that smile I like so much. That smile I want to climb onto and ride until I can’t even remember my own name.
What. Is. Wrong. With. Me?
Falcon
I shouldn’t stare.
Really, I shouldn’t, but fuck if I can help it. I won’t apologize for it either. I’m a man who goes after what he wants, and right now, I want to stare at the bombshell in front of me.
The way those leggings mold to her ass and the way her sports bra curves over her torso, my God, I’m only fucking human.
“Okay.” I clear my throat then fake cough. “I think that’s enough stretching for today.”
She pulls that luscious bottom lip of hers between her teeth and blushes. “Are you sure? I can do a bit more. Wouldn’t want to cramp up now, would we?”
She’s playing along, and my cock swells in response.
“Unless we want this entire gym to witness me having my way with you, I suggest we move on.” I slide past her for my water and let my hand graze her lower back, and I swear, I hear her shudder in response.
I tip my water bottle against my lips and take a long, cooling drink.
“Maybe I’m into exhibitionism. You don’t know,” she offers, while also taking a drink from her bottle.
“You, Faith Morgan, are killing me here.”
“Yesss. My work here is done.” She does a little dance and it’s the most endearing thing I’ve ever seen.
I reach out and wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her into my chest and we collide with a thud and laughter.
“I’ll make you pay for that, Faith,” I tease, pushing a stray hair from her face.
“I’m not scared of you, Falcon.” She pushes up on her tiptoes so our mouths ghost over one another. In a whisper, before our lips finally touch, she breathes, “Maybe I should be.”
There’s something to be said about kissing someone before you’ve had sex. Not kissing as foreplay, but as the only act of intimacy shared between two people. It’s heady and wholly erotic, the way our tongues dance and the way our breathing mingles.
Actually, maybe it’s like this because it’s with Faith. She is so different than any other woman I’ve been with before. She isn’t fake; she isn’t after something like my money or my “fame.” She is just a normal girl with a regular life who happens to look like a goddamn goddess.
She’s perfect.
I’ve backed her up against the mirrored wall, lost in our connection, before we finally break to catch a breath.
“We have to stop making out in the gym.” She laughs.
“I blame it on your outfit.” I give her nose a little pinch before stepping back to take another full look at her. My God, she’s beautiful. “All right, let’s get to work.
***
“Yes! There you go!” I clap as she throws a near perfect punch into the focus pads I
’m wearing on my hands. “Do it again!”
She radiates pride as she lands first one, then another.
“Remember to keep your thumb out and put every ounce of energy into that fist. One more!”
She pauses a moment then swings her right arm through the air and connects with my right hand with enough force, it knocks my arm back a bit.
“Holy fuck. This feels good!” she says, jumping up and down in excitement.
“You’re a natural.” I unhook the focus pads and pull them from my hands, tossing them to the side of the mat. “I can tell you’re getting more comfortable with the motions and the details of it all. It’s all about placement, protection, and power.”
“The English nerd in me loves that alliteration.” She places her hand over her heart. “Thank you for that.”
I toss my head back and laugh. “I had a trainer when I was younger, when I first started fighting on the professional circuit, that’s what he would always tell me.”
I move closer to her and place my hands on her hips, moving her into the correct stance. “Placement.” I slide my hands over her fingers and curl them into fists before raising them up, one near her mouth, the other prepped to strike. “Protection.” I step behind her, my chest to her back and guide her through the punch. “Power.”
I lean down and press my lips into the curve of her neck; letting my tongue dart out just a bit to taste the salty sweat on her skin.
I can’t stop myself with her. It’s as if there is a vine in each of us and they are growing stronger and stronger, pulling us together more and more every single day, weaving us together.
“Falcon…” she whispers. I’m not even sure she means for me to hear it, but I do, and I want to hear it louder. Preferably from underneath me.
She shifts her ass back and I know that she can feel my body’s reaction to her. My cock is a steel rod beneath my shorts and it is pressed firmly against her backside. I nearly pull away, not wanting her to think I’m forcing anything on her, but she grinds back against me, searching for it, feeling it, chasing it.
Christ. Fuck. Me. My. God.
“Faith…” I growl against the shell of her ear. “You may want to stop before this goes so far we won’t be able to…”
She doesn’t respond with words, only with action.
She reaches back with her hand and cups my dick through my shorts and squeezes. “What if I don’t want you to stop? I’ve been thinking about this for days, Falcon. I even dream about it. I can’t focus on anything else. You’ve ruined me,” she moans softly.
“No, baby, I haven’t even gotten started.” I spin her around in my arms so her back is to the mirror, and press my chest to hers, leaving her arms untouched so we don’t have a repeat of last night.
She curls her arms around my neck and pulls me in closer. “More,” she begs.
I don’t care we are in public. I don’t care someone could walk in at any moment. I don’t care for me, but I care for her. I would love to strip her from the waist down and fuck her senseless right here against this mirror, but I can’t do that to her. This is her home, and I won’t let people start talking.
They’ve already started just based on that fucking video someone filmed last night, and I want to shield her from it as best I can.
Fucking her in public would only make things worse.
But I won’t stop kissing her. Not until she asks me to, because I can’t get enough. She’s a drug to me. A must have. An addiction I need another fix of.
I adjust my stance a bit so my knee fits between her thighs and presses up against her center. I can feel the warmth radiating from her pussy, even through her leggings, and her nipples are taut, hard under her sports bra.
“Oh my God,” she sighs.
“Not God. Just me.” I smirk and kiss my way from her lips, to her jaw, to her neck.
She laughs and it bleeds into a soft moan when she shifts her hips, rubbing herself against my leg, but she stops, like she’s suddenly embarrassed that she feels good doing it.
“No,” I say. “Don’t stop, baby.” I grip her waist and push and pull on her body, helping her find her pleasure.
“Holy wow.” She drops her head back and it thumps on the mirror, but she doesn’t even flinch. She rolls her body and arches, curving so the top of her head rests against the glass and her neck is outstretched, presenting itself like a living, breathing buffet for my taking.
In this moment, I want nothing more than for her to come. Right here. Right now. Just from rubbing herself like a kitten on me.
I lick her pulse and bite her skin. I can feel her heart racing beneath my every touch. Her chest is heaving and flushing a beautiful color that resembles a rosé wine.
This moment began with my hands guiding her body, but she’s taken over, moving at her own pace, the way she needs, chasing a release that I’m craving from her.
She is pressing down harder against me, and I make a mental note of everything she needs, everything she does. I want to know what makes this girl tick, what drives her wild. What makes her putty in my hands.
“I’m…oh wow…Falcon…I’m going to come,” she mewls, then licks her perfect lips as they curve into a grin.
“Fuck yes. Come for me.” I curl the hand on the back of her neck and pull her head upright and slam my lips onto hers, eating every cry that drips from her lips as her body convulses and shakes. The orgasm rocks her body from the inside, and fuck if I can’t feel it in my own soul.
Our kiss settles, her body relaxes, and I slowly unwind myself from her with a gentle nibble and pull on her bottom lip.
She blinks her eyes open and gives me an exhausted, but sated smile.
“You, Falcon Masen, are going to be a problem for me.”
If you only knew, beautiful girl, what a problem you already are for me.
My heart feels it, and right now, my cock painfully agrees.
I kiss her once more before stepping a few paces away from her. “That’s one way to finish a workout, huh?” I say.
She sighs heavily and the sound of a lip trill echoes off the walls. “You can say that again, but I do feel bad.”
“Why would you feel bad?”
She lets her eyes drop to my shorts then back to my face. “Well…you seem rather…engorged.” Her eyes grow to the size of half dollars and her cheeks flush bright red. “I cannot believe I just said that to you.”
“Well, Miss Morgan, I will have you know, you are correct. I am rather engorged.” I laugh. “But, I’ll be fine. This seems to be a constant state when you’re around, so I’m used to it.”
“Thanks…I think?” she says then she begins to gather her things. From what I can sense from the shift in energy, and the way her shoulders are hanging down instead centered and held high, her mind is getting the best of her.
“Hey.” I catch her chin in my hand. “You okay?”
“Uh huh. I’m fine.”
I squint my eyes at her. “I don’t believe you.”
“I just don’t want this to be weird now, that’s all. It seems like every time something like this happens, everything changes. I like spending time with you, and I don’t want that to change because of this.”
“Faith, are we adults?”
“Yes…generally.” She smiles.
“Then we are able to make adult choices and still be normal, right?”
“Right.”
“Then we have nothing to worry about. I like spending time with you too, by the way. Very much.” I kiss the tip of her nose.
“Then let’s make these next two weeks worth our while, yeah?”
Her words sink into my heart and send a chill over my skin, and not in the good way. I hadn’t even thought about leaving. It wasn’t something that stayed in the forefront of my mind, because since I’ve been here, being here is all that has mattered.
Chapter 11
Faith
“So it happened just like that? In that middle of the gym?” Rose asks, with
wide eyes as she sips on a glass of moscato, her feet tucked up under her on my sofa.
“Well, we weren’t in the middle of the gym. It was a back room with a big sparring mat and mirrors he reserved for us.”
“Regardless, holy fuck, Faith!” She swats my leg. “That’s so hot. I can’t believe he didn’t try to push it further.”
“Not at all. It all happened so fast and it just, I don’t know. It was the most erotic thing I’ve ever done in my life.” I lay my head back on the sofa.
“I feel a but in there somewhere.”
My best friend knows me so well. “But, I can feel myself getting attached to him and that’s scary.”
“You’ve only known him a just over a week, Faith. How could you be falling for him?”
“That’s the thing. I don’t know. I just know what I feel. It doesn’t make any sense, but I’m trying not to question it too much, because it really doesn’t matter.”
“Why would you say that?” She reaches for the wine bottle on my coffee table and tops both of our glasses off.
“Because he’s supposed to leave soon, I think. About a week or so. What’s the point in thinking about any of this too much? I should just have fun with him while I can and then reminisce fondly. Right?” I am grasping at this point, begging Rose to tell me I am not wrong for wanting to enjoy this while I can.
“Are you sure that’s something you’re going to be able to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, are you going to be able to really have fun, with him leaving looming on the horizon? If you can, then I say go for it. If you don’t think you can, I’d rather you stop now. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
I shift around on the sofa to face her and lay my head over on the sofa back. Can I just have fun with Falcon and bid him farewell in a week? It’s not something I’ve ever done before, so I don’t have any past experiences to go off of, and I know for sure I don’t want to stop seeing him yet, so the only logical answer is to try. Right?