by Emma Nichole
To my immediate left is a living room with white sofas dotted with gray pillows. He has black accent chairs on either side of a glass coffee table and lamps placed here and there.
“Home sweet home.” He closes and locks the door behind us.
“This is so nice, Falcon. Really.” I step farther in to take a better look around.
“Thank you. Let’s get your stuff upstairs, then I’ll give you the official tour.”
Falcon
I underestimated how much having her here, in my space, would affect me. I thought it would be like having any other female here, but I couldn’t have been more incorrect about that.
As soon as the door closed, sealing us in together, the energy shifted and electrified.
If it could be seen, it would have been vibrating in waves like a pavement on a scalding hot summer day.
I have to make an actual effort to not drop my bag and slam her up against the wall and take her over every single flat surface in my entire apartment.
“Lead the way,” she says, motioning toward the stairs.
I take her bag before she can even fight me on it and I carry it, along with mine, up the stairs.
“I’m not going to force you to stay in my bedroom. I want you to, obviously, but I won’t pressure you into that. I have a guest room, if that will make you more comfortable.”
She grabs my arm to stop me, pushes up on her toes to cut me off with a kiss, then pulls away just enough to look me in the eyes.
“I want to be with you. In your room. In your space. In your bed.”
“Christ, you have no idea how happy that makes me.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised you even asked. I thought it was a given, considering you’ve been inside of me more times than I can count since we met.” She giggles.
“And I plan to be again and again, but I just needed to make sure you’re going to be comfortable while we are here. We’ll be in hotels a lot once the traveling starts, but...I don’t know. I just wanted to make sure.” I shrug.
Ever since she told me what happened to her, I feel this deep need to make sure she is okay at all times. Even if that means putting myself in a vulnerable spot. Even if it means hearing things I don’t want to.
“From now on, unless I say I’m uncomfortable, just assume I’m not, okay? I’ve learned over time that honesty is the best way to go, and I will always say something. Do you trust me?”
“You’re in my home, in a place you’ve never been before, with someone you have only known for a few weeks, and you’re asking me if I trust you? I should be asking you that.”
“I do trust you. With everything I am.”
Those words, words I truly haven’t earned, from someone who doesn’t freely give them, mean more than I can tell her.
“I won’t make you regret that.” I drop my bag and wrap my arms around her. “Thank you for coming with me.”
“What did I say about thanking me?”
“Fine. I won’t thank you with words...”
“Then how will you?” She presses herself against me.
I scoop her up and carry her over to my bed, laying her down and crawling over top of her.
“Just...” I kiss her lips. “Like...” I kiss her cheek. “This.” I kiss her neck and continue south until she knows how grateful I am.
***
The moonlight is peeking in through the curtains that cover my bedroom window, casting blades of visibility across Faith’s body. She is on her stomach beside me, and the sheet over us gracefully and perfectly lies at the small of her back. Her gorgeous face is toward me, completely relaxed in her sleepy state, and her hair is fanned out over the pillow.
I roll toward her and push a stray hair off her face.
I’ve never felt this pull, this connection, to someone before. I honestly never thought it existed. It’s not love. I don’t think I’m in love with her. I couldn’t love anyone. Love is a construct that is engrained into our brains when we are young with fairy tales and movies.
What I feel for Faith is deep and raw. Emotional and scary. I never expected to go down this path when she opened her door that day. In fact, the last thing I wanted when I got to Savannah was to get wrapped up in a woman who I would just have to ghost after I came home.
But I saw her face and I knew I was a goner. Then I heard her voice, spent time with her, heard her story...and I knew then and there; I would conquer the world for her.
I would do anything I could to make her smile and to make her happy.
Holy fucking shit.
Like a ton of bricks on my chest, a realization hits me.
I am in love with her.
Chapter 18
Faith
“Are you sure I should be in here? I’m happy to wait out in the lobby,” I whisper to Falcon, as a group of men, Joe included, and a woman, file into the small conference room.
“I want you here. It’s okay, I promise.” He kisses my cheek.
“You,” the stunning woman in a pencil skirt and white shell top says, pointing a manicured finger at Falcon.
“Me,” he says with a cocky grin. “Good to see you too, Courtney.”
“Don’t give me that smile. You make my job so much harder than it needs to be.” She smooths her skirt down and sits across from us. “You’re lucky I was able to spin that little stunt in Savannah.”
“Faith, this is Courtney, my publicist, and contrary to how she seems right now, she’s adores me. Courtney, this is Faith.”
“The one from the video,” Courtney says before I can even introduce myself.
“I suppose so, yes, but I’d much rather be called Faith. The One From The Video is a bit of a mouthful,” I tell her. I don’t mean to sound defensive, but I guess I kind of am.
Courtney stares at me for a beat before her pink lips curl into a smile. “I like this one. Keep her around for awhile.”
“I like this one too,” he agrees.
The next hour passes in a blur of schedules, plans, flights being confirmed, hotels being confirmed, and a full itinerary for the next few weeks is laid out before us.
We will fly to Dallas tomorrow so he can get some training in before the fight in three days. Then we will head up to Chicago for another fight before returning back to Southern California for his final fight in Hollywood.
“This is a very packed and very tight schedule, Falc,” Joe says with a deep concern in his voice. “Are you absolutely married to the final fight with White? He is scrappy as fuck and tends to—”
Falcon instantly stops him. “I’m fighting White. I’m finishing all three fights and that’s just how it’s going to be. I refuse to keep defending my choice. I refuse to let anyone tell me I can’t honor commitments already made, and I certainly won’t let anyone tell me I need to back down like a fucking coward. I’m finishing my fights. Enough about the alternative.”
I stare down at my hands and purse my lips. I know how much this means to him. I know the reasons why, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t agree with his team. He should be taking it easy before he causes himself damage that can’t be fixed.
“You’re the boss. We will make it all happen the way you want,” one of the men chimes in.
“Thank you. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go spend time with my girl. I have my schedule. I know where I’m supposed to be and when, and I’ll be there.”
My skin tingles at the fact he called me his girl, in general, but also in front of the people closest to him.
I stand from my seat when he does. “It was so nice to meet all of you.”
The each gives their goodbyes and before long, we are out of there and back in the sunshine.
“Your girl?” I ask with a smile, when I slide in the passenger seat of his midnight blue Tesla.
“Caught that, huh?”
“How could I miss it?” I buckle my seat belt.
“Well, you are my girl, right? I mean, that’s how I see you.”
I nod, lean
ing my head back against the headrest. “Yeah, I’m definitely your girl.”
“Then I’m a happy, happy man.”
Falcon
We pull back into the underground garage beneath my apartment building shortly after the meeting.
“I thought the nice weather called for a ride in a much more…open…vehicle,” I tell her.
“What do you mean?”
“We are going to take a different car.” I climb out after I’ve parked the Tesla.
“You have another? You have a Tesla. Who could need or want anything else besides this?” she asks incredulously, as she opens her door and steps out.
“Faith, Faith, Faith, you have no idea.” I give her a kiss on the cheek and walk over to a metal case mounted on the wall. I type in a code, scan my fingerprint then pull open the door, revealing a row of six sets of keys.
“Who are you? James Bond? That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“I have to protect my ladies, and if I have to look like James Bond to do it, so be it.” I select the set of keys that is farthest to the left and hang the Tesla keys in their place.
“Your ladies? Sasha will be offended,” she says, referring to my motorcycle.
“All of my ladies are very happy with their lives here. I take good care of them. Trust me.” I motion for her. “Come with me.”
I lead her over, hand in hand, to a row of cars toward the back of the garage that are hidden beneath vehicle covers.
“Wait a second… are all of these yours?” she asks me with wide eyes, and all I do is smile.
“You know I’m not a flashy person. Material things aren’t something I care about, but I am in a position financially where I can do three things that make me happy.”
“And those are?”
“One: I can take care of my sister in any way that she needs. I was able to help her through nursing school so she could focus on that and not have to worry.” I start opening the knots and buckles that hold the cover into place. “Two: I can give to the charities that need it and I’ve been able to fund gyms that focus on self-defense for young kids and teens, so they can put their energy and effort into a safe environment rather than being out on the streets.” I tug the cover away. “And three: I can feed my car addiction.”
The cover slips away, revealing my pride and joy.
“Oh. My. Fucking. God.” Faith’s jaw drops to the floor. “What is this? Holy shit.”
“This, Faith, is a 1964 Jaguar E-Type convertible. Cherry red. Manual transmission. Upgraded engine to soothe the daredevil in me. Custom black interior. This…is a work of art.”
“You really mean that, don’t you?” She steps closer, sliding her hand along the hood. “This is beautiful.”
“I figured a beautiful day, with a beautiful girl, called for a beautiful car.” I open the passenger door for her. “Ladies first.”
“Can I drive it?” She smiles wide and bats those beautiful eyes at me.
“While I appreciate the effort with the eyes and smile, the answer is no.”
She pouts, sending her plump lower lip out toward me and I have to lean down and take a nibble, I simply can’t resist, and I’m rewarded with a sexy purr from her throat.
“How about now?” she asks.
I lean in closer, ghosting my lips over hers before whispering my answer. “Nope.”
She scoffs and crosses her arms over her chest. “You’re mean.”
“Nah, I’m just a control freak when it comes to these ladies.” I slide my hand over the door next to us.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if you fuck them.” She arches her brow. God I love her sass.
“I prefer my fucking to be warm…wet…supple…” I curl my hand around her hip and pull her closer so our bodies are flush together.
She licks her lips and her eyes search my face. I can see and feel her chest rising and falling.
“Don’t you agree, baby?” I ask. “Isn’t that the preferred way?” I lower my face to place my lips over the beating pulse in her neck, and she shivers at the contact.
“Mmm hmm. Absolutely. Yes.”
“Then we are on the same page.” I drop a quick peck of a kiss to her lips. “In you go.”
She blinks at me once, twice then slips into the car. “You’re not nice, Falcon. Not at all.”
“Leaving you frustrated is fun. It makes the idea of later even better.” I close the door once she’s settled, then walk around the take my place behind the wheel.
She shifts around in her seat a bit. “The leather in here is so soft.”
“It is. I wanted it to be comfortable and classic.” We pull our seat belts into place. “There’s a hat in the glove compartment if you want it.”
She leans forward and opens the compartment, pulling out a black hat that has my logo across the front. She looks at it for a minute then pulls it onto her head.
“So official.”
“I must say; you look fucking good in my hat.” I fire up the engine, letting it roar loudly in the garage before shifting into gear and heading out.
Chapter 19
Faith
There’s something to be said about being in a sexy vintage car, with a sensual man by your side, in the beautiful Southern California air. It’s good for the mind, body, soul, and certainly good for the libido, because I’m a tingly ball of hormones over here, watching him handle this car with ease, the way he handles me.
He whips through the streets like he’s done this a million times. There’s confidence in every move. It’s a fearlessness I recognize from the videos I’ve watched of his fights, and from the times we’ve had sex.
He doesn’t second-guess. He commits like he knows what he is doing is right, and one-hundred-percent of the time, at least where my body is concerned, it’s so, so right.
“Where are we going?” I ask him loudly, over the roar of the engine and the wind whipping around us.
“To my favorite spot in the world. In my opinion, you can’t come here and miss the view from there.”
“Is it a place you share often?” I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a pang of jealousy in my gut. I don’t want to go places he has taken other girls. Something about that just makes me feel gross. I mean, I’m probably being stupid. I know he’s had other girls in the car, and probably in his house, but he called the place we are going his favorite. That has to be next level. Right?
“I don’t share this with anyone,” he says, and my heart stops. “It’s a special place I use when I need to think or just get away.”
“And you want to share this with me?”
“More than anything.”
I lean across the center of the car and place a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you.”
***
There are no words to describe how beautiful this view is. He drove us up into the canyons, and at first, it looked like we were well on our way to a dead end. We would pass a few cars here and there but the farther we went, the more secluded everything became.
The scent of the salty air became stronger with each passing mile and before I knew it, we came to a stop at a cliff overlooking the rocky shoreline of the Pacific Ocean.
There isn’t a soul around us. There isn’t a single person on the beach below us.
It’s him and me.
“Wow.” I unbuckle and stand so I can see over the windshield. “Falcon, this is incredible.”
The warm breeze kisses my skin and I close my eyes, letting it all soak in.
I can sense he’s stood up next to me and propped himself up by the elbows on the windshield.
“I found this place when I first came to LA, after I got custody of Nora at eighteen years old. I was struggling with what I was going to do with custody of a fourteen-year-old kid when I was still a child myself. Nora and I had gotten into a disagreement about something. Fuck, I don’t even remember what it was over, but I asked our neighbor to keep an eye on the apartment and I left Nora there and went for a driv
e. I didn’t even know where I was going; I just ended up here. I sat up here on the edge of the cliff for two hours and just thought about everything. My mom, my dad, Nora, fighting, anything that was on my mind, I sorted through it right here. I’ve bounced around many things in this very spot. Anytime I travel, I come here first. Anytime I have something stressing me out, I come here. This is my safe spot. This is mine.”
The way the sun is shining down over him right now makes him look almost ethereal. His face is so relaxed and his stature is at ease.
“Can we go stand out there? I’d like to see it up close and personal.”
“Yeah, absolutely. Let’s go.”
We climb out of the car and meet hand in hand in front, then walk toward the cliff ledge.
“I can grab a blanket or something from the trunk if you want. We can sit.”
“I don’t mind sitting on the ground. I’m not opposed to getting dirty.”
“That, baby, I’m all too aware of.”
Once we find a place to sit on the rocks so we can see over to the water. He curls an arm around me and tucks me into his side, resting his chin on top of my head.
“Are you nervous?” I ask him.
“About?”
“The fights. I mean, with everything everyone has been saying, I just didn’t know if you would be nervous. Joe seems to think you shouldn’t fight.”
I feel and hear him sigh heavily. “No, I’m not nervous, not in the way you may think. I’m not nervous that something will happen to me. I’m nervous, whether I like it or not, these could be my last three fights.”
“Do you really think something will happen to cause that?”
“It’s not about something happening. It’s about being smart enough to stop before something does happen. That’s what Joe and Nora keep trying to tell me, and I understand it. I really do, but I can’t back down from what I have left. Especially Braxton White. The competitor in me won’t allow it.”