by Ella Jade
“Yup.” God help him but he still wanted to feel his lips on hers.
“We’re flagging him after this one,” Holt said. “He’ll go home and sleep it off.”
“But will I be alone?” Jed nodded at the three girls who had been eyeing him up for the last hour. It would be so easy to take one of them home and fuck away his memories of Frankie. Maybe all three.
“I hope not.” When Frankie touched his shoulder he pulled away. The shock on her face was evident, but what did she expect? That she’d never get caught. That he would never find out she was already taken. She had to be the best actress around. Or one heartless witch.
“Your bed is a little too crowded for me.”
“Huh?”
“You probably don’t want to do this now.” He looked around the bar. “Not in front of my team.”
“Do what?” Her puzzled expression tipped him off that she had no idea her boyfriend had blown her cover.
“What are you doing here?”
“You didn’t answer my texts, so I thought I’d stop by and see if you were here.” She stepped closer to him. “We had plans, remember?”
“I figured you would cancel them now that your guest from New York is here.”
“My guest?” Realization crossed her face. “You met Christopher?”
“His Porsche and his expensive suit were a little hard to miss.”
“You’re upset because a guy came to see me?”
“Not just any guy.” He stood from the barstool. “Your fuckin’ fiancé.”
“She’s getting married?” one of Jed’s teammates asked. He didn’t know who, and he didn’t care.
“That’s awkward,” another replied.
“I’m not engaged to him,” she said. “Maybe if you would have come to me, I could have told you that.”
“You would have lied to me.” Isn’t that what they all do? “Why would he show up and say you were engaged if you weren’t?”
“We were engaged long before I met you.”
“You didn’t think that was a detail I should know?”
“No.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “It didn’t have anything to do with us.”
“It makes me wonder what else you’re keeping from me.”
“Are you kidding me?” She shook her head. “I think you had way too much to drink.”
“My blood alcohol level has nothing to do with the fact that my girlfriend is marrying another man.”
“When your tequila wears off you know where to find me.”
“With your fiancé?”
“Ouch.” Holt patted Jed’s back. “Maybe you two should pick up this conversation when Jed’s sober, and in a more private setting?”
“Just make sure he gets home safe.” She stared into Jed’s eyes as she spoke to Holt. “When you’re ready to handle this like a man, come and find me. Although at this point I may tell you to fuck off.”
Frankie turned and stormed out of the bar as Jed’s teammates whistled and hollered in her favor.
“That one has spunk!” one of them yelled.
“Now that’s one bold, Italian broad. She must get totally fired up in the bedroom.” Holt’s gaze followed Frankie out of the bar. “You sure you want to piss her off?”
“Do you believe the balls on her?” Jed asked. “She’s been two-timing me or the guy who showed up at her house today. I’m not sure who she was cheating on. She has some nerve to blame me.”
“Maybe the dude isn’t her guy. Did you ever think of that?” Holt sipped his beer. “She has been spending an awful lot of time with you. She even came on the road with us last week. Rosie says she’s really into you.”
“Whose side are you on?”
“All I’m saying is maybe you should have given her a chance to explain before you got drunk.”
“You got me drunk.” Jed reached for the large glass of water the bartender put in front of him. “You said there wasn’t anything tequila couldn’t cure.”
“Yeah, but still.” Holt laughed. “Women are complicated. Sometimes it takes more than alcohol to figure them out.”
“Now you tell me.”
“Looks like you have some serious groveling to do.” Holt motioned for the bartender. “We need some dinner menus. We have to sober Jedi Force up.”
Holt was right. Jed didn’t know why he had believed Christopher. Frankie wasn’t the type of woman to do something so low. He knew that in his heart. The one time he found a relationship he wanted to be in and he screwed it up. Would she really tell him to fuck off? He would deserve it.
Chapter 9
Frankie couldn’t find sleep no matter how hard she tried. When she moved to Kingston she had hoped to leave the past behind her. She hadn’t heard from Christopher in months, so when he showed up she was surprised to see him. He hadn’t mentioned running into Jed. A little warning might have been nice. Maybe she should have told Jed she had been engaged, but the subject never seemed to come up.
As she wandered to the kitchen, wearing one of Jed’s practice jerseys, a light knock at the front door startled her. Who the hell would be bothering her at midnight?
“Frankie?” Jed called. “Are you awake?”
Did she really want to do this now? What if he’d been drinking all night and now he came here to pick a fight with her? Was she in the mood for that?
“Frankie, please answer the door.”
She peeked out the window to find him standing on her porch. He was in his pajama bottoms and nothing else. His feet were bare and his hair disheveled. She had to admit he did look pretty hot. Damn him.
She pulled open the door, trying to keep things civil, but he had pissed her off at Bennet’s. “What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.”
“Are you still drunk?”
“No.” He ran his hand over his chin. “I stopped drinking right after you left. Holt brought me home. I showered and had some coffee. I tried to go to sleep, but I can’t. Not after the way we left things.”
“Whose fault is that?” She fisted her hand on her hip, reminding herself not to let her Sicilian temper get the better of her. She’d already given Christopher an earful when she returned home from the bar. She was so mad at him for telling Jed they were still engaged. She was thirty years old and didn’t have the energy for this drama.
“Come outside.”
“Why? It’s the middle of the night.”
“The sky is beautiful.” He pointed up. “Look at all those stars.”
Was he trying to be romantic?
“Please.” He extended his hand. “I want to talk.”
She didn’t take his hand, but she stepped out onto the porch as the sounds of the crickets and other summer creatures made strange noises from the bushes. She looked up and noted how clear the night appeared. The stars twinkled as the moon lit up the sky.
“You’re not engaged, are you?” He sat down on the brick step.
She shook her head.
“He said you were.”
“We were.” She sat down next to him. “It ended earlier this year. I hadn’t heard from him in a while. I figured he moved on too.”
“He acted as if he had returned and you were going to pick up where you left off. He gave me no indication that you weren’t a couple.”
Of course he hadn’t. That was their special thing. Frankie would get tired of settling or pretending she wanted to get married and break things off. The separation never lasted. How could she blame Christopher for thinking otherwise?
“We were together for years. Our families have known one another a long time. The first time we got engaged we were young.”
“The first time?”
“We’ve been engaged three times.”
“Three?” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Why didn’t you ever get married?”
“He wasn’t the one for me.”
“It took you three times to figure that out?”
“No.” She looked up
at the sky. “It took me meeting you to realize it.”
“What do you mean?”
“As I said, Christopher and I have known one another for a long time. He became my go-to place. My safety net. The first time we got engaged I thought we were meant to be, but I was young and doing what I thought was right. My family liked him, he had a good job, and we got along well.”
“Doesn’t sound very romantic.”
“Exactly. I broke it off a year later when I realized we weren’t making any wedding plans. We never talked about getting married. He had a very demanding job, but I found I liked when he traveled.”
“How did you end up getting engaged two more times?”
“I know it sounds silly. Do you see why I never mentioned it? I was embarrassed.”
“I wouldn’t have judged you.” He took her hand in his. “It was a part of your past. I want to know everything there is to know about you. Don’t you know that by now?”
“I was going to tell you eventually, but things have been so fun and exciting between us that the topic never came up.”
“I was totally blindsided when he told me you were engaged to him. I didn’t want to believe it, but since you had never mentioned him I jumped to conclusions. I shouldn’t have done that, but I didn’t want to accept the idea that you had played me.”
“I would never do that.” She turned to face him. “Christopher has always been a crutch for me. He knows that. When he came here today I believe he really thought we would be engaged by the time he left. He was determined, but I told him it wasn’t going to happen this time.”
“You did?”
“For the first time in my adult life I understand what it means to be with someone because I want to be. Not because it’s comfortable or I think it’s what I should be doing. I was able to tell Christopher no because of what I’ve found with you.”
“I feel the same way about you. All the stuff we’ve shared this summer is all so new to me. My career is soaring but none of it would be real without you.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. “I’m sorry for the way I acted at the bar. I should have come to you. I didn’t mean to doubt you.”
“If I had told you about Christopher, you wouldn’t have had reason to doubt me.” She slipped into his lap, draping her arms over his shoulders. “I’m sorry you had to meet him like that. He’s not a bad guy. We go back to one another out of habit, which is why we never worked.”
“But we work?” He traced her lips with his fingertips.
“We do.” She kissed his fingers as she stared into his eyes. “This has been the best summer ever.”
“It’s not over yet.”
“Lots more baseball?” Kissing his jaw, she swiped her lips along his mouth. “I like baseball.”
“I think you like the tight pants.”
“That’s a perk.” She giggled as she relaxed into his embrace. “I don’t want to fight with you.”
“It was a misunderstanding.” He twirled a strand of her hair. “Let’s forget about it.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“I do have a question though.”
“What’s that?”
“Would you really tell me to fuck off?”
“If the situation called for it.” She arched a brow at him. “You’re not going to test me, are you?”
“The only thing I plan on doing is making you smile for a very long time.”
When his lips connected with hers, she sighed into his mouth. Jed was the man she had been waiting for. The only man she’d ever wanted to be with. Her heart was complete, and this was only the beginning.
About Ella Jade
Ella Jade has been writing for as long as she can remember. As a child, she often had a notebook and pen with her, and now as an adult, the laptop is never far. The plots and dialogue have always played out in her head, but she never knew what to do with them. That all changed when she discovered the eBook industry. She started penning novels at a rapid pace and now she can’t be stopped.
Ella resides in New Jersey with her husband and two boys. When she’s not chasing after her kids, she’s busy creating sexy, domineering men and the strong women who know how to challenge them in and out of the bedroom. She hopes you’ll get lost in her words.
Ella’s Website:
www.authorellajade.com
Reader eMail:
[email protected]
More Beachwalk Press Titles by Ella Jade
Stealing His Heart
Sliding Into Second
Rosalie’s Player
Be My Everything
Embracing the Unexpected
Crossfire of Love
Make Me Stay
Surrender to Me
Something More
The Weekend Proposition
The Weekend Surprise
Find Me
A Love Stolen
A Love Discovered
Relentless Pursuit
Psychic Seductions
Jab
by A.K. Layton
Sabrina Alenin is a self-assured young woman who has a clear plan for her future. As a YouTube blogger who is gaining momentum, she needs the right type of man to help her reach her goal of creating her own empire. A wealthy, older man who likes hot blondes. Mixed martial arts fighter Silvio Almeida does not fit the bill, no matter how infuriatingly irresistible she finds him.
In training for an upcoming MMA fight, women aren’t on Silvio’s radar. Seeing firsthand how easily life can change in a single moment, he’s decided to live life not looking too far into the future. But his path keeps crossing with Sabrina’s, and he can’t get the beautiful blonde off his mind.
When love throws them from their determined paths, they will have to discover if the best future is the one unplanned.
Dedication
For my newest partner in crime, Tanya. Remember that one time…
Acknowledgements
I’m eternally grateful to the Beachwalk Press Team, Pamela Tyner and my editor Lynne Sully. Thank you for your kind words and continued support.
Chapter 1
Silvio Almeida tossed back the shot of caramel colored tequila, enjoying the warm burn in his chest. Leaning back in the tall bar seat and folding his arms, he watched the basketball game on the large screen TV on the bar wall. The Pit wasn’t a fancy club, or upscale restaurant, but it wasn’t quite a dive. It was known to be a popular bar for mixed martial arts fighters. They often hosted televised MMA events and after-parties for the fighters, and as a fighter himself he had become a regular.
Just like any Friday The Pit began filling with a pretty even mix of guys and girls. There was never a shortage of women eager to hook up with an athlete. Not that Silvio shied away from those ladies, but this Friday night he just wanted to hang out, watch some college basketball, and have drinks with the boys.
Tonight was his last real night out before heavy training for his upcoming fight. Well, heavy-ish. He stayed in good shape all year round, so heavy training usually meant increasing from four-hour workouts to two three-hour workouts per day. And being a 145 pound featherweight he rarely had to worry about cutting much weight, which was hard on the body.
Luckier than most, Silvio ranked top ten in the World Championship Fighting League, and competition paid what bills he had. Though he might be top ten, he was still considered mid-level and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. Silvio had an honest outlook on the world, not reaching for the stars like a lot of the other guys. Not that he avoided it. He just took it one day at a time, one fight at a time.
Life had taught Silvio a lot of lessons, but none more important than not to look too far ahead. Tomorrow’s a new day, most people took that saying with a positive connotation, but not Silvio. Just because tomorrow was a new day, that didn’t mean it would be a good one. He’d watched his buddy, Gavril, lose his whole career in three short minutes. With a snap of a finger, yesterday’s dreams could be replaced with the nightmares of tomorrow.
No, Silvio just worried about today.
“Yo,” Antonio, Silvio’s brother, said, setting down the pitcher of beer, effectively pulling Silvio from his daze. “You guys need to check out the smoking hot blonde at the bar and her friends. She sure doesn’t look like the normal talent hanging around this joint.”
Silvio wasn’t fazed by the talent that hung around The Pit. There were always the usual MMA groupies, but more and more newbies came to the hot spot each weekend trying to find some action. While Antonio didn’t fight, he wasn’t shy about telling every pretty lady he was the brother of an important fighter. Surprisingly enough it worked, but he also had charm for days, which helped. Silvio could be charming, if he wanted to be, but he wasn’t much for games. Telling-it-like-it-is was more his style, and he never had a hard time getting laid. But girls weren’t on the menu for the next couple of weeks. He followed a strict training camp rule about no sex in the weeks leading up to a fight, and never the night before a fight.
Deciding his brother’s enthusiasm deserved a peek, Silvio glanced over his shoulder, trying to play it cool as he checked out the girls. He did a double take, almost falling off his chair. “You gotta be fucking kidding me,” he said to no one in particular.
“You know her?” Tyler asked, leaning in.
“Yeah. She’s my buddy’s little sister. The guy that got hurt real bad.”
“She doesn’t look so little to me,” Kevin teased.
He was right, she wasn’t little at all. Silvio had talked to her on a few occasions. Once at the engagement party for the owner of the T&A MMA gym where he trained, then again at her brother Gav’s birthday party. Silvio’s brother wasn’t exaggerating. Sabrina Alenin was more than just talent, she was gorgeous. She had long, golden blonde hair that hung down to the middle of her back, smooth skin with a tint of olive, and great tits. In the short time he had talked to her, he knew Sabrina was smarter than most might assume.