by L. P. Dover
Paxton furrowed his brows and stepped back. “What’s going on?”
Sighing, I leaned against his desk and crossed my arms across my chest while he waited, concern etched in his gaze. “Okay, first, let me explain something to you. Cliff is my neighbor. He’s ex military and he’s about to be a cop with the LAPD.”
“Great, give the boy a fucking medal,” he grumbled.
Ignoring his comment, I sighed and kept going. “Anyway, when I went to my apartment at the beginning of the week, I had a flower by my doorstep.”
Paxton’s gaze grew dark. “Who was it from? Him?”
“No,” I blurted. “It wasn’t him. At first, I wondered if it could be Bradley, but then when I got a closer look I realized there was no way.”
“Why is that?”
“It was black, Pax. The rose was black. I’ve never known a guy to send a black rose to a girl. And the note was kind of cryptic. Well, both of the notes were.”
“You got more than one? What did they say?” he questioned, eyes wide.
I told him and he didn’t like it at all. At first, I thought he would be flippant about it and brush it off as some kind of joke, but he took it the way I did. It was a little creepy and I wasn’t going to lie, it kind of scared me.
“So where does Cliff come into all of this?”
“He took the letters to see if they can get prints off of them. Plus, he’s going to call me if I have any more deliveries. All of this happened this week, so I’m assuming it’s going to happen again soon. I just don’t know how far this person is willing to go.”
Paxton reached for me and pulled me into his arms. “Whatever you do, don’t go to your apartment by yourself. Whoever this person is, they know where you live. Do not go there unless someone else is with you.”
Breathing him in, I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes. “I won’t.”
“I’ll do what I have to do to keep you safe. I can promise you that.”
“And you always keep your promises, right?” I teased.
He kissed the top of my head. “You’re damn right. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
To get my mind off of black flowers and feelings of doom, I lowered my hand and rubbed him through his jeans.
Groaning, he lowered his mouth to my neck and bit down. “You’re killing me, sunshine. I wouldn’t start something you can’t finish.”
I scoffed. “Who said I can’t finish it?”
Sliding my yoga pants and underwear to the floor, I stepped out of them and lifted my tank top over my head. Paxton raked his gaze down my body and licked his lips. “You’re honestly trying to kill me.” He picked me up in his arms and slammed me down on the hood of one of his cars. I yelped when I felt the hood dent with my weight.
He laughed and lowered his jeans to the floor. “Don’t worry about it, sunshine. Every time I look at this car, I’m going to remember I fucked you on it.”
Grabbing my thighs, he pulled me down to the edge of the car and I wrapped my legs around him, ready for him to take me. He plunged inside and reached behind me to hold me up so that I wasn’t sliding all over the car. Burying his face between my breasts, he kissed and sucked them greedily, pulling on my nipples with his teeth. He learned pretty quickly last night, playing with my tits was definitely the way to get me wet.
Pumping hard, he pushed inside of me dangerously deep, until I couldn’t hold off any longer. Instead of crying out at the height of my orgasm, I bit down on his shoulder and raked my nails down his back. Growling, he gripped my hips hard and held me down onto him while he spilled every bit of him inside me.
Breathing hard, he pulled back and had the hugest grin on his face. “I have to say that was a first for me. I’ve never had sex with a girl on a car before.”
“Me either. With a girl, I mean . . .” I giggled.
“Ooh. Now that’s something I’d like to see,” he teased. I smacked him and he pulled out of me so he could get my pants and tank top from the floor. Helping me off the car, he handed them to me and chuckled. “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we do something today? No working out, no cars . . . just me and you. And tonight, we can eat dinner out on the beach again. Does that sound good?”
I slipped on my pants and tank top. “It sounds like heaven. Just as long as we can eat something fattening. A pizza would be good, followed by some Ben and Jerry’s.”
Smiling, he waltzed over to his tools and started putting them away. “I think I can live with that. Do you want to go in and take a shower before we go? There’s a place on the pier that serves a killer breakfast. I can take you there.”
Spending a day at the beach was going to be amazing. For the past couple of months, I’d devoted everything to working out and training for fights. I forgot what it felt like to actually enjoy life and the things around me. Paxton was helping me see all of that. Bouncing with excitement, I grinned and backed out of the garage. The day had just started and it’d already turned into the best one yet.
BY THE TIME I got out of the shower and threw on some clothes, Paxton finally made it inside and rushed to get cleaned up. Since we were going to be out on the beach, I braided my hair down the side so it wouldn’t get in my way with the California breeze. Looking around my room, I didn’t know if I should pack up my clothes and move into Pax’s, or if I should just wait. I only had a week left to spend with him before our deal was up. I wonder what we’ll do when our time is up . . .
My phone ringing broke me out of my trance and when I looked down at it, I groaned. It was my agent, Garrett Wells. He wanted me to take the movie deal and I hated telling him I wasn’t interested, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Not to mention, I’d have to leave for filming and right now I didn’t want to leave for weeks at a time. Was it because of Paxton? Maybe a little. Okay, so maybe a lot, but I wasn’t going to tell Garrett that.
“Hey, Garrett,” I answered.
“Why haven’t you called me back?” he scolded. “I have so much shit to tell you, I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Try starting from the beginning.”
“Ha-ha, very funny, Gabby. First, have you decided on accepting the movie offer? They really want you.”
Biting my lip, I sat down on my bed and sighed. “Garrett, I know you want me to do it, but I don’t think I’m ready for something of that size. I don’t want to make a fool of myself if my acting sucks. I’d rather concentrate on my fighting career.”
He huffed. “I had a feeling you’d say that. You’re still young, so there are plenty of opportunities for you . . . which brings me to my next question. Allie Portman has asked to fight you. What do you say about that?”
Jumping to my feet, I gasped and started pacing the floor. I can’t believe this shit. This is huge. Allie Portman was the current female Bantamweight champion. She was a force to be reckoned with in the ring. I’d never fought her, but I knew if I kept fighting there would come a time when I’d face her. About that time, Paxton walked out of his room and into mine, watching me with furrowed brows.
“Is this for a title fight?” I asked, biting my thumb nail.
“Yep, and she’s ready to take you on. Do you think you’ll be ready in two months with your brother taking time off? If so, I’m going to call and confirm.”
“Yes,” I shouted, running up to Paxton, smiling. “I’ll be ready. Matt might be out of town but I have someone else who can help me.”
Garrett sighed in relief. “Good, I was worried you wouldn’t agree. All right, I’ll get it scheduled. Next time when I call, you make sure to answer.”
Bouncing on my feet, I was ready to get off and tell Paxton the good news. “I will. I’ll talk to you soon.”
After Garrett said his goodbye, I jumped into Paxton’s arms and squealed. “Guess who’s going to be fighting in two months for the title?”
He chuckled and swung me around. “Uh, I don’t know. You, maybe?”
When he set me down, I couldn’t s
top smiling. “Yep, and you know what that means?” I asked, biting my lip.
“I’m assuming it means I’ve taken up coach duty?”
“That’s right,” I replied with a giggle. Allie was a hard hitter and I needed to train like a beast to get up to her speed and agility. I could do it, but it was going to be a lot of work.
Putting his arm around my shoulders, he led me out of my room and down the stairs. “If I do this, I’m going to need compensation. Hopefully, you don’t expect me to work my ass off for nothing.”
“And what exactly do you want?” I asked.
He paused and lowered his arm when we got to the door. “How about you stay here for the next two months until your fight? I don’t have any scheduled right now, so I can devote my time to you. We can stay here and train in my garage and you can come and go as you please. I’ll be your own personal trainer . . . in all things.”
“How can I say no to that?”
He grabbed my hand and led me out the door. “You can’t. Now let’s go, I’m fucking famished. You made me work hard this morning.”
Instead of going to his Hummer, he led us to his other garage and pressed a set of numbers in the keypad. I hadn’t seen him go into that garage so I had no clue what was inside. When the doors lifted, he had two other vehicles in there, both different types of sports cars; one red and the other black. Then off in the corner he had a metallic blue sport bike, all shiny and pristine.
“Are you ready, sunshine?”
Paxton tossed me a helmet before rolling his bike out into the driveway. “You’re kidding me, right?”
Chuckling, he slid his helmet down and fastened it, straddling the bike. The engine roared to life and my stomach rolled in knots. I had never been on a bike before and with the way Ryley and Camden rode, I was scared shitless to even want to.
Holding out his hand, Paxton beckoned me forward. “Come on, Gabby, it’s not that bad. You’ll have fun, I promise. Trust me.”
“You and your damn promises,” I grumbled, sliding the helmet on. “Just don’t go too fast.”
After he helped me fasten it, I straddled his bike and he guided my hands toward the tank. “Going fast is the best part. Just make sure you hang on to the tank.” I wanted to hang onto him, but I guess safety was the number one thing. “All right, here we go.”
Closing my eyes, I held onto the tank as hard as I could and squeezed my inner thighs against the bike when Paxton bolted us out of his driveway. My heart pounding in my ears was all I could hear, and of course, his laugh as he picked up speed. I was going to kill him.
After breakfast, Pax drove us around on his bike until my nerves were shot. I had fun, but every time a car would get near us I’d cringe. I could be fearless about getting into the ring and having someone come after me, but getting on a motorcycle was a whole other story. Paxton lived up to his promise because I did enjoy it . . . somewhat. He didn’t do anything stupid, other than go fast, which meant I didn’t have to kill him.
The rest of the day we spent together exploring Manhattan Beach. We walked up and down the boulevard and we even went to an aquarium at the end of the pier. I loved it. It wasn’t only an aquarium, but a research facility as well. We stayed in there for hours while I talked to the various employees about their research results.
Now I was sitting on the beach out by Paxton’s home, while he went to pick up a pizza from a local Italian restaurant. Beside me, I had a cooler packed full of goodies. The sun wasn’t far from setting and I couldn’t help but admire it.
Knowing Paxton would be back in a few minutes, I picked up my phone and dialed my brother. If he knew about my fight with Allie he would’ve called by now, so I assumed he didn’t know. He answered on the third ring.
“What’s up, Gabby?”
“A lot, actually. Have you talked to Garrett?”
“No, why?”
“Well, I thought I’d tell you that I have a fight in two months.” Before he could say anything, I continued. “And no, you don’t need to come home early from vacation. I got this.”
“Yeah, but if you need me, I’ll come. Who are you fighting?”
He was going to flip. “Allie Portman, for the title,” I replied.
“Holy fucking shit, are you serious? I have to come home. You need me.”
“No, I don’t, Matt. Enjoy the time with Shelby and the baby.”
“Let me call Mason. He’ll be more than happy to help you while I’m gone.”
I could hear the excitement and the conflict in his voice. He wanted to be there for me, but he also wanted to spend the time with his family. His whole life he spent trying to make sure I felt loved since our father left. I don’t know what I’d do without him.
“Matt, that’s not necessary. I have someone who’s going to help me train.”
“Who?” he asked.
Over my shoulder, I looked back at Paxton’s house and saw him coming down the stairs of his back deck with the pizza in hand. “Paxton Emerson,” I murmured.
“Paxton? How did that happen?” When I didn’t reply, he sighed. “I guess I should’ve known. I saw the way you two acted around each other, but I never really thought anything of it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me he was the one who fixed your car?”
“I never thought about it. Besides, I didn’t think it mattered. Are you two dating now?” He didn’t say it with anger, so hopefully he wouldn’t be pissed at me for being with a fighter.
“Actually, we are. I was afraid to tell you because of the whole thing with him being friends with Kyle. I felt like a turncoat.”
Catching me off guard, he burst out laughing. “Gabby, no. Look, you can date whoever the hell you want. It took a while to get used to you making your own choices, but I trust you to make the right decisions. Paxton’s not a bad guy.”
“So, now you tell me,” I grumbled. “I’ve treated him like shit for months because I thought he was part of Kyle’s ploy to take you down.”
“Serves you right for not being honest with me from the beginning.” He chuckled. “Now on to the fight with Allie. If you feel like you can do this, then do it. Paxton’s a good fighter and he might be able to show you things that I haven’t. It’s good to learn different styles.”
“So you’re not mad at me?”
“No,” he laughed. “Just work your ass off until I get back in town.”
“Will do. You don’t have to worry about that.”
After we said our goodbyes, it was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. For so long I was afraid of what my brother would think if he found out I had feelings for Paxton. Now I didn’t have to worry about it.
“Please tell me you have some alcohol in that cooler,” Paxton chided from behind. He sat down beside me and placed the box of pizza between us. It smelled heavenly. I hadn’t had pizza in months.
“I have beer for you, wine for me, and two pints of ice cream for me as well.”
Lifting the box lid, he pulled out a slice and took a bite. “I don’t think so. There better be a peanut butter fudge one in there.”
“There might be,” I teased. Opening the cooler, I passed him a beer and pulled out my wine. “I talked to my brother.” I poured the wine in a cup and took a sip, watching his eyes go wide.
“Did you tell him about us? About me helping you train?”
“Yes and yes.”
“And?” he prodded. “What did he say?”
“He said there’s no way in hell he’s going to let you train me,” I joked. “He said you sucked.” I burst out laughing and then found myself tackled into the ground with my wine thrown into the air. “Hey, you made me spill my wine.”
Guffawing, Paxton straddled my waist and held my arms down by my wrists. “Serves you right for saying some shit like that. What did he really say?”
“He said you were a good fighter and it might be beneficial for me to learn your style. Does that make you happy?”
Smirking, he leaned d
own, his lips achingly close to mine. “Did he really say that?”
I nodded. “Yes, and I also told him I was seeing you. He’s not mad like I thought he would be. For years he’s done everything possible to keep me away from fighters. And now he said it’s my choice to make.”
“And are you happy with your decision?”
Hooking a finger through his T-shirt, I pulled him down closer. “More than happy,” I whispered before pressing my lips to his. Letting my wrists go, he captured my face in his hands and kissed me slow and deep. I never would’ve thought that Paxton, a bad ass tattooed fighter with a record, would’ve ever had a soft side to him.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, gazing down at me.
I kissed him again and spoke across his lips. “Thank you.”
My phone rang, breaking the connection. Paxton sighed and helped me sit up. Why the hell did someone have to call at that exact moment? When I looked down, I had no clue who it was.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Gabby, it’s Cliff.”
Abruptly, I turned to Paxton. “Cliff, hi. What’s going on?”
Paxton rolled his eyes and finished his slice of pizza. “Well, I just got home and found three flowers by your door. I thought I’d call and tell you. I haven’t touched them and I haven’t looked at the note. If you want me to, I will.”
“No, that’s okay,” I said, packing up my wine. “I’m on my way.” I hung up the phone and huffed. “I can’t believe this shit.”
“What’s going on?”
Slamming the cooler shut, I sighed and looked into his concerned green gaze. “It looks like my visitor came again today. Do you mind going with me to check it out?”
He mumbled some explicit words under his breath and got to his feet. “This shit ends tonight, Gabby. I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever this person’s doing, it needs to stop.”
We both packed up our picnic and started for his house so we could drop it all off. “I agree,” I murmured. “It’s starting to piss me off.”