Prepared to Fight

by E. J. Shortall

  In the VIP area, Nate sat me on a bar stool telling me he would quickly go and greet Honey and then we could get out of there. I agreed with relief and pulled myself onto the stool, resting my throbbing head on my crossed arms on the counter.

  “Olivia, right?”

  Wearily I lifted my head from my arms. “That’s me.”

  “Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Mal, Nate’s agent.”

  “Hello, Mal.” I bobbed my head and offered a weak smile.

  “Look, I’m not going to beat around the bush here. I don’t know what your game is but you can’t be here. You have to go back to London.”

  I blinked.

  “Excuse me?”

  Mal moved closer, piercing me with hard menacing eyes. “Nate doesn’t need you around. You’re distracting him. He’s losing focus... Too much rides on him winning this fight, Olivia. You have to go home. I’ve arranged it all. A car will pick you up tomorrow morning to take you to the airport. Nate will move on to his vineyard and you will return home. After tonight, you are to have no more contact with him.”

  My drunken haze vanished immediately.

  “Who the hell do you think you are?” I protested, pushing to my feet. “I am here to do a job for Nate. He’s the one paying me, not you. If anyone decides I’m no longer needed here, it will be him.

  Unfazed by my outburst, Mal continued, “If you stay, you will be risking everything. Do you want Nate to get hurt?”

  “No, of course I don’t. What are you talking about?”

  “It’s quite simple.” He pointed toward Nate. “If you stay around, he won’t focus. If he doesn’t focus, he won’t be ready for the fight. If he’s not ready, Sanchez will slaughter him. I can’t afford for that to happen.” He brushed at his suit jacket as though bored with the whole conversation.

  “With all due respect, Mal, Nate is doing just fine with me here. I’m here to do a job, and I intend to see it through.”

  “Now listen here, you bitch.” I stumbled back as though I’d been struck by the malicious tone of Mal’s voice. “You really think he gives a shit about you? You’re just another pussy, another piece of skirt he can fuck for a good time and then move on from. You mean nothing to him,” he spat.

  I fell back on to the stool in stunned silence.

  “Ah, Nate, there you are. I was just introducing myself to Olivia here. It was nice to meet you, Olivia.” Mal patted Nate’s shoulder as he passed and then shot me a look before walking to a stunning woman with long, waist length, dark blonde, wavy hair. I recognised her as the woman Nate had been talking with when I first arrived in Monaco. She stood with her arms crossed, glowering at Nate’s back.

  “Let’s get out of here,” he said, sounding irritated, as he held out a hand.

  “Is that her? Honey?” I asked, hating the jealous way it sounded.

  “Yes,” he replied sharply, leading us away.

  “If she means nothing to you,” I asked breathlessly, trying to keep up with Nate’s strong and powerful stride, “why are you so pissed off and why is she looking at you like she wants to eat you alive?”

  His grip on my hand tightened. “Because she’s just another bitch who can’t take no for an answer. She won’t accept I’m not interested.”

  As we made our way out of the club, I chanced a glance back. Honey stood watching us, stony faced, while Mal mouthed, ‘Tomorrow, Olivia.’

  ~CHAPTER FOURTEEN~

  “Well that was a fun evening,” I said sarcastically, climbing into the back of the Mercedes. Settling in to the quiet vehicle, my head began to throb with the onset of a wicked headache. I hadn’t had time to process my dance with Nate, his relationship or non-relationship with Honey or consider Mal’s veiled threats so, as the car pulled out into the traffic, I rested my head back and replayed his words. I wondered whether it was true that my presence was having a detrimental impact on Nate’s training. He’d been so different from the man I’d trained and dined with in London the whole time I had been in Monaco. Although he’d always been blunt and had a take-no-crap attitude, I’d always felt comfortable around him before. Now, he seemed more on edge, unpredictable and secretive. And then there was the bubbling electricity crackling between us threatening to send sparks flying.

  Closing my eyes, I took a moment to try to clear the haze so I could focus on one thing at a time.

  “What are you thinking about?” Nate asked softly.

  “You… us… tonight. There’s so much.” I cracked an eye open, my head tilting to the side. “Are you going to tell me what that was all about with the reporter?”

  Any gentleness in his features dropped away. “The guy was an idiot. There’s nothing more to say.”

  “Nate, he sent you into a tailspin. That’s not nothing.”

  He sighed. “Liv, just leave it.”

  I watched his grim expression as he stared out of the window into the darkness.

  “Nate, talk to me.”

  “I said leave it, Liv.” His tone was clipped, his body suddenly vibrating with tension again.

  “No!” Fumbling with my seatbelt, I slid across the seat and climbed onto my knees. With my palm resting against his cheek, I encouraged him to look at me. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  His eyes met mine, searching. Once again, they were tortured. Whatever it was that had caused this intense pain and fear in him, I wanted to take it all away.

  “Tell me,” I whispered.

  The car remained silent, save for the occasional rush of air when another vehicle passed in the opposite direction. Eventually, he shut his eyes then opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally speaking. “I have demons, Liv. A past I don’t like to talk about.”

  “Will you tell me about it?” I asked, rubbing my thumb soothingly along his cheek.

  He shook his head. “There’s no point. The past doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t impact my future.”

  I laughed once and dropped my hand. “Bullshit! Look at you now. If whatever it is isn’t impacting on your future by messing with your mind right now, I don’t know what is. You’re living behind those demons, Nate. You’re letting them control you.”

  He twisted abruptly so we were nose to nose. “You don’t know anything about me or my past—”

  “That’s right. I don’t. Because you won’t tell me,” I replied, exasperated, my voice rising by an octave.

  I heard a deep growly sound before strong hands were easing me onto my back. Firm, warm lips covered mine, silencing me. My body went rigid, my eyes widening from the surprise attack. A few seconds passed with neither of us moving, both breathing heavily. When Nate eventually dropped onto his elbow and began tracing his lips back and forth across mine, I found myself succumbing to his power. Allowing my eyes to flutter closed, I parted my lips and wrapped my arms around his back, pulling him in closer. He groaned and used the opportunity to deepen the kiss. His tongue slid into my mouth, curving and tangling with my own until we were both moaning. His hand stroked along my body until he grasped my knee and pulled it up around his thigh so he could settle his firm body between my legs. I shifted, giving him more room, and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. My dress rode up indecently, but I was too lost in the moment to care.

  When his fingers smoothed up my thigh and traced along the edge of my underwear I gasped, my core clenching in need. I’d never felt as hot or desired as I did at that moment. Nate pushed his groin against my core. He was as turned on as I was, his erection pressing against me through the fabric of his trousers.

  “Nate,” I gasped, shifting and twisting my fingers into his hair. I needed more, the pressure building was immense.

  Suddenly, I felt the car pull to a stop. A door up front opened and closed. We were alone. Nate pulled back, breathing heavily, and looked down into my eyes, blinking in bewilderment. I scrambled up, pushing him away before desperately yanking the hem of my dress back into place. Mortification and shame engulfed me when I realis
ed Marc, the driver, had just witnessed the whole show. What had I done?

  “Liv?”

  When my door opened, I scooped up my bag and quickly stepped out. Rushing as fast as I could into the lobby, I headed for the bank of elevators and tapped furiously on the call button, willing one to arrive. I couldn’t believe I’d allowed Nate to embarrass me like that. I’d never allowed a man to overwhelm me before, yet all Nate had to do was look at me, or touch me in some way, and I became putty in his hands, time and place be damned.

  “Come on, come on.” I cursed and hit the button again.

  “Why are you running from me, Liv?” Nate approached me from behind, the heat of his body scorching my back through the satin of my dress.

  “I’m not running.”

  “Like hell you’re not.” I felt his breath on my ear and closed my eyes. “We need to talk about what happened back there.”

  “You don’t like talking. You’ve made that perfectly clear on a number of occasions over the last few days.” I feigned indifference to him and his closeness, but inside I was still a quivering wreck. Nate cursed and spun me around to face him.

  “Stop doing that. This isn’t about you and your fucking curiosity. That stuff is personal. It’s in my past, where it needs to stay. It doesn’t define who I am, just who I was.”

  The elevator bell pinged, announcing its arrival. I stepped inside muttering, “But it does.” Everybody’s pasts had some bearing on their future or who they had become. It was human nature. Something in Nate’s past had affected him, causing him to withdraw into himself and keep those that cared about him away. Telling me that it didn’t affect him now was just silly.

  Nate followed me into the enclosed space, pinning me face first against the mirrored wall as the doors slid closed. “Nate, let me go,” I berated, trying to push myself away from the wall.

  “Do you know how fucking sexy you are when you get mad?” he breathed against my ear. Grasping my hands, he entwined our fingers before sliding my arms above my head. “I swore I’d stay away from you. The right thing to do would be to stay away from you. But I can’t. Why is that, Liv?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

  Nate nuzzled my hair and wrapped an arm around my middle, pulling my highly aroused body against him. The hard column of his obvious interest pressed against my backside. “I don’t think I can trust myself around you anymore, Liv. I want you. I need to be inside you,” he murmured huskily against my ear.

  His nose ran up the heated flesh of my neck before he nipped on my earlobe. My head lolled to the side, allowing him room to continue his sweet torture.

  “Come with me.”

  I’d been so caught up in the moment, I’d been oblivious to the fact that the elevator had arrived on our floor and the doors had opened. Keeping his arms around me, Nate manoeuvred us to our suite. Every touch of his skin against mine felt like a spark shooting through my body. The flutters of his warm breath against my ear heightened the sensation of every nerve ending. I felt that at any moment my blood would ignite into a raging inferno that I would have no control over. All I could do was sit back and allow it to consume me until it burnt itself out.

  Nate fumbled with the lock and then pushed me inside the room, twirling me around to press me against the closed door. He scanned my face while bracing his body off mine with his palms pressed flat against the door.

  “I want you, Liv.”

  “I want you too.” I fisted my hands in his shirt.

  His eyes blazed. “Fuck, Liv.”

  I didn’t know if it was the alcohol or the weeks of trying to ignore my attraction to Nate, but in that moment, all rational thoughts of what was right or wrong vanished. All that remained was a racing pulse and an unbearable need to be consumed by him. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I whispered, “Take me to bed, Nate.”

  Growling a deep animalistic sound, he pulled me through the suite into my bedroom. I wrapped my arms around his neck while he tugged down the side zip on my dress. He pulled on the thin straps of material covering my shoulders, allowing the ivory satin to fall to the floor, before taking a step back to appraise my body that in just a few short weeks had changed subtly. His eyes closed for a moment, his face pinched as if he was fighting to hold onto his control.

  “Get on the bed,” he said, opening his eyes. His smouldering look had me retreating, backing up to the bed. When the back of my knees hit the mattress, I lowered myself down and scooted back. Nate followed, bracing himself over me before crashing his lips to mine, hungry and possessive. He trailed a hand along my body, stroking and kneading, touching me everywhere.

  “You know I’m not a ‘take it slow and savour the moment’ kind of guy, right?” he murmured, breaking the kiss.

  “Yes.”

  “Good, I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page before I ram myself so deep inside you that you beg for mercy.”

  Trying to remain cool as yet another fire ignited between my thighs, I rolled my eyes. “Nate, do I look like the kind of girl to lie back demurely so my gentleman friend can politely slip his penis inside my vagina? I think not.”

  He leaned over me again. “No, I don’t think you’re like that at all. I think you’re feisty and can give as good as you get, but I needed to make sure.”

  I was done talking. My woman parts were about to leave home in search of the attention they required. Utilising a move Nate himself had taught me during our recent training sessions, I flipped us over so he was on his back. Straddling him, I pinned his arms with my knees and stared down into his heated eyes. “Nate, for a physical man you sure do talk too much.” His eyes glimmered in amusement as he chuckled. “And seeing as you can’t seem to show me what you are capable of, I thought maybe I better teach you what I can do instead.”

  “Is that right?”

  I nodded. “Yes, I—”

  He twisted quickly, so I once again found myself on my back with the man-mountain pinning me down. Reaching up, Nate trailed a fingertip along my lower lip. “This might work better if you’d stop running your mouth…” He shook his head and pinched my lips together when I tried to tell him what I wanted to do with my mouth, “…and allow me to do the things to you I’ve been fantasising about for weeks.”

  He’d been fantasising about me? “Oh God, Nate, you can’t say stuff like that. Christ, this is taking far too fucking long… Why are you still dressed?” I began writhing on the mattress, jerking and wriggling to try to free my arms so I could grab him and relieve him of his clothes.

  His eyes turned a deep smokey grey and the corners of his lips pulled up into a mischievous grin. “Because, oh sweet JB.” He kissed my nipple through the fabric of my bra and dragged it between his teeth for a brief moment making me cry out. The pleasurable pain was exquisite and set every nerve ending on fire. Then the heat and moisture were gone, leaving my sensitive points erect, cold and screaming for more attention.

  He pulled back and stared down at me with hungry eyes. With one hand, he traced a slow path from my breasts, down over the sensitive flesh of my ribs and, finally stopped over my underwear. My hips bucked of their own volition. I gasped and he groaned at the feel of his fingers rubbing against my most private parts. I felt torn, confused. Part of me was embarrassed about the way I was laid out on display for him, writhing and desperate for his touch. The other part didn’t care. I needed him, and he had shown me he was just as anxious for wherever this was going. Gripping the sheet beneath me, I anchored myself, preparing for the storm ahead.

  Lowering his head, Nate kissed me once again. It started off gently, a light sweep over my lips, a soft peck on my nose, eyelids and across my cheeks. But all too soon the passion increased along with the pressure of his hands stroking over my thigh and along the edge of my silk and lace panties. My sex clenched in need, wanting more. I whimpered a desperate, tortured sound.

  “Nate, I need…” His fingers moved beneath the fabric as his tongue moved over the sensitive fle
sh of my neck. I shivered with the wonderful sensation, but needed more.

  “Nate, please,” I begged, rocking against his fingers.

  He brought his lips back to mine, stealing my breath and my gasp as he slid a finger inside me. The feel of his thumb rubbing against my needy clit as his finger circled within me had me wanting to scream to the heavens. It felt so good.

  When he added a second finger, I whimpered and pulled my head back, desperately sucking in air, trying to breathe through the overwhelming sensations Nate was eliciting in my body. His mouth trailed down my neck and over my breast. I couldn’t remember a time when I’d felt so aroused and needy. My hands flew to his shoulders, my nails digging into his flesh when he gently bit on a nipple. He eased the sting with a lap of his warm tongue before sucking on the hardened peak.

  Every nerve ending was on high alert. My breathing was laboured, coming in gasped spurts. Everything around me became hazy. It was just Nate and me and the pleasure he was bestowing on me.

  My core clenched, my eyes closed and my body bucked as wave after wave of sensation zapped through my body. I came crying out his name, almost sobbing. It was too much. It wasn’t enough.

  When my breathing calmed, I opened my eyes to find Nate staring down at me with a pained look of regret.

  “I’m so sorry, Liv.” His eyes closed as he pulled in a deep breath. “That shouldn’t have happened.” Then he pulled himself off the bed and strode towards the bedroom door, leaving me hot, bewildered and frustrated, panting for more. Panting for him.

  “Nathan Oakes, you get your arse back here right this second. You can’t do this to me again,” I screamed.

  Stopping at the door, he was still breathing hard and looked tortured. Running unsteady hands through his hair, he said, “I’ll see you in the morning, Jelly Bean. I’m gonna kick your arse in the gym. I have a shit-load of frustrations I need to work off.” Then he walked out, closing the door softly behind him as though he hadn’t just slammed the brakes on, leaving me a quivering mess of hormones.