Mal didn’t move. He just stared into Nate’s menacing grey eyes. “Nate, please, let him go,” I cried out again, wrapping both hands around his bicep and tugging when he wouldn’t move. Finally he released Mal and stepped back, but not before brutally shoving him away. Nate was breathing hard, his tense upper body jerking with every harsh inhalation. He turned, looking me the eyes. Once again, his dark grey irises were plagued by anguish and confusion that I simply didn’t understand. Fisting his hands at his sides, without a word he turned his back to me and strode into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
I stood, mouth agape, wondering what the hell was going on. I seemed to be on a roller coaster ride in crazy town. My head was spinning.
“I think you’d better go,” I said, turning to Mal.
“Can’t you see? It’s you that needs to go. He’s already unstable. If he stays around you much longer, he’ll lose it all. If he does, it will be on your head.” He rubbed his throat and made his way to the suite’s doors but stopped before he opened them. “If he loses this fight, Olivia, I will be holding you personally responsible.”
***
The rest of the morning went by in a blur of packing and moving on. Nate remained quiet, the remnants of his fury still clinging to him. I tried talking to him, but Wes advised me to leave him be. He said Nate would work the incident out in his mind and come around when he was ready. I’d explained to Wes and Cassie what had transpired with Mal when Nate had snapped at them both over ridiculous things. Wes had been ready to go after Mal too, but Cassie calmed him down with a few blunt words. She was good for them. I could see that. They trusted and respected her, while she looked up to them like older brothers. I was kind of envious of how close she appeared to be with them.
The four of us were travelling together to Nate’s property. Bernie, Nate’s coach, was travelling separately with all their training equipment. Nate was driving with Wes riding shotgun. Cassie and I were in the back enjoying the expanding mountainous scenery around us.
“Are you okay?” she whispered.
I nodded and gulped down some water from my bottle. “I’m fine,” I whispered back. “It’s Nate I’m worried about.”
Nate met my eyes through the rear-view mirror. It was only a brief glance, but it told me so much about how he was feeling. He was angry, confused and uncertain. I felt the same way. Despite our lack of conversation since the previous night, and even though the sex had been anything but gentle love making, I knew something had shifted between us. It unnerved me. We’d both been clear that acting on our desires was purely for sexual pleasure and nothing else. But as I sat there watching him drive, I thought of the way he’d reacted to Mal and how he’d been with me the night before. I realised it had been stupid to think we could enjoy each other’s bodies and not forge some form of emotional connection. Those feelings, certainly from my perspective, had been there already. I’d been fooling myself thinking otherwise.
I pulled my eyes from him and stared out the window. It was going to be hard being around him and knowing nothing beyond a physical connection would be possible between us.
***
I climbed out of the car and looked around in awe. Nate’s place was a tranquil, picture perfect, little slice of heaven hidden in the foothills of the mountains. It was lush and green, but I could also imagine it covered in snow during the winter months. Turning in a full circle, I took in the large, double fronted house resting at the foot of the long driveway. Beyond that were endless fields of trees and shrubbery. From where I stood, I could see the corner of a building poking out from behind a camouflage of foliage. I wondered if that was Nate’s training den.
While Nate and Wes retrieved our belongings from the car, I strolled over to the house, running my fingers along the stonework. Despite my tendencies to design more contemporary structures and buildings, Nate’s French home held a quaintness that I automatically felt drawn to.
I stepped over to a row of colourful rosebushes, in full bloom, that screened off a terrace beyond. The scent of the flowers was intoxicating as they fluttered in the breeze. Bees buzzed from bloom to bloom collecting pollen. The scene was all very enchanting.
“So, what do you think?” I spun around at the sound of Nate’s voice close to my ear.
“Just… wow! It’s stunning out here,” I beamed. It truly was a beautiful location.
He looked around as though he were seeing it for the first time. “It’s not bad. I was lucky enough to purchase the land quite cheaply a few years back. I haven’t really done anything to it yet. That’s where you come in. I’ll give you the guided tour later and show you what I hope to do.”
***
Nate set my luggage down in my bedroom. It was just as I had imagined it would be from the outside; rustic wooden floors and furniture combined quaintly with a floral patterned wallpaper and pale yellow bedding. It wasn’t a huge room, but it would suffice for my needs whilst I was there. I sat on the edge of the bed and ran my hand along the intricately carved footboard.
“The bathroom’s next door. My room is across the hallway,” Nate said stepping further into the room. He dropped down into a crouch in front of me, resting his hands on my knees. “You can set your stuff up in here, or there’s a small room downstairs you can use as your office. It’s entirely up to you—whatever you want to do. Make yourself at home.”
“And what about you, what will your schedule be like while we’re here?” I bit my lip, feeling suddenly aware that I would mostly be left to my own devices.
Nate tugged on my lip with his thumb, pulling it free of my grip. His finger skimmed along my chin, tracing the outline of my mouth. “I have to train… a lot,” he stated softly, his eyes fixed on my mouth.
“Nate, is having me here going to be a problem for you?” I decided to ask.
“Why would you think that?”
I shrugged. “Mal.”
Nate’s eyes frosted over, becoming cold and distant. “Don’t worry about him. He’s scared I’m going to take my eyes off the prize and he’ll lose a shit load of money.” He jumped to his feet. “Unpack your stuff, then I’ll meet you downstairs to show you around.”
Lying back on the bed, I wondered how much of an influence Mal had been on Nate’s career over the years. They didn’t appear to be close, not even friendly. As Nate shut the door behind him, my phone began to ring in my jeans pocket. Too distracted by my thoughts I answered without checking the display.
“Liv? It’s me.”
“Adam?” I shot up. “What’s wrong?”
I hadn’t heard from him since our argument. My mind began racing with thoughts that something had happened to my parents or that I was being called back to the office when I wasn’t yet ready to leave Nate. In that briefest of moments before he spoke again, my mind had conjured up so many terrifying scenarios.
“I…” I heard his deep breath in. “I wanted to check in to see how you’re doing,” he continued softly.
“Oh.”
“Look, Liv, I need to apologise for how I left things with us before. It was wrong, and I’m sorry. I should never have let you go out there without making things right before you left.”
I fell back onto the mattress again and stared up at the ceiling. I was relieved to hear his voice. Despite the tension surrounding our friendship when I left, Adam was my rock, always had been. However, I felt confused. For weeks I’d wanted to speak to him and talk things through. I’d imagined our conversation over and over. Now he was on the phone, wanting that discussion, but there were hundreds of miles between us. I didn’t know how to respond to him.
“Liv, say something, please.”
“I don’t know what to say to you, Adam” I admitted.
“Tell me how you’re getting on,” he encouraged.
“There’s not much to tell you. We only just arrived at Nate’s property today. I haven’t even seen the land he wants to build on yet.”
“Today?” he asked, sounding surpri
sed. “Where have you been? I thought you flew out days ago?”
I recounted my time in Monaco, leaving out the details of the previous night’s bedroom antics.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Liv? You don’t sound like yourself,” Adam said softly.
I played it off, insisting I was tired and overwhelmed by the trip so far. In some ways it was true. I was certainly overwhelmed by Nate and everything that surrounded him.
We ended the call with Adam apologising again and saying he would keep in contact. He said he couldn’t bear to lose our friendship, to lose me. I dropped my phone on the bed and closed my eyes for a moment, trying to compartmentalise the crazy that had become my life. There was only so much madness one could handle at any given moment.
I awoke with a start, flailing an arm into the air when something touched my shoulder and getting a resounding smack when it connected.
“Fuck!”
“Oh my God, Nate, I’m sorry.” I quickly sat up, watching as Nate rubbed his eye.
“Your right arm’s getting stronger,” he chuckled.
“What were you doing sneaking up on me like that?” I held a hand over my pounding heart.
“I wasn’t sneaking. I’ve been calling you for five minutes. You obviously couldn’t hear me because of your snoring.”
“I do not snore.”
“Oh you do. I think you’re going to need to come up with plans for a new house too, seeing as you’ve rocked the foundations of this one.” His words and tone were playful but there was a sincerity burning deep in his eyes as though the statement had a double meaning.
“Funny!”
“Are you coming downstairs? Cass has cooked dinner.”
I flung my legs over the side of the bed so I was sitting beside him. “She has? Does she usually do that?”
“Why else would she be here? I need a woman around to cook and clean for me.”
“Male chauvinist pig!”
He laughed. “She enjoys doing it, but that’s not why she’s here, not entirely.”
“I still think you’re a pig,” I grumbled.
“Oink, oink,” he said, standing. “Be downstairs in five minutes or Wes will have eaten yours too.” He kissed the tip of my nose and then left.
A few minutes later, I made my way downstairs with a broad grin on my face. It was good to see Nate in high spirits. My smile faded when I stepped into the large kitchen and saw the serious faces sitting around the table.
“This is bullshit, Mal.” Nate stood at the end of the large oak surface, gripping the edge.
“Nate doesn’t need anyone else, he has me.” Bernie insisted, glaring at the man sitting opposite him. It was obvious that Mal had few, if any, supporters.
“This is business. You’re losing focus, Nate. The fight is in a matter of weeks and you are nowhere near prepared. Royce here will work with Bernie to help get you back on track.” Mal sat there looking smug in his charcoal grey suit. His eyes flicked to me as I stood in the doorway not wanting to interrupt.
“I do not need another trainer,” Nate bellowed. “Bernie and I do things my way, you know this.”
“Your way doesn’t appear to be working anymore. Not since you became… distracted. Remember, I own your arse Nathan. Royce is staying, end of discussion.”
“Own my arse? No, Mal, you helped me out at the beginning, got me my first fights.”
“Precisely, I got you to where you are. You would be nothing without me. Now for God’s sake, get rid of the bitch and get back in the gym.” He pushed away from the table to leave.
“What did you say?” Nate was facing off with Mal in an instant, his fists balled, ready to strike.
Wes and Cassie rushed over, pulling Nate back and yelling at him to calm down. Bernie forced his chair back roughly and stood beside the three of them, looking menacing. They were a team, unified against whatever Mal had planned. I stood motionless, shocked at what I was seeing… again.
“Was my warning to you back at the hotel not enough?” Nate said to Mal, staring him in the eye. His voice was menacingly quiet.
“You have to see she isn’t good for you, well not your career. I’d have to test her out personally to see how good she was in other areas.”
Nate’s hand flexed, ready to strike, but Wes and Cassie were prepared and held his arms. Still in Mal’s face, Nate said something so quietly that I couldn’t hear what it was. Judging by the slight widening of Mal’s eyes, I presumed Nate wasn’t apologising. Nate turned away and marched across the room. On the way past, his eyes met mine briefly but he didn’t stop. He needed space. If I were him, I would need to distance myself from Mal too.
I met Wes and Cassie’s worried eyes across the expanse of the large room. It was clear from their drawn in brows and wide-eyed expressions that they had never seen Nate like this before. Rushing after him, I screamed his name repeatedly as he marched away from the house and into the trees.
“Nate!” I breathed heavily, finally catching up to him near a large wood and brick building. “Stop!”
“Go back to the house, Liv.”
I moved in front of him, pressing my hand to his chest, stopping him from moving any further. “No. Talk to me.”
He searched my eyes for long moments. His chest rose and fell with each deep breath as he struggled to get a handle on his rage. Slowly his anger dissipated.
“I can put up with his crap. I will even tolerate his demands of another trainer, but I won’t let him talk about you like that, Liv. You deserve more respect than that.”
I moved my palm to his cheek. “Ignore it. He doesn’t bother me. What you think and want is all that matters.”
Nate sucked in a deep breath and rested his forehead against mine. “What I think is I want you,” he whispered.
With just those few words, the air surrounding us changed, igniting into a heavy cloud of desire, need and something deeper, something more elemental.
“I want you too,” I replied.
Seconds later, Nate had tugged me through a large barn door, closing and locking it behind us. The air was thick with dust, the tiny specs illuminated by the moonlight filtering in through a few skylight windows.
Nate backed me up against a wall, pushing his pelvis against mine. My breath caught as he gripped my thigh and lifted it to his hip, holding it tight. All thoughts of Mal and what was happening back in the house disappeared. With warm lips, he covered my neck with kisses, taking a moment to savour the skin along my jaw. Finally, his lips crashed against mine for a brief but explosive kiss.
“Don’t underestimate what you’re doing to me, Liv,” he growled, stroking his hand along my thigh, stopping to grip my backside.
“Ditto,” I whispered through a shudder, when his hand moved forward, skimming across the denim covering my aching core. His other hand brushed against my breast.
Bringing his lips back to my ear he whispered huskily, “You’re distracting, and a pain in the arse, but I don’t think I’d be able to focus at all if you weren’t here. Not now.”
My head flew back to rest against the brick wall as I soaked in the pleasure of his nimble fingers pinching my nipple through the fabric of my t-shirt.
“And you’re an arrogant, moody bastard….” I let out a breathy cry when his fingers squeezed harder. “But I’m glad I’m here.”
I felt his smile against my skin as he kissed along my jawline. “Ah, there she is, my feisty, little Jelly Bean.” He hoisted me further up his body, encouraging me to wrap both legs around him.
“Oh, Nate,” I playfully swooned as he began to move us both across the room. “You’re so strong. However do you manage to hold me and my big, fat butt?”
“This,” he said with a slap to my backside that made me yelp, “is not big and fat. It’s fucking sexy as hell, just like the rest of you.”
He began kissing me ruthlessly and lowered me onto something firm, yet padded. I looked up to see a punch bag hanging from a beam nearby. “This is your gym?” I
asked, twisting my head to see what else was visible in the dim light.
Not to be distracted, Nate began removing my clothes. First my t-shirt was dragged up and over my body and flung over Nate’s shoulder, followed quickly by my bra. “Yes, I was going to come in here to beat out my frustrations on the bag. I wasn’t expecting this kind of workout though.” I wriggled and gasped when he nibbled and sucked on the sensitive flesh of my breasts.
“You’re working out?” My eyes rolled and my toes curled when he unzipped my jeans and pulled them down, following the waistband with his lips and tongue. The jeans, along with my knickers were discarded to the side as Nate kissed his way up my inner thigh. My breath caught and I began panting with anticipation when his tongue skimmed once, twice, three times through my needy centre.
“We’re working out,” he said, lifting his head and replacing his tongue with a finger. I lay there mesmerised by the glistening on his lips, the sight so erotic because I could barely see anything else. His finger slipped inside, swirling around in slow circles. My back arched off the mat, meeting his touch and begging for more.
“You want more?” he asked, kissing around a nipple.
“Yes… Fuck!” He guided a second finger inside, and with a merciless rhythm, he began pounding them into me until I was crying out his name, begging him to release the pent up tension. My body shook as wave after wave of pleasure finally washed through me.
When I managed to peel an eye open, Nate was staring down at me. The soft moonlight lit his eyes and I saw something soft in them that I dared not consider. It must have been a trick of the lighting.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, reaching down to unbutton and push down his own jeans. A moment later, with his eyes locked on mine he pushed himself inside me. I clenched around him, savouring the sensations of his heat rubbing me so perfectly.
Burying his face into my neck, Nate began moving with slow gentle thrusts that felt sublime against my still quivering tissue. But I needed more.
“Harder, Nate.” I begged, digging my nails into his shoulders. “I need more, I need to come again.”
Prepared to Fight Page 20