Passionate Kisses 2 Boxed Set: Love in Bloom

by Magda Alexander

  “What happened?”

  Coming to the end of the trail, he started to slow their pace until they were down to a quick walk.

  “I had my first fight at thirteen. We were up against each other and Elliot straight kicked my ass. I might’ve gotten three hits in and walked out pretty damaged with some broken ribs and fractured nose. Since one of my ribs punctured a lung, I had to stay in the hospital a while. My awake time on the first day included hating Elliot with every ounce of energy I had left and debating the end of my boxing career before it had even gotten started.” He laughed. It was crazy how things turned out. If he hadn’t been a boxer, he probably wouldn’t have met Stella and not have Addison… or be here with Grace.

  “That’s amazing. When did things turn around for you?”

  “I woke up the next morning and there sat Elliot. He’d looked troubled as he sat by my bed and told me how sorry he was. You would think that I felt better seeing him there.”

  “Did you?” she asked.

  “No. I hated him even more and even told him so, but he refused to leave. He was even given some special privilege by his foster parents to stay until eight every night. I eventually warmed up to him. We’ve been best friends ever since. I later found out that he’d rode his bike four miles from his foster home every day just to see me.”

  “He’s dedicated to your friendship. Such an incredible story. Thank you for telling me.”

  They stopped at the end of the trail where a bench was nudged up against two thick evergreen trees. He gave her a chance to catch her breath. While waiting, he chugged the last of his water and threw the empty plastic bottle into the trash barrel next to the bench. Some wind blew through the trees, shaking the branches and rustling the leaves on the ground. A nervous twist in his gut tightened. This was the perfect place. He felt it all the way down to his toes.

  “I’m glad I shared it with you.”

  She blushed. “So you were thinking about quitting boxing? Obviously you didn’t, but what if you had?”

  Instead of answering, he wrapped his hands around her waist. Her thin hips looked so fragile under his large fingers. As she stared up at him with wide eyes filled with expectation, she delicately slid her tongue along her bottom lip, drawing his attention to her mouth. Hot damn! She wanted to kiss him just as bad as he did!

  He tipped his head a tad to the side and moved closer, his eyes fixated on the tongue barely visible behind her parted lips. She pushed her body against his, her warmth enveloping every part that he made contact with as if their bodies had been made for each other. He let go of one side of her hip long enough to place his fingertips under her chin. His lips met hers for a simple kiss. Was this it? Would she pull away now? No way. He wasn’t done with her yet. His eyes drifted shut the same time he parted her lips. Her arms went around his shoulders, pressing her breasts against his chest. She tipped her head to the side, and before he knew it, he took control of her mouth.

  Everything seemed to disappear as he fell under her magic. No more trees, or dirt trails. No wispy wind. It was only her and him. Together. As if every moment of their life directed them to this moment.

  When he needed to catch his breath, he pulled back and smiled. “I really liked that.”

  She stared at him for a moment, her mouth neither turning up into a smile or down in a frown. “Me, too, Rally. I liked it a lot.” She scanned his face.

  He wished he could read her mind. “What if I don’t ever want to stop kissing you?” He met her lips again before she had a chance to answer. This time her tongue dance against his, claiming him, letting him have the minty taste of her. Her arms went back up to his shoulders to hold him tight. He put his hands to her hips, and without much effort, he lifted her up and carried her over to the bench. They sat down with Grace on his lap, her legs wrapped around his waist and hanging over the back of the bench. He ran his finger through the silky strands of her hair to grab the back of her head and held her to him.

  They sat there for what seemed like eternity, drunk on each other’s kisses, playing with each other’s tongues. Rally couldn’t get enough. A secret part of him, one he’d kept under lock and key, had finally been awakened.

  When they finally broke apart and Grace climbed from his lap, he said, “Damn, Grace Avery, you are one delicious kisser.” He had never been kissed like that before. Not by Stella or anyone else.

  “You are, too. That was amazing.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at the swaying trees.

  “What’s wrong?” He stood and went over to her, pulling her into a hug. “I’m sorry if I came on to strong.”

  She shook her head and stared up at him. “I’m just confused. Just a few days ago you wouldn’t have anything to do with me because I am a journalist and didn’t want to tell me anything about you. Now we are kissing in probably the most romantic place around. How open can you be with me, knowing who I am?”

  “Trusting you is so important. The truth is that I will try to be open with you.” Trusting women made his stomach clench. “Will you be printing anything I tell you in an article about me?”

  She stepped away from him and crossed the dirt path to the edge of the clearing. He wanted to go to her but found his feet didn’t cooperate with moving in her direction. Fear took residence in his chest. Fuck this. He hated being scared of anything.

  He stepped over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “Talk to me, Grace.”

  “I don’t know what to say, Rally. You’re more than I ever bargained for. You make me feel things that I never had anticipated experiencing, and certainly not while I’m fighting for my job.”

  “You might lose your job because of me?” He hadn’t realized this article about him would cost her so much. “What’s that about?”

  “I don’t want to ruin today by going into details. How about this, I will tell you before I write up anything and I’ll have you read it before the article goes anywhere.” She turned toward him and slid a finger over his bottom lip. Once at the corner of his mouth, she traced it down his chin and guided him to her again by placing her fingertips under his chin to motion him forward.

  After the kiss, he whispered, “Sounds like a deal. I don’t know what this is between us, but I’m not ready for it to end.”

  “It won’t. Not yet.”

  “So I don’t have to stop kissing you?” he asked.

  A devilish grin formed. Wow, he loved every form of a smile she had. “Not until you decide to stop or until I go back home, whichever comes first.”

  He nodded. “I want to kiss you every day until you leave. Deal?”

  “Sounds perfect.” She sealed their agreement with another kiss.

  Hand in hand, they started up the three mile trail. At first they were silent, each taking the time to enjoy the nature around them. It had started to sprinkle, but the dense trees made sure that most of the rain stayed out, only letting in a few random drops through.

  About halfway up the hill, he asked, “Are you enjoying your time with the guys at the gym? Are they helpful when it comes to your articles?”

  She nodded. “It’s been great. Elliot’s photos turned out wonderful and I need to take some of Ajay. I’m thinking of just getting one or two at his house and the rest outdoors to change things. Felix suggested featuring Triple T. What do you think about them?”

  Trent was his friend but Rally wasn’t all that fond of Trent’s twin named Toby. “If you need more guys to feature, I guess. Trent’s the best out of the two, but either one is likely to hit on you and they love a challenge. Declining their invitations will only add fuel to their game.”

  He nodded. Both guys shared a gym and a trainer with Rally. They were often at the same events as him, which were way too many. They didn’t have bad blood between the three, nothing like that. Rally just felt that men should act like men instead of going out seven days a week, getting in trouble, and acting like they were hormone induced teenagers. The set of brothers were called “Triple
T” for a reason.

  “Are they that bad?”

  “I’m around them a lot and it seems as though they are. We’re not exactly friends, though.” He actually didn’t trust them due to their reputations. They didn’t know his secret, surprisingly, and he wouldn’t put it past one of them to sell it to the press. The set of brothers spent the required time in the gym with Felix and partied the rest of their lives away. Rally couldn’t deny that the men had a large amount of talent in the ring. Both always seemed to be nipping at his heels for the heavy weight title. He certainly didn’t want Grace to hang around with those guys. They’d run right over a sweet woman like her.

  ‘If enough guys let me interview them I won’t have to talk to Triple T. I haven’t seen them do anything wrong since I’ve been hanging out at the gym, so I can’t imagine they are as bad as everyone makes them out to be.”

  He shrugged. “Those guys are focused on their training while they are at the gym. If they screw around, Felix will kick them out.” If she was drawn to big, bad-boy types of men, she’d fall for one of them. No, he didn’t want her around them at all. Only him. “You know, I might want to do an article for you. What do you say?”

  Her face lit up. “Are you sure? Oh my gosh!”

  “I’m serious. Do you still want me to do it?” He’d do the interview while holding back the really important information.

  “Can I think about it for a little while?” Her mouth turned down into a frown, confusing Rally.

  “Doesn’t your career depend on my article?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “My employment with Boxers United does. My career in sports journalism doesn’t unless my asshole boss has me blacklisted. This is something I have to think about. Besides, I don’t want to feature you as a bachelor. Every woman in the country will be knocking on your door.” She paused halfway up the hill. Looking up at him, she motioned back and forth between them with her finger. “This thing with us isn’t for a story. I just want you to know that.”

  His pulse raced, glad he hadn’t even assumed something like that would come from a woman like Grace. “I didn’t think it was.”

  “I like being with you. It’s going to be hard to return to California.”

  For him, too. Right now he had the best of both worlds. He was given the opportunity to spend time with Grace whenever he could and had the evenings alone with Addison. His worlds were divided and he was content at the moment. Who knows, that might change at some point. Right now, he loved every minute. He gave her hand a squeeze. “When do you go home?”

  “My article is due in a week and a half, give or take a day. I don’t know when I’m leaving, though.”

  “Hm,” he said, taking the moment that they were catching their breaths to steal a quick kiss from her. Kissing her would never get old. Hopefully soon, he’d get the chance to kiss her on more places than her lips. Maybe her neck before moving down to her nipples and keep on going until every intimate area on her body has been touched with his mouth. His member started to stiffen in his workout pants. He pulled away and headed up the hill again. Exercise sure does a body good, he thought, and hides emerging boners.

  “What does ‘hm’ mean?”

  “I will explain another time.” The bottom line was that he didn’t want her to leave at all. Sure, they were out on their first date, but there was an attraction he couldn’t deny. He was willing to toe the line in his life to keep her around for as long as possible. At the looks of it, he better make the best of this week and a half. “So what do you want to do this afternoon?”

  “Anything you want.”

  His heart, along with another part of him, swelled. “Anything? I’m going to hold you to that.” He gave her a giant grin.

  “Oh really?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I can’t wait to see what you come up with.” They were near the top when she mopped the sweat from her forehead and let out a groan. “Oh my God. My legs are on fire.”

  “The walk is almost as bad as the run down, huh?” His own legs ached but probably not as bad as hers since she wasn’t used to the trail.

  “It is. I’m so sweaty, you probably don’t want to take me into public like this. Can we stop by my room first, so I can freshen up?”

  “Absolutely. I only live a few minutes away from your hotel. I can drop you off for about an hour,” he suggested even though he’d rather go there with her.

  “Perfect.”

  They made it to the top, both a bit out of breath. Rally grabbed another set of water for them before sliding into the car. After they were cruising down the road, he asked, “So tell me about your life in California.” He wanted to know everything about her.

  “Well, I love living there. It isn’t about the ritzy movie star stuff like a lot of people, but the beauty of the ocean and the nonstop activity around me. There’s always something to do.”

  “Would you ever move from there?” He pulled up to a stop light and let his gaze travel over the length of her and then his question repeated itself in is mind. Move from there? Where had that question come from? No, he didn’t want her to leave Portland, but move here? He was way treading on some dangerous topics.

  Her mouth turned down at the corners. “I don’t know. My dad is there and we don’t have any other family. Would you move from Oregon if you could find a suitable gym in another city?”

  His heart raced as he thought about the answer he didn’t voice. Like her father, his mother was here. Elliot, too. Not to mention Addison’s pediatrician and her play groups. Good thing the light changed, giving him the opportunity to press a little too hard on the gas, sending them zooming down the road. He thought he might’ve scared her when he heard her gasp. One glance over at her showed he was a wrong. A giant grin spread across her face.

  “You drive like I do.” Her giggle was sweet and he wanted to hear much more of it.

  “Really? I didn’t scare you?”

  She reached over and slid her hand across his thigh, making him bite back a groan of need. “You’ll never frighten me, Rally.”

  “Never?”

  Shaking her head, she gave him a sexy-as-hell grin as she said, “Never.”

  Such a simple word came out in a rush of enticement. He wished he could take her right there in the front seat of his sport’s car. He pressed the gas harder, the speedometer clocking fifteen miles per hour over the speed limit. He jerked the car around a corner, swerved around a slow Audi, and decreased when they passed the police officer on one of Portland’s one way streets that filled the downtown area. Another two turns and they pulled into the parking lot of her hotel. With the car idling, he hopped out and jogged around the vehicle to her side. He opened the passenger side door and took a step back, allowing her to get out.

  “Thank you,” she said. She ran her fingers through her wind tussled hair. “I bet I look like a mess.”

  “Don’t make that bet.” He went to her, pressing his body against hers.

  “Why not?” Her voice sounded innocent while her eyes tempted him to have her for dessert.

  “You’ll lose. Grace Avery, you’re beautiful. More beautiful than anyone I’ve seen in a very long time. You’re not supposed to be doing this to me.” Before she had time to answer, he pressed his mouth to hers, drawing her in with his tongue, his taste, everything he had to give. They stood there, right in front of the main doors, and devoured each other. Kiss after kiss after kiss. Like they had been searching for each other their entire lives and had just been united.

  A drop of water splatted on Rally’s head. He held her tighter. Another two drops of rain. He let go of her with his right hand to wipe the rain from his forehead. Several more drops. She pulled away long enough to let out a laugh.

  “I’ve never been kissed in the rain before.” Just as soon as the last word left her mouth, the gray clouds opened and poured down on them.

  “Now you have,” he said, raising his voice over the pounding of the rain against
the metal of his car. He pulled her to him again, reclaiming her mouth for another round of kisses.

  She pulled back and ran her hands over his drenched white t-shirt clinging to every dip and groove of muscle. “You are one delicious man,” she said, keeping her eyes on his chest. “What am I going to do with you?”

  He let out a groan as he stepped backward. “If we don’t stop, I’m likely to take you to your hotel room. In that event, we won’t be seeing anything outside of those four walls. I should go home and change my clothes.”

  She winked at him, letting her hand slide down the length of his arms and cupping her hand into his for a heartbeat before letting go. “Going to my room with you doesn’t sound so bad. Not bad at all.”

  “Grace, I’m a hungry man. You better watch out.” He forced himself to take a few steps away from her.

  “Hurry back.” She blew him a kiss before turning to the hotel’s enterance. Two steps away from him, she dashed through the downpour and sought out the shelter of the big building.

  Fifteen minutes later, he pulled into his garage, and with his head high as if he came with a new purpose, strode into his house. Addison was busy chasing Fern through the living room. When she saw him, her arms went into the air and she let out a big “Dada,” before coming to him. He swooped her up and planted a giant kiss on one cheek and then another. She giggled with delight.

  “I’m not staying for long. Just changing and then heading back out.” He was smiling way too much but couldn’t make the grin fade.

  He set Addison back on the floor. When she took off running back to Fern, he chased her. She hid behind Fern’s legs and peeked at him from between Fern’s bony knee caps. He reached behind Fern to offer a quick tickle to his daughter.