Knockout Love

by Susan V. Vaughn

  Maggie felt the crawling need to run away. Take her car and drive home. Tell her parents she had made a mistake and beg for a place to say. But that was more insane than Sean’s rage. She had come this far to make a new life for herself, and nobody was going to take that away—not even the man who had helped her make this new life.

  Maggie sighed. She was stuck where she was anyway, even if she wanted to run. Sean had taken her car and would be gone training all day. There was only one thing she could do, and that was to make the best of her surroundings.

  She put on her yellow bikini, grabbed her drawing pad and suntan lotion, and greeted the Florida sunshine with a smile. It didn’t take long before that smile became real. The weather was warm and breezy, the kind of seventy-five-degree, sunny day that left you not too hot and not too cold. She was free to lounge all day in the sun, and she did, only breaking once to grab some lunch and reapply her suntan lotion. A quick glimpse in the mirror told her the vitamin D had done her good. Her skin had tanned golden, bringing out the light freckles on her cheeks. Her hair was swimming with sun-kissed highlights that waved around her shoulders. She looked good, and whenever Sean got home, he would be drooling from the mouth.

  That is, if Sean ever came home. Maggie readjusted the sunglasses on her face and stared at the drawing on her lap. It was getting late. One glance at the clock told her that her lunch had actual been a late dinner. It was close to six and still there was no sign of Sean. Maybe he had abandoned her here.

  Maggie placed her pen on the pad nervously and added a line to the seashell she was drawing. That was a scary thought. What if Sean had left her in some strange man’s house; decided to turn his anger toward her into revenge? But why would he do that when he had no reason to be angry in the first place? She had done nothing wrong. His insane breakdown was someone else’s doing, and she planned to tell him that whenever he came back.

  Maggie finished her drawing with all kinds of anxious thoughts running through her head. She wanted Sean to come back, even though she was nervous he would be just as upset as he had been before he left. She didn’t want to see that vulnerable look in his eyes again, and she didn’t like that he blamed her for it. Maggie didn’t think Sean was beneath her. How could she, when she was falling for him so hard, and so fast?

  “Hello, beautiful.” Sean’s voice came into her head so suddenly and so clearly, it was as if he were standing next to her.

  She looked up and realized he was. His hair was glued against his forehead with sweat that dripped down his bare chest and disappeared beneath his gym shorts. He wiped a drop away and offered her a smile that made her mouth go dry.

  “So you finally showed, huh?” Maggie tried to maintain her dignity, but how could she when his chest looked so hard and strong and his body so tight? The man was devilishly handsome and seemed to know it.

  “I did, and it looks like you missed me.” Sean pointed at her drawing and winked before crossing his arms over his chest in a conceited manner. “Hearts, huh?”

  “What are you talking about?” Maggie glanced at her drawing and bit back a smile. The seashell now sported a frame of dancing hearts. Obviously her feelings for Sean were becoming a problem—an embarrassing one.

  “Those aren’t for you.” Maggie tossed the pad to the ground and stood up slowly to distract him with her bikini. It worked, Sean’s gaze dragged down her body and back up, landing on her breasts. His eyes darkened, and in that moment she knew she could ask for whatever she wanted and the answer would be yes.

  “I was going to take a swim.” Maggie offered him a sexy smile. “Looks like you could use one too.”

  Sean met her eyes and swallowed hard. She had him lost for words and loved every minute of it.

  “The thing is, I like to swim naked.” She ran one hand to the strap of her bikini top and watched his eyes devour the movement. “Is that okay?”

  He nodded, wiping away a fresh drop of sweat from his forehead. She was making him sweat, and now it was time to go in for the kill.

  “Good, then I’m going to take this off.” She pulled gently on the strap in a teasing manner but didn’t loosen it completely. Sean swallowed hard again, his gaze on her fingers, as if in a trance. “But first I want to tell you something, and I want you promise to listen to every word.”

  Sean only nodded again, not lifting his gaze from her chest.

  Maggie sighed and walked closer. She had to make sure he understood what she was about to say. She placed one hand under his chin and gently lifted until he was looking her in the eyes. “I don’t think you are beneath me, Sean. I think you are incredibly driven, extremely passionate, and one of the smartest men I have ever met.” She let go of his chin and took a step back. “There may be people in your life that doubt you, but I will never be one.”

  Without waiting for a response, Maggie turned and ran into the water, stripping off her bikini in the process. With her bathing suit she threw away any stress over what she had just said to Sean. The old Maggie would have been too scared to say anything. The new Maggie knew what she said was the truth. As the water cooled her skin, she smiled, feeling suddenly free.

  ***

  Maggie blew Sean away. Stripping before his eyes and jumping into the lake was shocking behavior for the uptight, routine-driven woman he had met only a few days ago. Sean had never imagined she could be capable of such an extreme turnaround, but he had learned not to peg her. The woman had so many layers to her that it would take years to even scratch the surface.

  “Come on, Sean,” Maggie called from the water. She had stood up, exposing her perfect round breasts, as she enticed him closer with her finger, a sexy smile on her face.

  Sean took a step closer, as if in a trance. He couldn’t resist her sex appeal, but he needed to desperately. He was blown away not by her striptease, sexy as it was, but the things she said to him right before it. She’d locked her eyes with his and told him the nicest things anyone had ever said to him. And she was completely sincere too—he could see a deep tenderness for him swimming in her emerald eyes. In that moment, Sean realized why he had gotten so upset with Maggie earlier. It wasn’t because she looked down on him, but because she mattered to him.

  Sean paused just short of the water and watched Maggie’s smile brighten. She danced in and out of the waves, allowing him tantalizing glimpses of her skin as she blew him kisses over her shoulders. His body became impossibly hard, but more than that, his heart filled with so much feeling he was sure it would explode.

  Sean had messed up big-time. Somehow he’d allowed this beauty into his life and into his heart. At eighteen he’d promised himself never to be that stupid with anyone; never to give another person any power over his life. Now he was staring at the most beautiful woman he had ever met—inside and out—and was powerless against her pull.

  “What’s wrong, Sean?” Maggie raised one brow, giggling in her cute way. “Too cold to take off your pants?”

  Sean held her gaze and purposefully dropped his pants, grinning when her eyes widened with delight. If the woman told him to drive off a cliff right now, he would do it, smiling the whole time. But Maggie didn’t want him to drive off a cliff. She was gesturing him closer with one finger again, biting her bottom lip in a suggestive manner.

  Sean ran into the lake like a sick man in need of his drugs.

  CHAPTER 12

  Maggie lay on top of Sean’s chest, listening to the calming beat of his heart. Their bodies were still wet from the lake and perspiration from the two times they’d made love on the way to the bedroom. Neither of them had eaten or showered, and it was close to nine. They were just too busy touching each other to think of much else.

  She raised her head and smiled. “We should eat.”

  “Okay.” Sean ran his hand over her sex and then grabbed it possessively. “First me, and then you.”

  “I didn’t mean like that.” Maggie giggled, shaking off his hold. “We have other needs besides that, you know.”


  “You do,” Sean corrected and leaned in to run kisses down her neck. “I don’t have any other needs.”

  “And why is that?” Maggie pushed his head from her neck, even as her body began heating.

  “Because I’m Superman,” Sean responded, making her laugh. Maggie remembered how he’d said that right before he kissed her for the first time. They had only known each other for a few days, but memories like that made it feel a lot longer—not to mention made her heart beat faster.

  “Well, Superman, I think we should eat something.” Maggie patted his chest and sat up. “Then go to bed.” When Sean wagged his brows in a devilish manner, she added, “To sleep.”

  Sean stood and stretched—allowing her a nice long view of his glorious body. If she wasn’t so hungry, she would take advantage of this moment. Still, Maggie couldn’t resist saying, “I think we should take a shower too.”

  “What for?” Sean pulled on his gym shorts, obviously not understanding her meaning. “We already cleaned off in the lake.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me, Sean.” Maggie shook her head, rubbing the grimy sand off her arm. “Swimming in the murky lake is not a shower.”

  “Sure it is.” Sean chuckled, pulling her into his arms. “Unless you are some kind of clean freak.” He held her gaze and gave her a knowing smile.

  “Hey!” She shook out of his arms, fighting the need to smile back. “I can’t change everything about myself. Some things are just too ingrained.”

  “Nah, you’re Wonder Woman.” Sean pulled her back and kissed the tip of her nose. “You can do whatever you want.”

  Maggie sighed, liking the sound of his compliment. She had managed to take back her life in only a few days. It gave her an invincible-superhero feeling—one that was intensified being in Sean’s arms.

  “It’s true,” he added, smiling with tenderness. “I’ve never met a woman more unstoppable.”

  “Stop teasing, Sean.” Maggie giggled, playfully pushing him back. If he kept complimenting her in this sincere, heart-wrenching manner, she would confess everything she felt for him.

  “I’m not,” he said sincerely but allowed her space enough to change the subject.

  “So how was your first day of training?”

  “Hard,” Sean admitted, pulling on his shirt. Maggie’s eye candy was gone, but she tried to pretend it didn’t matter.

  “Was it everything you thought it would be and more?” She pulled on the EWXN training center T-shirt Sean had given her and glanced at the logo of two bulky men tumbling around a large ring. It reminded her of two gorillas in a cage, and she cringed at the thought of Sean being one of those gorillas, getting hurt.

  “After years of working up to this point,” Sean answered, “it was exactly what I thought.”

  “Well that’s good, I guess.”

  Maggie traced one outsized wrestler with the tip of her finger—thinking of Sean in the ring—and before she knew it, she had drawn invisible angel wings around the man. It was something she used to do as a kid for protection. Whenever she felt scared, or sick, she would draw a picture of herself with angel wings. It made her feel safe, as if someone was looking out for her. She wasn’t surprised she felt the urge to protect Sean. His face had already been broken in the ring. She couldn’t stand the thought of something worse happening.

  “What’s wrong, beautiful?” He grabbed her finger and pressed it against his lips. “Are you scared I’m going to damage my pretty face again?”

  Maggie rolled her eyes. The man was reading her mind, as always—and the blush on her cheeks meant she couldn’t deny it. “You already got hurt once, Sean.” She looked up into his eyes and shrugged. “Who’s to say it won’t happen again.”

  “Oh, it will,” he assured her, brushing a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. She shivered at both his touch and his response. “It’s part of what I do, Maggie. My nose wasn’t the first thing on my body that got damaged, and it won’t be the last.”

  “Great, that makes me feel much better.” Maggie glanced back at her shirt, considering tracing bigger wings.

  “I know what will make you feel better.” He pinched her chin in his fingers to hold her head in place, so she was forced to look into his eyes. “Come with me tomorrow, watch me train.”

  “Why would that make me feel better?” Maggie shook her head. “So I can watch you get hurt in person?”

  “No, so you can understand what I do.” He brushed a soft kiss against her lips and smiled. “And be less scared.”

  “I’m not scared,” Maggie responded instantly, even though she knew she was petrified. It bothered her that Sean could tell what she was feeling so easily. She pushed him away, not wanting her affection toward him to be so obvious. “It’s your life.”

  “It is.” He smiled, again seeing through her efforts. “And since you’re not scared, you should have no problem coming to watch me train tomorrow.”

  Maggie sighed. The man was impossible to fool and even harder to deny. Still, she was willing to watch him train, even though she cursed herself for being so weak. Maggie wondered if revealing her heart wouldn’t be a lot easier if they were on equal footing. Ever since she’d met him, Sean had pushed her out of her protective shell and forced her to open up about her life. He always had the upper hand even though he clearly struggled with demons of his own.

  “Okay, I’ll go.” Maggie smiled back, deciding two could play at this game “If you tell me why you got so upset this morning.”

  ***

  Point, set, the ball was now in Maggie’s court.

  Sean shook his head, unable to get over how clever she was. Maggie knew he wanted her to watch him train—to stand ringside and drool over how great he was. Of course, he couldn’t picture a woman as prideful as Maggie drooling over any man, but he wanted her there anyway. For the same reason seeing her in T-shirt he had given her filled him with pride. The woman clearly had too much power over his life already, and discussing his past would only increase that power. But what could he do? He’d started this cat-and-mouse game, forcing her to surrender her secrets only days before.

  “I’ll tell you this,” Sean responded, searching for a way out of revealing all. “I’m not upset anymore, and I promise never to be again.”

  “You can’t promise that.” She shook her head, seeing right through his game. “Not with the baggage you’re carrying around.”

  “Baggage?” Sean rubbed his sore nose uncomfortably. She was getting too close to the truth.

  “Yes, baggage.” Maggie sat on the bed, crossing her sexy, tan legs, looking ready for a long discussion. “Now spill.”

  “What happened to ‘it’s time to eat’?”

  “Later.” She smiled, patting the spot next to her. “I’m waiting.”

  “Fine.” Sean sighed and sat down where she wanted. “What do you want to know?”

  She held his gaze for a long time—as if trying to read his mind—before saying, “Tell me about your childhood.”

  “My childhood,” Sean repeated slowly, buying himself time. Maggie had flawlessly hit the head on the nail once again. The only thing left to do was be honest. “My childhood sucked.”

  “Why?” She didn’t seem surprised by this, only curious. “Was it your parents?”

  “I only had a dad,” Sean was helpless to keep the bitterness from his voice. “If you could call him that.”

  “Was he mean?” Maggie’s eyes had gone soft with pity, and it made Sean want to scream.

  He turned away, fighting his sudden anger, and mumbled under his breath, “My father was an alcoholic.”

  “I’m sorry, Sean.” Maggie’s hand was on his back, gently stroking. Sean forced himself to sit still. He didn’t want her comfort or pity, but more than that, he didn’t want to lash out at her again. Maggie told him she would never look down on him, and he believed her.

  “Don’t be.” Sean took a breath, wrapping his hands into fists. “You didn’t make him drink, you didn’t ma
ke him lash out, and you didn’t make him choose the streets over giving his son a proper home.”

  “That’s terrible,” Maggie gasped, and her fingers tightened against his skin. He thought she suspected he had a crummy childhood, but apparently his confession had shocked her, and he didn’t like it. It made him feel pathetic and weak, and he was neither of those things anymore.

  “Don’t feel sorry for me, Maggie.” He turned to her and grabbed her hands tightly to scare her away. “The things my father did to me made me tough. I’ve earned my right to be called a man, and I don’t want anyone’s pity.”

  “I don’t pity you.” Maggie held his gaze and squeezed his hands back. She wasn’t afraid. “I just want to understand.”

  “Then understand this.” Sean let go of her hands and leaned in until he was inches from her face. “I spent years saving money to train at a wrestling school in Ohio. The day before I was set to leave, my father stole all of it and spent it on booze.” Maggie’s eyes glazed over with tears, and the sight enraged him. Sean grabbed her shoulders and shook. “Don’t cry, dammit! I didn’t let him win! I packed all my things and hitched a ride down to that wrestling school, then wormed my way into a spot there, proving to them my talent was worth more than any dollar I could throw their way. And when I knew they believed it, I promised to never rely on another soul again, and I never will.” He shook her again, trying to make her run. “I will never let another person in again!”

  Sean didn’t know if he was screaming at her or himself. The tears running down Maggie’s face were doing numbers on his heart—screaming it was too late. He had let Maggie in. He cared what she thought of him. He couldn’t bear another second of her pity or tears.

  “Sean, Sean.” Maggie cupped her face gently with her hands, as if he wasn’t screaming in her face, as if he wasn’t shaking her shoulders. “It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not okay, Maggie!” He attempted to pull away from her gentle hands, but she wouldn’t let him, only tightened her hold, kissing his cheeks. “Why won’t you listen to me, dammit? I’m not a nice man. I don’t want your sympathy. I want you to run!”