by Niles, Abby
He smiled, tinged with relief…and happiness. “I won’t be home much.”
Home. He’d started using that word a lot lately. It gave her a warm feeling. Them together. A family. One day maybe making a larger one.
“I’ll be waiting. Go train your ass off and beat that Ricky Moon.”
He cupped her cheek. “You’re wonderful, you know that?”
His lips found hers in a sweet kiss. He pulled back just an inch, his breath warming her face. She slid her palms up his shoulders, behind his neck, and tugged his head down. When his mouth met hers, she angled her head to the side, swiping her tongue across the seam of his lips. He shuddered against her, inhaling a deep breath.
His arms wound around her waist, fingers splaying across her back as he deepened the kiss. When he finally pulled back, desire clouded his green gaze. “Woman, I’m trying to be all sweet and shit, and you’re making me hard as a rock.”
She chuckled. “While I do like the sweet, I have so much fun when you want to get dirty.”
“So you’re okay with me putting an end to the wooing, and just taking you back home and doing nasty things to you?”
Her stomach fluttered. “Do you have something new to show me?”
“Baby, I have all kinds of tricks up my sleeves we haven’t tried yet.”
A shiver raked over her. “Then you need to get me home. Fast.”
As Tommy pretty much dragged her back to the house, she felt light and happy.
They were really going to make this work.
Chapter 14
Tommy straddled the vinyl grappling dummy, pummeling it with quick left-rights and tossing an elbow in here and there. Sweat poured down his face and arms. He’d been grappling for almost an hour, first starting with a live partner to work on his technique, then switching to the dummy so he could strengthen his hits. Satisfaction coursed through him with every loud pop of his fist hitting the torso-shaped bag.
“That’s enough for now,” Mike called. “Let’s take a break.”
Tommy rose to his feet, using his forearm to wipe the sweat off his brow. After tugging his gloves off, he grabbed a towel.
Mike motioned him to the office. When he entered, Tommy noticed a TV set up. “What are we doing?”
“Watching your fight against Ricky Moon.”
He blew out a breath. “Well, that won’t take long.”
Mike didn’t even try to make him feel better about it. Just sighed and said, “Nope, it won’t.”
Mike never sugarcoated anything. If a fighter screwed up, he didn’t get a pat on the back and a “we’ll get him next time.” Nope, his coach let him know exactly how he’d screwed up, then went on to train him to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.
Tommy pulled a chair closer and sat down. Mike cued up the fight, fast-forwarding through all the fanfare of the entrances to the actual fight where Tommy and Ricky were circling each other. Tommy frowned at the laziness of his stance. He wasn’t braced or even protecting his chin correctly. Hell, he didn’t even look like he wanted to be there. Like he was bored. Or so damn cocky that he thought the fight would be easy. Probably the latter.
Ricky took advantage and had him in a clinch within two minutes in the first round. One knee to the face and Tommy was out cold, just as he’d done to Tate the day before. Mike forced him to listen to the announcer declare Ricky the new Middleweight Champion and watch his opponent lift his belt over his head.
Mike paused the fight. “What did you see?”
“A fighter not defending his title.”
“Damn straight. Do you think Ricky Moon will be like that when you meet this time?”
“Nope.”
“No. He won’t. He’s going in this to win, Tommy. He’s not going to give you back your title the same way you let him win it.”
Ouch. But Mike was spot-on. Tommy hadn’t even tried to fight that day. He might as well have handed over the belt to Moon the moment they’d entered the octagon.
Tommy hung his head. How could he ever have stepped foot inside the cage and not given it his all?
But he had. And he’d paid the price.
He lifted his head and looked Mike in the eye. “That won’t happen a second time.”
Mike smiled. “Am I looking at the fighter who won the title from Pete Griffin?”
“You bet your sweet ass you are.”
“Then let’s pull up a different fight to study.”
Mike traded DVDs again, and Ricky Moon came up fighting against Buddy Triton. He hated the fact that his coach had to show a completely different fight for Tommy to really be able to pick apart his pending opponent. But he understood. If he wanted to see all of Moon’s weaknesses and strengths, it wouldn’t be in the fight against him. And he was going in completely prepared to win this time.
Tommy pointed to the screen. “Moon is weak on his feet.”
Mike nodded his approval. Watching Moon, Tommy couldn’t believe the man had won the belt from him by KO. His reach was shorter and any time his opponent went to brawl, Moon tried for a takedown.
“Man, but he’s good on the ground.”
“Almost as good as Richard Sentori used to be.”
Richard Sentori used to be the Welterweight Champion until Dante “Inferno” Jones had won the title from him a year and a half ago. Since then Richard had lost his last two fights, and if his losing streak continued, he would be forced to retire from fighting.
Tommy studied the fight closely, seeing how Moon concentrated on the lower body as he wrapped his body around Triton’s left leg and twisted. “Kneebar.”
“Moon has won with a variety of leg-locks. He’ll win any way he can, but if he’s controlling the fight, most of the time he will go for a submission with the leg.”
He glanced at his coach and smiled. “I guess I need to make sure he doesn’t control the fight then, huh?”
…
Julie sighed as a whirring sound penetrated her sleep. Slowly, she opened her eyes, zeroing in on the noise in the kitchen. What times was it?
She looked at the clock on the cable box.
Almost two in the afternoon.
When had she fallen asleep?
It had been a week since Tommy started training for the fight. While she was at the clinic, the workweek had sped by. But today, her day off, had dragged. She’d stretched out on the couch after lunch and must have dozed off from sheer boredom.
As she sat up, Tommy walked out of the kitchen, holding a shake.
Her stomach growled. A smile split his lips when he saw her. “Hey, beautiful. I was about to wake you up.”
Beautiful. A pleased shiver went through her. “I hope that’s for me.”
He stopped by the couch and leaned down. She didn’t hesitate to tilt her head back to accept his kiss. She’d come to expect them. Tommy might not be around as much, but when he was, he was touching her, kissing her, or holding her.
When he leaned back, he handed her the shake. “Chocolate and peanut butter.”
“Mmm.”
She took a long sip from the straw, very aware of Tommy watching her. Closing her eyes, she made a show of enjoying it with a long, satisfying, yummy sound, then licked her lips.
“You naughty girl,” he growled, slipping his hand between her legs and rubbing his knuckle against her. She moaned. Arousal flooded her body, and her nipples tightened. Tommy might be away a lot, but he made sure to take her as often as possible when he was here. In the process, he’d conditioned her body to respond to him in an instant. “But we don’t have time for naughty today. I’m planning for sweet.”
She opened her eyes and lifted a brow. “I’m listening.”
“It’s a surprise. I’ve spent so much time at the gym this week, I just wanted to get home, and I didn’t shower. I’m going to take a quick one, and then we’ll leave.” He pointed at her as he backed out of the room. “Do not follow me. I said quick. And anything I do to you won’t be quick.”
She shiver
ed.
After he went into the bathroom, she walked to her bedroom. Looking in the oval mirror above her dresser, she cringed at her reflection. Her hair was knotted on one side from her nap. Thanks to Tommy keeping her up late most nights, dark circles stained the skin beneath her eyes. Grabbing a brush, she worked the tangles out of her hair, dabbed a little concealer under her eyes, and added a bit of mascara to her eyelashes and eye shadow to her lids. There was no point bothering with lipstick; he’d have it off before they left the house anyway.
She glanced down at her yoga pants and T-shirt. Nope. If they were going out, she was dressing up. Studying her closet, she pursed her lips. Casual? Sexy?
She went to the bathroom door, opened it, and smiled when he bellowed, “I told you not to follow me!”
“I just wanted to know if you have to go back to the gym today.”
“Yeah, practice from six until nine tonight.”
She closed the door. Better not wear anything too sexy, then. They wouldn’t have time to play. She finally settled on a pair of designer jeans that she knew looked amazing on her and a tight red sweater. After she pulled on her knee-high boots, she walked out into the living room and found Tommy already waiting for her.
Dressed in a pair of dark denim jeans that hugged his butt and a button-down flannel shirt that stretched across his muscular back, he looked rugged and completely edible. The fabric clung to him, teasing her with the body she yearned for.
His gaze raked over her and heated. “I’m one lucky fuck.”
He strode over and grabbed her by the waist, then kissed her hard. She leaned into him, opening her mouth without hesitation. God, she loved kissing him. Loved being in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
Tommy released her and asked, “Ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
They went to the car, and soon they were driving down the road.
The mystery of their destination filled her with a buzz of excitement. Half an hour later he pulled into a parking lot and Julie gasped, knowing exactly where they were.
The Georgia Aquarium.
She clapped her hands. “Oh, Tommy, thank you! This is perfect.”
After he found a place to park, he opened her door and helped her out. “Do you remember trying to get me to come here with you last year?”
“I do.” She chuckled. “You came up with a lame excuse about needing to go through your closet.”
He took her head between his hands, running his thumbs over her cheeks. “I regret that now.”
“It’s not like I hadn’t made you come with me before. Besides, we were just friends. You didn’t have to go.”
“We’re not just friends anymore, right?”
She frowned. “I think it’s pretty obvious we’re not.”
“You and me. We’re together now. Nothing’s going to come between us.”
Now she was getting worried. “Tommy, is everything okay?”
There was a distress in his expression she hadn’t seen before. Tommy was always so damn confident, so it took her aback.
“I just need to know that my absence hasn’t messed anything up. That you and I are still good.”
She eased out a breath. “We’re more than good.”
He smiled, and the tension released from his shoulders as he threaded his fingers through hers and started walking toward the aquarium. “Okay.”
After he paid for their tickets, they walked inside.
“I’m yours to lead,” he said, and opened the door.
Smiling, she walked farther into the foyer, realizing this was actually the first time she was out in public with Tommy as his girlfriend. The thought was thrilling.
“Where do you want to go first?” he asked.
“The penguins,” she said without hesitation.
“How did I know you’d say that?”
She stuck out her tongue at him, making him laugh. She’d only dragged Tommy to the penguin exhibit about a thousand times since it opened. “Know-it-all.”
As she headed for the Coldwater Quest exhibit, he snagged her hand and moved in front of her, guiding them through the maze of people until the penguin exhibit opened up in front of them. She pressed closer to his back, enjoying the way his cologne wafted up to fill her senses.
Once he nudged his way into an open spot closer to the observation area, he switched positions with her, shielding her with his body from all the other people trying to press forward.
As much as she loved watching the penguins waddle around and dive through the water, the only thing she could concentrate on was the feel of Tommy’s chest pressing into her back. Her breath quickened and butterflies attacked her stomach.
His arm shot past her to the left. “Look at that one.”
Inhaling, she followed to where he pointed, spotting the penguin that swam in front of the glass, bobbing up and down, entertaining the spectators. “That’s so—”
The word “cute” was lost as his arms wrapped around her waist and he put his chin on her shoulder. “They’re called Jackass penguins.”
Julie stifled a laugh. He said that every time they came to the exhibit. The man just found the name hilarious.
“You mean like you,” she responded as always, covering his arms with hers and leaning her head back against his shoulder. So this was what it was like being his girlfriend. She’d always wondered, imagined. He’d never actually dated anyone steadily, so she’d had no clue what kind of boyfriend he’d be. If he was a PDA sort of guy or if he preferred just holding a girl’s hand. She liked that he was so willing to hold her in public, no hesitation about it.
His chuckle vibrated against her back, and she inhaled sharply as his lips found her neck and nipped. A delish thrill went through her. They’d done this routine many times, but he’d never responded to her quip like this—and she loved this way more than the elbow nudge she used to get.
“Be nice,” he said against her ear. Oh yes, Tommy was shaping up to be pretty good boyfriend material.
Unfortunately, that realization was making her have X-rated girlfriend thoughts in a PG establishment. Got to keep it light. She craned her neck to look back at him. “The truth hurts.”
He stared down at her, his eyes dipping to her lips. Tension filled the air between them. Would it always be like this between them? God, she hoped so.
“I think I’d like to see the whales.”
“Okay.” His voice was deeper than it had been before.
He recaptured her hands and led her to the Beluga whale exhibit. The large tank took up one whole wall, casting a blue hue to Tommy’s face. When he found an open area, again he positioned her in front of him and cocooned his body around hers. He did the same thing through the next two exhibits, and as they watched a scuba diver feed all the fish in the largest tank. He never let her go, always had a hand on her somewhere.
He made her feel so protected. More so than he’d done when they were just BFFs—and he’d been pretty damn good at making her feel protected even then. She leaned back against his chest and let the back of her head rest against him, loving it when he kissed the top of her hair.
She loved this man. Wanted a future with him. Saw a future with him for the first time ever, with no doubt or trepidations.
“Can we see Dolphin’s Tales before we go?”
An amused smile came to his lips. “Anything you want.”
She believed he would try to do exactly that.
As they made their way back to the foyer, Julie said, “I need to run to the restroom real quick.”
“I’ll wait right here.”
After she came out, she couldn’t find Tommy. She finally spotted him in the middle of a group, signing autographs, smiling and laughing. As she moved toward him, his gaze connected with hers. He sent her an acknowledging nod, then glanced away again. Ice formed in her stomach. There hadn’t even been any warmth in his gaze, not a smile, not even a wink. She’d been completely dismissed.
All the
ugly feelings she had from the past bombarded her as she stood outside the circle, watching him.
My God. She’d been so wrong. Tommy was going to change again.
For ten minutes, she waited. Finally, he broke away from the group and sauntered over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and steered her toward the show. “Sorry about that. I’m all yours again.”
But it was too late. The damage had been done, and she felt like crap.
Was he really all hers? Was he ever really going to be?
Judging by the evidence, the answer was a resounding no.
She tried shaking away her sour thoughts, but they kept returning, louder and more panicked than ever.
In the theater, they found a place to sit directly in front of the huge pool and stage. He put his arm around the back of her chair, his fingers playing with her hair. She instinctively leaned into his side, wanting desperately to banish her depressing worries. The chairs didn’t have arms, so his body pressed into her from shoulder to knee. She felt the kiss he placed on top of her head, and she chewed on her bottom lip.
Was she overreacting? He was completely attentive to her now. Was she being one of those girlfriends who must have her boyfriend’s attention at all times or she’d have a freak-out? She did not want to be one of those women.
It was one incident, she reminded herself, and their relationship was new. She needed to cut him some slack and remember everything else he’d done for her.
Because she couldn’t think about being cut out of one of the most important parts of his life. Or having to decide whether to live with the hurt or having to leave him for good.
Chapter 15
As Julie fastened her robe around her waist, she stared at the rumpled bed. When Tommy had carried her back to her room last night after his training, he’d spent the next few hours devoted to her body, touching and kissing. The intimacy hadn’t diminished as they’d slept, either. Their naked bodies had stayed in contact, either with her curled up under his arm, against his side, or with him spooned behind her, his strong arms wrapped protectively around her waist and making her feel as if she was his whole world.