by Robin Huber
“Can you go any faster?” I ask.
“I am going as fast as I can. It is not much farther.”
Three excruciating rounds later, he pulls up in front of the arena. Sebastian tips him and we run from the car to the will call window.
“We need two tickets,” I say urgently to the man behind the window.
“Miles Angelo,” Sebastian interrupts. “Can you check to see if he left tickets for us, please?”
“What’s the name?”
“Sebastian Ford.”
“Or Lucy Bennett,” I say.
“IDs please.”
We hand him our IDs, and he picks up the phone and speaks to someone. He slides our IDs back and says, “Go right through those doors.” He points to the main entrance.
“Thank you,” we both say, and run inside where we’re promptly greeted by a large security guard.
“Lucy Bennett?”
“Hi, yes, I’m Lucy Bennett. This is Sebastian Ford. Miles Angelo was supposed to leave tickets for us?”
“You don’t need tickets, just come with me.” He hands us laminated lanyards. “Put these on.”
We drape them around our necks and follow him to a set of double doors. I feel the roar of the crowd rumbling against them before he even opens them.
“Oh, wait,” I say, taking off Sebastian’s jacket. I hand it to him and he slides it back on. “You look great,” I say, smiling at him.
“So do you.” He winks at me.
The security guard opens the door, and we’re blasted by the music thumping through the arena speakers. Just like in New York, the lights dance around the arena and everyone is on their feet, cheering and clapping. But when I look up at the giant scoreboard monitors over the ring, I realize that they’re cheering for Beau Ackerman.
And the bell marks the end of the seventh round, the announcer says over the steady roar of the crowd. I have to tell you, I’m amazed that Cole has lasted this long…I have a feeling this next round may be his last.
I glance up at the giant monitor again as we follow the security guard toward the ring, and I gasp when I see Sam. “Oh, my God.” He’s bleeding from his left eye and blood is dripping down his chest and stomach. I look away and grab Sebastian’s hand, but when the security guard takes us to our seats, I can’t look away. Sam’s right in front of us. We’re right next to the ring. And Miles. And a few other faces I recognize from the New York fight.
“Hey, honey,” Miles says, wrapping his arm around me when I sit down. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to make it,” he says, hugging me. He reaches across me and shakes Sebastian’s hand.
“I take it you got my message,” Bas shouts over me.
“Yeah, but I think I should have told Sam you were coming. He’s a fucking mess. Look at him.” He rubs his jaw. “Ackerman’s using him as a punching bag. Come on, Sam! Get off those ropes!” he screams, jumping to his feet.
Sebastian jumps up too. “Come on, Sam!”
I can’t stand up. I feel sick. I can barely look up, but I do. I look up at Sam between my hands that are shielding everything else from my eyes. I see only him, beaten and bruised, hugging Beau Ackerman. His thick arms are wrapped around Beau’s neck, but not for long. Beau throws a punch at his ribs and Sam lets go.
“Put your gloves up, Sam!” Joe yells at him.
Sam blocks a couple of punches and then throws a left hook that makes Beau stumble back.
“There you go, baby, there you go!” Joe shouts.
“All right, Sam, there it is. Come on now!” Miles yells.
But all Sam did was piss Beau off, because Beau comes right back with two body slaps and an uppercut to the jaw that knocks Sam backward onto the mat.
I gasp when I see the blood coming from his nose and bolt up between Miles and Sebastian. “Get up, Sam,” I say, but it’s so loud in here I can barely hear my own voice.
The referee counts, One…two…
“Get up,” I say again, but it might as well be a thought.
Three…four…
“Get up, Sam!”
He just lies there.
Something’s wrong. My skin pricks with fear and my blood pulses behind my ears.
Five…
“Sam!” I scream and he opens his unfocused eyes.
Wait a minute, the announcer says, and the crowd erupts. Let’s see if Cole can get back on his feet…He’s done it before.
“Come on, baby, get up, get up!” I beg.
Seven…
He pushes himself up and every muscle in his body strains as he pulls his feet beneath him and stands up.
I don’t believe it. Sam Cole is back on his feet, ladies and gentlemen.
The referee grabs his gloves and pushes on them. “You okay?”
Sam looks at me and smiles over his bloody mouthpiece.
“You good? You ready?” the referee asks him again.
He nods and stretches his neck from side to side. He pulls his gloves up to his face and screams when Beau takes his stance across from him. “Ahhhhhhh!”
The crowd goes crazy, and I pull my hands to my mouth to cover my smile.
“Yeah, baby, yeah, baby. Show him who the fucking champ is!” Miles screams.
The referee drops his hands away and steps back.
Beau throws the first jab, but Sam dodges it and throws a right hook, a left hook, and another right hook that knocks Beau back against the ropes. Sam hovers over him, throwing jabs faster than I can count.
Sam Cole is back, ladies and gentlemen. I don’t think he’s ready to give up his title just yet.
Beau holds his gloves up to cover his face, but Sam connects with an uppercut that leaves him hanging on the ropes. He swings his arm around Sam’s neck and hangs on him until the bell rings.
The tide has turned in this fight.
The referee pulls them apart and Sam falls into his corner.
“He’s back,” Miles says. “I can see it in his eyes.”
“How can you see anything through all that blood?” I ask, looking away.
“He’s okay. The doc will fix him up,” he says, like it’s nothing.
I look at Sam, slouched in the corner of the ring, spitting blood into a cup while Joe crouches in front of him.
“He’s okay,” Miles assures me.
Sam gets to his feet and waits for the bell to ring. When it does, he circles Beau like a shark, waiting to attack. As soon as Beau comes within two feet of him, Sam throws a left hook that knocks him to the mat, and the crowd erupts again.
One…two…three…four…
“He fucking did it!” Miles shouts.
I hold my breath and feel the blood racing through my veins.
Five…six…seven…
Beau pulls his glove under him, but he can’t push himself up.
Eight…nine…ten…
And that is it. A comeback win for Sam Cole!
“Yeah, baby!” Miles shouts, jumping up and down. He rushes to the ring.
I let out the breath I was holding and feel Sebastian’s arms around me. He lifts me up off my feet and shouts with excitement.
“I need you to come with me, please,” the bodyguard says, but it feels like an order. I’m quickly consumed by a crowd of people, and I understand why he’s here.
“Lucy, can you confirm your relationship with Sam?” a photographer asks, taking my picture.
“Don’t answer,” Sebastian says.
“I’m going to need you to back up,” the bodyguard says, putting his hand up in front of me, and I gratefully follow him through the crowd, around the ring, and out of the arena to a quiet room in the back.
“Lucy,” Miles says, walking into the room that Sebastian and I have been anxiously waiting in for the last ten minutes. “Sam’s asking for you.”
I bite my smiling lip and look at Sebastian with excited eyes.
“Go,” he says. “I’ll wait here.”
I hurry toward Miles, but pause when I reach the door. “Hold on,
” I say, putting my finger up. I turn around and walk back to Sebastian.
“What are you doing?” he asks with smiling eyes.
I stand in front of him and reach for the lapel on his jacket. “I just wanted to say thank you.”
He smiles softly and nods. “You’re welcome.”
“Not just for today, Bas. For everything. I know we have this running joke that I couldn’t live without you, but…I couldn’t live without you. And not just because you know my dress size or how I like my coffee. But because you’re my best friend. And I love you.”
He wraps his long arms around me and hugs me tight. “I love you too,” he chokes out. He releases me and clears his throat. “Now, go get him.”
I smile wide.
“Lucy, you coming or what?”
“Yeah, I’m coming.” I hurry over to Miles.
“Listen, before you go in there, you just need to know, he’s pretty beat up.”
My heart sinks and my smile fades. “Is he okay?”
“He will be. But he got hit a lot tonight. It slows him down a little. He’ll be better by the morning, but he’s gonna be hurting tonight.”
“Okay.”
He leads me to an adjacent room that’s filled with a few familiar faces, including Joe’s. I assume the other guys make up the rest of his team. But I don’t see Tristan.
“Hey, champ, there’s someone here to see you. She’s a hell of a lot prettier than these guys.” They grumble at Miles, but as soon as they move out of the way and I see Sam, the room might as well be empty.
He looks up at me from the table he’s sitting on and my guarded heart pounds inside my chest. His handsome face is swollen and bruised, and his hair is soaked with sweat. He pulls the bloody towel away from his mouth and says slowly, “You came.”
“Yeah,” I say, smiling over the tears that fill my eyes.
He smiles weakly, but I see the question in his tired eyes through the dried blood.
I nod and walk toward him, ignoring everyone else in the room as I close the space between us. “I’m yours, Sam. Only yours. From now on. No more strings.”
He wraps his heavy arms and gloves around my waist and drops his head to my chest, making me stumble back a little. “You sure?” he mumbles without looking up.
I laugh softly and push against him so that he doesn’t knock me over. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
He turns his head and looks at Joe. “Get these fucking gloves off me,” he says with a little more gusto, though it’s still slightly slurred.
I laugh and watch Joe tug and pull at the laces. “It’s good to see you, sweetheart,” he says, smiling up at me with his warm, familiar eyes, and it fills a hole in my heart I didn’t even know was there.
I swallow down the sudden burst of emotion and put my hand on his shoulder. “It’s good to see you too, Joe. It’s been too long.”
When he gets Sam’s gloves off, Joe pulls me into a hug and says, “Don’t let it happen again, okay?” He squeezes me tight.
“I won’t.”
Sam wraps his taped hand around mine and pulls me back over to him, knocking Joe out of the way.
Joe just smiles. “All right, let’s give ’em a minute,” he says, leading everyone out of the room.
Sam reaches for my face, but he barely has the strength to hold his hand up. It falls to his lap. “You are the only reason…I won tonight.”
I shake my head and hold his battered face in my hands. “You won because of the lion inside you. I saw it tonight.”
He shakes his head slowly and says quietly, “You are the lion inside me.” He drops his head and leans against me again. “Without you…without you, I…”
“Shhh…it’s okay,” I say, wrapping my arms around him to hold him, but he leans on me with all his weight. “Sam.” I grab his shoulders and push against him, but it’s like trying to hold up a stone statue. “Sam, sit up,” I grit out, digging my fingers into his arms, but he’s too heavy. He leans forward, knocking me back on my heels, and we both fall onto the floor with a loud thud. “Sam!” I frantically reach for his face, but his eyes roll back in his head. “Joe!”
Don’t miss the riveting, powerful conclusion to the Love Story duet.
A Story Like Ours
will be available in June 2019!
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my agent, Joanna MacKenzie, for taking a chance on me, showing me the publishing ropes, and occasionally talking me off the ledge. Your guidance and advice is invaluable. I’m so thankful to have you in my corner.
Thank you to my editor, Lexi Smail, for your direction and vision. Your enthusiasm and drive is unparalleled! You shaped this story into something that I’m so proud of (and made me a better writer in the process). I have loved working with you on this book!
Thank you to the amazing women in my life who have been a part of this journey since the beginning. My mom, Kathie Brewer, for your endless support and encouragement. My sister, Karen Shalters, for always making me laugh (especially at my rough drafts). Shannon Baum, for being my biggest cheerleader (and unofficial publicist). Angie King, for always believing in me (and staying up all night to get to the good parts). And Anne Rae, for your unwavering pride in my ability to write a book—I’m still just as surprised each time that it happens.
Thank you to my beta readers, who loved Sam and Lucy even before their story was complete. Your feedback and words of encouragement mean the world to me. To all of my family, friends, and coworkers who have encouraged me along the way, thank you!
Most of all, thank you to my husband, Kevin Huber. Not only are you my biggest fan; you’re my favorite person (even though you leave your clothes on the floor). Thank you for teaching me to be brave and for giving me three incredible kids that I adore. I love and cherish our family more than words can express. It’s because my heart is so full that I’m able to daydream and create love stories like this one to share with the world. Also, thank you for teaching me the difference between an uppercut and a right hook.
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About the Author
Robin Huber is a lifelong daydreamer, a lover of music, and an avid cook with a knack for plotting emotionally charged love stories on her way to work. It keeps her from losing it in traffic. She’s admittedly an introverted extrovert and a proud Aries with a somewhat unhealthy dependency on her horoscope. She’s a director by day, a writer by night, a wife to her high school sweetheart, and most importantly a mom to her three crazy kids (she means beautiful children). When she’s not writing, you can find this Florida native with her toes in the sand, holding her Kindle, and probably a Corona too.
Learn more at:
robinhuberbooks.com
Twitter @RobinHuber80
Facebook.com/RobinHuberWrites
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