Blindsided (The Fighter Series Book 1) (18 page)

The place isn’t as busy as I thought it would be. There are a few guys wrestling around and another on the punching bags, but other than that it’s fairly empty. The star is the one in the middle of the padded cage dripping with sweat, listening to the orders being barked at him by Harvey.

I’m concealed behind a large punching bag hanging from the rafters of the ceiling, undetected and watching him run through several combinations of jabs, elbows and kicks. I have forgotten how incredible he looks as his muscles flex, tightening with each throw, moving with his every action. Sweat drips from his hair that isn’t in his normal faux hawk, but instead messy from his hard training day. He has a new tattoo on his left shoulder running slightly down to his bicep. The tribal flames along his ribs dance as he twists and moves around.

There’s a tightness in my chest that grabs my breath and holds it hostage, a heat that scurries throughout my body throbbing exactly where it wants to be touched, and my heart…it’s like it just sighed relief to see him again. He’s gorgeous.

His sparring partner isn’t as big as he is but is padded up ready to take him on. He’s keeping up, ducking and dodging, making Levi run around the ring to get a good punch in, then he’s bounding back striking and kicking helping train Levi to stay on his toes.

Chapter 21

Adam has been on that fucking phone all damn morning and it’s starting to really irritate the hell out of me. He couldn’t put the thing down last night, and this morning every few minutes my concentration was broken by that annoying as hell chirp of his text message. I’ve threatened to break it if he didn’t put it on vibrate. Whoever it is has him smiling like a nitwit and not paying a damn bit of attention to me. Technically he isn’t a coach, but he knows me well and will speak up on things he sees. My team is my family. My support.

“Hey, dickwad, put it up!” I yell to Adam whose phone just vibrated against the metal chair. You can only imagine the sound that damn thing made.

“I will, hang on.” He doesn’t even look up and smiles at the display like he’s in high school scoring a date with the quarterback’s girlfriend.

“Adam!” I shout.

He throws up a finger insinuating for me to wait. “Hold on! It’s important.”

I hate waiting. “Important? What bitch could possibly be important to you?” I say leaning against the cage staring at his shit-eating grin, but his eyes are looking past me.

I follow his line of sight. Standing in a pair of jeans and a yellow t-shirt with her brown hair shaped around her face, flashing her sweet smile, and toting a suitcase beside her, is Paige. I’ve worked hard to right my thoughts and now I’m seeing shit. I blink trying to get the mirage of her to disappear, but she doesn’t. I haven’t slept well in days. Maybe I need more water. These can all be possible reasons for me to hallucinate. But then it hits me—the luscious scent of her vanilla perfume.

My body on its own mission to feel her skin, I spring out the door of the cage toward her and wrap my arms around her waist. She is definitely real.

“So could this bitch be more important?” she quips laughing and rocking back on her heels.

I shrug. “Anything coming from Adam’s phone usually isn’t. What are you doing here?”

“I was in the neighborhood walking my dog and figured I’d stop in and see you.”

I smile. I’ve missed her sassiness.

“I’m glad you did.” I grab her hand and her suitcase and lead her to the guys to introduce them. Harvey gives her a hard time about messing up training time and Perry, my Muay Thai coach, is lost for words. I’ve never introduced a woman to any of my coaches, never had the need or want to bring them around. But this…this is Paige.

She hugs Adam’s neck and it sends an overloading possessiveness surging through me. “Thank you,” she whispers then turns around and throws a thumb over her shoulder. “He set this up.”

Adam’s shit-eating grin is knee fucking deep, proud that he achieved his surprise unnoticed. He winks knowing he did damn well. As focused as I may have been, she continues to break my concentration while I try to get over it.

“Coach!” I yell, “I’m changing sparring partners.” His face crinkles unsure what my plans are.

I home in on my next victim. She already knows it and is shaking her head, but she’s damn crazy to think she can come to
my
gym and not let me get my hands on her.

“Go change,” I order her.

“Uh, no.”

She’s comical.

“Wait? You want to spar with her?” Harvey points to Paige.

“You damn right,” I tell him glaring at her.

Adam nudges his shoulder, coming to the rescue. “Coach, just watch.”

I turn back to a wide-eyed beauty. “I’m not asking you, I’m telling you. Go change. We haven’t worked out in months.” I shove her playfully and just as she was set up, she pushes back. “Ha. Sucker. Now you have to,” I grin victoriously.

Brown hair is up, yoga pants are tight, shirt is a little loose but I can still see her tits as she’s playfully pissed, bouncing on the balls of her toes in the cage. She’s fucking amazing. There were no gloves to fit her here so Adam taped her hands, and the sweet girl was scared she was going to hurt me. I had to remind her what I do for a living and I might have thrown in a joke about her mosquito bite sized punches, but she eventually took the bait and here we are.

I start off small, warming her up, making her strike and kick. She’s downright the sexiest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on. As she punches and kicks, bouncing around, everyone around takes notice. In a strange way, I’m proud. Proud of her for being in this cage with me, not scared, and willing to learn. Proud that in this moment, she’s mine and if anyone gets a bright idea, I’ll knock their fucking teeth out.

She sends a roundhouse kick to my thigh—of course I let her—and I’m satisfied. “You’ve been practicing. Your guard was better and that kick stung.”

Remember guys, give a woman an ego boost, you’ll get rewarded. My reward is her wide smile and bright green eyes.

“Like you told me to,” she says all breathless.

Something in my chest jumps in my throat and makes me grin. “That’s my girl.”

Harvey and Perry have stepped up to the side as we continue sparring together. She’s good, and I’m telling you with just a few months of training she could be in the ring with other MMA women. She rushes into me and tries to take me down but all I can do is laugh. Stepping back annoyed, she hauls off and kicks the shit out of me followed with a right hook into my cheek.

Did it hurt? It stung.

Was it enough to take me down? No.

Do I boost her ego? You damn right I do.

I drop to the mat not doing a good job of holding back my laughter and she mounts me with the cutest confused look on her face.

“Now what?” she asks with her forehead crinkled.

“Beat the shit out of me, that’s what!” I throw my hands up. “Duh!”

“I’m not punching you again,” she says.

“Change of heart?”

“Shut up.” She begins to stand but I grab her hips not ready to let her go. First of all, she’s on top of me. Second, I’ve missed feeling her.

“You can do a lot from here. If the fighter is giving you his arm, you can do an arm bar. You can do an old-fashioned choke, but you have to be careful with that ‘cause that can land you a punch or bottom thrown elbows. You have me mounted, a place the bottom guy sure as hell doesn’t want to be, except when there’s a hot chick sitting on him.” I flash my dimples as she slaps my chest and gets up.

What? I couldn’t help it.

“When’s your training over?” she asks.

“Now,” I tell her glancing to Harvey. He isn’t happy, but I can promise I’ll make him proud tomorrow.

“Can I shower at your place?” she pauses. “Alone!” she quickly adds.

It’s like she can read my damn mind.

Chapter 22

Showered and changed, I‘ve been flipping through the channels waiting for Paige to come out of the bathroom for twenty minutes now. Normally, I’m watching sports, but she doesn’t care much for it, so I’ve landed on some comedy show. What is it, you ask? The hell if I know. I’ve paid more attention to the bedroom door than I have the television.

I tried my damnedest to keep the girl off my mind, to start over, and look past her, but truth be told, she’s still all I think about. And now, she’s on the other side of the wall, naked and within reach, fucking my mind over yet again.

I force myself not to jerk up when the door finally opens. She’s changed into jean shorts and a light blue tank top with wet hair draped over her shoulders. Fucking beautiful.

“Do you always get the biggest freaking room they offer?” she asks walking down the hall.

“They have bigger ones,” I say nonchalantly. I’m trying not to drool over the sight of her.

“Seriously? This room is huge. It’s like a mini apartment.”

“If I’m going to stay somewhere for weeks at a time, I don’t want to be cramped in a little ass hotel room. This isn’t much more expensive, so I don’t worry about it.”

She drops beside me and pulls my arm over her shoulders, tucking herself into my side.

My body glitches, a fury of sensations gridlock my brain. This should come with a warning.

“Paige, this is the part of friends I can’t do.” There’s her warning.

Other than chewing on her lip, she doesn’t budge. I tuck a finger under her chin pulling her face to mine. “This is the part of friends I can’t do,” I say slowly so she understands.

Her eyes are blazing in a nervous lust. I lean farther stopping before reaching her lips, allowing her to be the one to make the decision. My body is burning with a craving it’s had for months, my heart is making all types of racket in my chest, and my cock is rock fucking hard taking all notice of the closeness of her body.

Her eyes drop to my lips and it’s all the affirmation I need. I take to her lips and she doesn’t hesitate, pulling me in by the back of my neck and tugging my shirt.

She wants this.

She nips at my bottom lip, digging her nails in my biceps, and driving me downright insane.

“I’m not going to do this here,” I whisper huskily against her lips.

Her body tenses and she jerks back in surprise. “Do what?”

“I’ve wanted to see you sprawled out in my bed since the day I met you,” I growl against her jawline lifting her by the ass. She wraps her legs around my waist and I’m back on those desirable lips as I carry her to my room.