Fighting Hard (4 page)

Mia squirmed. “Ummm. Men.”

Nick’s eyebrows shot up. “Men?”

“Umm-hmmm.”

“Are these men wearing any clothes?” he said teasingly.

“Uh. Kind of.”

“What?”

“They’re kind of… half-dressed.” She was blushing now, and Nick thought the burst of color only made her look more stunning.

“Really? So where does your friend find the men?”

“All over the place. She’s trying to show men performing all kinds of sports and activities, and she wants to focus on the muscles used for each one. That’s why the men aren’t fully dressed and why the pictures are all in black and white – Katie wants to show the curves of the muscles, really highlight them as the men perform various strenuous sports.”

“Huh. That’s kind of… cool, actually.”

“Yeah. And my job is to interview the men and write a bit about each one of them. How they got in to their sport, all that.”

Nick was surprised at the surge of jealousy that went through him at the thought of Mia sitting and chatting with strapping shirtless swimmers and rock-hard rock-climbers and Olympic-level gymnasts.

She was looking at him. “Actually… you know what? I know Katie’s still looking for a man who boxes. I don’t know about karate – maybe that too. Can she call you or Adam, and talk to you guys about taking photos of you at your club?”

“Well, I’m fine with it. I’ll ask Adam, though.”

“Really? That’s great… she’s a very good photographer and she’s starting to become pretty well-known. Her book was actually commissioned by a publishing house, so it’s going to get real promotion and coverage and stuff. I think there will even be a huge opening at some gallery downtown.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, just google her. Katie Lloyd. Even though this is her first book, if you check her website, you’ll see about a thousand images she’s shot.”

Just then, Nick’s cell phone beeped with a text message. He read it and smiled. “Hey, the cops found your purse.”

“My God. Is anything missing?”

“Nope. Not a thing. It looks like the asshole just dumped it outside the club. House keys, wallet, credit cards, phone – everything’s still there.”

“You’re kidding. Well, that’s amazing luck.”

“Yeah. I’ll have them drop it here, OK?”

Mia looked up at him, thrilled to be going home, but the thought of leaving Nick wasn’t pleasant. If she were being honest with herself, she’d have to admit that she had loved being held against that strong body. She was sure she’d never get in to bed with such a gorgeous man for the whole rest of her life.

Nick was also feeling conflicted about Mia going home, but he’d give her his number so Katie could call him about the pictures. At that moment, Nick realized two things: if a well-known photographer took photos of him and Adam, it would be great publicity for the club – basically, free PR. And second, Mia would have to come and interview them… and that meant that he’d see her again.

He wasn’t totally sure which of these two things he was more pleased about.

Chapter Four

“Jesus Christ, Mia. You said it wasn’t that bad!”

“It’s not, Katie. Really. It looks way worse than it feels.”

“I’m very glad to hear that because it looks pretty fucking bad.”

Mia closed her eyes and called on her deep reserves of patience and genuine affection. She knew that Katie was scared and freaked out by what had happened to her and – in typical Katie fashion – it came out as anger and aggression. Despite knowing that, it was still a bit wearing.

Katie studied her friend’s face. God, Mia looked terrible. That bruise was black and purple and she was favoring her shoulder a bit. When Mia had called her the day before and told her what had happened to her, Katie had been nothing short of terrified. Thank God for that guy Nick; Katie was totally sure that he had saved Mia from something unimaginably horrible. She took a deep breath.

OK, dial it down a notch, Katie. No need to upset her any more than she has been.

“I’m sorry, Mia. I didn’t mean to shout.”

“It’s OK.”

“Are you sure you want to come with me? I mean, I can handle things at the club on my own.”

“No, I’m fine. I promise.”

“You sure?”

“Totally.”

“OK, well. Let’s get going then. I told Nick that we’d be there around three o’clock.”

“I’m ready.”

As they drove through the streets of the city in Katie’s car, Mia tried to decide how she felt about seeing Nick again. Their goodbye the day before had been rushed and weird as Nick put her in to a taxi and sent her on her way. She shouldn’t be surprised it was awkward, she supposed: despite the fact that he had stayed with her and she had slept in his bed and cried in his arms, Nick was still a stranger. She didn’t know one single damn thing about him. Not really.

Well, maybe that would change a bit. They were at the building now and Mia looked up at The Rock Fighting Club with interest. So this is where Nick spent his days.

They entered The Rock and a large man sitting at the front desk smiled at them. He had sandy-blond hair and very green eyes and Mia thought he could probably crush her with his baby finger.

“Hi. Are you Mia and Katie?”

They nodded.

“I’m Gavin Meyers, the club manager. Adam and Nick are in the gym… you want to follow me?”

They walked in to a massive room filled with noise and activity: two men were in a ring with boxing gloves, there were a bunch of women doing what looked like a kickboxing class, and other people were spinning and kicking on a large mat. From across the room, Mia spotted Nick and she felt her breath catch.

He had his back to them and he was doing pull-ups on a bar; he was wearing a loose pair of white pants and nothing else. His back and arm muscles rippled as he lifted and lowered himself with what looked like no effort at all. He had a massive tattoo across his upper back, she saw now, and she wondered how she had missed it the day before. Every woman in the place was watching him and practically drooling and Mia didn’t blame them in the slightest.

Katie nudged her and hissed, “That’s Nick?”

Mia tore her eyes from his amazing body and nodded. “That’s him.”

“Wait. You got in to bed with this guy –
this guy!
– and you didn’t have sex with him? Have you got a
pulse
, girl?”

“Well, in my defense, I was passed out cold most of the time.”

Katie shook her head. “No damn excuse… I mean,
look
at him.”

They both looked back at Nick as he dropped himself to the ground and turned around. He saw them and his eyes locked on Mia’s for a second. He smiled and Mia blushed.

Nick walked over to them, studying Mia’s face as he approached. The bruise looked worse today than yesterday, but her eyes were clear and well-rested. She didn’t seem to be having any trouble with her balance and he stared down at the bandage on her head. No major swelling or bruising around it, he was relieved to see.

“Hi, Mia.”

“Hi, Nick.” She forced herself to meet that steel-gray gaze. “This is Katie Lloyd. Katie, Nick Spencer.”

Nick shook Katie’s hand and tried to hide his surprise at her appearance. He knew, of course, that she was a photographer and so she was what his father so dismissively called “artsy”. He’d been sort of expecting a hippie to show up, someone in flowing pastel skirts with wooden beads and wearing a wooly beret.

Katie wasn’t like that, not at all. She was covered in black; black from head to toe. She was wearing black jeans, a black t-shirt, a black leather jacket, black motorcycle boots. Her dark eyes were heavily lined with black makeup and she had very pale lips. Her ears boasted about a dozen piercings and her fingers were covered in large silver rings. She was the ultimate tough rock-chick, at least how Nick imagined one to be, and as she stood next to Mia, her outrageous and dramatic look was even more pronounced.

Today, Mia was in blue jeans and a loose orange blouse and a jean jacket. She had on a necklace that looked like an Egyptian obelisk, and she wore almost no makeup at all. She was so bright and beautiful and so natural, Nick just wanted to touch her. He looked back and forth between the two of them and wondered just how the hell they had become friends.

“I wanted to thank you, Nick.” Katie held his hand for a few seconds longer than usual. “For what you did for Mia. I’m so glad you were there.”

Nick smiled. “Me too.” He shifted his gaze back to Mia. “How you feeling today?”

“Good.”

“And your head? Is it sore?”

“Not really. Tender, I suppose, but no more pain.”

Their eyes met again and they both remembered Mia curled up in his bed, lying in his arms, shaking and crying and in pain. Nick itched to hold her; Mia longed to be pressed against that chest. They looked away at the same time.

“Hi… you’re Mia and Katie?”

They all turned around to see a man standing there. Mia blinked in astonishment at his sheer size – Nick was big and strong, but this guy was something else altogether. He towered over her and his arms were probably the size of her legs. His upper body was covered in tattoos from the collarbone all the way down to his wrists and the waist of his shorts. His eyes were hard, shining blue and his hair was dark and cropped close to his head.

“Hey, man. Yeah, this is them. Ladies, this is Adam Pierce, my partner and co-owner of The Rock. He’s also one hell of a boxer.”

Adam extended his hand and Mia’s disappeared inside of it.
Good God. The man is a tank.

He smiled down at her from his massive height. “Hi, Mia. I’m glad to see that you’re OK. You gave us quite a scare the other night.”

“Thank you for being there too.”

He grinned. “I just threw the asshole in a trunk. Nick did all the rest.”

They laughed, and Mia watched Adam’s face soften. She guessed he was one of those guys who can look ferocious, but who can also be gentle when they need to be.

Adam turned to Katie now. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She was looking him up and down, a bit taken aback at his size. “Wow. Your body is – wow.”

“Is that a good ‘wow’ or a bad ‘wow’?” Adam asked.

“Good. Really good. It’s going to be amazing taking your photo.”

“Well, I’m glad you think so.” Adam looked around. “So – where do you want to do this?”

“Let me walk around a bit, OK?” Katie said. “I’ll call you over when I think I’ve found the place to start taking pictures.”

“Sure, go do that.”

The three of them watched Katie walk off, a look of intense concentration of her face. Adam turned to Mia. “So what will you do while we’re taking photos?”

“Oh, I’ll be staying out of the way,” Mia said. “Gavin has promised to bring me some material about your gym, for background for our interviews, so I’ll go through that.” She looked around. “Is it OK if I sit on that sofa? I need to set up my laptop.”

“Go ahead,” Nick said. “You need any help?”

“No, thanks. I got it.”

The men watched Mia unpacking her things and Adam turned to Nick.

“So did you have sex with her?”

Nick forced his eyes away from the curve of Mia’s breasts peeking through the top of her blouse. “What?”

“She stayed at your place overnight, right? No woman has ever set foot in your apartment who hasn’t been fucked there. So I’m just wondering…is it gonna get all weird between you two if you had sex?”

“We didn’t have sex, Adam. She was drugged and had her head stitched up and was a terrified mess.”

Adam shrugged. “Normally, that wouldn’t stop you. Wouldn’t stop the chick, either.”

Nick paused as the truth of that statement hit him. “Well. For whatever reason, we didn’t.”

“Yeah, I’m not surprised, actually.”

“How come?”

“Well, she’s not anywhere close to your usual type, is she?”

“What do you mean?”

Adam waved his hand at Mia. “Well, come on, man. She hasn’t got fake tits and she’s totally clothed.” He shrugged. “She’s kind of boring, really.”

“Leave her alone, Adam.” Nick’s voice was cold. “Back off her, right the fuck now.”

Adam looked at Nick in surprise. “Hey, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean anything by it. I mean, she seems like a nice girl. But that’s exactly the point. Nice girls are normally not your type.”

Nick was silent as he looked at Mia sitting there getting her notebook and recorder ready. Gavin brought her a cup of coffee and a stack of papers and she smiled her thanks at him. Her whole face just lit up and she looked so soft and pretty, his stomach twisted. He wanted her to smile at
him
like that.

Oh, shit. Am I starting to
like
this woman?

He turned back to Adam and shrugged. “Yeah, whatever. Anyway, you ready? Katie’s waving at us.”

Adam stared at Nick, puzzled. He was definitely acting weird about Mia, and Adam didn’t really get why. OK, sure: Nick had saved her from that asshole at the bar and Adam was sure that Nick’s natural protective instincts had come to the fore. Adam knew that Mia had stayed at Nick’s place, and normally, this would mean that Nick had fucked the girl until she could barely walk. But Nick swore nothing had happened between them, and seemed angry when Adam had suggested otherwise. Nick had never cared before if Adam talked trash about chicks Nick had picked up at the bar and then screwed and sent on their way.

Something about Mia is different for Nick. Interesting.

They walked over to Katie, who was standing by the rough brick wall next to the window. “So, let’s start here, OK?” she said. “I think it’ll look great.”

“Sure,” Nick said. “Which one of us?”

“You first.” She glanced at Adam. “Maybe you can start with Mia?”

“No problem.” Adam wandered back over to the reception area sofa.

“OK,” Nick said. “What do I do?”

“What you normally do – just move how you normally move when you’re training and doing karate. I’m not going to direct you, not at first. I’ll let you know if I need you to turn or move closer to the light or anything.”

He blinked at her totally laid-back approach to her work. “OK. I can do that.”

She raised her camera to her face and took a step back. “OK, Nick. Do your thing.”

**

An hour later Nick came back to the sofa in jeans and a t-shirt to find Adam and Mia in tears of laughter about something. They were sitting close together, his leg almost touching hers. Adam’s face was soft and his eyes were shining. Not many people could make Adam Pierce look like this, and Nick felt a hot wave of jealousy roll through his chest.

Back off, man. Seriously. Don’t you even
think
about it, Pierce.

Mia looked up at him. “Oh, hi!”

“Hi.” He sat down next to her. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, Adam’s just telling me about some of the things he did when he first started boxing… the whole puking after downing six raw eggs thing.”

“Uh-huh.” Nick noticed for the first time the sparkling red highlights in her hair. “So, Katie’s ready for you, man.”

“OK.” Adam got to his feet. “Thanks, Mia. It was great talking to you.”

She stood up. “You too. Thanks for your time.”

She stretched up on her toes and Adam bent down to accept her kiss. As her sweet lips met Adam’s rough cheek, Nick seriously considered beating Adam over the head with Mia’s laptop.

She sat down again. “So how did it go with Katie?”

“It was fun, actually.”

“Did you see any of the pictures?”

“Yeah, she showed me on the camera. I think they’ll turn out OK.”

“I’m sure they will.” Mia looked at the curve of his muscles, visible even through the material of his shirt, and knew they would look incredible in black and white. He’d be gorgeous.

“So – what do we talk about?” Nick asked.

Mia wrenched her eyes from his massive forearms. “You. We talk about you.”

“Alright. Shoot.”

**

Adam looked at Katie’s face. She was seriously pissed off, he could tell, but he didn’t care.

“Look, all I said was that this angle would be better. I think it’ll get better light. I don’t get why you’re so defensive about it.”

“I am not
defensive
,” she spat out. “I am, however, the photographer. You are the boxer.”

“Oh. So, what? I don’t get to have an opinion? About my own damn photos?”

Mia heard their raised voices and looked over at them.

“Uh-oh,” she said. “Oh, no.”

“What?” Nick asked.

“Ummm. Hang on, OK? I think I’d better go over there for a minute.”

Nick stood up. “What’s going on?”

Mia didn’t answer him and he followed her across the gym to where Katie and Adam stood glaring at each other.

“Hey, guys,” Mia said, her eyes resting on Katie anxiously. “Everything OK?”

“Oh, sure,” Katie said. “Sure. Except for the fact that Adam here wants to tell me how to take photos.”

“Come on,” Adam protested. “I made one suggestion about the light.
One
suggestion about
one
thing. That’s hardly taking over the fucking show.”

“You know how many suggestions I want about the light from a non-photographer?
Zero
. That is exactly one less than one.”