Impact (The Fight for Life #2) (7 page)

She chuckled, kissing my chest. “Let’s get you to bed, then.”

The crisp sheets felt cool against my naked skin. “Come here,” I said, opening my arms for her.

She nuzzled into my side and laid her cheek over my heart. I stroked her silky hair and knew I had to find a way to be enough for this girl.

“I nearly went out of my mind without you.” My words were muffled by a yawn.

“Never again, babe,” she whispered back. “Get some sleep.”

As I drifted towards sleep, I felt her kiss my chest again, right above my heart. Despite the fact I was too weak to make love to her, the woman my heart would always choose was safe in my arms.

I woke the next morning with Juliette’s warm body tangled around mine. She met my gaze and smiled. Her incredible navy eyes and silky blonde hair were captivating, but it wasn't what held me. The beauty from within is what stole my soul. Hers was the kind of beauty that could make men lose their minds.

“Good morning, beautiful.” My voice sounded scratchy and I had to clear my throat. “How did you sleep?”

She edged closer to me. “Really well,” she cooed. “You?”

“With you next to me, how could I not?” I kissed her, wrapping her in my arms.

“I ordered breakfast about half an hour ago so you can fuel up this body again.” She ran her fingers down my chest and abs, causing blood to rush south.

“I want you,” I whispered against her mouth.

“You need to conserve your energy.” A knock at the door had her jumping out of bed and jogging to the door in tiny shorts and a white tank top.

I launched myself out of bed before I realised I really didn’t have the energy to do it. She made it halfway across the room before I managed to throw a robe around her. “You are far too sexy to be answering the door dressed like that.”

“Are you going all caveman on me, Mr Ashlar?” she asked, reluctantly tying the robe.

“This body is for my eyes only.” I kissed her neck, feeling her shiver when my lips touched her skin. I wanted to affect her always and looked forward to the post-fight celebration, which only included her being naked beneath me.

Juliette had ordered almost everything on the menu and I managed to fuel up my body as much as I dared.

“So I was thinking we could do something together today,” I said, leaning back in my chair.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Something to keep my mind off tonight. I’ve done some Googling.”

“Oh god.” She laughed, putting her hands over her face. “Most romantic date in Perth by any chance?”

“Where to take a sassy princess, actually.”

She narrowed her eyes but smiled. “You did not.”

“Do you want to know what we’re doing or not?”

“Tell me, Casanova.”

“Cottesloe Beach.” I glanced at my watch. “We don’t have a whole lot of time, as I have to be back for my training session, but we’ve got a few hours to relax.

She stood up, walked around the table, and climbed into my lap. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she kissed me lightly. “Sounds perfect. Thank God it’s not swimming weather, because I’m a little scared of sharks.”

“Juliette Salinger – adrenaline junkie. I thought swimming with sharks would be right up your alley.”

“Nope.” She shuddered. “We don’t belong in their territory. We deserve to be eaten.”

I laughed. “I’d rather not be anyone’s dinner, but no fear of that today. Google recommended Il Gelato for the best ice cream along the beachfront, so that might make it worth your while?”

“Now you’re talking my language.”

“I remember you practically inhaling the ice cream at the St Kilda pier on our first date.”

She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking about how quickly things deteriorated between us when everything seemed so perfect. It scares me.” She bit her bottom lip and couldn’t look me in the eye. “I’m scared of losing you again.”

I lifted her chin. “So you’re scared of sharks and losing me, huh?”

“Mostly the second.”

“How about this? When we do go swimming together at the beach in the summer, if a shark tries to get you, I’ll offer myself up as a tasty alternative.”

“That doesn’t work out too well for my bigger fear, does it?” Her soft giggle was music to my ears.

I met her eyes and spoke directly from my heart. “You don’t have to be scared about losing me.” I brushed her cheek with the back of my hand. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Let’s go to the beach.”

Cottesloe Beach was less than a ten-minute drive from our hotel. As promised, I bought her a gelato and we walked along the beach hand in hand, stopping briefly to admire the impressive Indiana Teahouse.

We walked in comfortable silence for several minutes. “Does this feel like the calm before the storm to you?” she asked. “It’s just so incredibly beautiful here, and it feels like we could just be a regular couple on holidays.”

“We’ve never really been a regular couple though, have we?”

The sad look on her face made me regret asking the question.

“I guess not.”

“Do you want regular?” I asked.

“Sometimes.” Even after taking a moment to think it through, her admission gutted me. “Sometimes I yearn for a simpler life.”

“What do you mean?”

She didn’t speak immediately. She appeared deep in thought and my jaw clenched. “I spent some time in a rural village in France.” She paused. “All the villagers were so welcoming and kind. There was a real community spirit and I felt so incredibly welcome.” She stopped and stared out at the Indian Ocean, breathing in the salty air. “I felt peaceful. I felt a contentment I didn’t think I’d ever felt before.”

“Are you planning on upping and moving to France on me?”

She shook her head. “Australia is my home.” She paused briefly. “My life just feels too complicated sometimes, and I wonder if I’m doing it all wrong.”

“It’ll work out, Jules.” I stared at the ocean. I wished we could’ve stayed to watch the sun set. “We just need to keep moving forward.”

She squeezed my hand and moved closer to my side. “I went back to work this week.”

“Oh, right. Of course.” The change of subject threw me for a second. “Was it good to be back?”

“It was okay, I guess. Sia’s staying in England with a guy she met over there.” She scrunched up her nose. “I miss her.”

“Did you consider staying over there with her?”

She looked at me and smiled. “I did really love it, and I hope to do a lot more travelling, but no.” I could see her shoulders rise with tension. “It felt like running away, and I didn’t want to be the girl who ran.”

She must’ve seen the disappointment on my face as she placed her hands on either side of it. “My heart never left you, Leo.”

With no further thought, I kissed her, holding her close to my body where she belonged. When I pulled back, I looked her in the eye. “You are strong and beautiful with the world at your feet.” For a long time, we stood side by side, holding hands and staring out to sea. “I believe in you, Jules.”

“I believe in me too and I believe in us.”

“Come on.” I took her hand and we continued along the beachfront.

“Can I tell you something random?” she asked.

I chuckled. “Of course you can.”

“So, I was in London. Sia had gone off with the guy she met somewhere for the day, so I thought I’d do some touristy things.”

“No shortage of touristy things in London.”

“That’s for sure. Anyway, I came out of the Oxford Circus tube station and was confronted by the busy intersection.” She waved her hand around. “Cars and people going in every direction. Horns blaring, kids crying, buskers at every corner.”

“Sounds… noisy.”

“It was. I’ll get to my point.” She stopped and turned to face me. “I stood at that intersection for ages, not having a clue which road to take. I mean, it didn’t really matter. I had nowhere I had to be, but it made me stop and think about my life back here.”

“A busy intersection made you think about your life? Did you come to any conclusions?” I asked.

“Do you ever feel like you’re at a crossroad somehow and you don’t know which direction to go in?”

I tilted her chin up. “Every decision we ever make has other options, other consequences and other possibilities.” I broke eye contact and stared out at the blue ocean. “I don’t think there are right and wrong choices. There’s just ways of dealing with the road you take.”

She leaned against my arm. “That’s pretty much the conclusion I came to, surrounded by strangers twelve thousand miles from home.” She wrapped her arms around my waist. “I came home to fight for the life I’d already chosen the day our lives collided.”

“It was torture being away from you for so long,” I admitted. “I just told myself you’d come home to me and when you did, I’d never let you go again.

“Didn’t anticipate the Dartmoor bomb though, did you?”

I stared at the ground. “Nope.”

“I haven’t had a chance to apologise on behalf of my mother about that. I’m really sorry she set you up like that.”

I nodded. “Me too, Jules. Me too.” I put my arm around her shoulders and we started walking again. “Tell me more about your travels.” I was eager to hear all about it and keen to change the subject. “Did you meet anyone other than the welcoming French villagers on your travels?” She paused, and when I looked at her, she was biting her bottom lip.
Oh God.
“Jules?”

“We made a few friends.” She was really struggling with whether to tell me this story or not, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear it. “Sia took a real shine to one of them and she stayed in London with him.”

“Okay,” I said slowly.

“And what about you?” I was a masochist.

Her beautiful navy eyes demanded my attention. “As I told you, my heart never left yours.”

I got the feeling there was more to that story, but it wasn’t the right time to dig any further. I needed to relax and then focus.

Before heading back to the hotel, we grabbed a light lunch of fish and chips and sat at one of the tables on the grassy area beside the beach. Whatever storm was brewing, we got to enjoy that lunch together in one of the most beautiful locations in the world.

When we got back to the hotel, Nick was in the lobby on the phone. I swear he had that thing permanently attached to his ear. When he saw us, he ended his call.

“How are you feeling?” Nick asked.

“Fighting fit,” I responded immediately.

“Good to hear.” Nick was all business now. “Meet me in the gym in ten minutes.”

Whether it was true or not about how I felt, I knew I had to get in the right mindset.

“I think I’ll head into the city if you don’t need me for anything?” Juliette said casually.

“Will you be okay on your own?” I asked before I realised how condescending I sounded.

She gave me a look that said
really?
Smiling, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me. I didn’t want her to go, but Nick’s loud throat clearing forced us apart.

“Don’t forget,” she said. “Cowards never start, the weak never finish and winners never quit.” She walked backward a few steps, maintaining our intense connection before turning and heading back out the front doors. I couldn’t take my eyes off her until she disappeared out of view.

“Gym. Ten minutes,” Nick repeated when I hadn’t moved from my spot a few moments later.

“Got it.” I headed back to the room and got ready for my last-ditch attempt to prepare for whatever tonight would bring.

Jules was still out when I returned to the room a few hours later. Nick had put me through my paces but kept it a lot lighter than he would’ve under normal circumstances. It was more about him testing my limits and assessing my capabilities than anything else.

“I missed you.” I sat up in bed as she walked through the door a short while later.

She sat down next to me and let me kiss her passionately. “I missed you too.” She smiled against my lips. “How was your training? Are you ready?”

“Not really. I’m nowhere near where I should be, but I’m not one to back down from a challenge.” I was trying desperately to stay positive. “How was your afternoon in the city?”

“Pretty fabulous, actually. I think we should come back to Western Australia sometime for a holiday.”

“You don’t think this is a holiday?” I asked, smirking.

“Watching you kill yourself for a dumb fight?” She cocked her head. “Worst holiday ever.” She punched me lightly on the arm.

As the time to leave for the stadium approached, Juliette became increasingly nervous and jittery. To stop her pacing, I took her in my arms, holding her head against my chest. “I’ve got this, Jules. I’ve even got my lucky socks on. Don’t worry about me.”

She looked up at me. “I do worry. I can’t help it.”

I took her face in my hands. “I need this, Jules. I know you don't understand, but I can't explain it any better.”

She swallowed hard, doing her best to give me a reassuring smile. “Okay.”

“Okay,” I repeated. “Pete has organised for you to sit in the VIP section and I’ll meet you straight after the fight.”

I kissed her hard and felt her body melt into mine. Imagining the male-dominated crowd ogling her, I felt a territorial pang spike through me. I saw the way men looked at her like she was a menu item. It pissed me off and made me want to smash their faces in, but Juliette coming to Perth hadn’t been a mistake. I’d never been the jealous type until I met her, probably because I’d never cared about anyone before—including myself. When I was with her, I wanted to be more, fight harder, love her with every fibre of my being and kill anyone who got in my way of achieving all those things. Juliette was my Achilles’ heel and I would gladly die for her. I was also glad to have a bloody big desert between her and my mother.

Nick and I parted ways with Jules at the stadium. Pete met us in the foyer and escorted her to her seat. The impact of what I was about to do was crippling. The decision to fight had been made on a whim at a time when I hadn’t been thinking clearly. I was nowhere near ready for this fight, and every inch of my tortured body was screaming in protest as I geared up for the fight of my life.