Kiss Me Forever (Bachelors & Bridesmaids #1) (7 page)

Alex moved toward the boxing ring where two teenage boys were battling while a middle-aged man oversaw their match. As they walked across the gym, Andrea was more than aware of a few gazes turning in their direction.

"Everyone is looking at us," she murmured. "You must be well-known around here."

He gave her a dry smile. "It's all you, Andrea. Not many women come through those doors."

"So what are we doing here?"

"I need to talk to Mick. He's the owner."

They paused at the edge of the ring. Alex made no move to interrupt the sparring match.

Andrea watched for a moment and then said, "What did you mean when you told me that you lived here a long time ago?"

"It was after my aunt died. I didn't have anywhere to stay, and Mick let me sleep on the couch in his office for a few weeks until I could finish high school. I was going to quit school and get a job, but he wouldn't let me."

"I didn't read about this place in any of the articles you've done previously."

"It never came up."

As Alex finished speaking, Mick came down the stairs. In his early fifties, Mick was built like a linebacker, tall, broad and square. His hair was a dirty blond and cut very short. He wore gym pants and a t-shirt, and she could see numerous tattoos on his arms. The heavy lines around his eyes and mouth hinted at some hard living.

"Alex," Mick said, slapping Alex on the shoulder. "Haven't seen you in a few months. Where have you been hiding?"

"My office mostly," Alex said. "Mick Galliard meet Andrea Blain. Andrea is writing an article about me for
World News Today
. She's shadowing me this week."

"And you brought her here?" Mick asked, surprise in his voice.

The two men exchanged a rather pointed look, then Alex shrugged. "She was in the car."

"Well," Mick replied. "I guess that's a good enough reason." He turned his sharp gaze to Andrea. "It's a pleasure."

"Mine, too," she said, shaking his hand.

Alex pulled an envelope out of his pocket. "I wanted to bring this by for you, Mick."

Mick's lips drew into a line. "That better not be money."

"I talked to Howard. You should have come to me."

"You've done enough already, Alex. This is my business, not yours."

"You're doing good things here, Mick. That's what matters. So put your pride aside. And use this for the kids."

Mick hesitated and then took the envelope and slipped it into his pocket. "Thanks. It's just a loan. I'll pay you back."

"I don't want you to pay me back. As long as you keep getting results, that's all that matters. How is it looking for the next event?"

"I've got an up and coming champion," Mick said, nodding his head to a solidly built older teenager who had just stepped into the ring. "Kyle has strength, speed, agility and smarts. Kind of reminds me of you."

"Of you?" Andrea echoed, giving Alex a questioning look.

"I spent a few hours in the ring."

Mick snorted at that. "More like a few months." Mick turned to Andrea. "Alex was good. He won a couple of regional events, but while he had all the moves, his heart wasn't in it. He was meant to do a lot more. And he did. Now I have to get back to work. You two going to stick around?"

"For a few minutes," Alex said.

"Don't be a stranger. I know you've got a gym in your house, but we've got some machines here I know you don't have yet."

"I'll keep that in mind."

As Mick went back to the ring to set up the next match, Andrea gave Alex a thoughtful look. "You keep this place going, don't you?"

"Not at all. I just help out every now and then. Mick has been a savior for a lot of kids in this city—kids who can't pay to use a gym. It's an important place in this neighborhood, and I chip in when he needs it."

"He was your savior, too, wasn't he?"

Alex's gaze was serious and reflective. "Definitely one of them."

"Were you really as good a boxer as Mick said?"

He smiled. "I held my own. But what boxing really gave me was confidence, a feeling of power, of being able to take care of myself. Mick teaches these kids a lot more than how to fight. And the boxing ring is a good place to burn off anger and other emotions that can lead kids into trouble."

She thought about that. "Did you have a lot of anger after your parents died?"

"The normal amount."

"You like to be vague. Is that because you don't want to talk to me, or because you just can't talk about those feelings?"

He looked away from the ring to meet her gaze. "Maybe a little of both."

She liked his answer. It felt honest and real for the first time. "I understand."

"You do?"

"I was thirteen when my father died. I still had my mom and my sister, so my situation wasn't at all like yours, but I do know the pain of losing a parent. It's hard to talk about. And I wasn't much older than you."

"It is hard to talk about. I didn't realize, Andrea. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thanks."

Their gazes clung for a long moment, and a different kind of shiver ran down her spine, one that wasn't just sexual chemistry but an emotional connection.

She cleared her throat, realizing they were getting off track once again. She wasn't supposed to be the one talking; he was. "So tell me more about your time here."

"Not much more to tell. I went to school, worked in the gym, did some boxing, slept on Mick's couch until graduation, and then I moved on."

"To the video arcade and then the tech company?"

"To name two. I had many jobs over a five-year period. I did whatever I could do to make enough money to pay rent to someone, usually friends who offered me their couches for a hundred bucks a month."

"You've certainly come a long way." She was beginning to realize that Alex's rags to riches story was very genuine and would probably inspire a lot of readers once they heard his story. She wondered why he hadn't spoken more about his past in previous interviews. "How come you didn't bring the other reporters here?"

"I prefer to focus on the present and the future."

"But the man you are today has been shaped by your past, and that's interesting."

"We all have pasts. We all have challenges. I don't like it when people use hard times as an excuse or even as a reason why they succeeded. The past becomes a crutch or a stepping stone, but all that really matters is living in the moment, making the right decision, living your life."

She nodded, wishing she'd had her phone recorder on so she could have captured his words. Then again, he probably wouldn't have spoken so freely if she'd been recording or even taking notes.

"We should get going," Alex said. "I have to make a few calls and take care of some work items this afternoon. Then we have the party tonight."

"I'd like to talk to Mick about you, get his perspective on the
Man of the Year
. Would that be possible?"

"Not today. Saturdays are busy. Maybe another time."

"All right." She didn't need Alex to talk to Mick. In fact, she'd probably get more information out of Mick if Alex weren't around.

"That was a little too easy," Alex said as they walked out of the gym.

"What?"

"Your willingness to leave without asking any more questions."

She gave him a smile. "I can always come back."

"I'm going to be sorry I brought you here, aren't I?"

"I don't know. Does Mick have some dirt on you?"

"If he did, he wouldn't tell you."

"Probably true." She'd seen the affection between the men and she had no doubt there was loyalty as well, especially since Alex was supporting the gym financially. But even if Mick couldn't relate any secrets, he could still give her insight into her subject, and the more insight she had, the better questions she could ask Alex.

Chapter Five

Alex drove back to his house feeling restless and a little annoyed with himself for taking Andrea to the gym. But it was too late now. He'd given her a peephole into his past, and he was quite sure she would take advantage of it at the first opportunity.

He pulled into his driveway but didn't bother to shut off the engine. He needed to get back to the gym and talk to Mick.

"You're not going inside?" Andrea asked.

"No, I have to run an errand. I'll pick you up at your place at six, all right?"

"Sounds good. Cocktail attire?"

He nodded, thinking that he'd like to see her in a sexy, short dress.

"This party isn't on a boat or a plane or any other moving vehicle, is it?" she asked.

Smiling, he said, "No, it's in a building, but there is a high-speed elevator to the fiftieth floor. Can you handle that? Because otherwise it's going to be a long walk up the stairs."

She smiled back at him. "Would you walk with me?"

"No way. But I would have a drink waiting when you got to the top."

"I can handle the elevator."

"Good."

She opened her door, then paused, glancing back at him. "Thanks for taking me to the gym. I think I finally caught a brief glimpse of the real you."

"The real me isn't hiding, Andrea. What you see is what you get."

"I don't think that's true at all. Everyone has layers, and I suspect you have quite a few. I'm looking forward to unraveling them."

She got out of the car and shut the door. As he watched her walk to her car, all he could think about was how he'd like to unravel some of her clothes—forget about layers.

Shaking his head, he told himself to get a grip. He'd been flirting with her on the boat because it had been fun and also because he'd wanted to see how he could manipulate her. In that situation, the power had all been on his side, and that's where he needed to keep it.

After leaving his house, he drove back to the gym, wanting to have a private word with Mick before Andrea could get to him. He half expected to see her pulling into the alley in front of him, but thankfully that didn't happen.

Mick was in his office now, going over some paperwork.

"Did you forget something?" Mick asked in surprise.

Alex walked in and shut the door behind him. "We need to talk."

"In a second." Mick punched out numbers on a calculator, adding up a string of invoices, and then swore.

"Problem?" Alex quizzed, dumping a pile of fitness magazines on the floor so he could take a seat in front of the desk.

"They raised the entry fee in the San Jose Boxing Competition in January."

"How much?"

"Three hundred and eighty-five dollars."

Alex rolled his eyes and dug into his pocket for his wallet. "You want it in twenties or tens?"

"You shouldn't be walking around with that much cash." Mick motioned toward the wad in Alex's hand. "People like you get robbed down here."

"People like me know how to protect themselves. I have you to thank for that."

"Just don't get too comfortable, Alex. When you stop looking over your shoulder is when trouble comes. And I don't need any more money, so put that away. The check you gave me earlier will keep us going for quite a while.

"Good. But speaking of trouble, I need a favor."

"What's that?"

"I may have a problem."

Mick laughed, a knowing gleam in his eyes. "You definitely have a problem, and she's a beautiful blonde named Andrea."

"Yes, but she's not trouble in the way you mean. She's doing a story on me."

"That's not all she's doing on you."

He frowned at Mick's cheerful smile. "Look, Andrea wants to interview you. I probably shouldn't have brought her down here, but I can't take that back now."

"And you want me to cover for you." Mick leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up on the desk. "I don't know if I should."

"Why not?"

"Secrets eat away at the soul."

"They also protect," he countered. "And you know I'm not just talking about myself."

"If you're so worried about your privacy, why did you agree to the interview?"

"Because I've never had a problem handling a reporter before."

Mick's grin broadened. "She got under your skin."

"Yeah," he admitted. "And she's determined to find out all my secrets."

"Did you really feel it was necessary to warn me to be quiet? I'm insulted, Alex. We've known each other a long time."

"Don't take it that way. Consider it a heads up."

"All right. Since this woman has you rattled, I'll do that. But I don't think it's just her story you're worried about. She's not like those flaky models you date. She's got brains and a mind of her own. And you've always liked a challenge."

Mick was right. He did like a challenge, and he definitely liked Andrea. Her sharp wit, her candor, and even her vulnerability had impressed him. And he had the strangest urge to try to impress her in return, which was really why he'd brought her to the gym in the first place. He'd wanted her to catch a glimpse of a man who did more than party with rich people. But that had been an impulsive mistake.

"I like a challenge," he said, realizing Mick was still waiting for him to comment. "But I'm not stupid. I won't jeopardize everything."

"What happens if she does find something out? What then?"

Alex's mouth tightened into a grim line at the thought. "I'd have to make sure she didn't use it."

"By doing what?"

"Whatever I have to."

"Maybe when Andrea gets here, I should offer her some boxing gloves. She might need them before you're through."

"All I need you to do is smile and tell her nothing. Hopefully, she'll get frustrated and give up."

Mick smiled. "And here I thought you'd forgotten how to be optimistic."

He reluctantly smiled back. "I thought I'd forgotten, too."

"When do you see her again?"

"Tonight. I'm taking her to a party. There will be lots of people around and no chance for private conversation." He paused, wondering why that didn't sound quite so appealing anymore. "At any rate, tonight should not be a problem."

* * *

Andrea was wrestling with a stubborn zipper on the back of her emerald green cocktail dress when the doorbell rang. Swearing under her breath, she gave the zipper another impatient tug, glaring at her expression in the mirror. The dress clung to her body like a second skin, and her blond hair tumbled around her shoulders in a mass of waves. She was actually a little amazed by her image. She looked downright sexy—like a party girl, a woman on a date, not a reporter on assignment. But she could hardly go to a cocktail party in her work clothes, and it was too late to change anyway.