Nerdy Girl Nation (Nerdy Girl #1) (27 page)

“I guess. I’ve never needed much, so I invested a lot so I can give back. The Nerdy Girl Nation is so important to me. I remember when I went to my mom to ask her to help me start the organization. Even though she had committee meetings and budgets to balance, she would still Skype me at two in the morning when I needed to bounce an idea off her.”

“Sounds like a wonderful lady.”

“She was.” Emma grabbed the middle rope to help herself off the mat. “I think she’s watching over me now.”

Emma hoped she was. She wished her mother could be there to see what Rob meant to her life. Elaine McLean had told her daughter many times her worries of the future. She wondered if her mom put in a good word with the man upstairs to give Emma the happily ever after she’d dreamed of.

“I’ve got some work I’ve neglected to get done and we’ve got a plane to catch in the morning.” The next day she would fly back to LA to begin the press for Breaking Rules. She had interviews scheduled, dinners to attend, and people to schmooze with before she made her in-ring debut on Sunday.

“Don’t work too hard,” Cherry chided.

“I won’t.”

Emma dismissed Al and Ben for the night. They hated filming her in the office, so she saw no reason for them to come with her. Plus, there was still no word from Aaron on Rob’s test results. She really didn’t want them to be there when they came in. If she didn’t hear something soon, she’d take Aaron to the lab herself and make them wait for the results.

Kelly waved at Emma from her desk while she talked on the phone. Fielding another call about why Rob was MIA and not doing any press for Breaking Rules, no doubt. Emma waved back and went into her office.

Emma went into her private bathroom and changed into a pair of clean yoga pants and a tee shirt. The shower would wait until she finished her busy work.

Seven phone calls, thirteen emails, and ten signatures later, Emma was ready to call it a night. Her bag was packed for LA and she didn’t feel like going to a family dinner without Rob, so she was working late to keep herself occupied.

Her cellphone rang with Aaron’s ringtone while she shut down her laptop for the night.

“Finally.” She swiped across the screen to answer. “Please tell me you got the results.”

“Yes, negative across the board,” Aaron replied. “Something is not adding up here. We switched to Quincy Labs just after Curtis Sharp became GM. I just know he has a hand in this. On top of that, I received a request for the Beesons manager to accompany them during their match on Sunday.”

“Sharp?”

“You guessed it.”

Emma groaned and rubbed the ache at her temple. “What are we going to do about this?”

“I happen to have a brilliant idea.”

She knew she would probably regret asking the question, but she went ahead anyway. “What do you have in mind?”

After a tense but productive brainstorming session with Aaron, a shower was the next thing on the agenda.

The spray of warm water was a balm to Emma’s sore muscles. She stood under the steady stream until the heat became too much.

She towel dried her hair before she dressed and returned to her office, where she picked up her cell phone to find she missed a call from Rob.

“Shit.” She hadn’t expected that he and Aaron would be done with their call so soon.

He picked up after two rings. “Hey. I just got the good news from Aaron.” Relief resounded in his voice.

“Do you think this plan of his will work?” Emma admitted it wouldn’t be something she would’ve suggested, but it might be their best bet to keep Sharp on his toes.

“I think keeping me away from the fans and press will make my appearance that much sweeter. If Sharp is behind this, he’ll have a coronary once I make my entrance.”

“We’ll call Chance and work everything out. We can’t tell anyone about this. Just me, you, Aaron, and Chance will know the plan.” She could just imagine the look on Sharp’s face. The man was going down. Nobody would mess with her man and get away with it.

“I understand. Where are you?” he asked.

“I’m at the office. I thought I’d just work through the night. I’ve got security here, so I’m not worried. Damn, I’ve got to call Phil and tell him to pick me up here in the morning.”

“Wait. You’re working all night?”

“Yeah. I didn’t feel like going to the family dinner without you.”

“Where are Al and Ben?”

“I sent them back to the hotel.”

“I think being in your office is a bad idea. I know the building has great security, but I have an excellent alternative. Miss McLean, would you like to stay the night at my place?”

“Your place?” His place. That meant privacy. That meant intimacy. Which she was sure meant sex. A flicker of hope shot through her.

“Yes, my place. We have forty-eight hours of catching up to do. I have food and a comfortable bed and me.”

“My three favorite things. I’ll catch a cab and be there in twenty.”

“Just enough time to clean up. See you soon.”

She hung up and ran back into the bathroom. A quick check to see she had shaved all the right places and smelled good enough. All good to go.

Rob said a little prayer of thanks that his housekeeper, Louisa, had been in the day before. He found his apartment spotless and he had several meals ready to heat up. Louisa took such good care of him. Without her, he would starve on the days he was home.

He slipped a pan of lasagna in the oven and set the timer.

His conversation with Aaron was short, but he had to admit, his idea was brilliant. To keep Sharp in the dark, they would continue to keep Rob’s whereabouts a secret. Rob would accompany Emma in disguise as her new bodyguard until Breaking Rules. Once safely in the arena, he would hide out with Chance until it was time for their match. Hopefully, Rob’s reappearance would amp up the crowd’s support and help secure them a victory against the Beesons.

Once he had dinner squared away, he walked into the bedroom. His bed was made and the room was free of dirty clothes. He’d spent the last two days at the gym in his building or compulsively cleaning his apartment. At that moment, he thanked Aaron for the time off to make a good impression on Emma.

The buzzer from the security desk rang and he went to answer.

“Mr. Breyer, there is a Miss MacLean here to see you? Should we send her up?”

“Yes, Jamison. And please add Miss MacLean to my list of approved visitors.”

“Of course, Mr. Breyer. Goodnight.”

Rob laughed at the sly tone of Jamison’s voice when he uttered goodnight. “Goodnight, Jamison.”

One last check of the apartment told him he had an unopened box of condoms in his bedside table drawer. They hadn’t had the protection talk, but he was sure the topic would come soon.

The knock on the door startled Rob even though he had expected the sound. With each step he took toward the door, his nerves calmed. By the time he’d opened the door, he was ready for whatever the night would bring. He didn’t expect what he saw before him.

“Emma?”

“I swear I’m not moving in or anything.” She looked at the suitcase beside her feet. “It’s my bag for LA.”

“No. It’s fine. Come in.” He picked up her suitcase and ushered her in. “I’ll put it in the bedroom. Dinner is almost ready.”

“You cook?” she asked.

“I reheat.” He opened the bedroom door. He set the bag inside next to his own and closed the door.

“I knew you had to be too good to be true.” Emma took a deep breath to pull in the aroma of the room, he assumed. “Italian?”

“Lasagna. This won’t be like your grandmother’s, but Louisa’s will come in a close second.”

“Louisa?” She took a few tentative steps toward him.

“She takes care of my apartment, does some laundry, and leaves me some meals.” Rob reached for Emma and took her hand in his. “I don’t know what state I would be in if I didn’t have her.”

Emma looked around at what he considered a comfortable and welcoming apartment. The place felt like the first real home he had as an adult. Rob would never forget the day he walked into his building, met Jamison and the real estate agent and saw his place for the first time. He had never experienced the feeling of belonging before, not even in his parent’s house. The moment he spent with Emma in her new home envisioning their future there brought on the same elation.

“Not too cluttered, but it shows some character.” She nodded to the framed vintage
Star Wars
movie posters.

“Good character?” He moved his hands to her waist.

“Oh yes.” She ran her hands across his chest and around his neck. “I like this.” She ran her fingers through the two-day growth on his cheeks.

“You do?” He rubbed his cheek against hers and sensed her shiver. “I might just keep it then.”

They both leaned in at the same moment and gave into the ever-present pull between them.

Rob’s lips brushed Emma’s once then again before he felt her tongue swipe his lower lip. Before he could fathom what had happened, he found himself hovering over her while she lay on the couch.

“I’ve missed you,” she whispered between kisses.

If the damn over timer hadn’t gone off, their relationship would have hit the next level.

“Time to eat,” she said with a labored breath.

“Yes, seems so.” He pushed himself up but was surprised when she grabbed his face with both hands.

“A girl needs her strength for the long night ahead of her.” She moved up and kissed him again before she released him.

The statement sent a shock straight to his already hard cock and he felt it shift in his jeans.

“The quicker we eat, the sooner we get to dessert.” He took her hand, pulled her up into his arms and gave her a quick kiss. His mouth watered at the thought of what delicacies awaited him.

“I might steal Louisa away from you. This lasagna is fantastic.” Emma took another bite and moaned.

“I’m perfectly willing to share her with you.” Rob laughed at her enthusiasm.

“Another thing in a long list I’ll need to think about as a homeowner. I had someone come to my apartment once a week back in LA, but the new house is much bigger, I don’t think once a week would work.” Emma took a sip of her water and sat back in her chair. “How long has Louisa worked for you?”

“Since I moved to Boston three years ago. She works for Chance too so she knows how to deal with our lot.” Wrestlers weren’t usually the most organized people on the planet.

“I’ve got a bit of time to find someone. We don’t close for two more weeks, but Nell and I wanted to get some painting done before we move in.”

“I thought you loved the house as is?” From the way she and Nell had reacted when they went through the house, he was surprised she wanted to change a thing.

“A few small rooms. The downstairs bathroom, Nell’s bathroom, and my nerd cave.”

“Your nerd cave?” He shook his head, not understanding what she meant.

Her cheeks tinted a bit pink. “My dad called my office back in LA my nerd cave. I never thought of it that way, but the name fits.”

“And what wonders are there to behold in this nerd cave?” He leaned across the table and took her hand.

“Um, normal office stuff. Desk, computer, lamp.”