by T M Kelly
“Well, I guess because I see something in you. You seem different from other competitors.”
“Different. How so?”
“You have a way with your moves that shows me a fighter taught you everything you know. Who trained you, Lily?”
“I put all that in my application.”
“Right, and now I’m here asking the truth.”
A part of me wanted to tell him the truth. I knew if I did tell him the truth now, he would claim I lied. Which I had, but for a good reason. My dad and I both believed using the Adams name would never give me a clean shot at a title. It would be a shoe-in. When I graduated from high school, Dad made me change my last name.
My mind ran through all the names of the fighters at my dad’s gym. “Jason Forrester.” I did actually train with Jason, but when I was like ten. Julian didn’t need to know that.
“The Jason Forrester?”
“Yeah, you know him?”
“Well, he’s a legend. I’ve never met him. That’s an amazing opportunity to train with him.”
“I guess.” I tried to shrug off the excitement in his words. “Jason was like a dad to me.” I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Is that all you needed to talk with me about?”
“No.”
“Oh.” I sounded disappointed but a part of me was actually happy he said no.
“What are you doing Friday night?”
It was only Monday. Hell, I didn’t even know what I was doing tonight. “No clue. I still need to decide on dinner tonight.”
“Perfect, go to dinner with me tonight instead.”
“Julian, you don’t even know me.”
“Which is why I’m asking you to dinner.”
“Why me?”
“Is there someone else I should be asking?”
I laughed softly. “I have no idea.”
“Then is that a yes?”
My mind let the words roll around for a few more seconds, trying to take in this whole situation. Julian wanted to have dinner with me, Lily Waters. If my dad could see this moment right now what would he even say? He was probably watching and silently cursing my name.
“Yes.”
8
“So?” Charlie leaned over the back of the couch and shook my arm. “Tell me all the juicy details.”
When I’d arrived home, I threw my body on the couch and fell asleep immediately. I was a light sleeper, so at the sound of Charlie’s voice I was forced awake. Rubbing my eyes, I looked up at her. “What juicy details?”
She lay down on the back of the couch and let her body fall on top of mine. I let out a loud sound the moment her body hit me. “When Julian walked back into the gym”—she inched her body forward to whisper in my ear—“he was smiling, and that man never smiles.”
I groaned and threw the pillow over my head.
“Nope,” she teased, pulling the pillow away. “Brooks wants to know the recipe to your secret sauce.”
“Secret sauce,” I said, pushing her off me and standing up. “What is that shit?”
My body ached today. Nothing new but I knew an Epson salt bath would ease me. As I walked toward the bathroom for some peace and quiet, Charlie was fast on my heels. I turned and almost barreled into her. “Listen,” I said, placing my hand on her shoulders. “I arrived in Vegas one month ago.”
“Yeah,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.
“I need to make the gym trust me, not hate me.”
“What do you mean?”
“What if”–I pointed my index finger in her direction–“we go out and then it doesn’t work? Where am I then?” I lifted my shirt over my head and threw it into my room as I walked to the bathroom. Grabbing the door handle, I motioned for her to move so I could close the door. “Are you following me in here, too?” She looked around and then stepped into the bathroom. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Lils, why are you so against getting to know him?”
“Well, for one—I barely know him.”
“That’s why you go out, so you can get to know each other.”
I tried to ignore that thought. “And two—he’s the owner of the gym. It looks tacky.”
“Everyone there today seemed excited at the prospect of you dating Julian.”
I had my leggings around my ankles. When she said everyone seemed excited, I lifted my body up so fast and almost fell backwards. “What did you say?”
“Which part?”
“Don’t which part me.”
“Listen,” she said, closing the lid on the toilet and sitting down. “I think it would be cool if you dated, Julian.” She held her hands up in a gesture to let her continue talking. “I never said you both need to fuck like bunnies. I just think it would be good for you to get out.”
“Fuck like bunnies?”
“Lily?”
I sat down on the edge of the tub and turned on the water. “Yes?”
“Just go out with him.”
“I am tonight.”
“What?” She screamed a little too loudly. “Why didn’t you tell me that fifteen minutes ago?”
“You didn’t ask.”
“You suck. You know that, right?”
“No. Now will you leave so I can enjoy a bath in peace?”
Charlie actually skipped out of the room. Before she closed the door, she turned and looked at me. “I’m so damn excited right now. Want a glass of wine to celebrate?”
“I still haven’t taken up drinking. Maybe I need to, though.”
She touched one finger to her nose and pointed her index finger at me. As the door closed, I sank my body down in the scalding hot water.
It was almost four months ago that my dad and I were talking about Julian Moore. Now here I was going on a date with him. Weird much?
As I laid my head back against the edge of the tub, I thought about my luck with men. The last time I’d dated was two years ago. Men were a distraction my dad would tell me. Especially the men I dated. None of the men were fighters and usually found it intimidating that I could kick their ass.
After my last date, I pretty much swore off men and decided to put all my attention toward working on winning my first title. So much for that plan.
To be fair, this was the first time a fighter had ever asked me on a date.
Maybe it was time to turn over a new leaf…and I really needed to think about drinking wine.
“Why am I getting a pedicure?” My feet were propped up on a stool while a woman was rubbing a pumice stone over my heels.
“What if,” Charlie said, leaning closer to me, “you both do end up fucking like bunnies?”
“Again with the bunnies and the fucking.”
“You never know,” she teased. “It is a great way to let out pent-up energy.”
I shook my head. “Can I get to know him first? Then the bunnies can intervene later.”
“Oh, they will.”
Some days I wondered how Charlie and I were friends. Most days I knew why. I loved how she always found a way to make me laugh.
Charlie grabbed her green goddess–fresh-squeezed juice–and took a sip. “Did Julian seriously help you during training today?”
“Yup.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t think Devon really cared about being pushed to the side.”
“You think?”
“Devon’s not really a fan of me. Well that’s the impression I get.”
“Maybe training with you today sparked something for Julian.”
“Sparked? We’ll see about that. I’m waiting to see if Julian will cancel.”
Charlie slapped my thigh. “Oh stop. I bet he’s excited to go out with you.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
We ended up spending way too much time making my feet pretty and not enough time planning for what to wear. When we walked into the house, I threw my purse on the overstuffed chair by the door and walked straight to my bedroom. From the few details shared, I knew if I wore a nice pair of
jeans and dressy top, that would be enough. I stepped into my closet and started riffling through my pile of jeans. Was there an AA group for my shopping addiction? Charlie and I loved online shopping. We would try to race to find the best pair of jeans or who had the lowest discounts. Thank goodness for walk-in closets.
I heard my phone vibrate on my dresser. When I reached for it, a part of me knew it was Julian canceling. I looked down at my screen and burst out laughing. He seriously canceled with a text. What an asshat. I threw my phone on the bed and walked across the hall to Charlie’s room.
“Guess what?” I said, plopping down on her bed.
She was sitting at her desk on the computer. “What?” she asked, turning to face me.
“Julian just canceled.” I waited to tell her how he had done the deed.
“What?”
“Better yet. He sent me a text.”
She stood up and walked over to the bed. “Wait, did you just tell me he canceled your date via text message?”
“Yup, I did.”
She didn’t say a word, just stormed out of the room and walked to the kitchen. When I caught up with her, she was on the phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Hold on.”
I tried to grab for her phone. “No, stop. What are you doing, Charlie?”
“Brooks,” she said, waving her hand at me to stop. “Yeah, where’s your brother?” I couldn’t hear what he was saying, so I had to decipher the conversation through her words. “Really? Interesting.” Her face was actually turning a very dark shade of red. “Nope, all good. Just tell your brother he’s an asshole.” Then she hung up.
“So,” I said, leaning against the kitchen island.
“He’s in the office working,” Charlie said, reaching for a wine bottle. “Apparently he’s been there all day. I bet he’s hiding out.”
I was struggling to process this bit of information. Why would a man ask a woman out and then bail two hours before he would be set to arrive? Nope, not cool. “I need to go.” I turned on my heel and headed into the living room to grab my purse.
“Wait”
“No, Charlie. This is bullshit. He made a big deal about asking me out and then made me feel uncomfortable all week.” I threw my purse over my shoulder and headed for the door.
“Lily, wait.”
“Why? He needs to know what a dick move this is.”
“Lils, look down.”
I stopped with my hand on the door handle and burst out laughing. “Maybe I better put on pants first.”
“It might help.”
9
“Hey, Lily,” Brooks said, settling in beside me. “You okay?”
“Charlie called you?”
“Um, yeah.”
“So, you know trying to stop me is a bad idea, right?” I said, continuing to make my way toward the office.
“Well, I mean.”
I stopped and he barreled into me. I placed my hand on his chest to lightly push him away. “Listen, I’m pissed. He needs to know that.”
He threw his hands up in the air. “Far be it from me to stand in between a woman pissed off and a man who’s going to endure the wrath.”
I patted my hand on his chest. “Good job. Now if you will excuse me, I need to see a man about a canceled date.”
There was a little part of me that was screaming to turn around and go back home, but my dad didn’t raise a quitter. When I had my mind set, I usually followed through.
Through the shades on the office windows, I could see Julian sitting at his desk with his head bent. I took in a deep breath and made my way over to the door. As my hand hit the handle, I could feel his eyes on me. I glanced up and stood there motionless. He had this look that was hard to place. Did he feel bad? Or was he really the asshole I wanted to create in my mind?
He stood up and walked to the door. I stepped back so he could open it and let me inside. “Got a sec?”
I heard the sliding again. He was closing the shades. Before I could say anything, he blurted out, “Lily, I’m sorry.”
“Nope,” I said, sounding a little too pissed off. “You don’t get to just all of a sudden apologize.” I leaned against his desk and crossed my arms over my chest.
He stepped in front of me. “Yeah, so what is okay?”
His scent was throwing me off. Dammit.
“You cancel. Yet, you’re here. Care to share the real reason you bailed on the date you planned?”
“I’m busy.”
I rolled my eyes and pushed off the desk to leave. I realized it was a bad idea coming here.
He wrapped his hand around my bicep. “No, wait.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
I burst out laughing. “Julian, you do know because is not an answer, right?”
He pulled me closer to his body. “I do. I also know asking you on a date was not appropriate.”
“Who says?”
“Everyone.” He waved his arm toward the gym.
“Really?”
There were moments in my life where I did things completely outrageous and sometimes regretted them later. I knew I was going to regret this later as my feet made their way toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Julian asked from directly behind me. I could feel his breath on my shoulder.
I didn’t respond. Instead, I walked over to the front desk. “Hey, Andy, can I see the microphone?”
“Lily, stop.” Julian tried to reach for the microphone, but I managed to keep it out of his reach.
I cleared my throat so I could speak clearly into the mic. “Hey, everyone, Lily here. If anyone objects to Julian and I going on a date, can you come to the front desk.”
Andy had stopped the music playing over the sound system so I could ask my question. The moment the words fell from my lips, the room went silent. Nobody moved.
I turned to face Julian. “So, why did you really cancel?”
“Are you always this direct?”
“To get the truth and not bullshit? Yup.”
He dropped his arms, and I could see a smile emerging. Before he had the chance to say anything, everyone in the gym started chanting “Go, go, go.”
“Looks like they are cool with us going out.” I threw my purse over my shoulder and started heading toward the front entrance. Before I left, I turned and threw everyone an air kiss. I only managed to take two steps out of the building when my body was pushed up against the cement wall. Julian had his arms on either side of my head blocking me in. “Change your mind?”
“Lily, you drive me crazy,” he said in a husky voice that made my insides squirm.
“A good crazy, I hope.”
He closed his eyes and shook his head. “This is all wrong you know that, right?”
“Yeah, I do.”
Before he said another word, he surprised me by leaning forward and capturing my lips with his own. My body was not ready for the invasion. I was still unsure what had come over me. If this was really what I wanted. I knew I needed to find the connection between him and my father. Then he brushed his tongue across my bottom lip, begging to enter. All the worry disappeared, and in its place was desire. His tongue touched mine, causing a little moan to escape from deep inside me.
Against my lips, he whispered, “Can I take you out on a date, Lily Waters?”
My forehead rested on his, and I tried to stifle a laugh. “Julian, you are one confusing man.”
“Yeah, Brooks and Tyler tell me that all the time.” He leaned forward and lightly kissed me. “So, what do you say?”
“I say, on one condition.”
He leaned back slightly. “I’m listening.”
“I drive so you can’t bail.”
He brushed the back of his hand down the side of my face. “Those terms seem fair.”
I ducked below his arm and pointed toward my car. “Your chauffeur awaits.”
As I opened my car door, my phone rang. I sank down in my seat and hit ac
cept. “Hi, this is Lily.”
“Hi, Ms. Waters. This is Angela from AFC. Do you have a moment?”
I turned to toward Julian and pointed at my phone while mouthing the words AFC. His eyes looked like saucers they went so wide. “Um, yes, how are you doing?”
“I’m well. Thank you for asking. I’m sorry it took me a little longer to get back in touch with you.”
“Oh, it’s okay. It gave me time to get settled here in Las Vegas.”
“Did you find a gym yet?”
“I did. Have you heard of Fight It Out?”
“Isn’t that Julian Moore’s gym?”
“The very one.”
“That’s wonderful. Would you like to set up a time to talk with me further about some opportunities with AFC?”
“That would be great. When did you have in mind?”
“Would you be available next Wednesday at ten a.m.?”
“That should be good. I think it’ll be okay with my manager,” I said, winking at Julian. “I’ll check with him.” Julian was next to me, nodding his head so fast.
“Perfect. We look forward to meeting you, Ms. Waters.”
“Thank you for the opportunity.”
I hit end and started screaming like a school girl. When I realized what I had done, I threw my hand over my mouth and gave a side glance in Julian’s direction. He had the biggest grin on his face.
“What?” I pushed at his arm.
“Nothing. You’re cute when you get excited.”
“I’m cute?” I teased.
“Sexy?”
“Much better.”
He surprised me by wrapping his hand around the back of my neck and tugging me closer to him. Right before he planted a kiss on my lips, he stopped. “You’re more than sexy, Ms. Waters. You make me hard just at the thought of your name.”
I let my body relax in his hold. “I guess you’re okay with what everyone will think at the gym, huh?” Reaching my hand up, I cupped the side of his face. “It’s Lily by the way.”
“You don’t like, Ms. Waters?” he whispered.
Avoiding the conversation about my name, I cleared the distance and took what I’d been wanting for weeks. His lips tasted of lemon and a hint of mint. I moaned and brought his face closer to mine, wanting more.
