“Wow. I did, but I had no idea you knew how to do that yet.”
“YouTube videos. There are more than just cute cats on there.”
I laugh, but she doesn’t.
She brings her arms around trying to wrap me up and I realize I’ve got a real fighter on my hand here. A live one.
I wrap her up and flip her around and before either of us knows what’s really happening we’re face to face on the mat down on our sides separated by only inches.
This is exactly what I wanted to happen, and exactly what I didn’t want to happen, at the same time.
I feel her chest pressed against mine as she tries to catch her breath.
She struggles to break free but it only makes my cock harden even more. Beyond the point I didn’t even know it could reach in the first place. It’s like a five speed car but because of her it’s suddenly found extra gears.
Gears I want to grind fast and slow and a twist of my legs and a roll right now could line my cock up right to her opening…minus the annoying “clothes” we’re wearing. They barely qualify as clothes they cover so little in order to allow freedom of movement.
And I feel a different kind of freedom. The freedom to give myself to this girl in a way I never have before.
And if the heat from her breath on my mouth and the look in her eyes is any indication she feels the same.
I should roll out of this position…start something new. Teach her something else that doesn’t require us to be so close.
But I can’t. This is what I want. Her. Here. Now.
All the blood is pumping through my body and I don’t even know what “right” is anymore.
It should be training my best friend’s daughter.
It should be preparing for my title fight.
It should be a whole lot of other things but it’s only one thing…
Her.
I flex my neck bringing my face right up to hers and feel her soft, gentle lips meet mine for the first time.
Chapter Eight
Anastasia
The rest of our training session was intense.
After that kiss I felt so much electricity in my body. It was literally like I’d stuck my finger in a plug in the wall.
We were moving faster but it wasn’t like fighting, it was almost like we were dancing with one another.
And we didn’t kiss again the entire session because we didn’t need to.
As our bodies moved from standing to mat to standing again I had my hands all over him and his all over me.
I think he touched every part of me except my erogenous zones, and I the same to him although I felt his rock hard cock brush against me on multiple occasions.
I hurry up and shower knowing he’s in the stall just one over from me.
I want to touch myself so bad here right now. I can literally hear him scrubbing his body next to me and it’s turning me on so much.
But he told me to be quick. He has a surprise he’s never told anyone about and he wants to share it with me.
He’s out of the shower first and I hear him toweling off. I wait, wanting to sneak a peek but known it’s better if I wait…just letting the anticipation that is already at a fever pitch to build even more.
When I finish I step outside and towel off myself. Then I change.
I still haven’t seen him and wonder where he can be.
The minute I step from the locker room he’s there. He sticks his phone in his pocket quickly trying to avoid me seeing.
“What are you up to?” I ask raising one eyebrow.
“If I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise now would it?”
“I guess not,” I say.
He grabs my hand and is quickly leading me out of the gym.
There’s always the feeling of so much excitement with him. He moves slowly when he needs to, but he’s often moving quickly…he’s just so full of energy. It never even occurs to me that he’s thirty-eight. He’s a thirty-eight year old man who’s been undergoing grueling training while eating a perfect diet his whole life. He’s in better shape that the guys who were on my high school football team who got college scholarships to U.S.C. and U.C.L.A.
And he’s a lot older than them so his bones are denser, thicker, and his muscles are fuller. And all those years has chiseled not only his body, but also his face. There’s not an ounce of fat on his abs or his jawline. Surprisingly a lot of high school guys, even athletes, have some baby fat under their jaws.
Not him.
He’s hard as a rock…everywhere.
We’re not exactly running, but we’re not exactly jogging either. We’re also certainly not walking as we move quickly entering the woods as the sun sets above us.
I feel the cool air of the elevation and wonder where in the world he’s taking me at this hour.
Could it be dangerous?
Could he be dangerous?
Oh…he’s dangerous all right, but in a different kind of way.
This man can be the death of me. He’s the kind of guy I’d drop out of school to be with.
Okay, maybe not that because I have dreams of my own, but I’d certainly find a way to balance everything in my life with him.
A man of his age and experience can bring balance to my life too.
I’m young and inexperienced in a lot of ways, but I’m smart enough to know it.
I know once I start college I’m going to have to figure out a lot of things on my own…really fast.
Life comes at you fast these days and even though he spends so much of his time in isolation, from literally everything, he has such a Zen vibe about him at times and I know he can be a calming and settling presence in a big city like Los Angeles.
Or Lost Angeles as they say. People get lost there all the time. They come to Hollywood to make it big, but get addicted to the life and their life spirals out of control.
My life is definitely spiraling quickly since I arrived here, but in a completely different direction.
He’s like a tornado that lifts me, but to the heavens.
And as we navigate the path I feel like my body is twisting and turning just like some sort of small imaginary tornado is taking me to this special thing he’s got to show me.
We cut through a clearing and slide under some downed trees, his big hand never leaving mine…always letting me know I’m safe.
This is Big Bear Lake for a reason I’d guess. There must have been bears here at some point in history, if there aren’t still. But with him I just feel so protected and safe…and so excited.
I almost wonder if whatever he’s got will meet my expectations now that they’re so darn high.
But I know whatever it is I’m going to love it.
And as we make a turn in the trail suddenly the forest opens a bit and there it is.
Oh my god. It looks like a postcard that would be the envy of everyone’s refrigerator, or doorway, or mantle at Christmas.
But this is Christmas in July.
And it’s real. It’s here. And something I’ve been waiting my whole life for seems imminently close to happening…now.
Chapter Nine
Maddox
I stop and feel my heart beating in my chest and her pulse in my hand.
The light jog through the forest was nothing. I’m way too well conditioned for my heart to beat like crazy from that.
It’s her. It’s the excitement of bringing her here and experiencing this with her.
In the ring I have to control everything. My breathing. My movements. My timing.
Right now I can’t control anything.
I’ve never been so excited in my entire life.
I thought nothing could top entering the ring to over twenty-five thousand people chanting your name.
Was I ever wrong. So, so wrong.
A few months ago I could have made it through life with that as my most electric moment and it would have been a good life. No regrets.
But not since her. Not since that day
I decided to take a training day off and head down the mountain and see my old buddy.
And more importantly his daughter.
It was meant to be. It was fate. I don’t often believe in that stuff, but right now there’s no denying it.
“Let’s go inside,” I say.
“Can we?”
“It was prepared for us,” I say looking at the log cabin.
It’s the same cabin famous fighters like Oscar de la Hoya and Tito Ortiz used when they came up here to train. It recently sold for one and a half million, which is a lot of money for a place that’s basically in the middle of nowhere and didn’t cost much to build considering the trees from which it’s made are the same trees that surround us now.
But it’s worth more. So much more.
Especially after tonight.
I know the owners and know they’re vacationing in the south of France right now.
I had some of my guys from camp run over here before I got in the shower. They lit candles inside and prepared other surprises which she’ll see in just a second.
It’s one of the huge benefits of having fifty guys here that will go to war for you. Guys that are like your brothers willing to spill sweat and blood have no problem racing to a cabin and sprucing it up at a moment’s notice.
They know I want this girl more than anything, even that title belt I’ve waited my entire life to win.
But I know I can have both.
But first, tonight…I’ll have her.
And she’ll have me.
Chapter Ten
Anastasia
“I’ve never had champagne before,” he’d said at dinner.
“Neither have I,” I’d said.
But dinner is now over. We sit at the table my hand in his and stare out the big window into the forest. The only light provided is by the moon and the candlelights around the house.
It’s the most intimate setting I’ve ever seen in my life, let alone experienced.
And there’s another first with intimacies I want to share with him.
“I want to tell you something,” I say.
“Anything,” he says as his gaze turns from out the window at the same time as mine and our eyes meet.
I smile realizing I’m about to reveal something personal and a bit embarrassing about myself, but also knowing it’s okay now. There’s no point in holding back any longer. What I feel is the same as what he feels.
“I’ve had a crush on you for awhile. And when you first showed up at our barbecue I was freaking out. I mean I’d only seen pictures of you before, but to see you in real life made my crush very, very real. I wanted you so bad then…and I still do now.”
I feel his hand squeeze mine more firmly, but it’s still gentle.
“Why are you smiling?” I ask.
“I had to leave that barbecue early. When I saw you it was like a switch flipped inside me. I knew I had to have you, but that wasn’t the time and the place. But I had to get out of there before I did or said something that wasn’t appropriate in your parent’s house…at least at the time.”
“At the time?” I ask.
“At the time, because now that we both know each other’s feelings anything and everything is appropriate as far as I’m concerned. We’re two adults and we can do as we please. Will this cause friction with your dad? Almost certainly…but it’s not something that we can’t work around in the near term and something that won’t clear itself up in the long term.”
“You think my dad is going to be okay with this?”
“No way. He’s going to freak out,” Maddox says. We both laugh and I squeeze my fingers tighter around his. I like his honesty and his sense of humor. I like that I can relax completely around him.
I couldn’t even imagine being on a date with a boy my own age right now. He’d just be trying to force alcohol down my throat so he could get inside my pants.
Not Maddox. We shared a single glass of champagne with our meal as a celebratory gesture. Why would we want to get drunk and dull our senses when it’s our senses that have lead us to each other? I want to see, hear, taste, smell and feel him with everything I’ve got. And I know he wants the same.
“But don’t worry,” Maddox says. “I’ll be the one who tells him. It’s my responsibility as a man, not to mention I’ve been his friend longer than you’ve been alive.”
I process the craziness of that statement. It’s true, but to hear it said out loud just puts everything in perspective. Hearing it would be the wakeup call that a girl would need if she’s not sure she wants to do what’s getting closer to happening by the minute, but not me. I’m one hundred percent confident in my decision to be with him and committed to it for the long haul.
“Thank you,” I say. “And thank you for sharing this with me.”
He leans forward across the table and I rise up out of my seat so my lips can meet his. We kiss gently over the tabletop and then we both sit back down.
“And you’re sharing something very special with me tonight,” I say.
“And you with me,” he says.
“But mine is…different.”
“I bet it’s more alike than you might guess.”
“It can’t be,” I say. “I’ve never…been with someone before. I never felt comfortable doing that nor did I want to. I never felt like I knew someone who deserved me and my gift, only you and I wanted to wait to see if there was an opportunity there. But I have to admit, never in my wildest dreams…and I had a lot about the two of us…did I ever think this night would ever come.” I pause. “So simply thank you. Thank you for making my decision to wait, and my decision to try my hardest to be with you, a good one and one that tonight I’ll get to not just dream about…but to actually live.”
“I have to say the same thing,” he begins. “Although it sounds like my desire for you is newer, it’s equally as strong. As you know I’ve been training my entire life. I rarely come into contact with people, and certainly don’t on a daily basis. By people I mean normal everyday kind of people. Being in a camp of rough and tumble battle scarred warriors is totally different than real life. But you’ve shown me a different kind of real. I thought I had a real life but now I know that I can only have the best life possible with you. And that’s the real truth. And I’m just as glad as you are that I’ve been waiting for not just the right one to come along after all these years…but the perfect one.”
I pause and my eyes look up as I try and process his words. My gaze lowers to meet his again and I can see on his expression that his words are true, but I just can’t wrap my head around them.
“Wait. Are you saying…?”
He nods.
“You’ve never been with…”
He shakes his head.
“Not even once?”
“Not even once.”
“But the tabloids and the celebrity sites and the—“
“Probably some PR stunts. I wouldn’t know because I don’t pay attention to those kinds of things…at all.”
“But the pictures of you and the famous actresses and models.”
“I don’t know any models or actresses.”
“Seriously?”
“Scout’s honor,” he says making the Boy Scout symbol. I laugh.
“You’ve never been to the clubs in L.A.?”
“I’ve been a few times after fights. They pay for promotional appearances after events. It’s part of the overall contract actually. We usually have an alcohol sponsor who is the biggest sponsor of the fight. And then after the fight I’m contractually required to appear at their after party. But I’m not there more than ten or fifteen minutes. Just pose for some pictures then I’m out…back to my life of solitude and peace.”
“Unbelievable.”
“It’s Hollywood…the land of make believe. But there is one thing I sure do believe in.”
“What’s that?”
He stands from the table, but keeps my hand in his as he makes his way toward my side.
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He pulls out my chair with his other hand and then scoops me up in his arms.
“Us. I believe in you and me together forever.”
Chapter Eleven
Maddox
I carry her to the bedroom in our log cabin in the woods, but as I do I look down at her allowing me to process everything that’s going through her mind. Her expression gives her thoughts away.
I see she’s in awe of my words…my revelation, but it’s true.
I’m not into short-term things or short term thinking. That’s not how you become a champion in the ring or in life.
Long term or nothing.
And I never had the time for, nor the interest in, a woman until her.
And her timing was perfect. My career will be over soon, but more importantly my life with her will be just beginning.
Without all my time devoted to training I’ll be able to focus on us and our children when the time comes.
I’ve been fortunate to make good money doing what I do and that money will last us a lifetime. Neither of us will ever have to work again after this fight, win or lose.
If I win it will be a payday beyond my wildest dreams. But if something were to happen and I don’t come out on top I’d still be set for life.
And more importantly I’ve already come out on top, in the game of life because now I’ve got her.
I carefully place her on the bed and stand next to the bed as I remove my clothes as she does the same on the sheets.
Neither one of us talks, nor do we have to. The peacefulness of this moment and of this place speaks volumes while we’re surrounded by silence only broken by the sounds of the forest like the trees in the wind and the occasional howl of a wolf, which I’ve yet to hear tonight.
But the wolf will howl, that’s for sure.
This wolf.
For the first time in my life I will mate, and mate is the perfect word. A mate is one you’re paired with for life. For life.
And for me that’s her and for her that’s me.
A Man Who Knows What He Wants Box Set 5 Page 32
