by Josie Kerr
Chapter Twenty-three
“Expect a call from Junior in about three”—Colin’s cell phone ringing interrupted Nanda’s telling him that he should expect a call from her brother—“seconds.”
Colin nodded to Dig and Nanda even as the two could hear Junior’s voice boom out of the cell phone.
“You ready, Nanda?” Dig automatically replaced his hand on her back as soon as she got near him, and this time, Nanda didn’t squirm away but instead leaned into him.
“Yeah, as ready as I’ll ever be.”
She was pissed—pissed at Gene, who was most definitely her ex-boyfriend, and pissed at whoever actually broke in to Junior’s apartment. She was even a little bit pissed at Junior for being overbearing and insisting on returning to Atlanta ahead of schedule, like she couldn’t take care of herself.
“You’re going to end up with TMJ if keep grinding your teeth like that.”
“What? Oh.” Nanda sighed and shook her head. “Goddammit,” she muttered.
Dig reached over and took her hand, giving it a little squeeze.
“Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Dig pulled into the well-lit parking lot of DS Fight Club and parked the car. Nanda looked at the staircase leading up to the fighters’ apartments and laughed.
“I cannot believe I’m spending the night in a fighter’s apartment.”
Dig snickered. “I knew I’d get you to my place one way or another.” His grin faded at Nanda’s pensive expression. “Hey, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make light of the situation.”
“Nah, it’s actually pretty funny.” Nanda grinned weakly. “It’s all good.”
Dig gave her hand another squeeze. “Let’s get you settled in.”
Dig led Nanda up the stairs and through the secure door of the DS Fight Club apartments. His apartment was the one nearest the exit. Dig opened the door to his apartment and let Nanda into the second bedroom through the joint bathroom.
“We’ll get the other key tomorrow, okay? I put sheets on the bed, but really, everything’s just like Tig left it.” Nanda felt his eyes studying her, so she turned around and offered him a weak smile.
“Thanks, Dig. I’m going to go get settled in. I’ll be quiet so you can get to bed. I know you’ve got to be up early.”
“No worries. I can pretty much sleep through anything.”
“Okay. Night, Dig. And thank you.”
Dig bobbed his head once, and Nanda disappeared when she shut the bathroom door.
Nanda leaned back against the closed bathroom door and blew out a big, relieved breath as she looked around the room.
Both rooms were small, with cinderblock walls that were painted a soothing shade of dove gray. The room that Nanda stood in had a narrow bed that was pushed up against the wall. Built-in bookshelves and a small dresser and chest of drawers, along with a desk, lined one wall, and a small café table set completed all the furniture in the room.
The first thing she did was pull out her clock, which doubled as a docking station and charger. She set her phone on the dock and found a soothing playlist to hopefully calm her frazzled nerves.
She pulled her suitcase and duffle bag inside the room and flung them on the bed.
Okay, Nanda. Unpack. That’s the first step.
She licked her lips and unzipped the suitcase, which held a decent amount of extra clothes.
Okay, maybe start with something smaller.
She opened the side zip of her large duffle and pulled out her jewelry box, a journal, and some letters that her mother had saved, letters that Nanda read when she felt lost and sad. She sighed and pulled open the top drawer of the small nightstand and found a half of a box of condoms. She rolled her eyes.
“Oh boy, Tiggy. Here’s to wishful thinking, buddy.”
She tossed the box on the bed and proceeded to fill the nightstand drawers with her belongings.
She unzipped another side pocket and pulled out several ziplock bags with her toiletries. She glanced at her watch, amazed at how late it was. Well, not really late, but late enough that she decided to wait until tomorrow to put her clothes away.
Nanda cracked her neck, thinking about the big garden bathtub that she no longer had access to. She shrugged. A hot shower was better than nothing at all.
Lost in thought, she grabbed her bags of toiletries and crossed the room to the bathroom. She opened the door and found Dig standing in front of the sink in only a pair of tighty-whities with a toothbrush in his mouth and foam covering his mouth and beard.
“Oh, shit. That’s something I’m going to have to get used to. Sorry, Dig.”
She scurried back out the door and slammed it behind her.
And of course, he immediately knocked on the door but didn’t try to open it.
“Nanda, you okay?”
She cleared her throat. “Absolutely. I’m sorry for walking in on you.”
She could hear him chuckle. “From now on, I’ll be sure to lock this door when I’m in the bathroom, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Okay, then. Um, I’ll let you get into the bathroom to do what you need to. Good night, Nanda.”
“Night, Dig.”
She heard the other door shut and blew out a breath. Having Dig on the other side of the door might be harder than she realized.
She snorted. Harder.
“Oh, Dios. What have I gotten myself into?” she muttered to herself.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Yeah, Dig?”
“Can I come in for a sec?”
“Sure.”
Dig opened the door and stuck his head in her room but didn’t come in all the way. “You sure you’re okay?”
Nanda nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I am. Thanks for asking. And thanks again for letting me bunk here.”
“You would do the same for me.”
“Yeah.”
They stood awkwardly in the room, just looking at each other, until Dig grinned and said good night again. As he turned to leave, he caught a glimpse of the box of condoms on the nightstand.
Dig barked a laugh.
“What?”
“That box? Are those yours?”
Nanda looked in the direction of Dig’s gaze. “Oh, no. No. They were in the drawer. I was going to put them in the bathroom. I guess someone left them. There’s about half a box.”
“Damn. Tig wasn’t kidding about starting a whole new life. Those are expensive rubbers.”
““Surely this is wishful thinking on his part?” she blurted.
“Nope. That little cowboy has a beer can in his jock.”
“Oh.” Nanda’s eyes snapped back to Dig’s handsome face. Do not look down, Nanda. You don’t need to look down at all.
Dig chuckled. “Night, Nanda. Sweet dreams.” And he stepped back through the door.
Dig awoke with a start. He looked at the clock—a little past two o’clock in the morning. He usually didn’t wake up once he fell asleep, but he figured that all the stress of the evening, combined with the knowledge that Nanda was on the other side of that door, was to blame.
Knock, knock, knock.
He frowned. What the hell?
“Nanda, is that you?” He kept his voice low, but loud enough that if she was standing on the other side of the door, she would hear him.
“Yeah, it’s me. Can . . . I come in?”
Dig shook his head to wake himself up. “Yeah, of course.”
He heard the door open—man, I have got to put some WD-40 on that hinge—and turned his head to see Nanda’s figure hovering inside the bathroom door frame.
“Hey, babe. What’s going on?”
“Hey.”
Dig huffed a laugh. “You don’t have to hide in the bathroom. What’s up?”
He heard her suck in a big breath. “Would you mind if . . . never mind. Sorry I woke you, Dig.”
Dig saw her start to turn around, an
d he leapt out of bed and went to her, gathering her into his arms.
“What’s wrong, Nanda?”
She just shook her head but allowed him to pull her into his arms and hold her close.
“Come to bed with me for a little bit, okay?”
He felt Nanda nod against his chest, so he guided her over to the bed.
He got into the bed and tugged on her hand until she climbed in after him. She surprised him by immediately rolling against him and burying her face into his chest. Dig kissed the top of her head and held her close, stroking her back softly, just letting her know he was there. He felt her tentatively begin to caress his chest.
“Dig?”
“Yeah, sweetheart?”
Nanda moved up to where she was looking him in the eye. “Make love to me.”
He caressed her cheek. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “Please.”
Dig answered her by softly kissing her on the mouth while gently pulling her tank top over her head. He waited a bit before removing her shorts, exploring her mouth with his tongue and her body with his hands.
“You need to take these off. Now,” Nanda growled as she rubbed her body along the length of his, her hands roaming over Dig’s back and chest. She pulled him tightly to her as she tugged on his sleep pants. “Please, Dom.”
He pulled her close with one arm while he fumbled in the nightstand drawer for a condom.
“Hold up, babe. I need to put this on.” He managed to don the condom while Nanda held on to him tightly. “Okay, Nanda. We’re set.”
They kissed a while longer while Dig rolled her clit between his big fingers until she practically vibrated with her unreleased orgasm. And when he pushed two thick fingers between her slick folds, she gasped and held him close, her nails clawing at his shoulders. He could feel the sting that meant she broke the skin, and he knew he’d have hell to pay tomorrow, but he didn’t care. Nanda needed him tonight, and he was going to be there for her.
Chapter Twenty-four
Nanda knew it was still very early because only the streetlights glimmered through the blinds, but she could hear Dig’s smooth baritone over the sound of the running shower. She rolled over and rubbed her face in the pillow, inhaling the scent that was specifically Dig’s: mint, pine, and something else that she couldn’t quite identify. His scent seemed to travel straight from her nose to her lady parts, and she snaked her hand between her legs and wiggled her hips, delighting in the friction that her movement caused.
Trying to identify the scent preoccupied her, so much so that she didn’t hear the water cease or the door open.
“Are you sniffing my pillow, you perv?”
Nanda’s head whipped toward Dig’s voice in time to see him try to hide his grin.
“What if I was?” She inhaled again and tried not to sound breathless.
“Were you touching yourself, too?”
Busted.
“What if I was?” Screw it.
Nanda rolled over and kicked the coverlet back. The light from the bathroom illuminated her and allowed Dig to see exactly what she was doing. She watched him watch her pleasure herself, and when her eyes closed in anticipation of her release, she felt him dive between her legs and take over, his thick fingers and talented tongue making her body sing.
Spent and sweaty, she opened her eyes to see Dig looking at her while he jerked his cock frantically. One side of her mouth curled in a grin, and she spread wide for him and pushed two fingers inside while the thumb and forefinger of her other hand pinched her nipple, hard.
Her second orgasm and its accompanying whimper sent Dig into orbit, and he leaned over her as he spent, covering her with his climax. His face hovered inches above hers, and then he covered her mouth with a hot, hard kiss.
“Goddammit, Nanda. It’s the first day of camp!”
She shrugged. She considered being naughty and smearing her hands through the come that was splattered over her body, but she took pity on Dig and pulled the sheet over her nakedness.
“Yeah, it’s the first day of camp, Dig. You know that everyone who’s starting camp was up at least half the night, fucking.” She wagged her finger at him. “This isn’t my first training camp, chulo. So get your fine ass downstairs, and then I’ll come down at my usual start time, and we’ll pretend that this didn’t happen.”
Dig’s big grin disappeared. “ ‘Pretend that this didn’t happen’? Are you fucking for real right now?”
“Oh, get a grip, Dom. You know that you’ll be in deep shit if C or Paddy—or heaven forbid, Junior—thinks that we’re fucking, right? All I was saying before you got all torqued up and crazy is that we need to play it cool, all right? Sheesh.” Nanda scowled as she sat up and wiped her body off. “That’s all I meant.”
“So . . .”
“Yes.”
Dig frowned. “Is that a ‘yes, we can continue to do this as long as we’re discreet about it’ or a ‘yes, you ignorant lump, do you have a question?’ ”
Nanda grinned and walked on her knees over to Dig and put her hands on his hips. “The first one. But we’re not going to get to do this again if your legs and core are blown because you’ve had to do a bazillion rotations on the Jacob’s ladder for being late.”
“Shit.” Dig grabbed the back of Nanda’s head and planted another hot, wet kiss on her mouth and then hurriedly got dressed and ran out of the room.
After he left, Nanda flopped back in his bed and wondered again what the hell she had gotten herself into.
Chapter Twenty-five
Nanda arrived at the front desk precisely at half past seven, as usual. She sorted through the weekend’s mail, as usual. She performed her Monday morning supply closet check, as usual.
She paid attention to the goings-on in the octagon and on the training mats, which was not typical. At all.
“Ahem.”
“What?” Nanda spat. “Oh! Oh, I am so sorry, Ryan. I was . . . just . . .”
Ryan chuckled. “I get it. Boy, do I get it. Tig is lookin’ mighty fine in those tiger-striped tights. All one hundred forty-eight pounds of him.”
“Jesus—is that what he weighs? Really? Oh my God, I weigh more than he does.”
“That’s the life of a featherweight fighter. He still has to drop three pounds.”
“Damn. Poor Tiggy, with as much as he likes to eat.” Nanda shook her head. “What’s up, chulo?”
“ ‘Chulo,’ ” Ryan huffed under his breath with that sad smile he usually wore. Nanda wondered if Junior called him that. She and her big brother were going to have to have a serious talk about what was going on between the two of them.
“Seriously, what’s up, Ryan? How’s it going?”
He shrugged. “It’s going. It’s fine. I’m ready for Jason to get another girlfriend because he’s about to drive me nuts with the Lifetime Movie Network.”
“Lifetime Movie Network? Seriously? Mister Big Bad Marine?”
Ryan shook his head. “He has a serious thing for Tori Spelling. It’s like an obsession. There is something wrong with him.” Nanda continued chuckling, and Ryan gave her a pointed look. “Dude, there is. Good God A’mighty. Ugh.”
“There could be worse things. He could have the Titanic soundtrack on repeat.”
“Four words: Celine Dion’s Greatest Hits.”
“Oh no!” Nanda couldn’t help but cackle at Ryan’s glum expression.
“Anyway, I’m out for most of the afternoon. Got an appointment with the orthopedist.”
“Everything okay?”
Ryan shrugged. “I guess I’ll find out. See ya, Nanda.”
“I want you to check in with me, okay?” Nanda pinned him with her best maternal look, which finally elicited a laugh from him.
“Okay, Mom. Jeez.” He chuckled, and with a little wave, headed out the door.
Nanda shook her head as she watched his retreating figure limp out of the fight club. He was
such a sweet man. With a sigh, Nanda returned to her invoices.
“Nanda!”
Her head snapped toward the voice. Junior strode through the door, suitcase and gym bag trailing behind him.
“Manita, there you are! I’ve been calling you all morning!” Junior dropped his bags and gathered Nanda into a tight hug.
“Junior, you can let me go now. Junior, now. Junior, let me the fuck go so I can breathe!”
Junior let her go like he had been shocked. He cradled her face in his hands and looked deep into her eyes as if they would tell him if she was truly okay.
“I’m okay,” Nanda whispered, but a big, traitorous tear escaped, and she chuckled.
He patted her cheek. “Well, we’ve got a suite at the Marriott, so you don’t have to stay at the fight club tonight.”
“Wait. ‘We’? Oh my God, did Marta come with you? Junior, if either of our nosy-ass sisters came down here, I’m going back to New Jersey, so help me God.”
Junior chuckled. “Calm down, Nanda. No, neither of our sisters came with me.”
“So, who . . . ? Oh.”
Nanda watched as Derek Martin, Junior’s high school sweetheart and recently reconciled lover, walked through the door of the fight club. There was a lot of bad history there that Nanda was too young to remember, but her older sisters did. The two elder Maldonados viewed this reconciliation with extreme skepticism, and because Nanda trusted her sisters’ judgment, she adopted the same opinion.
Junior gave her a silent warning, and Nanda fixed her face in a pleasant, if noncommittal, look. Or at least, she hoped she did.
“Nanda, nice to see you again.” Derek shook her hand and smiled at her.
“Hey, Derek. Junior didn’t say that you were joining him for training camp.”
She thought she saw a flicker of unease cross Derek’s face, but if so, he recovered quickly, shrugging and smiling blandly.
“There’s an insurance conference that starts tomorrow, so I figured, why not go ahead and come down a bit early? I want to see this DS Fight Club and meet all the fighters that Junior’s been yammering about.”
Nanda narrowed her eyes, and Derek lifted one eyebrow as if he was challenging her. Oh, I know your game, mano. You wanted to check out the competition.
