by Lola Kidd
“I need you to make up something for us to add to the venue. Maybe a poster to put up during the match,” Mr. James said. “Whatever else you want to do. You have the best ideas, so whatever you pick will be great. Oh, and he needs some petty cash to go to the gym.”
“I’m training with one of the twins,” Nate said.
Blair nodded and went to retrieve the petty cash box. She took out two hundred dollars. “This should be enough to get you started. See if maybe they can give you some kind of deal? Since this is a town thing and I bet it’ll be at the gym, they might help you out.”
She went to that gym, and she had seen Nate there once or twice. She assumed he had a membership, but she knew training cost extra. She was sure it was Ray who did the training, but it could be Abe. They were a little younger than she was, and she didn’t know them well. She did know that the twins were wolf shifters with great bodies. One of her friends had gone out with one of them for a while. They both had giant muscles, and she knew only one of them went to the gym.
“Thanks,” Nate said. “I’ll make sure I get it for cheap.”
“You want to leave now?” Mr. James suggested. “I can’t imagine we’ll have many more customers today, and if we do, I believe our handy office manager can help them.”
“Of course,” Blair said. “Good luck, Nate.”
“Thanks.” Nate and Mr. James left her alone.
At the end of the day, Blair had a sudden urge to go check out the gym herself. She hadn’t gone in a while, and she could use a workout. After all, the gym membership cost her money whether she used it or not. She could do more to make use of her money. She even had gym clothes in her car already.
Blair drove over and saw that Nate’s car was still there. She changed in the locker room and then casually went to the machines. She started running on the treadmill. She used the mirror to look around and spotted Nate behind her. He was working at one of the freestanding bags with Ray. He had his shirt off and was just wearing gym shorts.
Blair almost fell off the treadmill, she was staring so hard. His body was something to behold. She’d never seen him without his short-sleeved work shirt. He had a great body. She could stand there staring all day.
“Are you new, honey?”
Some gym rat was trying to flirt. She didn’t need any of that. Blair shook her head no without bothering to speak to the guy. She didn’t want to give him an opening.
“I could help you. Show you how to use all the machines,” he persisted.
“No, thank you. Take your business elsewhere.”
“You don’t need to be a jerk about it.” The man looked at her closely. “Actually, I think we’ve dated.”
He grabbed Blair’s arm, almost making her fall off the treadmill. He was right. She had dated him once before, but that didn’t give him the right to bother her now.
“Easy, buddy!” Nate was at the guy’s side. He had the guy’s arm in a viselike grip and his eyes were flashing.
The guy twisted in Nate’s grip. “Hey, man, I didn’t know she was with someone.”
Nate shook his head. “She’s not with anyone. You don’t bother a woman just because you think she’s alone. Now apologize.”
The man rubbed his arm and glared at Blair.
“Sorry,” he spat. “Obviously I made a good choice when I didn’t call you for a second date.”
Nate growled a warning, and Blair jumped. The sound was terrifying, even though she knew it wasn’t directed at her. For a moment, she thought he would shift.
The man walked away quickly to the locker room. She didn’t think any woman was going to have a problem with this guy for a while.
Ray nodded at Nate and followed the guy into the locker room.
Nate stood at her side and waited for his trainer to return. He was breathing heavily, and she couldn’t help but watch as sweat dripped down his muscular chest.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
She nodded. “Thank you. I don’t know what I ever saw in that guy.”
“I guess you must have thought he was worth your time,” Nate said, then he walked away.
He didn’t even look back to see if she was watching him walk away. And she totally was.
She couldn’t wait for the match. She didn’t know what had changed, but this new Nate was impressive. He might have a chance to do well, get the shop some good publicity, and help the town get its fireworks. It was impressive. And sexy. Blair didn’t know when, but Nate had for sure gotten sexier these last few days.
Chapter 14
“I’ll be right back,” Blair told her friend. Her friend nodded and put her purse in Blair’s seat. They had gotten five seats right in the front. The place looked great. They had cleared out all the gym machines from the area and set up chairs. There were lights set up around the ring. It looked like a professional boxing match.
There had already been matches fought the day before and they were down to the last round. Nate had made it into the finals. He would be fighting jaguar shifter Ray. She was impressed and wanted to tell him good luck before the fight. It had been a hectic day for Nate. She’d tried calling him earlier but he had been swamped with interviews all day. Tanner had set up as many interviews as he could for the two finalists. With how well the turnout was and the money raised, Blair had a feeling this would be an annual event. It was certainly the most exciting summer event that Maple Creek had seen.
This close to the show Blair wasn’t sure she’d be able to get backstage. That wasn't going to stop her from trying. She went to the entrance to the women’s changing room. That was where Nate and his team were set up before the fight. Tanner was waiting outside.
“Can I talk to Nate for a second?” she asked him.
Tanner shrugged. “If he wants to see people, sure. He kicked his trainer out ten minutes ago and it looks like he wants to be alone.”
Blair was crushed. “Oh, ok.”
“Hold on,” Tanner said when she turned around. “I said I’d go ask him. I don’t think he’s going to turn you away.”
She waited outside patiently while Tanner checked with Nate.
“You’re good,” he told her when he came out. “But don’t take too long. I’ll come and knock on the door when it’s time for him to be announced.”
Blair nodded. “I’ll be quick.”
She went into the changing room. It was silent. She had to get all the way to the back before she found Nate.
“Hey,” she said. “I just wanted to say good luck.”
He turned to her, face blotchy and red. “Thanks.”
“Are you ok?” she asked getting closer. “You look a little flushed.”
“I’m nervous,” he admitted. “I’m going to be boxing in front of Tiger Jones.”
“So what?” Blair put her hand on the side of his face. “You’re freaking Nate Morton. You’re in the finals.”
He smiled at her. “Thanks for coming to see me. I feel better when I talk to you.”
“I’m glad I was able to get a good seat. I’m so happy to come and watch you.”
They stared at each other smiling. Blair bit her bottom lip. Nate looked really good. He must have been practicing or doing pushups because all his muscles were popping. He was only wearing his shorts with the stores logo. She ran her hand down his neck to his arm and squeezed his bulging bicep. She didn’t even think as her hand moved. She wanted to touch him. She didn’t think about the crowd of people just outside or the fact that he had to be in the ring any moment. She just wanted to feel his body.
Nate growled deep in his chest and she jumped. She pulled her hand away. “Sorry. I’ll go back to my seat.”
“Wait.” Nate grabbed her and pulled her close. He kissed her roughly and recklessly. This wasn’t the right time or place but Blair kissed him back running her hands along his body.
He put his hand under her dress and squeezed her bare ass cheek. Blair moaned as he tugged her thong down and kicked her legs apart. Nate p
ushed her back against the lockers and put his hand between her legs. He stroked her until she was moaning loudly.
“Shh,” he cautioned. “The door isn’t locked.”
Blair put her hand over her mouth as Nate turned her around. She braced herself with one hand as she felt him line up with her entrance from behind. He gripped her hips and slid into her roughly. She moaned into her hand as Nate breathed heavily in her ear.
“You feel so damn good,” he growled. He pushed into her, hitting a spot inside that made her see stars. Blair’s legs shook as she came.
Nate gripped her hips tightly and pulled her close to his chest. He growled in her ear as he picked up the pace. She took her hand away from her mouth and put it on the locker in front of her. She hung her hand and pressed her lips together as she came again.
He came inside of her moments later. Nate bit her softly on the shoulder. “Thanks.”
She laughed. “Thank you. I don’t think I’ve ever come that hard in my life.”
There was a knock at the door. Blair almost didn’t hear it but Nate froze.
“Shhh, its Tanner.”
She could hear footsteps getting closer.
“You in here?” Tanner asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute,” Nate said.
The steps stopped. “Ok. We’re waiting to introduce you guys.”
“Thanks.”
Tanner walked out of the locker room and Blair breathed a sigh of relief.
“Was that ok?”
“What do you mean?” Nate asked pulling his shorts back up.
“I didn’t like tire you out or something did I?”
He laughed. “Maybe if I was a normal man. That was just a warm-up for me.”
Blair kissed him softly. “Good luck.”
She left him alone to use the bathroom before returning to her seat. She hadn’t meant to do that but she was glad it had happened. She liked Nate much more than she thought possible. She wanted to be more. It turned out LK Brides had a pretty good idea of what she needed even if she didn’t.
Chapter 15
“And the winner is…Nate!” Tanner held up Nate’s hand in victory.
He was breathing hard and was pretty beat up, but he was smiling ear to ear. Wyatt was in the front row with Blair, and they were cheering for him. There were four scantily clad women next to Blair who were also jumping up and down. He recognized them, but barely. They were Blair’s best friends.
“Nice job, man,” Tanner yelled close to his ear.
“Thanks,” Nate said.
“I can’t believe you beat me,” Ray said good-naturedly. “My brother must have given you some inside info.”
They left the ring and went backstage, where they were both looked at by a medic. While Nate was waiting for Ray to get checked out, Abe came over to talk to him.
“You did so good, man.” Abe shook Nate’s hand. “I told my brother that he should have trained with me.”
“I thought it would be a conflict of interest or something,” Ray said. “Plus, you don’t even do boxing.”
“I will now,” Abe grinned. “Now that everyone has seen how awesome Nate did, I’ve already had three people ask me for training.”
It was Nate’s turn with the medic. She gave him the all-clear after a simple check. He knew he had already healed from the match, and his tiger was still raring to go. That wasn’t even close to enough fighting for the animal.
This was a side of his tiger Nate hadn’t seen before. His animal rarely wanted to make an appearance and didn’t seem to mind that he almost never gave it free rein. It had been pushing to get a piece of the fight during the whole competition.
He had heard about places shifters could go to fight their animals. He wondered if that was something his animal would like. Some of the places were dangerous, but he thought it might be fun to try out. After those fistfights and the training from Abe, he thought he stood a good chance of winning. It might be cool to see what his animal was capable of.
“You going to the after party?” Ray asked him.
He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
“Are you kidding?” Abe asked. “You won. You have to be there!”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“If you don’t come to the Bull tonight, you have to at least come to the celebration at the park,” Ray said. “It’s going to be family-friendly and everything.”
Tanner joined them backstage. “Your drinks are on me tonight, man.”
“He’s not coming,” Ray informed him.
“What? Nate, everyone is dying to talk to you and buy you beers. You have to come.”
“Okay,” Nate relented. He was sure that Blair would be there.
“I’d offer to give you a ride home, but I don’t think you’ll need it.” Tanner winked at him. “Blair is waiting outside with her friends.”
Ray whistled. “Blair? When did that happen? Leo said she wasn’t going on dates anymore.”
Nate couldn’t help but smile. Leo didn’t have any interest in Blair. The bear must have been testing her. Maybe he was making some new friends.
“I don’t know if we’re a thing yet, but I like hanging out with her,” Nate said.
“Dude, she’s waiting outside in the gym, and her friends aren’t even mad,” Tanner said. “I know those girls, and they don’t wait for any old dude.”
Nate was happy to hear that. He wanted Blair’s friends and sister to like him. In truth, he was a little intimidated by her close circle of beautiful friends. It sounded like he’d made a good impression.
He and Ray went back to change out of their gym clothes and shower. He didn’t have anything nice to wear to the bar, but he didn’t think it would matter.
“You’re buying me my first beer,” Ray said, stretching. “You’ve got a wicked right hook, man. Thanks for the match. My jaguar enjoyed that. If you ever want to square our animals up, give me a call.”
“Sounds like fun, man,” Nate said enthusiastically. His night was going better than he could have hoped for.
Chapter 16
“We’ll meet you there,” Blair assured her friends. They’d been waiting outside the changing room for twenty minutes. The girls were being troopers, but she felt bad for making them wait. She let them off the hook so they could go save a table for the group.
Her friends left, and Blair stood around waiting alone. The Parks and Rec team was making quick work of closing down the gym. There was one gym employee giving directions, but Tanner’s team was doing most of the work. They were so coordinated and hardworking. It was hard to believe that they were all volunteers. Blair felt bad watching them work.
If she hadn’t been waiting for Nate, she would have left with everyone else after the fight. She had no idea how much work went into these events, and all of it was unpaid. That was a travesty. No wonder nothing had been happening in town for years.
She was going to go and volunteer for the next event. It had to be the Fourth of July parade and fireworks celebration. They had raised enough to fund the event, but she knew the Parks and Rec department didn’t have a big enough team to cover it.
It would be fun. She knew Nate had had a good time training for this event and working with Tanner. She even had skills that would be useful to the team. She was an expert marketer, thanks to her job. It would be a fun thing to do with Nate.
She didn’t think she would need to have a big “define the relationship” talk with him. They’d made love backstage. She was sure now that they belonged together. They had such great chemistry. She’d never had physical chemistry with anyone like this.
It was a happy discovery. She’d always thought Nate was good-looking, but she’d had no idea that he could actually be a tiger. He was so mild-mannered. The transformation was so sexy. She loved when he let his animal run wild. Seeing him in the ring had only solidified her decision to give a relationship with him a chance.
She’d been so wrong about him this whole tim
e. Even though he didn’t show his macho side often, it was still there. It was going to be fun getting to know him outside of work.
Blair checked her phone as the volunteers finished removing all the chairs from around the ring and sweeping. The place looked as good as new. Where were Nate and Ray? There was only way out.
She started to get worried. Maybe one of them had gotten hurt in the fight. She hadn’t seen Tanner leaving either, or Ray’s brother.
Her nerves getting the best of her, Blair went to the door of the changing room and peeked in. “Hello? It’s Blair. Is anyone in here?”
“We’re dressed. Come on back,” Ray shouted.
The men’s room was the mirror image of the ladies’ changing room. She’d expected it to at least smell worse, but it had the same “wet towel and bleach” smell. Her heels clicked loudly in the empty room.
She found the men conversing in a bay of lockers. Nate smiled at her as she walked up.
“What’s the holdup?” she asked.
“This guy doesn’t want to come to the Brazen Bull with all of us,” Ray said.
“What?” Blair asked, surprised. “But you won. Why would you skip out on the after party? It’s basically going to be a party for you.”
Nate shook his head. “It should be a party for Tanner, his volunteers, and the donors.”
“But you got punched in the face for the cause,” Tanner joked. “You deserve a night of fun after that.”
“I’m really tired,” Nate said. “I think I’d like a night of fun with my bed.”
Blair grinned. She hoped she could get some fun in bed with him later. But she wanted to hit up the party first. She had expected him to go. Why would he not want to?
“My friends are waiting for me,” she told him. “You should come with me and make a quick appearance. Even if you’re sleepy, you can pop in say hi and then leave after fifteen minutes.”
