Redemption

by Tia Lewis

  The door opened, and the object of my thoughts stepped through, pulling off his sunglasses in the process. My heart stuttered in my chest as I took him in, wearing my favorite outfit of his customary jeans and dress shirt, looking like a million sexy bucks. "Hey," he said, giving me a grin. "You ready?"

  "Don't worry about me," Lillian said, slapping the case. "I'll make sure the bakery doesn't burn down, or I get kidnapped by a bus full of random hot guys."

  "Thanks, Lillian," I said, blowing her a kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

  "Yeah, yeah," she said with the wave of her hand. "Go on kids, have fun. Bring me back something cool."

  I picked up my small carry-on and joined Anthony outside, where his car was waiting at the curb. He took my carry-on and threw it in the trunk as I climbed in the car, nervous, and we hadn't even gotten there yet.

  He climbed in and pulled away from the curb, his hand reaching over to caress my knee lightly through my jeans. "What's the one thing you would want to do in New York?"

  "That's a loaded question," I laughed as he followed the road to the interstate. "I mean I've never been. What would you recommend?"

  Anthony shrugged. "You know, I've been a few times. Never really did any touristy things there."

  "Oh," I said as he took the exit for the airport. "Well, we don't have to do anything at all there. I know this is a business trip for you."

  He said nothing as he passed the terminal for commercial airlines and headed to the private jet section of the airport. "Are we not going on a plane?" I teased as he parked the car and cut off the engine.

  Anthony looked over at me. "We are going on Trent's jet. No coach for us."

  Oh, my god. This was like some dream come true. Anthony got our luggage out of the trunk, a duffel bag for him, and led me to the small building, where we were greeted by a woman who took our things and led us out onto the tarmac. A gleaming jet sat waiting for us, along with the pilot. "Welcome aboard," he said, shaking our hands at the stairs. "We should have a short, smooth flight today."

  "Thanks," I said, taking in a breath as I walked up the stairs and into the jet. It was everything that you would see on TV, all leather and wood, the perfect picture of money. I chose the chair near the window as Anthony said a few words to the pilot before he sat across from me, dropping his jacket in the chair beside him. "This is amazing," I said as the door was closed and the plane started. "I've never flown in one of these before."

  "Then you are in for a treat," he replied. "It's the best way to fly."

  I settled back, and before I knew it, we were in the clouds. Anthony rose from his seat and grabbed the bottle of champagne that was chilling in the bucket on the table, pouring me a glass. I noticed he grabbed a bottle of water off the bar after handing me a glass, holding it up in a toast. "To your first time in the big apple," he said, clinking my glass against his bottle. I took a sip, then a bigger one, my nerves now at a fevered pitch, feeling the bubbles slide down my throat. Anthony sat his bottle aside and leaned down, bracing himself on my armrests. "I need to kiss you," he said, his voice gruff. "Can I kiss you, Hannah?"

  Did he really have to ask? I mean he could kiss me whenever he wanted. I answered him with a jerky nod and his mouth curved into a grin, sending my nerves scattering. His lips descended on mine, and I moaned into his mouth as his tongue swept in, tangling with mine. A swirl of need and want spun in my stomach, wanting to touch him but scared that I might not be able to stop. He pulled back and looked at me, the need in his eyes scaring me just a little. "Close your eyes, Hannah."

  "W-what?" I asked, my hands gripping the armrests so tight that I thought I was going to rip them from their hinges.

  "Trust me. Close your eyes."

  I held my breath and closed my eyes, wondering what was going to happen when I did. Oddly, I wasn't scared, but more excited than anything. Something good was going to happen. Either that, or this was turning into a James Bond movie, and Anthony was about to jump out of the plane, leaving me wallowing in my own wetness. When his hands touched my shoulders, I jumped, earning a chuckle from him. "Easy," he said near my ear. "I'm not going to hurt you, Hannah."

  I knew that, but just the thought of what he was going to do was nearly driving me over the edge. His lips touched the side of my neck, and I sighed, his hands moving down my arms and down my jean-covered thighs, his fingers lightly brushing over my knees before massaging my calves. Then his hands left me, and I stuck out my lower lip, keeping my eyes closed as he had requested. I hoped there was more.

  He didn't disappoint. His hands were suddenly under my shirt, caressing the soft skin of my stomach and heightening my awareness once more. "Is this okay?" he asked near my ear. "Because I will stop."

  I worked my mouth, finally deciding that a nod of my head was enough. He chuckled, and his hands inched up higher, until they covered the lacy detail of my bra that I, fortunately, had decided to wear this morning. He hadn't seen it yet, but I doubted that it wasn't going to be long before he did. When his thumbs grazed over my suddenly erect nipples, I moaned, unable to keep it in. It had been so long since someone touched me like that.

  I heard his sharp intake of breath and the cool air was suddenly touching my upper body as I felt my shirt pulled over my head. Well, if I had any reservations of Anthony seeing me in the bright light, those fears were now just a distant memory.

  "Fucking gorgeous."

  My ears perked up as I heard his soft words, a blush spreading throughout my body. He thought I was gorgeous still? What had I done right in my life to deserve this guy? His hands covered my breasts again, and I felt my bones start to melt under his touch, biting my lip to keep from opening my eyes. I didn't want him to stop.

  His thumbs on my nipple were replaced by the warmth of his mouth, causing me to nearly jump off of the chair as he wet the lace. Oh god. My hands left the armrests and delved into his hair, my eyes still shut as I held his head there, the electricity shooting straight to my groin. Yes. This was what I wanted, what I needed.

  His tongue lavished the other nipple, and I felt his hand start to work at the button on my jeans, half thinking I should stop him. But hadn't he asked me before if this was what I was ready for? Hadn't I told him yes? Why in hell was I attempting to stop this hot guy who clearly wanted in my pants?

  His hand slipped into my loosened waistband, and I fought the urge to suck in. After all, he was already seeing me without my shirt on. I mean, there were rolls there. His fingers delved into my panties, and I bit back a cry as he found my already wet, hardened clit.

  "Hell, yes," he said, his finger applying pressure to the swollen nub. "You're so wet for me."

  I made a sound, pressing against his finger to urge him on. I needed this, with him. He caught on and his finger started a slow, torturous circle, flicking against it. "Are you going to come for me, Hannah?"

  "Y-yes," I breathed, feeling the build of the orgasm in my lower half. The release was so close.

  He growled and covered my mouth with his as I let go, moaning into his mouth as my body shook with the force of the orgasm. I went limp as he tore away from my mouth, opening my eyes to see his staring back at me, dark stormy clouds full of heat. Here I was, half naked and panting in front of the hottest guy I had ever had the privilege to date, and he was looking at me like he could devour me. "I. um."

  "No words," he growled, falling into the chair in front of me, rubbing his hand over his face.

  I looked at him, the bulge in the front of his jeans very evident and wondered what was stopping him from taking me here and now, joining the frequent flyer club without a doubt. Had all of this just been some wonderful dream and now reality was crashing down? Had I disgusted him? All of a sudden, I no longer wanted to be like this in front of him. Grabbing my shirt, I slid it on, my face burning with embarrassment.

  Anthony's hand landed on my arm as I started to get up, forcing me to look at him. He looked pissed. "No. It's not what you think."

  Wit
h a squeak, I found myself falling against him, landing in his lap with my legs dangling over the armrest. His strong arms trapped me there, his face looking down at mine. "No," he said again, his eyes darker than ever. "I want you, Hannah. Hell, I could take you at least a half a dozen times on this floor right now."

  I gulped, feeling the need under my rear end. "Why aren't you?"

  "Because," he said harshly. "You deserve better than this."

  His words floored me. Deserved better than what? Having hot sex with him? His lips found my jaw line, nipping at the sensitive skin there. "I want you in a bed," he said softly, his breath hot on my face. "Naked and screaming out my name over and over again."

  Well, that couldn't have been put any clearer. I reached up and caressed his cheek, feeling the rough stubble against my palm. "So you are saying I would be too loud in the plane."

  He choked on his laughter, pulling me tight against his chest. I grinned, all of the worry disappearing from my thoughts. He did want me after all. I would gladly take a romp in this plane, but the lure of his words for tonight made me want to wait. I laid my head on his chest, feeling the strong heart beat under the palm of my hand that was resting there. Anthony was full of surprises, and I didn't want to stop finding them out, ever.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Anthony

  She was killing me. We walked hand in hand into the lobby of the hotel, glad that Trent had put me up in a nice one at least, so I could see the complete happiness on Hannah's face as she took it all in. After the hot moment on the plane, my nerves were on edge, the need to go punch out this sexual frustration building inside of me. I had come so close to losing it on the plane, taking her against the seat as I pounded away, but I had held back and nearly lost Hannah in the process. Did she not know how much I fucking wanted her, needed her? I was trying to be a gentleman about this, trying to make this the perfect experience for her, but with every heated look she gave me, all I could think about was finding the darkest corner and taking her right then and there.

  "This is amazing," she breathed as I collected the key from the front desk. I grinned, allowing her a moment to look around the Four Season's lobby. It was pretty fucking impressive, though I had already seen it a time or two. Back in the good days, when I was a hot commodity, I had stayed in places like this, taking them for granted because I was stupid to think that it was never going to end, that I was never going to be on the bottom again, clawing my way back to the top. Yet here I was, with a bum knee and attempting to do just that. I wasn't happy with just settling. I wanted it all back. "Come on," I finally said. "Let's go up."

  She gave me a smile as we walked to the elevators, taking it to one of the higher floors of the hotel, opening the door to the suite so Hannah could walk in. Trent hadn't disappointed. The room had a great view of the skyline as well as a big king sized bed that I knew we would enjoy later. For Hannah's first time in the city, she was going to have a great fucking memory.

  "Wow," she breathed, walking over to the wall of glass that overlooked the city. "This is, wow."

  Tell me about it. Seeing her stand before the window, her face full of excitement damn near took my breath away. "We'll see some of the city on the way to the interview," I finally forced out.

  Hannah turned around. "I want to freshen up first."

  I looked at her, thinking there was nothing she needed to do but hey, who could understand women sometimes? "You got some time, go ahead."

  She grabbed her bag and walked to the bathroom, shutting the door before I exhaled a breath, my hand shaking slightly. Damn, I could really go for a drink right now to calm my nerves. Part of them had to do with the interview, unsure of what questions were going to be asked of me, but the other was attempting to make this night Hannah's best memory. It was far too much pressure to be dealing with right now.

  I cracked my knuckles nervously as Hannah and I entered the office space, seeing the other covers of the magazines lining the walls. There was a time, years ago, I had stepped into this office and posed for a cover, feeling on top of the world. Now I was making my comeback, and my feelings were different. I was fucking nervous.

  Hannah took my hand in hers and gave it a little squeeze, causing me to look over at her. "You're going to do just fine," she whispered as we walked up to the desk where a receptionist was sitting. "You're Rampage remember?"

  I gave her a wink and released her hand, not wanting her to feel the nervous tension that was inside of me. I hated this feeling, the feeling far different than the nervousness I got before a match. That I could handle, this, well I felt ill.

  The receptionist waved us on back, and we stepped through a door into a large room, where a white backdrop was already set up for the photo shoot that would follow, the photographer angling the lighting to get the best shot. I was glad I had done some reps before leaving the hotel, wanting my body to be in top shape for this interview. I wanted no weaknesses, no reason for people to doubt me.

  "Tony! Glad you could make it!"

  I looked up to see Trent bearing down on us, a grin on his face. "Dude, I have the best fucking news. You are going to be cover again."

  "Cover?" I asked, surprised.

  He nodded, looking over my shoulder at Hannah. "Hey Hannah, I'm glad you were able to talk him into coming up for this."

  "You're welcome," she replied, coming to stand beside me. "Thank you for having me."

  Trent gave her a grin, slapping me on the back. "Ready to get started, Rampage?"

  "Hell yes," I said, though I didn't feel it. Trent led me over to the wardrobe department before walking away to tend to Hannah. I watched as she grinned at something he said, feeling that heat race through my body and not because I was fucking excited. I was jealous and rightly so, knowing that the lure of Trent's money was enough for any woman to take an interest in him. And Hannah, damn she could turn some heads tonight dressed in a pair of black pants and a white shirt that showed off a great deal of cleavage, though she did have a blazer type jacket over the shirt. Trent's eyes kept straying to her chest, and I wanted to tear his eyes out of their sockets.

  "She your girlfriend?"

  "What?" I asked, looking at the woman before me who would prep me for the shoot.

  She laughed, her electric blue hair shining in the bright light. "Dude, it's written all over your face. She's pretty."

  I couldn't help but agree. Hannah was fucking gorgeous. "Come on lover boy," the woman said, tugging on my jacket. "Time to make you pretty as well."

  I allowed her to strip me, comfortable walking around in my skivvies considering I wore those tight shorts when I fought and slid into a pair of flaming red shorts. A little gel in my hair and I was done, walking barefoot in front of the camera.

  "Damn man, you are ripped," Trent said, walking over next to the camera as I followed the photographer's instructions on the different poses. Under hooded eyes, I saw Hannah in the distance, her eyes on my body as I turned around. I had seen her nearly naked, and it had damn near killed me to stop myself from taking her on that plane. She had curves in all the right places and my hands itched to touch her body tonight, all of it.

  The photographer had me turn a few different ways before she considered the shoot done and I was allowed to put my clothes back on, walking over to the stools that were set up near a bar, clearly there to make the situation comfortable. "Want a drink?" Trent asked as I sat down, clasping my hands together in front of me. "We got a little bit of everything here."

  "Nah, thanks," I shrugged it off as he sat before me, a tape recorder between us. "I'm good."

  He nodded and flipped the recorder on. "So Rampage, what made you want to get back in the cage?"

  I cleared my throat. "It's in my blood. At no point was I done with the cage."

  He nodded. "Some would say that you are washed up, that your knee is going to be picked apart by Jose in your match in a few weeks."

  "I'm in the best shape of my life," I fired back, attempting to keep my co
ol. I was used to the questions, but they still burned. "My knee is not going to be an issue."

  Trent nodded, clearly enjoying my attitude. "So what is going to be your plan after this fight?"

  This was the one question I didn't know how to answer. I had no fucking idea what my plans were after this fight, assuming I made it through the fight. I could talk shit with the guys constantly about the fight, but I knew there was always that chance of not coming through it alive or how I entered the cage. It was like that for every fight. "Well, there's the gym," I started out, wanting to give it props on a national stage. "We've done pretty well with it."

  Trent gave me a grin. "Don't worry, I'll drop a line or two about the gym. It will be a hot commodity once I tell them who is running the joint."

  "Thanks," I said, feeling a little more at ease. "I really don't know man what's next. I want to fight as long as I humanly can. Fighting is my life."

  "And what about your personal life?" Trent pressed on. "Is there someone in your life currently?"

  I looked over at Hannah, who was flipping through one of the magazines not far from us. "Yeah, there's someone, and she's pretty special."

  Chapter Sixteen

  Hannah

  We climbed out of the cab, and I pulled my jacket tighter around me, surprised at how cold New York could get at night. By all accounts, Anthony's interview and photo shoot had gone pretty well, especially the part where I could ogle his body and not feel like some weird stalker. He really had a great body, the tattoos adding an element of danger to his handsome profile and I doubted I would ever get tired of seeing him in those little hot pants he had on earlier. My heart had done a pitter patter by just looking at him.