Fighting Hard

by Marysol James

  Nick was surprised at the wave of tenderness that came over him at the sight of her tears. “You’re going to be fine. I’m taking you to my place. You can get some rest there.”

  “Your place?” The color was draining from her face again. “I don’t think –”

  “I’m not going to hurt you, Mia. OK? I already called the cops and they know where you’ll be. I swear, you’re going to be safe with me.” He touched her cheek and she closed her eyes for a second. “When you feel a bit better, we can think about checking you in to a hotel until your friends get back from the conference and you can get your keys, or your purse turns up. We’ll work it out. OK?”

  “I don’t know – I’m not sure…”

  “Mia.” His voice was firm. “You are coming back to my place. No arguments.”

  Chapter Three

  Mia looked around Nick’s apartment with a sense of unreality. How had she ended up going home with the world’s sexiest bartender that she had met for the first time in her life just eight hours earlier?

  His place was small and almost Spartan in its neatness: it was the most impersonal apartment she had ever seen. No photos, no plants, no knick-knacks on the shelves. Just basic, sturdy furniture and lots of books.

  He had set her down on the sofa in the tiny living room and was now moving around in what she assumed was the bedroom. He appeared in the doorway and she regarded him as he stood in the dazzling morning sun. Yep, he was actually the most gorgeous man she had ever spoken to. Her life was very bizarre right now.

  “OK, I’ve got everything ready in here.” He came over to her and gently helped her up. A dark wave washed over her and she gasped.

  Nick felt her sway on her feet and he grasped her arms. “Mia? You still dizzy?”

  “Yes…”

  “OK, we’ll take it slow. I’ve got you.”

  They had walked a few steps when it hit her where he was taking her. God, I’m so out of it. “Wait. Nick, wait.”

  His dark gray eyes stared down at her. “What’s wrong?”

  “I can’t sleep in your bed… I mean, this whole thing is weird enough already. I can’t – I can’t get in to a guy’s bed I don’t even know!”

  Nick gazed at Mia’s agitated face and felt the urge to laugh. My God. How many women have fallen in to my bed with no protest whatsoever? And most of them knew me for way less time than she has.

  When he spoke, his voice was gentle. “I get that it’s weird. I do. But the sofa isn’t very comfortable, and you need to rest. It’s just for a few hours.”

  “But – don’t you need to sleep too? I mean, you’ve been up all night…”

  “I’ll take the sofa.”

  “But you just said it’s not comfortable.”

  “Mia. I think that the person who has been drugged and has a head injury should get the comfy bed, and the person who is totally fine should get the crappy sofa.”

  She looked at him and blinked. Then, to his complete surprise, she giggled. A rare real smile spread across his face at the sound and he felt relief.

  “Yeah, OK,” she said. “I think you have a valid point.”

  “Thank you. Now, come on.”

  His bedroom was small and decidedly masculine, with a huge bed and dark wooden furniture. He handed her a long t-shirt.

  “Put this on. Call me when you’re ready, OK?”

  “Sure.”

  Mia undressed slowly, wincing at the pain in her shoulder as she pulled her dress over her head. His t-shirt had a strong, musky scent mixed with something fresh, like citrus. She took a deep breath and found that she quite liked it.

  “OK,” Mia said. “All set.”

  He helped her in to his bed and pulled the blanket over her. He turned off the light and left the room for a minute. When he returned, he had a glass of water in his hands.

  “Dr. Inglis said that you can take a painkiller every eight hours. I think you should take one now. I know it’s two hours early, but it’ll help you sleep. Can you drink that?”

  Mia put the small white pill between her lips and drank the cool water. It tasted so good, she drained the glass and he brought her another, set it on the bedside table. He looked down at her, tucked up safe and small in his bed. She looked exhausted but she was fighting going to sleep, he could tell.

  “Mia, I’m not going to come near you, I promise. You’re safe here. I’m going to have a shower and lie down on the sofa. That’s it. OK?”

  She nodded.

  “I’ll take tonight off work so you can stay here as long as you need to…”

  “Oh, don’t do that. Just kick me out when you have to go.”

  “No way. I’m sure The Cave can do without me for one night. You just wake up whenever you want, don’t worry about it. No pressure.”

  Her eyelids drifted closed and she forced them open again.

  Nick couldn’t stop himself from reaching out with one massive hand and stroking her cheek, his fingers brushing just under her bruise. “I’m so sorry all this happened to you, Mia.” He dropped his hand. “Sleep now.”

  He grabbed a fresh pair of boxer shorts from his closet and then turned and looked at her from the doorway. She was already asleep, her breathing deep and regular. He smiled again and closed the door half-way.

  **

  “Nick…”

  He stirred on the sofa.

  “Nick…”

  He jerked awake, confused, squinted around in the dim light. Why am I in the living room?

  Then he heard something in his bedroom. Weak movements. And – sobbing?

  Oh, my God. Mia.

  Nick got to his feet and hurried to the bedroom.

  “Mia? What’s wrong?”

  She was trying to sit up, tears streaming down her face. He sat down on the bed and pulled her in to his arms. She was shaking and cold and it scared him.

  “Talk to me. What’s going on?”

  “It hurts. It hurts so much.”

  “Your head?”

  “Yes.”

  He glanced at the clock on the table and was shocked to see that it was early evening. They had both been asleep for nearly nine hours.

  “OK, hold on. I’ll get you another painkiller.”

  Mia clutched the bed sheets in her hands and buried her face in the pillow, trying not to cry out. When Nick came back with the medicine, she almost wept with relief.

  He sat her up, supporting her shoulders. “OK. Slowly, now.”

  She closed her eyes as the water ran over her tongue and lips. “Thanks.”

  Nick eased her back down to the bed and looked at her. She was obviously hurting a lot: her face was tight and pale and she was biting her lips. Her eyes were glazed and shiny with bewildered pain. He remembered his first head injury – many years ago now – and how he’d just stayed in bed for two days and wanted to die.

  He didn’t even think about what he was doing: he lay down next to her and gathered her in to his arms. She clung to his shoulders and pressed her face against his bare chest. Her whole body was tense with pain and he rubbed her back. It felt like he was touching an iron rod; she was all hard edges and straight lines.

  “Just breathe, Mia. OK? Deep breaths. The painkiller will kick in in about fifteen minutes… you just have to hang on until then.”

  She nodded against his chest.

  Slowly, he felt her muscles start to loosen and relax. Her breathing became less constricted and quieter, and her body next to his became soft and rounded. Nick kept holding her, not wanting to let go. It had been a long time since he’d just held a woman, and it surprised him how good it felt. He closed his eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of her hair – she smelled fresh and pure, like a small white flower in a mountain breeze.

  Mia felt the warmth coming back in to her fingers and toes now, and the blinding, all-encompassing pain in her head receded. She became very aware of the fact that she was being held tightly by a pair of huge arms and she was resting on a muscular bare chest. She felt his
breathing and heart beat against her cheek. Something flickered in her memory and she pulled back to look at Nick.

  He was staring down at her and the look of tenderness on his hard face took her aback.

  He stroked her hair with gentle hands, and that was when she was sure. “It was you.”

  “Me what?”

  “I came to for a few seconds – I remember that I was being held by someone… that was you. Right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where was that?”

  “In the back seat of that guy’s car. He dragged you there and was getting ready to drive off with you.” He touched her uninjured cheek. “I got there just in time.”

  Mia felt tears start again. “Why did he do this? Why did he – he drug me? Hit me?”

  Nick shook his head. “I don’t know, babe.” The endearment slipped out of his mouth before he could stop it.

  She was crying now, crying for real. “What did I do?”

  “No, Mia, don’t do that.” He lifted her chin with his finger, forcing her to meet his eyes. “That dickhead showed up at a bar with drugs in his pockets. You hear me? He was looking for someone to hurt. If it hadn’t been you, it would have been someone else.”

  “He was going to – to rape me. And that was just for starters… he could have killed me. Right?”

  Nick was silent.

  She wrenched her chin from his grasp and started to pull away.

  Nick tightened his arms around her. “Hey, no. Stay right here. I’ve got you, it’s OK.”

  She twisted in his grip, her hands pushing against his chest. “It’s not OK, Nick!”

  He ran his fingers through her hair. “Calm down, babe. I’m not going to hurt you – just hold on to me.”

  Mia’s strength gave out completely and she lay in his arms and cried. The realization of what would have happened to her if Nick hadn’t been there overwhelmed her, and she let herself really feel the shock and anger of it for the first time.

  Nick took her shaking in to his own body, wishing he could absorb her fear and confusion. But all he could do was hold on to Mia and tell her over and over again that she was safe. And since that’s all he could do, that’s what he did.

  **

  Nick opened his eyes and blinked at the red numbers glowing at him from the clock on the bedside table: 4:51 a.m. How was that possible? The last thing he remembered was holding Mia until she fell asleep again. That was at almost nine o’clock the night before and that was after he’d already slept for nine hours. He never slept like this, not ever.

  I must be exhausted from all the training and work I’m doing lately. Maybe I need to slow down?

  Mia was still sleeping next to him, her breathing calm and even. He examined her face by the light of the streetlamps outside and saw that her color was good. The bruise on her face looked awful, though, the purple now tinged with black and sickly green. He reached out and stroked her cheek with a fingertip. She didn’t move.

  It was bizarre having a woman in his bed that he hadn’t had sex with. Nick struggled to recall the last time this had happened and it occurred to him that it was with Shelley. She was the last woman he’d just slept with, just held close and been totally happy with that. Any woman since her was there to get him off and then go. Names optional.

  Moving his large body as carefully and quietly as possible, he got to his feet and padded out of the bedroom, grabbing a t-shirt as he passed the closet. He went in to his tiny kitchen and started a pot of coffee and then peered in to the fridge. He imagined that she’d be hungry when she woke up – he hoped so, anyway. If she were, that would be a good sign.

  He made two sandwiches and devoured them with a cup of coffee as he watched the sun coming up over the mountains. The Rockies were the best part about living in Denver, as far as he was concerned. He had no time whatsoever for walking in the damn mountains but he could sit and look at them forever. He liked their strength, their uncompromising presence.

  He heard a noise behind him and he turned to see Mia standing there. She was dwarfed by the t-shirt he had loaned her and her feet were bare. Her hair was tousled and her eyes were gold in the sunrise. She was so astonishingly beautiful, so bright and clear, it actually took his breath away for a second.

  “Good morning,” he managed.

  “Good morning.”

  “Coffee?”

  “Yes, please. I’d love some.”

  “Milk and sugar?”

  “Please.”

  He watched her settle on to the sofa. She looked around his apartment and he tried to imagine what she must be seeing: lots of black and white, no decoration or ornamentation. Did she think it cold? Hard?

  He brought her the coffee and set it on the table in front of her.

  Mia met his eyes and she smiled. “Thank you, Nick. For everything.”

  He felt embarrassed now, as he remembered holding her close and whispering pet names that he hadn’t called any woman since Shelley. Did she remember? “You’re welcome.” He cleared his throat. “How are you feeling today?”

  “Good. Almost totally myself.”

  “Any pain in your head?”

  “Yeah, a bit. I don’t think I’ll need any more painkillers, though. I’d rather lay off them, if I can.”

  He nodded and tried to think what the hell to talk to her about. He was way out of practice at making conversation with sober women. “So… do you have to go to work tomorrow?”

  “Yep. You? Tonight?”

  “No. I only work at The Cave on Fridays and Saturdays.”

  “So it’s not your full-time job then. What else do you do?”

  “I have a club with a friend of mine, Adam.”

  “A dance club? Like, a bar?”

  “No. It’s a training club. We teach all kinds of martial arts. Boxing, too.”

  Her eyes ran over his body. Well, that certainly explains the muscles.

  “Really? Do you teach?”

  “I do.” He took a sip of coffee. “Karate. Adam does boxing, and we have another four guys who work for us too, as trainers and teachers. But I also compete a bit.”

  “Wow. That’s amazing.”

  “You ever do any martial arts?”

  “Oh, no,” she said. “I’m not that athletic.”

  “No?”

  “Nope. Yoga, that’s it.”

  “And what’s your job? The one you have to go to tomorrow?”

  “Well, I don’t really have to go anywhere… I just need my laptop. I’m a writer.”

  Nick paused. “Like – books? Or a journalist?”

  “Books.”

  “Wow. That’s amazing.”

  “We seem to be a mutual admiration society,” she said, grinning.

  He laughed. “I guess we are. So, what kind of books?”

  “Well, I really want to write literary fiction novels, but it's hard to make a living at it. So mostly I write books based on my travels to Asia.”

  “Books for tourists?”

  “Oh, no. Not at all. More… sociological studies.”

  He blinked at her. Hmmm. She’s brainy.

  “And what are you working on now?” he asked.

  “Right now? I’m helping a friend of mine with her book. It’s a photo album, kind of, and I’m writing the text.”

  “Photos? Of what?”

  Mia squirmed. “Ummm. Men.”

  Nick’s eyebrows shot up. “Men?”

  “Umm-hmmm.”

  “Are these men wearing any clothes?” he said teasingly.

  “Uh. Kind of.”

  “What?”

  “They’re kind of… half-dressed.” She was blushing now, and Nick thought the burst of color only made her look more stunning.

  “Really? So where does your friend find the men?”

  “All over the place. She’s trying to show men performing all kinds of sports and activities, and she wants to focus on the muscles used for each one. That’s why the men aren’t fully dressed and why the pic
tures are all in black and white – Katie wants to show the curves of the muscles, really highlight them as the men perform various strenuous sports.”

  “Huh. That’s kind of… cool, actually.”

  “Yeah. And my job is to interview the men and write a bit about each one of them. How they got in to their sport, all that.”

  Nick was surprised at the surge of jealousy that went through him at the thought of Mia sitting and chatting with strapping shirtless swimmers and rock-hard rock-climbers and Olympic-level gymnasts.

  She was looking at him. “Actually… you know what? I know Katie’s still looking for a man who boxes. I don’t know about karate – maybe that too. Can she call you or Adam, and talk to you guys about taking photos of you at your club?”

  “Well, I’m fine with it. I’ll ask Adam, though.”

  “Really? That’s great… she’s a very good photographer and she’s starting to become pretty well-known. Her book was actually commissioned by a publishing house, so it’s going to get real promotion and coverage and stuff. I think there will even be a huge opening at some gallery downtown.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah, just google her. Katie Lloyd. Even though this is her first book, if you check her website, you’ll see about a thousand images she’s shot.”

  Just then, Nick’s cell phone beeped with a text message. He read it and smiled. “Hey, the cops found your purse.”

  “My God. Is anything missing?”

  “Nope. Not a thing. It looks like the asshole just dumped it outside the club. House keys, wallet, credit cards, phone – everything’s still there.”

  “You’re kidding. Well, that’s amazing luck.”

  “Yeah. I’ll have them drop it here, OK?”

  Mia looked up at him, thrilled to be going home, but the thought of leaving Nick wasn’t pleasant. If she were being honest with herself, she’d have to admit that she had loved being held against that strong body. She was sure she’d never get in to bed with such a gorgeous man for the whole rest of her life.

  Nick was also feeling conflicted about Mia going home, but he’d give her his number so Katie could call him about the pictures. At that moment, Nick realized two things: if a well-known photographer took photos of him and Adam, it would be great publicity for the club – basically, free PR. And second, Mia would have to come and interview them… and that meant that he’d see her again.