Challenge: A Contemporary MMA Romance: Oni Fighters Book 3

by Natalie Gayle

  “Are you sure this is a good idea? What’s he want you to do?” I was far from convinced.

  “I don’t know at the moment. He mentioned running with him. I hate running by myself, so that works for me.”

  “Do you know how quick he moves along?”

  “I’ll be fine.” She dug in her heels.

  “Yeah, let me know how that’s working out for you when he’s upped it to five minute clicks and sprints in between.”

  “You don’t think I can do it?” Her eyes flashed and her nostrils flared in anger. Guess I’d hit a hot button!

  “I just don’t want you killing yourself to prove you can train with Xan. He’s insane when he’s on one of these preps. Take it from me…I’ve done quite a few with him and it was hard yakka. Real hard.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she said emphatically. “What do you think, Mark?”

  “Oh, no. I’m not getting dragged into your little spat. All I know is that Xan trains insane. If you want to train with him, then go for it. If any woman can, it’s you, Sophia, just don’t hurt yourself trying to prove something that we already know. You already have the respect of every male fighter at the dojo. You don’t need to worry about earning more.”

  I nodded at Mark. “I couldn’t have said it better myself. If you want to train with Xan, do so, just be sensible and don’t try and prove anything.”

  She laughed us both off. “Guys relax. Xander is my brother-in-law, like he’s going to kill me or damage me? Eden would make his life a misery.”

  “Well, that is true,” I agreed. “But I also know you. You don’t ever quit. And I know these preps. Xan get’s even more singularly focused. I don’t want him to miss how far he’s pushing you.”

  Sophia let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine. I’ll be careful with what I do.”

  “Thank you.” I gave her a smile and wink. “That was all I was asking for.”

  “Okay, Seth, Soph. I really need to bail. I’ve got a couple more things I need to do before I call it a day.” Mark leaned over and shook my hand, and fist bumped Sophia.

  “Thanks, Mark, for dropping by. And I’m sorry I put you in that position. Won’t happen again.”

  He nodded and said, “I’ll see you both soon,” before disappearing out the door.

  I just wish I knew what it was that I had done or whatever. I glanced at Sophia, I could feel her eyes on me.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked, looking at me as if she was trying to see my soul.

  “I’m wondering the wisdom of making a promise to Mark when I don’t even feel like I know what I agreed to. The fact that I can’t remember what happened is pissing me off something chronic. How do I know I won’t do it again?”

  She tilted her head to the side. “Maybe Mark’s right. We should lay off the booze a bit. I mean, I’m not drinking at the moment because of the fight and you’re on a truckload of medication but when things get back to normal, we should back off a bit. You must admit, we were hitting it pretty hard.”

  I wanted to argue that it was bullshit, but she was right. We had been partying hard. Almost as if that somehow kept our relationship on the shallow level.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right. None of the other guys party like I do. Guess I got in the habit at uni and then the mines and I never stopped.”

  Sophia looked at me thoughtfully and nodded. Had she seen right through me and what was her excuse? I knew mine.

  Did she know hers?

  15

  Sophia

  Today was the day.

  I was terrified and excited at the same time.

  Today I was “officially” but “unofficially” moving in with my boyfriend.

  My boyfriend. Seth. Boyfriend. Seth.

  It all seemed super weird and I never thought he’d ever admit it.

  It had been a long few weeks since the accident. Today was the day I was picking him up from hospital and taking him back to his place. Only this time, I’d be staying and there was no secret to it. I had a key and I’d moved a heap of clothes and stuff over yesterday as well as given the place a good clean and airing.

  A grin settled on my face, Seth was sitting on top of the covers fully dressed, including a shirt. I had a chuckle to myself at that. Seth had been stubbornly refusing to put a shirt on the vast majority of the time.

  At first, it worked for easy access to all the medical equipment. Then, it had more become a “fuck you” to convention in the hospital and, well, none of the female nurses were complaining. I saw it for what it really was, Seth exerting some control in his life where he essentially had none.

  “Ready to go?”

  “Have been for the last hour. I just have to see Doc Wilkinson before I go. And we both know how long it takes him to get here sometimes.” Yep, doctors certainly worked on their own time. Although, I guessed it was hard keeping a schedule sometimes when dealing with emergencies.

  “It’s fine. We really don’t have anything to hurry home for, I guess. I cleaned the house yesterday and went shopping so it’s all ready.” I’d missed coming in to see him last night. I’d added in another training session. Seth had assured me it was fine.

  “Thanks for doing that, Soph. I’m not sure you have any idea how frustrating and annoying it is for me to have you doing all this for me. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate it, but it grates on me just the same.”

  “I can understand that but don’t sweat it. I’m doing it because I want to. So, have you got your rehab program sorted?” I figured now was the time to change the subject. He didn’t need to dwell on his limitations anymore.

  “Yeah, that folder there on the table is full of the exercises and stuff I need to do. Physio is also recommending I spend a lot of time in the pool. And seeing it’s apparently dangerous for me to swim unaided, you’re just going to have to get one of those sexy bikinis on and come help me out.” He added a cheeky look and an eyebrow raise to make it far more raunchy than I’m sure the physio intended.

  “Mmm, I have the perfect suit for the job, I think.” Oh, did I ever. Wouldn’t he get a shock. Two could play this game and I was determined to make sure his rehab was adhered to strictly!

  “I like that lime green one. The one you wore to the beach the first time we went. It looks great against your skin tone.” It was also skimpy, to the point of not even being there and I wasn’t too proud to admit that I had worn the bikini to get his attention.

  It had worked.

  Not five minutes after we’d placed our towels on the sand Seth had made an excuse to get his hands all over me and I wasn’t complaining—mission accomplished.

  I figured out early on with Seth it would be the sex that initially attracted him. After that, I wasn’t sure. The more time I spent with him, the more I didn’t want it to end. I knew weeks and weeks ago I wanted more. The accident wasn’t the way I intended it to go.

  “Mmm, I know you love the green bikini. I’m not sure it’s the right choice for a public pool though.” I gave him a stern look and he looked like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

  “Give an injured man a break, babe!” He had the whole cute little eyebrow raise and everything going on.

  “You seem to be keen to head home, Seth,” Dr. Wilkinson announced as he breezed into the room.

  “You betchya.”

  I just laughed a little at Seth’s excitement. It was undoubtedly the happiest he’d been since he’d woken and I knew full well my work would be cut out for me keeping him from overdoing it.

  Dr. Wilkinson flipped through Seth’s chart one last time. “Well, everything here looks good. I’m happy for you to head home, providing you take it easy and do your rehab.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll do the rehab, Doc,” Seth assured him.

  “Actually, I should rephrase that. Don’t over do the rehab. Your phyiso spoke to me about your tendency to push too hard. You do that too soon and you could reinjure yourself. Take it steady and take the pain killers i
f you need them. Pain is not good for healing.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  Dr. Wilkinson looked over at me. “Make sure he takes it easy and takes the pain medication.”

  “I’ll do what I can.” This earned me a sympathetic look from the doctor.

  “Yeah, good luck with that,” he quipped as he signed some papers. “I want to see you again early next week. I’ll have my secretary call and set up an appointment.”

  “Sure,” Seth agreed. At this stage, I was convinced he’d say or agree to anything to get his butt out the door and home.

  “Okay, I’m going to drop these papers by the nurses’ station and they’ll finalise the paperwork. You just need to call past the pharmacy downstairs and they’ll give you the prescription.” Dr. Wilkinson reached out a hand to Seth and Seth took it.

  “Good luck, Seth”

  “Thanks, Doc. Appreciate the way you’ve looked after me.”

  “You’re welcome. Look after yourself and I’ll see you next week.”

  “Thanks so much for everything.” I couldn’t let the doctor go without adding my thanks. He’d been great all the way through this.

  He nodded at me and turned for the door.

  “Hey, Doc,” Seth called before he reached the corridor.

  The doctor spun around. “Yeah?”

  “When can I have sex again?” Seth’s question was as bold as brass and completely without embarrassment. Me however, I suddenly wanted to disappear into the floor.

  Sex!

  Seriously, was there anything else that went through his mind?

  The doctor let out a sigh. “Did you not hear what I just said about over doing it?”

  “It doesn’t need to be active,” Seth protested as he caught my glare.

  Dr Wilkinson looked a lot exasperated and I knew exactly how he felt. “No it doesn’t. There’s no reason why you can’t have sexual activity if you can sustain an erection, and only you can decide if the pain is worth it. But just think for a second what happens when you orgasm. All the muscles in your pelvis are going to tense up and spasm. That’s more than likely going to hurt like hell for a while yet. Again, just don’t do anything stupid. Give yourself some time, you’ll know when you’re up to it. I’ve said this to you many times, don’t underestimate the seriousness of the injuries you’ve had. I doubt you want to have another surgery to reset your pelvis because you got a little impatient and stupid.”

  Seth’s eyebrows pulled into a frown and I could tell he was still not convinced.

  “So, there’s no reason why I can’t?”

  “Seth!” I seethed.

  “No.” The doctor shook his head and chuckled a little. “Good luck, Sophia. You’re DEFINITELY going to need it.” This time, he slipped out the door.

  “Right, let’s get home,” Seth demanded.

  “Can you hold your horses for five minutes? The nurses need to finish the paperwork, discharge you, and I need to get the prescription filled. I’ll do that now. God forbid I wouldn’t want to delay you from getting out of here by more than a second or two.”

  “Glad you’re seeing it my way, Soph.”

  “Yeah, just don’t get too used to getting your own way. I have a feeling you’re in for a world of disappointment.” I stood up and snatched up the prescription Dr. Wilkinson had left on the table.

  And I knew I was going to have my hands full.

  Seth

  “So, I’m finally getting rid of you,” Nancy said, pushing the wheelchair through the door.

  “You’re going to miss me.”

  She looked at me as if I’d grown another head. “Miss having to argue and cajole you every step of the way? I don’t think so,” she scoffed.

  “Well, you’re going to miss the view at least.” I know she’d enjoyed casting her eyes over my body more than a few times.

  “Oh, I’ll give you the fact you’re damned fine to look at, my boy. That doesn’t make up for your less than amenable disposition.”

  “Oh, come on, Nancy, you know you love me!”

  “Haaa, like a hole in the head. Now do you think you can get your butt into this chair by yourself or do you need me to help you?”

  “What? I’m walking out of here. They wheeled me in but I’m walking out.”

  Nancy looked heavenwards. “Spare me, Lord. Difficult men!” Then, she plastered a cheesy grin on her face. “Hospital policy is I wheel you out the door to transport. Can we make this easy?”

  “I’m fine to walk,” I protested, not really believing what I was saying totally but going with it none the less.

  “Just humour me and get in the chair, Seth…please,” she delivered with sickly sweetness.

  “Well, when you ask so politely.” I lowered my butt into the chair and I was actually kind of happy I wasn’t going to have to test whether or not I could actually make it to the car.

  “Thank you.”

  “Sophia…”

  “Will meet us at the front door with the car. I spoke to her before. She said you were keen to get out. Anyone would think you didn’t like being here, Seth.”

  “Whatever gave you that idea, Nancy? Not that its anything to do specifically with you or anything.”

  “No, no. Course not!”

  We traded words back and forth as she pushed me past the nurse’s station. There were a lot of well wishes and I said a lot of thank yous.

  I may not have wanted to be here, nor was I the best patient. Regardless, the staff had really looked after me well despite my poor attitude for a lot of the time.

  A couple of minutes later, we were at the hospital pick-up and drop-off area.

  Sophia was waiting there with Eden’s midsize SUV, the passenger door open.

  Nancy maneuvered the wheelchair right up beside the vehicle like a pro. “Okay, stand slowly and use the door to steady yourself.”

  I did as she suggested without argument and managed to get myself into the car without too much pain. It helped that the seat was at the right height for me to slide my backside across. It wasn’t lost on me that Sophia had thought about that and borrowed Eden’s car. The little compact Sophia drove would have been a lot more uncomfortable for me to sink into.

  “Okay, that was well done. Looks like you’re all set. Any last questions before you head off?” Nancy asked, patting me on the thigh.

  My throat actually choked up a bit as I looked into her smiling face which surprised the shit out of me. Her eyes took one last long look at me.

  “Yeah, yeah…I know. Don’t need to say it. Just look after yourself and go easy on your girl.”

  “Thanks, Nancy, for everything,” I managed to choke out.

  “Get well, don’t over do it.” She glared at me but we both knew it was with a lot of affection. “Oh, and I’m not forgetting you still owe me.” She chortled and gave me a little nod.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’ll let you know in good time.”

  “Get him out of here, Sophia.” Nancy moved over and gave Sophia a genuine hug and a few whispered words.

  She pushed my door shut and, a few seconds later, Sophia was pulling us out from the curb.

  “How do you feel?” Sophia glanced across at me as we sat at a red light.

  “I’m okay. Glad to be going home. No, ecstatic.”

  “You’re going to be impossible, aren’t you?” There was humour in her voice, but I knew she was convinced it was going to be tough.

  “I’ll try not to be too difficult.”

  “Just try to take it easy.”

  Take it easy.

  God, I was so over hearing that.

  Take it easy was for other people. Underachievers. I’d never been accused of that and I was going to ignore that comment.

  “What did Nancy whisper to you?”

  “That’s for me to know and for you not to worry about.” She smirked and accelerated around a car.

  “That’s not fair. You should tell me. Didn’t we decide we were doing the whole sharing thing?” />
  “Yep. That was something between girls, though.”

  “Oh right. So, that’s how it’s going to be. I’ll remind you of that down the track.”

  “I’m sure you will and I’ll let you know what she said when the time’s right.”

  Now, I was just damned intrigued. Nancy was a troublemaker and I’m pretty sure she loved doing that. Bloody woman was still packing influence and I’d left the hospital. I could see the irony in that.

  Well played Nancy—well played.

  The ride home was easier than I thought. Eden’s X3 BMW was definitely luxury.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  “Just realized I need to get onto the insurance company and stuff. I’m going to need a new car, I guess.”

  “Ah, yeah, I think your SUV is totaled.”

  “Mmm, I might look for something different. It’s a good excuse to change.”

  “True, but I’m not sure I’d be so hasty swapping out models. That one saved your life.”

  Sophia made a good point, though I wasn’t superstitious or anything like that. “I’ve got a couple of weeks by my thinking to get a new vehicle.”

  “Have you been listening to anything that’s been said today? Why must you insist on pushing stuff.”

  “I don’t know any other way.”

  “Well, now might be the time to learn, otherwise your progress is going to go backwards.”

  The rest of the drive was made in silence.

  Sophia helped me inside the house and I entered with both excitement and trepidation. This place was actually coming together really well. Before the accident, I’d finished renovating the kitchen, laundry, living areas, and the main bedroom and ensuite. The other bedrooms and bathroom were still a work in progress. Not that it would matter, we could cope with what was finished.

  Then, it really hit me—I’d thought we.

  There was nothing like being at home. However, stepping out of that hospital and seeing Sophia walk in and put her car keys on the kitchen bench as if she’d done it a million times before said something else entirely.