by Brooke May
God, I miss Beth.
I frown at the thought. This is the longest I’ve gone without seeing her. I also feel bad; she has no one outside my aunts, Marissa, and myself.
“That was awesome, lil’ bit.” Scott joins us, looking ready to spar with Chamberlain again. “I must say I’m impressed. I haven’t landed a punch on C in a while.” Scott smiles down at me.
I shrug as if it was nothing. I only got lucky because he wasn’t watching me.
“You still dance, though, right?” Chamberlain tries to clarify with me as his eyes dance with happiness. He should know; he followed me.
“Yes, I taught for fun but mainly kept it up because I enjoy it. Marissa and I bond through it.” I start to remove my gloves. “I’m going to go get cleaned up.” I excuse myself, but Chamberlain stops me.
“What’s the matter?” He gently nudges my chin up with his index finger. “Katie?”
I try to smile, but I don’t feel it anymore. “I miss Beth.” He regards me, waiting for me to say something else. When I don’t say anything, his warm, sweaty, ungloved hand wraps around my trim waist and effortlessly lifts me. I grab his shoulders as my legs find their way around his waist and my back meets one of the cool walls of the gym. His face dives into the crook of my neck, and he lazily rubs his nose up and down the column of my neck.
“You have me now, baby.” He places a gentle, wet kiss over my pulse.
My hands make the journey down and back up his thick, heated arms to the back of his head where his hair is long enough for my fingers to thread into. On the way up, I trace the swirls of his tattoos that decorate his strong, powerful shoulders. “I know.” I gently pull on strands of his hair. “I just miss my friend. She doesn’t have anyone, Chamberlain.” I draw my eyes away from his body and up to his eyes.
Chamberlain rests his head on my forehead and nods. “She has your aunts.”
“It’s not the same.” I can’t explain Beth’s past to him. She’s struggled through her life, and I feel horrible like I abandoned her to live …
Chamberlain’s lips soar in and capture mine, sending all thoughts out of my mind. I release a contented sigh as I open my mouth and drag my tongue against his. My fingers tighten in his hair, causing him to groan. His hips slam into mine, stealing the breath from me as my lower body hits the wall and his growing erection grinds into my center.
I throb and feel a tickling need deep inside me as Chamberlain moves hungrily down my neck with wet, open-mouth kisses. I drop my head back against the wall as my eyes roll back and my back arches to him.
“Ooowww.” Chamberlain runs his tongue along my collarbone and drops a kiss to my clavicle while grinding into me. “Chamberlain,” I whisper his name as his hand abandons my waist and moves to cup me over my sports bra.
“Couldn’t you two just go up to your room or at least wait until you’re in the elevator? I hear those are the latest rage in getting off.” Scott’s amused voice is like a bucket of ice water dumped on my libido. I scramble to compose myself and pull Chamberlain flush against me to block Scott. Chamberlain’s jolting chest does not help at all. His laughter gets louder as I slide down his body and turn away from them.
“Way to ruin the fun, Scott.” Chamberlain’s hand comes around and rests on my belly, pulling me against his chest, still laughing.
“C, you need to focus if you plan on fucking around for the next few days. You’re training every morning.” Scott’s tone changes from playful to serious, something anyone rarely hears.
“All right.” Chamberlain kisses my neck before releasing me. “Go get cleaned up, panda.”
“Right.” I nod as I step away on shaky legs toward the elevator. A nice cool shower should help me just fine.
“Katie?”
I turn halfway around when I’m in the doorway of the elevator to look at Chamberlain. “Tomorrow, make sure Marissa is up around seven; dressed and fed.”
“Okay?”
“We are taking her to Magic Kingdom for the day.”
An adoring look crosses my face as I picture my big, strong fighter guiding a little princess around a theme park.
No one will mess with her.
“Sounds wonderful.” I blow him a kiss and head up to our suite.
Chapter Twenty
Chamberlain
“DADDY, ANOTHER!” Marissa drags me behind her as she finds her way to yet another Disney princess she hasn’t had her picture taken with. With a glance back at Katie, I find her laughing and following us with Scott.
We stop in front of Rapunzel. Katie comes and stands next to me with her camera in hand as Marissa introduces herself to the lady pretending to be the princess.
Scott is behind us although skipping most of the rides to find princesses instead doesn’t exactly thrill him. I can’t help but laugh at the first few we found; Marissa introduced herself, then Katie and me, and followed it up with her uncle. She proceeded to tell the princess her uncle needs his own like her daddy has her mommy.
Scott turned tail and ran away from us. We found him at the food court talking it up with some girls who were far too young for him. Marissa was not happy that he was being a big meanie by not spending time with her.
“Uncle Scott—”
“Marissa?” Katie efficiently interrupts Marissa before she can pimp out Scott unknowingly. I wouldn’t have stopped her; it’s hilarious. “Sweetie, let’s take a picture, okay? Rapunzel has other little girls who want to meet her, too.”
“Otay, Mommy.” She jumps back and forth on her little feet and beams a huge smile toward Katie while standing next to the faux princess. Once the picture is snapped, Marissa hugs Rapunzel and drags me off to find another.
This time, I rein her back so I can hold Katie’s hand as well. “How many more are there?” I really try not to groan.
Katie slings the camera back over her shoulder and takes my offered hand. “Chill out; you’re the one who wanted to do this, so suck it up.” She tilts into me and kisses my cheek. “She has one princess left.”
Scott lets out a gut-wrenching groan from the other side of Katie. “Thank God. I really don’t feel like having my three-year-old niece try to get me a date with a princess, again.”
“Aw …” Katie grins over at him. “Too bad Marissa hasn’t realized that Uncle Scott isn’t the prince, but the bad boy instead.” Scott sticks out his tongue at her. “Very mature.” She rolls her eyes at him and lets go of my hand to go around and take Marissa’s.
“You’re so whipped,” Scott states to me as I watch my girls walk in front of us. Katie managed to get a curl to stay in Marissa’s hair this morning after putting her in the Merida dress I found for her. Once Katie showed me who the princess was, I managed to get her a little bow and arrow to go with her outfit. Marissa looks like the mini blond version of the princess.
“I don’t give a shit. I’ve wanted this for far too long,” I say with a clenched jaw. He knows this shit.
Scott snorts. “Never thought I would see you do girly shit, even with your daughter. I thought you would have her in the ring by now, learning to fight … oompf!” He curls up while trying to stay standing after my fist connected with his nuts.
I dust my hands off and turn back to my girls as Marissa lets out a squeal and runs ahead of us. Katie quickly looks back and frowns at Scott. “Play nice, boys.” Shaking her head, she follows our daughter.
“Yes, place nice, C.” Scott coughs as he tries to stand straight again. “Off to another princess.” He moans.
Ignoring him, I catch up with them and find Marissa going crazy because she finally found her favorite princess to get her picture taken with.
“Daddy, take, puleaze?” Marissa bats her long lashes over her blue eyes at me, holding the camera she just stole from her mom out to me.
“Why not have Mommy take it?”
“‘Cause I want her with me.” Adorably, she stomps her foot and cocks her hip to the side throwing an attitude at me.
I lo
ok at Katie, finding her laughing at us. One thing is for sure today—most of us will have sore cheeks from all the smiling and laughing we’ve had today.
“She doesn’t get that from me.” She waves her hands at the two of us. “That’s all you, stud. Come on, baby doll.” Marissa throws me one last incredulous look before skipping back to her mom and the princess.
“Whipped,” Scott remarks, jumping back from me before I can nail him again.
“Say princess.” I hold the camera and snap the picture. Marissa hugs the lady and comes back over to me. I crouch down, thinking she is coming to me, only for her to skip past me and right up to Scott. “What the …?” I look up at Katie’s hand resting on my shoulder, silencing me.
“Ow!” My head flies back to the other two and finds Scott jumping around on one leg, holding his calf. “What was that for, mini?”
I stand and wrap an arm around Katie while she places a hand on my chest, amused at our daughter. “You be mean to my daddy. Be nice.” She points a finger up at him before coming back to me. I pick her up and place a big, wet kiss on her cheek while she glares at Scott. “Make Uncle Scott say sorry, Daddy.” She points over at him and then climbs from my arms to her mom’s.
I crack my knuckles, grinning evilly at Scott. He drops his leg and starts to back up. “I’m sorry!” he shouts as he turns and runs off, limping a bit.
I drop my hands at the sound of my girls’ mixture of giggles. “You kicked his butt, princess.” I pull them both into my arms.
“Mommy taught me.” She flexes her arm and gives me a look that she must think makes her look tough. I think she looks adorable.
“How about I teach you a little more? That way you can kick any boy’s butt when I’m not around.” Suddenly, a flash of her grown and as beautiful as her mom makes me nervous and deadly thinking about her teen years. I think I will be one of those dads who buys their daughters shirts with a picture of their dad on it to warn guys away.
“Yay!” Marissa cheers at the same time Katie groans my name.
“What?” Katie’s brow creases as she places Marissa back on the ground, so I spill my idea. “Should I just put a picture of me on a T-shirt and make her wear it when she’s a teenager or teach her to fight so she can handle herself? It’s your choice, panda.”
“No T-shirt.” Katie laughs, walking us in the direction Scott took off to. I catch up to them and slide my fingers through Katie’s, securing our hands together. She’s been down since yesterday. What she doesn’t know is I stole her phone and got a certain number off it this morning while she was getting Marissa ready. It made me really happy not to find a password on her new phone. She never had one when we first got together, and it’s nice to see that some things never change.
“You’ve done a great job with her.” I watch Marissa skip over to Scott and smile as I watch him draw his legs up and away from her kicking range.
“I didn’t do it all on my own, Chamberlain.” I hate how she brushes off my compliment like that. “I …”
“No.” I stop us and step in front of her. “You did an amazing job with our daughter, Katie. The people who were supposed to love you sent you away, and as much as it pains me to say it, you thought I broke your heart. You could have done a number of things—put her up for adoption, or have been so depressed that you couldn’t care for her—but you overcame that. You are a strong woman, Katie. And I love you for that and teaching it to our daughter.”
Tears fall from her face; I wipe them away with my thumbs and pull her to me. “I’m glad you had your aunts and Beth to help you, but I know you were still alone.” I squeeze her tightly. She still fits perfectly against me. “You’ll never be alone like that again, I promise.”
She sobs into my chest, still clinging to me when she finally calms herself. “Thank you,” she mutters against me.
“Never thank me, Katie. I love you and Marissa.” I run my hand down the back of her neck and grab the back of her head to tilt her up to me. “Always.” Gently, I place a kiss on her lips.
“Always.” She smiles at me and cuddles back against my chest. “I love you, too, Chamberlain. I’m glad we have each other now … I haven’t felt this complete in a really long time.”
“But something is still missing to make this family complete.” I don’t have to ask; I know she misses her best friend. I plan to fix that and soon. Operation: Give Katie Whatever She Wants is about to start.
“Mommy?” Marissa’s cool, sticky hand comes to rest on my calf. Katie and I glance down at her. “Why you crying?”
“They are happy tears, baby.” I instantly miss Katie’s touch as she bends down to kiss Marissa.
Marissa peels her literally sticky hand off me, making me cringe as some of my leg hair goes with it. “Why are you sticky?” Scott laughs beside me. He is holding a giant thing of cotton candy. I find her face glancing back at Marissa the same color as the cotton candy along with her hand, and now, the back of my leg.
XOXO
“I WANT SOMETHING small, Chamberlain.” Katie rests her head on my shoulder and looks out at the water where Marissa and Scott are playing. Well, Scott is trying to use her to pick up women. “Just the people closest to us.”
“That sounds perfect to me.” I draw her hand up to my mouth and place a kiss on her decorated ring finger. “How about something in Vegas? You could look for a dress in Dallas while I’m training.” I didn’t think we would be discussing wedding plans until after we got home. So when she brought it up after laying out our blanket and sitting down, I was happily surprised.
“Don’t I need to be with you?”
“I only have a few things I really need you there for; as my manager, that is. Most of the time, I’ll just be in the gym gearing up. That fight will almost be as important as the championship.”
I just hope they give me someone worth fighting.
“That’s if you win this fight.” She teasingly nudges me.
“That isn’t funny, woman.” I roll onto my back, dragging her over with me. She laughs but abruptly stops when I growl, “I will win.”
Her soft hands smooth down my chest as she sits up. “Of course, you will.” She jumps off me and takes off toward the water, swaying her hips in a way that has me rolling back over onto my stomach and staying put. I hate myself for making that stupid commitment about not touching her until we tie the knot. Vegas, before the championship. I don’t think I will last until we get home.
I look up and watch Katie play with Marissa as they gang up on Scott, managing to dunk him when he turns his back on them. When my dick is under control again, I stand to join them, but my phone goes off.
Sitting back, I answer. “Hello?”
“Chamberlain? Hi, this is Beth. You left me a message?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Chamberlain
I DOUBLE CHECK to make sure Katie isn’t in range to hear me talk. “Yeah, I was wondering if you would be interested in a position on my staff.”
She sighs. “Listen, Chamberlain. I don’t know what K.C. has told you, but—”
“She misses you—that’s it—and she did tell me how you’re struggling to find a job. What better way to get your foot in the door than being the person who supervises over a professional boxer?”
She sighs again, this time dejectedly. “If you pay me more than what is normal, I’ll quit.” I can’t help but laugh at how serious she is.
“Deal, but you should know that you won’t have to pay for housing. You can live in one of the apartments at my warehouse in Boston.”
“I am not living with your friend,” she hisses.
“Scott’s bark is worse than his bite.”
“Well, I don’t want to be barked at or bitten, thank you very much.”
This is great.
From what I’ve seen this woman do to my best friend, who happens to be a huge man whore, I can’t wait to see what she does to him when they are around each other all the time.
Katie has
Marissa in her arms as she starts to wade out of the water. “No worries, you will live with my cook, Fiona. She was the one who raised—”
“Yes, yes, I know who she is.” She cuts me off with a laugh. “I’m glad to hear you helped get K.C. back to her.”
“It was the least I could do.” Emotion starts to clog my throat. “Listen, I need to get going, but I’ll have a ticket waiting for you at the airport for a flight to Dallas on Sunday. Like I told Katie, just pack what you need, and we’ll send for the rest.”
“Thank you.” She pauses. “Chamberlain?”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you doing this? You don’t even know me.” She sounds weak, and if I know anything about her from what Katie has told me, she isn’t weak.
“Because you mean a lot to my woman, and her happiness is important to me. If that means I have to drag you around the country with us, then I’ll do it.”
“I’m glad I was right about you. I knew you weren’t the kind of guy she thought you were before you came back into her life. You’re good for each other. Don’t forget that love …” She trails off.
“I don’t plan to ever let go again. See you in a few days.”
We hang up right as Katie, Marissa, and a drenched Scott come back to our spot. “Who was that?” Katie takes a seat between my outstretched legs and leans back against me, her cool skin dropping the temperature of mine.
“Just setting something up for Dallas.” I place my hands on her knees. “Why are you wet?” I laugh when Scott throws me a heated look.
“I was in the middle of securing something for tonight when your woman and daughter pounced on me and tried to drown me.”
“And as I told you, Scott”—Katie stills him with her own glare—“you need to stop chasing after those types of girls and find someone who can give you something more than an STD.”
“She has a point.”
“What’s an STV?” All three of us look over at Marissa as she works on a sand castle, not bothering to meet our gazes.
“Germs, baby doll. Uncle Scott kisses too many girls, and he will get germs.”
