Going the Distance (No Excuses Book 1)

by Mila Rossi

  “That’s hard to believe,” she said, giving him a disbelieving look. “In fact, it’s hard to believe that you won so many times, seeing how quickly you give up.”

  “Very funny,” he shot back dryly.

  She shrugged nonchalant and skated in circles before him.

  “I didn’t just earn that nickname in the ring,” he said, wrapping his arms around his knees in a leisurely way.

  Oh brother. Here we go again.

  “Please, enlighten me,” she remarked without much enthusiasm.

  “Oh, I’ll enlighten you, alright,” he said, reaching out his hand to her. She grabbed it and intended to pull him to his feet, but instead, he pulled her down onto his lap. “All in good time, babe.”

  She stared into his face inches away from hers and realized for the first time that his eyes were actually a deep, dark blue, not the brown she’d thought. His hair, which was a couple of inches long, was brushed away from his forehead, allowing his stern gaze to penetrate her. The scruff he’d been sporting the last few times had grown out into a beard, concealing his full lips.

  She swallowed, remembering suddenly that she was sitting on top of him in the middle of the ice skating rink.

  People must think we’re crazy. She did a quick assessment of the place. Okay, so the three people who are actually here must think we’re crazy.

  “What’s the matter, pussycat? Suddenly at a loss for words?” he said in a raspy voice.

  She tried to think of something clever to say, but she really was at a loss for words. Great.

  “How long are you letting this thing grow out?” she blurted out, running her fingers over his beard. It had been staring her in the face, so it was the first thing that had come to mind.

  He smiled and lifted his chin, displaying his facial hair in all its glory. “Why, you like it?”

  “It’s alright, I guess.”

  “Most women love it.”

  “Yeah well, beards can be quite inconvenient sometimes.”

  His eyes narrowed as though he was processing what she’d said. She pushed off him, deciding she’d allowed herself enough physical contact to last for a while. Thankfully he attempted to get up as well, and she helped him.

  “Are you ready for more lessons?” she asked, wanting to focus on her mission.

  He looked unsure.

  “Still too scared to give it a shot?”

  He squared his shoulders. “Don’t ever accuse me of being scared again, woman.”

  “Then don’t act like it.”

  “Fine,” he said and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.”

  She couldn’t help but smile as he took a few tentative steps, all the while squeezing her hand almost painfully hard.

  “Not bad, Page, not bad at all,” she encouraged him.

  They took their time, making it all the way across the rink to the other side, where he needed a break.

  He was breathing heavy, but smiling. A real, genuine smile that made her catch her own breath.

  “So?” she asked, looking at him expectantly. “What’d you think?”

  “It was cool,” he replied in a nonchalant way.

  She laughed and shook her head. “I know it was more than that, but whatever. I’m just glad you’re having a good time.”

  His smile faded and he looked suddenly thoughtful. She wondered what was going on in his head.

  “Show me some more moves,” he said, not letting her into that thick skull of his.

  She grabbed his hand again and they set off at a slow, but steady pace. He struggled, but she held his hand the whole time until he seemed more sure of himself, then she released him. He was clumsy and fell a couple of times, but got up and declared he’d try again.

  When they finally reached the other end of the rink again, even she was breathless, but she was having fun and could tell he was too. After another break, they set out again and skated for half an hour. Trent became more sure of himself with each step, until finally they were able to skate side by side. They did a couple of laps around the rink and then called it a day.

  “You’re a good student,” she said over her shoulder as they left the ice.

  “I really fucking tried,” he said, chuckling behind her.

  They sat down and started removing their skates.

  “So are you going to do this again?” she asked.

  He set his skates down and picked up one of his shoes. “Not anytime soon, but I’ll try again.”

  “Then my mission here is done.”

  He looked at her surprised. “That’s it? This is what you had in mind in exchange for an interview?”

  “Not quite,” she said as she put on her shoes. “This was part two, remember?”

  “So there’s a part three?”

  She nodded and stood, skates in hand.

  “Do I dare ask what we’re doing next time?” he asked, getting to his feet.

  “You can ask all you want, but I’m not telling.”

  He gave her a disappointed look and she laughed. “Come on, let’s return the skates.”

  They dropped the skates off at the rental station and walked out to the car. The sun was starting to set and the sky was painted a burnt orange. The drive back to the gym seemed to fly by, and before she knew it, they arrived.

  “So was it worth your time?” she asked, turning to him.

  He grimaced. “Not sure about that. Definitely not worth an interview.”

  “You’re tough to please, aren’t you?”

  “Not at all,” he said, leaning toward her. “I’ll tell you right now, skating won’t get you anywhere with me.”

  She felt her body tingle in anticipation as his hand reached out to the back of her head, bringing her closer.

  “No?” The word barely escaped her. “What will?”

  He stared at her lips before his gaze locked with hers. “You know full well what will, you little minx.”

  His mouth came down on hers hard and possessive, with that beard she wasn’t used to. She didn’t think twice about opening her mouth and letting him in. Fighting him had been so difficult, she was relieved to finally give in. When a moan escaped her, he pulled her closer and deepened their kiss.

  “Goddamn, your lips feel better than I imagined,” he said against her mouth, “and you taste like the sweetest fucking thing on earth.”

  She didn’t reply and only threw herself into another kiss with that much more vigor. If they hadn’t been in her car, she’d have lost all control and ripped his clothes off. Thank God for small mercies, she thought as the center console dug into her side.

  Just as his hands started to do some exploring, she pulled away. He looked as disappointed as she felt.

  “Okay, so that wasn’t part of today’s activity,” she said, feeling her lips tingle from his bruising kisses.

  He reached out to touch her again. “I got my own plans, babe.”

  “Your plans will get us into trouble,” she replied, moving out of reach. “Now be a good boy and get out.”

  He shot her an amused look. “I know you didn’t ask me to be a good boy. I’m The fucking Punisher.”

  “How could I forget?”

  “I’ll make sure you’ll remember going forward,” he said, instantly crushing her lips once more.

  She closed her eyes and let herself enjoy that delicious mouth of his for a few seconds, then pulled away again.

  “Seriously, you gotta go,” she mumbled against his lips. “You’re jeopardizing my mission.”

  “About fucking time,” he said, biting her bottom lip. “When are you gonna let me jeopardize you some more?”

  “Next weekend,” she said, smiling. “It’s my third and final act, Trent, and there won’t be any jeopardizing to speak of. You’ll have to keep your hands to yourself.”

  “Yeah, yeah, pussycat.”

  He got out and slammed the door shut, then walked around the car and placed his hands on her door to look down through the open window. “Wanna give
me a clue? Strip poker? Skinny dipping?”

  “Not even close,” she said, laughing. “Just wear something decent.”

  His brows furrowed. “Like what?”

  She shrugged and started the engine again. “I don’t know. Just don’t look like you came out of the gym.”

  He grumbled, but released his hold on the car and stepped onto the sidewalk as she pulled out of the parking lot. She saw him in the mirror watching her as she hit the gas and sped off.

  Two down, one more to go.

  ***

  A couple of days after his first skating lesson, Trent went to see Emmanuel. They used to see each other weekly, but since the old man wasn’t as quick on his feet, he had a hard time getting around and Trent had to make more of an effort to go see his mentor at home. That’s where he was now, sitting on the barstool in the kitchen, watching Emmanuel cook breakfast.

  “Ramirez told me that some woman reporter has been snooping around the gym,” Emmanuel said, scrambling eggs in a bowl with a fork.

  Trent grabbed a piece of cantaloupe from the fruit bowl before him. “She’s not snooping around, she’s trying to talk me into giving her an interview.”

  “And? Is it working?”

  “Nah,” he said, but couldn’t help smiling.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “She’s got this idea that if she gives me something in exchange for the interview, I’ll agree.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like ice skating lessons,” Trent said, chewing on a watermelon piece next.

  “Say what?” Emmanuel asked, pouring the scrambled eggs in the hot pan.

  “Yeah, I don’t know what the fuck she’s thinking. Before that, she took me to have dinner at her old neighbor’s place. Beats the shit out of me what’s going on in that head of hers.”

  He’d been trying to figure out what she was up to, but couldn’t come up with anything that made sense. Any other girl would have thrown her panties at him and probably forgotten about the stupid interview, but not this one. Sam, as he was starting to think of her, was one tough cookie. Who apparently liked dining with old folks and going ice skating.

  He ran his fingers over his beard in thought. She also drove like a cast member from the Fast and Furious movies and didn’t have any problems throwing him over her shoulder. Where the fuck she’d learned that was a mystery. For someone who wrote for a newspaper for a living, she sure had some skeletons in her closet.

  He wondered how willing she’d be to be interviewed herself. Despite his dislike for reporters, he was starting to be interested in this one big time.

  “For once you found yourself a girl who’s getting inside that head of yours,” Emmanuel said, scraping the cooked eggs onto a plate, which he set on the counter alongside the sausage links that were already there.

  Trent loaded up his plate.

  “I don’t need anyone getting inside my head,” he said, irritated with himself. Instead of getting Sam into bed, he’d been fucking ice skating with her. Ice skating! That’s the last fucking thing he expected to do.

  “Sounds like she didn’t get the memo,” Emmanuel mumbled between bites of sausage. He set his plate on the counter and took a seat next to Trent. He groaned like an old man and rubbed his left knee.

  “Goddamn pills don’t do shit.”

  “Did you even take your pills today?” Trent asked, looking at the swollen knee.

  Emmanuel waved the question away.

  “How do you expect them to work if you won’t take them?”

  “I take them alright,” Emmanuel replied gruffly, “so leave me alone, boy.”

  Trent exhaled loudly and took a bite of eggs. The man was so fucking stubborn, it was beyond frustrating. Pretty soon, he’d need a live-in nurse, but he was too proud to admit it. Trent would simply have to hire someone to move in without telling Emmanuel beforehand.

  “So what’s this girl like?” Emmanuel asked, changing the subject.

  Trent thought of Sam. Perfect face. Unbelievable lips. Pretty, long brown hair that was perfect for grabbing and pulling as he drove into her from behind. A body that was made for his hands, and his mouth. And a handful of ass and an equal handful of tits.

  “She’s alright, I guess,” he said, shrugging.

  “What’s she look like?”

  “Average. Tall, brunette, green eyes.”

  Emmanuel looked impressed. “She must’ve made an impression if you didn’t mention her rack or tight ass.”

  Trent laughed out loud. “Don’t worry, I thought about it.”

  “Sounds like she’s still messing with you though.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “For starters, I didn’t take you for an ice skating sort of fella,” Emmanuel said, scooping fruit onto his plate.

  Damn right, Trent thought. He wasn’t, but somehow, she’d managed to talk him into it. He attributed it simply to the fact that he hadn’t gotten into her pants yet. She was playing hard to get and he was on a mission. A very different one than hers. He’d been patient long enough, and he was starting to get antsy. The only reason he was going along with her crazy schemes was because he knew at the end of it all, he’d get what he’d wanted since Vegas.

  “What’s she like?” Emmanuel asked.

  “Smart, funny, reckless on the freeway, and she can probably throw a punch like Povetkin,” Trent said with a smile.

  “Oh yeah?“

  “She slapped the shit out of me when I came on to her in Vegas.”

  Emmanuel chuckled. “That’s a first.”

  “Hopefully a last.” Trent was in no mood to get slapped again.

  “Gotta say, Trent, I like this girl of yours. Got balls,” Emmanuel said, chewing his food.

  “Funny, I was thinking the same thing.”

  Trent had only let her get this far because he was amused by her. The minute he’d get what he wanted, he’d be done with her. That was the agreement he’d made with himself. She should consider herself lucky he’d been a good sport about their activities, because under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t be doing any of those things.

  She’d said there was one more thing lined up and that was the end of it. He wondered what that was. Would it finally be worth his time? Or better yet, an interview?

  He shook his head, answering his own question. Nothing was worth an interview, but if she’d spread her legs for him, he’d give it serious consideration.

  Chapter 5

  On Friday night, Sam was getting ready to go out. With Trent. She’d called and told him she’d pick him up at the gym at eight, and now she was getting ready. For their last outing, she’d take him to a movie. Probably not the most exciting thing he was expecting, but it was all part of her master plan, which was thankfully coming to an end. She needed this interview badly and couldn’t avoid her boss much longer. Between getting her regular work done and meeting Trent, she’d been so busy, but felt like she wasn’t showing any results for her efforts.

  And then having her parents disturb her peace was another story. She’d called her uncle Roy who had said that her parents were clean and had been for some time. He’d given them Sam’s address because they really had seemed to turn a corner and wanted to see her. She took everything with a grain of salt. It wasn’t that she couldn’t trust Roy, he always had the best intentions and was the only one who had helped her when everything had gone to shit, but she couldn’t trust her parents. Building that trust again would take a long time, and she was in no hurry. At least not when it came to them.

  Dealing with Trent, however, had a sense of urgency about it, and she had to get things going. She’d enjoyed spending time with him, despite his impatient and arrogant ways. He was funny and managed to surprise her when she least expected it. The way he’d grabbed her hand in the ice skating rink had been cute and endearing, but then he’d kissed her like he was starved and she’d wanted nothing more than to throw herself into his arms.

  She looked in the mirror and
assessed her reflection. Makeup, check. Fluffed hair, check. A pale green blouse to bring out her green eyes, a short black skirt, strappy heels, red polished nails and gold hoop earrings to finish. Check.

  For the first time ever, she actually had butterflies in her stomach. Even though this was part of her work mission, she couldn’t lie to herself. She liked Trent. There was something about his arrogance that was magnetic.

  After escaping the life from hell and being on her own at eighteen, she hadn’t given men much thought. Sure, she’d had partners, but not anyone worth losing sleep over. Growing up in a junkie household and having guys come in and out, dealing and causing trouble, had made her lose interest in people. She’d been angry, cynical, and pissed at everything and everyone.

  When she’d moved out, she’d finally been able to breathe and not worry about dealers coming to her house, groping her and making her sick to her stomach. She’d taken self-defense classes, gotten herself a car that was fast enough to outrun those assholes, and found decent people to be around, namely her neighbors and Danielle and Clare. None of them knew of her past and she wasn’t going to fill them in. She didn’t want their pity or nosy questions, which would stir up all sorts of emotions.

  But now she’d met Trent, who from the get-go was a lot to handle. She’d thought she could write him off as another guy whom she didn’t want to associate with, but the more she hung out with him, the more she warmed to him. He really wasn’t as bad as he’d first seemed. She just had to get to know him better, and tonight, she’d have another chance.

  She wasn’t delusional though. Dating Trent was never going to happen, but for the little time they had left together, she could enjoy herself and the attention he was paying to her. She liked the way she felt in his company and that wasn’t something anyone had been able to make her feel before.

  She fluffed her hair one more time, grabbed her purse and jacket, and headed out. Half an hour later, she pulled up to the gym, where Trent was already waiting for her. She had to smile as she took in his clothes. He wore a Chambray shirt, casual gray pants, urban sneakers and that crazy beard was gone, replaced by a barely visible scruff.