by Nana Prah
His coach Adrian believed it now, too, and no longer gave those annoying lectures about him quitting. He’d driven that initial fear away by pushing himself harder than he’d ever done before. Nothing would stop him from winning.
Her arms dug into his oblique muscles when she squeezed. “I hope so.”
Lamar had no idea how long they stood holding each other.
“I’m hungry,” she announced as she peeled her upper body away. “You burned all the calories out of me with the workout.”
“If you want to come to my place, I could cook something quick.” It would be her first time over. He wanted to show her that he had nothing to hide.
She curled her upper lip into a snarl. “And nutritious.”
He chuckled and kissed her hard on the mouth. “Of course.”
“Are you really taking me to your house?”
“The one in Boston.”
Her eyes went wide. “How many do you have?”
“Six in total, but four of them are housing complexes I got into as an investment.”
“Wow. I’m impressed.”
He nodded once. “As you should be.”
She smirked. “Just so you know, your financial prowess isn’t the only thing that has me,” she ground her hips against him, “enthralled.”
The pinch to her ass had her squealing. He lowered his head and kissed her soft yielding lips, relieved that she hadn’t left him. He ended the fusion of their mouths before he could actualize the fantasy of her spread out over his desk as he succumbed to her moist heat.
“Let’s go. You need food.”
She stuck out her bottom lip. “And then I get your body?”
He laughed. “If you eat all of your iron-rich vegetables.”
“Bring on the kale!”
Chapter 24
Traffic rules meant nothing to Gia as she flew through town in response to Suarez’s phone call. Two days ago she’d learned about Lamar training to return to the UFC, and now she was racing against time to get to Holy Trinity Hospital.
Sucking in deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself after she found parking, she entered the Emergency Room. Paying little attention to the mass of people seated to the right, she marched to the front desk. Before she could reach it, someone called her name.
She swung around to find El headed her way.
“Hey, Gia.”
“Is Lamar okay?”
“He’s a lot better now,” El said in a calm reassuring manner. Suarez is with him. He’s been asking for you.”
Her hand trembled as she reached up to touch her cheek. “Oh my, God. What happened? Did he get hit in the head? Was he knocked out during training?” She swallowed the tightness in her throat. “I knew I should’ve tried harder to dissuade him.” She dredged up the courage to ask the question plaguing her most. “Is his brain permanently damaged?”
El’s brows scrunched as his eyes narrowed. “Not at all. I’m going to strangle Suarez for not giving you more information. Lamar had an anaphylactic reaction when he ingested salad dressing with strawberry in it.”
The news didn’t ease her fear as she fought to stay still rather than crash through the barricade keeping her from him. “He’s allergic to strawberries?”
“Yes. He’s really careful about avoiding them. It turns out that whoever put the dressing on his salad made a switch. One minute he was enjoying his meal, and the next he was making sounds in his throat as if trying to scratch it from the inside. And then his lips started swelling. We called 911 before his throat could swell closed. The ambulance made it just in time.”
The blood drained from her head and she grabbed onto El’s forearm so she didn’t end up on the floor when her knees threatened to buckle. “I need to see him.”
“Sure.”
Gia’s imagination took off. Lamar could’ve died. She’d almost lost him just when she’d discovered the joy of being with him. Wouldn’t it have been the same if he’d sustained a head injury? Would she be able to handle it if it happened? To see him as a fraction of the man he used to be?
Every inhale of the disinfectant-scented air made her question if she could.
She followed El down the hallway where patients lay on stretchers.
El pulled back a curtain and shifted to the side.
Gia stepped closer and held back a gasp. His face had swollen to the point of making him unrecognizable. A clear bag of fluid dripped into the line entering his arm. Not knowing what she could touch, she stood motionless at his bedside until he stretched out a hand. She grasped it, needing to feel the solidness of him in order to know he was truly all right.
His puffy lips widened into a supposed grin. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”
“So, you don’t feel as if a hippo decided to be your sparring partner?”
He grunted his amusement. “Okay, so maybe it’s bad.”
Unable to help herself, she stroked his distended cheek. He turned his head and brushed his pillowy lips against her palm.
Someone cleared their throat. “Hey, Gia.”
Removing her hand from Lamar’s face, she turned to the man who’d spoken. “Hi, Suarez.”
Suarez looked back and forth between them with a grin that spoke of entertained knowledge.
“Now that you’re okay, I’m taking off. El will stick around to give you a ride.”
Gia intercepted the conversation. “I’ll take him.”
Once again that smirk made an appearance as Suarez leveled his attention on the patient with a raised brow. Gia would bet her life savings that the questions passing between the friends had nothing to do with Lamar’s transportation home.
Lamar nodded. “Gia will take care of me.”
Suarez ducked his head while rubbing his chin. “I bet she will,” he mumbled. “Okay,” he said out loud. “The doctor mentioned that as soon as your fluids are done, she’ll be discharging you. She made sure to prescribe an EpiPen.”
“I already have one.”
Gia’s neck whipped toward Lamar. “What? Why didn’t you use it?”
The right side of Lamar’s gown slid down when he shrugged. “I didn’t bring it. I’m careful about what I eat. I’ve had the same salad at that restaurant before so I didn’t expect any trouble.”
“Shit, Lamar. You should have it with you all the time.”
Suarez stepped closer. “Okay, guys. I’ll let Gia continue with the lecture that so far has never yielded a positive result. I wish you better luck than we’ve had over the years. Between you and the blast his mother gave him from Florida an hour ago, it might happen.”
He held out a fist to Lamar who bumped it before coming around to the other side and dropping a kiss against Gia’s cheek. “If you need anything, our numbers are in his phone under Asshole number one and Asshole number two. I’m number two because El likes to give him a harder time.” He ruined the dryness of the joke with his laughter. “Don’t hesitate to call. Later.”
As soon as Suarez cleared the curtain, she leaned over and brushed her lips against his brow, his nose, his cheek, and then the corner of his lip.
Standing, she glared.
“Don’t you ever do that again! You scared the life out of me. Do you know how close you came to dying?” She didn’t stop to let him answer. “I don’t care if I have to sew a secret pocket into all of your clothes or get you one of those fanny packs or man bags, you will carry an EpiPen with you at all times.” She leaned in so they’re noses were an inch apart. “Are we clear, Pearce?”
His grin showed a lack of respect for her stern speech. But then he answered, “Yes, ma’am.”
Content with the outcome of her persuasion, she sealed the promise with a light kiss to his mouth.
“Does it hurt, baby?” she asked.
“Only when you stop.”
Her heartbeats tumbled over each other. Having faced death and won, the man still knew how to charm her.
They only had a few days left of their training. Would thing
s change between them when it ended? Would they continue to see each other?
May as well bring up her biggest fear. His return to the UFC made her nauseous every time she thought about it. Why did he refuse to acknowledge the danger of his decision? “When Suarez called, I thought you might have been injured during your training.” She grazed the back of her fingers along his temple. “With a hit to the head.”
“Nah, just an allergic reaction.”
“I’ve been doing some research…” Would he get angry? The better question was could she stand to lose him if something went horribly wrong during one of his matches. Could her heart take it again if she were called to the Emergency Room? This time to see him lying as a vegetable instead of a balloon.
A shrill beeping made her jump.
A light-skinned young woman dressed in yellow scrubs came through the curtain, zoned onto the offending noise-making machine and pressed a button. She smiled at Lamar and then Gia. “Your fluids are done. You’re looking much better than when you came in. I hope you’ll start carrying an adrenaline auto-injector with you.”
“Today is the last day I’ll be without it.” Lamar nodded and winked at Gia. At least she thought it was a wink, she couldn’t tell with the swelling around his eyes. If this was better, she probably would’ve fainted if she’d seen him in the midst of the reaction.
“Good to hear. I’ll be right back to remove the IV cannula. The doctor has discharged you so you can go home.”
“What were you saying before the nurse came in, Gia?”
I don’t want you to realize your dream of returning to the cage because it scares me, wouldn’t go over well. Maybe right then wasn’t the time to address her issues about his career. She’d formulate a convincing argument and hit him with it at a more conducive time.
She stroked a hand over his shaved head. “I’m glad you’re all right.”
The nurse returned with her supplies and worked on him.
What if Lamar didn’t change his mind and insisted on fighting? Would she be able to stay by his side even though she didn’t agree with his decision?
After the hair-raising panic she’d gone through today, she no longer knew.
Chapter 25
“I need a favor.” Trista’s mouth set into her traditional pleading pout as she looked into Gia’s eyes through the phone screen.
From what Gia could see in the background, the first-class airport lounge that her sister sat in while waiting for her flight out of Italy was worth the exorbitant price of the ticket.
She cringed at the slight whine in Trista’s voice. Trista’s requests could be brutal, ranging from having her do an embarrassing full makeup tutorial to attending a dreaded fashion show with pretentious people and fugly clothes that nobody should wear outside of Halloween. In short, a favor would mean that she’d end up on her sister’s vlog feeling out of place.
“Friday is your last day of training with Lamar, right?”
“Yes.” Just two more days and their secret could be blown wide open. She was bursting to share everything that had happened between her and Lamar. Well, almost everything.
“Congratulations on dropping a dress size. I hope you don’t lose too much more weight because you look better now than when you were skinny.”
Her sister had an impressive way of handing out backhanded compliments. “Thanks, I think. I like my new shape, too, but I want to lose the love handles.” Although Lamar didn’t seem to mind as he’d caressed every inch of her body. A delectable shiver ran down her spine at the memory.
“I’d like to do a feature on PCB Fitness. Lamar could give me a mini personal training workout. Of course, I’ll reveal your before and after pictures along with your old and new measurements, my followers absolutely love those.”
Trista tipped her head to the side and Gia braced for the kicker to the proposal.
“I was also thinking that you could show off some of the self-defense moves you learned.”
“Trista,” she added depth to her voice that indicated a no.
“What? You know my viewers love when you come on the show. Your awkwardness makes you relatable.”
“Thanks,” Gia said in a dry tone. At least most of their comments tended to be kind.
“It’s true. You mixing it up with a former UFC champion would jack up my numbers.”
Since no one was in the know yet about his decision to fight, Gia kept her mouth shut about it.
Trista’s feature would mean that Lamar’s gym would get a lot more exposure which would boost their reputation. Anything Trista gave a thumbs-up to tended to gain sales and attendance, especially if it was in Boston.
She couldn’t make it easy on her sister, though. Where would be the fun in that?
“I’ll do it if you omit the measurements and the pictures.”
“Yes, to the measurements, but I have to keep the before and after pictures. Everyone needs to see how much you’ve accomplished. You also have to wear the athletic outfit that I pick out for you.”
Dammit.
But then again, she liked the way she looked in the mirror these days. What did she have to hide?
“Only if it’s more than a crop top or sports bra. I need real clothes, little sister.”
“Deal. Thank you so much. I’ve already partnered with Trainwear Sports Apparel and they’ll dress you, me and Lamar.”
Of course, she had. Her consent in the matter had been an insignificant formality. “What if he doesn’t agree?”
Trista snorted. “To win over my viewers, he’d wear bikini briefs and like it. Besides I’ve already arranged everything with him. Actually, I spoke to Suarez because he doesn’t growl at me. They’re all down with the plan.”
“He never mentioned anything. When did you discuss it?”
Trista’s gaze shifted away from the screen. “I’ve got to go. My flight is ready for boarding. I love you.”
Gia didn’t understand the avoidance. She’d get to the bottom of it when Trista returned in a couple of days after a short stint in Spain. “I love you, too. Have a safe flight.”
“Thanks.”
Between Trista and Lamar, she wondered what was wrong with her instincts. Either they’d gone wonky or they were hiding something from her. Hopefully she was off her game because she wouldn’t be able to tolerate deceit from either one.
Gia stroked Lamar’s defined chest. Making love to him was always an adventure in endurance and pleasure. Damned if she’d complain.
“Two days left until our last training session.”
“Yeah. Six weeks flew by.” His deep voice rumbled under her ear as he caressed her bare back.
She was no good at fishing for information that should’ve been handed to her. “Trista’s in town on Friday.”
The shoulder she rested her head on flexed. He didn’t say a word.
Rising to lean on her elbow, she looked down into his face. Mistake. Remembering what his full lips and tongue had done to her not too long ago had her a second from forgetting what she was about to say.
Drawing her gaze from his mouth to his hooded eyes didn’t help. His features were smooth and free of strain. She liked that she could help him get into such a relaxed state. Too bad she was about to ruin it.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the video scheduled with Trista on Saturday?”
To his credit his only reaction was a twitch of his left eye before he shrugged. “I figured she’d tell you.”
“Oh.”
The man had a point. It didn’t make the fact that he hadn’t thought enough about her to communicate his plans hurt less. Sex partners must not do that sort of thing. Or did they have to be in a committed relationship to tell each other what was going on in their lives? She was a fool for thinking what they had could be anything more than benefits to each other. She’d be overreaching to have him call her a friend. Closing her eyes with a depressed sigh, Gia rolled away and lay on her side facing the wall.
The bed dipped as he
shifted positions. “Gia, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. You have training in the morning, so you should get some sleep.”
“Now I know for sure something’s wrong.”
Since he’d insisted, she sat up, pulling the sheet over her breasts. “I figured you would’ve told me about the opportunity that my generous sister has tossed you. After that asshole tried to destroy your gym, I’d think the exposure Trista can provide would be something you’d be happy to share with me.”
He got to a seated position. “You knew about that?”
“Of course.” Hadn’t he ever looked himself up on the internet?
“And you still decided to train with me even though the video was so damn convincing?”
Where was he going with this? Her frustration was slipping away like a child down a waterslide.
“Yeah. First of all, I’d already met you before I watched the video. Other than a couple of dodgy answers that you gave, you were cool. You didn’t set off any stress in me, plus my sister thought enough of you to entrust me to your care. If you knew Trista, you’d understand that it’s a big deal for her to recommend anything or anyone. She’s thorough with her research, that’s why her viewers trust her.”
“I see.” He lowered his head and kissed her shoulder. She melted as he nibbled the area along her collarbone. Warm air teased her sensitized skin when he spoke. “Do you have plans for Saturday night?”
“No,” she breathed out as her lids fluttered closed.
His hands replaced his mouth as he walked fingers along her back as if writing a secret message. “How about we go out to dinner and then watch a movie?”
Her eyes sprang open. “You mean on a date? Like out in public?”
He chuckled. “I’ll no longer be your trainer, so there’s nothing to hide.”
For a moment it ran through her head to ask if they were in a relationship or seeing other people. Not to come off as clingy, she kept the words bound. “I have to check my schedule. I’ll have my secretary call your—”
