Love, Tussles, and Takedowns (Cactus Creek #3)(62)

He loved when she got that look in her eyes.

It usually meant they were going to spar, in one way or another.

“So,” she began, her eyes roaming all over him like invisible fingers, “what do you think we should do as our first activity as an engaged couple?”

“I have a few ideas,” he rumbled out. More than a few. Dozens. Vivid ideas that had made the ride over here damn uncomfortable.

“Does one of them include trying out your new all-feeling right hand?” she asked innocently.

He dropped his forehead down to hers and dragged her into his arms. “Babe, I love how you just get me.”

Lia was too busy starting in on ‘getting him’ a whole lot more.





EPILOGUE


LIA FELL FLAT on her back in the middle of the mat.

Shortly before Hudson rolled over her and locked up all of her limbs, pinning her shoulders down in less than three seconds.

“Dammit!” She always held her own against him when they sparred, but in grappling, the man had an uncanny mastery over her body.

And he damn well knew it, too.

His grinning lips appeared in her vision and captured hers in a searing kiss just when her cursing was starting to get good and colorful.

Okay, so there were worse ways to lose in MMA.

“Keep it PG-13, people,” called out Xoey from the corner as Lia untangled herself from Hudson’s joint locks, making sure to get in a little well-placed payback while she did.

His heated eyes promised a second round in the privacy of their newly furnished bedroom when they got home tonight.

She wasn’t worried.

Whenever they grappled on their giant king sized bed, she always managed to come out on top.

“Dani,” called out Xoey, “can I borrow your MP3 player? I forgot mine at home.”

Hudson hopped up quickly. “Dani’s busy. Here, borrow Lia’s satellite player instead. It’s built into her watch and feeds into the Bluetooth earphones. That way you don’t have to strap anything on your arm.” He grabbed it from Lia’s bag and tossed it over to Xoey before Lia could even arch a questioning eyebrow at him.

Xoey turned Lia’s watch this way and that. “This tiny thing plays satellite radio?” She strapped it on and hooked on one of the wireless earphones. Her eyes widened with surprise a second later, presumably when the music started playing.

“Yeah, her brother Gabe is a gadget genius. It’s on an automatic shuffle.”

“Pretty cool. I’ll bring it back after my run.” Xoey waved her thanks and headed over to the treadmills.

“What was that all about?” asked Lia suspiciously. Hudson was wearing that special grin he reserved for when messed with his cousin Ben.

“What?” he returned innocently.

Lia smacked him in the gut. “You’re like a little kid sometimes, you know that?”

“Oh, c’mon. Aren’t you the least bit curious what kind of playlist Gabe’s emotion-sensing program will build for that one?”

She kind of was, yes.

“It’d be like looking into the eye of a tornado.” His grin grew wider as they looked over and saw Xoey make a face and furrow her brow down at the watch.

“What are you guys talking about?” Dani plopped down beside them with a bottle of water, immediately proceeding to spy on Xoey along with them.

“Remember Lia’s psychic satellite radio player?”

“Uh huh.” She sipped at her water.

“I gave it to Xoey to work out to.”

Dani’s hand slapped over her mouth before the water could come spraying out. When she eventually managed to gulp most of it down, she shot Hudson a look that called him a brave, brave fool. “She’s going to kill you when she finds out you’re messing with her.”

“What’s wrong with wanting to know what the woman is thinking for a change?”

“Zip it. Here she comes.”

Xoey looked more perturbed than annoyed.

Lia and Dani exchanged a look. Yeah, alright. Hudson had an excellent point. Now how to get a peek at that playlist?

“Lia, no offense but these song selections kind of suck. How do you even work out to this music?”

Hudson stretched out his hand.

But Dani was quicker.

Her jaw dropped as she saw the song title currently flashing on the screen.

Oh, it was no use. Lia was beyond curious now. She peered over just as Xoey switched it over from Bluetooth to speaker.

And like a Titanic tide, the inimitable powerhouse vocals of Celine Dion came booming out of the little watch.

Lia stifled an incredulous giggle while Hudson proceeded to do a much more terrible job keeping in his humor.

“Oh my God.” Dani’s eyes widened as she scrolled through and showed Lia all the songs that were loaded up on the playlist. When they saw the last few songs played, Dani gasped and turned her stunned gaze over to her best friend.

“Xoey, according to this, you’re in love.”

Xoey froze. And then shot her panicked eyes over to the nearest exit.



-- THE END --