Fighting Fate (Fighting #7)(104)
He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “We’re making new memories, starting now, baby.”
“You’re really staying?”
“Of course. Don’t act so surprised. You heard Cam. I could fight in Timbuktu.”
“It’s nice to see your ego’s still intact.”
He swipes his lips across my forehead. “You think it’s something you can get used to?”
Killian has never been a confident guy, and with as much crap as I’ve been giving him, he’s earned the right to be proud of his accomplishments. He’s not just believing the hype. If he continues on like this, he’ll be an MMA legend. I wrap my arms around his neck and smile up at him. “As long as you can get used to me not needing you to hold me together anymore.”
“No joke.” He sets his eyes on mine and his smile falls. “I loved holding you together.”
“Now you hold my heart.” It thumps heavily in my chest. “Don’t break it.”
“No f*cking problem.” His lips descend, and he takes my mouth in a gentle and slow kiss. He slides one hand down to the top of my ass, pulling me in deeper while his other hand cups my nape. My legs feel weak as he commands my body and possesses my mouth so beautifully it brings tears from my eyes. The saltiness mixes with our tongues, and he pulls back, pressing his forehead to mine.
“Don’t cry, Ax. It kills me when you cry.”
“I can’t help it. I’ve been walking around for hours, regretting everything I said after we’d made love. I thought I lost you.”
“Never. You can push, and I’ll gladly take your fears and be your punching bag, but I meant what I said at that press conference. As long as you want me, I’m not livin’ another day without you.”
“Good. Because I want you.” I press a soft kiss to his lips. “I have always wanted you, Killian.”
“I was wondering, with today being Valentine’s Day and all, if you’d let me take you to dinner.”
The buzz of reporters filters through the walls. “You think there’s a restaurant out there where we can find some privacy?”
He chews his lip then shakes his head. “Good point. How about my hotel, anything your gorgeous heart desires off the room-service menu, and we’ll rent movies? Just like the old days but with more kissing and fewer clothes.”
I sigh long and hard. “Now that sounds like the perfect Valentine’s Day.
Thirty-five
Killian
I wonder if it’s too late to change my mind about this morning’s plan.
After we made it back to my hotel room last night, we made love until we worked up an appetite that couldn’t be ignored. We ordered enough room service to last days then dialed up some romantic comedy she wanted to see. I tried to sway her to the blockbuster sci-fi movie, but all my best moves failed, and frankly, by the time I had my mouth all over her skin, I didn’t give a f*ck what was on the TV anyway. Turns out, after we hit “play” and our naked bodies were tangled together, she didn’t care either.
It wasn’t until after she’d fallen asleep in my arms that I was plagued with visions of what the last year of her life had been like. I couldn’t lie there for another second without doing something, so I sent out the mass text with instructions to pass it on to anyone who might be interested.
It was enough to set my mind at ease so I could get some sleep.
This morning I woke up to a shit load of texts and was forced to peel my body away from hers and hit the shower. Thirty minutes until I’m supposed to be there and I’m finding it impossible to leave her.
Her legs shift beneath the single white sheet, kicking it further off her body so that the smooth, tanned skin of her hip is exposed to the light. I groan as she rolls from her side to her back, the full mounds of her breasts illuminated by the sun cascading through the window.
My shorts grow tight, and I make an adjustment so that I can cross to her without limping. Her thick black lashes flicker to life as I drop to the bed beside her.
“Good morning.”
A slow, lazy smile pulls her lips, and her blue eyes are brighter than I ever remember seeing them. “Morning.” Her voice is rough with sleep as her gaze rakes over me. She frowns. “You showered without me.”
I run a hand through her silken hair and down her neck to rest against her breastbone. Her pulse flutters beneath my palm. “I considered dragging you in there with me, but you were sleeping so hard I didn’t want to wake you.”
She stretches, arching her back, and unable to resist the invitation, I dip my head to suck on her nipple until it forms a firm peak. Her hands sift into my damp hair and hold me in place. I chuckle at her eagerness, but reluctantly pull back and cover her with the sheet. She gathers the covers to her chest then rolls to her side. “You have somewhere you have to be?”
“Unfortunately.” I smooth her hair back from her face. “Order breakfast. Take a long hot bath. I should be back by the time you’re done.”
She runs her teeth along her lower lip. “And then what?”
“As much as I’d love to spend the day in bed with you, I made plans for this afternoon.”
Clouds of doubt pass through her sky-blue eyes. “I can just go home. I need to get my car anyw—”