And just like that, all the joy washes out of his features. “You mean I can’t train up here?”
I cut my eyes over to Oliver. His own shock is evident. Oliver is the one to reply. “That’s not normally how it’s done, Reece.”
“It’s just…it’s my gran. I need to make arrangements for her. And winters up here, they’re not easy.”
“I understand, kid.” Boy, do I understand what the first bite of winter feels like sinking through your bones when you’re unprepared for it. “How about Oliver and I have a discussion, figure out schedules, and then we contact you with the details?”
Relief floods his face. “That would be amazing. Thank you. Thank you so much.” He reaches out and shakes my hand. Then he grabs Oliver and slaps him on the back so hard, it wouldn’t surprise me if he cracked a bone.
“Ollie, stick around,” I order as Reece bounds out of the ring and heads for the locker room. When he’s out of earshot, I cock a brow.
“I’m sorry, Nick. I completely forgot about his gran.”
“Is she ill?” I’m not worried about the fighter; I know what I can do with Reece London once I get him at Razor. I am truly concerned about the guy’s family. Because once Reece becomes mine, I want all of him.
Much like I want Maris. Shoving that thought from my head, I focus on the matter at hand.
Oliver’s thoughtful. “Frail. I think if Reece went to her and said he wanted to move, she’d tell him to go. But intuitively he knows he’d lose her.”
“Where are his folks?”
“Enjoying mai tais on the beach in Hawaii with mine.” Oliver’s voice doesn’t hold the same bitterness it did when I first met him. Not anymore.
“Christ, and I liked the kid even before I knew that. So, he put his life on hold to watch out for gran and…”
“And then you walked in the door,” Oliver concludes. “The question is, what are you going to do?”
I’m about to answer when my phone rings from one of the folding chairs. “Hold that thought.”
I duck under the ropes and jump down. I grab it just in time to see Maris’s face. I quickly answer. “Hey. What’s going on?”
“Despite the no going out to dinner until you finish your email rule, I’ve been invited over to eat at Brad and Rainey’s tonight. Since I’m stopping by the grocery store for a bottle of wine, do you want me to grab anything to drink for you?”
“I should say no since I’m training,” I say automatically.
“Nick, have you ever not been in training?”
I laugh. “No.”
“Then would you like something to drink?”
“Beer. Whatever Brad drinks. And would you mind picking up a bottle of tequila for Rainey since I crushed hers the last time I was here?”
“I don’t know what I’m more offended by.”
Uh-oh. I feel like I’m being led into a trap. I ask carefully, “What?”
“That the Jacks got lit together at Jed’s funeral and didn’t invite me or that Rainey didn’t give me the gossip about it.”
“Go with number two,” I urge her.
“Of course you’d say that. I’m hanging up now.”
“Drive safely,” I say automatically.
There’s a long silence before a soft “Thanks.” Then she disconnects the call.
Damn, I really need to finish reading the rest of those emails. I turn around and find Oliver with an arrested expression on his face. “Let’s table this until tomorrow. Tell Reece I had personal plans come up and you and I are going to meet in the morning.”
Oliver backs away slowly, trepidation on his face. “What time in the morning?”
Stopping only to pick up my tee and shoes, I call over my shoulder, “Whatever time is most inconvenient for you, of course, Oliver.”
“You’re an ass, Nick,” he yells, just as the door closes behind me.
“So I’ve been told by many,” I murmur as I strip down to nothing. Padding over to the shower stall, I turn on the taps and step under the warm water, letting the soap and spray take away my aches for a little while.
I pull into the Meyerses’ driveway right behind Maris. Immediately, my mind blanks and my dick hardens as she slides from her vehicle in a pair of torn jeans and a shirt that has cutouts exposing both shoulders. My mouth begins watering, and it has nothing to do with the smells emanating from the backyard. “Thank you, sweet Lord, for the inventor of jockstraps” are the first words I manage to get out. Because I know if I’d taken a nut shot today, I’d be paying for it badly right about now. I’m fully erect as her body moves and sways.
Jumping from my borrowed vehicle, I snag my gym bag from the passenger seat and approach her. “Need any help?”
“Hey. Were you working out?” She nods at the bag in my arms. She reaches into the back of her SUV, stretching out, and my heart beats harder than it did when Reece had me up against the ropes. Holy mother of God. I just want to find a spot where we can be alone and I can spend a night exploring that magnificent ass.
“No, I met the guy today.” At her quizzical expression, I explain. “The guy I flew up here to meet. Reece London.”
To my shock, the buoyant expression on Maris’s face disappears. “Is that what this party’s for? A goodbye celebration? You’re leaving?” Her voice becomes hostile, but there’s something else there. Something I’ve never noticed before because I wasn’t listening.
It’s hurt.
“Shit. No.” I drop the bag to the side. I reach out and clasp the smooth skin of her arms. “Did you really think I would just pick up and leave?”
“Why not? It’s not as if you don’t have a record for it,” she flings at me. “What’s so different this time?”
“This.” And I yank her into me.
This kiss holds none of the exploratory tenderness of last night and all of the passion. I boost Maris onto her tailgate and step in between her legs so I can press her against my raging hard-on. She nips my lower lip before trying to climb me like a tree. Fuck, I know there’s never been a woman I’ve wanted the way I want her. And after the tastes of her I’ve had, I’m not certain I’ll ever find another.
Maris tears her mouth away, breathing hard.
I bend down until our eyes are level. “You made me a promise—dinner for those emails. Don’t think I’m not holding you to it.”
“But I thought…”
“That I was going. You made that clear. And I’m telling you now, I may have other plans in mind.”
“Like what?” she challenges me.
I bop the tip of her nose with my finger. “Jed always said you were such a pain around the holidays. Couldn’t hack a surprise and had to know everything.”
“You two…talked about me?”
“Much more than you can imagine,” I confirm.
She shifts off the tailgate. Our bodies are in perfect alignment. “If that’s the case, then why did he not want us together? Why did he warn me away from you, Nick?” Tears well in her eyes. “Do you realize how much could have been different?”