Nick swats my tush. “Is that a good enough reminder?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you do it again?” I suggest.
He laughs before pressing a quick kiss to my lips. He reaches to the floor and grabs a handful of popcorn, offering me a bite before munching on the rest.
I lay my head back down on his chest. My eyes begin to drift shut as Nick’s heartbeat lulls me. In that perfect dreamscape where miracles happen, I can picture David rushing down the stairs yelling, “Mom, is the fight on yet?”
Right before Nick answers, “Not yet, son.”
My hand brushes across his chest, and I feel the raised edge of his nipple through his T-shirt. “Hmm.” Even as relaxed as I am, I can’t get enough of his body. “How is it you still have a body this ripped at your age?”
That earns me another whack. I just smile as Nick asks indignantly, “At my age?”
“I am younger than all of you but Meadow,” I remind him.
Nick growls, “I was holding my own with Reece in the ring the other day.”
“You were, though he’s shredded. Christ, I don’t know how you managed that. Despite your kicking his ass, he seemed to have enough gas in his tank to…Nick!” I screech as he flips me over.
Nick unceremoniously dumps me onto my back. Picking up the remote, he hits Record. “We’ll watch the fight later.”
“When later?” I demand.
“After I teach you a very important lesson.”
“About what?”
“About endurance.” And then Nick lowers his head and proceeds to show me that he still has the determination to make me forget my own name. The only thing I remember is his as I call it out repeatedly. That and the fact I want his hands all over my body before he thrusts inside, causing me to clench around his cock so hard he moans out my name next to my ear.
Neither of us give a shit who won the fight—either the one on my flat-screen or the one we were having.
The next night, Nick and I lie in the backyard talking about his home in Albuquerque. “What made you choose there?” I ask curiously.
“Have you ever been?”
“No. I was supposed to. Even had the ticket booked, but then…”
Nick rolls us until we’re facing one another. “What happened?”
“I got the call from Kara.” My voice is haunted.
Nick’s body stills. “What?”
“Nick. I was flying to Albuquerque. I was going to meet Jed there for a week after he got back from his vacation with Dean. I promised him I’d go somewhere fun with him. He told me I’d suit the southwest—that Albuquerque would be my kind of town.” My hand blindly reaches for his.
“God damn, crazy bastard. You were trying to get us together. Fuck. What if she wasn’t ready?” Nick surges to his feet, pulling me along with him. Wrapping me in his arms, he rubs his hand up and down my back. Jerking me back, Nick’s penetrating stare tries to read me. Since the main thing I’m feeling is shock, he mutters, “Shit,” before yanking me back into his arms for long moments before I gather my thoughts.
“He was trying to play matchmaker.”
“Yeah, Sunshine. He was.” Nick’s voice is cautious.
I burst out laughing.
Nick’s body locks. I pull back and grab his face down by the cheek before laying a smacking kiss on his lips. “Don’t you get it?” I yell.
“Obviously not.”
“You were wondering if he’d approve of me and you? Well, despite his vacillating back and forth in his journals, he did. Why on earth would he bring me around you? He had to know what would happen.”
“He’d have brought you to Razor.”
“Keep going,” I encourage.
“What would you have done?” he asks.
“I’d have seen you working with the kids and my heart would have been in a puddle. What about you?”
“I’d have laid claim to you within the blink of an eye before beating the shit out of anyone who looked at you,” Nick declares immediately.
I toss my head back and start to laugh. “I love you, Jedidiah! You meddling moron!” I yell, once I catch my breath.
When my head rights, Nick bends me back over his arm, drinking every drop of joy from my lips, pouring every ounce of his into me. I moan under the pressure of his lips. He growls before his tongue duels with mine. Blessing us, the sun shines down on us in its glory instead of the seasonal rain.
It’s a heady feeling to know the love you’ve waited a lifetime for has been blessed by the only person you both love unconditionally. Because I know all too well in the blink of an eye, the crush of a wave, the smash of a car, so much about life can change. But for this moment, I feel invincible. Certainly the feelings I have for Nick are.
When Nick draws back from our kiss, I feel frozen in place by the emotions chasing themselves across his face. But the one that I know I’ll never forget is love. “I want to bring you to Albuquerque,” Nick proclaims.
“Okay,” I agree without hesitation.
“Soon,” he presses.
“As soon as I can, Nick.”
He yanks me tightly against his chest. His heart is pounding against my ear. Safe, certain in his love for me, I wonder aloud, “Do you believe he’s looking down at us?”
“He’s sitting at a bar laughing his damn ass off, Maris. And you know it just as I do. First night I was here, I yelled at him.”
I jerk back. “You did?”
“Don’t sound surprised; I talk with your brother.”
“I thought I was the only one.”
Nick scoffs. “Please. Since Brad didn’t offer to escort me to the nearest mental institution, I suspect he does as well.”
Thoughtfully, I tip my head to the side. “I know Kara talks with Dean through email.”
“And if Jennings knows that, then he’s regularly communicating with the lunatic. And let’s not forget Kody.”
My eyes go wide. “No way.”
Nick nods. “Drunk birthday chat revealed that one. Then again, I told him first.” Nick runs his finger along the chain I’m wearing before admitting, “I almost lost this.”
I suck in a deep breath. “What happened?”
He drags me over to a chair. Pulling me onto his lap, he recounts how a fighter he was training from a visiting camp broke the clasp and then taunted him with melting it down to put the gold in his mouth. “I hope you bloodied his damn mouth.” I fist my hands.
Nick tucks me close. “I did better than that. I took out the two teeth with a kick. Bled like a bitch in the ring. Only time Charmaine didn’t bitch me out for cursing or the blood.”
“Good. Wait, Charmaine doesn’t like cursing? Or blood? How the hell does she work with you?”
Nick blushes.
“Oh, this is going to be good. I might need her number.”
“I’ll give it to you, but um, yeah.”
“Tell me.” I start bouncing like a little kid in his lap.
He wraps his arms around my waist and explains how Charmaine won’t preview any fight videos anymore. “Okay, fine. Now, fess up Cain. How does your badass assistant keep your potty mouth from tainting the fight floor?” I tease.