I smile at him and reach up. I finally get to do what I’ve been wanting to do. I pull him down and kiss him some more. “I’m sure,” I murmur against his lips. He kisses me back so softly, so sweetly. It’s like he’s not the same man he was just a few minutes ago.
“Do you regret it?” he asks, wrapping me in his arms, rolling over until he’s on his back and I’m on his chest. He pulls the blanket up, covering us.
“No, of course not,” I reassure him. I don’t regret it. It was amazing. I’ll never forget this night. It’s already becoming one of those memories I just know I’ll always treasure.
“Do you regret what you said?” he asks now and his chest stills beneath my cheek. He’s holding his breath, waiting for my answer.
“No,” I tell him and snuggle into his warmth.
And maybe I’ll regret this. Maybe when I’m not all relaxed from sex and snuggled up to the one guy who’s stood up for me and protected me, who’s made me feel safe, who’s made me feel as if he really cares, I might have a different answer.
But right now, I’m so sated, so fuzzy and tingly and so into the guy who’s holding me close that I tell him, “If you want me, I’m yours.”
Chapter Fourteen
Chase
Six in the morning sure does come early when you are awoken in
the middle of the night for another romp in the bed with what is quickly becoming an insatiable woman.
My alarm on my phone beeps and then vibrates a couple of times before I have a chance to shut it off. Avery mumbles something about unkind gentlemen when I wrap her back up in the blankets and she quickly falls back to sleep.
I feel about twice as good this morning compared to how I felt the morning after the fight. My hands have worked all the twinges out of them. My legs feel stronger too. Yesterday I pushed myself harder than normal but thankfully I didn't overdo it.
Walking into my closet, I flip the light on after shutting the door. I pull on a fresh pair of underwear and black running shorts. A Parkway Drive t-shirt completes my running outfit and I snag a pair of socks before turning off the light and opening the door.
It's almost pitch black in the room. After being so intimate with Avery last night, I really want to turn on the lights while she sleeps to study what this amazing woman looks like fully naked but that would probably lead to trouble. Brushing the hair away from her face, I kiss her on the forehead, gazing at the woman who is completely enchanting me.
She is absolutely fucking beautiful.
Heading down the stairs, I slap some ear buds in and turn on some Amity Affliction. Today in the seven day training cycle is a full workout day, or as I have come to call them it’s Nightmare Day. I do three days of these a week, then three medium days and then one light day. I start at six and end around six, so it’s going to be a long day, but when I am in training mode, it’s what I do.
This is my job. I know some fighters who do not have the discipline that I strive for and that I train for to keep myself in top fighting shape. I've been this way for a long time. When I am in the in-between stages, I slide back to four to five days of medium work outs. But if I am preparing for a fight like I am with Ethan again, I want the world to know after this fight that the last time was not a fluke.
I am the champion and he never had a fucking chance.
Something about being so damn close to Avery, knowing she is just a quick run back home allows me to slip into that space in between thought and action. I don't have her weighing on my mind. I know where she is and I know she is safe and sound.
I make sure to stay off the cement path around the lake, it’s a three-mile long path. I run through the woods and trails instead. I want to push my body today, it needs to get back into hardcore training mode.
***
Slipping in the back door after my run, I look around but it doesn't seem like Avery has gotten out of bed yet. Goody for me then, I might get to see her naked again before breakfast.
I walk quietly up the stairs and into what I hope to soon call our bedroom. I peek in and see that she has wrapped her body around a pillow and is covered up to her neck. I walk over to her when I see her eyes sleepily blink open.
“Mmm, where have you been?” she asks, sleepily tilting her head to the side as she raises a hand to block some of the morning light coming in through the windows
“I went for my run,” I say and lean down, kissing her on the lips. My hand cups her cheek and she returns the kiss for a few seconds before pulling away.
She wipes at my sweat. Shit. She doesn't look in the mood now.
“Ew.” She makes a face, scrunching up her nose. “You need a shower and I need a few more minutes of sleep.”
Nodding my head, I strip off my sweat-drenched clothes and head into the master bath. I'm pretty sure Avery is asleep before I even get the door closed.
The eggs and bacon are coming along nicely when I hear Avery moving around upstairs. Smiling, she walks into the kitchen with a bit of a bounce to her step. She must have slept well.