Reaching out, he took the bowls from her and put them on the table, and stepped close, taking her hands in his and lacing their fingers together. God, he didn’t think he’d ever get enough of touching her, and his blood was practically sizzling in his veins just from this simple contact. Judging by the hazy look in her eyes, and the way her breath caught, she felt his touch with the same intensity.
“Amelia, honey, how is this your fault? And trust me, the one getting hurt tomorrow night is Zane, not me.”
She frowned, some of the haze clearing from her eyes. “I don’t want you hurting him so badly you get in trouble, either. And how is this not my fault? The challenge was issued as a direct result of him messing with me.”
“First of all, that guy’s had it coming to him for a long time. He’s a pompous ass, and he insults me and the other fighters every chance he gets. He was also the cause of some trouble that happened to Cammie a couple months ago, and even though she wiped the floor with his ass in a fight, he still deserves to have it kicked again for that. Second, he wasn’t just messing with you. He had you cornered, and he wasn’t letting you leave, even though you clearly wanted to. And he touched you without your consent, and you made it obvious you weren’t open to it. There are a shitload of reasons why I need to fight him.”
“Okay, you have a point with a lot of that,” she said, and then squeezed his fingers. “But you’re touching me now, and I didn’t verbally give permission. How do you know I wanted you to?”
“You also haven’t been trying to get away from me. Besides, you basically said last night you were trying to seduce me. Or do I have this all wrong, and what you said was only because you were drunk?”
“Heavily tipsy,” she muttered, cheeks turning a gorgeous pink. “No, you didn’t get it wrong.”
Lifting her hand to his lips, he placed a lingering kiss on her knuckles. “That’s the difference. Now I really need to go train. Eat your breakfast and take something for that headache, if you haven’t already. The coffee will help, too.”
Her eyes stayed glued on their intertwined hands until he lowered them to their sides. Clearing her throat, she asked softly, “Will I see you before the fight?”
“I’ll drop by sometime tonight, if that’s okay.”
“Yes!” she replied, voice louder and a few octaves higher. Blushing again, she lowered her voice. “Yes, I’d like that. Let me give you my number. The landline is turned off now, but I have a temporary cell phone with an American number to use while I’m here.”
She started to turn away, but he stopped her, letting go of her hands to pull his cell out of his pocket. Unlocking it, he said, “Give me your number, and then I’ll call you so you have mine.”
She rattled off her number and he quickly saved it before calling her. When her cell started ringing, he hung up and put his phone back in his pocket. Running his eyes over her face, he took in her gorgeous features, fighting his leopard and body’s urging to kiss her plump lips. Resisting because he wanted to take his time when he finally did kiss her, he compromised, leaning in and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. Smiling at the hitch in her breathing, he reached up and trailed his fingers down her other cheek.
“I’ll see you soon, Amelia,” he said huskily.
“Soon,” she answered faintly as he opened the door and let himself out.
Smiling, he walked to his car, rubbing his chest. It felt weirdly full, and his cat’s purr was strong enough that he felt the vibrations against his hand. He couldn’t help feeling hopeful that he wasn’t screwed, and everything would work out, after all.
Amelia stared at the door, fingers touching the cheek Seth kissed, until the loud growl of his car faded in the distance. Exhaling lightly, she grabbed the food and the coffee and made her way to the kitchen. Getting a plate and a fork, she served herself and sat down at the worn kitchen table.
The first bite was pure bliss, and she couldn’t help letti
ng out a little moan of pleasure. Honestly, she hadn’t been expecting much, but she realized she underestimated his cooking skills. She hadn’t been all that hungry, but suddenly she was ravenous, and she quickly forked up another bite.
She hadn’t been expecting him to show up this morning, and she was so glad she changed out of the clothes she wore and slept in last night when she woke up this morning. Answering the door in her pajamas, while not what she’d choose for him to see her in, was so much better than the now hopelessly wrinkled clothing she wore to Cocky Pete’s.
The fact that he came over to see how she was this morning, and to make sure she ate, made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And was just one more way she’d underestimated him. He didn’t come across as self-centered or selfish, but she hadn’t thought it would be something he’d think to do.
He was proving her wrong in so many ways, and she couldn’t be happier about that. Or happier that all her embarrassing moments, and when it seemed like she didn’t have a clue, weren’t scaring him off.
The night before was a little fuzzy, and she was running over it in her mind when she froze, slowly lowering her fork to her empty plate. Chewing thoughtfully, she remembered her observation about the fighters seemingly hearing things they shouldn’t have been able to hear. An image of Seth’s eyes as they lightened first to a golden brown, and then later a blazing gold, flashed in her mind. They were beautiful, to be sure, but the fact that they changed at all was significant.
Getting up, she took her plate to the sink and rinsed it before walking to the living room and grabbing the notebook she bought the other day. She found a pen and sat down, opening it to the first page. She titled it What Are The Fighters, and started listing what she knew.
Uncle Jerry said they could turn into animals. True, or are they something else?
When Seth and Jax fought, they moved so fast, they blurred.
At same fight, cuts formed and then disappeared a heartbeat later.
Observing them the next day, Seth jumped off the roof of the barn, landing with ease.
Seth carried a very heavy load of lumber easily, showing no strain or effort
At Cocky Pete’s, they appeared to hear a conversation that was too far away for a human to hear.