She takes my hand in hers and kisses my knuckles. “Just when I think you couldn’t possibly be any more perfect, Jackson Decker, you go and say something like that to melt my heart.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Just your heart?”
“And obviously my panties too,” she adds.
“That’s my girl.”
When we pullup outside the stadium a few moments later, Lucia frowns as she peers out of the window.
“Are we watching a game?”
“Nope. A fight,” I tell her, jumping out of the truck and opening her door for her.
“Who is fighting?”
“A friend of ours. Someone you have a bit of a crush on, maybe?”
She opens her mouth as though completely insulted by that comment. “I only have eyes for you. You know that.”
“A girl crush, baby. You admire her is all I meant,” I say with a wink.
“Toni is fighting tonight?” she asks with a huge smile as she takes my hand and we walk toward the stadium.
“She sure is. And she got us some ringside seats too.”
“I had no idea she’d be here. Is it a sanctioned fight? Her belt’s not on the line, right?” she asks and I smile at her newly acquired knowledge of MMA fighting.
Since Toni Moretti started training her about eight months ago, she’s become a huge fan of the sport, and she and Toni have become friends. The fact that Toni has a bit of thing for my girl is something I don’t dwell on too much. I trust Lucia completely, and Toni too. She and I have been friends for a long time.
“It’s an exhibition thing. It’s all publicity for her big fight next year.”
“I can’t wait to see her kick some ass live,” she says with a grin. “I’ve only seen her on TV before.”
“I know,” I wrap my arm around her waist. “You like your surprise then?”
She places her hands on my cheeks and kisses me. “I love it. I love you.”
“Love you too, baby.”
Then with my hand on her ass and her hand in the back pocket of my jeans, we walk into the stadium to find our ringside seats.
* * *
I mostly watchLucia instead of the fight, her eyes shining with happiness as she watches the sport she’s come to enjoy so much.
“Wow! They’re so good,” she shouts to be heard over the crowd. “It’s so much better watching live.”
“It sure is.”
I slide an arm around her shoulder and when Toni finally comes into the ring, the crowd goes wild with cheering and applause. She is the star of the show and she knows it. She laps up the attention like she was born for it. Playing to the crowd and taunting her opponent, whom I happen to know is a good friend of hers. When she sees Lucia and me, she gives Lucia a wave and my girl squeals with delight.
“She waved at us,” she says with a huge grin. “I feel so important.”
I laugh and shake my head. Her father is the king of fucking LA and she’s the heir to the entire Montoya empire, along with her little brothers of course, but getting waved at by Toni Moretti is what makes her feel like a VIP. At least half of the people in this room would know her family name, but she has no clue how powerful and special she really is. And that is one of the many things I love about her.
Chapter9
Lucia