I watch as Nico closes his eyes and reopens them a few seconds later. I can see he’s composing himself, and I feel weak that I don’t have the strength to do the same. But I don’t care. “Did you eat?”
I shake my head no. I went to a restaurant, but I never made it to dinner.
“Come on, I’ll take you out to grab a bite.” Although he doesn’t release the hold he has on me. He watches me for a few seconds longer and then smiles down at me. “What is it about you, Elle?”
It’s a question, but his face tells me he doesn’t really expect an answer.
Chapter 12
Nico
“I think I wanna go back in.” My words stop Preach in his tracks and he isn’t prepared for the shot I land into his sparring gloves. He winds up on his ass.
I extend a hand down to him on the floor and he gets up rubbing his hip. “Do you think you can tell me this shit when I’m not going to get a bruise. A fucking cup of coffee. Maybe we sit down over a cup of coffee and discuss things like normal people for a change.”
I shake my head at the drama of Preach. He’s bugged the crap out of me for over a year and then he complains at the way I tell him I’m ready. Fucking Preach.
“Why the change of heart son?”
“Does it matter? You’ve been up my ass for a year and now I tell you what you’ve been wanting to hear and you start questioning it.”
“How was your date last night?” A voice comes from behind me. I hadn’t seen Lily walk in. I’m starting to regret hiring her to do my books. Her timing sucks and she’s got a big mouth.
“The checkbook is upstairs.” I don’t respond to her question.
“Date?” Her comment gets Preach’s attention.
“Oh, you haven’t told Preach about Elle?” Lily drags out her words. She sounds like my sister teasing me. I’m suddenly glad that I grew up with three brothers who had no interest in gossip or my love life. I shoot Lily a look that says go away, but she stands her ground and her and Preach begin to talk about me like I’m not even there. She tells Preach about Elle and the two of them lap up the shit like two schoolgirls.
I’m stopped, waiting for Preach, and I feel my muscles starting to go cold. There’s a pause in their chatter and I dart into the conversation before they can resume. “Think we can get back to work ladies? I’m not paying both your asses to stand around and talk about me like I’m not even here.”
Lily smirks at Preach, but takes the hint and heads upstairs to get the books.
Preach lifts the pads he’s holding to block my hits back up and I bounce up and down a few times to get the blood flowing again before I swing my leg high into the air and land a strong strike in the middle of the reflector pads, exactly where I aimed the kick.
“The girl have anything to do with your decision to get back into the cage?” Preach says as he repositions himself for the blow he thinks will come next.
I decide to change it up with a roundhouse that lands just barely on the reflector pads. He wasn’t expecting another leg, and it catches him off guard, but he’s able to recover and protect himself at the last minute.
I again ignore Preach’s question about Elle. I don’t even know if she likes MMA, so I’m not getting back into the cage to impress her, if that’s what he thinks. The timing just feels right. I don’t know why or what changed, I just feel ready today.
Chapter 13
Elle
“I can’t believe you broke it off with William!” Regina claps her hands together in excitement as we tear into our lunch delivery. It’s almost three and we are just getting around to eating. The day has been so busy. Leonard is due back next week and I’ll be glad to go back to only dealing with my own caseload.
I’m surprised at Regina’s excitement over my decision to end things with William. I always thought she liked him. “I thought you liked William?”
“I do dear. It’s just. I don’t know...” Regina trails off.
“Say it.” I prompt her in a tone that tells her I really want to hear what she has to say.
“He’s very nice, and handsome too.”
“And?” I prompt.
“He’s smart and polite.”
“This doesn’t sound like a list of the reasons that you would be happy I’ve stopped seeing someone.” I pop a small cherry tomato into my mouth from my salad. “It sounds like the reasons you tell someone to start seeing them.”
Regina smiles, but her face turns serious when she speaks. “I had twenty years with my husband, and I don’t regret a minute of that time. He wasn’t always polite, he didn’t stand when I entered a room, he used foul language at the dinner table, but it was there.”
I furrow my brow. I know she is trying to be helpful, but I’m not quite sure how any of what she is saying supports my breaking up with William.
Regina sees my confusion and continues. “But when he walked into a room, he took my breath away. He made my heart race and even after twenty years of marriage, I still wanted to rip his clothes off when he looked at me and I saw things in his eyes.”
My mind goes to Nico. I feel those things about him. He makes my knees weak and tests my self-control like I’ve never endured before. I look up at Regina and see the pain fresh in her eyes. It’s been more than ten years, but she still misses him like it happened yesterday. It saddens me to realize the strength of what she had and now it was gone.
I smile at Regina and nod in silence, letting her know I understand what she’s trying to tell me.
“So let’s get to the good stuff. When are you going out with Nico Hunter? That man looks at you like he wants to eat you alive.” Regina wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. A look that she seems to use a lot when it comes to the subject of Nico Hunter.
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I went directly from my break up with William to Nico’s place last night, so I leave out some of the sordid details. “I saw him last night.” My voice is low and sheepish.
“You dirty, dirty girl. I didn’t think you had it in you!” Regina is teasing, I can see she’s delighted at my news.
My face blushes as I think of what Nico looked like in his loft last night with no shirt on. He is quite possibly the most delectable thing I have ever laid eyes on. But I’m confused as to why he seems to put distance between us at certain times. Before we left to get dinner, I was sure that he was feeling what I felt. I could have sworn that I saw it in his eyes. There was desire there and I’m positive of it.
We had a great time at dinner too. There is no uncomfortable silence in our conversations and we both laughed through half of our meals. It’s like we’ve known each other for years. Time goes by so quickly with him, the restaurant was almost empty when we finally realized it was time to leave. That’s why I was a tangle of emotions when we got back to his place and he didn’t try to get me to stay.
“We just went to dinner. Although I’ll admit I was a little disappointed that he didn’t try to get me to stay afterwards.”
“I’m sure he was just being respectful Elle. Did you tell him you wanted to stay?”
“No.”
Regina is about to respond when a deliveryman walks in carrying a huge bouquet of wildflowers. “Delivery for Elle James.”
Neither one of us can wait until the deliveryman is out the door before I rip into the card with Regina peering over my shoulder. “Couldn’t sleep all night thinking about you after you left.”