Chapter 17
Michael hadn’t seemed himself all week, distant and preoccupied. I asked him repeatedly to share whatever bothered him but he said no and I stopped trying to pry. Sometimes, there are things I don’t feel like sharing as I deal with the situation. I gave him his space and hoped he’d tell me in his own time.
My week had been busy, almost to the point of hectic. I worked at the hospital and the clinic every day. Michael trained, spent time with his family at the hospital, and kept the tattoo shop running.
His life was just as full as mine. We had to be creative when it came to seeing each other while his brother was at County. I met him early one morning to watch him train with Rob. There was a small ring that had been set up in the gym just for Michael and Rob to practice.
I was tempted to jump in the ring and take out some of my stress on the target or Rob, but I didn’t want to make a fool out myself. I used the time to run on the treadmill as I watched him kick Rob’s ass. It brought a smile to my face.
Saturday night Michael brought the DVD of his fight in New York to my house. He fought Victor ‘The Mauler’ Torrez.
Sliding the disc into the DVD player, he explained that the match wouldn’t be fought in a boxing ring and that he didn’t box. I was clueless to MMA rules. To me it was just a fancy name given to a sport where to men beat the shit out of each other.
As soon as the match started to play, I knew I was right with my first assumption about what he called a sport – it was barbaric.
There was something about watching Michael that had me shifting in my seat and made me feel flushed.
F*ck, he looked sexy and powerful as he jostled from leg to leg on the video.
“Look at this next hit,” he said, sitting next to me on the couch, punching the air.
His foot swept the other man’s legs out from underneath him. Michael struck him in the face. Sweat and blood flew through the air as he connected with his jaw. High definition television showed a little too much detail for me.
“That’s called a ground-and-pound move.” Staring at the television, he was transfixed with a smile on his face.
“Did you win?” I asked, covering my eyes to avoid seeing the man struggle.
He looked at me with a look of shock on his face. “You’ll have to watch to find out, but what do you think?” he said, laughing.
“You won or you wouldn’t be showing this to me,” I said with a smile before turning back to the television.
Although I knew the outcome, it made my stomach hurt to watch the footage. My heart beat in my throat as I sat on the edge of the couch watching the recording through my fingers.
Michael squeezed my knee, patting it gently. “I can’t wait to get back in the cage.”
“How long did you say until the next match?” I looked at his face, his happiness evident.
“Just a couple of weeks. I’ll be cutting way back on my schedule at the shop for final preparations.”
“Where is it?” I asked, praying it was far away.
How would I feel seeing him fighting with another man in the flesh instead of on a recording? The roar of the crowd with each blow was shocking and in person had to be almost deafening.
“Right here in Tampa. I wanted in because it’s close to home. You’re gonna come right?”
“Um, yeah, I guess I’ll be there.” I turned my attention back to the television as his fist made contact with the opponent’s jaw again. His head flew back and I could see the satisfaction on Michael’s face. “What made you travel to New York for this fight?”
“I want you there, Mia. You have to watch at least one in person. That was a huge fight. It was on Pay-Per-View and helped get my name out there. I want to make a name for myself in this industry.”
“Why would you do this when you’re a successful business owner?” I looked at him, totally confused by the man I knew and the one I saw on the screen. The fighter scared the hell out of me, but the man to my side made me feel safe and comfortable. I thought of him as a softy although I’d never tell him that.
“I do MMA for the thrill and the challenge. I’d give up working in the tattoo shop to fight full-time. Wait, here’s the end, you have to watch.” Touching my chin, he pushed my eyes back toward the television.
Michael had ‘The Mauler’ on the ground in a chokehold. Their legs were twisted together, their bodies entwined as he squeezed the man’s neck, cutting off his airway. I couldn’t look away no matter how much I wanted to – I was transfixed and then they released each other.
“What just happened?” I asked, confused why it ended suddenly.
“I won. The ref ended it because the guy was losing consciousness, stupid rule, but...” He shrugged with a tiny grin.
“Oh,” I said as I turned my attention back to the screen. His chest heaved from exertion, his eyes looked fierce, as tiny droplets of sweat slid down his body. Maybe high def was a good thing after all.
“I could watch this recording a million times,” he said, switching off the television, turning toward me.
“You probably have,” I said, smirking.
“Smartass woman.” He started to tickle me on my ribs.
I squirmed trying to break free. “Stop!” I yelped as he pushed me back into the couch.
His fingers moved across my ribs as I tried to find my breath. “I have to teach you a lesson.” The weight of his body made it harder to breathe.
I laughed and tried to pry his hands from my side. “Michael, stop. I can’t breathe,” I huffed out through the laugher, pushing at his fingers.
His hands stilled as he hovered over my body, face to face. “You’re so f*cking beautiful when you have a smile on your face.” His eyes roamed my face as his erection pushed against my leg.
He was hard as a rock.
“Is it me or did the fight that turn you on?” I asked.
I would never admit it, but my body ached for him. God, I was such a hypocrite.
“Your laughter did this to me, not the fight.”
“I highly...”He covered my mouth with his hand, stopping me from finishing.
He placed a kiss on my neck. “No more talking for you.”
Giggling behind his hand, my tongue darted out to taste him. “I thought you loved my voice,” I mumbled behind his fingers.
“Shh,” he whispered, running his nose down my cheek before he licked a path down my neck. The warmth of his tongue sent tiny sparks straight to my core.
My fingers dug into his back as I held him to me, enjoying the feel of his tongue. I wanted more. I craved him.
When his lips met my collarbone, my body flinched as my sex convulsed. I could feel the wetness between my legs. My body was a traitor, but at this point, relieving the throb was all that mattered.
My head fell to the side and I opened my eyes. The clock read six – I would be late to work. I pushed Michael off in a panic.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, frowning.
“I’m going to be late to work. You have to go and I have to get ready.” I jumped from the couch, pulling down my shirt.
“You’re f*cking job is getting in the way,” he said, sitting up.
I hushed him with my finger. “We both have a lot of shit to do. I’ll be off tomorrow if you can find the time to squeeze me into your busy schedule.”
He smiled behind my finger. “I’ll make the time. I’ll do everything early so I can spend time with you.”
“Michael, I’d say you’re smitten if I didn’t know you any better. Are you always this easy?”
“Smitten doesn’t even begin to explain what I am at the moment, Doc.” He grabbed my hand and placed it on his cock. “Rock hard is more like it. You’re always leaving me f*cking hanging.”
I chuckled as I stared into his eyes.
The man probably never had to wait for sex. Woman probably hung on him and begged for it.
“If you can’t get it to subside, you know where to find me and my needle, handsome.” I kissed his lips before moving out of reach, trying to avoid being pulled down on top of him.
“I’ve always had a fantasy of doing it in a storage closet where we could get caught.” He smiled as he adjusted himself in his pants before standing.
Crossing my arms, I stared at him and shook my head. “I could be fired for that, Michael.”
“Not if we’re quick and quiet. It’s the thrill of getting caught that makes it so f*cking great.” He winked as he looked down at me.
I swallowed hard, my mouth feeling dry suddenly. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“You’ll see,” he said, as he brushed his finger across my lip.
I sighed. The man liked to live life on the edge and so did I. I fully expected a visit to the hospital in the coming days.
“Okay. Now scoot. I have to get ready. People’s lives depend on me.” I pushed him toward the door.
He pouted and grabbed his chest, pretending to be wounded. “I’ll show myself out.”
He pulled me into a kiss. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as he held my head in his hand. The velvety texture of his tongue and the hint of mint left me wanting more.
I moaned, my lips following his mouth as he pulled away.
“A little something to remember me.” He released me and made his way to the door.
“Hey, what’s your MMA nickname?” I called out to him.
“Why ya ask?” he asked with one hand on the doorknob.
“Curiosity.”
“Michael ‘The Iceman’ Gallo.” He smiled and left.
I stood there and tried to think of him as ‘The Iceman,’ but he should be called the ‘The Raging Inferno’.