“Ethan offered me a comeback fight …in four weeks.”
Shock slammed into her. A fight? A real fight? Not that she should be so surprised; the man was good.
But still…
He was going back in the cage. Back where he changed to someone else. Back to where he ignored her.
Panic clawed at the back of her throat, but she shoved it down, forcing herself to concentrate on the conversation. “D-Did you say four weeks?”
“Yeah.”
It wasn’t enough time. They needed more time. “That’s, um…great.”
“Guess who I’m fighting?”
“Do I even want to know?”
“Ricky Moon.”
Her heart stopped. Then thumped hard with disbelief. It took her a minute to be able to form coherent words. “They’re giving you a chance to win your title back?”
“Yep.”
She stared up at him, saw the excitement, the pride etched in every line of his face, and felt like a complete bitch for feeling nothing but fear. He loved to fight. This was what he was meant for. Being in that cage made him come to life. She wanted that for him so badly it hurt.
But she wanted him more…and that was so selfish.
“How do you feel about it?” she asked.
“I feel like things are finally falling back into place,” he said. “It feels good.”
And that was what scared her most. “What’d they offer you?”
His grin said it all. He was going to be paid, and paid well.
“Eighty-five to just show up.”
Eighty-five thousand dollars. Holy crap. She swallowed. It was less than what he’d made when he first fought Ricky Moon but a whole lot more than he earned modeling for catalogs. “Doubled if you win?”
“Yep. Ethan said we’ll talk long-term contract after the fight. Even though our conversation went really well, I think he wants to make sure I’m not going to go in there and screw off like I did before.”
“Did he give any details?”
Tommy nodded. “Depends on if I win or lose, how I perform, and of course how the fans react to my return. Promotion for my return will start as soon as I sign the contract for this fight.”
“You haven’t signed yet?”
“Ethan is sending Mike all the paperwork. I’m supposed to sign tomorrow. I was glad about that. It gave me a chance to talk to you first.”
“Me?”
He took a step closer. “I wanted to make sure you’re okay with it.”
She stared up at him. Who was this man? It sure wasn’t Tommy “Lightning” Sparks, a man who did exactly what he wanted and only told her about it afterward.
“My opinion shouldn’t matter.”
“It does matter.” His voice was low, almost a whisper, but the words were strong. “My decisions affect you now, too. It’s not just about me anymore.”
Was it possible he wouldn’t revert? He was saying all the right things. Making sure she was included in the decisions he made. He’d never done that before. He hadn’t needed to, because they’d only been friends.
But now they were a couple. And he’d included her. The tension eased out of her shoulders and she smiled, really smiled. “Oh, Tommy. I want you to win your title back.”
He smiled, tinged with relief…and happiness. “I won’t be home much.”
Home. He’d started using that word a lot lately. It gave her a warm feeling. Them together. A family.
One day maybe making a larger one.
“I’ll be waiting. Go train your ass off and beat that Ricky Moon.”
He cupped her cheek. “You’re wonderful, you know that?”
His lips found hers in a sweet kiss. He pulled back just an inch, his breath warming her face. She slid her palms up his shoulders, behind his neck, and tugged his head down. When his mouth met hers, she angled her head to the side, swiping her tongue across the seam of his lips. He shuddered against her, inhaling a deep breath.
His arms wound around her waist, fingers splaying across her back as he deepened the kiss. When he finally pulled back, desire clouded his green gaze. “Woman, I’m trying to be all sweet and shit, and you’re making me hard as a rock.”
She chuckled. “While I do like the sweet, I have so much fun when you want to get dirty.”
“So you’re okay with me putting an end to the wooing, and just taking you back home and doing nasty things to you?”
Her stomach fluttered. “Do you have something new to show me?”
“Baby, I have all kinds of tricks up my sleeves we haven’t tried yet.”
A shiver raked over her. “Then you need to get me home. Fast.”
As Tommy pretty much dragged her back to the house, she felt light and happy.
They were really going to make this work.
Chapter 14