I’m surprised he didn’t need a blood sample. I nod in his direction and push through the doors.
The place is alive with activity. The murmur of voices hums in my ears as I gaze around the lobby. No sign of Jonah. I slide through the groups of people and down the hallway to the main training room. The guys are training as usual, but now they’re surrounded by cameras and news anchors. I push through about a dozen people in suits, most of whom are talking or texting on their cell phones.
Stretching up on my toes to see over their heads, I search for Jonah. I see Rex and Caleb boxing with two trainers I’ve never met. Owen is talking on camera, a very attractive news anchor wearing a low cut v-neck shirt and a miniskirt, holding a microphone to his mouth.
“Baby girl.” I jump and squeak at the sound of Blake’s voice at my shoulder.
“You scared me to death.” I place my hand over my heart.
His face is serious and thoughtful. No wisecrack come-ons or dirty jokes. He steps into my space, his green eyes boring down on me. “I heard about what happened last night.”
“Last night?” Memories of being naked above Jonah flood my mind. My cheeks flame. I smack my head with my palm. “Oh,Vince.” Of course, he would be talking about Vince.
“Yeah. Vince.” His eyes narrow and jaw tenses. “What did you think I was talking about?”
“Nothing. Forget it.” I blow it off with a disinterested shrug and pray the pink drains from my face.
He’s still staring. Blake’s never serious for this long. His face looks pained as he studies the space just above my head. I look up. Nothing there. What in the heck is he doing?
“Blake, you’re freaking me out.”
He looks at me, grief working behind his eyes before he blinks it away. “Look, I know . . .” He grimaces and stares at the floor, like he’s gathering strength from it. “I know what it’s like to have a no-good, asshole for a father. I’ve lived it. Still living it.” He rubs his shaved head. “It’s one thing to fuck with your son, but to fuck with a girl?” A half groan, half growl rumbles in his chest. His focus is fixed on me. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I got your back. And Jonah’s. You feel me?”
I rub my lips together, trying to smash the inevitable quiver. Whatever happened to Blake in his past is enough that the simple memory erases the man I know and replaces him with a scared, timid boy.
My eyes burn with forced back tears. This is too much. First Jonah and now Blake. They act like they would lay down their lives to protect me. That’s crazy. And unfamiliar. It feels like . . . family.
“Yeah, I feel you.”
His eyes sparkle and his cocksure smile returns. He leans toward me with his hand cupping his ear. “I’m sorry. Did you say you want to feel me?” He runs his hands over his chest. “Anywhere in particular or you want me to make suggestions? There’s one place, down—Ow!”
I smack him in the stomach, happy to see the anguish wiped from his face.
He rubs the spot at his belly where I hit him. “We need to get you in the octagon. Damn, that hurt.”
I shoulder bump him, and he takes his cue to pull me to his side. I don’t say a word, afraid that my voice might show the deep emotions I’m feeling.
“Come on. I’ll take you to your man.”
Twenty-three
Raven
Two days until fight day.
My mind is focused on installing a new timing belt on the Impala while the lulling voice of Al Green being so in love fills the air. I mentally inventory my progress. White wall tires, a paint job, and she’s done.
Bent over with my head under the hood, I feel a tight grip on my hips. Jonah’s touch has become a second skin, as recognizable as my own. I smile and gently press my backside into his groin.
“You wanna tell me what it is you’re hiding from out here?”
He’s managed to figure me out in the short time we’ve been together. Come to think of it, he seemed to read me pretty well after a few days.
I straighten from beneath the hood on a sigh. His hands slide from my hips to my stomach and I melt into him. His touch in any capacity renders me totally helpless.
“I’m not hiding. I’m processing.”
With my hair pulled up high on my head, my neck is at his mercy. He kisses his spot before gently nipping. I shiver.
“You’re freakin’ out because that formal dinner is tonight and because my mom is coming into town tomorrow.” His ability to read me can also be incredibly annoying.
“Yeah.” Can’t a girl have a secret? “I don’t do well with parents. What if she doesn’t like me? I’m sure she’s really protective of you. I mean if you were my son I would be too. It’s just . . . I know how my mom feels about me . . .”