Hooked (TKO 2)

“Are you jealous?” he asks as he approaches me.

I cross my arms over my chest and look in the opposite direction. “No, I’m not.”

“Aw, sweetheart, do you want me to let you win?”

I turn to face him and uncross my arms. “No, I’m going to beat you fair and square.” I stand to grab my ball and this time I almost will the pins with my mind. They are to obey my every command, but they don’t listen. This time I don’t even hit a single pin. The second time, I hit three. “Whose idea was this again?”

“Yours, babe,” he says as I plop back into my chair. He leans down and whispers in my ear. “Have I told you how sexy you are when you’re frustrated?”

His words ignite my insides and I look up at him. His eyes are filled with lust and I can’t look away. “No, you haven’t.” I try to pull away from his gaze. Too bad he just chuckles and kisses my outer ear lobe. Damn butterflies.

“Well, I just did. You’re not just sexy when you’re frustrated though, you’re sexy in general.”

I just felt my temperature rise a few degrees and even though I can feel the air from the vent just above me, I’m burning up. Who knew bowling could be so tempting?

I can think of a million different things right now, but not one of them involves him walking away and making yet another strike. Lucky bastard. I grab my ball and I don’t even turn to make eye contact with him. All I’m doing now is praying to God that I can at least come away with a spare. That’s all I’m asking. One freaking spare.

As the ball slips from my grasp and begins sliding down the lane, I close my eyes. I don’t want to see it hit the gutter. The sound of pins crashing down fills the air and Lance’s voice slams into me along with his arms. “Holy shit, Hil, you got a strike!”

“I what?” I open my eyes to see not a single pin standing. My eyes widen and a smirk that could stretch across this great state of Texas spreads over my mouth. “Oh yeah, I did. In your face!”

I continue to taunt him until he presses his lips against mine. A moan escapes my throat and we kiss until people around us begin to cheer. I should be embarrassed but I’m not. I just made a freaking strike and I got a kiss. I’m on top of the world.

We finish our two games, laughing and kissing as we go along. I lose both games. We walk out of the bowling alley hand in hand like two young kids without a single worry in the world.

“You know,” he tells me, “I never thought I could have this much fun on a date. I should thank you for making me a new, better man.”

I stop walking and turn to face him. “Well, you are definitely better than you were at the bar that night.”

“Yeah, can we kinda forget about that? I was an egotistical asshole with only thing on his mind.”

“I remember. He was so not romantic. I mean, who drags a girl to a closet?” I joke. There was a time just thinking about it tore me apart.

His brow creases for a moment and the smile fades. “Like I said, I was an asshole. You deserve so much better and I’m going to give that to you.”

“Second chances are rare. Wait…this is a third chance, you must be lucky.”

“And grateful,” he adds as we close in on his truck.

He opens the door for me like always, and as soon as he climbs into the driver’s seat, he places the palm of his hand on my cheek, pulling me closer. We spend the next several minutes making out like horny teenagers. Surprisingly, he doesn’t try to put any moves on me. In a way, I’m grateful because I’m able to see he’s not the same man he was before. He’s actually turning out to be my Prince Charming, and he may be late, but at least he’s here now.

Chapter 21

Lance

A week after our date, we’re still moving slow, but I don’t mind. I’m finally getting to know Hilary like I’ve always wanted to, and she just amazes me. It’s the way she scrunches her nose when she’s upset and the way she laughs at my corny jokes. She accepts me for who I am, and even her mom and dad accept me. I couldn’t ask for anything better.

She texted me this morning to let me know that her mom was bringing her to her first doctor’s appointment. I’m a little disappointed that I couldn’t be there, but then again, it isn’t really my baby. She promised to let me know how it goes. I have a lot to get done today, anyway. I have my first fight in what feels like forever this evening, and Howard has been constantly drilling me to ensure I’m prepared. I am more than prepared. I’m ready to dominate.

I walk into Lou’s to find Raegan sitting on one of the mats. I sit beside her to see how she’s doing. “What are you up to?” I ask.

“I miss these mats. I know that’s crazy, but I do.”

“I know you do. I knew you’d miss it the day you gave it all up. You’re a born fighter, Raegan. But now you’re going to be a mom, so that’s where the real fighting begins, right?”

She cocks her head, eyeing me like I’m a crazed madman. “The real fighting?”

“Yeah, you know, fighting to protect your child from all the crazy and evil in this world. Fighting for their rights as little people, and stuff like that.”