t anyone knock anymore?” I said under my breath as my cheeks heated for the umpteenth time.
“And miss convos like this? Nope. Not happening.” His grin made me forget all about being embarrassed. Then he leaned down to kiss me and I forgot who I was entirely. “Hey baby,” he said just before our mouths touched.
“Here we go. Try to keep your pants on ‘til you get to the hotel, okay? Don’t want any more missing jeans situations like this AM.” Smiling, Carly walked backward out of the living room.
Tray propped a hip on the couch and let his duffel bag fall to the floor. “What hotel?”
“Way to spoil the surprise, sis.” I sighed and rubbed his thigh. “So, umm, I booked us a hotel room. A classy one,” I added as his eyebrows lifted. “No shady motels, promise.”
“I wouldn’t mind visiting a shady motel with you.” He waggled his brows.
“Yeah, me and all the bedbugs. Ick. No thanks.”
He laughed. “That’s my girl. So—” He broke off, eyes widening. “Umm, whatcha got in your hand, fighter girl?”
Some part of me startled at hearing him use that nickname again. It had been a long time. Another part warmed, as if he’d rolled out a welcome mat. It was familiar. That was my identity, way down deep at the root. For so long I’d denied that, telling myself fighting was merely a means to an end. But I was beginning to think I’d cut off a very valid form of therapy when I’d walked away from the cage. Facing myself in the octagon had strengthened me, soldered together all the parts that were weak. Since I’d stopped fighting, I’d lost that mental toughness.
Maybe I’d stopped fighting in more ways than one.
“Mia?”
I blinked, realizing he was still fixated on the sex toy I gripped like a club. I had to grin. “Yeah, I’m guessing you’d probably be cool with us bringing this along.”
“Absolutely. Especially since you’re gripping it like a child with a rattler. Can you give it to me? That’s a girl,” he teased when I pushed it into his stomach.
His ridiculously rock hard stomach that suddenly made me very grateful we’d booked a hotel for the night.
Either the sex toy was giving me ideas or else I was just riding a hormonal wave, because I couldn’t wait to get him alone. Just him and me and skin. No million dollar settlements, no anonymous callers, no overlords trying to intimidate us with private details about our pasts.
Just us.
“Wow, why do you have this? Is it Christmas and no one told me?”
I couldn’t help laughing. “Blame my sister.”
“Blame? I want to thank her. Profusely.” He flipped on the lever and rubbed his hand over the scoop. “Oh yeah, maybe I should loan her my car.”
“You’re such a comedian.” I tugged it out of his hand and would’ve dropped it on the coffee table if not for the huge puppy dog eyes he gave me. “I’m surrounded by perverts,” I muttered, shoving it into my bag. “Complete and total pervs.”
“You booked a hotel for us just so we can fuck and I’m a perv?” He nudged my shoulder to push me aside and squeezed beside me on the sofa. “Which I’m in total agreement with, by the way.” He rubbed his stubbled jaw over my neck.
“No, not to fuck.”
“No?” More puppy dog eyes.
I laughed. “You’re incorrigible.” I patted his cheek. “Besides, you said you wanted more than that, remember? So I thought maybe we could try for more…at least for a night. But then last night happened, and everything went to shit.” I sighed. “Stupid reservations.”
“Hey. Look at me.”
I looked, because I couldn’t not. My eyes felt like magnets drawn to his.
“Nothing went to shit. I’m glad you made reservations for us. If we ever needed to get away, tonight is it.” He brushed a hand over my hair and tipped his head against mine. “We don’t have to have sex. Don’t have to do anything except just be. That’s the one and only task we have for the next few hours, okay?”
He made it sound so easy. Today, and every day. I could listen to his voice and follow it out of the darkness, like my own personal north star. “Okay,” I whispered.
Lightly, he grasped my braid. “I wouldn’t say no to holding you, though.”
Smiling, I turned to kiss him. “I think that can be arranged.”