Heart of a Fighter (Rocky River Fighters 1)

Rubbing her cheek against his pec, she exhaled softly. “It’s not that I didn’t want you. I think I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you. I just didn’t think it was a good idea for us to become involved like this.”

“So why did you change your mind?” he asked, trailing his fingers up and down her arm.

She lifted her head, looking into his eyes and willing him to see the truth in hers. “I’m still not sure it’s the best idea, Alex. There’s still so much you don’t know about me and my life. If you choose to stay with me and continue this, you could be in danger. I warned you about that, but it didn’t stop you. You still wanted me. And I’m tired of living my life in what ifs. Tired of running from something we both clearly want.”

He searched her eyes, a smile spreading slowly across his face. “I’m so happy you finally stopped running from me,” he said, giving her a lingering kiss. Pulling back, he gazed at her with a serious expression. “I don’t know what has you living your life looking over your shoulder, and you don’t have to tell me right now. But tell me soon, okay? Because whatever it is, I want to protect you from it. And I can’t do that very well if I don’t know what I’m up against.”

Nodding, she dropped her eyes quickly before he saw the fear that surged up in her at his words. She placed a kiss on his chest and laid her head back down, heart hammering. The last thing she wanted was to tell him, because the thought of him going up against a dragon while he thought he was protecting her scared the shit out of her.

She knew she would have to let him in soon. She had no idea how to begin explaining what she was to him, much less how to tell him there were dragons hunting her. But she needed to figure out how to do it soon, because he was right, he needed to know what was going on. Knowledge was a form of protection in itself.

She didn’t think learning of shifters would faze him much. Probably not even learning dragons were real, and not just beasts of legend, would either. Alex struck her as brave-hearted, with a fearless constitution. What she thought would be hard for him was coming to grips with the fact that what he wanted to protect her from, he couldn’t. No, he wouldn’t take that well. If anything about her situation would break him, or make him hesitate about being with her, that would be it.

Snuggling deeper into his arms, she thought through her options. Maybe the best way to go about it was to intensify his fight training. Even at top form as a human, he didn’t stand a chance against a shifter, especially a dragon, so she couldn’t sugar coat the reality when she came clean about everything. That would only get him killed if her kind caught up to her. But maybe the semblance of control, of knowing he was doing what he could, would make it easier on him.

Her eyes grew heavy, her body relaxed and content. She felt him kiss the top of her head, and for one brief, shining moment in time, everything was perfect in her world.

Chapter Eight

Alex caught a glimpse of Cammie walking past the open door of the barn, doing a double take, and the next moment, he was doubled over with a fist in his gut. Panting, he fought to keep from showing just how much it hurt. Seth was deceptively strong, and his fist literally packed a punch.

“And that’s what happens when you let your attention slip for even a moment. Keep your guard up, and never take your eyes off your opponent.”

“Duly noted,” he

panted, straightening up with a grimace.

In the past few days, his training had been kicked up a few notches. He was fighting a real opponent now, not just taking jabs at the punching bag, though he still did so often. He walked over to the bench, grabbing his water bottle and drinking deeply. Seth followed suit, and Alex studied him as he did.

Seth was rarely serious, always with a joke or smartass comment on his lips. Because of that, and despite having seen him fight before, Alex seriously underestimated him. But he was quickly learning that if there was one thing Seth took seriously, it was fighting. And it served to drill into him just how ineffectual he would be in a fight.

Cammie said Seth could be good, if he focused. But until he did, he couldn’t beat Ian or Jax very often. And the ease with which Seth took Alex down made him realize just how much work he needed to put in if he wanted to be the best he could be. He wasn’t even close to being at a level where he could take on Ian or Jax, much less a dragon, if that was possible at all.

So he was throwing himself into this with everything he had. He spent the last three days practically living in the barn, pushing Seth to push him. It was hard, because he wanted to spend every waking moment with Cammie, and it physically hurt him not to. Their nights in bed were pure magic, but it didn’t feel like enough. This was necessary, though. He had to do what he could to keep her safe, and if that meant spending every moment of his days, and even his nights, training, that’s what he would do.

“Why don’t you head inside and get a shower?” Seth said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Frowning, he glanced at Seth as he started leaving the barn. “Isn’t it early to call it quits for the day?”

“You need to take a break every now and then, Alex. Give your muscles a rest. Or hey, give them a different kind of workout altogether.”

Shaking his head in confusion, Alex watched Seth walk out without another word, laughter trailing behind him. He didn’t think a break was what he needed right now, but he couldn’t deny how much he wanted to spend some time with Cammie, either.

He headed toward the house, unwrapping his hands as he went. He went straight to his room and got in the shower, letting the hot water rain over him. His muscles slowly relaxed, some of the ache leaving them, and he quickly soaped himself up, in a hurry to see Cammie. Getting out, he dried off and wrapped a towel around his waist, leaving the room and coming to a halt when he saw Cammie sitting on his bed.

Her brown hair was loose, falling around her shoulders, the strands of red catching the light from the window. Her dark blue eyes were looking at him in admiration, and his groin tightened when she ran her tongue over her full, pink lips. God, she was so beautiful.

“Hey,” she said with a smile that took his breath away. Her eyes slid up and down his body, and he felt himself hardening under her appreciative gaze. “I was wondering if you wanted to go on a picnic with me.”

Realization dawned. “This is why Seth ended our session early, isn’t it?” Now his comment about Alex giving his muscles a different kind of work out made more sense.

“Yeah, I asked him to let you out early. We haven’t seen much of each other, and well… I missed you,” she said quietly.

Walking forward, he approached her and pulled her off the bed. “I’ve missed you, too,” he murmured as he kissed her lips softly.

His blood instantly heated in his veins, and he deepened the kiss, but when he started to tug her closer, she pushed him back, a breathless laugh on her lips.

“None of that, or we’ll never get out of this room. Get dressed and meet me in the kitchen, okay?”