“You know, I’ve thought about you a lot over the years,” he said.
He kept alternating between gauging her reactions and watching the road.
She bit her lip, running her hands down her thighs, smoothing out her dress. “You were my idol.”
“Don’t say that. I was just a fighter. Same as you,” he said.
Belle shook her head. “No, you were a legend. I may have had a crush on you.”
“Oh?”
“Well, probably every woman watching felt the same way.”
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Drago swore she saw him as a father figure, a man offering her assistance and nothing more. To hear her words, to see her cheeks flush pink, it was more than he could have dreamed. “I don’t care about other women,” he said. “Just you, Belle.”
The heat and sexual tension in the car were making it difficult to focus on driving. He wanted to pull over and fuck her on the side of the road, to rip that tight dress clean off her body, but he pushed those feelings away. “You care about me?”
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” he said. “I’ve been retired for a while. I have no complaints about my life. Until I saw you in that ring, I never got involved.”
“So this is about your conscience?”
He scoffed, slowing down as they neared the restaurant. He contemplated hiding his feelings, of keeping their relationship platonic, but she was his ultimate weakness. “This is about my feelings for you.” Drago shifted in his seat once he put the car into park. “Don’t think it’s about anything else. I’m not the type of man to go chasing a cause.”
“I don’t know what I feel. What should I feel, Drago? I don’t even think I know what love is. Why would you want anything to do with me?”
“I’m not perfect, Belle. We’re both broken, both dealt the same shit hand. Maybe that means we fix each other, find happiness together.”
“You know about Mikey.”
“I know about everything. And I don’t give a shit about him. He’s the past, and I don’t blame you for anything you’ve done or had to do.”
“He’s the only guy I’ve ever been with. The whole dating thing isn’t for me. I made a mistake once, and I don’t intend to make the same one twice.”
“So you’ll be alone forever because of one asshole?”
“The single life suits you, doesn’t it?”
There was a knock on the driver’s side. He wanted to tell her he wasn’t single by choice. He hadn’t found the right woman. They all seemed so damn superficial, only interested in his status, money, or looks. Drago could see through people, right down to the marrow, and he wouldn’t settle. Belle was genuine, a broken doll, a woman who needed a rock in her life.
He wanted to be that rock.
They joined hands in front of the restaurant, and the valet took his car away. His cock tented in his slacks from just holding her soft little hand, but luckily his jacket hid the evidence.
“Wow, this is fancy.”
Drago led her up the steps. It pissed him off that Belle was living in a shitty apartment when she’d made a fortune from fighting. Her father had taken every last penny, not even leaving her enough for a comfortable lifestyle. The man was a monster.
They were led to their private table, and Drago held Belle’s chair out for her. A lone candle flickered in the center of the table, and the dim lighting highlighted the angles of her face and those big blue eyes.
He savored watching her. She looked around with awe, her red lips parting as she studied the chandeliers and sculptures around the room. Damn, he loved seeing her happy. He wasn’t a young man, but right now, he felt like he was falling hard.
“Now, about what we were talking about…”
“Refresh my memory,” she said.
“You think you should stay single, and I was about to tell you that I could make you happy. You and your daughter.”
She shook her head. “I’m nothing, Drago. You feel sorry for me, and I’m thankful that you’re helping me get Ava back, but it doesn’t have to go beyond that.”
“You’re right, it doesn’t.” He reached out and took her hand, sandwiching it between his. “But it’s what I want. It’s all I want. I know you’ve been through hell with Mikey, but I’m not him, and I’ll never be like him. You know that, don’t you?”
She bit her lower lip. “I don’t know you. Not really.”
“That’s why we’re here. No matter how long it takes, I’m going to show you how a man should treat a woman.” He smoothed his top hand up her forearm, so tempted to kiss her.
Belle sat there, speechless, staring at their hands. She swallowed hard. “When did this happen?”
“I’ve always had my eye on you. I just never acted.”