A Fighting Chance (5 page)

The room was dark except for the small bedside lamp she’d turned on before she left because she hated returning to an unlit hotel room. Brendan was at the window, looking out at the view. The moon was just bright
enough to reflect off the river and show a hint of the tree line, and below them, cars still drove around the perimeter road.

“Pretty high up,” he said. “Doesn’t bother you?”

He remembered she didn’t like heights, she thought. She wasn’t sure why it surprised her, since she remembered almost everything about him. “Not really. I trust the glass, I guess. So are you going to show me those
tattoos?”

Turning his head to look at her, he grinned. “You really want to see them?”

“Of course I do.” She’d spent a lot of time thinking about his body over the years—dreaming about it more often than she cared to admit—but she couldn’t picture him with tattoos.

He grasped the hem of his sweater and yanked it up, revealing chiseled abs that almost made her gasp. All of his muscles
were taut as he pulled the sweater over his head and tossed it aside, and she had to curl her hands into fists to keep herself from touching him.

He had more than a few tattoos, she thought. They spread across his chest in an abstract pattern, like he’d said. Then they spread from his right shoulder and down his arm to his wrist. Intricate, interwoven geometric shapes all in black.

“Do you have any on your back?”

He shook his head, doing a slow turn. Del couldn’t hold back the deep sigh of appreciation the sight of his back muscles elicited, and she heard him chuckle. His left arm was bare, too, and she lifted her gaze to his face when he came full circle.

“I like them,” she said. “They make you look a little dangerous.”

“Just a little extra
oomph
to that whole
wrong-side-of-the-tracks thing that first made you want me?”

She laughed and slapped his shoulder. “Wrong side of the tracks, my ass. Your father owns his own roofing company.”

“Yeah, but it’s a small roofing company and
I
didn’t own crap.” He caught her wrist and pulled her close against his body. “And you were very much Little Miss White Collar. Don’t deny it.”

She relaxed against
him, feeling the heat from the body that was both familiar and strange. “It was your smile that first made me want you.”

“I smiled at you because I’d heard you laugh and wanted to hear it again.” He dipped his head as if he was going to kiss her, and her breath caught in anticipation, but then he stopped. “Did you really invite me in just for coffee, Del?”

“I told you I wanted to see
your tattoos.” She ran her hand down his right arm. “But I don’t want coffee. I want you.”

She heard his sharp intake of breath. “Are you sure? You were flipping off my picture not too long ago.”

“And maybe I’d flip it off again, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting you right now. It’s been a while for me and I already know sex with you is amazing, so why not? We’ve stirred up a lot
of stuff and rather than toss and turn all night, let’s get it out of our systems.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve missed your touch for years.” She skimmed her hands up his naked back. “I got some answers tonight, but let’s just consider it part of the closure process.”

She didn’t want to talk any more tonight, especially about the past. She wanted to stay in the right now, with this new
Brendan with the tattoos and the chiseled abs. The smoldering heat in his eyes was familiar, though. And so were the hands that cupped her face as he lowered his mouth to hers.

Sighing against Brendan’s lips, she lost herself in his kiss. He was gentle at first, almost tentative, but then she ran her hands over his chest, brushing her thumbs over his nipples. Growling, he buried his hand
in her hair and deepened the kiss.

The desire simmering under the surface since she’d watched him walk across the coffee shop went to a full boil and Del popped the button of his jeans open. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth, tugging gently before sweeping his tongue over hers.

She wanted him naked. She wanted
her
naked.

“Shit,” he muttered against her mouth before pulling
away. She tucked her fingertips over the top of his jeans and held him close in case he was having second thoughts. That wasn’t the kind of thing a woman wanted to hear once she’d made up her mind to get naked. “I have a couple of condoms, but they’re in my duffel bag in my room.”

“I have some in my suitcase.”

“Good.” He ran his finger down the row of buttons on her shirt before popping
the top two open. “I’d rather be here than seeing how fast I can get to my room and back.”

“I’ve heard you can have some sent up to your room,” she said, and then she laughed. “I think I’d feel too awkward to do that.”

“And I can’t wait that long.” After freeing the last button, Brendan slid her shirt over her shoulders, baring her blush-colored lace blouse to his gaze. “God, I’ve missed
you.”

He lowered his mouth, kissing her collarbone in that spot that drove her crazy. So nice, she thought, to be with somebody who knew her body. And she knew his. Raking her nails up the back of his neck into his hairline made him moan and she closed her eyes to savor the sound.

Brendan’s hands slid to her back and a few seconds later, she felt the hooks on her bra let go. He was still
kissing her neck, but as he pulled the straps down her arms, his mouth moved to her breasts.

She echoed his moan when his lips closed around her nipple. His mouth was hot as he sucked, tugging at the delicate flesh. After kicking off her shoes and undoing her pants, she hooked her thumbs in the waistband and shoved them down, taking her panties with them.

He chuckled, the sound vibrating
against her skin. “In a hurry?”

“You have no idea.”

“Where’s your suitcase?”

The question confused her for a few seconds, before she remembered the condoms. “You get naked and I’ll meet you at the bed.”

She knew he watched her walk across the room instead of getting naked because she could see him in the mirror. Even in the reflection, she could practically feel the heat of
his gaze. While she dug deep in the suitcase for the small case she kept her emergency essentials in, she heard the
thump
of his shoes hitting the floor and then his zipper.

When she turned, condom wrapper in hand, he was naked. Her mouth went dry at the sight of his hard, chiseled body, and she raised her eyebrows. “How much time do you spend at the gym?”

“Not as much time as I do carrying
bundles of roofing shingles up ladders.”

She might have felt self-conscious about the fact that she was also standing there naked and it was obvious she didn’t spend her days doing physical labor, but it was impossible when he looked at her with such blatant hunger in his expression.

He met her at the edge of the bed and ripped the covers back before kissing her as he lowered her to
the mattress. There was urgency to his kiss now and she felt her body respond with a flush of heat. She ran her hands over his body, exploring the taut muscles before cupping his ass.

Del buried her hand in his hair as his mouth closed over her nipple. He sucked gently, swirling his tongue over the sensitive tip before increasing the pressure until she squirmed. Then he moved to her other
breast and did the same.

She ran her hands over his back, feeling the muscles under her fingertips. He had an amazing body and she enjoyed touching him as much as she did his mouth on her. When his hand slid down to cup her mound, she held her breath.

“Brendan, please.”

“Please what?” He lifted his head to look at her, heat smoldering in his dark eyes. His fingers stroked her hot
flesh and she moaned, lifting her hips.

“You’re killing me,” she said, her breath leaving her on a shuddering exhale.

“I know what you want,” he told her as he pressed the heel of his hand against her clit before sliding a finger inside of her. “But I like touching you.”

She cupped the back of his neck and lifted her head to kiss him as he slid a second finger inside of her. Dipping
her tongue between his lips to dance over his, she lost herself in the feel of his fingers moving against her sensitive skin.

The sound of his breathing grew more ragged. “I can’t wait any more, Del.”

It only took him seconds to put the condom on, and then he was between her thighs. She smiled up at him, the sizzle of anticipation burning through her.

Brendan was still for a long
moment, looking at her as if he was trying to memorize her face. This his gaze softened and he returned the smile. “You’re so beautiful.”

It was something he’d told her all the time, in a simple way that made her believe it. Emotion tugged at her but before she could stray too far down that path, he reached between them to guide himself into her. Del lifted her hips off the bed to take him
in. She was holding her breath, reveling in the sweet sensation of being stretched and filled, but a moan escaped her lips when he pushed fully into her.

She felt the trembling in his muscles as he fought for control, and scratched her nails over the back of his neck just to hear him growl low in his throat. He started moving with long, deep strokes that took her breath away.

His hands
skimmed over her thighs and down her calves before lifting them so he could thrust deeper. Del ran her hands over his shoulders before gripping his arms as he quickened his pace.

But when he reached one hand down to brush his thumb over her clit, she sucked in a breath and dropped her hands to gather the sheet in her fists. He was relentless, teasing her clit as he drove deep into her.

The orgasm arched her back off the bed and she bit down on her lip to keep from screaming his name in the hotel room. Brendan braced a hand on either side of her as he thrust harder. She raised her hands to cradle his face as he came with a shuddering groan, and then wrapped her arms around him when he collapsed on top of her.

Brendan’s breath was ragged against her neck, and she savored
the feel of his weight on her body. His hand stroked her hip and she closed her eyes.

She knew the next part by heart. Brendan rolled away to wrap the condom in a tissue to dispose of and then pulled her back into his embrace. He kissed her hair and her temple before sighing deeply and nuzzling his face in her hair. It was achingly familiar, as if the last six years hadn’t happened, and she
hated the tears that threatened. Closing her eyes against them, she snuggled against Brendan’s body. This moment was all that mattered right now, and she smiled when his deep exhale tickled her ear.

When the arm thrown over her started relaxing and his breathing evened out, Del wondered if she should nudge him awake and tell him to go. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to wake up with him
in the morning.

To hell with good ideas, she thought drowsily. She’d worry about tomorrow when it came. Tonight she’d fall asleep in the arms of the man she’d never stopped loving.

* * *

Del.

Brendan opened his eyes, blinking at the sunlight streaming into the room since they hadn’t taken the time to close the drapes.

Usually his first thought when he woke up on a day
he’d fight was the fight itself. He’d lie in bed and stare at the ceiling, visualizing his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. But this morning, he woke to the warmth of Del tucked against his body and her hair tickling his nose. He could barely remember Lavaud’s name, never mind visualize kicking his ass.

When she stirred, he kissed the top of her head. “Good morning.”

Del made a sound
that wasn’t quite a word, and he was willing to bet she hadn’t opened her eyes yet. Once she surrendered to getting up, she turned into a morning person, but she was slow to get going. Or she always had been, at least, and it didn’t seem like that had changed much.

He didn’t mind at all. Besides getting to hold Del that much longer, it gave him a chance to think about what was going to happen
next.

It didn’t look good. Once he surfaced, he wasn’t going to have a free minute to himself until after the fight was over. By that time, Del would either be asleep or Brittany would have arrived. The bachelorette weekend would commence and then Del wouldn’t have time for him. And he was supposed to check out tomorrow morning. Sometimes he’d stay the full weekend at a venue, but he’d wanted
to make time to go to the cabin before heading to his parents’ house.

Del rolled onto her side and pushed up onto one elbow so she could look down at him, her expression still soft from sleep. “What are you thinking about that made you sigh like that?”

He didn’t know he had. “Nothing, really. Just waking up.”

She ran the hand she was leaning on over his shoulder, a smile curving
her mouth. “You’re one of those people who’s asleep and then just,
boom
, eyes open and ready to start the day.”

When she looked down at his chest and then frowned, leaning closer, Brendan sucked in a breath. He grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her fingers away from his chest, but she resisted. Her bones felt tiny in his hand and since he didn’t want to risk hurting her, he didn’t have
any choice but to brace himself for the inevitable. Last night, in the dim light of the moon and small lamp, she’d missed it, but there was no hiding it from her in the morning sunlight.

The light touch of her fingertip as she traced the outline of the tattoo made him shiver. Not long before he realized her family wasn’t warming to him and their world together came to an end, they’d been
sitting in a diner, waiting for burgers. Del and her roommates had been teaching themselves calligraphy for some reason and she’d doodled on the back of the place mat. Their initials intertwined in fancy letters, surrounded by a heart. She’d still been mastering line thickness and she’d laughed at the finished product. But when he’d ripped off the corner to save the doodle from her dripping chocolate
shake, she’d leaned across the table to kiss him on the mouth, even though she didn’t usually go for public displays of affection.