RUNNING GAME (A SECOND CHANCE SPORTS ROMANCE) (90 page)
Read RUNNING GAME (A SECOND CHANCE SPORTS ROMANCE) Online
Authors: Nikki Wild
“Tell me!”
“You’re gonna make me… you’re gonna make me…”
He was right on my spot.
“I could fuck you all night.”
“Come with me Luke. Finish inside me.”
The orgasm ran through me like a knife through butter. Luke pumped into me at a feverish, steady pace. Within seconds he came, too.
Hot passion shot into me.
Another jolt of pleasure hit like a sonic boom. One massive burst followed by a tingling warmth.
Luke rolled to his side and pulled me on to mine. We laid there each feeling the other’s panting breath on our bare skin… staring into each other’s eyes.
“That first night,” he said.
I tried to read his face.
“That first night in your apartment. Do you remember?”
“Of course.”
“That’s when I knew.”
“Me too,” I said quietly.
We fell asleep like that. On the side of the road in the middle of the desert with nothing covering us but the moon and the stars and the sky. When the sun came up we would figure out the next step in our lives. But for now all we had to do was sleep. Sleep and be together.
I
was living
in a whirlwind of joy. Days swept into nights and our little impromptu road trip carried us the slow way back across the country. We avoided the freeways and big cities wherever we could, avoiding media attention and shacking up in every cozy and hilarious little honeymoon suite along the way.
The last one was a motel with a big cheesy looking heart shaped tub that came right out of the seventies, and it was absolutely perfect!
By the time we finally made it back to Atlas Luke’s promoter had left about six thousand messages on his phone, and Kaitlyn was going nuts because the tabloids had gotten their hands on half a dozen pictures from our wedding.
So much for Elvis being trustworthy…
Splitting up for the afternoon was just about the hardest thing I’d ever done. Luke had a couple of post-fight interviews to handle, and I needed to go home to pack my things.
Stepping back into my little apartment for the last time almost made me want to cry. Not because I was sad to leave this place… But because I couldn’t believe the direction my life had taken.
I decided to pack light.
Out with the old, in with the new. I pulled my suitcase out of the closet and started to fill it with things I couldn’t leave behind. Pictures… My college degree… And a small selection of clothes. I smiled to myself as I pulled one of my best tailored professional work skirts and a blouse from the closet. Luke seemed to enjoy seeing me all dressed up. I pulled out a lace bra and panty set to go with them. Maybe I’d surprise him tonight…
I was pulled from my little daydream when my phone rang.
“Couldn’t live without me for half an hour?” I asked, laughing.
Luke’s voice wrapped around me as he spoke. “I just wanted to say I miss you.”
“Well than maybe you should turn the car around and help me break in this old bed one last time,” I replied.
I could hear the squealing of tires over the line.
“Luke?”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“I was just kidding… You need to get those interviews done!” I protested.
“You’re starting to sound like a concerned housewife,” Luke replied. I could almost see the smile on his face.
I was going to hit him with some kind of smartass comeback, but a sharp knocking on the door pulled me out of the moment.
“Hang on a second Luke, I think Kaitlyn is here to give me hell for disappearing… I’ll be right back.”
With the door rattling against its hinges, I dropped the phone onto the bed and ran out to the living room. I couldn’t wait to show Kaitlyn the ring Luke had given me. I pulled the door open with a great big smile on my face, and was hit with the thick sent of cheap tobacco.
I stumbled backward from the door as Rick stepped through, his crooked grin showing off a set of yellowed teeth. Every part of me wanted to scream, but the sound caught in my throat as I saw someone else coming through the door.
“Kevin!” I finally managed to shout, scrambling away toward the bedroom. “STAY AWAY FROM ME!”
“It was supposed to be me, you heartless bitch,” Kevin said, his face twitching with anger. My eyes traveled down to the gun in his hand and I screamed as Rick took a few steps and dragged me off the floor.
“I was supposed to save you. I was supposed to be the fucking one who pulled you out of that fucking alley, not some meathead piece of shit.”
I tried to shout again as Rick’s hand clamped down over my mouth.
“And now you marry this asshole? You think I’d just let you do that?” Kevin said, closing the distance between us. “I hope you know this is all your fault… You took this man to have and fucking hold… Till
death
do you part…”
A
drenaline rolled
through me like a river as I pulled the Maserati through another tight turn. The engine screamed in protest and the suspension bucked against the crown of the road.
The faint scream has come through the car’s speakers and hit me like a brick. Chills ran through my spine and I’d pinned the accelerator to the floor. I didn’t even have to hear his name to know who had come knocking.
Kevin…
That little piece of shit from her office was going to find out exactly what happens to a man that comes between me and something I want.
Horns blared as I swung into oncoming traffic, dodging a truck and kicking out the tail end of the car as I launched down the side-street that would lead me to her. The world was crashing down around me and nothing mattered outside of reaching my destination.
“What the fuck?” I said to myself as her place came into view. Just outside, my eyes locked on the old weather beaten buick sitting under the yellow haze of a streetlight.
The car from the alley.
I didn’t understand and I didn’t need to. My body flexed and raged as I slammed on the brakes, throwing the door open without even taking the time to put it in park. My legs pumped against the asphalt as I made my way up to her open door.
Bria’s voice came sharply from the opening. “Please Kevin! Don’t do this!”
I was a wrecking ball. I was death and destruction. I threw myself straight through the opening and flew past the plants lining the entrance. My fighters instincts were carrying me as I hit the living room running, but Kevin wasn’t the one standing in my way. All I could see was the asshole I’d pulled off Bria the night my whole world changed.
“GET OFF HER!”
Bria’s eyes went wide as I ploughed a fist into the big man, tearing him away and swinging him straight to the ground. Bria stumbled to the side screaming as I brought a knee down against his exposed arm, the bones breaking like twigs. Every ounce of training I’d ever received was being put to use as I pummeled his face into sweet fucking oblivion. I was so set on my task that I almost didn’t notice the searing pain that flashed in my thigh, or the explosion that rocked my eardrums.
I turned my head in shock and saw Bria lunge forward. Rolling off the filthy man on the floor I could see the blood pouring from my leg before I could even recognize what had happened. I swept my eyes back up to see Bria struggling with her ex-boyfriend. Another explosion hit my ears and I was showered in bits of popcorn ceiling.
He has a gun…
Bria was outmatched but she fought like a tiger. Time seemed to stand still as she clawed at Kevin’s face and fought to keep his gun hand pointed away from me. Pain wracked my body as I forced myself to my feet. Another bullet lodged itself into the wall, missing me by inches.
I was on the move again, all focus on the gun as I reached out and gripped the barrel, twisting it from his grasp. Bria was a woman possessed, flailing against Kevin even as I pulled her away. With one hard swing, I brought the butt of the gun up against Kevin’s head and sent him tumbling to the floor.
I could hear Bria shouting something as I followed Kevin down, my knee buckling beneath me. A feeling of helplessness rolled out from my core as I rolled over, looking up at her beautiful eyes, and then everything went black.
L
ight
…
My eyes burned as I blinked, trying to get my bearings. I had to stop Kevin… I had to save Bria…
“Take it easy,” a man’s voice said quietly.
I tried to move, but I could feel the thick straps holding my wrists. I opened my eyes again, squinting against the light as I screamed, pulling at the ties that bound me.
“Luke… Please. I’m here. It’s okay.”
I knew that voice. It was the voice of an angel… My angel.
I turned my head, forcing my eyes open and focusing on the figure bathed in light from the window.
“Bria…”
“Luke.”
She moved toward me, the lines of her face coming clear as she pulled in close, throwing her arm across my chest.
“I thought I lost you,” she whispered, close enough that I could feel her breath against my cheek.
“You’re in the hospital, Luke,” the man’s voice said, cutting off our moment. I rolled my head and stared quietly at the man in the white coat. “The bullet severed your femoral artery. It was a clean cut, and you’re lucky to be alive.”
I lifted my head off the pillow, looking down across the hospital gown toward my legs as a feeling of dread rolled through me.
“My leg…”
I could see the bandages wound tight around my thigh, just above where my knee would have been… If it wasn’t missing… Along with the rest of my leg.
“What happened to my leg!”
“The damage was too extensive. We had no choice…” The doctor replied. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Luke,” Bria whispered. “You saved me.”
I
like running
when it’s dark…
My legs pumped, muscle burning and crying for relief.
Here comes the climb…
I hit the thirty-degree angle, my heart racing as I drove myself hard against the cool evening breeze.
The last six months had gone by so quickly. Kevin’s trial was almost over and it was obvious that he was going to prison for a very long time.
And
Rick
had fared even worse… Turns out my captor from the Alley was on probation for assault and battery. Kevin had helped him beat a harder sentence, and he’d drawn him into his twisted plan as a means of repayment.
Rick was going to jail for life.
“Speed up,” Luke shouted, coming up alongside. I glanced down at the long curved piece of carbon fibre that bounced against the road with every long stride he took. He gave me a smile as he pushed harder, pulling a few steps into the lead.
“Speak for yourself,” I shouted, pouring out every ounce of energy as my feet wheeled beneath me.
Luke’s recovery had been difficult, but he had the best trainers in the world to help him along the way… And the insurance payout was larger than anything he’d made fighting. I stayed by his side as we moved from pool exercises to his first few steps on a brand new prosthetic leg, but just being able to walk wasn’t enough for Luke.
He wanted to run.
This was it… The mile and a half mark. The crest of the hill wasn’t far now. I could hear Luke’s heavy footfalls behind me, but I wasn’t going to slow down. The adrenaline had hit, and I ran even faster.
The custom carbon fiber blade cost more than any car I’d ever owned, and Luke was almost as proud of it as he was of his
real
leg. It would take more practice and hard work, but soon he would be running just as fast as he ever had.
We plateaued the hill and came to a stop. I breathed deep, looking out over the city below us.
Our
city…
With his fighting career over, I half expected Luke to fall into a depression… But he had other ideas. Before he even left the hospital Luke was already putting the finishing touches on one of the biggest real estate development deals this city had ever seen. After passing the bar exam, I poured myself into helping him with the legal aspects of his plan. My days were filled with physical rehabilitation, and my nights were filled with an endless stream of permits and contracts.
The twinkling lights a few miles distant were testament to a brand new high rise that was already beginning to rise. Greer Tower would be the tallest building in the state… And we’d built it… Together…
“I won’t go so easy on you next time,” Luke said, his voice giving an insight into his sheer exhaustion.
“I’m counting on it,” I replied, falling into his arms. “I love you, Luke…”
He pulled me close, our lips collapsing into a slow and perfect kiss… I smiled and stared into his sparkling eyes as he pulled away and whispered.
“I love you
forever
…”
T
he End
… But don’t stop here! Turn the page because I’ve included ONE MORE sexy bonus novel for all of my loyal ebook readers! I hope you love SAVED BY THE BAD BOY!!!
