I didn’t fucking care what impression I made. I stalked forward and crouched down. His gaze was unfocused, and I put an arm on his shoulder to steady him. “Hey, man. You all right?”
It took him a second, but he answered slowly. “Good hit. Fucked me up.”
A laugh, broken and weak, left me. “Yeah. Good match.”
His gaze was still bleary, and I doubted he’d remember this. But he huffed, “Next time.”
I knew what he meant. He’d return the favor next match. But this was it for me. As much as I loved the sport, I was officially done.
I had a new life now. For the first time in years, I couldn’t wait for it to get started.
“I know I shouldn’t talk about it,” Parker said the next day as she curled up next to me on my bed. Sunlight streamed in through the wall of windows and turned her skin a deep, glowing honey. “But watching you fight was sexy as …” She bit her pink bottom lip.
“As fuck?” I supplied with a brow wiggle.
Her cheeks plumped on a grin, and she spread her hand over my abs. “Well, yes.”
I chuckled but stopped as a shard of pain shot up my side. “Shit, don’t make me laugh.”
“Poor baby,” she murmured, leaning in to kiss my chest. I was covered in bruises and had been in and out of ice baths to mitigate the pain. But her kisses were by far the best medicine. She’d taken me to bed and spent hours petting and stroking me. As much as my dick wanted to play, I wasn’t up for that just yet and remained content just to be with her.
Stroking her silky hair, I laid back and sighed as she kissed her way over my chest and then stopped to press a soft one right on top of my heart. She pulled back with a small, pleased smile, like the simple act of being able to touch me was all that she needed. My breath hitched, warmth radiating outward from where she’d kissed me.
“I love you.” My husky words pulsed between us, and Parker’s eyes widened. With a shaking, battered hand, I cupped her cheek. “I forgot to tell you that.”
I’d been sidelined by the knockout and the aftermath when everyone wanted a piece of me. But here and now, I could no longer contain it. I didn’t want to.
Parker licked her lips quickly. “You don’t have to say it just because I did—”
My thumb touched her bottom lip. “I said it because I meant it. With all of my heart, Parker.” I pulled her near. “I love you. So fucking much, it scares me. So much, it fills me up and makes me think of nothing else. Loving you is like breathing. It’s impossible not to do.”
Her smile blossomed, and she leaned into my touch. “I love you too.”
“Sometimes, I still can’t believe it,” I said softly.
“Why?”
I shrugged. “No one ever has.”
“Then they never knew the real you.”
This woman.
“I never bothered to show anyone until you.”
Parker hummed, her fingers skimming over my jaw, avoiding the bruises. “Maybe you were just waiting for me.”
I liked that idea and grinned. “Maybe I was.” I kissed her, a simple meeting of lips, then drew back. “I think I knew you were it for me the second you ‘shooed’ me at the bar.”
“Ha!” Her nose wrinkled with humor. “You couldn’t stand me then.”
“Not true. I thought you were hot and had a smart mouth.” I kissed said mouth again. “A perfect combination. I have a good poker face, is all.”
“It’s a good face.” Grinning, she attacked my face with butterfly kisses. “I love this face. I love you.”
I’d never get over hearing that. My fingers slid into her hair as I cupped her head and looked into her eyes. “It’s going to be so good, Parker. The two of us.”
“I know,” she said, the excitement in her smile matching what I felt coursing through me. “Because we already are.”
Epilogue
Rhys
“Stop lowering your guard. Keep your fists up and your chin down, Tink.”
Parker stopped in the center of the mat and put her hands on her hips with a huff. “If I do that, I can’t see past these big gloves!”
She’d been at me to teach her to box, and I’d finally relented. But I knew she’d give me shit. I’d been anticipating it.
“That’s because you keep pressing your gloves right up against your face,” I said. “Which is a good way to get that pretty