He collapses onto my back and then quickly rolls off of me. He pulls me tight against his chest and kisses my forehead. “I’m never going to get enough of you.”
I lift my chin, so I can gaze into his eyes. “I feel the same way about you.”
He reaches up and traces my cheek with the pad of his thumb. “I don’t want you to worry about our future together, Anna. I’m going to figure out a way to take care of you.”
I furrow my brow, completely thrown off by this change of topic. “I’m not worried. I know that we have each other, and everything will work out for the best.”
“I don’t know how you always manage to be so damn optimistic about everything.”
“It’s because I believe in you. You’ve already proven that you have a way of making things better for yourself,” I honestly tell him. “Besides, I still have my job with Tension. I won’t make as much money as you, but every little bit will help, right?”
He sighs heavily. “I hate the idea of you going on the road without me. You shouldn’t go.”
“You heard what Mr. Silverman said. I have to go. If I don’t—”
“I could quit.”
The ease in the way he says it, like it’s no big deal, shocks me, and I don’t believe he really means it.
“But you love wrestling. How can you be willing to give it up so easily?”
His eyes focus on me. “Because you mean more to me—that’s why. When I was in that ring and the cops were about to cuff me for nearly killing Rex, I came to the realization that I can’t live without you. I love you more than my own life, Anna.”
My heart does a double thump inside my ribs. It was a huge step for him to admit how he felt about me, and it’s amazing to hear him say it again.
“I love you, too.” I rise up and kiss his lips. “You are not quitting, and neither am I, for that matter. This will all blow over, and when it does, I want to be by your side all the time. We can’t screw up my chances of going backstage. You have to trust me.”
He’s quiet for a second, and then he slides his hand up to cup my jaw. “I trust you with anything I have, even my life. I won’t like it, but I know you need to go on the road.”
It’s easy to see how hard this is for him. The people in Xavier’s life have never given him much cause to trust anyone, so I’m grateful that he’s opening that part of himself up to me. There’s no telling how things will work out, but whatever happens, we’re in this together.
Chapter 3
Anna
After we get a few hours of sleep, Xavier’s cell phone rings, waking us up.
He groans and rolls over onto his side to reach for the phone on the nightstand. “Hello?” his voice growls. Then, he’s silent for a few moments as he listens to whoever is on the other end of the line. “Understood.” He lets out an exasperated sigh and then scrubs his hand down his face. “I’ll be on the first flight back to Detroit tomorrow.”
He ends the call and then lays the phone down. “We need to pack.”
“What’s wrong?” I push myself up onto my elbow and stare down at his beautiful face.
Conflict is raging in his eyes, and it instantly makes me curious about what’s on his mind.
“That was one of the lawyers with Tension. Looks like Mr. Silverman did indeed get all the charges dropped, like he said, so I’m out of all the legal trouble.”
Relief washes through me. “That’s fantastic news. I told you things would work out.”
The corner of his mouth pulls down into a one-sided frown. “There’s a catch.”
“Other than being suspended? We knew that was part of the deal.”
“It appears that the boss decided to add another stipulation after our conversation last night,.”
I grimace. “What is it?”
There’s a flutter in my chest as my nerves go crazy while my brain works in overtime, attempting to figure out what in the world Tension could ask of him. Mr. Silverman has already taken away his career by suspending him.
“He is fining me for my actions against Rex. On top of that, Tension wants me to not only pay out of pocket for the medical bills that racked up because of what I