Beth stared at the far wall, but I could see her throat working before she spoke.
“She asked if I could imagine my life without you.”
I didn’t speak as I waited for her to continue.
“I can’t,” she said hoarsely.
I closed my eyes briefly as relief coursed through me.
She turned slightly to look at me, and my heart constricted at the hurt in her beautiful eyes. The need to hold her was fierce, but I was afraid to make any advances that might undo the progress we’d made.
“I want you in my life, but I’m scared. This is all happening too fast, and I…”
“It’s okay.”
I held out my hand to her, and slowly, she slipped hers into mine. I laced my fingers with hers and let our joined hands lie on the couch between us.
“Bonding is difficult in the beginning, no matter how easy Sara and Nikolas make it look.”
I raised my eyebrows meaningfully, and she rewarded me with a small smile. Taking that as a good sign, I continued. “It’s normal to have doubts, especially considering our history. I hurt you, and you’re afraid I’ll do it again. Give me a chance to earn back your trust and love.”
She pressed her lips together, but her eyes betrayed her inner struggle. She wanted to say yes, but fear made her question everything.
“If I say yes, what happens next?” she asked in a voice laced with uncertainty.
“Well, right now, I’m going to lie here until I’m able to stand again.”
Her eyes widened, and a startled laugh bubbled from her.
I smiled back. “After that, we’ll take it one day at a time.”
She nodded slowly. “I think I can do that.”
Beth
The door opened as I was tying the laces on my gym shoes, and I looked up to see Mason hesitantly enter the house. He glanced around before he came all the way in and shut the door.
“What are you doing?” I asked him.
“Checking to see if the coast is clear.” He walked over and pulled me up into a tight hug. “So glad you’re back.”
“Me, too.”
He let me go and sat on the end of the coffee table nearest me. “I take it Chris left.”
I flushed even though there was nothing to be embarrassed about. “How did you know he was here?”
Mason gave me a crooked smile. “I walked in here at 6:30 after my patrol and found the two of you asleep on the couch. I figured it was best if I made myself scarce, so I crashed on the couch in the control room for a few hours.”
“You didn’t have to –”
“I wanted to.” He studied my face. “Does this mean things are okay between you and him?”
“Yes. We agreed to take things slow.”
His serious expression dissolved into a relieved smile. “Good, because I hated seeing you so miserable.”
“I wasn’t that bad.”
He gave me an incredulous look. “Beth, you cried all night and left without a word. Then it took me two days to get you to tell me what happened. You had me pretty worried there for a while.”
“I’m sorry.”
He leaned in and took my hands in his. “You have nothing to apologize for. You were hurting, and you needed to cope with it in your own way. I’m just glad you worked it out.”
“Yeah, me too.”
I let out a long breath. Things were a lot better between Chris and me, but I was confused about his feelings for me. He’d called me Dove when he’d said he loved me last night. Had he been dreaming about the young girl he used to know when he’d said that? Or had he meant he was in love with the adult me? He hadn’t repeated the declaration this morning, so I was left wondering if he’d even meant to say it. It was enough to drive me crazy.
“Are you up for some training?” I asked Mason. “I’m headed to the gym, and I could use some company.”
He smirked. “Need to work off some energy?”
“Something like that.”
“Sure. Give me a minute to change.”
Five minutes later, the two of us entered the gym to find Chris and Seamus exchanging blows that would have knocked me into next week. I stood by the door, watching them move with speed and grace I hoped to have someday. Their bodies were slick with sweat, and it was impossible not to admire the play of muscles under Chris’s T-shirt or his strong arms. It amazed me that someone so powerful could also be as gentle as he was with me.
Of course, he chose that moment to look at me, and his cocky little smile told me he’d caught me checking him out. Great.
Heat spread across the back of my neck as he ended his fight with Seamus and walked over to me. It had only been an hour since he’d left the guesthouse, but he looked at me like he hadn’t seen me in days.
“Your turn,” he said to me.
“Me?” I let out a short laugh. “I’m no match for you.”
His smile turned sensual as he stepped into my space. “You’re the perfect match for me.”
I put a hand against his hard chest and shoved him. It was about as effective as pushing a brick wall.
“You know what I mean. I’m not fast enough to fight you.”
“That’s why you should fight me. You and Mason are at the same level, and you know each other’s every move. Sparring with a better partner will challenge you more.”
He was right. I hadn’t felt challenged in training for months. I needed to bump up the intensity to push myself to the next level.
“Okay, but don’t blame me if you get bored.”
“You could never bore me,” he said with a meaningful look before he turned and walked back to the center of the room.
“Good luck,” Mason called in a stage whisper as I followed Chris. I could hear the laughter in his voice, but I resisted the urge to glare at him over my shoulder.
I faced Chris on the mats, feeling uncertain and self-conscious. He was so good. How could I hope to land a strike against him? I knew he wouldn’t hurt me, but that wasn’t enough. I hated losing.
“I’m going to fight without my Mori’s help to make it even,” he said.
“But it won’t be even if I use mine,” I protested.
Chris chuckled. “I think I can hold my own. Ready?”
I assumed my fighting stance and nodded.
Chris’s expression didn’t change as his left hand shot out. I brought mine up and blocked his strike before it could connect. The force of his blow shocked me, not because it would have hurt me, but because he was a lot faster than I’d expected. Even without his Mori speed, Chris was fast and most likely stronger than I was.
Recovering from my surprise, I struck back with a right hook, followed by a kick. Chris blocked me easily on both strikes, and then he shot me a taunting little smile that said, “Is that all you’ve got?”
Game on.
I went at him with everything I had, using every trick and technique I’d learned in training. I even managed to land some hits, but those victories were few and far between. Chris was a masterful fighter, his skills honed by many years in the field, and he maintained an infuriatingly neutral expression that gave nothing away.
After twenty minutes, I retreated and bent down with both hands on my knees, panting. I was sweating and breathless like a first-year trainee. And I’d never felt so exhilarated by a fight. I loved sparring, but I’d been missing out. Nothing compared to going up against the best, even when he was holding back.
“You done?” Chris asked with amusement lacing his tone.
I lifted my head and scowled at him. “Hardly.”
Mason snickered. “Oh, boy. I know that look. You’re in for it now.”
I straightened and studied Chris as my old trainer’s voice filled my head.
“You’re going to face fighters who are stronger and faster than you. But most fights are won with the mind, not the body. If you can win the mental battle, you can defeat any opponent. It’s up to you to find out how to get into their head and find their weakness.”
Her advice was all well and good, but Chris was a fighting machine. From where I stood, he didn’t have any weaknesses.
Except one.