he packed his gym bag, brushed his teeth and ignored the whiskers on his face and his unkempt hair. Since he could smell the coffee, he filled a travel mug to take with him then rinsed out the carafe. He’d have to explain to Rissy that he tried to avoid caffeine.
No, wait. He wouldn’t have her over again so he didn’t need to explain jack shit to her.
Of course the coffee was perfect. Everything about her was perfect.
He wished she had awakened him before leaving. Now, despite what Cannon had said, he’d be wondering all day whether or not she’d slept, and if she was nervous about returning to work.
Last night she’d wanted to be with him.
Today, how would she feel? He chowed down a protein-rich breakfast bar on the way to the rec center. For most of the ride he stewed and finally gave in. As soon as he parked his truck he called Merissa.
On the third ring she answered with a rushed, “Armie, hey!”
She sounded breathless, which sort of stole his breath, too. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“Sorry, just out of the shower and hustling to get dressed so I get to the bank on time.”
That put an immediate visual in the forefront of his brain.
“Armie?”
He shook off the image of her wrapped in a small towel, her skin still damp, her face flushed. “How are you?”
“You and Cannon,” she teased. “I’m fine. What about you?”
“I’m good.” He paused, but couldn’t hold back. “You should have woken me up before you left.”
“I’m sorry. You looked so peaceful, and I knew I couldn’t stay anyway. It seemed a waste for us both to be up rushing.” Now she paused, then added, “Thank you for inviting me over again tonight. I appreciate that.”
Armie went blank. He’d invited her back over?
“I get off work at five, but it’ll probably be five-thirty before I get away. Then I’ll need to run home and change. I’m thinking six, maybe six-thirty. Does that work for you? I thought I’d cook you dinner.”
“Um...” He scrambled for an excuse, came up blank and rubbed the back of his neck. “Should work.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.” She disconnected.
Armie sat there, equal parts confused, concerned and anxious to see her again. “Idiot,” he muttered to himself and left the truck.
He saw the crowds right away. Figured a big shot like Jude Jamison would draw in the gawkers. Slinging the strap of his gym bag over his shoulder, he headed in.
Wasn’t easy, not with an influx of semiswooning ladies all jockeying for better positions in the crowd. “Excuse me,” he said about a dozen times until he finally reached Harper, Gage’s wife.
She stood on tiptoe, and she smiled.
Armie said, “Not you, too.”
She elbowed him. “It’s Jude Jamison.”
“Yeah, so?”
Harper turned to blink at him. “He’s a movie star!”
“Used to be.” But Jude had left that all behind.
“Once a movie star, always a movie star.” Harper sighed. “Just look at him. He’s gorgeous.”
“They’re both gorgeous,” another woman said.
Armie leaned around them to see the mat and realized Jude and Cannon were sparring together. He grinned. “Got your ovaries aching, huh?”
Harper elbowed him again. The other gal sighed, “Yes.”
Shaking his head, Armie sidled past them until he’d reached a more open area where the other fighters stood. Gage immediately asked him, “Harper still all moony-eyed?”
“’Fraid so.”
“I’ll get her mind on other things once we’re out of here.” He bobbed his eyebrows to ensure everyone understood his meaning.
Leese nodded at the mat. “Jude said he hadn’t done any actual sparring for a while, but it doesn’t show. He’s still slick with his moves.”
“And those direct shots,” Gage added, then slanted a look at Armie. “How he throws a punch, straight and fast, reminds me a little of you.”
Folding his arms, Armie watched for a minute and noticed that Cannon was holding back. A smart move, really. No reason for Jamison to get hurt or for Cannon to stroke his own ego when there was a lot more to be gained in a good relationship with someone of Jamison’s caliber.
Then to Armie’s surprise, the men finished up and Jamison said, “Thanks for going easy on me.” He grinned like he’d had the time of his life.
Armie understood the feeling. For a man who liked to use his strength and test his speed, there wasn’t anything else like MMA.
Cannon laughed. “You haven’t lost it, that’s for sure.”
“I stay in shape,” Jamison said. “But there’s in shape and then there’s fighting shape. In this business, speed is the first thing to go and it makes all the difference between a champion and a mediocre contender.” He clapped Cannon on the back. “Thanks for indulging me.”
“Anytime.”
They stopped in front of Armie, and Jamison, after freeing himself from the fingerless gloves, offered his hand. “Armie, thanks for coming in early.”
Cannon snorted. “He’s here all the time. Believe me, this is late.”
Armie felt his neck go hot. He was late because he’d been sleeping with Merissa. Best rest he’d had in forever, too. “Not a problem. So what’s on the agenda? Cannon said you wanted to see me?”
“I’ve got all day. Mind if I just watch your normal routine for a while? After that, we’ll all sit down and talk.”
Rolling a shoulder, Armie said, “Sure. Suit yourself.”
For the next three hours he tuned everyone out and went through his usual workout. Normally he could get into the zone and his brain would be blessedly clear. This time though, even as he went from throwing hard punches and solid kicks, to grappling with other fighters, and then to lifting weights, his thoughts stayed centered on Merissa. True, he’d been hammered last night, but not so far gone that he didn’t remember the stirring way she’d removed those formfitting jeans.
When she’d bent to push them down, her long hair had tumbled forward, almost touching the floor. Her dark hair had inspired plenty of fantasies for him. And those beautiful bright blue eyes—they were the same color as her brother’s, and both siblings had thick, dark lashes, but on Merissa the look was sexy as hell. So many times he’d imagined anchoring
