Abel (22 page)

After apologizing and getting through the rest of her inquisition
, his mom finally finished her questioning about Nellie or so he thought. She’d be watching the fight from home because she never watched any of their fights at all. She was only watching this one because it was such a big deal and because she could change the channel or turn the TV off if she got too nervous, but she still refused to watch her son’s fight in person.

“
We’ll talk more about Nellie when you get home. Call me tomorrow before the fight.”

Great
, this wasn’t over. At the very least, he’d made it clear that while he’d respect her opinion his mind was made up. With Nellie back on his mind, he hurried back toward the elevator.

“
So are you grounded?” Hector asked.

“
Shut up,” Abel said as he slid his room card then pushed the elevator button but couldn’t help smirking. His brother was such an ass. He was loving this shit.

Gio and Noah each said they were out. They’d only stuck around to give him a few more last-minute tips on what to and not to eat or do before the fight tomorrow. Hector stuck around after Gio and Noah left, but it wasn’t until then that he let Abel know that he was going back to his room too. “Curious,” he peered at Abel. “It takes a lot for you to lose it. What exactly did he say to you? Was his brother talking about Nellie when he said that she’s a freak in the sheets?”

Abel nodded.
“And McKinley said some real nasty shit too. I mean I knew he was big on trash talking, but this stuff was just
dirty
.” Abel shook his head, frowning. “I wasn’t even sure who he was referring to at first, and then he said her name and I lost it.”

“
She’s staying with you all weekend?” Nodding again, Abel leaned against the wall since his brother didn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. The elevator had come and gone long ago. “And you’re still seeing her, but not really?”

“
No, I’m seeing her for real now.”

Abel figured
that since he’d already told his mom and soon the world would know he may as well tell Hector. He smirked when he saw Hector’s brow jump. Of course, he’d be surprised since all this time Abel had been so adamant that it wasn’t anything serious.

“
Really?” Hector cracked a smile. “Well, I’m only surprised you’re finally admitting it, because, dude, your poker face sucks when you’re around her. You’re so obviously whipped. I’ve known you had a thing for her since
way
before the cruise.” Hector looked at him strangely. “How long has it been
for real
?’

“
On the way up here, we finally talked about it and got it straight.”

“
Ah,” Hector nodded satisfied. “No wonder. So this is as recent as yesterday.”

“
Yeah,” Abel pushed away from the wall since Hector began to back away. “What do you mean no wonder?”

“
Nothing really. It’s just that a few weeks back at Noah’s she was talking about some dude with the girls when I walked up to Charlee and it got my attention. Roni said Nellie had met some guy the night before with eyes that captivated Nellie or some shit like that.”

Working his jaw
, Abel thought back to how tortured he’d felt that night and every time he thought of her on her dates.
Eyes that captivated her?
No matter how long ago that was, it was still grating to hear about it.

Hector said he had a live chat to get on with his girl
, who was at a chess tournament in Canada, and took off. Finally, Abel would get to where he’d been dying to be all day—his room with Nellie.

~*~

Shocked didn’t even begin to describe how Nellie felt when Abel told her that McKinley and his detestable people not only already knew about their relationship but were using it to bait him. She hated that she’d been the cause of Abel losing it. He refused to tell her the ugly things they’d said. He only said that it made him even more anxious to get the asshole in the ring. Of course, that only made her more nervous. But she was glad that he wanted to avoid the media hype completely. The thought of them saying more things about her or their relationship to upset him made her even more uneasy. She’d be doing the same thing. Seeing her name in any of the headlines for whatever reason would have her hyperventilating for certain.

It was the day of the fight
. As much as she was trying to enjoy their day alone in Abel’s suite, Nellie was having the hardest time relaxing. Ever since last night when Abel got back to the room and told her about the brawl and the reason for it, she’d had a knot in her stomach. Then that morning she’d gotten another text from Logan, which she planned on ignoring. The last thing she wanted was to have any sort of discussion that might upset Abel. He had strict instructions to relax all day and keep his head clear. She knew bringing up the fact that Logan was still texting her about Sam would ruin the relaxing aura he was supposed to be having today. Even their lovemaking had been just that. Any strenuous or mind-blowing acts like so many of the hot and sweaty ones she’d experienced with him so far—the fun and dirty kind where they both came to loud moaning and breathtaking climaxes—were axed today. Instead their lovemaking had been slow, deep, drawn out, and
beautiful
. Nellie wasn’t sure now which she preferred more.

Still lying there with her head against Abel
’s chest, basking in the glow of the incredible climax she was just coming down from, her phone buzzed on the nightstand. Abel reached for it, and she flinched, so he stopped and looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

“
Nothing,” she said, caressing his incredible chest with her fingers.

“
You want your phone?”

She nodded
, already mad at herself for being so jumpy, but she had such a bad feeling in her gut. She wasn’t sure what to expect. Now she could only pray that it wasn’t Logan again and that Abel wouldn’t see his name on her screen.

Letting out a slow breath when she saw the text was from Emily
, she smiled at Abel and showed him. “Emily, my assistant.”

He smiled back
, moving a strand of hair away from her face. “The mixer still all good?”

“
It was the last time I talked to Emily and the new accountant,” she said, hitting the envelope with Emily’s text, hoping everything was still fine. She’d told her to text her if anything came up. “Her sister is getting married this weekend.”

I
’m about to board a plane, but I’ve been sitting here at the airport, glued to the monitors with all the gossip and even news channels going on and on nonstop about you and Sam. OMFG! They’ve been talking about that more than the fight of the decade! I’ll be turning off my phone now, but as soon as I get to Phoenix, I’ll turn it on. Call me if you need to vent, cry, scream! Holy shit! *hugs* Sweetie! <3

Nellie sat up
, suddenly needing her inhaler.
Going on and on about her and Sam?
Feeling the wheezing start, she thought of the argument Sam had been in with that guy that first night she arrived in Vegas and all the people taking pictures. Had they photographed her going into that staff only room with him?
They’ve been talking about that more than the fight of the decade?
What in the world were they saying?
Call me if you need to vent, cry, scream
? What would upset her so much?

“
You okay?” Abel sat up, staring at her, looking very concerned.

Nellie wheezed in loudly. She hadn
’t realized she was having such a hard time breathing.

“
Baby, what’s wrong?” Abel was immediately on his knees, holding her by the shoulders.

She waved her hands in front of her
frantically, the air she breathed in barely trickling into her lungs, but it wasn’t enough. Scrambling, she jumped out of bed recklessly, grabbed her purse, spilling all its contents, and dropped to her knees, wheezing loudly as she fumbled through everything, searching for her inhaler.

“
What is it? What’s wrong with you?” Abel asked, already on his knees too then suddenly jumping to grab his phone. “I’m calling 911!”

“
No!” she gasped as she found the inhaler, bringing it to her mouth, inhaling deeply, but she knew that she was near that too-far-gone stage—the one where she usually had to make a visit to the emergency room—somewhere she hadn’t been in so long.

Abel stared at her
, his expression as terrified as she felt. The second hit she took and held in did more to expand her lungs, bringing some instant relief.

“
What do you need?” Abel asked, back on his knees in front of her, staring at her, the horror still in his eyes. “Tell me what to do, babe.”

She reached her hand out to his and shook her head.
“I’m okay now,” she managed to say. “It’s just my asthma.”

Her worked
and worn-out lungs heaved up and down, but the oxygen was flowing in smoothly now. Suddenly completely exhausted, she began to lie down on the floor, but in seconds, she was in Abel’s arms as he lifted her, cradling her in his arms. He walked her over to the bed. “Do you need to go to the hospital?” he asked, lifting the sheet over her.

“
No,” she shook her head, smiling weakly. “No, I’m fine really. This just happens sometimes. But I’m fine now.” She touched the side of his worried face and smiled. “I promise. I’m good now. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just panicked.”

He crawled in next to her
, spooning her from behind. “Don’t be sorry, Nellie,” he said, kissing the side of her face then breathed in deeply, holding her tight. “Just tell me. How often does this happen?”

“
Not often. I swear,” she said, turning to look at him.

He kissed her softly and frowned.
“It wouldn’t matter to me if it happens often, sweetheart. I just wanna be prepared and not feel so helpless. Is it always this spontaneous? Or is there anything specific that triggers it.”

She turned her head back and laid it down against the pillow
, glad that he hadn’t picked up on the fact that the text from Emily had triggered it. Her mind raced and she remembered the text from Logan earlier that morning. She wouldn’t dare read it now in front of Abel, but she would definitely be reading it as soon as she got the chance.

Explaining briefly that she
’d suffered her whole life from asthma but for the most part it was under control, she made sure he knew it hadn’t been an issue in years. Glad she wasn’t facing him, she squeezed her eyes shut, praying that whatever they were saying about her and Sam wouldn’t get back to Abel at least until after the fight.

If it were really that bad
, Roni would’ve called already, right? Maybe Emily was just being her dramatic self. She did tend to get overly excited about everything.

Nellie waited until she knew Abel was asleep. After their lunch and
extra-long lovemaking session, she normally would’ve been sound asleep right there next to him, but there was no way she was sleeping now. Inching her way off the bed, careful not to wake him, she tiptoed to her purse’s spilled contents still on the floor. She gathered them up quietly, including her phone that was now flashing with another text. This one was from Sam and she braced herself.

“
You okay?”

The sound of Abel
’s voice startled her, and she nearly dropped her phone. “Yes,” she said, looking up at him. He was sitting up on the bed now, his face once again full of concern. “I was just picking up the mess I made,” she assured him. “But I’m fine.”

“
Don’t worry about that, babe.” He stretched his arm. “Come back to bed.”

“
I will,” she smiled. “I just need to use the bathroom first.”

He nodded
, watching as she threw a few more things in her purse, including her phone. Slowly she got back on her feet and headed to the bathroom, clutching her purse tightly. Almost terrified to read Sam’s text, she forced herself.

I know you must hate me right now
, but I swear to you I did everything I could to stop it. I admit I was all for it in the beginning, and I feel like an asshole about that now. But like I told you Thursday, my feelings for you now are real. I’m so sorry about all this. I truly am.

Hearing
movement outside the bathroom door, Nellie knew Abel was up and she had to hurry. She wouldn’t have time to listen to Logan’s voicemail still sitting in her inbox, but with her heart at her throat now, she clicked quickly to read his text from earlier this morning.

If I
’d had any idea that this is what they were planning, I swear to you I never would’ve had anything to do with it. Forgive me!

“
They?” she whispered, bringing her hand to her mouth.

Sam and someone else planned something
, and Logan had something to do with it? Nellie grabbed her inhaler and took a hit as her mind sped back to the night she met Sam. Had Logan’s sudden departure that night and his ex-girlfriend being in the hospital leaving her alone with Sam all been a ploy?