Fighting for Desire (14 page)

Dev blinked at the sunlight filling the room. He stretched
and grinned—Shannon had her arm around his waist. Obviously dead to the world,
she didn’t even stir as he moved it aside and he couldn’t blame her. Untangling
their legs was another issue though, and he gently unwound himself.

Quietly he slipped from the bed and padded to the bathroom.
After relieving himself, he grabbed his sweatpants and left the room. Man, he
was starving and he figured Shannon would be too when she woke up.

He picked up the phone and ordered some breakfast. He needed
to maintain his high protein, low-carb diet for the fight, which also consisted
of eating six times a day. Sometimes eating so often was a hassle but the diet
worked out best with his exercise regimen.

He flipped on the TV, wanting to catch some news before he
headed to the gym. Only the news wasn’t on.

“What the hell?” he muttered as he flipped channels.

He hit the info button on the control to see the time. His
mouth fell open. There was no way in hell that was right. He spotted his cell
phone lying on the table and picked it up.

Fuck. He had a ton of missed calls and most of them were
from Marco. His phone rang and he answered it.

“Dude, where in the hell have you been?” Marco asked, panic
in his voice. “I have been calling you for hours! You missed the training
session this morning and the sponsors weren’t happy. I don’t think they bought
my excuse that you needed time to meditate either.”

Dev groaned. “How many were there?”

Sometimes the sponsors came to watch his training sessions
to determine how much they wanted to put behind his name. Since he had a fight
coming up, it was more important than ever to impress them. Even though he had
his own money, the sponsors could make or break a bout.

“Enough that I’m worried. If I were guessing, I’d say about
ten of them.”

“Fuck.” What else could he say? “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

Marco took in a breath. “I think we can do some damage
control at the party but you are going to have to be at your best. Give them
the Devlin James they want to see. Impress them. Just don’t fucking be late!”

His mind was racing. The commissioner’s party wasn’t until
tomorrow. That gave Arizona twenty-four hours to lure over the sponsors, get
them on his side…take away some of Dev’s support. No, there had to be another
solution.

“I could call them up and have them meet me at the gym…” he
said, trying to figure out a solution.

“Wouldn’t work. Dev, it’s three in the fucking afternoon.
They were all at the gym at eight, when you were supposed to be there.”

Dev ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry, man. I
don’t know how I slept through my alarm…”

Now that he thought about it he couldn’t even remember
setting his alarm. He meant to after the Cirque show but… Fuck!

“Well, on the plus side you can spend the rest of the day
amusing yourself however you wish…”

Marco’s meaning was clear and Dev had to grin.

“Speaking of amusing yourself, I noticed you didn’t come
back last night.” Dev had to point out that little tidbit.

Marco laughed. “I’m surprised you noticed.”

Dev didn’t tell his friend that he noticed Marco’s absence while
chasing Shannon naked through the suite after they’d made love in the swimming
pool. And on the couch. And the table. And the floor…

He shook his head. “Yeah, I missed your annoying presence.
So where did you end up? Or who did you end up with, I should say.”

“With Katie.”

That didn’t surprise him. He knew as soon as Marco saw Katie
their meeting would open a door that had never been fully closed. And since she
hadn’t been able to keep their date in Miami, meeting up in Vegas was
inevitable.

“Just Katie?” he asked.

“And her husband,” Marco confirmed.

Dev didn’t comment. None of his business. He just hoped his
friend took his own advice and didn’t punish Katie or her husband for their
past.

Marco saved him from speaking. “Anyway, I need to get off
here and make some phone calls. I will see you later tonight so don’t get too
wild.”

Dev laughed as the call ended. Marco always had to have the
last word in any conversation they had. But he always had Dev’s back and that
counted for something.

Dev turned off the TV as he waited for the room service to
be delivered. He couldn’t believe it was three in the afternoon. He hadn’t
slept past noon in a long time, even after partying all night long.

He knew what was giving him peace, though. Shannon was the
reason. She found a way under his skin more than ever. He thought back to when
he told her he didn’t want to use a condom anymore. The words left his mouth
before he could stop them but what shocked him more was that he’d meant what he
said.

Chances of her getting pregnant while on birth control were
slim so he wasn’t worried about that. An image of a very pregnant Shannon
standing in his bedroom at home flashed through his mind. His gut tightened and
he closed his eyes.
Not a bad image
…

A knock on the door caused the thought to hide in a dark
corner in the back of his mind. Once room service had delivered their food he
walked slowly back to the bedroom. Shannon still slept, though she had wrapped
her upper body around his pillow.

He considered kissing her awake but then a better idea
crossed his mind. Marco had told him to enjoy his free day and Dev was going to
do exactly that. He pulled off his sweatpants and tossed them to the floor.
Then he went to the bed and gently pulled her legs apart. Time for breakfast.

Shannon moaned as a most delightful feeling spread across
her belly. She reached to find Dev but her search came up empty. The warm
feeling swirled through her body again and then she felt hot breath against
her…

“Dev,” she gasped as his tongue made contact with her skin
again, revealing the source of her joy. “What are you doing?”

He lifted his head from between her legs and grinned at her.
His dark hair was tousled from their night together, making him look
oh-so-wicked. Without saying anything, he ducked back down and resumed his
nibbling and teasing.

She grabbed onto the sheets as his tongue swirled around her
sensitive clit.

“Oh!” she cried out.

Her nipples budded. She was close to coming. Dev must have
sensed this too. He pushed her legs farther apart and lifted her hips. Oh,
god…it felt as if his mouth was everywhere.

Tension began to build as her heartbeat sped up. Her hips
lifted higher, pushing her closer to Dev’s mouth, and then her entire body
exploded. She screamed out his name as her pussy clenched around his tongue.

Suddenly he was on top of her, sliding into her wet,
throbbing folds. His movements became slow and deep. She moaned and wrapped her
legs around him, matching the pace he set. His dark eyes never left hers and
for a second she swore she saw love dancing in their dark depths.

The way he gazed at her reminded her of the way he used to
look at her—with no hate or contempt. She closed her eyes and expected the look
to be gone when she opened them. But when she checked again his expression
hadn’t changed and she couldn’t deny the meaning.

Her breath hitched and she pulled him down to capture his
lips in a kiss. Their tongues danced slowly together, matching the pace of their
love-making.
Love
making
…
that’s what this is
… The thought
pulled at her heartstrings. He wasn’t fucking her to get her out of his system
or to punish her. He was making love.

Her nerve endings felt supercharged and her body began to
tingle as her orgasm began to build. Dev’s thrusts turned shallow and fast. A
cry left her lips and then all she saw was white as she climaxed.

Her body clenched around Dev’s cock, milking it. She
squeezed her inner muscles and he yelled her name as he came.

“Shannon!”

She wanted to cry out how much she loved him but simply
moaned his name instead. His orgasm sent her into another wave of pleasure and
somehow she knew they were different—that things had changed.

* * * * *

A few hours later Shannon sighed in bliss as she rolled over
on the poolside chaise lounge. The sun was setting but the temperature was
still warm enough in the Nevada desert to be comfortable. Dev climbed out of
the infinity pool and sat next to her.

Water dripped on her naked skin and she grinned at him,
admiring his equally naked state.

“Hi,” he said as he kissed the tip of her nose.

“Hi.” She yawned. “Was I asleep for long?”

He shook his head. “Maybe an hour. You needed it though.”

He began massaging her back, and her arms fell to her sides
as she enjoyed his hands on her skin.

A giggle left her lips. “Why, Mr. James…if you hadn’t taken
advantage of me, then I wouldn’t be so tired.”

“I couldn’t help myself. You looked so delicious in bed.”

“What about the shower?”

He moved to her leg and replied, “Delicious.”

“And the dining table?”

“Yup.”

“And the balcony?”

“Uh-huh.”

She laughed again. “And the—”

Dev’s phone rang on the table next to them.

“What’s up, Marco?” he answered.

He winked down at her and she felt herself melt. This had
been one of the best days of her life. Dev had seemed more relaxed than she
could remember. And if his body was as tender as hers…well…she grinned.

“Yeah that’s fine. We will be decent by the time you get up
here.”

Her heart fell a little. She didn’t mind that Marco was
coming back. She just didn’t want Dev to go into his “work mode” when his
friend got back. She sighed and turned away from him until he got off the
phone.

He kissed her left shoulder and said, “Marco will be here in
about an hour.”

“Guess we should get dressed then,” she replied in a wistful
tone.

He laughed. “We have plenty of time to finish up out here.”

She sat up with a grin and grabbed the towel hanging on the
back of the lounge chair.

“You know as well as I do that if we stay out here much
longer, we will get…distracted.”

He leaned in. “And is that a bad thing?”

“No, but I don’t want to traumatize Marco. Besides, I need
to take a shower.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “Need some help?”

She chuckled at his boyish behavior. “No thank you.”

“Well while you’re in the shower I’m going to make a few
calls.”

She hadn’t expected him to get back to work so quickly but
she didn’t mind. She stood and grabbed her shoes as she made her way back into
the suite. Her phone was on the table by the bed and she picked it up. She
hadn’t heard from Joe and wondered how he was doing.

She really shouldn’t have been surprised at what she saw but
a gasp left her lips nonetheless. Johnny had texted her several times.

I see you took my words to heart. Good girl
.

The mighty Devlin James missed a training session
?
I
wonder what was holding him up
??!!

Good thing I was there to calm the sponsors
.

Still haven’t replied
.
Hmm
.
What
on
earth could you be doing
?

Listen, you slut. You better be in bed fucking him and
not ignoring me
!
Text me when you
get this
.

Her phone buzzed in her hand and yet another text from
Johnny came through.

Shannon, don’t fuck with me
…

She quickly sent a text back.

I just got to my phone
.
Stop texting me, you
asshole
.

Ah
…
good girl. I’ll be in touch later. You just
keep doing what you’re doing. And don’t worry about our texts being tracked.
I’m taking care of it so your boyfriend doesn’t suspect…

She set down her phone and gritted her teeth. Leave it to
Johnny to take a wonderful day and make her feel like shit about it. But he was
right about one thing. If she wanted to keep Dev safe, she was going to have to
keep doing what she had been doing all day.

Dev stretched in the bed as his alarm screamed to life. He
reached over and turned it off before the volume reached its maximum level.
This was the second day in a row he had awoken to Shannon wrapped around him
like a vine. She smiled sleepily at him.

“Do you really have to go?” She pouted with full lips.
“Can’t you just stay here with me?”

God, her small plea was so fucking tempting. All he had to
do was turn off his phone and slide back into bed with her. His cock was
already half hard at the thought. She must have noticed his aroused condition
because she pulled back the sheets, revealing her naked body.

“I need to make this training session, Shan.”

“You said last night that all the people you needed to
impress would be at the party tonight.”

He had said that but he needed to go…

“I can’t. We can play later, I promise.”

He reached for his boxers and slid them on. Shannon sat up
and reached for him.

“You could stay here with me and get some more rest.” At his
laugh she amended. “Look at it this way. You will still be getting exercise.
This will just be the fun kind.”

His cock stood hard now and he grabbed his pants.

“Oh? Like what?”

The question left his mouth before he could stop it. He
needed to go but he also wanted to hear what she had on her mind.

“There are so many different things we could do. I saw some
clamps in your bag that look fun…”

He debated his choices for about a second before diving into
the bed, causing Shannon to giggle excitedly.

“What the hell. I can always train tomorrow.”

He shut off his cell phone to ensure they weren’t
interrupted. Shannon opened her arms, inviting him in. Always one to oblige, he
grinned.

“Now…about those nipple clamps…”

* * * * *

Shannon stepped out of the shower and Dev handed her a towel.
Her muscles ached in protest as she briskly dried off. Good lord, she was so
tender even simple movements were difficult.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?”

She laughed. “I’ll be fine, Dev. Well as long as no one
wants to dance.”

He wrapped his arms around her. “Not even a slow dance?”

She kissed his cheek. “Only if it’s with you.”

They walked into the bedroom. A black suit lay on the
freshly made bed. Her face flamed in embarrassment. Anyone who saw the bed
would know what they had been doing. Hell, anyone who stepped into the room
would be able to tell.

“I see housekeeping stopped by,” she commented.

Dev slipped into a pair of black briefs. “Actually it was
probably Marco and Katie.”

She took a moment to take in the view before her eyes before
his words registered.

“Marco and Katie! Oh my god, I am dying here!”

Dev looked at her quizzically.

“I don’t want your best friend and his…well, whatever she
is…to know what we have been doing all day.”

“Babe, I’m pretty sure Marco got the hint when I didn’t show
up at the gym this morning. As for Katie, well, she’s down.”

What in the heck did that mean? Before she could ask he
continued.

“Katie is waiting for you in the guestroom. I think she
brought a dress for you to wear.”

She still couldn’t get over the fact that a hotel suite had
a guestroom. She shook her head and grabbed the white robe provided by the
hotel. After tying the belt and giving Dev a quick kiss, she went to the spare
room.

Sure enough Katie was waiting with three dresses laid out.

“Well look what the cat dragged in,” Katie said with a wink.

“Sorry. I didn’t know you were waiting on me.”

Shannon shouldn’t have been surprised though. After Katie
found the perfect dress for Shannon to wear to the Cirque show she was glad to
have Katie’s help.

“Have you ever been to one of these parties?” Shannon asked.

Katie nodded. “I went to a few when I was still seeing
Marco. In fact he invited my husband and me to stop by tonight.”

Katie’s cheeks turned pink. Shannon thought it best not to
say anything but she did have to wonder…
Hmm
,
what is going on with
Katie and Marco
…
and Katie’s husband
?

She shook her head, pushing the thought aside. “How are
these parties usually?”

“Boring, if you’re just the arm candy. Dev and Marco will
have a blast though. There will be people literally fawning over them, women
trying just about anything to get into bed with them. Old men making bad jokes.
You know…things that go with their lifestyle.”

“Wow, sounds as if I’m going to have a fabulous time,” she
said with a frown.

Katie grinned. “We’ll just have to make sure you look so
good Dev can’t keep his eyes off you now won’t we?”

“I like the way your mind works.” Shannon laughed.

Katie pointed to the bed. “I brought three dresses I thought
you would like. My personal favorite is the red Gucci with the eight-inch
Carrelli Studio heels. Aren’t those red bows just to die for?”

The Gucci dress was made out of a silky material and reached
the floor. Shannon thought the cut was a bit boring except for the slit that
ran up one side. If she wore the dress, the gown would show off her fit legs.

And those shoes…oh god, those shoes were the stuff dreams
were made of. The stiletto heel looked almost impossible to walk on but the
challenge would be half the fun. A red bow graced each ankle and kept the shoes
from falling off.

Katie pointed out the next gown in line. “The black Prada
gown with the gold Sergio Rossi crystal cutout bootie would look stunning as
well.”

The Prada gown was completely different than the Gucci. The
material was cut longer in the back and shorter in the front, reminding her of
a Spanish dancer’s dress. The front even had ruffles along the hem that would
look great while dancing.

Shannon picked up one of the shoes. The intricate pattern
cut out on the shoe looked like fine lace. The thin line left behind was
sprinkled with crystals.
Oh
my
. She liked those shoes a lot.

“Um, can I keep these even if I don’t wear the dress?” she
asked with a grin.

“Sure. Dev told me to bill him for everything so it’s not a
problem.”

“How much do the shoes cost?”

Katie chuckled. “My mama once told me if you have to ask,
you can’t afford it.” She then pointed to the last dress. “The teal one is by
an up-and-coming design team called House of Boosef. They have some really
amazing concepts. I brought some Manolo Blahnik heels to match.”

The floor-length, strapless teal dress had caught Shannon’s
eye when she first walked into the room. The most important thing? The gown’s
material looked comfortable—she could move around. The hand-sewn design
reminded her of something from the Middle East and made her heart ache, in a
good way.

“I’m really leaning toward the House of Boosef one. What do
you think?”

Katie’s opinion mattered—she dressed people for a living.

“I actually thought of you when I saw it. If we pulled your
hair into a high ponytail and play up your eye makeup, I think we can make a
statement.”

Shannon smiled. “That sounds great.” She gazed at the other
shoes. “And I want to keep both pairs of shoes.”

“Oh, girl…if you like shoes, then I know we are going to be
great friends!”

She laughed. “That’s what I was hoping for. I don’t have
many friends.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“It’s just that I’ve been working two jobs and that doesn’t
leave too much time for socializing.”

Katie nodded. “I know how that goes. It’s a good thing you
and Dev are back together then. Now you can pamper yourself all you want. And a
mani/pedi to go with your outfit is just what the doctor ordered!”

Katie picked up her cell and made a call. Shannon halfway
listened as Katie told someone to head up to the suite and set up the pedicure
station.

Her chest hurt thinking that people assumed she and Dev were
back together. Of course that also meant she was playing her part well. When
the month was over though, she would be forgotten.

She sighed and waited for Katie to get off the phone.

* * * * *

Dev stood in the living room with Marco. He adjusted the
black Louis Vuitton tie at his neck. God, he hated wearing ties but they were
better than a bowtie.

“Calm?” Marco asked.

Dev finished his drink. “Yeah. You?”

“Yeah. Just remember what we talked about.”

While Dev had been getting ready, Marco had reminded him
over and over of how important this party was. By the end of Marco’s speech
Dev’s jaw had clenched and his eyes were rolling.

“Did you find out if Arizona is going to be there?”

Arizona had a tendency to blow off the events before a
fight, which could work out in Dev’s favor.

“I haven’t heard yet.”

Dev cracked his knuckles. “Let’s hope he doesn’t show.”

He was about to pour another drink when he heard the soft
clinking of heels headed his way. A quick glance at his watch made him smile.
Shannon was always on time. Katie entered the room first and he smiled at her.

“Thanks for doing this, Katie,” he said.

“Not a problem, Dev.” She turned to Marco. “See you later
tonight.”

That was interesting. Marco hadn’t said anything about
inviting her to the party, not that Dev cared one way or the other.

Katie let herself out of the suite just as Shannon walked
into the room. The air left his lungs in a whoosh. She looked…damn, she looked
stunning.

She smiled shyly up at him. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he said back. “You look great, Shan.”

She twirled in her dress and he caught a glimpse of her
shoes. Fuck, even her shoes were sexy.

“You look pretty darn good yourself, Mr. James,” she
replied. You look nice too, Marco.”

Marco laughed. “Thanks. I think. Well, if you two are done
ogling each other, we need to head out.”

Dev held out his arm and Shannon took it. For a moment he
was reminded of their senior prom night but he pushed the memory away. He
wasn’t going to let their past ruin their night together. Not when things had
been going so well.

They made their way to the rooftop of the hotel. He took in
a deep breath. Game time.

As the doors opened they were greeted with bright flashes from
a multitude of cameras. Shannon held onto his arm and he looked down at her
with a smile. She was getting the hang of posing for photos.

Two grinning men in suits made their way toward Dev.

“Devlin James, in the flesh. Why we weren’t sure you would
show up after missing your practice the other day.”

Dev held out his hand. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Sanders.”

Walter Sanders was one of his main sponsors. The older man
reminded him a lot of Shannon’s dad, which he wasn’t sure was a good thing. But
he had the money that drew other sponsors so Dev tolerated him.

Walter turned to Shannon. “And we can only assume this
lovely creature is the reason you missed your training.”

Shannon blushed amid a round of rowdy laughter. Dev unhooked
his arm from hers and then snaked it around her waist. He wanted her to know he
was there, protecting her. She smiled as she leaned in toward him.

“Walter, I’d like you to meet Shannon Bray. Shan, this is
Walter Sanders, my sponsor.”

Walter eyed them and whistled. “Damn, son. I’ve never seen
you so smitten over a gal before. Where did you meet this one?”

Marco stepped up. “Dev and Shan are actually high-school
sweethearts.”

“No shit?” He turned to Shannon. “Was he a hell raiser back
then?”

She laughed. “The biggest our town had ever seen.”

Everyone who had gathered around them laughed. The men were
eyeing Shannon with appreciative glances. Dev felt a pull of jealousy that
urged him to stake his claim on her.

He kissed her cheek and said, “Well if I was the devil, then
Shannon was my guardian angel.”

This comment drew dreamy sighs from the ladies who were
within earshot. Dev wasn’t lying though. She had been his angel back then. The
only good thing in his life.

Walter cleared his throat. “Well it’s good to see you settling
down. It’s about time someone tamed you.” He nodded toward his left. “Come.
There are some new investors I would like you to meet.”

When Walter gave an order everyone obeyed. Respect was one
of the things Walter and Dev had in common. Shannon started to pull away but Dev
tightened his hold around her waist. No, he wanted her to stay with him. She
smiled and they both followed Walter to the buffet table.

A group of men stood around talking but one in particular
caught Dev’s attention. The man looked so much like Dev they could be related.

Walter said, “Dev, I’d like you to meet John Ice. Johnny
here is going to become your best friend by the end of the night.”

The man who looked like Dev’s brother smiled and held out
his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”