Fighting Hard (7 page)

“They don’t hold a candle to you, Mia, I promise you.”

At that exact moment, she believed him.

Nick stroked her face gently. “You OK? Like, really? No pain?”

“None. I swear.”

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “OK, then. We can do it again, right?”

She stared in to his eyes, saw the heat there. “You are damn right we can.”

And they did – twice more, before collapsing in to an exhausted, sated sleep.

Chapter Six

Mia’s first thought when she woke up the next morning was that her bed sheets seemed very hot and solid. Like a large, warm body, almost.

Her eyes cracked open a bit and she found herself staring at a huge, muscled chest. She blinked and then remembered. A wave of heat and lust washed over her and she almost moaned aloud.

“Good morning.”

She lifted her head and stared up at Nick. His eyes were warm and sweet and he looked all tousled and roll-out-of-bed sexy. Which is exactly what he was.

“Good morning,” she said.

“How did you sleep?”

“Like a rock. You?”

“The same. You tired me out, Mia.”

“Don’t complain.” She grinned. “I think you enjoyed it.”

He laughed and she watched as his face lightened. “Guilty as charged.”

“Yeah, I thought so.”

He kissed her. “You look like a sunflower, with your hair and eyes all bright. Gorgeous.”

“That’s my favorite flower, actually.”

“It is?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it suits you.” His eyes went to her bandage. “Hey, we need to change that. It’s coming loose.”

“OK,” Mia said and started to sit up.

“Stay where you are. I’ll get the stuff. Where is it?”

“In the bathroom cabinet.”

He got up and her eyes traveled hungrily over his taut, large body, loving every inch of him. He returned to the bedroom carrying the bandages and a tube of antibiotic cream. “Come here, babe.”

Gingerly he peeled off the old bandage and examined the bruising and swelling. He winced. No matter what she said, there was no way that her head wasn’t sore. With a piece of cotton, he dabbed the cream on her stitches and she closed her eyes.

“Mia?”

“It’s OK.”

“I’ll be gentle.”

After he applied the new bandage he kissed her lips. “All done. You’re a very brave patient.”

“Thanks,” she said. “And you’re a very good doctor.”

“I try.”

The looked at each other and Mia suddenly realized that they were now well in to the morning after. Was Nick going to bolt and throw a quick, “I’ll call you!” over his shoulder on his way out the door? Or was he going to stick around?

Nick saw her face and knew exactly what she was thinking. “You got any coffee in this place?”

She blinked. “I do.”

“Well, I have the day off today. You?”

“Uh. I was going to do some writing, but it’s nothing that can’t wait.”

“So how about we have some breakfast and talk about what we’re going to do today.” He grinned. “Aside from a whole lot of repeat performances of last night.”

Their eyes met and they saw the longing in each other.

“OK,” Mia tried to stay calm. “Sounds like a plan.”

Nick ran his hand across her curvy upper thigh and brushed her lips, his fingers caressing the vulnerable nub between them. She was already wet.

“Or – maybe coffee can wait?” He raised his eyebrows.

She nodded. “Coffee later.” His finger slid inside her and she moaned. “Much later…”

**

“OK, Mia. Spill.”

Mia grinned at her friends and took a sip of wine. “It’s been two weeks, guys. It’s not like it’s serious.”

“Yeah,” Katie said. “Two weeks of sex every night with a seriously hot guy! Come on, Mia. We’re all single… throw us a crumb here.”

“OK, OK. Well. He does call me his sunflower. Says that when I wake up, I’m all bright and tousled and beautiful.”

“Oh, my God,” Reena sighed. “That is so sweet… he’s actually pretty sweet, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. In surprising ways.”

“I don’t care about
sweet
,” Katie said. “I want to hear about if he’s hot or not. He
is
, isn’t he?”

“Of
course
he is,” Maggie said. “I bet he’s wild in bed.” She shot Mia a pleading look. “Tell me he is. He
is
, isn’t he?”

Mia was silent. The truth was that Nick was wild and hot, no doubt about that. But he was also careful and caring and strong and smart and… well. Sweet. The other truth was that she was starting to develop strong feelings for him. She knew it was stupid and she knew it was all happening too fast and she knew she’d probably end up getting hurt in the end. But there it was: she liked him. A lot. When he wasn’t around, she thought about him and missed him. He was becoming someone important in her life and she knew she was getting serious about him. How he felt about her, though, was a mystery.

She shook off her thoughts and forced a smile on her face. “Yeah. Yeah, he’s hot. I’ve been feeling
very
satisfied lately, thank you very much.”

They all laughed and she scrambled to change the subject.

“How’s the book going, Katie?”

“Everybody’s happy except for one person. One guess who.”

“Um. Adam?”

“Yes!” Katie’s eyes snapped. “Adam.”

“What’s the problem?”

“Oh, he had some critical feedback about my photos of him.”

“Let me guess.” Mia was fighting down the urge to laugh. “He had some issue with the light.”

“You got it in one.”

“So do you have to go back and reshoot?”

“That’s what he wants, but I’m not going to do it.”

As Katie talked, Mia’s mind wandered to Nick. They were seeing each other later and her body was already warming up just at the thought of him. She wanted him next to her, on her, in her.

Mia was falling for him – falling hard and fast – and even though she knew it was a gigantic mistake, she was going to go ahead and do it anyway. She’d deal with all the fallout later.

**

“OK, Nick. Spill.”

Nick looked at Adam and shook his head. “Spill what?”

“Come on, man.” Adam took a drink of beer and put his feet on Nick’s coffee table. “Mia.”

“It’s been two weeks. It’s not like we’re engaged or anything.”

“Two weeks with Mia is two weeks longer than you’ve ever had with anyone else. Nobody lasts longer than one night and you
know
it. So… spill.”

Nick shrugged, trying to look casual. “We’re just having fun. Lots of it.”

“Mmmm-hmmm.” Adam rolled his eyes and didn’t look convinced.

Nick glared at him, but the truth was, he knew he wasn’t being very convincing. The other truth was, this whole thing with Mia had caught him completely by surprise.

He had meant it when he told her that she’d slipped under his skin, and for the life of him, he had no idea how that had happened. Sure, she was pretty and smart and kind, but she was something more, too. She was brave and sexy and hot and he was addicted to her… no matter how many times he made love to her, it just wasn’t enough.

For a guy who had spent a decade fucking ‘em and leaving ‘em, this was a shock. He kept thinking that the spell she had over him would break and he’d be able to cut her loose to get on with her life with a guy she deserved, but it just wasn’t happening. In fact, the more he was around her, the more he wanted her. And it wasn’t just the hot sex – it was
her
. Mia. He wanted to be with Mia.

There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her now. He wanted to protect her and keep her safe; he also wanted her out there in the world, doing her work and shining her light on people in the darkness. She was the brightest thing he’d ever seen and he knew he couldn’t keep her all for himself. But he wanted to.

It was all a huge mistake, he knew. He kept waiting for her to come to her senses and move on and the thought of it tore him up inside. Nick was sure that day was coming, and he dreaded it. But until then, he’d be there… as long as she wanted him.

**

“So, how did a New England girl end up in Colorado?”

Mia lifted her head off Nick’s chest and stared at him. “How did you know I was from New England?”

“You told the doctor.”

“That night at the E.R.?”

“Yeah. You don’t remember?”

She shook her head.

He smiled. “It’s OK, babe. Nothing much about that night was worth remembering, really.”

“I know.” She still hated to think about what might have happened to her if Nick hadn’t stepped in.

He saw her face and pulled her in for a kiss. “OK?”

“OK.”

“So – New England?”

“Oh. Well, I moved out here after my parents died.”

“They – what?”

“A car accident six years ago.”

He stared down at her and thought about the smiling photos in her living room. “My God, Mia. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

She ran her finger over his strong collarbone. ‘I don’t talk about them much.”

“Do you want to?”

She took a deep breath. “I find it hard… I mean, I just miss them. Every time something good happens, I want to tell them and I can’t. It breaks my heart a bit, I think.”

“I’m so sorry, Mia.”

She gave him a small smile. “Anyway, I love the ocean… but I needed a change of scenery after they died, and I decided on the mountains. It came down to Arizona or Colorado, and I realized that I’d miss the snow. So here I am.”

“You have any brothers or sisters?”

“No. But I have a whole gaggle of aunts and uncles and cousins back there. I see them maybe once a year, usually over the summer.”

“Christmas?”

“I spend it with one of my friends. Usually Katie, since she isn’t in touch with her mother and stepfather and can’t always get to her brother’s place in Miami. ”

He gently raised her chin with a finger. “And this year?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it yet.”

“Maybe with me?”

“With you?”

“Yeah. With me.”

She gazed up at him and felt tears start. “I’d love to spend Christmas with you.”

Nick kissed her and his desire flared at the first touch of her mouth. She felt it and moaned in response. He rolled her over and settled between her legs. She arched against him, felt herself opening wide to take him.

“Didn’t we just do this?” she asked.

“Yeah. How about we do it again?”

“Sounds good to me.” She smiled, her body humming under his. “Sounds very good.”

**

Mia came out of her bedroom after a long shower and found Nick standing and surveying her dining room table. He had obviously noticed that the stacks of papers and printed pages and piles of books were all steadily growing. They had spilled on to the floor now and covered her two smaller tables.

“Hey, Mia. What’s all this?”

She walked over. “My research and notes for my next book.”

“There’s a lot here… what’s it going to be about?”

“Something a bit different for me. I’ll be writing about PIP – The Protect Innocence Project.”

“What’s that?”

She sighed. “A Colorado-based group trying to end human trafficking. They focus mostly on the sexual exploitation of kids.”

“So, what? They work with the groups you know in Asia? Is there some connection?”

“Oh, no. They’re working locally.”

“Wait. They’re trying to stop the sex trafficking of kids…
in Colorado?
”

“Yes. Here in Denver, mostly. And I’m not talking about kids from Vietnam or Cambodia being imported for sex… this is all about American kids.”

Nick stared at the piles of paper. “I didn’t know there was such a thing here. I mean, Denver is tame compared to Hong Kong or Bangkok, right?”

“Well, sure. I guess these things can be considered relative. If we look at the problem in terms of numbers, then yeah, Colorado is no biggie. But to those kids? It’s hell on earth.”

Nick looked at her, standing there so beautiful and fierce. He shook his head.

“Are you saying that you’re looking in to kiddie porn and prostitution rings right here in this city?”

“I am. I’ve been to see Tom Devinger twice already – he works with PIP. He’s been helpful about giving me information.”

Nick was silent for a few seconds. “OK, look… I know this is your work and you love it and it’s important. But – you’re being careful, right? I mean, these people won’t find it too hard to figure out you’re going around and asking questions.”

Mia smiled. “I’m working with PIP, Nick. They’re watching my back.”

“And you won’t go out on your own?”

“Of course I will. I have to. People will talk to me more openly if I’m not with anyone from an official organization. But I’ll be careful.”

He went over to her and put his arms around her. “So, you don’t want me coming along with you? Acting as bouncer and bodyguard?”

She kissed him. “Isn’t Adam the bouncer? And you’re the bartender?”

“Come on, Mia. I’m serious now.”

She pulled back and studied him; his face was tight and hard.

“Nick, I swear I’m fine. I’m not looking to put myself in harm’s way, and I know what I’m doing.”

“OK, OK. But if you need someone with you when you go out and do your research? You just ask. You promise me?”

“I promise.”

Nick stared down at her as a strange feeling rose in his chest. He realized that it was genuine concern, real worry for her. OK, yes, she was smart as hell – far smarter than he was, no doubt about that – and her work proved that she was no amateur. Mia wasn’t some naïve tourist wandering around foreign countries and bad neighborhoods looking for ‘real’ experiences or some kind of thrill. She was serious and committed and tough. But he was struggling with the knowledge that she was out there most days, trying to shine a spotlight on things that were sunk deep in shadow and which were happier staying in the dark. She was in danger, he knew.

He ran his fingers through her hair. “I worry.”

Her breath caught in her chest as she looked at his gorgeous face. “Nick…”

“No. I worry. You just let me do that for you, alright?”

“Alright.”

Nick touched her cheek, her mouth. Her lips parted slightly and her eyes turned warm. And just like that, he wanted her. He needed her to be close to him. He had to have her again.

“Is there maybe something else I can do for you, babe?”

She arched as his fingers trailed between her breasts, down her stomach. “Umm. Maybe.”

“Yeah?” Nick’s hand was between her legs now. “How about this? Can I do this?”

She gasped.

He reached down and lifted her dress up, past her knees and thighs. His fingers moved to her sex and he blinked as he made contact with hot skin and silky hair.