Body Lock (4 page)

His balled fists barreled towards me again, only this time I tapped it, knocking it to the side.

“Good, just like that.”

We went a few more rounds. My legs were like jelly, but I managed to hold my own.

“Now I’m gonna throw a few combinations. Remember, tuck that chin and block. That’s all you have to do.”

Ford threw a punch, followed by a right hook, both of which were predictable if you’ve ever watched an action movie. He nodded, and for the first time, curved his seductive, full lips into a grin. Two sexy dimples were nestled deep in his beard stubble.

The combinations kept coming. I started to get comfortable with his punches and hooks. I even blocked an upper cut. A glimpse of approval sparkled in his pools of blue. That’s probably what I was paying attention to when he threw a punch that collided with my bottom lip.

An unexpected wave of nausea washed over me, leaving me lightheaded. Hot tears sprang to my eyes as a hiss escaped. My vision was shaky, but I could still make out Ford and the way his mouth fell open.

“Oh, shit,” he stammered. He stepped towards me and tipped my chin, tilting my face up, sending pain jolting through my jaw.

“Why didn’t you block? You dropped your hand!” His tone wasn’t angry like I thought it would be. He dabbed at my lip and rushed me out of the ring. “Sit, let me find something to put on that.”

In the midst of the pain, my insides stirred watching him frantically search the cabinets and shelves, tossing stuff onto the floor.

I swiped my tongue across my lip, tasting the metallic tinge of blood.

“Shit!” He hustled back across the room. “I can’t find anything.” He swooped down and picked me up into his arms.

“What do you think you’re doing?” My body tensed up, but I couldn’t bring myself to resist.

“My place is upstairs. I have a first aid kit. There’s an ass load of stairs. Hold on tight.”

He cradled my small frame in his flexed, bronzed arms. Once I saw the steep, narrow staircase, I threw my pale arms around his bulging neck. The intoxicating smell of spice and sweat made my pulse race.

I could feel his heart racing in his sculpted chest.

“You okay?” He asked as he pulled me into a tight embrace. His long, muscular legs bound up the steps three at a time.

I mustered up a nod. Somehow he pried open the door with me still in his arms. He crossed the room and gently placed me on what appeared to be an iron futon.

It took him only seconds to find the kit and start doctoring on my lip. His touch was tender as he seized my face in his hands. My heart hammered in my chest with his rough, but gorgeous face next to mine. He traced my lip with a cotton ball. I flinched from the sting of the peroxide.

“Sorry.” The hard lines around his eyes softened.

“It’s okay,” I whispered. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating off his glowing skin.

“Damn, Dakota. I am so sorry.” He rocked backwards onto his knees. His shoulders slumped forward.

“Hey, it’s not your fault. I should have kept my hands up.” I offered a faint smile, but the throbbing pain made me wince.

“Shit, it’s swelling up pretty quick.” He shot up and disappeared, returning with an ice cube. He leaned in and skimmed the melting cube along my swollen lip. The heat from his hands caused little droplets to drip down his solid arm. Using the pad of his thumb, he wiped the water from my lips, now numb from the cold.

“Does that feel any better?”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

He didn’t move his hand. Not that I wanted him to. His electric blue eyes were locked on mine. His gaze of concern gave way to intense smoldering.

I couldn’t move as I watched his hand move to my face, gently caressing my cheek. My heart hammered in my chest. I saw it coming, but my body was frozen. His face drew closer and Ford’s delectable lips grazed my own. He gently teased my throbbing lip with his hot tongue. The little voice in my head screamed at me to stop, but I tuned it out. His mouth grew hungry, sweeping his tongue, exploring my mouth. Electricity jolted through my body.

One hand was on my cheek while the other cradled the nape of my neck. My body reacted in ways it never had before.

Not even with Scott.

A pang stabbed at my heart. I place my palms on Ford’s bare chest, shoving him backwards. I shook my head. “I can’t.”

“Shit, I am so sorry. What the fuck is wrong with me?” He jumped to his feet and stalked across the room.

“It’s okay, really. I wanted you to.”

I watched Ford run his hands over his head. “I’m such a dick. I hit you in the face and tried to take advantage of you all in the same thirty minutes.”

“That wasn’t the way it happened.” I tried to reassure him.

He stopped pacing long enough to pierce my insides with his gaze. For a second, I contemplated diving back into his embrace, but worked up the restraint.

I headed towards the door. Ford seized me by the wrist, clearly unaware of his own strength. The wounded looked was almost unbearable.

His face fell. “I really am sorry,” he said as he brushed a stray curl from my forehead.

“I know. It’s okay. I’m not upset. I just have a lot of baggage. You don’t want to get tangled up with me. I promise it’s not worth it.”

“Something tells me you’re wrong about that,” he whispered.

I had no words. My mind was fuzzy static, like trying to find a radio station in the middle of the desert. I scrambled down the stairs and out the front door, gasping for air.

“H
ey, how’d it go?” Megan was in the kitchen digging through the fridge.

“Good,” was all I got out before she turned and spotted my lip.

She tossed the dishtowel on to the counter. “What the hell happened to you?” She rushed to my side and started inspecting my embarrassing injury.

“It’s fine, really. No big deal.”

“No big deal? You have a busted lip, Dakota!”

“It was an accident. It happened at the gym.” I grabbed a bottle of water and kicked back on the couch, attempting to downplay the insane events of my day.

“How’d you manage to bust your lip on a damn treadmill?”

I squirmed in my seat. Megan was no fool. If she got to looking too hard, she would see Ford all over me.

“It wasn’t that kind of gym. I went to see an MMA trainer.” There it was. I waited for the ass chewing.

Megan’s face fell.

“Don’t look at me like that. I know what you’re thinking and it’s not like that. I’m not up to something crazy or suicidal. I just want something different. I can’t go to a regular gym with regular equipment. I’m not ready. And if it helps,” I grinned at my friend. “You were right. It felt amazing.”

I was pleased to see her eyes soften. “Really?”

“Yep, it was a great workout and a huge stress reliever. Exactly what I needed.”

Megan waved her hand in front of my face. “So, what’s all this about then?”

“Like I said, it was no big deal. I was in the ring and I dropped my hands. This itty bitty cut is a reminder to block my face.”

“You didn’t use a mouth guard or safety equipment like pads or shields?”

I peered at her as if she had two heads. “How do you know about that stuff?”

Megan rolled her eyes. “Anyone’s who’s watched TV knows that shit. And what kind of douchebag would let you step into the ring on your first day?”

I twisted my mouth to one side. “Well, I may have told him I had experience.”

“What the hell, Dakota?”

“What? You weren’t there. I didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of Ford.”

A sly grin tugged at Megan’s lips. “Ford? Do tell.”

My tummy fluttered. “There’s nothing to tell. He’s the head coach at Champs. We worked the bags and went a few rounds in the ring. That’s it.” Heat crept up the sides of my neck.

“Oh my God! You’re blushing! Something happened and you’re going to ‘fess up, right now.”

“How do you do that?”

Megan shrugged. “It’s a gift. Now spill.”

Gift my ass.
Stupid pale skin
.

I buried my telling face in my hands. “I’m so ashamed. I can’t believe I kissed him.”

“You kissed him,” she shrieked.

“Well, it was more like he kissed me, but I didn’t exactly stop him.”

Megan slowly shook her head. Her round doe eyes were full of shock and amusement. “What’s he like? Good looking?”

“Seriously, he’s so freaking hot it’s ridiculous.” I spent the next hour gushing about Ford and replaying every detail of the make out session for Megan.

“So why’d you leave?”

I dropped my head. My heart stirred in my chest. “I kept seeing Scott.”

Megan’s head snapped back. “Excuse me?”

“Not literally. Don’t freak out. I just mean images of him, in my head.”

“Honey, that’s to be expected.”

“No, that’s not the problem. It’s getting harder to see his face. Everything’s blurry. I can’t even hear his voice anymore. I’m losing him.” My voice cracked as I choked back the sob welling in my throat.

“Oh, sweetie. I think that’s natural. I know that doesn’t make it any easier, but it’s the truth. You know that all Scott ever wanted was for you to be happy. He wouldn’t want you to turn into some old spinster.

My stomach pitched. “I feel like I’m cheating on him.”

Megan sighed and wrapped her arms around me. “There’s nothing I can say, sweetie. Everything is just going to have to evolve at its own pace. But I will say this, today was a turning point for you. Your subconscious is trying to tell you something. It’s up to you whether you listen or not.”

She planted a kiss on top of my head before sashaying back to the kitchen. “Want a sandwich?”

“No, I’m just going to have a salad, but thanks.”

A salad would do me good since I had every intention of stepping back into that ring. In the meantime, I intended to Google everything possible on MMA. I spent the remainder of the night researching and making mental notes. And for the first time in eight months, I didn’t cry myself to sleep.

***

I
wiped my sweaty palms across my athletic shorts. Normally I would have worn sweats or yoga pants, but today I put extra thought into my wardrobe choice. I opted for my favorite pair of Nike shorts because they made me look like I had a decent ass. The black tank top revealed my full breasts. The curly headed demons had mercy on me today. I sported a tame, however bouncy, ponytail. Thinking it would make me appear pathetic in the ring, I decided against wearing any make-up.

I waited outside and counted to ten before walking inside. I looked around for Boss or Ford, but couldn’t see beyond the crowd gathered around the cage in the center of the room. I waded through the mob trying to get a glimpse of the excitement.

Butterflies exploded in my stomach when I caught sight of the main attraction.

Ford was in the middle with another guy comparable in size. Their bodies were twisted into a ball, rolling and grunting. The man kneed Ford in his abdomen, knocking him off. Once he was back on his feet, the man got in a couple of punches, drawing blood. Ford appeared unphased. He put the man in a chokehold and flipped him over his shoulder, rolling him into a pretzel and pinning him to the mat.

Heat rushed through my body. My knees weakened watching him take down the other man in the cage.

After a few seconds, Ford popped up from the ground and pumped his arms. “Hell yeah!” He hollered. His nose was bleeding and he had a small gash across his cheek.

As if his body looked like it could get any harder, every vein in his body pressed against his damp skin.

Boss addressed the group. “Alright, it was a good show. Now everyone needs to get their asses back to work.” He winked and shuffled his way to his office.

Ford helped the man up from the mat and said something that I couldn’t make out. He managed to climb out of the cage even though everyone was trying to congratulate him, shaking his hand or patting him on the back. The wild spark in his eyes was intoxicating. He was wired. I felt myself beaming like an idiot when my breath stalled.

A slim, gorgeous blonde bounced her way through the crowd and flung both of her toned arms around Ford’s chiseled neck. My chest tightened when she buried her face in his neck. He wrapped one solid arm around her slender waist and set her back on the ground.

It was obvious that she was completely infatuated with him, but I couldn’t get a read on Ford. He was energized from the fight. His dangerous gaze darted around the room, finally settling on me.

My pulse quickened. The way he leered at me made my body hum. He brushed past the clingy girl without another glance, leaving her with her chin on the floor.

The closer he got, the more my insides somersaulted. I rubbed my hands together to hide the trembling.

“You came back,” he said with a smirk.

“I’m offended that you’re surprised. What? You thought a little busted lip could keep me away?” I flashed my pearly white teeth.

What was happening to me
?

Looking back on it, I don’t know if I had ever flirted before, not even with Scott. Everything just evolved so easily with him. This was all new territory for me.

Ford’s inviting lips twisted into a lopsided grin and every ounce of him dripped with sincerity. He was genuinely happy to see me.

“I wasn’t sure I’d see you again after yesterday. But I have to admit that I’m happy to see you can take a licking and keep on ticking.”

“Is that your way of saying you’re happy to see me?”

His bright eyes blazed with desire. “Absolutely.”

My mouth dried up like a desert. I fought the urge to jump him right in the middle of the gym, and only half in part due to the fact that I wanted to rub it in the skinny blonde’s face.”

“Well, it looks like you’re here to work out again. Wanna do a few rounds in the ring?”

He was still talking to me like I knew was I was doing. I guess a little more role-playing couldn’t hurt.

“Sure, if you promise not to beat me up this time.”

I giggled, but Ford didn’t. His mouth downturned. “That’s not funny. Besides, I’ve already decided that I’m not taking any chances this time around.”