The Fighter (The High Rise, Book 1) (27 page)

Tuesday is
more of the same. I love it up here. The air is so clean and crisp
and it’s so peaceful I wish I could live here full-time.

I watch the
sun set from my porch again before texting Laney.

Me:
Super—Being here. Sucky—You not being here. I miss you. I love
you.

And just to be
an ass and maybe get a rise out of her I text her again.

Me: I forgive
you

A few minutes
later my phone chimes several times.

Laney: I hate
you

Laney: Stop
texting me

Laney: YOU
forgive ME? I did nothing wrong!

Me: I know. It
was all me, baby

Laney: Don’t
call me baby

Me: I’m sorry,
baby

Laney: You’re
an ass

Me: An ass who
loves you

Laney: I’m
curious. Why the sudden change of heart? I’m a fucking liar,
remember?

Me: Someone
let me know I was wrong about you. I’m sorry I said that to you and
for how I behaved

Laney: It was
Matt, right?

Me: Yes. He
set my ass straight. Told me I didn’t deserve you. That I should
forget about ever having the most beautiful woman in the world love
me if only for a while…

Laney:
Whatever. Leave me alone. I’m busy

Me: I love
you

Laney: Stop
it

Me: I do. I’ll
love you forever

Laney: Good
luck with that. Bye

I chuckle
because I’m getting exactly what I want and she doesn’t even
realize it. She’s talking to me which is my goal.

I fall asleep
feeling like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

I take a
chance Wednesday and wait until eleven to text her hoping she’s
been waiting on it.

Me: S-S for
today… Super—Not much that’s super without you here. Sucky—I miss
you…

Laney: Did you
have a date tonight? Is that why you’re texting so late? Did Glenda
come see you?

I chuckle.
She’s jealous and that means she still cares.

Me: Nothing
ever happened with her. I told you before, there’s no comparison so
stop making one

Laney: I’m not
making a comparison. If she’s your type, go for it but leave me
alone

Me: You’re my
only type, baby. I miss you so much. You should be here with me. I
want to fall asleep holding you. I want to wake up seeing your
beautiful face

Several
minutes go by before she responds and when she does, I want to jump
for fucking joy.

Laney: Call
me

I dial her
number immediately.

“Hey,” she
whispers upon answering.

“Hey, baby.”
God, it’s good to hear her voice.

We sit in
silence for a moment before I say, “Laney, I’m so sorry. You have
to understand how everything looked but I should’ve trusted you.
Please forgive me.”

I hear her
take a breath. “You hurt me.”

I sigh. “I
know I did and I’m sorry.”

“How do I know
you won’t do it again?” she asks.

“I can only
promise that I won’t. You’ll have to trust me.”

I hold my
breath waiting for her to answer and it breaks my heart when she
does.

“I loved you,
Heath…” She chokes up. “I’ve got to go.”

She hangs up
before I can say anything.

I text her
first thing in the morning.

Me: Please
forgive me, Laney. I love you. I’m sorry for everything.

She doesn’t
answer for the rest of the day.

I spend my
time out on the lake then run into town to pick up a few groceries
before heading back to the cabin.

After an early
dinner, I sit on the porch watching the sun set. I’m pretty bummed
because I haven’t heard from her and I’m thinking nothing I say can
fix things between us. When I still don’t hear from her, I go
inside and read a little of the
Sports Illustrated
I picked
up in town this morning. I’m in bed by ten and just drifting off
when my phone chimes.

Laney: I
forgive you. I’m sorry too

I can’t type
quickly enough.

Me: Thank you.
And you have nothing to be sorry for. I love you…

Twenty minutes
goes by and when I don’t hear back from her it tears me up. Just
after setting my phone on the nightstand, I finally get a text.

Laney: No S-S
today?

Me: I think
you know what they’ll be

Laney: Would
you like to know mine?

Me: Of
course

Laney: Super—I
bought a new jacket today

I wait for the
rest but she doesn’t send anything.

Me: ?

Twenty minutes
goes by when I hear a car in the drive just as I get a text.

Laney:
Sucky—You’re not out here to help bring my luggage in…

I jump out of
bed pulling on my jeans and a hoodie shoving my feet into my Sorel
boots and jog out of the room to whip open the front door.

Laney’s
standing by her car and the moonlight’s shining down on her and
I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.

I advance
slowly down the steps, not daring to breathe, keeping my eyes on
her the whole time making sure she doesn’t disappear. When I hit
the ground, I take in a deep breath before walking toward her, our
eyes not leaving each other’s. Once in front of her, all I can do
is stare down at her waiting for a sign. Taking in a shuddering
breath as she looks up at me, she makes a small movement in my
direction and that’s all it takes.

She’s now in
my arms where she’s supposed to be, and I bury my face in her neck,
breathing in the sweet fragrance of her hair, closing my eyes and
swallowing roughly as I tighten my hold on her.

When I force
myself to pull away to look down at her, I see tears stream down
her lovely face and I kiss them away. Then without a word, because
what more can be said, I pick her up and carry her inside, taking
her to my bed.

We make love
in the silence, in the stillness of this place, our bodies
communicating our every feeling, loving each other fully and
completely. Afterward, I hold her knowing I’ll never let her go
again.

The next
evening, we sit on the porch, our feet on the rails as we watch the
sun set, our hands intertwined, enjoying the beauty of it all.

A moment later
when my phone vibrates, I sigh letting her hand go and pull the
damned thing out of my pocket, hating that the moment has been
spoiled. Then glancing down at it I can’t help but chuckle.

Laney: S-S…
Super—Watching that gorgeous sunset with you.

I glance over
seeing she’s smiling as she taps her thumbs on her phone before
mine vibrates again.

I look back at
it and bark out a laugh seeing her text that reads like one of her
lease agreements.

Laney:
Sucky—Wondering at this dire situation of why we’re not on the
floor in front of the fireplace, as you, Sir Thrustalot, display
your undying love and affection for me through each powerful and
lusty thrust of your hips against mine… Hoping you presently grasp
the full gravity of the situation, realizing that the fulfillment
of your chivalric duties depends on your immediate and hasty remedy
of the circumstances. Yours, Lady Comealot

I stand, and
putting one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, pick
her up, turning to carry her inside but not before kissing her
sweet lips and mumbling against them, “You wanted me to fuck you,
all you had to do was ask.”

“Always
precise and to the point,” she mumbles right back.

“I love you,”
I tell her, taking her inside. “And I’ll fulfill my duties as only
a true knight would do, baby,” I say with a snort, shaking my head
at our silliness.

“Well, your
last name is Noble, you know,” she replies with a chuckle.

I lay her on
the rug following her down, positioning myself on top of her to
where she cradles my hips with hers. As I gaze down at her, my
heart’s suddenly in my throat when I say, “Yours will be too… soon…
I hope.”

Witnessing the
look of shock then pure radiance on her face is priceless,
something I’ll never forget.

She grabs the
sides of my face and pulls me down for a hot kiss then suddenly
pushes me away looking up at me and suggesting with a giggle, “We
should get married on the elevator where it all began!”

I frown as if
I’m thinking it through for a moment then shrug a shoulder
answering, “I guess we’ll always have our ups and downs.”

She scrunches
her face and lets out a groan before wrapping her arms around my
neck ordering, “Shut up and kiss me.”

And I do as I’m
told
.

Harper’s Hot Recs ;)

UnExpected (The Fighter Series, Book 2) by TC
Matson

Paige
Turns out he was everything I ever wanted—charming, loving,
and super sexy. But I knew being with Levi, the gorgeous MMA
fighter every woman wanted, was going to be difficult. Especially
since he’s so far away training a beautiful up-and-coming female
fighter, teaching the very thing he thrives on. I just didn’t
realize how damaging and strenuous this would be to our
relationship. With so many twists and turns, unfortunately, we both
got blindsided by the unexpected.
 
Levi
I’m everything she wants and surprisingly, she was everything
I needed. Quickly she became my very existence—my heartbeat.
Everything around me faded as she became clear in view. And just
because I’m affectionate toward her doesn’t mean I’ve changed.
Don’t confuse my being in love with weakness. I’m still pretty damn
perfect. I knew distance was going to be hard, but hell, this is
agonizing.
***UnExpected is a continuance of
Blindsided (The Fighter Series Book #1), beginning right where book
1 left off. It’s highly recommended you read Blindsided
first.***

T
he Way Back to Me (The Way #1) by Anne
Mercier