And still I think of that nice girl who doesn’t want to be nice. A girl who wants to be unforgettable, and doesn’t realize she already is.

FIFTEEN

WE MEET AGAIN

Reese

The next few days we spend in Denver. The weather is fabulous during the summer. Everything is green and the breeze is fresh and clean. It’s been five days since I last saw Maverick Cage, but less than one second since I last thought of him.

Every moment of the day he’s been in my mind’s eye. I’m confused about my fixation on him, why I’m so aware that he’s not near. I live with the curiosity of wanting to know what he’s doing and a fierce body ache that’s been growing exponentially as my days without seeing him keep adding up.

It took a full day to get Racer into the perfect Denver day care, mainly because Brooke wants him to interact with other little kids and wants something close to both her and Remy’s training area and the team’s gym.

I’m at the Body Factory Gym now when I see him walk in. He hands over a card at the entrance and I realize he’s got himself a membership.

I’m almost disappointed that he doesn’t need me anymore. I look away from the entrance, drag in a breath, and turn to him again, waiting for him to glance in my direction.

He tucks his card away, signs his name, and I see the lady try to flirt with him, and Maverick . . . oh god, Maverick smiles at her. Then he walks inside. He hasn’t seen me but is scanning the treadmills—where I used to be. But today I’m on a Pilates bed. I sit up and stand uneasily to my feet.

And then his eyes find me.

And I’m . . . found.

And alive.

And nervous. It’s been an eternity.

Forever and ever since you looked at me.

And when he does look at me, he seems to stop breathing. He takes me in for the tensest second, and then he drinks me in with one rake of his eyes over my body. My breasts feel his gaze. So does my sex. And my tummy. And my heart. His fingers seem to flex at his sides and he jams them into his drawstring sweatpants pockets.

I want to act cool, but I can’t.

I’m possessed by my happiness.

I’m possessed by him.

I head over, my smile hurting on my face.

“Maverick Cage,” I breathe excitedly. “I missed you.”

Jesus, Reese, you didn’t just say that!

My eyes widen instantly when his eyes flare in surprise too. I drop my gaze and search for something to say when I realize—

You’re staring at his crotch, Reese!

“Fuck,” I say.

“What?” he asks.

I jerk my face up to his, burning in embarrassment, to find him wearing this really male smile, and I turn around and start heading to the treadmills.

“Hey,” he says, taking my wrist.

I slip my hand into the front pocket of his hoodie to fetch his iPod shuffle and earbuds. “I really need these more than you right now,” I say apologetically, and then I stick the earbuds into my burning ears and hop onto a treadmill.

My treadmill faces him.

He’s standing there, looking at me in amusement.

I don’t know what kind of pull he has, or what kind of power over me. I want him for my birthday and Christmas and it’s always the best things at Christmas and oh my god, what’s going on with me?

He’s like the world’s most perfect sight and feel and smell and I can almost taste him in the air.

I don’t want to like you, Maverick.

I don’t want you to turn around, Maverick.

He turns around, and I do like him, and I don’t know what to do to get him to like me. He’s all hard to my softness. I feel extra voluptuous ’cause he’s so hard.

As he moves around the training area, he jerks off his hoodie and the T-shirt beneath rides up a bit as he does, revealing every concretelike square of his abs. And yeah, I feel so voluptuous right now—I just don’t know why I can’t look more like Brooke. I stopped eating a little bit when Miles pulled a Mr. Darcy on me. Reese is nice, but I like them on the slimmer side, though she’s totally fuckable.

Nice.

Sigh.

Though I’ve lost a few pounds since the day in his hotel room, I’m just not hungry. I’ve lost my appetite. I’ve grown a new addiction and obsession, and it’s more dangerous than food could ever be to me. More dangerous than any addiction I’ve ever had.

And I stare at this addiction of mine, feeling things that are definitely very un-nice, and I notice he sips his drink and watches the other fighters beat up the heavy bag as he waits for his turn. He’s absently stroking his thumb across the cut I stitched up.

He sets his drink aside and then grabs his hoodie again, as if he’s just made some decision. He comes over.

“Let’s get out of here,” he says. “There’s a walking trail nearby.”

“But . . .” I’m shocked. “Your punching bags?”

“I fight tomorrow. Today’s my recovery day.”

I power down the treadmill and hop off. “In that case, how are your legs? You’re going to need to catch up.”

We head outside and I watch him from the corner of my eye as we take the trail, the noon sun blazing high above us for the minutes it takes us to wander into the shelter of the trees.

“I like spending time with you,” I mumble.

“Me too.” He smiles at me sideways, and I feel that smile in every sexual place of my body.

“Wow, look at this view.” I stop and take in all the green slopes on the horizon. We’ve been hiking up the trail for twenty minutes, and it’ll take most of that time to hike our way down. “I only have twenty more minutes or Racer will get restless.”

“How’s he liking Denver?”

“Good. He’s obsessed with the mountains. So do you hike when you’re not punching?”

“Not really. . . .” He mysteriously trails off, then shoots me a studious look before he adds, his voice soft as the breeze, “I wanted you all to myself.”

I stop. “What? Why? ” I choke on a laugh.

He’s not smiling, just looking amused and honest and so much like a guy, his eyes a little dark. “You know why.”

“Do I?” I shake my head in consternation. “Maybe I just want to hear you say it.”

“Why?” His lips twitch a fraction.

“Because . . .” I search for a reason, trying to regain my breath. “Maybe I like your voice?”