“I’ll be out in a minute,” I call, pushing myself off of her.

I pull on the hem of her shirt, covering her firm stomach. Now I finally have the green light, I want to spend every waking minute with her. Not only having sex, but reconnecting in other ways, and knowing I can reach out and touch her without having to worry if I work myself up would be nice. I’ve decided she isn’t staying with her mom tonight, no way. I want her with me, in my house and in my bed. All alone.

FUCK!

Jackson is moving in today…meaning the chance of isolation and freedom to make Olivia as loud as I want her to be is slim to none—Jesus—and I haven’t even told Olivia he’s moving in.

I sigh and sit up. I rake my fingers through my hair, making a mental note to get a haircut. “I should probably mention Jackson is moving in.”

Her eyes widen and she pushes herself up on her elbows. “When?”

“Today, and I was thinking we could have a barbeque—just you, me, Selena and Jackson,” I lied. I wasn’t thinking that. I just created a reason to have her agree to coming over tonight before her mom has a chance to rope her into dinner.

Olivia sits up and tightens her ponytail, smiling slightly. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Above the waist I’m okay, why?”

Her lips twitch. “It doesn’t seem like your style. I expected you to suggest an orgy before a double date.”

“Firstly, I don’t have a style and it’s not a double date. It’s a couple of friends hanging out and eating a shit ton of food…” I hook my finger under the hem of her shorts and tug her toward me. Her hands fly up and press against my chest to stop herself from slamming into my body. I smile as I picture her naked, digging her fingernails into my bare skin. “To increase stamina for a sleepless night,” I finish.

She takes a step back and I remove my finger from her shorts as she runs a hand over her face. “Shit, I can’t.”

The balloon of indecent excitement in my chest deflates. “You can’t?”

“No, I promised Mom we’d Skype with Chase tonight.”

“What time?”

“Eight p.m.”

“Come to dinner at six and then you can Skype with Chase afterwards.”

She ponders for a little while, pulling the corner of her lip between her teeth. “Fine, do you need me to get anything? What are we eating?”

“You don’t need to get anything, I have lots of steak.”

Olivia blinks at me a few times before reaching for her blue backpack that sits on the desk. “I’ll go pick up some Selena-friendly food. She only eats lamb, chicken, or meats that have been processed enough times they actually count as a chemical.” She rolls her eyes and mimics Selena’s voice. “The bigger the animal, the bigger the bloat.”

Whatever the hell that means. A few more knocks sound on the door and I walk towards it before pulling it open.

“We were only talking,” Olivia states, shifting her weight and folding her arms.

Darryl’s eyes zero in on her leg and I follow his line of sight. I smile widely when I spot one half of her shorts pushed up her thigh.

“Apparently,” he deadpans.

Olivia glances down and abruptly flattens her shorts.

“Anyway, I have the MMAC breathing down my neck. They’re not happy with your times and they’re extremely close to replacing me with some juiced up gorilla who knows more about supplements than techniques.”

I shrug my shoulders in an attempt to come off unbothered, but inside, I feel sorry for Darryl. I’ve fucked him around a lot since I met Olivia. When Darryl and I first started working, I’d hired him only to piss off my dad—but we grew close and now I wouldn’t dream of replacing him. Without hesitation, he gave up his life in Seattle and uprooted his wife and three children to move to Portland with me. He believed in me—believes in me—and I don’t know what I’d do or where’d I’d be without him.

Olivia strolls past, planting a quick kiss on my cheek. “See you soon.”

We watch as she rounds the corner and disappears down the stairs.

“I’m going to marry her,” I say aloud without thought or warning.

Darryl’s lips curl into a wide, proud smile and it illumines his dark features. “Good, you’d be stupid not to.”

I nod my head in subtle agreement and lean against the door frame. Darryl analyzes me for a second before speaking. “You know, the ‘no sex’ rule isn’t only to help your performance levels, but to also help your relationship.”

I frown, confused.

“C’mon, everyone knows what kind of guy you were. With this rule in place, it gives you time to explore other aspects of your relationship. Love isn’t only expressed through words or sex. It’s communicated through actions—selfless actions—as easy as listening to her talk about her day or washing her hair. Love isn’t about staying together and having sex. It’s about staying together and growing together, for a lifetime.” Darryl chuckles. “That probably went in one ear and out the other, though, right?”

I shake my head. It’s advice like that that is going to help me throughout this relationship. “No, I think I’ll hold on to that piece of advice.”

He rubs the back of his neck and averts his gaze, happy, but uncomfortable. Neither of us is used to conversations like this. “Let’s go, we’ve got training to do.”

Before he turns, I stop him.

“Thank you,” I say, crossing my arms. “…for putting up with all of my bullshit. I know I’m hard to handle and I know I can be a dick, so thanks for dealing with it better than Dad did.”

Darryl’s features hardened. “With all due respect, your dad was an idiot. You were just a boy—one that made bad decisions—but a boy, nonetheless. If he spent more time showing you instead of telling you, maybe things would have been different.”

“Maybe, but I wouldn’t change anything.”

I had a love/hate relationship with Dad—predominately hate, but he was still my father—something I don’t think he could handle at any stage in my life. Olivia, however, knew exactly what kind of person I was when we met, God knows I told her a million times, but she still wanted me. I like being around her, she soothes me. Being in the amateur tournament was stressful, beyond stressful. Before every fight, Dad’s words would ring through my mind.

“When have you succeeded at anything in life? Ever? You’re dedicated, sure, but you’re also stupid. You always get your own way and this…fighting thing is no different. I’ll watch your fights, but only to see you ruin it for yourself. You always do.”

Every time I fought in the amateur comp, it was a ‘win or die’ situation. It was win or prove my father right and I refuse to admit that I’m the loser he believed I was. There isn’t a submission in the world that can force me to tap out. If you get me in a hold, you better be prepared to snap a bone or kill me because I will not surrender. Call me stubborn, I know I am. Call me competitive or spoiled, I’m those things too, but what I am not, is weak. I’ll never give up on anything that I want and now that I’m pro, the stakes are higher—the fights, meaner. There’s a lot more stress on my mind and my body than ever before, but I’m ready.

I think.

Chapter Four

Olivia

I pull up outside the small grocery store by the gym and I sit in my car for a few long seconds because I have no idea what Seth has in his fridge…doubling up would be pointless. With a heavy sigh, I open the door, drag myself from the seat and slam the door behind me. I’m happy being here by myself. The last time I went to a grocery store with Seth and his nutritionist, Mina, I swear I was going to have a mental breakdown. The looks I received from her every time I suggested something not ‘organic’ were ridiculous. It seems a fighter’s diet is extremely strict. Did you know there are different kinds of carbs and fats? I didn’t. Thankfully, Selena doesn’t care if something is organic or grown purely from chemicals. She’s not one to care what she puts into her body and yet, her body remains perfect.

My thoughts of healthy foods and perfect bodies distract me until I’m standing outside the store’s Deli section.

“Twenty-nine.” The woman’s high voice commands my attention and I glance down at the number in my hand.

Oh, that’s me. I step forward, hand her the ticket, and order a few chicken drumsticks and a rack of lamb ribs. Everything is coated in a thick layer of smoky barbeque sauce and it makes my mouth water. My mouth isn’t the only thing lacking in moisture…I’m still not able to shake the way Seth’s hot mouth felt when it enveloped my nipple…his tongue glides with perfect pressure over my hard peak, sending an abundance of electrified tingles between my legs…

“Olivia?”

My eyes shoot open. I’m still in the store, standing right by the freezer section with a small basket filled with items…items I don’t remember grabbing because I was too caught up in the way Seth handled me. And when he pulled my hair so firmly, oh my Go—

“Olivia?” the familiar voice said again.

I whip around on my heel and immediately meet Blade’s boyish face and bright eyes. A thick, uncomfortable feeling twists my stomach and I’m almost positive that it’s hate. I think I’m angry just looking at him…

“Blade?”

He adjusts his black t-shirt and steps forward, pulling me and the basket I jam between our bodies into him.

“How are you?” he asks when he releases me.

I haven’t seen Blade since my father’s funeral. He was so uncharacteristically cool about Seth and I being in love.

“I’m good, thanks. How are you?”

I don’t really care how he is, not like I did before I met Seth. I only ask out of courtesy and because I don’t want to cause a scene.

“I’m okay.” His eyes drink me in, eyeing my small, black shorts closely. “You look good.”

I shift my basket, dropping it subtly to hide my bare legs. Blade has seen me naked too many times for me to feel insecure in front of him, but I don’t want him to look at me like that anymore. I’m not his. There’s only one set of eyes I want skimming over my flesh and they’re brown with beautiful rivers of golden honey, not blue.

“How’s Seth? Still treating you well?”

I can hear the hope in his voice and it makes me feel off. How dare he?

“Like a princess,” I reply, forcing a fake smile just to get at him.

Blade inches closer and I step back until the skin of my shoulders presses against the fridge’s cold glass.

He lowers his voice, smiling uncomfortably. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately…I miss you.”

He presses a hand against the glass beside my head and if I push any harder on the fridge, I’ll go through it.

“Blade, don’t.”

“I’m not doing anything, I just want to talk.” His sentence finishes with a small exhale and I pick up the scent of…vodka—or something close to it.

“Are you drunk?” He doesn’t look drunk. His eyes are alert and his skin free of a clammy sweat.

“I had a little bit, but I’m not drunk.”

I step away. “Goodbye.” He slides in front of me.

“I just want to talk, Olly.”

I grit my teeth. I hate that nickname. “We have nothing to talk about. As far as I’m concerned, we’re strangers.”

His eyebrows raise and he steps back, running his hand over his face. I don’t have to ask to know that I’ve pissed him off.

“Strangers? We were together for six years, we were each other’s first, and we’ve met each other’s families, but now we’re strangers? What the fuck happened to you?”

“It’s not me—it never was me. It was you. You did this to yourself, and newsflash—I’ve moved on. I love someone else. If you see me walking around, don’t talk to me. We’re strangers now—not because of me, and it’s not even because of Seth. It’s because of you.”

I push past him, but before I storm away, I turn to him. “In light of it all, though, I guess I do have to thank you…”

“For what?” he barks out, his head snapping in my direction.

“If it wasn’t for you, I never would have been given the chance to meet Seth…so thank you.”

He narrows his baby blues at me and the fear they used to provoke in me ceases to exist. I’ve beaten him and he no longer affects me. My system is immune to him.

“You’re so very welcome,” he deadpans, almost growling.

I turn again and march toward the checkout without double checking the contents in my basket. He shouldn’t be so mad. He knows how the saying goes, ‘treat her right, or someone else will,’ and that is exactly what happened.

***

I leave the food in the car and step into the gym. Finally, I can breathe easier. I hadn’t expected to see Blade again…but now that I have, I can say the feelings I had are completely gone. Non-existent. I’m glad I ran into Blade, actually. I feel it finally closed the ‘Blade’ chapter of my life. First Mason, now Blade. I’m erasing them from my life only to make more room for Seth.

I pull my phone from my pocket and glance at the time. I was at the store for a little over an hour. The gym is still relatively clean and quiet, so I stroll toward the training room, hoping to replace Blade’s face, that hovers at the front of my mind, with Seth’s.