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“Yes.” I crossed my arms. It was almost a dare.
He squinted at me but said nothing. Patrick had always been the type of guy to keep the business separate from the personal. “I’ll be in meetings leading up to the night of your fight. I’ll forward the three of you any pertinent information that comes my way. Stay focused. We’re in the homestretch.”
“Are you going to be putting bets down on us?” Cash joked as our manager headed out.
“You know I’ve never been a betting man,” was his simple answer. He left promptly after that, leaving the three of us in the room.
“He’s totally going to bet on us,” Cash said, readjusting his ice pack. “Now what did you two get up to, Dyl? You hogging our girl all to yourself?”
He shrugged. “You guys were busy. We just went for a walk.”
“You two should have worn sunscreen. You’re both gonna look like lobsters by tomorrow morning.”
“Wedidwear sunscreen. It’s just super hot out. I’m not used to this kind of weather, okay? I was made for the mountains, not the desert.”
While Cash and Dylan bickered back and forth, I snuck off to the bedroom to check on Julia. I hadn’t seen her all day, and I wasn’t going to lie —it was crazy how much I missed her. Just seeing her smile filled my chest with warmth and soothed any worries I had about my impending match like a salve.
I knocked on the bathroom door.
“Come in.”
Julia was standing by the mirror, applying a bit of lotion to her burnt cheeks and shoulders. She beamed at me in the reflection. “Is Patrick gone?”
“Yeah. That man’s always in a hurry to get somewhere.”
“Ah, that’s a shame. I thought maybe we could go out to dinner for real this time. Especially now that the whole team’s here. Oh, well. There’s always next time. Maybe he’ll take you boys out for a celebratory dinner after you win.”
I stepped forward and took my place behind her, boxing her in between the sink’s edge and my body. “I appreciate your vote of confidence,” I said, bending down to kiss her shoulder.
She leaned her head back to rest on my chest. “Do you feel like getting in the shower with me? A cold rinse might be the best way to beat the heat.”
I got a rise out of the idea. Just the mental image of Julia’s silky skin all wet beneath the stream was enough to make my mouth dry. I traced my hand down the length of her back, settling on her hip. “Would you like that, honey?”
Julia nodded, her hazel eyes glimmering.
“Arms up,” I told her.
She did as I asked, allowing me to pull her blouse up and off. I took great pleasure undressing her, admiring every inch of her skin. I pressed kisses against her hair, breathing in the scent of her shampoo as I watched her every reaction in the mirror’s reflection. She was a thing of beauty, so unbelievably small and delicate compared to my big, hardened frame.
Where my skin was no stranger to bruises, cuts, and ink, Julia was a soft blank canvas I fully intended to cherish.
“What is that?” I murmured, sliding my hands around to gently pluck at her hard nipples. “Your shampoo. Jasmine?”
Julia licked her lips, enraptured by the show I was giving her. “Cherry blossoms,” she answered, a whisper. “That’s what the bottle says, at least. Do you like it?”
I nodded, dragging one hand down to slip between her legs, pressing my stiffening erection against her peach-shaped ass.
We stepped into the shower together, the water starting off warm before I turned it down to a manageable cool. Julia shivered against me beneath the spray.
“Give it a second,” I murmured, reaching for her shampoo. “You’ll warm up.”
Julia laughed softly. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?”
“It looks like you’re about to wash my hair. I can take care of it, Red.”
“Let me,” I said, kissing the back of her neck. “Let me take care of you.”
