The Fighter's Fierce Temptation (7 page)

“You could’ve told me!” Bryant gave a small chuckle.

Alice blushed and ducked her head. “I knew you’d make fun of me!” She glared at him as he continued to laugh at her.

“Me?” Bryant acted shocked. “I would never! Just because you’re scared of hooking bait doesn’t mean I’d make fun of you.”

Alice gave Bryant a light punch on the shoulder. “Shush, you.”

“Exactly how many times have you gone fishing? I mean, you live in the mountains near a lake.”

“My dad and his buddies used to come up here a lot, and sometimes I tagged along, but fishing is boring. Think about it. Once you have the hook baited, and your line’s thrown in, you don’t have anything to do but sit around and wait for some stupid fish to swim over and swallow your hook. That could take hours!”

Bryant watched her thoughtfully and then handed her back her baited hook and pole. “Cast your line, Alice and I’ll show you why I like fishing so much.”

Alice took the pole from him, making sure their hands didn’t touch, and expertly cast her line out into the water. She’d grabbed the poles already rigged with bobbers on the line, which enabled those handling the poles to set them in the stands and then sit back and relax.

Once she tightened up her line, she set the base of the pole into the stand. Looking up, she saw Bryant watching her carefully. “What?” she inquired, puzzled at his look and wondering if she had something wrong with her hair.

She reached up self-consciously to check, only to have her hand intercepted when Bryant took it in his own and pulled her closer to him. “Relax.”

Easy for you to say! Your libido’s not in overdrive and I bet your hormones have had a healthy workout routine of their own. Mine have been locked away for so long, I have no control left.
Sitting on the grassy bank of the lake, the sky a cool and deepening blue, Alice took slow, measured breaths as she let him pull her over until their hips were touching.

Bryant hid his smile at how quickly she had gone from sassy and confident to unsure and nervous. “Tell me about your degree.”

Alice glanced at him, eyes wide. “Why?”

“Why not? You said yourself we have nothing to do now but wait for a stupid fish to swim by.”

“Oh. Well, yeah, I guess. Okay. I have my bachelor’s degree in social work, and I was supposed to start my masters but…” Swallowing, she shook her head and looked away. “I was going to start my masters this fall, but I was kind of burned out so I decided to take the fall semester off.”

Bryant frowned. “They let you do that?”

“Yeah. Even put my grants and student aid on hold until January.”

“So you have nothing to do for the next four months?” he asked, grabbing her hand and rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand.

Cheeks pink, Alice glanced at him and tugged at the hold he had on her. “What are you doing?”

“Holding your hand. Do you have a problem with that?” He met her gaze and let some of what he was feeling show in his eyes. He wanted her. Really wanted her. She had to know that, but he wasn’t sure if she returned that feeling.

Alice swallowed before answering. “Do I have a problem with that? Well, only because I’m already imagining your hands elsewhere on my body! As in, us sparing. I don’t…”

“Don’t what?” Bryant tipped her head up and lowered his lips to hers, taking her on a sensual journey meant to soothe and comfort. When he felt her holding her breath, he broke their kiss long enough to whisper, “Breathe, Alice.”

Alice nodded once and then felt him take her lips again. The first kiss had been tender and searching. His second kiss was more demanding and when she felt his tongue probe the seam of her lips, she surrendered, helpless to prevent him from entering her mouth and learning her taste.

Bryant turned his body slightly toward hers and clasped the nape of her neck, turning her head to allow better access to her mouth. She tasted of butterscotch and white wine. He used his free hand to soothe the curve of her jawline, tracing a path up into her hair.

Pulling away from the kiss, he reached up with both hands and pulled the elastic band from her hair, fanning the auburn tresses over his hands before bending down to inhale the sweet scent of her shampoo. Herbs and lemon became his favorite smell instantly.

“What are you doing?” Alice whispered, her breathing ragged. The passion flowing through her veins was new to her, intense, and yet she welcomed it. She felt warm all over, and her center was pulsing in time to her heartbeat.

Bryant buried his fingers in her hair and tipped her chin back up to meet his lips. “You feel it too, don’t you?”

Alice didn’t have to ask for clarification. She simply nodded.

“So, what are we going to do about it? I’m supposed to be getting ready for a fight. But unless I figure out how to handle the chemistry between us, I’m not going to be able to focus on anything. Not anything
else
, anyway.”

Alice listened to his words and bit her lip to stop from answering him in a way that might make her look cheap. She’d never
wanted
to jump into bed with someone before. Sure, she’d played around a little with her last three dates, but nothing beyond a few touches over clothing and such. And a desire to go further had never presented itself. Not even with Scott, she thought as she looked back on that situation.

Bryant lowered one of his hands to her collarbone and dipped his fingertips beneath the edge of her T-shirt, caressing her soft skin. “So?”

“This is probably a bad idea, Bryant.”

“Or the best training technique I can think of. I don’t know how your father‘s going to react, though.”

At the mention of her father, Alice jumped back as if she’d had cold water thrown on her. Pushing out of Bryant’s arms, she put several inches between them. When he reached for her again she shook her head. “Don’t. We can’t. My father would never condone this kind of stuff this close to a major fight. You need to focus a hundred percent on your training.”

Bryant knew she was right, but damned if his body wanted to comply. Taking a deep breath in, he held if for a ten-count. “You’re right. I know you are.” He sat silently, considering their options. “So, what are you doing three months from now?”

Alice looked up at him and laughed. “I don’t know. Why?”

Bryant smiled at her. “Well, I figure I’m going to have some free time around then, and it sounds like you’ll have some more time before you start school again. Maybe we could explore the chemistry between us more, then?”

Alice smiled too. “Three months, huh? I think I could probably make some room in my schedule then.”
If I can keep my hands to myself for the next few weeks while you’re still here. Dad is going to train you tomorrow and there will no opportunity for you and me, as myself, to mess things up. Thank goodness.

The next week flew by. Anders seemed to be feeling better and kept Bryant and Zac busy learning more about Bryant’s weaknesses and how to correct them. Bryant kept his eyes peeled for glimpses of Alice, but after their fishing expedition, she had effectively disappeared from the compound.

He couldn’t stop thinking about that night. Every girl he’d been with had always put herself before his fighting. But Alice was different.

After five days with no sign of her, he finally asked Tavvy about her. “What’s up with Alice?”

If Tavvy was surprised, he hide it and recovered quickly. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, where is she? I haven’t seen her since last Saturday.”

“She had to make a run back to the university. She should be back tomorrow, in time to help work with the kids come Saturday. Why? Is there some reason you’re looking for her?”

Bryant thought about lying, ultimately deciding that honesty might get him farther. “I like her. I enjoyed spending time with her, and she’s a hell of a fighter. I was kind of hoping to spar with her.”

Tavvy nodded. “Listen, Bryant. You don’t need to get sidetracked. You only have two more weeks up here before you need to head back to Salt Lake City and start the final preparations for your fight against Macken. So I’ve been thinking about whether you might like a coach for this fight.”

Bryant raised his eyebrows. “You? You’d consider coming out of retirement to coach me against Macken?”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it, and I miss competition more than I’d thought I would. I wouldn’t do this for just anyone, but for you and your brothers—yeah. I want to.”

“So, you’d be willing to leave Oregon and come back to Utah with me?” Bryant asked, thrilled that Tavvy would even consider such a thing.

“That’s what I’m saying. What do you think?”

“I’m on board. I know Beck and Mason would love to have you there too. But what about Anders and the camp up here?”

Tavvy shook his head. “It’s tough for him. His health is starting to limit what he can do. He’s thinking of taking a sabbatical from training fighters, at least for the next few months.”

“Really? I thought he was feeling better.” Bryant said, confused, because the man he’d been working with over the last week appeared in great health.
He hardly ever talks though. Maybe there’s something going on with his voice?

“Well, take it from me, he’s definitely not feeling a hundred percent. A little break will do him good.”
And save what he’s built here. Alice’s completely wearing herself out, trying to do her dad’s job.

“Well, I’ll mention it to Beck and Mason when I talk to them tonight. We have an extra room in the apartment above the school and you’d be more than welcome to use it. I’m sure my brothers would welcome whatever time you can spend with us.”

Bryant slapped Tavvy on the back and headed across the gym to the wing chun dummy. Over the last week, he’d become more adept at utilizing the wooden structure, and he hardly ever missed a block these days. He’d already talked to Mason about installing something similar in their gym back home, and Mason promised to look into procuring one of the training devices.

Tavvy watched him walk away and then shouted out, “I’m going up to the big cabin to speak with Marguerite. Whenever you’re finished for the day, shower and then relax for a few hours.”

***

Tavvy entered the main cabin and quickly located Alice in her father’s room. After trading pleasantries with the older man, he told Alice he needed to speak to her outside. They walked into the hallway.

“What’s up?” Alice asked, glancing at her wristwatch. There were still several hours before the training day would be finished.

“I made a decision. I’m going to go with Bryant back to Utah and help finish his training there. That will give your father a chance to recover without being discovered, give you a chance to recover from your little deception… I just think it would better for everyone involved.”

Alice nodded, relieved that her deception would be coming to an end, but saddened that she wouldn’t get to see Bryant every day. Even though her interaction with him had been limited by the strict boundaries she’d drawn, she enjoyed watching him train, and she knew her memories would fuel her nighttime dreams for months to come.
God, I’m pathetic! Maybe I could take a trip down to Utah after his next fight… and just happen to show up in his home town?

Keeping those thoughts to herself, she smiled at Tavvy. “I appreciate your willingness to do this, Tavvy. When is this going to happen?”

“I think one more week will be sufficient. Zac has to get back to work then too, so Bryant will have to leave and take him home. I figure I’ll follow behind them and stick around until at least after his fight with Macken.”

Alice didn’t let her anxiety over Bryant’s upcoming fight show. Instead, she focused on the fact that she’d only have one more week left with Bryant around. “Well, let’s get him as ready in the next week as we can. I’ll continue his morning runs. His endurance is already up tenfold.”

Tavvy nodded. “Zac was commenting on that very thing when they were in the ring earlier. Bryant’s maintaining his breath control and not getting tired nearly as quickly.”

“That’s going to be vital in a match against Macken. That man’s part machine.” Alice had watched Macken’s last fight the night before, alarmed to see the man literally regain his breath control in under a minute between rounds. That was a critical skill and it usually took years to master. Bryant needed to learn that quickly if he wanted a chance in this fight.

“Tomorrow afternoon we’re going to add sprints to the mixture. Uphill and then down and then I want him sitting until his breath control is back. His goal is to gain control in less than two minutes. We’ll keep shortening the time each day until we’re under a minute.”

“I doubt he’s ever trained that way before,” Tavvy said.

“Well, there’s a first time for everything, and you know my father is a firm believer that whoever maintains their breath support has a better chance of winning the match.”

“I’ll see that it happens. He asked about you.”

Alice looked up and barely kept from grinning. “He did?”

“Yeah. What happened between you two at the lake?”

“Nothing. And he needs to train and focus right now.”

Tavvy shook his head. “You’re not telling me everything. Did he try something?”

Alice smiled at the older man who had taken on the role of surrogate father since her own dad’s illness. “No. We kissed a little bit and we decided that anything more needed to wait until after his fight. That’s all.”

Tavvy nodded. “A wise decision. Maybe not the easiest to pull off, but wise nonetheless. Are you willing to see him after the fight?”

“Yeah. I thought maybe I’d come down and watch.”

“I’ll look forward to seeing you then. Are you going to tell him you’re coming down?”

Alice shook her head. “No. In fact, I need you to train the kids on Saturday. I think it would be better for him if I just stayed out of the way until he left.”

“He’s going to keep asking questions. What do I tell him?”

“Tell him I had a chance to participate in a small study at the university. Tell him I wish him luck in his fight.”
Don’t tell him how much I regret deceiving him, or that I really wish we had met under different circumstances.