Chapter 21
SeeingWillow have a panic attack pissed me off, especially when she immediately started doubting herself. She’s the strongest woman I’ve ever met, and there’s no doubt in my mind that she will be an asset on Saturday. I’m so fucking proud of how she stood up to me when I told her she should just stay home where it’s safe. It made my cock harder than steel to see her so fiery. I never want her to think I doubt her. Thankfully, she realized what I was doing and wasn’t mad or hurt by my words.
“This is so good,” Willow says, licking her lips.
We stopped for lunch on our way to the gym. She picked pizza, another guilty pleasure food, she said. In her old life, she said nutrition was big. Her father raised her to believe that food is fuel and that it’s okay to indulge sometimes, but that healthy eating is key to keeping in top fighting form. Even though she was a teenager, she took those words to heart and took them as seriously as she took her training.
The tidbits she shares about her past feed my curiosity about who her father is. I know he works at a gym, but she hasn’t revealed his name or where she’s from. He trains fighters and taught her how to fight, but other than that, the man who raised my girl is a mystery. I hope one day she’ll decide to open up to me more about him.
“New York has the best pizza,” I say, agreeing with her.
“Definitely better than Vegas.”
Her eyes widen slightly when she realizes she gave me another piece to the puzzle. I decide not to make a big deal about it. I won’t ask her any questions. I could easily find her now that I know where to look, but I won’t hack my way into finding out who my Beauty is. I want her to tell me everything herself.
“Vegas is good at many things, but pizza is not one of them,” I agree.
She ends up eating two pieces of her Canadian bacon and black olive pizza and half of a slice of my barbecue chicken pizza. We have the waitress box up the leftovers for later, so there’s no waste, and then we head to the gym.
“Hey, boss! Didn’t know you’d be in today,” Chad says with a wide, friendly smile.
“Boss?” Willow looks up at me with surprise.
“Yeah, Pulse is one of my investments.”
She takes in the gym, looking at it through scrutinizing eyes. When she’s done, she nods as if she approves. That approval means more to me than all the awards and accolades I’ve gotten for being the best gym in the city.
“Well, who do we have here? Looking for a personal trainer, doll?” Chad leans in close, giving Willow the same smile that has women throwing themselves at him for training sessions. Even though I know he’s happily married to a nice businessman that works on Wall Street and is harmless, it pisses me off. I don’t want anyone flirting with my woman. Not even a gay man.
“Back. Off.” I say through gritted teeth.
Chad immediately stands up straight and steps back, holding his hands out. “Sorry, boss. No harm meant.”
“Spread the word. Willow’s off limits.”
He raises his brow with a smirk. “Will do.”
Willow’s shaking her head, fighting a smile. “That was unnecessary.”
“No one flirts with you and lives. It’s for their own safety.”
She laughs. “You do know he’s gay, right?”
“How did you know?”
She rolls her eyes. “It’s obvious. He might’ve smiled and flirted, but there was zero heat in his eyes. He was playful like a puppy, not hungry like a wolf. Men who want a woman have a certain look to them that he is missing.”
“Very perceptive. I think you’re the only woman that’s figured out Chad’s little secret.”
She shrugs. “People see what they want. He flirts with them and makes them feel good about themselves. That’s enough for most. Who wouldn’t want to be flattered when they’re vulnerable? Most people don’t come to a gym because they are happy with who they are, so a little flirting helps them get past their insecurities.”
“Never thought of it that way.”
“Most people who are sexier than sin don’t consider how us mere mortals feel when we walk into a gym full of fit men and women,” she says sardonically.
I pull her into my arms, fisting her hair so her face is tipped up. “You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen. No one compares. I’m the mortal bowing at the feet of my goddess.”
Her face heats in a blush. ”Yet I”m the one that wants to be on her knees.”
I lean in and nip her bottom lip, then lick away the sting. ”Just because you submit to me doesn”t mean I don”t worship at your feet. You own me as much as I own you, love. Don”t forget that.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me hotly. I lose myself in her lips for a long moment. The sound of a weight crashing to the floor has me pulling away before I ravage her right here in front of a gym full of people.
”Let”s grab some workout clothes for you and get warmed up.”
”Okay,” she replies, breathless from our kiss.
She picks a hot pink and black sports bra and matching shorts. I try to get her to choose something with a little more coverage, and she argues that all her pertinent parts will be covered. I don”t like it, but I don”t fight her. She”s too excited for me to put a damper on it. I think she”s more excited about being in the gym than she was to see my million-dollar penthouse.
We change in my office instead of the lockers. When I showed her the locker rooms, she looked at me nervously. It only took me a second to realize the problem. She didn”t want to go in alone, and since they aren”t coed, I couldn”t go with her. My office was the only option. Changing with her wasn”t the best decision considering we barely left my office without fucking each other on my desk.
”Treadmill first?” I ask.
”That”s fine. My endurance is going to be shit,” she says with a sigh.
”It”ll take time, but you”ll get there. If you want to. You know you don”t have to do any of this if you don”t want to, right?” I ask.
”Of course. I”m the one that”s pushing to be involved. I want to be back to fighting form. Even if I never fight professionally like I used to dream about. I want to feel strong again.”
”Muscles don”t equal strength, and you know that.”
She nods. ”You”re right. I still want my body to be as strong as I am inside.”
”Then we better get started.”
Willow does better than I expected. She runs three miles before starting to tire out. I don”t let her push herself further because she needs to work on her hand-to-hand fighting. I toss her a water bottle, and she drains it.
”You ready to show me your moves?” I ask teasingly.
”Hell, yes!”
”Let me grab you some gloves.”
She turns her nose up in disgust. ”Just tape. Gloves are for pussies.”
I smirk at her sass. ”I don”t want you breaking your hand.”
She laughs a full-bodied laugh that has the entire gym turning to look at her. ”You”re cute. I assure you I won”t break my hand. I know how to throw a punch.”
I find some pink tape that is almost the same shade as her outfit. She smiles happily as I help wrap her hands, taking care to make sure they are wrapped well.
”Thanks,” she says, kissing my cheek. She hits her fists together and smirks. ”Ready to get your ass kicked by a little girl?”
I chuckle. ”I can”t wait to get your hands all over me, beauty.”
Willow bounces on her toes as she studies me. I can see the gears spinning in her head. She”s not intimidated by my size in the least. She won”t cower even though she knows I could take her down easily. She”s going to give it her all. Even though I won”t hurt her, I”m not going to go easy on her, either. This is a life-or-death situation, and I won”t fail her by treating her like a fragile flower.
”You going to fight or just look at me?” I goad.
A little flash of annoyance fills her eyes before it”s replaced by determination. She circles me, starting the dance. She darts forward and lands a hit on my abs before dodging out of my reach. I”m impressed. She”s fast even though she”s out of practice. Her hit was solid, and if I weren”t a big motherfucker, it probably would”ve hurt like hell.
She”s back to dancing around me. I don”t give her a chance to come at me again; I throw a punch straight to her face. She ducks right before I connect and kicks my knee as she spins out of my reach. I stumble from the hit, and she smirks. She”s damn good, and she knows it. The night of the auction, she was fierce but was weak and fought with desperation, not skill.
From there, we exchange punches and kicks, and I land a solid hit on her stomach that has her fold over. I”m not coming at her with full strength, but it”s a hard hit, even at half-strength. I move to take advantage of her weakened state because, in a real fight, the other person won”t wait for you to catch your breath. I”m not expecting her to burst out of her folded stance as soon as I”m close, which is how she lands a perfect uppercut followed by a kick to my knee that has me crashing to the mat like a felled tree.
I”m stunned by what just happened. Willow stands over me with a broad smile that splits her face. When she sees me frowning, her smile falls.
”Did I hurt you?” she asks, looking me over.
I grip her hips and tug her down on top of me so she”s straddling my stomach. She lets out a squeak of surprise that turns into a low moan when her pussy comes in contact with my hard abs. Her taped hands come down on my chest. She looks perfect, perched on top of me, covered in sweat. I wish she was sweating like this from riding my cock like a good little girl.
”Kisten…”
I grab the front of her top and pull her down until her lips hover over mine. ”Kiss me,” I command.
She hesitates for a breath, then her perfect lips are on mine. I let her lead the kiss, even though we both know I”m in charge. She”s leading only at my whim. I could take control at any second, and she”d submit because she”s mine to do with as I please. After last night, she understands better now than when she insisted I own her because I bought her, even if it was to save her.
”So I didn”t hurt you?” she whispers against my lips.
”Not even a little, beauty.”
”Then are you ready for me to kick your ass again?” she asks, hopping up before I can catch her.
I let out a playful growl and pounce. We switch from sparring to her hitting pads while I coach her on her form. Like most women, her power is in her legs. She”s got a solid punch and will do some damage, but if she”s up against big guys like me, her weaker upper body won”t last in a drawn-out fight. She needs to disable attackers fast and efficiently. A few well-placed kicks will go a lot further than a punching match.
When I call it quits for the day, a group of women and men are standing ringside watching. They started watching after Willow took me down the first time. Yes, she took me down a second time. The vixen attacked with some seriously advanced martial arts moves that I wasn”t prepared for, then jumped on my back when I was already off-center, taking me down to the mat where she wrapped her thighs around my neck. Can”t say I was too upset about having her sweet pussy in my face as she squeezed me into submission.
She”s impressive. Makes me even more interested in her father. I can”t wait to meet the man who taught his daughter to fight like a warrior. I can see how she fought against men before she was taken. I learned my lesson on second-guessing her, even knowing she was trained. I just didn”t realize how fucking well.
”That was amazing,” one of the women says to Willow as soon as we are out of the ring.
Willow gives her a forced smile. ”Thanks.”
”Did you learn how to fight like that here?” she asks.
”No,” Willow answers shortly, not elaborating.
”We have a self-defense class every Thursday. It”s part of your membership,” I tell the woman.
”I take that class… It”s not like—” she waves her hands at the ring ”—that.”
”Is there a kickboxing class here?” Willow asks.
”Every other Saturday, but there”s not a big turnout. Most of the members here are men.”
Willow wrinkles her nose. ”You should change that. Offer more classes. Different types of self-defense and kickboxing are good places to start. You have space to set up for martial arts… krav maga is a favorite of mine.”
”Sounds good. Make any changes you want, love.”
”Wait, what?” Willow says, looking at me like I”m crazy.
”They are good ideas.”
”Not that, the part about me making changes…”
”Willow, love, what”s mine is yours now. If you want to tear this place down and build a McDonald”s that only serves fries and vanilla milkshakes, that”s what I”ll do.”
She laughs. ”You”re nuts! You can”t be serious.”
”I”m dead serious. Don”t ever doubt me, beauty. Everything I have is yours to do what you will with it.”
She shakes her head, exasperated. ”You really are crazy. I can”t be in charge of all of this!”
”Too bad, love. My lawyer is already putting your name on my assets. When I told you I”d take care of you, I meant it.” I pull her into my arms and kiss her gently. ”Don”t overthink it. All that matters is that you”re mine now. The rest will come with time.”
Since the gym is packed and Willow doesn”t let me clear out the locker rooms, we leave the gym in our sweaty clothes. Well, I pull an oversized hoodie over Willow”s head because there”s no way she”s walking outside this gym in those tiny shorts and sports bra. It was bad enough having the men in the gym watch her fight wearing them.
By the time we get out of the shower, Willow”s exhausted. I dress her in one of my t-shirts since she prefers that over the pajamas Annie bought her and lead her to the couch. I hand her the remote and tell her to relax while I fix dinner. I smile when I hear the sounds of a UFC fight on the TV, definitely not like other women.
She”s still and quiet when I come back into the room. I think she”s sleeping until I hear a quiet sniffle. I circle the couch and see tears tracking down her cheeks. She”s staring at the TV with a far-off look.
”Willow, love, what”s wrong?”
She startles at my voice and quickly wipes away her tears. ”I”m okay.”
”Don”t lie to me,” I growl.
She looks at the TV again, and I realize she has it paused. It takes me no time to put together why she”s upset. The man on the screen has the same ocean-blue eyes as Willow. It”s her father. A man I quickly recognize as Felix Morris. He”s a big fucking deal in the fighting world. When he got injured, it was a tragedy. He had more UFC championship wins than any fighter in the sport”s history. Now, he trains the best fighters in the country. No wonder Willow is so fucking good.
I remember when his daughter went missing. He offered a huge reward and hired the best private investigators to look for her, including the Savage Knights MC. The Savage Knights are a ruthless group of bikers who spend their time hunting traffickers like I do. Slade has a history with them, and we”ve stayed connected, helping each other out over the years when our leads bring us into each other”s territories.
Small fucking world.
I know Gunner and his guys would”ve done everything in their power to find Willow. I wonder if they found the men who took her off the street or if they are still out there somewhere. I”ll have to find out later. Right now, Willow needs me.
”Your dad?” I ask even though I don”t need her to tell me.
She nods, still staring at the screen.
”No wonder you kicked my ass. Your dad is a legend.”
That has her lips tipping up a little. ”Yeah. He”s an amazing fighter and an even better teacher.”
”I remember when you were taken… Your dad refused to give up even when the cops stopped looking. He hired the best to try and find you. Remember my brother Slade?” She nods. ”He”s ex-military. He ended up undercover in a motorcycle club. Long story short, when he got out of the military, he started doing what I do. Saving women from trafficking. That”s how he met his wife, Hannah. He saved her in Mexico. Savage Knights MC has been saving women for years. Your dad contacted them when the cops stopped looking. He never gave up.”
Tears flow unchecked from her pretty blue eyes now. I pick her up and sit with her on my lap. She cries for a long time, soaking my shirt. I simply hold her and let her cry. Finding out what happened to the people that you love is always hard, even if it”s good news.
”When we”re done here, I want to see him. He should know I”m alive…”
I kiss the top of her head. ”Then that”s what we”ll do. First, we end the Russians, and whoever else is running this trafficking ring, then we”ll go see your father.”