Chapter Nine
“You’re telling me you fucked a professional MMA fighter?”
Lily groaned and drew her blanket up, covering both her head and her laptop screen as if the thin material would keep Natalia at bay.
“Semi-pro. And he retired. Or quit.” She squinted at the four-year-old article.
Could you really retire at twenty-four? “And in my defense, I didn’t know when I slept with him. ”
Natalia ripped the blanket from over Lily’s head and pinned her with an expectant look. “You’re trying to tell me you didn’t run a background check on this man, or at least an online search, before jumping into his bed?”
Nibbling the quick of her thumbnail, Lily let her gaze fall to the search results on her laptop once more.
Kieran “Southpaw” Sullivan stared back. He was a little younger and leaner—more toned—and clean-shaven.
A fighter from South Side MMA, he’d been picked up by Fight Fest Chicago at nineteen.
By twenty-two, he was fighting with Intimidators USA out of Atlanta.
From what she could tell, it was one step down from the UFC.
Like playing for the minors instead of the majors in baseball. Several of his fights had been on ESPN.
The man in those photos looked like he could break her in two.
“Technically he jumped into my bed.”
Natalia made a fake gagging noise and sat up, plucking at the sheets below her. “You washed these, yeah?”
“Yeah…” Lily barely heard her friend. There was a photo from high school wrestling. A young, hard-eyed Kieran in a Wildcats singlet. She double-clicked it and zoomed in.
Even at sixteen, his eyebrow was split in two. The scar predated MMA.
Her lips pursed together, and she scrolled away, ignoring the twist in her gut telling her this snooping was a violation of their agreement not to discuss their pasts.
“Southpaw Sullivan.” Natalia had her phone out now and was watching videos on StreamScene. “So, he’s a lefty?”
The memory of his lips at her breast and his dexterous hand torturing her clit blazed in her mind. Yes—his left hand. The one he’d finger-fucked her with. Lily swallowed and tugged her laptop a little closer. “Yep. He sure is.”
Natalia hummed and continued scrolling, reading through the captions and comments of the videos she watched. “Seems like he was pretty good…a lot of people were surprised he quit. He was expected to get picked up by the UFC. Did he say anything to you about it?”
Not a word. Lily shook her head. He’d left her mouth agape and staring in the gym lobby. Had she wondered how he afforded a nice place on a gym trainer salary? Sure. But at the end of the day, his nice place was still in the South Side. It wasn’t like Kieran was shacked up on Lakeshore.
“Given what I know about him, I think he came home for his younger siblings. He still has custody of his brother.” Lily shrugged.
Kieran had made it clear family was everything, and his focus in his life right now was raising Danny.
Still. To give up a career as a professional athlete.
A little knot tightened in her belly, and she held up her phone, staring at the text he’d sent the night before.
Doing anything Saturday?
She’d left him on read.
Because maybe Kieran wasn’t an entire asshole. Maybe he was the sort of guy so humble he never mentioned he’d been on ESPN. He just promoted the hell out of his local gym like it was the best he’d ever fought in.
Maybe he was so selfless, he was the type who’d choose his siblings over money and status and women.
And maybe because he was the type of lover who cared so much about her pleasure, he’d given her three orgasms in total last weekend when she’d only given him two.
He was the guy who—“I think he wants to kill Vov.”
Natalia bolted upright and dropped her phone in her lap at the mention of Lily’s ex. Her hair whipped around as she spun, her bright brown eyes staring at Lily as if she had three heads. “You told him about Vovik!?”
“No, but he saw my scar in the shower.” Lily ran her hand over her clothed shoulder. She didn’t need to feel the scar to know where it lay. While months had dulled the thorns surrounding the memory of Vovik snuffing a cigarette in her flesh, it still wept when touched.
“Yeah, well, he’ll have to get in line.” Natalia huffed and resituated herself beside Lily on the bed so their shoulders touched. “If I ever see that fucker, it’s on sight.”
Lily scooted the laptop, so it bridged their laps. “I’d prefer to forget him.”
“I know.” Natalia’s voice softened, and she nudged Lily while pointing at the open search profile for Kieran. “It’s gotta feel good to know you bagged a guy who’s protective.”
Her heart sank. It should have. It should have felt amazing. She should have texted Kieran back and never let him leave her bed.
But Vovik had been protective, too. He’d been perfect and devoted and kind. He’d been the answer to her prayers, up until he became a nightmare.
She navigated away from Kieran’s page and opened the desktop version of Hit It. “I don’t think I’ll go out with him again. Sleeping with the same guy doesn’t feel very hoe phase.”
“It counts if the one guy is a professional fucking athlete.” Natalia took over the cursor and returned them to the web page splashed with photos of Kieran.
“Lils, if I was banging this man, I would let him bend me over every available surface. Stop thinking and look at his face. No, look at his arms. Look at that fucking V-cut.” Natalia groaned and leaned back, tapping her head against Lily’s wall.
“I’d have to clear it with Jack first, but that man could rearrange my guts any day of the week. ”
“Natalia!” Heat flooded Lily’s face, and she smacked her best friend’s thigh. “Don’t be so—so—”
“So what? What is the hold up?” Natalia raised one manicured brow. Her deep gaze fluttered over Lily’s face as if searching for any glimpse of explanation. Her eyes widened.
Lily’s stomach dropped.
“You like him!”
“No!” Fire burned in Lily’s cheeks. She slammed the laptop closed and tossed it to the foot of her bed. “I do not like him.”
“That is the face of a liar, Liliana!” Natalia grinned and pounced, digging her fingers into Lily’s side with mischief in her eyes. “Spill it!”
Lily jerked and rolled, desperate to throw Natalia off as full belly laughs broke through her lips. “Stoooop.” She looped both arms around Natalia’s waist and tightened, crushing her best friend against her chest. “Tickles are a crime against article five of the friendship clause!”
“Okay, well.” Natalia wiggled her head free of its prison below Lily’s chin and stuck out her tongue. “Lying is a direct violation of article one.”
“Urg.” Lily rolled her eyes and unbound her arms, leaving Natalia lying atop her chest. Her oldest friend folded her hands beneath her chin, perfectly comfortable continuing to invade Lily’s personal space.
“Tell me.”
Her lips pursed in a pout. “I like him.”
“And?” Natalia raised her brows.
“And… I’d rather not. Like him, that is.”
Natalia deflated and flopped back atop the mattress. “Why not?”
“Because I fell head over heels for the only other guy I ever slept with, and I don’t know. It just feels pretty cliché if I fall in love with the next guy, too. Very basic.”
“Lily, I have bad news for you.” Natalia rolled onto her side and snuggled in, nuzzling her face against Lily’s arm. “You’re a basic bitch.”
“I am not.”
“You’re one life crisis away from a ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ tattoo.”
“Take it back!” She tackled Natalia into the smattering of blankets and pillows covering her bed.
“Your house sigil is a pumpkin spice latte,” Natalia choked out between laughs. “Your birth chart is a constellation of fairy lights.”
Lily grabbed a pillow and shoved it over Natalia’s face, grinning as her friend laughed more. “Tell me what you want said in your eulogy. Keep teasing me, and it’ll be the tale of the Eiffel Tower in college. And, yes, I will explain to your mother what it means.”
“Okay, okay. I surrender!”
She pulled back the pillow and peeked around, glaring with a false fierceness.
“But you gotta admit, Lily Sullivan does have a nice ring to it.”
She let the pillow fly back in Natalia’s face.
Natalia shoved the pillow away while her face flushed from laughter. “I have an idea.”
“You are banned from ideas.”
“No, this is a good one. Promise.”
“And what’s that?”
Natalia grabbed Lily’s phone from atop the comforter. “We call Kieran.”
Lily sprang to her knees, eyes wide. “Don’t you dare.”
But the phone was already lit up. Kieran’s name danced across the screen, taunting her. “Oops,” Nat whispered.
Lily lunged, but Nat rolled to the floor and cradled the phone against her ear.
His voice came through the receiver, muted but silky smooth. “Nice of you to call, Princess.”
“Oh, he calls you Princess—I like.”
“Nat, hang up,” Lily hissed.
“Is this Naturalmente Nat?”
Lily could picture the stupid smirk on his face as he spoke. The charming and slow uptilt of his lips right before he crossed his arms over his chest like a challenge.
Natalia hopped up and danced away from Lily, holding out an arm in defense. “So, you’ve heard of me?”
“Your face is hanging right above her bed.”
“Lily,” Nat stage-whispered and drew the phone away from her lips. “He admits to being in your bed.”
Lily dragged her hands over her face. Could she hide a body? Not in Lake Michigan, for sure. But if she could get it up to Superior… She’d need Alex’s help.
Oblivious, or indifferent, to Lily’s embarrassment, Natalia continued with her ridiculousness.
“I’m calling on behalf of Literally Lily.
Her personal page has fallen to the wayside lately.
Now, with Bossman wanting you all to do some dual content, and with the internet loving That Gym Guy, I have a proposal.
You and Lily go on a hike tomorrow. She takes some videos and uploads them to both channels.
You wear the sluttiest shorts you own. I’m talking five-inch inseams.”
“You don’t wear short shorts on a hike, Nat,” she hissed.
Kieran chuckled, deep and rich, and the sound painted a smile unbidden on Lily’s lips.
“I’ll dig through my old gear and let you know about the shorts. Now, will our coworkers be in attendance or is this an exclusive invitation?”
“Given this is crossover content, I’d say exclusive. No need to drag everyone out on a lazy Sunday.”
A date. Natalia was setting her and Kieran up on a date.
“Certainly not. Since she’s indisposed, tell Lily to bring a suit. I know a spot.”
“Excellent, I’ll put this on her calendar. Now.” Natalia’s eyes gleamed with mischief as she met Lily’s stare. “Will you pack protection or should Lily?”
Blood rushed to Lily’s cheeks, and she scrambled for the phone again, tugging on Natalia’s arm and swatting at her face. “You are fucking unbelievable. Give me my phone!”
“Sunblock, Lily. I’m talking about sunblock.” Natalia winked and batted Lily away.
God, just let her crawl under her blankets and disappear.
“Lily has some sunblock under her bed. Have her pack some, and I’ll pick her up at ten.”
“Sounds wonderful. You have a great night, Gym Guy!”
He laughed again, and Lily sighed—regretting she’d ever left him on read. She could have been hearing his laugh in person.
“Good night, Nat. Give Lily my best.”
“I will, but I’m sure you give it to her so much better.”
“And you’re done.” Lily clambered onto Natalia’s back and wrenched the phone from her hand, slamming the red hang-up button before Natalia could find a way to fit in another innuendo.
Natalia looped her arms around Lily’s legs and spun, giving Lily a makeshift piggyback ride. “Come on, we need to pick an outfit for your date!”
Lily sighed and rested her head atop Natalia’s. She didn’t have a huge closet, but she did love her clothes and took care of each piece. Mixing and matching kept her looks fresh.
“Fine.” She could already picture a pair of blue jean shorts and a pale green plaid shirt that would look great for a hike. “The goal is sexy lumberjack. Go, team, go!”