I let out a cry of rage as I slam my fist again, then the other one, not even pausing when I see Nate walking up behind the man that is trying to kill me––or that’s what it feels like anyway.
“How’s it going?” Nate asks as he comes to the edge of the boxing ring with a smug grin on his face.
“Oh, you know, just fucking peachy,” I reply as I lift my leg and kick Marlow––the trainer––in the shin.
His leg buckles and he drops to the floor.
“Now can I take a break?” I say, one eyebrow raised. Marlow just scowls at me, but I smile and walk to the edge of the ring, jumping down and grabbing the bottle of water that Nate holds out to me. Actually, I snatch the damn thing, because I’m pissed off. I’ve been training for the last three days and my whole fucking body hurts.
I glug down half the bottle of water and stretch my neck from side to side. I need a long fucking bath and a good book to keep me company.
“It’s going well then?” Nate says as he stands there looking fucking glorious in his suit trousers and shirt, cuffs rolled up to his elbows, hands in his pockets. Christ. Even with my body and mind being mentally exhausted from everything I have learnt over the last couple of days, I’m still turned on by just his looks alone.
Damn him for being so fine.
“Nate, I know why I need to do this, but I’ve not stopped training for three days straight. I’ve been in here four times a day, not counting my session with you in the evenings. I need a fucking minute,” I tell him as he looks at me with that stare that I have come to know and love. The one where he is going to act like he’s punishing me for swearing, but in actual fact, he just gives me intense pleasure. Totally on board.
“Kat,” he says as he steps closer and I sit on the edge of the ring, his legs moving between mine, his hands cupping my face. “I know this is hard, but you have to be prepared, and three days is nothing… If anything were to happen to you…”
“Nothing is going to happen to me,” I assure him. I know he’s worried, something I didn’t think Nate could be, but even if something does happen, I’m not going down without a fight.
“You don’t know that,” he says, his jaw clenched. “Just another half an hour… for me, please?”
The fact that he is asking shocks me.
“You giving me a choice?” I say, but in a teasing manner rather than a pissed off one.
“Just this once,” he says, and I laugh.
“Fine,” I say with a sigh and a roll of my eyes. He swoops down and places a kiss on my lips that triggers every fucking nerve ending in my body before stepping back. I hand him my bottle of water and climb back in the ring, even as my limbs protest at the movement.
“Come on then, Marlow, let’s get this done,” I say as I take up the stance he’s been drumming into me. One foot forward, the other back a little, my body turned slightly to one side, and hands raised in front of my face.
“You gonna kick me in the shin again?” Marlow asks, looking perplexed that I got one up on him.
“Always be aware. Isn’t that your first rule?” I say to him with a smirk, and I hear Nate laugh from behind me. I see Marlow’s lips twitch before he starts shouting commands at me. Left. Right. Up. Down. Do the fucking conga whilst you’re at it. To be fair to Marlow, at fifty years old, he’s still able to keep up, and it’s all through his years of hard training and dedication.
I guess hard work really does pay off, and I have to prove that I can handle whatever is coming our way, because this isn’t just about me alone or Nate on his own, this is about us, together, a team, a partnership. And there is no way that anyone is going to take my husband from me or me from him. Not now. Not ever.
* * *
“Better?” Nate asks me as he comes waltzing into the bathroom as I relax in the bath that I have totally overfilled with bubbles, but I don’t care. I need this, and it feels so damn good.
“My muscles feel like they’re in heaven,” I tell him as I close my eyes and let out a contented sigh.
This bathtub is amazing with how big it is––along with the built-in seats that slope slightly so you have a gradual incline and the leather headrests around the sides for complete comfort.
When I open my eyes, I see Nate crouched by the side of the bath, his arms resting on the edge, and I can’t fail to notice that he looks tired.
“Any news on Stefan yet?” I ask, but I already know the answer from the look on his face.
“No.”
“You’ll find him,” I say, trying to reassure him.
“I just wish I knew where to start.” Nate is clearly not used to not having answers by now. He’s a man of great power, so to be blindsided like this must be torturing him.
When I saw those fingers on the floor after being posted through the letterbox, I was scared, worried, and feeling way out of my depth. And I know that those feelings have to be buried within me, because Nate doesn’t need to be worrying about me whilst he’s trying to find the man that is his best friend and his right-hand man.
