The guy’s brows wrinkle in confusion. “Who?”
His friend edges closer, and tugs his hand clear of Sydney, who immediately huddles into my side. “Pro cage fighter. You don’t want to mess with him.”
“He’s right,” I warn. “You don’t.” Because seeing him manhandle her like that has me bristling for a fight. But the guy just shakes his head and mutters something about the chick not being worth it, and wanders off.
Sydney cocks her head, studying me with interest. “You’re hot when you go all caveman.”
A smile twists my mouth. “Is that so?”
She nods affirmatively. “Dance with me, caveman.”
Letting her lead me back into the throng of dancers, I frown when spots dance in front of my eyes and my field of vision narrows. The world tilts on its axis, but a moment later, it rights itself.
Weird, what was that?
And who turned the temperature up? Because all of a sudden, I’m sweating like crazy. In fact, I feel like I’ve had a few too many drinks, when I haven’t touched alcohol in weeks.
Shaking my head, I try to dispel the heaviness descending on me. Sydney is having a blast, and that’s what matters. The feeling won’t leave, but I can handle it. Especially when being here with her, and being allowed to touch her, is more than I ever dreamed of. A slow song starts, and we rock in time to it. Hands resting on her hips, I hold onto her when my head spins, using her as my rock. She doesn’t seem to notice, laying her cheek on my chest. I press a kiss to the top of her head and inhale the scent of her.
I’m so blessed to have this woman as my best friend and my lover. And if I have anything to do with it, she’ll have no reason to regret making more room for me in her heart.
14
Sydney
I wake wearing a smile. I’ve never done that before. But then, opening my eyes to see Gabe Mendoza’s gorgeous face and hella sexy body in my bed isn’t something I’ve done until recently, either. I suspect the two are correlated. Touching his shoulder, I trace the outline of his deltoid and kiss the muscle, then I wiggle closer and kiss his stubbly cheek.
“Gabe, wake up.”
He doesn’t stir, so I reach between us and wrap my fingers around his dick.
Still nothing.
Frowning, I brush another kiss over his lips and shift into a seated position. His head lolls to the side, and his mouth falls open, emitting a snore. I laugh. He’s fast asleep. But it’s growing light outside and I know he likes to exercise in the mornings, so I jostle his shoulder more firmly.
“Come on, baby. It’s morning.”
“Don’t wanna,” he groans, his lashes fluttering but eyes refusing to open. He rolls over, his head landing in my lap, and snuggles up close. My heart goes crazy. He’s the cutest thing. An overgrown man-child with bulging biceps and a stubborn set to his chin.
“You’ve got to,” I remind him, dropping a kiss on his forehead. “Seth will be expecting you at the gym.”
“Ugh, fine.” He sits up and spears his fingers through his hair, blinking blearily. “You’re a hard woman, Sydney Coleman.”
My lips quirk. “Don’t you forget it.”
Slowly, he extracts himself from the blankets. When he stands, he sways a little, and I wrap my arms around him to steady him.
“Are you okay? You didn’t have anything to drink last night, did you?”
“Not a drop,” he promises. “You know I don’t do that during fight camp. I just had a really deep sleep and I’m still waking up.”
“All right, then.” I watch as he finds a clean pair of shorts and pulls a t-shirt over his head. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something feels off about him.
“Are you sure you’re fine?” I ask, following him into the kitchen.
He starts fixing breakfast and one corner of his mouth hooks up. “Never better,carino.”
He switches the blender on and for a moment, all we can hear is the whir of blades, then he turns it off and chugs a mouthful of his smoothie. I can’t help but notice he’s a little pale, but when I cross to him and touch the back of my hand to his forehead, he doesn’t have a fever.
