I'm sleeping, so whoever you are, stop calling me. I groaned, my face dug deeply into the pillow. And the more my phone continues to ring, the more irritated I'm becoming. So finally, I extended my arm towards the nightstand and patted my hand around, hoping to silence my phone.

Ugh.

Where are you?

I'm tired, not ready to get out of bed, and I'm definitely not ready to open these hungover eyes. My head also feels like there's a jackhammer trying to break up cement, sickening me more than ever, and now I feel like hanging my head over the toilet.

What the hell was I thinking? Why on earth did I drink as much as I did?

My hand pulled away from my nightstand and moved over to the empty pillow beside me. Then, desperate to block the sound of my ringing phone, I pulled the pillow over, covered my head, and held it—thinking of where I left my phone after coming home.

Wait... how did I get home, anyway?

Suddenly it hit me about who dropped me off, instantly numbing me. I removed the pillow from the top of my head, then rolled my head to the side, opening an eye and looking around. I didn't see my phone, but I was grateful it quit ringing. Then Gunner's face flashed into my mind, pausing my beating heart.

Please don't tell me I let my guard down, had drunken sex with him, and he's still here, lying on the other side.

I closed my eye, hesitantly rolled my head to the other side, and took a deep breath before opening an eye. After seeing he wasn't in my bed, relief immediately washed over me, and I exhaled a breath of relief.

My phone started ringing again. So I rolled onto my back, dug my elbows into the mattress, pushed myself up, and listened—it's in the living room. I slid around, hung my legs over the side of the bed, and as I started reaching to the floor to grab my clothes, I stopped after realizing I was still in the same clothes as the night before.

My phone continued to ring. And the more it rang, the pounding in my head worsened. I cupped my forehead, dropped my feet to the ground, and reluctantly headed to the living room. I grabbed my purse from the top of my couch, unzipped it, then stuck my hand inside and removed my phone. Seeing it was Justin calling, I angrily answered, "What?

"Geeze. Well, hello to you too."

"Geeze, what? Did you know that It's seven in the morning?" I asked, growling. "What did you need so bad that you had to call this early?"

"I was calling to make sure you made it home safe."

"If you cared that much, you would have made sure I made it home last night before you got dropped off... some big caring brother you are." I set the phone down on the table, hit the speaker, then walked into the kitchen, looking to cure my hangover.

"Aria, I wouldn't have let anyone drop you off if I feared you would get hurt. It was Gunner, for crying out loud!"

I grabbed the headache pills off the counter and removed the cap, dropping a couple of pills into the palm of my hand. "And he's someone you and I both know nothing about. All you know of that guy is that he's a professional fighter. What if he were to have kidnapped me and taken me to some run-down warehouse and raped me? How would you have felt then?"

I popped the pills into my mouth, then washed them down with water.

"You got home safe, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but..."

"Yeah, but nothing," Justin interjected. "You're home. You're safe. And you're arguing with me about nothing. That should show you the man is nothing like you think he is. As I said last night, he has a reputation to uphold. He doesn't need your face, or his name flashed nationwide over the T.V..."

Justin's right.

Shall something have happened to me and I had gone missing, or worse, hurt? That's all Gunner needs is the news telling the entire world the last person to be seen with me was him. That would not look good for him.

"How are you feeling, anyway?"

"Like death," I muttered, sitting.

He chuckled.

"It's not funny."

"Yes, it is. You were funnier than shit last night."

"You're an asshole," I hissed.

"And don't you forget it. If something ever were to happen to you, you should know by now that I'd hunt them down. And the next thing they'd see were stars. If not stars, they find themselves six feet under."

I sighed while resting my elbows on the table and burying my face in my hands.

"Get yourself cleaned up. Nikki's taking me to get my car. We'll pick you up, and then we'll get some breakfast. It'll help cure that headache of yours."

"I'd rather just stay here and sleep off this hangover."

"We're going to the Bacco Cafe," he emphasized happily, knowing it's one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle.

"I'll be ready in an hour," I groaned, raising my head and pressing the end call button.

Damn him.

Justin knew saying where they were going would grab my attention.

What a jerk.

***

I'm starving.

Everything on the menu looked and sounded good. And I was growing frustrated that I couldn't decide what to eat or which meal would help cure my sick stomach. Every time I made up my mind, I'd see something else that sounded good, and my mind would change.

"Did you need me to order for you?" Justin asked as the waitress stood beside me, staring and waiting for me to tell her what I wanted.

I rolled my eyes up over the menu and looked at Justin. "I'm not a child. I can order for myself."

Justin's brows furrowed. "Well, hurry it up, will you? She's waiting for you to tell her what you want."

I looked up and smiled at the frustrated-looking waitress. "I'd like a Mimosa and a Nutella Cafe Mocha to start." I paused, twisting my lips and asking myself if that's what I really needed. Yes, it is, and more. "How about you make that two Nutella Mocha's and two Mimosas?"

"Someone's thirsty." Justin chuckled.

"And what would you like to eat?" The waitress unpleasantly asked while jotting my drink order on her guest check notepad.

I looked back at the menu and stared at it again. "I'll take the fruity oatmeal... no, wait..."

"Damn it, Aria. Just tell her what you want already," Justin groaned, raising his voice.

"Sorry. I've got a bit of a hangover this morning," I grinned, looking up at our waitress. "Just get me the Dungeness Crab Omelet. Hurry. Turn around and leave our table before I change my mind again," I sighed, turning and looking at both Justin and Nikki.

I pointed at Justin while looking at Nikki. "It's his fault I feel this way."

Justin scoffed. "How is it my fault?"

"You took me out, got me drunk, and then you woke my ass up at seven this morning, insisting I come along with you two. When all I wanted to do was stay home and sleep off this hangover."

"I didn't make you do anything! I wasn't the one ordering the drinks and drinking them for you. That was all your doing. Besides, you needed to get out of that townhouse of yours. When was the last time you went out, anyway?"

I stared him down. Justin knew damn well when the last time I went out was. Then, knowing when that time was and how much he hated that night, I smiled. "The last time I went out was when we went to the ballet."

"Don't remind me, please," he groaned, resting his arm on the top of Nikki's chair.

"Did you enjoy the fight?" Nikki asked, changing the subject.

"Which fight?" I teased as the waitress set down my drinks in front of me.

"Not the bar fight," she giggled. "Although I wished I had been there for that one."

"You would... as for the other fight; it was okay. Intense." My eyes wandered over to Justin. "I can't believe I'm going to admit this, but watching those two guys fight kept me at the edge of my seat."

Nikki mischievously smiled. I knew that smile from anywhere and knew that smile meant she was up to no good.

Great...

I wonder what she did now? She looked at Justin, then me, and leaned forward. "So that you know... I asked Riley to see if he would talk to you guys."

"Who?" I asked, knowing exactly who she meant.

"Duh... Gunner," she replied happily, leaning back in her chair, smiling ear to ear. She looked at Justin, broadening her smile. "You're welcome, by the way."

Damn her... no wonder he was staring at me the entire time.

It's all her fault.

Justin's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me he would be talking to us?"

Nikki giggled. "Because I didn't know he was actually going to talk to you. I only asked Riley if he could make it happen. I didn't think he had that much pull until this morning. After that's all you talked about was him. So now I know for sure how much pull he has."

Nikki admitting what she did only proved what I had suspected—fighters don't stop to talk to their fans on the way back into their den.

I was in the middle of finishing the last bite of my omelet when I noticed Justin's eyes widen and the corners of his lips raised. I know the omelet they gave me was huge in portion, and I didn't think I could finish it myself, but I was starving. Eyeing Justin, I furrowed my brows. "I'm not a pig or anything. I was starving. Plus, I didn't want to bring the leftovers home and have it sit in the fridge for the next week."

Justin chuckled, then pointed. "Look who's here."

I turned my head in the direction of Justin's finger. My heart instantly gained speed. And without thinking, I swallowed the unchewed food in my mouth.

Big mistake.

The food got lodged in my windpipe, and I started choking. While struggling to dislodge the stuck food from my throat, a pair of solid arms wrapped around me, and they began performing the Heimlich maneuver on me until the food finally disengaged.

I. Can. Breathe. Again.

"Thank you," I whispered, trying to breathe again and feeling embarrassed for what happened. Now, this guy will probably expect something in return for saving my life again.

"No problem," Gunner replied, then he leaned into my ear. "Next time, chew before you swallow."

No shit.

"Thanks for the advice," I agreed, glaring at Nikki. Feeling she's the reason behind all these recent run-ins with this guy.

Seriously. Why is it he's everywhere I turn now?

I looked away from her and up at the guy standing beside me. I raised an eyebrow. "Are you following me?"

The corner of his lip twitched as he folded his arms across his chest. "No. Are you following me?"

I laughed. "I was here first, so no. I am not following you."

"You can sit with us. There's an empty chair next to the grouch." Nikki cajoled, extending her arm towards the open seat next to me. I widened my eyes, then kicked her shin.

"I'm not a grouch. I'm hungover," I retorted.

"You're a grouch. Where's Big Bird at?" Justin asked, chuckling.

I looked to my left. "He's right next to me," I muttered as the beast sat in the chair next to me, looking at me with a smirk that tickled my belly. "What if that seat was taken by someone else?" I asked Gunner.

He smiled. "Your friend there said it was open," he said, focusing on Nikki and jutting his chin towards her.

"What if I wanted it to remain empty?"

"I don't think your friend or brother would have wanted it to remain empty. Otherwise, she wouldn't have offered me the chair," he beamed, then leaned to my shoulder. "However, I'm starving, and all the seats in the room are filled."

A fantastic aroma suddenly lingered in the surrounding air.

Damn, he smells good—so masculine, musky and spicy, and so full of testosterone that I wanted to jump right into his lap and lick him like a happy puppy.

What the hell is wrong with me, and what is this guy trying to do to me? Ever since meeting this guy, my thinking process has been wacky. I was thinking of things I would never have before. Like I am right now. Because at this very moment, I feel I'm at the fertile phase of my cycle and ready to mate.

More like devour him.

I fanned my hand over my face. "I think the Mimosas are getting to me. I think I will take a step outside to get some fresh air," I said, pushing my chair back. I stood, and as I turned to step away from the table, I tripped on my own two feet and fell backward into Gunner's arms.

I looked up, and when I saw Gunner looking down at me, smiling, my cheeks heated more than they already were. He smiled a warm-hearted smile. "You're cut off for the day. Maybe you should come to the gym with me after leaving here. That way, you can sweat all that alcohol out of your system."

"I don't think I'll be able to handle anything like that. I can't even stand on my own two feet." Gunner reached for my chair, pulled it, and then placed me on the chair. "I'm such a klutz," I mumbled.

Gunner laughed, then picked up his glass of water and handed it to me. "Drink this. It's the best cure for a hangover, anyway."

Justin and Nikki started talking to Gunner. And since I was put on another time out, I remained quiet and drank the water Gunner handed me. But as I sat listening to the three talk, my mind wandered into a different world—a fantasy world—imagining naughty thoughts again.

Those dirty thoughts instantly left when I heard Nikki snapping her fingers in front of my face. "Hello... earth to Aria..." she said.

"What?"

"Where are you right now?"

"Sitting inside a cafe." I teased. "Listening to all of you talk and patiently waiting for everyone to finish eating so I can go home, finally, and sleep the rest of the day."

I felt a pair of eyes on me and turned my head to Gunner.

"Come to the gym. I'll make some fun out of this. They're coming, and so should you."

I looked over at Justin and closed my eyes when I saw the huge grin on his face. I sighed, "Fine, I'll go."

***

"I have nothing to wear," I said as I followed Gunner into the gym. "And I refuse to stink up these clothes."

"We've got spare clothes you can change into here," Gunner enlightened. "Follow me; I'll get you set up."

I leaned to Nikki, whispering, "You better be working out, too."

Her lips curved upward. "Of course, I am. I could use a few pointers to get rid of these love handles," she giggled, squeezing the sides above her hips.

Nikki and I followed Gunner down the hallway, past the weight lifting area, and then when we got to the next open area, Gunner stopped then waved his hand over to our left. "Here's the women's locker room. Come on, I'll get you two some clothes to wear," he said, walking right in and over to a large storage cabinet.

I looked at Nikki, then to Gunner with my hands on my hips. "This is a women's locker room. What if women are in here?"

While digging through the cabinet, he said, "There are no other women here today. I rented the gym for the day, so it's just my trainers and me," he informed, turning towards us. First, he looked Nikki up and down, and then he looked at me, doing the same thing. Only his lip was twitching this time.

He turned back to the cabinet, reached into the middle shelf, grabbed a set of clothes, and then turned and handed them over to Nikki. "These should fit you. Why don't you try them on?"

Nikki looked at me, shrugged her shoulder, then smiled. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Gunner then reached to the top shelf and removed some clothes. He took a look at them but then put them back where he got them, repeating until he found what he was looking for. He turned around, then held out the clothes for me to take. "These should fit. I'll wait here while you try them on."

I looked down at what he handed me, then held them up, inspecting each one. Candy red spandex shorts and a candy red sports bra. "They look skimpy to me."

He smirked. "Those are not skimpy. Those are designed to fit you like a glove. Go on. Try them on."

"Why are you waiting here? Shouldn't you be waiting outside the locker room?"

"I won't see anything standing where I am." He pointed over my shoulder, directing me where to go. "All you need to do is walk around that corner and change."

I started walking around the corner, but then my feet abruptly stopped. Both my mind and feet became more curious about his intentions. So I turned to face him, and just as I was about to open my mouth, he snapped his wrist, urging me to continue heading into the locker room. "I promise I'll stay right here."

I turned around and headed further into the locker room without saying a word. Nikki was sitting on the bench waiting, and with a smile, she said, "That man is smart. These fit perfectly."

"Scary."

"He's smart and intuitive."

I changed into the spandex he handed me, then stood in front of the mirror, checking the attire he gave me to wear. "I feel naked."

"You're not," she giggled.

"This top makes my breasts look bigger than they really are, and the bottoms make me look like I have hips and an ass."

"You look perfect! And so sexy," she winked.

Nikki grabbed my hand. "Come on, let's go have some fun."

My eyes locked with Gunner's the instant we walked around the corner. He looked me up and down, and as he eyed my chest and legs, an approving smile crossed his face, tickling the insides of my belly. And it also caused my cheeks to heat.

"Shall we?" he asked, extending his arm towards the opening.

We followed him into the gym, where he insisted on us doing warm-ups, jumping jacks, arm rotations, and leg and arm stretches. While Nikki and I were warming up, I overheard Justin asking Gunner to teach him some moves inside the ring.

Gunner happily accepted my brother's request. The next thing he did was hand Justin protective headgear and a pair of gloves. "These are the rules to MMA fighting, and they're the same as inside this ring right here," he pointed. "The rules are..."

I stopped doing my jumping Jack's and listened to what Gunner had to say:

No groin attacks,

No knees to the head of a grounded opponent,

No strikes to the back of the head or the spine,

No head butts,

No eye-gouging,

No fish hooking,

No fingers in an opponent's orifices,

No biting,

No hair pulling,

No strikes or grabbing of the throat,

No manipulation of the fingers or toes,

No intentional grabbing of the ring or cage,

And there'll be no intentional throwing your opponent outside of the ring or cage.

After Gunner explained to Justin the rules, they stepped into the ring. This worried me because Gunner is three times the size of Justin, and with just one punch, he'd be on the ground—knocked out cold.

Nikki and I dropped our jump ropes, walked closer to the ring, stood still, and watched. It relieved me to see Gunner was taking it easy on him. He also instructed Justin on what to do. What not to do, where he wanted Justin to punch. And where not to hit. Gunner then insisted Justin take a swing at him. "Come on, Justin. I'm pretty sure you can punch harder than that," he encouraged.

"I feel like I'm about to be sick," I said, holding my hand over my stomach.

Nikki giggled, then playfully shoved me. "You need to relax. They're just goofing around. Gunner's teaching him some things. What's so wrong with that?"

I looked at her with furrowed brows. "What if Justin gets hurt?"

"Inside the gym? It's not a real fight," she pointed out, rolling her eyes and turning back to the guys. "Chillax woman."

Finally, they finished sparring. Gunner stood in the center of the ring, looking at me and waving for me to come into the ring. I shook my head. "No way."

Grinning, he shook his head yes. "Come on, Aria."

I continued shaking my head no. And when Gunner started walking towards me, I shook my head much faster. Then Nikki shoved me into Gunner's arms while saying, "Get your ass in there. Everyone knows you need a good ass-whooping."

Justin handed me his gloves. "Here, take these... have fun," he laughed.

"Fine," I said, taking the gloves from Justin and putting them on. "They're way too big."

"Hold on, I'll be right back," Gunner said. He left the room, then returned with a different pair of gloves, handing them to me. "Here, these will fit those small hands."

Gunner helped me with the gloves, and as he tightened the straps, he explained what he wanted me to do. It sounded fun, but I wasn't so sure I could hit him.

What if I pissed him off, and he comes unglued?

He walked us into the ring, and once we got to the center, he began showing me what to do. First, Gunner showed me how to move my feet. Then he showed me how to punch and how I should stand when throwing a punch at someone. Then, once Gunner felt I was ready, he insisted I beat him—showing me where to hit him. I pulled my right arm back, then feeling nervous, I closed my eyes and swung at Gunner—hitting his left cheek.

"Punch me again," he demanded. "Only, this time, I want you to punch me with your eyes open and much harder."

I did as he said, but I wasn't sure if I punched him hard enough.

"Very good," he smiled. Then he turned serious. "Now hit me with your other fist, right here," he said, tapping his right cheek. I did as he asked, then laughed when he kept begging for more. "Keep going, Aria."

Surprisingly, I was having fun. A lot more than what I thought I would.

Then, he caught me off guard by knocking me to the ground, climbing over me, and pinning me to the mat. He lowered his face close to mine, and I slowly gulped. With the heat of his breath fanning my skin, his lustful, ever so creamy, chocolatey brown eyes staring into mine, and how his package fit perfectly against my sex, my stomach dropped. Then I forgot how to breathe, causing me to lose consciousness.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!🤞🤞🤞