Cade scooted forward in his seat. “You’re getting physical therapy coaching sessions from her, and giving her one-on-one self-defense lessons, and you’re telling me you’ve never gotten any bonus contact out of the deal?”

“Nope.”

“Okay. So, when’s the last time you had any pussy?”

“It’s been a while, I guess.” I tried to remember the last time. It had been a long while. “I’ve been in training mode. You know I can’t chase tail while I’m training.”

“You are so full of it.” He knocked his beer glass against mine. “You haven’t been in training mode for the entire past five months. And don’t even tell me you’re too injured. Do the math, you idiot. You haven’t bragged once about getting laid since you met MacKenzie.”

“So?” I was getting seriously pissed. He needed to drop this shit.

“Okay, then why aren’t you out there getting some?”

I hadn’t thought about it before, but he had a point. “Damn, are you seriously trying to be my sex therapist right now?”

“Why don’t you just date her, already?”

“For the fuck of fuck. Are you shitting me?” I thought I knew what it was like to see red, but I was seeing a much more vibrant shade than I’d seen in a while. He was going to feel this at our next sparring session. “You told me to back off that night,” I spat.

Cade leaned back in his seat and his eyes widened. He put his hands up in front of him. “Hey, don’t explode. I didn’t want you to pull a one-night stand on her. She’s Alexa’s best friend. They’re like family. How the hell did I know you were going to go all boombox over the head with her?”

“You told me I couldn’t touch her because it would be like you trying to date Sophia. You pulled the sister card on me.”

“Fine, I un-pull the sister card.”

I wanted to punch him. “It’s too late. She’s moved on. She’s with Chris now.”

“Dude, maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this, but she crashed on our couch last night after a particularly intense girls’ night out. I shouldn’t have listened, but it was hard not to. She was shouting about how awesome you were.”

For a split second, I allowed myself to consider how amazing it would be if he was right, and she really did still want me. But then I laughed. “She was drunk. How can I take that seriously?”

“Whatever. I’m just saying. If you want her, you have all the information. Stop acting like a pussy and man up before you lose your chance with her. It makes me sick to see you like this, man.”

I finished off my beer. The prick might be right. “Are you done playing sex therapist now?”

Cade nodded and finished his pint. “Let’s get another round.”

I signaled the waitress.

Twenty

MacKenzie

Friday night was supposed to be a big date night. At least, that was what Chris said. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going or anything, which made me nervous, but he ended up taking me to a great restaurant, and afterward we went to a rooftop bar and had several rounds. I was having a good time, but starting to wonder what was so special about dinner and drinks.

Chris took a sip of his drink. “So, I know we aren’t supposed to talk about work when we’re out, but I’ve been meaning to ask you how you like working for me at the gym.”

I smiled. “I can’t complain. After all, I get to work out for free around a bunch of sweaty half-naked guys.” I paused, wondering how I’d managed to just say such a stupid thing to my boyfriend, especially since I didn’t find any of the guys at the gym that attractive. God, that was something I’d say to Alexa, not my romantic interest. “Sorry, none of them are as hot as you,” I said, which felt a little like lying and I wasn’t sure why. But I smiled at him.

He leaned over and kissed me quickly on the lips. “I know, honey.” He put his arm around me. “The reason I ask is that I have a proposal for you. It’s work related, so please don’t get mad, but I was thinking about the fight Ian has coming up in just over a month. I wondered if you would want to come with us to Vegas. You know, to take care of any last-minute issues he might have.”

“You want to fly me to Vegas?”

Chris paused and took another sip of his drink before answering. “Yeah, and I thought we could stay a few days after and just hang out. You know, take in the sights. Do the Vegas thing.”

I took a huge swig from my drink. “You mean, like an extended date?”

“Yeah, sort of. Or maybe more like a vacation for two.” He sat back to get a look at me and his brow wrinkled. “You have that look on your face. What’s up?”

Damn, I sucked at hiding my feelings. I struggled to find the right words to tell him. I had slept with guys before, of course, but the idea of sharing a hotel room? That tiny little space, for several days in a row, made me feel claustrophobic. I wouldn’t have my escape route, and I needed an escape route. It was how I operated.

“I just…”

“It’s too soon for me to ask this, isn’t it?” he asked.

Chris was seriously such a good guy, the way he always let me out of stuff like this. “No, it’s just I don’t know if I’m ready for the overnight thing yet. Maybe we’ll be ready by then, but I can’t say.”

“If it’s just the room thing holding you back, don’t worry. We can have separate rooms.”