Clenching his jaw, Abel shrugged. “Not at all.” As they came to a stop, Abel could see from the corner of his eye that Noah was staring at him again. He refused to look his way because if he didn’t know better, Noah was already on to him.
“So did, uh, Nellie mention the date to you?”
“Nope,” Abel said, staring straight ahead, willing the light to turn green because he had a feeling where Noah might be going with this.
“Hmm, that’s kind of odd, no? I mean neither of you is demanding anything from the other, so why wouldn’t she mention it?”
The light turned green, and Abel revved up his engine as he took off again. “She did mention the concert,” he said, turning on the radio. He was ending this right now. “Only she didn’t mention who she was going with and I didn’t ask.” He glanced at Noah for a second. “It’s none of my business.”
With that, he turned the volume up on the Sublime song on the radio. This conversation was over. It hit Abel now why he hadn’t wanted this thing with Nellie to be anything more than what it was from the very beginning. He didn’t have time for all the angst he’d felt in the last hour alone. Either he’d stick to what he’d agreed to—take the time he was spending with Nellie for what it was worth and leave any and all feelings out of it—or walk away now before he was in too deep. Only he knew now and he’d known it before he even asked Nellie to come with him to San Francisco that he was already in too deep. The trip had only solidified it. He’d been certain she was feeling the same thing too. But the fact remained she was going on a date—her first real date since her divorce—whatever the fuck that meant.
Chapter 8
Once again, Nellie gave herself the same speech. This was to be expected. It shouldn’t surprise her that it was Thursday and she still hadn’t seen nor heard from Abel since the night after they got back from their trip—almost a week ago. He was in training hell, and then he’d gone to New York for a few of those days. It was a trip she’d been invited to, only she didn’t realize that not going would mean not hearing from him either. Even a text or two letting her know he’d been thinking about her like she’d been thinking about him all this time would’ve been nice. But she knew this relationship was different than most. Just because it felt as if things had changed in San Francisco didn’t mean he’d suddenly start behaving like a real boyfriend who checked in on a daily basis.
Even still, she’d given in a few days prior and texted him to ask how New York was. His single response, hours later, was “good.” She hadn’t bothered texting him back, and he hadn’t bothered to ask her how she was doing, so it was the only word she’d heard from him since then.
Nellie had heard from Noah and Gio about her coordinating some of the 5th Street events leading up to the fight like Abel had mentioned. Even Hector had called to give her more info on exactly what she’d be in charge of in Vegas the day before and of the fight. It made more sense that Abel would’ve called her with that info, but again she shouldn’t expect anything more from Abel than she had from the beginning.
Maybe this was his way of toning things down after they’d gotten a bit heavy in San Francisco. After hearing from Roni about some speculation about them since they’d been seen traveling together, Nellie thought maybe Abel was trying to save face now with other employees from 5th Street who might’ve heard about it. Though he never actually asked her to keep it on the down low, he was so private she just naturally assumed that’s how he’d prefer it.
There was a knock at her office door, and Nellie looked up in time to see Emily poke her head in the door. “Come in.”
Nellie could use the break. Besides, for the last twenty minutes or so she’d done more theorizing about Abel than concentrating on her work.
“Your room is booked for Vegas.” Emily handed Nellie the paperwork. “I went ahead and printed out your confirmation for you.”
Nellie thanked her, taking the paperwork, slipping her reading glasses back on, and skimming through it. MGM Grand. She hadn’t been to Vegas in a while. The last time she’d gone, she was still married. She wondered after the stories that had risen because of their San Francisco trip and now his sudden disappearance if this trip would be different. With the hype of the fight and the influx of paparazzi, would Abel would keep things far more professional this time and keep his distance? Certainly he’d have little time to socialize.
“Did you hear what they’re saying about Abel’s dad?”
Nellie glanced up at her over her glasses then back at the paperwork, feeling a little annoyed. “What now?”
“Well, they’re all rumors, and I only noticed because Abel was trending on twitter.”
“He was?”
Nellie put the papers down, took her glasses off, and gave Emily her undivided attention. Trending on Twitter was huge. She knew the fight for the heavyweight title was big, and she’d gotten an idea of the kind of excitement his presence alone could garner from the reporters both in San Francisco and LAX, but she had no idea it was this big. She’d heard bits and pieces of the hype here and there, but she’d been so busy with this mixer she hadn’t had time to pay attention too closely to the details. And if she had to be honest, she was trying to keep her mind off him, so she was purposely avoiding the stories.
“Yeah, isn’t that crazy?”
With a nod, Nellie motioned for Emily to take a seat. Emily quickly made herself comfortable in one of the seats in front of Nellie’s desk. “According to the rumors,” she began anxiously, “his dad was killed by the Mexican mob. That part of the story seems to be the only part that’s fact or at least the part of him being murdered in Mexico when Abel was just a kid. But they’re saying he wasn’t just involved in the mafia but he was a key player as in one of the leaders of a big time cartel. They’re also saying he was a big-time womanizer and well . . .” Emily sat back in her seat, waving her hand in front of her. “If Abel and his brother got their looks from their daddy, I can only imagine the man had it going on too. Supposedly, he had another family in Mexico.” Her eyes brightened. “Can you imagine? More yummy Ayala brothers, only these most likely speak the language of love.”
Emily made a purring sound before breaking out into laughter.
“You’re silly.” Nellie put her reading glasses back on, immediately dismissing the rumors. “I can personally vouch for how inaccurate the media can get their stories, and Gio’s wife used to date the current welterweight champ, Felix Sanchez. She’s also told me all about the tabloids and overzealous reporters. The media were like vultures trying to catch his every move. Every single girl the poor guy’s ever been photographed with turns into some made-up story, and the more scandalous, the better. It’s ridiculous. I can almost guarantee you that the only truth to Abel’s dad’s story is that he died on a trip to Mexico. That much I’ve heard directly from Roni. If there really was so much more to the story, I’m sure she would’ve mentioned it.”
Nellie wasn’t sharing yet about her relationship if she could still call it that since he’d seemed to suddenly fall off the planet where she was concerned anyway. So she left out that Abel had told her himself in San Francisco that the stories about his dad were completely false.
Exhaling and sounding more than a little deflated, Emily frowned. “Well, unlike Felix, Abel’s managed to stay very private. He’s yet to even acknowledge the rumors about his dad, and his private life has been much of a mystery. It is pretty obvious the tabloids are digging. I read what they started to wag their tongues about you and him just because of your trip, but I guess after digging enough, they realized you really are just his personal assistant/coordinator. So they moved on to the next girl.” That got Nellie’s attention instantly, but she refused to even look up as she waited for Emily to continue. “First they took plenty of photos of him and Felix in New York each with one girl after another hanging all over them at some party. They were linking him already with Tammi what’s-her-face from that movie Bloody Hearts because apparently they left together
. But I guess they got some pictures of him having lunch the other day with a local girl who works at 5th Street, who he’s actually been linked to before. They’re already making him out to be in a,” she held up her fingers, air quoting, “very serious relationship with her.”
Lifting her eyes away from the paperwork, but making sure her sudden interest wasn’t too noticeable, Nellie looked at Emily for a second then back down again. Emily stood up. “I’d sit and chat longer, but I have to get back to work, you slave driver. I’m down to half of that list you gave me of those calls I need to make.”
“Good,” Nellie said without looking up again.
“And Logan called. He said he’s running late, but he’ll be here as planned.”
Thanking her for the info, Nellie went back to examining her itinerary for Vegas. The second Emily closed the door behind her, Nellie was on her computer. She knew she’d just finished telling Emily that those tabloid stories were ridiculous and made up, but she was still curious. Curious . . . that’s all.
Opening her top drawer, she pulled out her inhaler and took a hit. She hated how her asthma was such a dead giveaway that her nerves had been altered. As much as she tried to deny that this was clearly a blow to her heart, the unmistakable wheezing that forced her to pull out her inhaler unwittingly exposed her true emotions.
She typed Abel’s name into the search engine, hit enter, and waited. A second later, a ton of stuff about his upcoming fight came up: stats, more stats, fight hype, and commentary. It was endless. Chewing her lower lip, she considered reading about the hype. Even as close as she’d been working with 5th Street and with Abel being up for such a coveted title, boxing was just something she’d never followed. She didn’t even know much about Abel’s opponent except that they called him Hammerhead something or other and that he’d been the reigning champ for a few years now. Most of this she only knew because she’d heard it from Roni.
A photo of Abel in a suit and tie made her lose her train of thought. Certain that it was because she now saw him so differently than she did say a few months ago, she tried not to inhale too deeply at the photo, but the guy was a dream to look at. Staring at it for a moment, she remembered the very day it was taken. It was last year, the night he announced he was the next contender for the heavyweight title. He smelled as good as he looked, and damn he looked good enough to taste—eat. Okay maybe she was looking at him the same way even back then because she remembered thinking that night when he first walked in the room in that suit the very thing she was thinking now. “Perfection,” the whispered word slipped her lips.
“There’s someone here to see you,” Emily said over the intercom on the desk.
There was something strangely different about her tone and Nellie rolled her eyes. Logan no doubt was standing right in front of her young squirming assistant. Emily obviously had a crush on him. Still staring at the screen, she responded. “Thanks, Emily, send ’im in.”
A moment later, the door to her office opened and Nellie’s eyes went from the image of Abel on her screen to the glorious sight of him right there in her office. Scrambling and nearly gasping, she clicked the Internet window closed.
“Abel,” she said, reaching for her reading glasses and pulling them off.
The expression he wore was an odd one at first, and then he seemed amused. “You look good in glasses. You should wear them more often.” The corner of his lip lifted, turning into that sexy smirk she’d seen on him often—usually in bed. “It’s all kinds of sexy.”
She cleared her voice, standing up, and looked down at the glasses she still held in her hand. It reminded her how she’d avoided using them in San Francisco. Deep inside, a part of her thought maybe it’d be a reminder of their age difference.” I only need them to read.”
Smiling now, he walked slowly toward her but didn’t stop in front of her desk, making her already galloping heartbeat speed up. “I didn’t think you could get any sexier.” He walked around her desk, sliding his finger over the dark mahogany top. “It completes the look perfectly.”
Her insides instantly warmed as he reached her, and she was frozen in place now. His big hand was already on her waist as his eyes went from looking into hers down to her lips. “I missed you,” he whispered then licked his lips.
The thought of the reports of him being in a very serious relationship in correlation to his complete disappearance after just having come back from such an amazing trip crossed her mind. She almost didn’t say it, but couldn’t hold back. “I missed you too.”
With a smoldering smile, he leaned in and kissed her, pushing her gently back so her bottom pressed against her desk. As his hand moved down her thigh and under her skirt, Nellie gasped against his mouth, but couldn’t summon even an ounce of resistance. Instead, she ran her fingers through his hair, biting down on his lip as he lifted her onto the desk with one hand and began unbuttoning her blouse with the other.
As much as she hated to, she had to say something. “The door isn’t locked.”
He pulled away, breathing heavily with a smirk that made her blush even as she sat there on her desk, her legs already spread for him and his hand up her skirt. “You want me to lock it?”
Still trying to catch her breath as her heart thudded loudly against her chest, she knew what she should say. Instead, she unbelievably heard herself breathlessly whisper what she wanted to say. “Yes.” There’d be no more depriving herself of this kind of pleasure ever by playing it safe like the old Nellie would’ve done. She said this was all she was in this for, and she wouldn’t ruin it by letting overwrought emotions get involved now.
Smiling even bigger, Abel groaned, kissing her even deeper. He’d just begun to pull himself away when the intercom went off again. “Nellie,” Emily’s voice came on, “Logan’s here. How long should I tell him you’re going to be?”
Abel froze, glancing at the intercom on her desk then back at her. “Not long,” Nellie said, exhaling with disappointment.
To Nellie’s surprise, Abel didn’t move away from her completely as she expected him to. Instead, he moved back closer, taking his place back between her legs again. He stared at her for a moment before leaning in and kissing her then stopped and asked, “Same guy you had breakfast with that one morning?”
“Yeah,” she said as Abel leaned his forehead against hers, still staring in her eyes. “For a moment there, I forgot I was expecting him.”
Now he smiled. That hardened look in his eye, the same one she thought she saw that very morning she informed him of her breakfast date with Logan, was gone. “For a moment there, I forgot why I came see you.”
Suddenly curious, she tilted her head. “Why are you here?”
His eyes moved down to her lips. “I wanted to talk to you about Vegas. The weekend of the fight.”
She was about to tell him she already knew, that he was the last of the guys to contact her about it, but her words were muffled by his lips. So far, she’d been witness to three sides of Abel. First, there was the hard-ass side in the ring, a side she thought nearly made an appearance the morning he realized she had a breakfast date. Though a few days ago after much theorizing, she’d concluded she’d obviously imagined any possible resentment about her meeting with another guy or even all she thought she felt from him in San Francisco, since she still hadn’t heard from him.
Then there was his aggressive insatiable side, the side that made her toes curl and had her tingling all over like when he’d first walked in her office. He’d come there with a purpose, and if it weren’t for Logan waiting outside, Nellie had every intention of giving in to him.
But this side of him, when he toned the aggression way down, was what she’d been sure she felt in San Francisco when his kisses became so sweet. It confused her because she could almost feel him trying to express something to her through these kisses. She hadn’t wanted to make more of it the first time she felt it last week, but it was impossible to dismiss.
Finishing off the incredible ki
ss that left her wanting so much more, he took a deep breath before pulling away. “Sorry, what were we talking about?”
She had to think about it for a few seconds before smiling a bit flushed. “You were saying something about Vegas the weekend of your fight.”
“Oh, yeah—”
“But I already have all the information. Emily has even booked my room.” She smiled. “I’m all set.”
“So are you flying?”
That she didn’t know. She hadn’t even thought about how she’d get there yet. “Hmm, I’m not sure. I’ll have to ask Emily if she booked a flight or not.”
“That’s Emily outside, right?” he motioned to the door. “Your assistant?” Nellie confirmed with a nod. “Then ask her because that’s what I was here to talk to you about. You saw how crazy it gets at the airport now. I can’t stand all the media, and it’s bound to be insane both at LAX and when I arrive in Vegas. I was thinking of driving, but everyone else can’t fly out until the day of or even a day before. So I’m looking at driving out by myself. That’s almost a four-hour drive. I thought maybe you and I could drive out together.”
Nellie stared at him for a moment. The thought of being alone in a car with him for almost four hours now that things may’ve changed made her nervous but at the same time excited her.
She cleared her throat. “Okay.” She hit the button on the intercom, not sure if she should hope her flight was booked or not. “Emily did you book me a flight for Vegas?”
“Not yet, did you need me to?”
Abel shook his head adamantly, smiling, and then kissed her sweetly on the temple, making her heart flutter. It was strange how his sweet kisses made her heart nearly skip a beat versus his aggressive ones that her body enjoyed equally, but there was such a difference in her heart’s reaction to them. “No,” she said, smiling at Abel. “I’ll be driving out. I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t booked anything yet.”