Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 33401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33401 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Well, not something. Someone. And as soon as I put my hands on her arms to stop her from falling backward from the force of my body, a shock goes through me like nothing else I've ever felt.
"I'm sorry," she stammers, looking up at me.
"It's fine," I respond, utterly distracted by what's in front of me. Although, ‘distracted’ is a bit of an understatement.
My eyes rake over her, and a sudden, deep longing hits me. I don't have a clue who this girl is, but I want her. I need her.
It doesn't help that she's the most beautiful woman I've ever fucking seen. She has bright blue eyes, her hair a mass of waves that fall to the middle of her back. It's bright blond, catching the sun. Her skin is smooth and unblemished, and her breasts are round and perfect. She's wearing a dress, and it's clinging to her body, every perfect dip and curve.
But it's more than just the way she looks that's doing me in. I'm drawn to her. Like a magnet or gravity. The force is strong and impossible to ignore.
I want to claim her, in every sense of the word.
"I'm sorry," she whispers again. Her voice is soft, like a melody, and I wonder how the fuck I'm supposed to control myself. "I-I was just getting ready to come around front and got nervous, so I stopped to catch my breath."
"It's fine, sweetheart," I say. Her cheeks go red at the pet name, and it's all I can do not to growl and take her into my arms.
But now I can see how scared she is, quivering under my hands where I still hold her arms. A surge of protectiveness roars through my chest. Who the hell could scare this angel, and where the hell is he? Because I want to make them pay. I want it bad.
"You're shaking," I point out the obvious. "Come inside and let me get you a drink."
She blinks those large eyes, thick sooty lashes brushing her cheeks. "Inside the gym?"
She shifts the small workout bag on her arm, and the pieces fall into place in my mind. "Yeah. You said you were headed there anyway, right?"
She nods. "I'm supposed to meet a trainer."
I have to fight the urge to laugh. I have no idea who she is meeting, but they're going to be sorely disappointed when I take over her training. Free of charge, of course. There is no way in hell anyone else is going to teach her to fight.
But that begs the question, why does she NEED to fight? This sweet little thing doesn't strike me as a fighter. I've trained plenty of women, some of them extraordinarily talented fighters, but I don't see any of that steely determination in this girl. All I see is the fear that I've come to hate already, with a heavy dash of uncertainty.
"Come on in," I tell her, letting her go just to loop an arm around her waist, guiding her inside. "This is my gym, sweetheart, and I'm going to make sure you feel right at home. What's your name?"
She glances at me, her lips parted. I have the strongest urge to kiss her, and I almost give in. She looks like heaven, and I bet she tastes even better.
"Bailey," she finally says, her voice breathless.
Bailey. The girl I plan to make mine forever. She just doesn't know it yet. "Nice to meet you, Bailey." I roll the name over my tongue, slow and steady. "I'm Porter Brooks. Welcome to Brooks Boxing Gym."
2
BAILEY
I don't even comprehend how weird it is that he's got his hand around my waist because I can't stop gawking up at him. Who is this man, and why do I feel like he's put me under some sort of spell?
Five minutes ago, all I could think about was how afraid I was for my life. I shouldn't be thinking about anything except learning to defend myself, but when I look up at this man—Porter—I can't concentrate on a single other thought. Except him.
My God, he's gorgeous.
He's also so big that I'm sure my asshole ex would cower in front of him. Ian is only good at bullying people smaller than him. People like me. Which is why I'm at a boxing gym because I need to learn to fight, not become enraptured with this magnetic man.
"You're going to have to forgive the mess," he says as we enter the building, and his voice is gruff.
"It's okay," I reply, not even seeing my surroundings. He's got all my attention.
"I'm adding on a pool, and the contractor is due to start tomorrow." He grins, and I see a flash of straight white teeth. "Do you like to swim, Bailey? Have you ever used a hot tub?"
"A couple of times," I say, my voice unsteady.