“Nope, I’m taking the couch.”

“Ian, you need your sleep,” she pleaded. Her eyes begged me. Saying no to her was nearly impossible, but there was no way she was sleeping on that couch. I wasn’t fucking raised that way.

“How the hell am I going to sleep knowing you’re uncomfortable?” I sat on the couch, laying claim.

She glanced at the bed, then back at me. “But I don’t want to sleep in your bed. The couch will be much more comfortable for me.”

I laughed. “Kenzie, there’s no way you’re getting out of this. Get in bed.”

“Ian, I really don’t want to.” She looked away from me, her face pinched as if she were worried, so I got up and went over to her.

“What’s going on?”

She turned her head away and bit her lip, her face turning red. “I don’t want to say.”

I rolled my eyes. “Kenzie, if you won’t say, then you don’t get out of it. Lay down.”

“But…” She looked at the bed, almost disgusted. “Is that where you slept with her?”

My mind was reeling, trying to figure out what the hell she was talking about. I sat down on the bed. “Slept with who?”

“The prostitute,” she almost whispered.

“Why would you think I slept with a prostitute?” I ran my hand across the back of my neck.

“I saw her at your door.” She still looked at her feet, digging her toe into the carpet.

“You mean the one from the bar?” And then it all made sense. I took her hands. “It’s the oldest trick in the book. My opponent sent her to my room. He was trying to get me to have sex the night before the fight. But I didn’t sleep with her.”

“Then why did you pay her?” Her gaze darted up to mine.

I squeezed her hands. “I was paying her to go away. Do you really think after what I’ve been through to get here, after all the years of training, that I would throw it away for a ride with a prostitute?”

She looked down again. “I guess I thought maybe you were just lying about the whole no-sex thing. Chris said there’s no proof that it actually works.”

I blew out a breath. This was Kenzie at her core; she didn’t feel like she could trust anyone. Fuck, she might not even know how to trust people. I needed her to know that she could trust me.

“Kenzie, I would never lie to you. Never.” I nudged her chin up so that she looked at me. “You are too important. I would never hurt you.”

She nodded and let out a deep breath. “Okay.”

“So will you please get in bed so that I can get some sleep before the fight tomorrow?” I asked.

“But I really don’t want to take your bed.”

“Will you at least sleep in it with me?” I knew what it sounded like, but I was so tired, and I just needed her to be safe and comfortable. “It’s a big bed. I promise not to touch you.”

Kenzie nodded.

I looked at the tight dress she was still wearing from earlier this evening. It hugged all her curves, and of course it was cut low. My dick stirred and I got up.

“I’ll grab you a T-shirt.”

Forty-Two

MacKenzie

I changed into Ian’s T-shirt and got in bed opposite him. “Good night,” I said.

“’Night.” He switched off the light.

I rolled onto my side, facing him. I couldn’t see him because my eyes hadn’t adjusted to the dark yet, but just knowing he was there made me feel safe. How was it that I couldn’t stand the thought of sharing a suite with Chris, but with Ian in the same bed, I knew it would all be okay?

Ian’s silhouette slowly came into view. He was lying on his side; I could tell from the bulging arm muscles that outlined his form. As my eyes adjusted, I took in his finely sculpted frame, his chest and his abs.

Oh, how I wanted him. Every piece of me wanted every bit of him. I wanted to run my fingers over every inch of his solid chest and eight-pack abs. I wanted to run my hot tongue down his body. I wanted to make him come apart the way he’d done to me on the mat in his gym. My panties got wet just remembering that day. His hot mouth on me, his fingers thrusting inside me.

No matter how much I wanted him, there was no way I would act on my desires. Not now. I’d already disrupted the crap out of him the night before his big fight. There was no way I would even try to tempt him to break his no-sex rule. This would be the one thing I could do right for him.

I took a deep breath and my eyes finally adjusted enough that Ian came into focus. Three feet away, facing me. Eyes open. We lay there, lost in each other’s eyes, just a pillow’s width away.

Finally, I pulled my hand out from under the sheets and held it open between us. An invitation. He took it and folded it in his own. Comforted, I closed my eyes. Because as long as I felt his strong, calloused hand around mine, I knew he was close by and I would be safe.

We lay there that way, just holding hands, until sleep took over.

• • •

The next morning when I awoke, Ian was still holding my hand, although he was asleep. The sheets had fallen away from him, and his broad chest lay bare. I was tempted to lie there and just watch him sleep, but he had a fight to win, and I had to figure out how to get my shoes and wallet from Chris. I needed cab fare to the airport, and my driver’s license to get through security.

I went into the bathroom and changed back into my clothes from the night before. When I came out, Ian was awake, stirring in bed.