Theirs to Keep

C H A P T E R T W E L V E

ELLE WAS IN A VERY modest pair of pajamas when she heard the slide of a keycard in the door. A moment later, it opened, admitting Cade and Merrick into the suite.

She glanced up from her perch on the couch as they trudged inside.

The room was dark, with only a corner lamp burning. She’d been sitting by the window staring at the Las Vegas strip and the dazzling array of lights that cascaded up and down the boulevard.

“Hey,” Cade said softly. “Why are you still awake?”

“I wanted to wait up for you guys,” she said. “I didn’t get to talk to you earlier. It was frustrating.”

Merrick scowled and then plopped onto the couch beside her, extolling a weary sigh that worried her.

“It was damn frustrating,” he agreed in a low growl. “I didn’t want to go to a fucking party. I just wanted to come back to the room where it was quiet, pop a few pain pills and…see you.”

She got a giddy thrill from the admission, but she latched onto the pain in his voice and the comment about pain medication.

“What’s wrong?” she asked sharply.

She turned, hovering over him on her knees, examining him for some sign of injury.

Cade went to the bar and pulled out a bottle of water. Then he went to the pack on the countertop, pulled out a bottle of pills and shook out two. He carried them and the water over to Merrick and handed them to him.

“What’s wrong with him?” Elle asked anxiously.

Cade settled on her other side, his hand sliding soothingly down her back.

“Fighting’s rough, honey. Just because he isn’t bleeding or cut open doesn’t mean he isn’t sore as hell. His ribs took a beating, and he got clocked a few times in the head.”

“Do you need to go to the hospital?” Elle demanded, her hands automatically going to Merrick’s body.

“Dallas has already had a look at me,” Merrick mumbled. “I’ll take it easy for the next few days, heal up, and then I’ll start all over again.”

Elle gasped. “So soon?”

“The title fight will be in a few months,” Cade said. “They’ll give him time to train, make sure Lash is healthy, and then they’ll set a date. Then they’ll start promoting. Things will get a little crazier for this. This is the big time, Elle. This is what Merrick’s been working for.”

Was it a warning to her that she would be in the way? Would she be a hindrance to Merrick and his concentration? She hated the uncertainty of her position. That she wasn’t in any position of equality. She had…nothing. She was nothing.

She lowered her head, not looking at either man.

“Elle?”

Merrick’s soft inquiry reached her ears, but she didn’t look up.

He reached for her then, cautiously touching the side of her arm. He and Cade were both careful like that. As if they feared startling her.

“Elle, he wasn’t saying that for any other reason than he wanted you to know what you were in for.”

“I’ll be in the way,” she said quietly.

A string of colorful curses burst from Cade. In an instant, she found herself turned and pulled onto Cade’s lap. The shock of his touch and the intimacy of their positions sent a jolt of awareness through her body.

He cupped her chin and forced her gaze upward until she met his intense stare.

“Listen to me,” he said succinctly. “You are not in the way. I didn’t say those things to make you think you aren’t welcome. I want you to be prepared for what’s to come. For someone who’s never experienced this sort of thing, it’s going to be overwhelming. Especially to someone who’s already fragile.”

“I don’t want to be a burden,” she said earnestly. “I want Merrick to win. I don’t want to be a distraction.”

Merrick reached for her hand and threaded his fingers through hers.

“How about you let me worry about what is or isn’t a distraction? I want you here for this, Elle. We both do. We’re going to worry about you, and there’s nothing you can do about that, so deal with it, okay?”

She nodded, relief making her light-headed.

“Now, what do you say we go home tomorrow and get back into our routine?” Merrick said.

It seemed so odd coming from this man. A man she’d seen in a whole different light tonight. He was a public figure. He had masses of adoring fans. He was a complete badass in the ring.

But to her?

He was her savior. A gentle giant with a heart of gold.

For all the damage he could inflict on an opponent, he’d never touched her with anything but exquisite gentleness. It seemed impossible that the man who’d rescued her and who lived in a quiet neighborhood in the small town of Grand Junction was quite possibly the next IMMAO heavyweight champion.

“Just like that?” she asked softly.

Merrick looked at her in question.

“You can turn it off just like that? Go back home to the quiet routine and shake off the hoopla surrounding the fight and your career?”

He smiled, and it was a tired smile that showed the lines of fatigue and strain on his face.

“Yeah, I can do that.”

She leaned over him, worried and anxious. “Are you okay? Are you hurting still?”

He opened his eyes and focused his stare on her, and then he smiled, easing some of the lines from his eyes.

“Yeah, I hurt. I’m going to hurt for the next few days, but Dallas will take good care of me, and Cade always pulls his mother hen act after a fight. I’ll be fine, baby.”

The soft endearment sent a shiver of pleasure coursing through her veins.

“Then let’s go home,” she said softly.

“Hell yeah,” Cade echoed.