She waved her hands in front of her frantically, the air she breathed in barely trickling into her lungs, but it wasn’t enough. Scrambling, she jumped out of bed recklessly, grabbed her purse, spilling all its contents, and dropped to her knees, wheezing loudly as she fumbled through everything, searching for her inhaler.
“What is it? What’s wrong with you?” Abel asked, already on his knees too then suddenly jumping to grab his phone. “I’m calling 911!”
“No!” she gasped as she found the inhaler, bringing it to her mouth, inhaling deeply, but she knew that she was near that too-far-gone stage—the one where she usually had to make a visit to the emergency room—somewhere she hadn’t been in so long.
Abel stared at her, his expression as terrified as she felt. The second hit she took and held in did more to expand her lungs, bringing some instant relief.
“What do you need?” Abel asked, back on his knees in front of her, staring at her, the horror still in his eyes. “Tell me what to do, babe.”
She reached her hand out to his and shook her head. “I’m okay now,” she managed to say. “It’s just my asthma.”
Her worked and worn-out lungs heaved up and down, but the oxygen was flowing in smoothly now. Suddenly completely exhausted, she began to lie down on the floor, but in seconds, she was in Abel’s arms as he lifted her, cradling her in his arms. He walked her over to the bed. “Do you need to go to the hospital?” he asked, lifting the sheet over her.
“No,” she shook her head, smiling weakly. “No, I’m fine really. This just happens sometimes. But I’m fine now.” She touched the side of his worried face and smiled. “I promise. I’m good now. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just panicked.”
He crawled in next to her, spooning her from behind. “Don’t be sorry, Nellie,” he said, kissing the side of her face then breathed in deeply, holding her tight. “Just tell me. How often does this happen?”
“Not often. I swear,” she said, turning to look at him.
He kissed her softly and frowned. “It wouldn’t matter to me if it happens often, sweetheart. I just wanna be prepared and not feel so helpless. Is it always this spontaneous? Or is there anything specific that triggers it.”
She turned her head back and laid it down against the pillow, glad that he hadn’t picked up on the fact that the text from Emily had triggered it. Her mind raced and she remembered the text from Logan earlier that morning. She wouldn’t dare read it now in front of Abel, but she would definitely be reading it as soon as she got the chance.
Explaining briefly that she’d suffered her whole life from asthma but for the most part it was under control, she made sure he knew it hadn’t been an issue in years. Glad she wasn’t facing him, she squeezed her eyes shut, praying that whatever they were saying about her and Sam wouldn’t get back to Abel at least until after the fight.
If it were really that bad, Roni would’ve called already, right? Maybe Emily was just being her dramatic self. She did tend to get overly excited about everything.
Nellie waited until she knew Abel was asleep. After their lunch and extra-long lovemaking session, she normally would’ve been sound asleep right there next to him, but there was no way she was sleeping now. Inching her way off the bed, careful not to wake him, she tiptoed to her purse’s spilled contents still on the floor. She gathered them up quietly, including her phone that was now flashing with another text. This one was from Sam and she braced herself.
“You okay?”
The sound of Abel’s voice startled her, and she nearly dropped her phone. “Yes,” she said, looking up at him. He was sitting up on the bed now, his face once again full of concern. “I was just picking up the mess I made,” she assured him. “But I’m fine.”
“Don’t worry about that, babe.” He stretched his arm. “Come back to bed.”
“I will,” she smiled. “I just need to use the bathroom first.”
He nodded, watching as she threw a few more things in her purse, including her phone. Slowly she got back on her feet and headed to the bathroom, clutching her purse tightly. Almost terrified to read Sam’s text, she forced herself.
I know you must hate me right now, but I swear to you I did everything I could to stop it. I admit I was all for it in the beginning, and I feel like an asshole about that now. But like I told you Thursday, my feelings for you now are real. I’m so sorry about all this. I truly am.
Hearing movement outside the bathroom door, Nellie knew Abel was up and she had to hurry. She wouldn’t have time to listen to Logan’s voicemail still sitting in her inbox, but with her heart at her throat now, she clicked quickly to read his text from earlier this morning.
If I’d had any idea that this is what they were planning, I swear to you I never would’ve had anything to do with it. Forgive me!
“They?” she whispered, bringing her hand to her mouth.
Sam and someone else planned something, and Logan had something to do with it? Nellie grabbed her inhaler and took a hit as her mind sped back to the night she met Sam. Had Logan’s sudden departure that night and his ex-girlfriend being in the hospital leaving her alone with Sam all been a ploy?
Feeling her chest tighten, she breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself. She felt as if she were going to have another full-blown asthma attack that would very likely have her in the emergency room. Her heart was going a mile a minute now, but she still didn’t understand it. Not just that but if something was going on that warranted this much remorse and apologies from both Logan and Sam and was apparently all over the news, why in the world had Worry Wart Roni not called her yet to check on her? Both her and Abel’s phones might as well be turned off for as much as they were ringing. She assumed after Abel’s reaction yesterday at the conference that Noah and the rest of the guys would be worried about Abel’s reaction to whatever it was going on now. And whatever it was, it sounded bad.
There was a knock on the door and then Abel’s voice. “You still good, babe?”
“Yes,” she responded in as calm a voice as she could manage, but her insides were a hot mess now. “I’m fine. I’ll be out in a sec.”
“Take your time. I’m just making sure you’re okay.”
As tempted as she was to listen to Logan’s message, she knew better. She’d already had to take several hits of her inhaler. She had no choice now but to wait until Abel left to get prepped for his fight in a few hours. After washing her hands, she walked out and into the arms of her waiting and worried-looking but beautiful boyfriend.
“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay alone here when I leave? Maybe you should come with me.”
She shook her head, smiling. “I’m fine, really. It was just one asthma attack. I’ve been dealing with this my whole life. Besides,” she reminded him, “you need to warm up and all that. I don’t wanna be in the way.”
“You won’t be,” he insisted.
“No, you need that time to concentrate on warming up and the last-minute strategy talk you told me about.” She touched his face. “But I promise I’ll be there before you walk out then right there ringside the entire fight.”
Looking less than complacent, he finally nodded. “Okay, I’ll be waiting because, Nell,” he leaned his forehead against hers, “I meant it when I said that I need you there.”
“I’ll be there,” she promised then kissed him.
Chapter 18
Normally Nellie’s time with Abel seemed to fly. But knowing there was a voicemail waiting on her phone that could shed some light on the mystery going on outside their sheltered media-free suite had her checking the time often. She still didn’t understand why no one else had contacted her or Abel if something this big had her name all over the news more than the impending fight of the decade like Emily had said.
Her parents were a given. They were television snobs. They both said they’d take gardening, cooking, reading, and even taking a stroll over sitting in front of the television, wasting mindless hours. She didn’t even
know why they owned a television. Even poor Gus was having to deal with the no television—or very limited in his case—rule in their house. But Roni? Nellie was certain that Roni would’ve called by now. It was the only hope she had that things weren’t so bad. Still she couldn’t ignore the fact that both Logan and Sam had apologized so profusely.
She walked into the bedroom quietly, literally tiptoeing across the room, making sure she didn’t make any noise because Abel was on the phone with his mom. Abel frowned when he saw her, waving a hand at her. It was his way of telling her that she didn’t have to be quiet, but Nellie knew better. From all the stories she’d heard about how close he was to his mom, this was not a part of their relationship that she was looking forward to dealing with. Bianca had once let it slip that she’d heard Abel mention his mom not exactly being a fan of the age difference between Roni and Noah. At the time, Bianca had no idea that Nellie had any interest in Abel, and she’d also mentioned that Abel seemed to agree with his mom that such an age difference would never work. This was one of the reasons she was so surprised that his feelings for her were as strong as he’d confessed them to be.
As far as she knew, his mom knew she and Roni were the same age. So Nellie was certain she’d have her hands full trying to win over Mrs. Ayala.
She didn’t miss the way Abel raised a somewhat annoyed brow when he saw her tiptoeing into the room again as she walked out of the bathroom. “Nellie, babe, will you hand me my pants, please?”
Her jaw dropped and he laughed. Not only would his mother know now she was in his room with him but that he was sitting there without pants.
“Nellie says hi, Mom,” he said into his phone with a smirk. Nellie threw a pillow at him, missing him when he dodged it, which only made him laugh more. “Nothing,” he said into the phone with a huge grin. “Nellie was just tickling me. She can’t keep her hands off me.” Gasping, Nellie picked up another pillow and threw it at him, this time nailing him, but it only made him laugh more. “I gotta go, Mom. Nellie’s out of control. Claro que si, Madre. Siempre.”
Still laughing, Nellie jumped on the bed and attacked him. “I can’t believe you said that to her!” She squealed then laughed when he started tickling her. “Oh my God,” she screeched between laughs. “What did she say?”
“She told me to use protection.”
Completely mortified but unable to stop laughing because he was still tickling her, she continued to hopelessly fight him off her. Within seconds, he had her pinned down and on top of her. “Be a good girl or I’ll have to call my mom back and tell her how wild you are,” he teased before kissing her softly.
“How am I supposed to face her now? That’s so embarrassing.”
“What,” Abel smiled, trailing kisses down her neck. “We’re both adults. It’s not,” he stopped to suck her neck making her squirm, “like she doesn’t know you’ve been married. And,” he sucked her neck a little longer, sending shivers all the way down to her toes. “She knows your mine now.”
That really got Nellie’s attention. “You told her?”
He stopped sucking her neck and looked up at her. “Well, not in those exact words, but, yeah, I told her we’re together now.”
Almost afraid to ask, she licked her lips. This entire morning she’d had been one big knot in her stomach and now this. But hearing him say that they were together so matter-of-factly and that he was so serious about it that he’d even told his mom about them, gave her something to smile about. “What did she say?”
“I told you,” he grinned, swaying his hips and rubbing his already full-blown erection against her. “She told me to use protection.”
“Not about that,” she laughed then closed her eyes, the mortification inundating her again. “I cannot believe you did that.” She opened her eyes, loving the way he was looking at her in that profound way he did so often. “I meant about us being together.”
“I love the way that sounds,” he said, kissing her softly. “She’s already making plans to have you over for dinner. And,” he looked at her a little apprehensively, suddenly finally letting her hands loose. He rolled off lying next to her instead but picked up her hand and brought it to his mouth kissing it. “I was gonna talk to you about something once we were back home, but as long as we’re on the subject of my mom, I figure now’s as good a time as any.”
Nellie stared at him curiously, her eyes going from his intense eyes to his lips on her hand. “I promised my mom after all this was over I’d either take her on a cruise of the Mexican Riviera or I’d send her on one with my aunt—her sister who’s also widowed and alone. But I was thinking, since things have changed now, any vacation I take you’re coming with me.”
Nellie smiled, and the reality of this was finally starting to sink in. This incredible man was hers now—it was almost impossible to wrap her head around that.
“So I wanted to ask you. Would you be willing to do a cruise with my mom? Hector and Charlee would be there too. Or,” he said quickly, as if she would really protest, “I could send her on one with my aunt by themselves, and we could go on one alone if you prefer. It doesn’t even have to be the Mexican Riviera or even a cruise. That’s just what she wanted to do.”
Nellie smiled, taken by the adorable way he stared at her now as if he were worried that he’d just freaked her out or something. “I wouldn’t mind your family there as long as you behave and don’t say anything like you just did on the phone to embarrass me.”
“Oh,” he shook his head immediately, “I could never promise you that. Are you kidding me? That’s gonna be the best part about having you around my mom.”
Her mouth fell open again, but she smiled at him hopefully. “You better be kidding!”
“No way!” He said, pulling her into an embrace and kissing her playfully. “This is gonna be a blast. Hector’s been having all the fun, embarrassing sweet little Charlee, whose face goes bright red every time. It’s my turn now.”
Nellie’s eyes went wide, remembering some of the stories Charlee had shared with them. The way Charlee told it, the stories always came across as Hector trying to razz his mom. She never thought of how embarrassing it would be to be on the other end.
Before she could begin to protest, Abel’s tongue was doing that wonderful thing it always did to her neck, making her quiver all over. As he moved his mouth up onto hers and his tongue dove into her mouth, Nellie decided that they could discuss his behavior around his mom later. Feeling how ready he was pressed firmly against her, she was already gasping in anticipation.
***
“All right,” Abel said, slipping on his dark shades on. “Show time. My entourage awaits me downstairs.”
Pulling his gym bag over his shoulder and slipping his wallet in his back pocket, he opened his arms, welcoming Nellie into them. “You nervous?” she asked, slipping her arms around his hard body and resting her face against his chest.
“Umm,” he squeezed her. “Not yet. But I’m sure as the time gets closer I’ll get there. That’s why I need you there, baby. Try to get there early.” He stopped and frowned. “You sure you won’t reconsider just coming with me now? I’d hate to think of you having another attack and—”
“Stop,” she said, kissing him softly. “I’ll be fine.” His needing her like he said warmed her insides, chasing away some of the anxiety she’d begun to feel again over the texts she’d read that morning. She looked up at him with a reassuring smile. “I’ll be out of here in less than hour. I promise.”
He kissed her softly at first then a little deeper, backing her up slowly against the wall. The deeper and more passionately he kissed her, the sooner she’d be moaning, which would lead to other things. As much as she felt as though she could kiss him forever, she knew she needed to stop this. The last thing he needed was to exert himself just hours before his big fight. That’s exactly where this felt like it was headed, so she pulled away breathlessly. “You need to go,” she smiled, chewing her bottom lip.
Gro
aning, he leaned into her, and she felt the proof of what she’d been afraid this might lead to against her upper thigh. Burying his face in her neck, he kissed it softly. “I can’t believe I waited so long to tell you.” Inhaling deeply, he kissed her neck again. “I love you, Nellie.”
Feeling her heart swell, she smiled big, almost choking up. “I love you, too, Abel.”
He pulled away to look at her. “Don’t be long.”
“I won’t,” she promised again with what felt like a lovesick smile.
As soon as he was out the door, she hurried to her phone, her heart already pounding. Before hitting the voicemail button, she wondered whether it would be better to listen to it or to turn on the television and see for herself what Emily was talking about. With her stomach suddenly taking a dive, she wondered what would be worse?
~*~
The moment Abel had gotten out of the elevator he’d been surrounded by what seemed like an even bigger entourage than yesterday. And he’d thought yesterday was ridiculous.
“What the hell’s all this?” he asked, looking around as they made a human shield around him.
“You stayed away from the hype, right?” Andy asked anxiously in the middle of the shield with him.
“Yeah,” Abel peered at him curiously. “I didn’t turn anything on or check the Internet at all.” Andy seemed more than relieved. Given the added security, as much as Abel hated to, he had to ask. “Why?”
Andy shook his head quickly. “Nothing. McKinley’s just been talking all kinds of shit about last night’s brawl. It’s nothing but crap you don’t need to be distracted by, and the media’s eating it up like vultures. They’re dying to get a comment from you. My phone has been ringing nonstop, but I haven’t given them shit.”
“Good,” Abel muttered, already irritated, and they walked slowly to the exit of his sheltered private corridor.
“You’ll hear Nellie’s name a lot. McKinley told them it was what set you off last night, so, of course, they’ve turned it into a soap opera. Ignore whatever you hear them yell out at you. You hear me?”