Read Online Hard Knocks: An Ultimate Novella by Lori Foster - Free Book Online

himself go.
    For several minutes he was deaf and blind to everything except the feel of Harper in his arms, where she belonged.
    Little aftershocks continued to tease her intimate muscles, and since he remained joined with her, he felt each one. Their heartbeats danced together.
    Gradually he became aware of people talking in the outer room. They sounded happy and satisfied, telling him the fight had ended.
    Harper came to the same realization. “Oh, no. We missed everything?”
    “Not everything.” After a nudge against her to remind what they hadn’t missed, he disengaged their bodies. Slowly he eased her leg down, staying close to support her—which was sort of a joke, given how shaky he felt, too.
    “Do you think Cannon won?”
    “I know he did.”
    Her fingers moved over his face, up to the corner of his eye near his stitches. “You’re sure?”
    “Absolutely.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. “I was sure even before the fight started.”
    Letting out a long breath, she dropped her head. “I’m sorry we missed it.”
    “I don’t have any regrets.”
    She thought about that for a second, then worried aloud, “They’ll all know what we were doing.”
    “Yeah.” There was barely enough light to see, but he located paper in the printer, stole a sheet, and used it to wrap up the spent condom. He pitched it into the metal waste can.
    “I hope they didn’t hear us.”
    Gage tucked himself away and zipped his jeans. “Even if they did—”
    She groaned over the possibility. “No, no, no.”
    Pulling her back into his arms, he teased, “They won’t ask for too many details.”
    Her fisted hands pressed against his chest. “I swear, if Armie says a single word, I’ll—”
    Gage kissed her. Then touched her breasts. And her belly.
    And lower.
    “Gage,” she whispered, all broken up. “We can’t. Not now.”
    “Not here,” he agreed, while paying homage to her perfect behind. “Come home with me.”
    “Okay.”
    He’d told her that he loved her. She hadn’t yet said how she felt. But while she was being agreeable... “I’ll fight again in two months.”
    Gasping with accusation, she glared at him. “You knew you’d fight again—”
    “Of course I will.” He snorted. “I got injured. I didn’t quit.”
    “Yeah, I know. But...” Her confusion washed over him. “I didn’t realize things were already set. Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “Didn’t come up.” He kissed the end of her nose. “And honestly, I was too busy raging about the fight I’d miss to talk about the next one.”
    He felt her stillness. “You’re not raging anymore?”
    “Mellow as a newborn kitten,” he promised. “Thank you for that.”
    Thinking things through, she ran her hands up his chest to his collarbone. “Where?”
    “Canada.”
    Gage felt her putting her shoulders back, straightening her spine, shoring herself up. “So when you leave again—”
    Before she could finish that thought, he took her mouth, stepping her back into the door again, unable to keep his hands off her ass. When he came up for air, he said, “If you can, I’d love it if you came with me.”
    She was still all soft and sweet from his kiss. “To Canada?”
    “To wherever I go, whenever I go. For training. For fighting.” He tucked her hair behind her ear, gave her a soft and quick kiss. “For today and tomorrow and the year after that.”
    Her eyes widened and her lips parted. “Gage?”
    “I told you I love you. Did you think I made it up?”
    In a heartbeat, excitement stripped away the uncertainty and she threw herself against him, squeezing tight. With her shirt still gone, her jeans still down, it was an awesome embrace.
    A knock sounded on the door, and Armie called, “Just about everyone is gone if two want to wrap it up.”
    “He loves me,” Harper told him.
    Armie laughed. “Well, duh, doofus. Everyone could see that plain as day.”
    Gage cupped her head in his hands, but spoke to