The Hurricane (19 page)

Jeez, that boy seriously knew what he was doing. With Nikki gone, I was starting to worry about how I could face everyone tomorrow, knowing that I’d completely humiliated myself by puking all over O’Connell. Now, all that I could think about was my seriously sweet, hot fighter.

THE REST OF THE WEEK rolled by quickly. Despite my anxiety, none of the guys made a big deal about ‘vomit gate’, and I think they knew me well enough to guess that I’d retreat back into my shell if they gave me too hard a time about it. I hadn’t seen O’Connell since Saturday, but I had a note waiting from him every single day, either posted underneath my door before I woke or delivered by Kieran. I was beginning to think that the main entrance to my building was less of a security door and more of an inconvenience to O’Connell, because he never asked me to buzz him up to deliver any of these messages. They were so much better than text messages or emails, though, because each word was in his handwriting and holding them in my hand made them tangible and real. O’Connell hadn’t been able to give me flowers and take me on extravagant dates, but this stack of notes that I kept so carefully was his way of dating me. I loved it. They conveyed so much more than a text ever would have. When his handwriting was messy, I knew that he was tired. When he underlined the word sexy, I knew that he was horny. When he signed with a kiss, I knew that kiss was real. True, I missed his voice, but I really did love these notes.

I CAME OUT OF CLASS Thursday to find Kieran leaning against his fire engine red bike, legs and arms crossed and winking at all the pretty first years.

“Seriously! Don’t you ever get sick of chasing girls?”

“Nope,” he replied. “Having a body like this is a gift, and I feel a moral obligation to share it with the world.”

I wondered if he was joking, but I doubted that he was. There was no denying that Kieran was sex on a stick, but O’Connell was the only flavour I was interested in. I grinned as I waited for him to hand me my note. I really was starting to get a little clingy about those.

“Why is he sending me a note? I’m seeing him later,” I asked.

“Not soon enough, apparently. He sent me to come and get you because he’s having withdrawals.” He reached behind him to grab a helmet.

“No note, then?” I was disappointed about the note, but jump-up-and-down excited that he was as eager to see me as I was to see him.

“Fucking hell. You two are getting ridiculous with these notes. I’m not a fucking postman you know,” he grumbled.

“How does this thing do up?” I asked, ignoring him as I fiddled with the strap of my helmet. Instead of a cool biker chick, I suspected that I looked more like a bobble head. He rolled his eyes and fastened the strap for me.

“Did I ever tell you how awesome you are?” I asked him as I climbed onto the bike behind him.

“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbled. “You only love me ‘cause I bring you stuff from your man.”

“He’s not my man, you know,” I reminded him.

“Whatever you say, sunshine.” He sighed, and we pulled off toward the gym.

“THAT WAS AMAZING!” I squealed as I climbed off the bike fifteen minutes later.

“Liked that, did you?” Kieran grinned as he took back my helmet.

“You drive like a demon, but it was amazing.”

“I was going thirty miles an hour most of the way. Con threatened to cut off my balls if ANYTHING happened to you. I don’t think I could take the pressure of giving you a ride again. Besides, I couldn’t breathe anytime we went round a corner. You’re stronger than you look, half pint.”

He rubbed his rock hard stomach as though I’d actually wounded him by clinging on so tight.

“I’m totally getting a bike one day,” I told him seriously.

He laughed out loud at me.

“Unless you can find a way to ride wrapped in bubble wrap, Con’s never gonna let that happen. Do you even know what type of bike this is anyway?”

“Of course, I do. It’s the big shiny red type. I think I’ll get one in black.”

He rolled his eyes at me smiling, but I could tell that he was pleased I’d enjoyed myself. I practically skipped into the gym because I was so excited to see O’Connell. The atmosphere inside was electric, and the place was packed.

“What’s going on?” I asked Kieran who walked in behind me.

“Danny’s got Con a fight in two weeks. The guy he’s fighting is established, meaning there’ll be sponsors there. If he puts on a show, he could get sponsorship, and that’s huge. He’ll get paid to train, and Danny can get his name out there, get him better fights.”

I was so pleased for him but terrified at the same time. An established fighter meant that he’d become established by pounding away at other heavyweights and winning. Danny didn’t usually like me hanging around in the gym when the boys were training. He never said anything to me, just scowled more than usual, which had me scuttling as quickly as I could to get to my office. The clock on the wall at the back of the gym told me that it wasn’t even five, and I wasn’t due to start work for an hour. Deciding that facing Danny’s wrath after a week of O’Connell abstinence was worth the risk, I wandered towards the ring. I found him on the floor doing sit-ups, while Mac was throwing medicine balls on his stomach. He was covered in sweat, but those abs looked like they’d been carved in ice. I didn’t want to interrupt his training, so I hung back, watching my fill. He was so fine that with every rise and fall of his chest I was getting more and more turned on. My palms were sweaty and the heat building between my thighs had me squirming where I stood, giving me away to Danny.

“You’re a bit early, aren’t you, sunshine?” Danny barked.

“Umm…” I scrambled to explain my presence at the gym. I swear that Danny was like a disapproving parent. He only had to scowl at me in a certain way, and I knew that I was in trouble.

“I thought I’d get an early start tonight and someone offered me a lift. So...” I felt like I needed to keep talking, because when I stopped, he stared at me with his arms crossed while a cigarette dangled precariously from his lips.

“And I’m a feckin’ monkey’s uncle,” he said after what felt like forever. He sighed like I was the biggest pain in the arse in the world.

“Con,” he practically shouted, “get your lazy arse up. You two get ten minutes then I want you back here with your head in the game, understand?”

“Sure, boss,” O’Connell agreed happily, as he grabbed me and started walking. I could hear Danny muttering about how he’d never get anything good out of O’Connell now that I was here.

He pulled me into the office and shut the door behind us. Before I could even say hello, he pressed me up against it, and his lips were on mine. He groaned into my mouth as he moved his hands around to my backside and lifted me to wrap my legs around his hips. His hardness against my achy core had me rubbing up against him, trying to find some relief.

“Fuck!” he hissed out loud, and I flinched at his tone.

“Sorry, baby,” he whispered, as he pressed his forehead against mine. “I didn’t mean to scare you but having you like this is just about the sexiest fucking thing ever. I’d give anything to be balls deep inside you right now.”

“Aww,” I replied giggling, “you say the sweetest things.”

He didn’t reply but pressed against me harder. I stopped giggling and groaned as the ache became worse. If I’d been any other girl I’d have given him the relief that we both needed, but I wasn’t that brave, so this was as much as he was getting. Tommy probably had his ear to the door anyway. O’Connell bent his head toward me and breathed deeply, as we both tried to calm down. After a minute or two, he released me and walked over to the chair. He sat down and pulled me onto his lap, nuzzling his head into the crook of my neck.

“Mmm. You smell beautiful, sunshine.” I sighed, trying to stop myself from squirming around. I was so turned on that the need to ask him to touch me was almost unbearable.

“This gets harder every time we see each other, doesn’t it,” I told him.

He groaned. “If it gets any harder, it’s likely to snap.” I laughed but immediately felt bad, because O’Connell really looked as though he was in pain.

“You know, if you were with any other girl you wouldn’t have to wait.” He knew exactly what I meant, and he didn’t like it.

“If I was with any other girl, baby, it wouldn’t be hard.”

I frowned. Of course, it wouldn’t be hard. Sex with anyone else would be a walk in the park. Most girls probably didn’t even wear underwear around O’Connell to emphasize just how easy it was.

“No, sunshine,” he chastised, reading my thoughts by the look on my face. He grabbed my hand and, bold as brass, placed it on his cock. “With any other girl, it wouldn’t be hard.”

“Oh, my God! I can’t believe I did that,” I squeaked, pulling my hand away and burying my head into his chest with embarrassment. He chuckled and hugged me against him.

“Sorry, love,” he apologised. “It just got even harder.”

THE NEXT FEW WEEKS at the gym were absolutely crazy. Every day that O’Connell trained, we could feel magic in the air. It was as though we were all part of something really special. O’Connell had so much fight and endless determination that it made us better just to be around him. For nine hours a day, six days a week, O’Connell trained RELENTLESSLY. Not once did Danny give him so much as an inch, and not once did O’Connell complain about it. If Danny said ten more sit-ups then that was exactly what he did. If Danny said that push-ups were to be one-handed, even when O’Connell was dead on his feet, then that was exactly what he did. Danny demanded, and O’Connell delivered. By the time that fight week arrived, O’Connell was sparring for ten rounds then combining half bag with half mitt work. Danny had been tapering that off as the week went on, ostensibly to allow O’Connell’s body to recuperate before the fight. Today was Thursday and weigh-in day. I didn’t get to go to the gym where it was taking place. Danny told me that it was because he was paying me good money to be working tonight and not skiving. I thought it was mean, enough that I poked my tongue out at him when he left the room. Still, I wasn’t brave enough to argue to his face. Secretly, I suspected that he didn’t want me somewhere where I would be so deeply out of my element. I couldn’t say that being left behind was any better, though. Walking through the gym was creepy. Usually bustling with life and energy, the speedballs were still and the bags hung lifelessly from the ceiling. Nearly all of the guys were at the weigh-in as a show of support for O’Connell. A few of the younger guys, that Danny wouldn’t let follow him, were allocated menial tasks around the place, and Mac had stayed to supervise. It was patently obvious that the bunch of fifteen-year-olds currently cleaning the shower room didn’t need Mac’s level of supervision. After his fifth time of checking on me in two hours, it became clear who he was really babysitting. Danny’s sense of chivalry was working overtime again, it seemed. He was out of luck, though, if he thought he was getting his money’s worth from me. I’d been like a cat on a hot tin roof all night, and it was only the weigh-in. There was absolutely no way that he was keeping me away from the fight tomorrow. A knock on my door pulled me back down to earth. Mac opened it and popped his head around. If he asked me if I needed anything one more time, I was going to throw something at him.