Chapter Two

Sophie

P erhaps sending Liam to the hospital in an ambulance was over the top, but it was the only way I could think of to avoid his fans and the media pressing in on him. Plus, he did have risk of concussion. I leaned against the door of the ambulance while the paramedics checked his vitals and fussed over his wrist.

"Look, Soph, let's get one thing straight."

I frowned at him. “When did I say you could shorten my name?”

He tried to hide his wincing as a paramedic prodded his wrist. "I'm in this league to fight, not to play nice with whatever changes Fury Combat throws my way."

"Good." I crossed my arms. "Because I'm not here to be your friend. I'm here to make you better."

One of the paramedics hid a smirk while the other gave me a sympathetic look as he closed the ambulance door. They moved towards the front to begin the drive to Sunridge Memorial while Liam and I rode in the back.

The bright lights of the Warriors Den parking lot cast shadows through the windows and on Liam’s lean, muscled chest and chiseled abs.

I didn’t realize how fit he was. Of course, I knew mixed martial arts fighters were some of the world’s most conditioned athletes. My attention was on more than just my new job at Fury Combat. I was in Sunridge for other reasons. Mainly, I was looking for a criminal.

Jack Thornton just got out of prison. Four years ago, that cruel, sorry excuse for a man attempted to mug my seventy-year-old father and my sister Grace when they were out grocery shopping in Chicago. My dad ended up having a heart attack and stroke hours later. To this day, he was still working on his speech recovery.

I tried to find Jack once my sister gave me his description. I couldn’t bring him in at the time because I didn’t have solid evidence. When some anonymous tipper got him turned in for a robbery, he received four years. He threatened to come after my dad and sister once he got out, but I would make sure he wouldn’t harm them again. I’d find a way to get him back behind bars.

Last I heard from an old colleague back home, Jack took up boxing in prison and was making his way to Sunridge to try out at one of these MMA gyms. A small town like this was a great place for a two-time felon to lay low until his next move.

“What’s got you so wound up?”

I looked up, realizing Liam spoke to me. Every bit of his expression screamed self-satisfaction. His perfect lips curled into a smirk and his brows were raised as if he always expected to win. He continued to talk to me. “You look upset. I didn’t hurt your feelings with that pink sneaker comment, did I?”

“I’m used to macho men who don’t know what they’re talking about.” Despite my snarky comeback, I found myself caught between the desire to wipe the smug look off his face and the unexpected, almost strange urge to get closer to him. My knees bumped against his, sending heat trailing through my jeans. “Believe it or not, I wasn’t thinking about you.”

“That is hard to believe.” He leaned against the wall of the vehicle and half-closed his light green eyes, bright like new leaves. They contrasted nicely with his thick black hair. “A few minutes ago, all you could talk about was me and my well-being. So what or who else is making you look like you want to go a few rounds in the ring?”

I released my clenched fists. My nails left marks in my palms. “It’s nothing. Just a way to release tension.”

He gave me a disbelieving stare. “Remind me to introduce you to the sauna. That’s how you get rid of tension.”

I turned away from viewing his bare torso as I pictured him in a steam room, black hair messy and tousled and muscles glistening with sweat. What the heck was wrong with me tonight? “Thanks, but I know how to take care of myself.”

“Judging from the way you were making those fists, I’d say you could use a break from stress.”

I got annoyed at how he thought he knew about my stress level. “I’m used to working in fast-paced environments.”

The next few minutes of the trip were in blessed silence before he started moving his mouth again.

“Was your last job hard like this?” He made an obvious attempt to pry into my career history.

“Harder. Let’s just say I can handle tough cases.”

This time his eyes got real big. “You worked in law enforcement?”

“That’s right. I used to be a cop.” I didn’t see the point in withholding the information from him, since it was on my resume when I applied for this job. “The guys I used to put up with had way more for me to worry about than a few dumb lines about the color of my sneakers.”

“Oof, direct hit.” Liam used his uninjured hand to shield himself. Then he dropped the comic act and gave me an admiring glance. “That’s really impressive.”

“What, that a woman can be on the force?”

“I wasn’t going to say it that way, but yeah. I bet Fury Combat told you I could be problematic.”

I leaned forward and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper. “I think they wanted me to learn that on the job.”

He gave an easy smile at my teasing. “You’re a quick study, Soph. I mean, Sophie.”

“It’s okay. You can call me Soph.” Maybe it was the charm in his eyes, or his sharp jawline that made me start to go easy on him. He had been in a tough fight already tonight, after all.

A little alert ticked in the back of my mind. Seriously, what was I doing, getting soft with Liam already? Geez, my libido was shouting over the thoughts in my head.

He put his good arm behind his head, acting like he was on a road trip rather than on his way to the ER. “Why’d you quit the force?”

I blinked, surprised he’d probe into my past life so fast. “I got hurt two years ago when I fell off my bike.” I pointed to my right leg. The scar beneath my jeans itched as I mentioned the injury. “It was a freak accident, but it took months to be able to walk again. I couldn’t run like I used to, and I didn’t want to be stuck behind a desk all day.”

“I don’t blame you. Sitting still is not easy.” He kept eyeing the ambulance door.

“Don’t even think about it,” I warned. “As soon as we stop and that door opens, you’re headed straight into a room in the ER, got it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Since getting off the force, I cringed inwardly at the word ma’am. The ambulance rolled to a stop. I could see the sign for the ER through the front window.

Liam sat up as the paramedics began to get ready to take him inside. “Once I’m out of here, we do things my way in training. Got it?"

Time for me to lay down the law with him again. "We can try some things your way. However, if you want to keep fighting professionally, you follow Fury Combat's rules, and that means working with me."

The paramedics secured a temporary sling on his wrist. I heard him suck in a deep breath. My fingers moved, as though wanting to push his hair off his face.

Knock it off , I scolded myself. He’s a big boy with an even bigger mouth. He’ll be fine.

“I’m not getting on a stretcher,” he informed the paramedics. “I can take it from here.”

I shook my head. “Just ignore him. It might be a concussion talking.”

The paramedics got him to sit in a wheelchair instead and wheeled him into the ER. I walked alongside Liam. The air was thick with the muted beeps of medical equipment and the sharp scent of disinfectant.

As we moved through the stark white corridor, my arm brushed against his. Warmth from his body sent a buzzing current through mine. While the paramedics took him into one of the rooms, I hurried and got him checked in at the front desk. The clerk then directed me back to where Liam waited.

He sat perched on the side of the bed, looking like he wanted to spring for the door at any moment. I closed the curtain behind me. “Settle down. We’re not leaving until you’re cleared.”

“Has anyone ever told you how bossy you sound?”

“I prefer assertive, but as long as my message gets across.”

This late at night, we were the only ones there. I settled in the vinyl seat next to Liam’s bed. This looked similar to the emergency room where my dad was taken after his heart attack and stroke. I fought back the twinge of pain in my gut.

The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting a glow on Liam’s bruised face. I hoped that right hook he took to the temple didn’t turn out to be anything major.

“What’s with the face?” His eyes trailed down to mine. “You look like you suddenly lost your best friend.”

Was my concern over his injuries so obvious? How could he read me like that? I relaxed my facial muscles to put on a poker face. “I don’t like hospitals.”

“Who does?” He stretched out his long legs. “You wanted this to be our first date.”

“This is not a date. Don’t joke like that.” When my words echoed, I realized I raised the volume on my voice. Embarrassed, I folded my arms and refused to make eye contact with him.

“Hey.” Liam’s voice got quiet. He hopped off the bed and crouched in front of me. “I know I can get flirty with a pretty woman, but I wouldn’t have teased you if I’d known it would upset you.”

There was no barrier against his body heat. The fact he wasn’t wearing a shirt made it harder for me to pretend to not notice. “You didn’t upset me.” Slowly, I raised my eyes to meet his. The smirk and joking expression in his eyes were gone, replaced by a sober concern. Gradually, I felt more comfortable to open up. “A few years ago, my dad was in a hospital. Seeing this reminded me of how awful that time was in our lives.”

I couldn’t believe how easy it was for me to admit the truth around him, not knowing how Liam would take it. My heart pattered with both nerves and the feeling of being exposed.

“I’m sorry about what happened to your dad.” Liam put his left hand on my knee. His gesture of support made me warm inside and sent extra sensations of heat shooting up my thigh.

My breath hitched in my chest. “He’s doing much better now.”

“Doesn’t matter. This place brought back a bad memory for you. I hate that I’m the reason you had to come here.”

The doctor and nurse entered. Liam got up and returned to the bed so they could examine him. The nurse got his vitals and monitored his blood pressure numbers.

The doctor flashed a light in his eyes. "Any dizziness or nausea?" she asked, scribbling notes on a chart.

"Just frustrated," Liam grumbled, patting his injured wrist in the temporary sling.

“Yes. I heard from the paramedics that you gave them a hard time.”

As the doctor spoke to him, I watched, trying to focus on the reason I was there. My attention kept sliding to the way his black hair fell over his forehead, the intensity of his irises. Attraction flared inside me. I didn’t expect or want this reaction. How annoying.

"No signs of concussion. You are going to need a scan on that wrist, though," the doctor concluded after removing the sling.

Liam's jaw tightened as he nodded. I accompanied him to get his wrist scanned, watching from outside the radiology room where the machine’s hum filtered out. He lay still, his body language showcasing frustration. I assumed it wasn’t just from the injury, but from the sudden change in his training regime: Me.

"Shouldn't be too long now," I offered afterwards, when we were back in the room, waiting for the results. I tried to ease the tension, yet my words sounded awkward to my ears. Multiple feelings surfaced in me as I stared at my new client.

"Never figured I'd be getting coached by someone like you," he said, his tone laced with skepticism.

"On second thought, I take it back. The flirty way you talked to me before sounded much better.” As the words slipped from my mouth, unfiltered, I had no time to catch myself. My lips clamped shut.

Too late. The brash smile was back on Liam’s face, warming my body and pussy. “I can go back to that.”

I moved my head right and left so fast my hair whipped across my chin and stuck to my lip balm. “It wasn’t an invitation.”

Liam’s scan results came in. He was clear of any breaks, just a nasty sprain. The doctor discharged him with instructions for care and follow-up appointments.

I opened an app on my phone and got a car to come pick us up. As we stepped out of the hospital, the cool night air did nothing to dissolve the heat wave I still felt as he stood close to me.

On the car ride to Liam’s place, he sat hunched in the backseat beside me, his wrist in the sling against his chest. "I know you've got all these certifications," he broke the silence, his voice a gravelly challenge. "Do you really think you can handle someone like me?"

Not this again. His eyes held a flirty glint, but the set of his jaw told me he wasn't entirely joking. The dim streetlights danced across his sharp cheekbones and strong chin.

"I’ve handled bigger." I was proud of how even I kept my tone, betraying no irritation or the faint tug of desire that his words stirred up. I wasn’t certain if he intended for them to have a double meaning or if my sex drive decided to run off the rails on its own. I focused on the passing blur of nighttime scenery to keep my composure.

"Bigger? Is that right?" He leaned in, the side of his body brushing against my arm in the cramped space of the backseat. "You don't exactly look like someone who deals with heavyweights."

I turned my head just enough to meet his gaze, our faces inches apart. His breath fanned over my skin, stirring something within me that I was determined to ignore.

"Appearances can be deceiving." I disliked how my voice betrayed me, getting quiet and whispery when I wanted it to sound firm and confident. “I've dedicated myself to understanding physical therapy and training techniques for combat sports.”

“Sounds great on a resume. I’m all about experience.”

“And I’m about strategy, resilience, and recovery. You need someone who sees the bigger picture.” Resolve filled my voice. “I'm more than capable."

"I’ll take you at your word. For now." The corner of his mouth lifting in an irritatingly attractive smirk.

When the car pulled up to his place, I felt the weight of the moment between us. Liam's hand brushed against mine while taking his ice pack the hospital gave him. "Thanks for sticking around tonight," he said, his voice softening for just an instant as he stepped out onto the curb.

"It’s part of my job," I replied, forcing a casualness I didn't feel. “Let’s go ahead and set a date for your first session with me. The doctor said you could practice again in about a week.”

"Next Wednesday, then?" Liam suggested. His voice held a note of challenge, as if he were daring me to back out.

I swallowed, feeling the heat rise up my neck. "It's fine. I still need to finish unpacking in my condo.” I hoped I sounded indifferent. The truth was, I needed the next few days not just for unpacking boxes, but also for mentally preparing myself. Training Liam O'Connor wouldn't just be about physical therapy. I had to do my job while I tended to my side project of searching for Jack Thornton.

Liam gave me another smile. The subtle curve of his upper lip hinted at sensuality. "I'll see you then, Coach."

The title felt like a taunt, a reminder that he was still sizing me up. There was something else there, too, I sensed. A glimmer of respect. It could be anticipation. It was hard to tell with him. I watched him close the door, the sound echoing like a gavel declaring the start of something I wasn't prepared to define.