Page 36 of The Bad Girl and the Baby

Chapter Ten

She had to stop thinking that bad things were about to happen as soon as Matt said anything about needing to talk.

He’d phoned her up that morning and asked if she could meet him for a coffee after he finished for the day. So here she was, at their usual place.

She’d spent the afternoon training with Sam. She hadn’t agreed to go back on the competition circuit, but he’d convinced her to do an exhibition match. He reckoned she needed some direction in herlife, that she was just pissing around. Maybe he was right, but the time away had changed her. And it wasn’t a matter of fitness. She was as fit as she’d ever been, even when she was going for the national championships. Training had been the one thing that kept her sane when she’d been locked up.

But something had changed during that time.

She’d always had a core of darkness inside her, one that gave her a competitive edge when she fought. A need to win. Now it was gone, burned away in her rage and grief over what had happened to Emma. She knew it could have gone either way. The darkness could have grown big enough to overwhelm her—for a while, she’d truly thought that might happen, and she’d been ready to embrace it. Thanks to Summer and Regan, that hadn’t happened. They’d brought her back from the brink. Convinced her that life was worth living. Plus, the idea of Lulu had given her something to aim for. She’d told herself that she didn’t want to be a part of Lulu’s life, that she just wanted to make sure her niece was safe and happy.

But she’d been deluding herself. Lulu was the only family she had left, and that meant more to her than she’d ever believed possible. No way could she walk away now.

So, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go back on the circuit. But if not, then she needed some focus for her life. The gym worked perfectly without her. She was running some classes, but it wasn’t enough to keep her fully occupied.

Something had been working away in the back of her mind since she’d come out. She wanted to expand the classes. Do more self-defense training. Maybe work with people like Emma—the ones who’d survived. She could contact the shelters and offer free training. Do something useful with her life.

She glanced up as Matt crossed the road and headed for the café.

And right then and there, she had a flashback to the other night. It had been nearly a week, and she’d done her best not to think about it. But—hell—she’d seen his dick. She’d had it in her mouth. What had she been thinking? Still, he’d started the whole thing with his striptease. Her gaze dropped to the bulge in his pants.

He had a beautiful cock. Sad that she was never going to see it again.

So stop thinking about it. And stop staring at his groin.

With a gargantuan effort, she dragged her gaze away and caught the eye of the waiter inside the café.

The day was warm, so she’d taken one of the tables outside—she still felt the need to be outside as much as possible. When she was sure she could look at Matt again without remembering his dick in her mouth, she turned her attention back to him.

He looked relaxed. No uniform today, but she remembered reading somewhere that military personnel had been warned not to wear uniforms off base. That reminded her of their conversation—he was putting his life in danger. On a sunny day like this, it seemed hard to contemplate.

He sat in the seat opposite her, and a waiter appeared immediately. He took Matt’s order—a black coffee—then turned to her.

“You want anything else, Darcy?”

“Another coffee, thanks.”

“They know you here?” Matt said.

“They get a lot of business from the gym. Makes me popular.” She leaned back and studied him. He did look more relaxed than she had ever seen him. For the first time, she looked at this from his perspective. He’d said he never intended to have a family—Lulu must have completely disrupted his ordered existence. And he’d done the best he could under the circumstances.

He was watching her in return. Was he remembering the blowjob?

She cleared her throat. “How’s Lulu?”

“She’s good. Well, maybe good isn’t the right word. But she seems more relaxed—not quite so many tantrums. She gets on well with Diana.”

“I’m glad.” Really, she was. Totally glad.

His lips twitched, and she gritted her teeth. She was so funny. The last thing she needed was for Captain Matt to think she had a crush on him. Because she didn’t. Just because she thought—knew—he had a beautiful cock, that did not mean she had a crush. She’d forget in time. Luckily the waiter arrived with their coffees, and she had a chance to calm her temper. “You said you needed to talk to me?”

“Actually, I wanted to ask a favor.”

Her mind searched but came up blank. “You did?”

“I have this thing tomorrow night.”

“A thing?”

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