Dark & Knockout

Chapter 31

My fist knocked on the black door in front of me. I only had to wait a matter of moments before a rather tall, curly haired guy appeared. He was still dressed in his training gear, barefoot as he stood before me.

“Hello Beautiful.” Harry grinned down at me.

“Hi.” I shyly smiled.

My hand was gripped tightly in his, tugging me into the hallway of his flat before closing the door behind me.

“You know, I would have come and picked you up.” He spoke whilst removing my bag from my shoulder.

“It’s fine.”

I was slowly working on Harry’s possessive need to constantly protect me. He had reluctantly allowed me to walk to his flat alone from work after our conversation over the phone. But that was only after a good ten minutes of trying to convince me otherwise.

“Thanks for the offer though.” I smiled.

I wanted to let him know that his care over me was appreciated. Harry made me feel safe. I knew his defensive nature towards women had bloomed from his childhood. He had grown up too fast, taking on the role of the only male in the house. The protector.

My thoughts were abruptly cut off when soft lips landed on mine. The kiss was sweet, lasting a couple of seconds before he pulled away, rubbing his nose against mine. My hands were placed on his chest, feeling his strong torso through the white t shirt he wore. The vibrations could be felt as Harry hummed in appreciation of my touch, fingertips slowly trailing down his front. I caught hold of the navy material on his hip, lightly tugging.

“I love these shorts.” I admitted smiling up at him.

“Oh yeah?” He asked, eyebrows raised.

His tone was teasing, long fingers brushing away stray strands of hair from my face.

“Mmhm. You’ve got a crackin’ pair of legs on you, Harry.”

I leaned up placing a kiss to his cheek as he laughed. When I drew back, my right eye dropped in a wink. My body turned to stroll away down the hall but Harry quickly caught hold of my hand.

“Did you just wink at me?” He asked rather amused.

I shrugged trying to fight the smile spreading on my lips.

“You’re using my moves against me.” Harry lowly spoke.

“Who said that they were your moves?” I cheekily replied.

His raspy laugh echoed again as my hand was brought up to his mouth. Plump pink lips leaving a kiss to the back.

“You’re amazing.” He breathily whispered against my skin.

I gasped as Harry tugged me into his warm body, my arms round his waist holding him close. His head dipped, teeth nibbling at the skin in the crook of my neck as he playfully growled. The intimate actions almost caused me to forget about the impending fight. Almost.

Two days. Two days until Harry stepped into the ring. I couldn’t care less who won, as long as he made it out alive. I had quickly grown to learn Harry processed a very stubborn nature. He had refused to talk to me any further about the boxing match as I desperately tried to persuade him to call it off. My last attempt had caused him to raise his voice, my body cowering back against the wall. I didn’t want to anger Harry, we both knew the marks on my arm had yet to fade.

It’s as if he could read my mind as he gently took hold of the wrist. My breath hitched in my throat as I intently watched him raise my forearm up. The skin was darkly imprinted with Harry’s fingertips and the strong hold that he had held me hostage with days before. I hated the physical reminder of how he lost his temper, unaware he was causing me harm. Harry was so much stronger. It frightened me. His nervousness was apparent, gulping before sprinkling light kisses to the bruises. All the while his green gaze kept locked on me.