Free Last Chance To Fight by Ava Ashley Page A

opened our eyes and looked at each other. We didn’t say anything, didn’t need to say anything. Anna reached up and pulled me to her, kissing me gently.
    I stood up for a moment to pick up a blanket that had fallen on the floor, and covered her with it. She turned to her side and I settled down behind her, wrapping my arms around her tightly.
    “I’ll let you sleep for a little while,” I whispered in her ear. “But I can’t promise I won’t wake you up for more in the middle of the night.”
    “You can wake me up any time you like,” she said with a sleepy smile. “I don’t mind.”
    And then she fell asleep, so sweetly and peacefully I thought my heart would break. I couldn’t believe the most beautiful girl in the world was right here, back in my arms. I hope to God I don’t lose her again was my final thought before I fell into my own utterly exhausted, peaceful rest.

Chapter Fourteen
Anna
    T he next day, Hunter and I woke up very early to drive back to L.A. I really wanted to lounge around in bed with him, take our time making breakfast, and have a long, relaxing day together. Unfortunately, it was Monday and I had to go to work.
    “What are you doing later?” he asked as we pulled up outside my office.
    “I don’t have any plans,” I answered, smiling. “Why, are you going to hang out around here today?”
    “Yeah, I’m going to head over to the gym and then probably just hang out at my apartment for a while,” he told me.
    “Oh,” I said. “I didn’t realize you had an apartment here.”
    “Yeah, I got one a few years back. Just a small place, nothing fancy. I have enough matches in L.A. and San Diego so that it makes sense to have somewhere to crash in both cities.”
    “I see. So, do you want to meet up tonight, then?” I asked.
    “I sure do,” Hunter said with a grin. “There’s a new place I’ve been dying to bring you to ever since it opened.”
    “Oh?” I asked, intrigued. “What place is this?”
    “It’s a surprise!”
    “Can you give me a hint?” I pleaded. “When did it open?”
    “It opened about three years ago,” Hunter admitted.
    “Wow,” I breathed, touched. “You’ve been wanting to take me there for three whole years?”
    “What can I say?” he said, his signature impish grin creeping back onto his face. “It’s just your kind of place.”
    “I can’t wait,” I told him.
    “Perfect. So, I’ll pick you up here?”
    “Sure.”
    “See you then,” he said, and leaned across the seat to give me a long, sensuous kiss that left me almost breathless.
    “I can’t wait,” I whispered, taking his head in my hands and returning his kiss with full force.
    Although I had hardly gotten any sleep the night before, that day at the office flew by like a breeze. I felt like I was walking on air, so much so that I worried my coworkers would take one look at me and know exactly what I was so happy about. Luckily, no one asked about it and I managed to escape at the end of the day without anyone accusing me of “glowing,” and making me blush. And then, when I walked out of the building, Hunter was right there in the parking lot waiting for me. I felt great.
    “Hey, beautiful,” he said as I got in the car.
    “Hey,” I said, no doubt grinning like a total idiot.
    Hunter brought me home for a few minutes so that I could change my clothes, and then we were off to dinner and then our mystery date. I couldn’t wait to find out where we were going, and patience wasn’t exactly one of my virtues. All through dinner I kept trying to get him to tell me what he had planned, but he would only grin and change the subject.
    “Where are we going?” he’d repeat, then pause to think. “Have I told you you’re the most beautiful woman in the world?”
    “You’re the worst,” I told him, laughing.
    “All right, lesson learned,” he’d say with a twinkle in his eye. “I will no longer tell you you’re beautiful.”
    “That’s not what I mean and you know