Free Wrestling Desire by Michelle Cary

you.”
    Derek patted her hand as he continued to glare at Holt.  “Just take it easy.  Doc will find out what’s wrong.”
    She watched him go then cut her gaze back to Holt.  He smiled down at her, but she could still see the concern in his eyes.  “If you need me I’ll be right outside.”
    Emma nodded as he leaned in a kissed her forehead then turned to go.  Thankful for the peace and quiet she turned her attention back to Doctor Andrews.  He gave her an empathetic look as he picked up his stethoscope.  “What do you say, Emma? How about we find out what’s making you feel so rotten?”
    “Sounds like a plan, Doc.”
    “Good.  Then you just lay back, relax and let me do all the work.”
    * * *
    Holt stood with his back to the warm wet spray, enjoying the feeling of the water pounding against his sore muscles.  His match tonight hadn’t been a headliner by any standards, but it had still left him sore.  Falling backwards from the top turnbuckle onto the padded floor might not be enough of a drop to cause serious injuries, but it still hurt.
    As his muscles slowly began to relax his mind started to wander and his eyes drifted closed.  It still amaze him how so much could change in a person’s life in such a short amount of time.  With DEVIOUS currently on hiatus he once again found himself climbing the ranks towards the championship title currently held by Emma’s brother.  That match would take place at their All Hollow’s Eve show.  
    Beyond the ring his life had also taken a new turn. In the matter of just a few weeks he’d gone from bunking in a room with Garrett to sharing a bed with Emma.  There were times when he still couldn’t quite believe she was actually his.  Now if he could just figure out a way to get Derek to back off and give Emma some space.
    Their conversation with Doctor Andrews should have put a stop to the battles.  Short of sending Emma for testing, which she refused to do, he’d been convinced that Emma’s symptoms stemmed from Holt and Derek’s constant fighting.  Holt had done his best to curtail the constant barrage of venom spewed by Derek and his younger brother Bryan.  Unfortunately he wasn’t perfect and his ego had overridden his good sense on several occasions. 
    Their confrontations made for excellent television and the EUW’s ratings had been through the roof the past few weeks, but it was definitely taking a toll on Emma.
    Trying to come up with a way to end this war without killing the ratings he turned off the tap, pulled the curtain back , and stepped from the shower.  He grabbed a towel and began drying off.  What they needed was a secret truce that only those involved needed to know.  If Emma knew that the real battle was over, she could handle the fake battle much better. Of course convincing Derek would be the problem.  The only person in the EUW who had a bigger ego than Holt was Derek.  The World Champion was going into his eleventh year in the EUW as the champ for the seventh time.  Just like Holt, Derek had done it all, but only more times and the rising stars in the locker room tended to look up to him.
    Of course with his antiquated views on what the whole bad versus good story line should be, he was slowly losing favor with management.  Their competitor had already managed to blur the lines between bad and good and was eating up the ratings because of it.  If the EUW had any hope of surviving they would need to follow suit.
    Holt wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped from the bathroom.  He walked to the edge of the bed and looked down at Emma who lay curled up in bed sound asleep.  Dark circles ringed her eyes and her cheeks were sunken.  She’d definitely lost more weight than was healthy.  How much more could she take until she ended up in the hospital? 
    He tossed the towel aside, crawled beneath the covers and pulled her against him.  She mumbled something incoherent and curled into him.  It was at that