Chapter 3

Roman opened the door to the weight room and stopped at the sight of Lexi in front of the mirror doing arm curls. Her attention shifted from watching her form to looking at him and she gave him a sexy smile. "What took you so long? I've been waiting here for what seems like hours."

His heart skipped a beat then sped up its pace. He stepped inside, let go of the door and waited until he heard the solid thud behind him, then stalked toward her with one purpose in mind. "You know I'd never intentionally keep you waiting, right?"

She returned the weight to the rack and stood to face him, her lean frame slick with perspiration. His fingers itched to slip around her waist and feel the warmth of her flesh, and his mouth watered in anticipation of her kiss.

Lingering in that space between dream and consciousness, Roman rolled onto his side and reached for Lexi. The moment his hand came in contact with cool fabric instead of her warm body he opened his eyes. Damn it! Disappointment washed through him as cold reality set in.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and raked a hand through his tangled hair. For the past two weeks, she'd dominated his thoughts and starred in his dreams. Never, in all his life had any woman consumed him the way she did.

That fact both excited and bothered him. He'd driven himself hard to get to the big leagues of wrestling. Now that he'd arrived, proving his worth should be his only priority. Yet, he couldn't seem to concentrate on anything but her.

The right thing to do would be to ignore her and refocus his efforts. After all, she seemed to be doing her best to ignore him, but he couldn't bring himself to do such a thing. Not when her mere presence pulled at him so deeply he felt it in his soul.

The electricity from touching her just that one time stirred his erotic fantasies and like an addict he wanted more. Yet, beyond the obvious physical attraction they seemed to share lay something else; something intangible, magnetizing and very, very real. Almost as if they shared some sort of mental connection, some aura that no one else could see.

Waking up without her conjured such a letdown feeling he damn near wanted to cry.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed up from the bed and headed for the bathroom. Another day, another city, and with any luck, another chance to get closer to Lexi Hart. Pent up need, left over from his dream, gnawed at him, demanding to be sated. He turned on the shower, set the taps, then stripped out of his boxers and stepped inside.

With his back to the spray, he took a moment to let the water beat against his skin. Then leaned his head backward and enjoyed the feel of it soaking his hair and cascading down his body. He closed his eyes only to have a mental image of Lexi, her naked body wet and soapy, consume his thoughts.

On a groan of frustration, he leaned forward and rested his head against the cool tile. God, what he wouldn't give to have her trim, muscular body in his bed, writhing beneath him as he showed her just how he felt. In his dreams she'd cried his name out in passionate release. Would it sound as beautiful in real life?

"Fuck!" He smacked the wall, sending water spraying in all directions, then turned to face the stream. This daydreaming was pointless and detrimental. He'd spent years honing his skills as a Dom and knew how to control and channel his emotions and needs. So why couldn't he get his shit together when it came to Lexi Hart?

Frustrated by his lack of control, he adjusted the tap so the water ran cold. Masked by the sound of running water, he could have easily found the relief he so desperately sought. He'd done it before, in other circumstances, but something about this situation made the act feel wrong and disrespectful. A cold shower wouldn't be nearly as pleasant, but it would be effective and leave him guilt free. After all, the last thing he needed right now was another damn emotion to wrestle.

Twenty minutes later he stalked into the hotel cafeteria, grabbed a plate and began piling on food. Eventually satisfied he had enough on his plate, he scanned the dining area with the hope of finding Lexi. Instead, he spotted his teammates, Dean and Seth sitting in the corner. Disappointed yet again that morning, he marched over to where the men sat, nearly dropped his tray onto the table, and slid into the empty seat.

He caught Dean and Seth exchange looks and immediately went on the defense. "What?" After all, he had just as much right as anyone else to have a bad day.

Dean shook his head. "Nothing. You just seem a bit moody is all."

Roman scooped up a fork filled with scrambled eggs. "I didn't sleep well."

"Again?" Seth observed. "You haven't slept well since we arrived. What's going on with you?"

"I'll tell you what's going on," Dean offered. "Roman's allowed a woman to derail him."

Seth arched a brow. "Really? Well, I'll admit there are some fine looking Diva's here. It's easy to get derailed. So who's the lucky woman?"

Dean grinned. "The Hitman's daughter."

"Damn, bro," Seth dropped his fork on his plate. "When you aim, you aim high. She's downright gorgeous."

Trying desperately to ignore his buddies, Roman rolled his eyes skyward and forked up another mouthful of food as Dean shared what he thought he knew.

"True enough, but from what I hear she's lugging around a ton of baggage."

Roman stopped chewing and shot Dean a frown. "How do you know that?"

"When I realized who you've been focused on, I started asking around. From what I've learned, she was romantically involved with another wrestler a few years back. My sources tell me, their relationship was volatile to say the least and it ended with him breaking her heart. Some say he's the reason for that car accident about two years back that nearly killed her."

"I remember hearing about that." Seth pointed at Dean. "I thought it was just a storyline to give her some time off." He cocked his head to the side and shot Dean a curious look. "That accident wasn't scripted?"

Dean shook his head as Roman now listened on with much interest. Maybe Dean's PI work might explain Lexi's aloofness with him. "Definitely not scripted. Apparently, she suffered some internal injuries and damn near died. After that, she apparently swore off men to focus on her career and hasn't dated since."

Seth folded his arms across his chest and looked at Roman. "Damn, Roman. Looks like you have your work cut out for you if you insist on pursuing this chick."

Did his buddies think he'd be deterred by this information? If anything, knowing what he was up against would make the task easier. He smirked at Seth. "Haven't you ever heard that old saying Anything Worth Having Is Worth Fighting For? As far as I'm concerned, the more I know what I'm up against the easier it will be to win her heart."