“You okay?” Noah asked, offering more water.

Hector pushed it away. What the hell was she doing here? Glancing back at Noah and pushing the water away, he continued to cough. Gio patted him on the back as his coughing slowly calmed and he began breathing easier.

He dare not look back in her direction. Not only had she shown up but that hair wasn’t up in a ponytail like he’d only seen it up until now. She wore it down now. That ponytail she usually had it in was so damn high he never imagined her hair would be this long.

Swallowing hard as Noah wiped his face down, he turned around to face the ref. The ref, who stood next to a still very dazed looking Guzman with his eye nearly swollen shut, now motioned for him to come over. Hector hardly heard a word of what the ref said, but once everyone started cheering, he knew he’d been announced the winner by way of knockout.

Lifting his glove up at the cheering spectators and not looking her way was a challenge, but he managed to get through it. He was already out of the ring and making his way through the crowd. The real challenge would start now—staying away from her all night.

What a pisser. Here he thought he’d unwind tonight and let some of the tension out that had built over the past twenty-four hours. He’d looked forward to throwing a few beers back with the guys. Having any alcohol now was not a good idea. He might do something bad and tell her little condescending ass off or worse: he might just be tempted to finish what he started yesterday.

~*~

They’d been there over an hour now, and still the only glimpse she’d had of Hector was when he’d been in the ring. Charlee cursed herself for not having worn higher wedges. When he’d walked through the crowd, she’d barely been able to see him with all the people in front of her. She so badly wanted a closer look at that tattoo.

Drew had been so excited as they walked into the banquet room where the exclusive party was being held. She said she’d never felt so special when everyone else had to leave and they, along with an elite few others, were led into the back of the gym and down a hallway where the banquet room was located. Charlee, on the other hand, had never felt so nauseous.

When she thought of coming to a party where Hector would be, she pictured lots of people. Even though it was exclusive, she still thought there would be crowds like the one at the fight that she could hide behind and become invisible—be in her comfort zone. This crowd so far consisted of about forty people, not nearly enough for her to get lost in.

Unable to hide what she was feeling, Drew had noticed Charlee’s discomfort and insisted she have a glass of wine to help her relax. She was on her second glass now, and while it did help, the knot in her stomach was still there.

“Where do you think he could be?” Drew leaned in and whispered.

Charlee shook her head with a shrug. Wherever he was, Charlee only wished he would get there already. He couldn’t be far, and the anxiety was only building with every minute that passed. She wanted that first look—glare—whatever she may get from him tonight out of the way.

In the meantime, Charlee had obsessively watched his brother, Abel. Walter had pointed him out, though it hadn’t really been necessary. The moment Charlee had spotted him before Walter said anything, she knew who he was. Not only had she already shamelessly Google-stalked him but she even watched some of his fights on YouTube, more for the possibility of seeing Hector in the audience than anything else. Even in a suit and tie, everything about Abel said heavyweight contender. He was big, built like a truck and annoyingly as good-looking as Hector, only in a manlier way. Not that Hector didn’t have the manly thing going on, but, obviously, his brother had a few years on him.

Another thing they had in common was the women’s reaction to them. They zeroed in, made their move, and then clung to them, just as those girls had Saturday night with Hector. The entire time Charlee had been standing there with the rest of the handful of people from her chess club, she’d watched as these scantily dressed women behaved outrageously eager and disposed.

Unlike Hector, Abel was far more discreet about his response to them. Although these women made it blatantly obvious that he had the go-ahead to fondle them if he so wished to by the way they rubbed up against him when they greeted him, other than the polite hug he responded with, he kept his hands to himself. Hector had been a much more willing participant with those two girls Saturday night.

“I guess now we know what kept him so long,” Drew whispered.

Charlee turned her attention from Abel’s group to the banquet room door where Drew’s annoyed glare was focused. She only hoped Drew hadn’t heard the tiny gasp that escaped her as she took in the sight of Hector. Even under what appeared to be layers of clothes, a dark suit complete with coat and vest over a dress shirt and tie, there was no hiding his impressive build.

Swallowing hard, she also took in the two girls on either side of him, walking in with him: the same two girls from Saturday night. Apparently, he hadn’t had enough. Both girls looked just as pleased as they had Saturday. Charlee could only wonder if that look of content on their faces meant they’d kept him nice and busy all this time.

“Stop staring,” Drew whispered.

Charlee quickly glanced away. She hadn’t realized she’d been staring so hard. Her eyes were on his brother’s group again. They had also seen Hector and were now smiling in his direction. Some of the guys’ big smiles were no doubt an approval of Hector’s grand entrance with two girls at his side. The only one that didn’t smile as big was Abel. In fact, if she had to guess, he appeared a bit annoyed. Charlee had to wonder, after watching Abel’s reserved interest in the women vying so hard for his undivided attention, if it was expected of Hector to behave this way too.