Chapter 19

At the restaurant, Nova sat adjusting her black jersey wiggle dress and leather blazer jacket.

"You seem nervous." Becket sat quietly watching her.

She hadn't sat still all evening and barely made eye contact. "I'm fine." She said abruptly, shifting once more.

"You look beautiful tonight. I just wish I could see that pretty smile to go with it." Becket tilted his head to get her to look at him. He tried to make her feel better, but nothing seemed to work.

"I'm sorry. Liam upset me. I'm trying to get a hold of myself. I just got a little - upset. So, you said you might let me wrestle soon?" She calmed down trying to change the subject.

"Yes. You're ready. Don't you think?"

"Yes. I wanted to thank you for all your help. I know I've been hard to deal with, but I appreciate everything you've done. Also, for finally being more open about me being with your faction. I am learning a lot. I know this job is everything to you, and I want you to know being here is my dream. This is not some fly by night thing. I may be just a rockstar to you, but I know you remember how much I loved being in the ring when I was younger."

Becket looked over the menu trying to will himself not to stare at her all night. She was gorgeous and the more time he spent with her it was getting harder to hide.

"I know. I misjudged you and see you’re working hard. Sometimes I still see that tiny girl I knew years ago. You used to be so much fun, but you were just a kid. Hanging out with a teenager wasn't cool and I'm sure would have been illegal in most states," he chuckled. "I just remembered something. Do you remember when I was at WEC and we got in trouble for taking your dad's new BMW out? You barfed all over the floorboard. He thought I got you drunk."

"Well, in his defense, it did look pretty suspicious," Nova giggled.

"We just went to get a case of beer for Kevin and Jake. I don't even drink."

"Oh my gosh. I forgot all about that. We blamed that annoying jobber for taking the car, but Dad knew we did it. You drove crazy and was doing donuts in that parking lot. That's why I got car sick. It was one of the few times you let me hang out with you."

Nova swirled her straw in her drink, dropping her head. The weight of the realization he thought of her as just a kid still hurt.

"I know you think I didn't like you being around me, but that wasn't it. I didn't think it was appropriate to hang out with a teenager so often."

"I understand that. I really thought you were cool and wanted to be a bodybuilder because of you. Dad hated that I followed you around all the time," she admitted with a laughed. "He was afraid that I would lose my virginity just by a guy talking to me back then. I'm pretty sure he thought I was going to give it up to you. I still thought sex was icky then. I wasn't as developed as other girls my age. I still had dolls, listened to boy bands, and read comic books all the time. I hadn't even had my first kiss yet."

"Whatever. You were a horny teenager just like the rest of them. That's why I tried to stay away from you. I knew you were crushing on me hard. You were... what? 16 years old? I was around 22. You were total jail bait," he laughed.

She looked seriously into his eyes. "I'm not a kid anymore, Beck."

He looked back with a slight devious smirk running his tongue across his top lip. "You sure aren't. You're all woman now. A beautiful, mature, sexy woman."

Nova shifted in her seat, squeezing her thighs together to subside the sudden urgency to have his plump lips on her. Her eyes grazed over the stubble on his hard jawline and rested on his lips. His tongue teasing as hers mimicked her movements. Nova's breathing hitched as he gave her a smoldering look that made heat rise in her core.

Becket saw it. That hint of desire in her eyes was intoxicating. He knew he was playing a dangerous game, but all inhibitions were fading fast.

"Nova, I can admit when I make a mistake. I've still been treating you like that goofy kid. Hell, I was still a kid then too. I was an immature asshole back then and was a new wrestler who thought every girl wanted him. Truth was, I was just a cocky fuck-boy who didn't know anything about women. We're both older now. Things change. I have a feeling that there is a bigger reason why you came to Powerbomb Global. Why would you leave a huge rockstar career behind for this? You're not stupid. This is part of something bigger. Isn't it?"

"Yes. Don't ask me what. I need you to understand something. I wouldn't have done it this way if I had any other choice. I had to make a hard decision fast. Sometimes things don't go as planned but wrestling is in my blood. I have a feeling that I might have made the right choice by coming here. All I'm asking is for you to do is trust me."

The hurt behind those words told the truth. She meant what she was saying, and he couldn't deny it.

"All right. I trust you. When you're ready to talk about it, I'm willing to keep an open mind."

"I chose Colossus, Becket, because of you. I always trusted you. You always were responsible and respectful of me. Even though you've been a jackass lately, I still knew I would be able to come here and feel safe around you." Nova reached over touching his hand. "I need to be here."

"Do you need to be here... or do you need something else?"

Becket's eyes said it all. He knew she still liked him. A big part of him was hoping Nova would admit it so he could admit his own feelings in return. Not to her; but to himself.

She knew what he meant. The look in his eyes was asking her to admit what she had wanted to tell him for years.

"Both. I need both."