CHAPTER E L E V E N.

"HEY, YOU GOING TO THE after party?" Dakota asked Merrick.

Merrick hesitated and then glanced across the room to where Elle was curled in a chair in the corner sound asleep.

"I don't think so, man. I'm tired. I could use a little peace and quiet right now."

Dakota followed Merrick's gaze to Elle. "Your fans are going to want to see you. This is an important lead-up to the championship fight. Did you see that Lash was at the fight? Second row. He left in a hurry after you submitted Carew."

Merrick shook his head. "I didn't see." And he didn't care. Lash was the champion, and Merrick wanted the belt. It didn't matter who it was. It wasn't personal.

"I think it's a good idea for you to at least make an appearance," Dakota persisted.

Merrick sighed and glanced over at Cade. In the past, he and Cade and Dallas would have gone to the after party and partied hard through the night. Now all he wanted to do was go back to his hotel room so he could spend some quiet time with Elle and find out what the hell she'd thought about all this.

"I'll send a car with two bodyguards with Elle back to the hotel," Dakota said, his tone persuasive. "They'll stand outside her room. No one will get near her. When you're done, you can head back. Spend an hour. I'll make sure no one bothers you after that."

Cade, who'd been listening in, looked torn as well. He glanced at Elle and then back at Merrick. Then finally he put his hand on Merrick's shoulder.

"This is your night, man. It's your call. I'll go with you to the party if you want to go. Dakota's probably right. It's probably a good idea for you to show up, at least for a little while. You had a ton of people come out for you tonight."

Dallas pushed in next to Cade. "You guys want me to go back to the hotel with Elle?"

"No," Merrick clipped out.

He trusted Dallas implicitly, but even the charade of Dallas being with Elle grated on him. He didn't want to see them leave together even if he knew the entire thing was a fabrication meant to make sure Elle wasn't thrust into the spotlight. It was utterly ridiculous, but jealousy was eating at him at the mere appearance that Elle was with another man.

He turned to his trainer, his lips tight. "You make damn sure she gets to the hotel safely and that the bodyguards don't leave her side until she's inside. I'll relieve them when I get back to the hotel. I'm holding you personally responsible for her safety."

Dakota nodded. "Get showered and changed, and I'll arrange transportation to the bar we've rented out for the night. While you're doing that, I'll have Catherine take care of Elle."

It took everything Merrick had to walk away from her and not go to her, leaving her sleeping in the chair. Goddamn but he hated this.

He shook his head and jabbed his finger at Dakota. "You take care of it personally. Catherine's a wonderful woman, but I'd rather you see to Elle's protection."

"Whatever you want, Merrick. Now go. I'll take care of things."

Elle was gently shaken awake by Catherine, Dakota's wife. Dakota was in his forties, and Catherine was likely in her late thirties, but she didn't look a day over twenty-five. And it wasn't because of artificial means. The woman was just beautiful and vibrant, and she had a smile that could light up an entire city block.

She was smart too. She was often involved in the business aspect of Merrick's career. Elle knew from just the short time she'd been associated with the guys that Dakota depended on Catherine a lot for advice and her opinions. She had the respect of all the men around her, and Elle admired her for that.

"Hey, you feeling okay?" Catherine asked.

Elle nodded and sat up quickly, embarrassed that she'd fallen asleep during Merrick's locker room celebration. A quick glance around told her that things were dying down and people were starting to clear out of the dressing room.

"This is what's going down for the night," Catherine said. "There's an after party. It's completely normal. Tradition, one might even say, for the winner to host a party for fans. It's important for Merrick to be there and have a presence. The organization is looking hard at him right now. They know he's a contender for the belt and he's likely going to get that offer soon. Public support is always a good thing to have on your side."

Elle held her hand up to stop the flow of words. "Catherine, I understand. Of course he should go. This is an important night for him. I just wish..."

Catherine's face wrinkled in sympathy. "What do you wish?"

"That I could be there too," Elle said wistfully.

Catherine put her hand over Elle's. "I know you do. I can only imagine."

Catherine and Dakota both knew of Elle's situation. Merrick could hardly keep it a secret from them since he needed their cooperation in keeping Elle out of the public eye. Most of Merrick's camp knew. And Dakota and Catherine had both been wonderful to her.

But what they didn't or couldn't know was the extent of her relationship with either Cade or Merrick. How could they when even Elle didn't know?

As far as they were concerned, Elle was a woman in trouble, and Cade and Merrick were lending her a helping hand and support until she got her memory back.

Elle knew in her gut that she wanted more. But damn if she could even put a finger on exactly what she wanted from the two men. Or maybe she knew, and she was too afraid to admit it even to herself.

"Dakota has a car to take you back to the hotel. If you don't mind, I'm going to catch a ride back with you," Catherine said. "I'm beat, and as thrilled as I am for Merrick, I don't have it in me to pull a late nighter tonight."

"Of course I don't mind. I'd love the company," Elle said honestly.

"Dakota is sending two bodyguards with us, and they'll remain outside your suite until Merrick and Cade return."

Elle nodded, not bothering to say it was unnecessary. How could she say that with any certainty? She had no idea who'd tried to kill her or where he was now. All she knew was that the only time she felt safe was when she was with Cade and Merrick.

Dallas walked over and bent down to press a perfunctory kiss to Elle's forehead. It could easily be interpreted as an affectionate kiss from a man to his lover, and Elle knew Dallas did view her affectionately, but it was a pretense.

"You going to be okay with Cathy?" Dallas asked. "I'll go back to the hotel with you if you want."

Elle shook her head. "Go and have fun. Enjoy the moment, and make sure Merrick does too. And please don't let them worry about me. Catherine has been nice enough to ride back to the hotel with me, and I'm going to curl up and get some sleep. I'll be fine."

Dallas smiled and then ruffled her hair. "Okay, will do. You two be careful."

"See ya, Dallas," Catherine said.

Dakota walked over then with the two mountains who'd escorted her to her seat earlier.

"Elle, this is Carl and Steven, and they'll be escorting you back to the hotel."

"I'm going to ride with her, babe," Catherine spoke up.

Dakota's brow furrowed. "You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm tired. You guys go and celebrate."

Dakota pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It was clear the couple cared a lot for each other, and Dakota wasn't hesitant at all about demonstrating that love for his wife regardless of who was watching.

"See you later then," he said. Then he nodded at Elle. "They'll take you out now."

Elle followed behind Carl while Steven fell in behind her and Catherine. As they walked toward the door, Merrick came out of the shower, his hair still damp. Elle stopped a moment to absorb the image of him standing in the dressing room wearing a T-shirt advertising his training facilities and a pair of jeans that hugged his body in all the right places.

Cade walked over to where she stood, his stance casual. Merrick came up behind him until both men were mere inches away.

"You okay?" Cade asked softly.

She nodded and smiled. "Yep. Congratulations, Merrick. It was an awesome fight."

The corner of Merrick's mouth lifted. "You watched? Or did you hide your eyes the entire time?"

She huffed indignantly. "You submitted him with a rear naked choke hold."

Both men laughed. Cade started to put his hand out to touch her but pulled it back at the last minute.

"We'll see you later, okay? If you need anything at all, call my cell. I'll be checking it."

Elle nodded, and after one last lingering glance, she turned and walked away with the two bodyguards.

CHAPTER T W E L V E.

ELLE WAS IN A VERY modest pair of pajamas when she heard the slide of a keycard in the door. A moment later, it opened, admitting Cade and Merrick into the suite.

She glanced up from her perch on the couch as they trudged inside.

The room was dark, with only a corner lamp burning. She'd been sitting by the window staring at the Las Vegas strip and the dazzling array of lights that cascaded up and down the boulevard.

"Hey," Cade said softly. "Why are you still awake?"

"I wanted to wait up for you guys," she said. "I didn't get to talk to you earlier. It was frustrating."

Merrick scowled and then plopped onto the couch beside her, extolling a weary sigh that worried her.

"It was damn frustrating," he agreed in a low growl. "I didn't want to go to a fucking party. I just wanted to come back to the room where it was quiet, pop a few pain pills and...see you."

She got a giddy thrill from the admission, but she latched onto the pain in his voice and the comment about pain medication.

"What's wrong?" she asked sharply.

She turned, hovering over him on her knees, examining him for some sign of injury.

Cade went to the bar and pulled out a bottle of water. Then he went to the pack on the countertop, pulled out a bottle of pills and shook out two. He carried them and the water over to Merrick and handed them to him.

"What's wrong with him?" Elle asked anxiously.

Cade settled on her other side, his hand sliding soothingly down her back.

"Fighting's rough, honey. Just because he isn't bleeding or cut open doesn't mean he isn't sore as hell. His ribs took a beating, and he got clocked a few times in the head."

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" Elle demanded, her hands automatically going to Merrick's body.

"Dallas has already had a look at me," Merrick mumbled. "I'll take it easy for the next few days, heal up, and then I'll start all over again."

Elle gasped. "So soon?"

"The title fight will be in a few months," Cade said. "They'll give him time to train, make sure Lash is healthy, and then they'll set a date. Then they'll start promoting. Things will get a little crazier for this. This is the big time, Elle. This is what Merrick's been working for."

Was it a warning to her that she would be in the way? Would she be a hindrance to Merrick and his concentration? She hated the uncertainty of her position. That she wasn't in any position of equality. She had...nothing. She was nothing.

She lowered her head, not looking at either man.

"Elle?"

Merrick's soft inquiry reached her ears, but she didn't look up.

He reached for her then, cautiously touching the side of her arm. He and Cade were both careful like that. As if they feared startling her.

"Elle, he wasn't saying that for any other reason than he wanted you to know what you were in for."

"I'll be in the way," she said quietly.

A string of colorful curses burst from Cade. In an instant, she found herself turned and pulled onto Cade's lap. The shock of his touch and the intimacy of their positions sent a jolt of awareness through her body.

He cupped her chin and forced her gaze upward until she met his intense stare.

"Listen to me," he said succinctly. "You are not in the way. I didn't say those things to make you think you aren't welcome. I want you to be prepared for what's to come. For someone who's never experienced this sort of thing, it's going to be overwhelming. Especially to someone who's already fragile."

"I don't want to be a burden," she said earnestly. "I want Merrick to win. I don't want to be a distraction."

Merrick reached for her hand and threaded his fingers through hers.

"How about you let me worry about what is or isn't a distraction? I want you here for this, Elle. We both do. We're going to worry about you, and there's nothing you can do about that, so deal with it, okay?"

She nodded, relief making her light-headed.

"Now, what do you say we go home tomorrow and get back into our routine?" Merrick said.

It seemed so odd coming from this man. A man she'd seen in a whole different light tonight. He was a public figure. He had masses of adoring fans. He was a complete badass in the ring.

But to her?

He was her savior. A gentle giant with a heart of gold.

For all the damage he could inflict on an opponent, he'd never touched her with anything but exquisite gentleness. It seemed impossible that the man who'd rescued her and who lived in a quiet neighborhood in the small town of Grand Junction was quite possibly the next IMMAO heavyweight champion.

"Just like that?" she asked softly.

Merrick looked at her in question.

"You can turn it off just like that? Go back home to the quiet routine and shake off the hoopla surrounding the fight and your career?"

He smiled, and it was a tired smile that showed the lines of fatigue and strain on his face.

"Yeah, I can do that."