Claiming The Prize Read Online Free Page A

leggings and brushing her hair into a pony-tail,
Grace headed downstairs.
    Drago was looking at the photos lining the
hallway when she rounded the bottom of the staircase. He smiled at
her – that smile that opened his face up – and Grace felt her legs
go wobbly.
    Oh, this will never do, she warned herself. Get a hold of yourself, Grace.
    “ These are all you...,” he half-stated,
half asked.
    Grace broke into a grin, her dark eyes
agleam.
    “ Yes, they're all of me. Anto has his
own ideas about what constitutes a good photo.”
    Her cheeks were blushed lightly at his
inspection of her childhood images.
    Drago was moved. These were not studio poses
of the 'perfect family'; they were treasured moments of life. Guy
had spent time and money preserving these moments in his daughter's
life, and something about that made them more powerful. The wall
was lined from top to bottom. Grace riding a bicycle. Grace with
her first missing tooth, at the gym, a few jujitsu practice shots. Guy with his daughter perched upon his shoulders when he
successfully defended his title. There were so many. Drago's
perusal stopped on a photo of Grace hanging over the edge of a
First Strike sparring cage, her expression intense, caught in the
middle of yelling instructions to a fighter as Guy stood beside her
watching on. This snapshot, above the others, captured the essence
of father and daughter poetically. Guy's eyes were focused on his
daughter, and a look of pride shone on his face. Drago knew the
woman more from this singular image than he had in the previous
night's conversations. Passion for the sport was evident on her
face, and Guy Antolini obviously trusted his daughter with his
team.
    “ Grace, these are quite impressive,”
Drago commented. “You are valued, no?”
    Her reddened cheeks gave the only evidence
she had heard his words.
    “ Let's enjoy another coffee before Anto
drags us off to begin the day.”
    Drago smiled again and nodded toward the
kitchen. Grace Antolini was not like most women; this he knew. He
was at ease in her company, and he liked spending time with her far
more than he was entirely comfortable with.
     

Chapter 3
    Grace was professional at First Strike, but
her easy manner was still in evidence. Their morning meeting had
gone smoothly, and Drago found himself pleased with the workout
schedule she had designed for him. Mornings and afternoons utilized
different routines, and Sundays were days of rest.
    “ I designed this last week, so Anto may
decide to rearrange things once you have a run through this week,”
Grace noted.
    “ It looks challenging, but I much enjoy
a challenge.”
    Drago looked at her pointedly, and his
lingering gaze suggested there was something more to his answer. Grace lowered her eyes to interrupt the moment, but her skin
tingled its wake. His deep voice, combined with the sound of his
thickly accented words spoken with slow care, seemed to make
everything he said carry a weight beyond its surface meaning.
    “ Anto will keep making it harder as the
weeks go on,” she said, shuffling the papers in front of her,
wanting something to focus her eyes on other than him. “Especially
if he thinks you aren't wishing for anything , even death, to end the day.”
    She laughed then, and he laughed with her. One minute she felt more aware of herself than she had ever felt
before, and the next, she found being in his company easy and
relaxing. These new sensations were both exhilarating and
troubling.
    “ I will not be gotten rid of so
easily,” he returned, again making her wonder if he spoke about an
entirely different topic than the one at hand. “I am
ready.”
    “ Then let's get you started,” she
smiled, heading for the stairs. “Each morning you'll complete a
strength and cardio workout before your first session with the
Friar. Take a seventy-five pound bar and work through eight
repetitions of these six different exercises from the list I
printed for you. After one full set of