Bound By Cage Box Set (Complete Series Books 1-4) : MMA Romance

by Brittany Crowley

  “I need to go pack really quick, then I’ll take you home on my way to the airport. I really am sorry. I was looking forward to our date tonight.”

  I give him a chaste kiss and send him to his bedroom. As he turns around to walk away, I smack him on the ass, which earns me a crooked grin and his infectious laugh. He surprises me when he lunges and brings me down to the floor on my back, him on top of me. He starts kissing me, possessing me. I feel his hand start to work its way from my neck, down the middle of my breasts, to my lower stomach. My heart starts to pound in anticipation.

  “I thought we didn’t have time,” I manage to get out breathlessly.

  "I changed my mind,” Zander growls out.

  His hands are in my pants, making their way farther down. His fingers are absolute magic as he moves them through my wetness, hitting my clit and making me see stars. He’s moving at a feverish pace, and I beg him not to stop. I’m so close already, all that build-up before the phone call having heightened my arousal beyond belief.

  “Zander,” I moan out. His fingers move faster as I get closer to my climax. Pinching my clit has me yelling out his name as my body racks with tremors as I experience the most intense orgasm. Ever.

  “That’s it, baby, you’re so fucking beautiful when you let go.”

  As I come back down from that amazing high, Zander removes his hand, brings his fingers to his mouth, and sucks my wetness off. I never thought I’d be into something like that, but it makes me want so much more. Hovering over me, he gives me his sexy grin before getting up and pulling me with him.

  “There’s no way in hell I could have left knowing you were heading home to your vibrator. I will always make sure you’re satisfied.” I’m still in a daze as he walks away to pack his bags.

  “Holy shit,” I whisper to myself as I sit on the couch. If his fingers feel that good, what will happen when he finally sinks his cock into me?

  I hear little footsteps as his dog, Daisy, rushes up to me. She jumps on my lap and licks my face. “Well, where have you been hiding? Aren’t you the cutest thing?”

  She’s a fat little brown and white basset hound with giant, floppy ears. She covers my face with kisses, and I can’t help but laugh. She reminds me of a dog I had when I was a kid with her affectionate nature. Zander comes back out ten minutes later with his suitcase, and I’m still on the couch with Daisy. “She was asleep on my bed when I went in there. She’s partially deaf and doesn’t always hear me when I come home.” Zander comes and sits down to rub her belly.

  “Who takes care of this cute little girl when you’re gone?”

  “Most of the time, I drop her off at my mom’s or she comes here and checks up on her. That reminds me, I have to call her…” He grabs his phone and gives his mom the rundown on what’s going on with his schedule.

  “All right, baby, we have to go.”

  He helps me off the couch, and we head for the door after I give Daisy one last belly rub. He holds my hand all the way to the truck and opens the door for me to get in. As we head for my house after one of the most memorable morning’s I’ve ever had, I think, yeah…I can definitely get used to this.

  CHAPTER 7

  I’m at work making a Long Island iced tea when my thoughts go to my drive home with Zander a few days ago. He held my hand all the way back to my house and walked me to my door, where he gave me a panty-melting kiss goodbye. He promised to call me once he got the chance, but he wasn’t fully sure what he was walking into. Once he landed in New York, he was in a whirlwind of media madness. He has no idea when he’ll be returning home but says that hopefully it will be tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest. I’ve tried to keep myself from checking social media, but it’s so freaking hard!

  It’s been sheer craziness since I met Zander, yet it feels like I’ve known him forever. We definitely have a connection that I can’t explain, and with him leaving, it’s given me time to reflect on my feelings. I feel like I’m in deep with him, and I can honestly say I’m scared shitless. I have never felt this way about anyone before in any of my relationships. To say I’m falling for this man I barely know is an understatement, and I just need to figure out if I’m okay with him being whisked away at a moment’s notice due to his celebrity status. Zander being a celebrity is not a check mark in the pro column for me. As I’m thinking about it all, I hear my phone chime and get pulled from my thoughts.

  My Sexy Fighter: I bet you’re thinking about me, beautiful.

  Me: Oh, is this that cocky fighter that I know? Now why would I be thinking about him? Now this sexy guy I know named Zander, that’s who I’m thinking about. ;)

  My Sexy Fighter: Tell me about this guy. You’ve been thinking about him, huh? Should I be jealous?

  Me: I miss you already.

  I can’t help but send the message. It’s how I feel, and I want him to know I’m thinking of him.

  My Sexy Fighter: I can’t stop thinking about you too. I don’t know about you, but I will be worshiping every inch of that delectable little body when I get home. When I’m done worshiping, I plan on sliding deep inside of you and making you scream my name.

  Holy shit, why did we have to get interrupted that morning? I have the worst luck. But if the actual thing is as good as the buildup, I cannot wait for him to worship the hell outta me.

  Me: I. Cannot. Wait!

  My Sexy Fighter: Just thinking about the taste I got the other morning has my dick in a constant state of hardness. It’s fucking painful, and if I stand up I’m going to embarrass myself. I’ll call you later when I get back to the hotel. I have an interview in 15.

  Putting my phone back in my pocket, I sigh. I cannot wait until he gets home. I turn back to the customers at the bar and notice Ashlyn walking through the entrance.

  “Hey ho, are you feeling any better?” I ask, noticing she still looks like shit. It turned out she didn’t just have a migraine, she ended up with the flu for a few days.

  “Hell no, it just won’t quit. I had to come in to talk to Louis to make sure everything is going to run smoothly tonight. It was my shift to work, and John is off for the night. I need to see if he can handle the kitchen.” She heads back to the kitchen, holding her head. Poor thing. Fifteen minutes later, she comes back out to the bar and takes a seat at a stool.

  “Hey Sav, can you get me a glass of ginger ale? I need something to soothe my stomach before I go home to bed.”

  I turn and pour some ginger ale into a cup and slide it to her. “Here you go. Hopefully this is the tail end.” I offer her a sympathetic smile. She finishes her ginger ale, says her goodbyes, and then heads back home.

  I have an hour left in my shift when I look up and curse under my breath. My ex-boyfriend, Luke, is walking up to the bar with an embarrassingly large bouquet of flowers. We broke up about a year ago when I walked in on him banging one of the bartenders in the storage closet. I kicked him out of my life and fired that whore. I’d like to say I was broken up about it, but I wasn’t. It made me realize I stayed with him out of comfort rather than actually wanting to be with him. It made getting over Luke easy. He comes in from time to time, trying to get me back, saying shit like he couldn’t help it, that she threw herself at him, and that he’s a man and a man can only resist so much temptation. I usually just tell him to fuck off and get the hell out of my bar.

  “Hey baby, can we talk?” He has that hopeful look in his eyes that he always has. I really believe he thinks one of these times I’m going to accept his apology and jump into his arms. Fat chance in hell of that ever happening.

  “Turn your ass right around, Luke, and fuck off. We’ve been through this before, and I’m getting sick of it. I’m dating someone new, and my life is finally in a good place. You need to leave me alone.” I cross my arms over my chest, taking a defensive stance.

  “‘He better not touch what's mine. You know this isn't over between us, Savannah. You just need to get over this stupid misunderstanding.” I cannot believe the bullshit he’s
spewing from his mouth or the fact that he truly believes it.

  “I told you once already. Get. The. Fuck. Out. Of. Here!” I raise my voice on the last words. We’re starting to cause a scene. Everyone at the bar is turning toward us for the show we’re putting on.

  “Get out of here before I call the cops, Luke. You know I will.”

  He narrows his eyes and shoots me a hateful glare. “This will never be over. You can block me out of your life all you want, but I will not be going away.”

  He heads for the bar door, practically plowing down a few customers that are in his path. When he finally walks out, I release the breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. Just what I need, I think to myself, a crazy ex showing up when I’m actually freaking happy again and starting a new relationship.

  I give everyone at the bar a drink on the house as an apology for the scene that Luke just caused. I usually don’t drink while I’m on shift, but I say screw it and take a double shot of Patrón. It burns going down, and I wince. I never was much for hard alcohol unless it’s mixed in a girly drink.

  When Erin arrives to relieve me behind the bar, I say a quick hello and fill her in on what is going on. Grabbing my purse and sweatshirt, I head for the door to walk home.

  When I walk in, I find Ashlyn dancing around the living room to “Closer” by The Chainsmoker’s. I love this song. It looks like that nap paid off, and she’s finally feeling better.

  She notices me and gives me a smile as she shimmies her way over and pulls me into the living room. We proceed to dance for the rest of the song and one other before we collapse onto the couch.

  “I’m so glad you’re feeling better, Ash.” I throw my arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze.

  “You and me both, babe. Now I have all this pent-up energy from sleeping for days, so I had an impromptu dance party.” We have many spontaneous dance parties in our house. It’s kind of our thing.

  We end up ordering out for Chinese, and I start filling her in about Zander from the beginning and don’t leave anything out. We really are like sisters and tell each other everything, and I’ve been dying to talk to her.

  When I finish telling her about the morning Zander left, she gives me a smug smile. “I told you I was going to enjoy sitting back for a change and watching you fall in love. It’s usually the other way around, and I’m so thrilled it’s not me this time. I’ve sworn off men for a while. Well, until Charlie falls madly in love with me.” She shoots me a wink.

  “I don’t know, Ash. He’s so different than anyone else I’ve ever met. I can see myself falling for him hard, and that scares the shit out of me. He’s a huge celebrity, and I don’t want to get my heart broken.”

  “He could be the love of your life, your soul mate. Not giving this a shot on the off chance he might break your heart? You’re not a coward, Sav. You’re the most courageous person I know. What’s holding you back?”

  I look down at my hands. “What if I’m not enough for him?” I whisper. “I’m just a bar owner, I’m no one special. You’ve seen all the women he’s been with. What if I don’t compare to them?”

  She scooches over and wraps her arms around me in an embrace. “You are worth it, Savvy, you’re so worth it. I wish you could see what I do. Just let go and give it a chance, can you promise me that?”

  “I’ll try my best.” We listen to the song playing until I remember the scene Luke caused earlier. “You will never guess who stopped in at the bar tonight. Or maybe you will because we shouldn’t be shocked by his antics anymore.”

  She looks at me skeptically, then says, “Luke. Motherfucker just won’t get the hint. You caught him fucking what’s her face a year ago. Let it go, man! Have some dignity.” Ash has zero patience for Luke and is usually a whole lot meaner when he’s around. She’s like my feisty little guard dog.

  I nod in agreement, and we start to surf through the TV channels. It’s just about midnight, and Zander still hasn’t called me. I stop on a channel when I see Zander sitting in a chair, wearing a suit and his sexy smile. He’s getting interviewed by a late-night talk show host.

  “Now that we have all the trash talking out of the way, tell me, is there a special lady in your life, Zander? You used to be photographed all the time coming out of clubs with numerous A-list actresses and models. Lately, you’ve dropped off the grid. What’s the deal? Have you disappeared because the Hitman’s finally off the market?”

  “No, man. I’m just enjoying the single life.” He laughs. “I don’t need any distractions coming up on this fight. I’m keeping my eye on the prize and training like an animal. Women are nothing but drama. I don’t need that in my life right now.” He looks at the camera and winks.

  “My sources say that you were seen earlier in the city with Shelly Storms. Do you care to clear that up?”

  The host shows a picture of the two of them so the camera can zoom in. They are both laughing, and he’s holding her up with her legs wrapped around his waist. When he holds up the next picture of Shelly kissing him on the lips, all the color washes out of Zander’s face, and panic replaces his amused look from before. It was so quick, I bet most people didn’t even pick up on it, but I saw. That’s right, asshole, you better fucking panic.

  What the hell just happened? I want to junk punch him so freaking bad. I shut the TV off, and I can feel the tears starting to form in my eyes as I replay what he just said. Has everything he said to me been a lie? Has he been with Shelly this whole time? Sure, we don’t know each other well, but he seemed so sincere when he said he’d regret not pursuing this. I’m such a naïve idiot. Celebrities are rarely faithful, and athletes have the worst reputation. Why would I think he’d be different? The possibility of being the other woman makes me physically sick. I thought I was something special to him. I bet he makes all the women think they are.

  “Fuck him, fuck him right in the ass,” Ashlyn says as she pulls me into a hug. I don’t know what I would do without her. “I thought he was worth it, but clearly I was wrong. I’m sorry I pushed so hard,” she whispers into my hair.

  I tell her I need some time and excuse myself to my bedroom. I just want to go to bed and forget about everything. Forget about Zander and his gorgeous face, sexy body, and the way he hugged me so tight. The way he kissed me with such passion and made me nearly come with one look.

  Being a glutton for punishment, I grab my phone to search the pictures from this afternoon. I type it in and am shocked to see all the pictures that were taken of them. Apparently, they enjoyed lunch together seeing as he’s carrying her on the sidewalk while she kisses him. Realizing he was with her when he wasn’t calling me like he promised hurts me the most. Figuring out I’m an afterthought makes me so mad. I will not be anyone’s second choice. I’ve already been through that, and I refuse to be a doormat again.

  Speak of the devil, my phone starts to ring, and Zander’s picture lights up my screen. “Too fucking late, asshole,” I whisper as I bitch button him. I place my phone on my nightstand after putting it on silent, refusing to punish myself anymore.

  I roll over on my side, praying for sleep to take me. Ashlyn peaks her head in around the door and asks if I’m okay. I pull my blanket back, the universal sign for get your ass in here, and she jumps into bed with me. We’re always there for each other, whether it be breakups or just having a bad day. A few minutes later, my eyelids begin to droop as I fall into a surprisingly peaceful sleep.

  ***

  Zander

  From the moment I stepped off the plane, my whole trip to New York has been a shit storm. Why couldn’t Alverez keep his fucking mouth shut for once? I would much rather be at home this close to the fight, training and then cuddling up to Savvy at night when I get home. I hate the celebrity side of things that come with being a star fighter. Being forced into doing interviews fucking sucks.

  It’s the same question over and over again from all of the reporters and talk show hosts. Do you think you’re going to win? What do you
think of Alverez calling you a pussy? Are you dating anyone? It’s always the same shit. Yes, I’m going to fucking kill him when we fight in Vegas. I don’t give a shit if he calls me a pussy. Everyone knows I bring it in the ring, and that’s not coming from a cocky place, either; my fighting stats back that statement up. As far as the dating question goes, I need to keep a low profile and not mention anything about Savvy. If there is even an inkling that I have someone back home, the vultures will descend on our town, and then we’re screwed. Giving Alverez ammunition to use before the fight is also a bad idea.

  My stomach rumbles as I’m escorted out of my third interview of the day. I’m so hungry. I got a text from my friend Shelly earlier and decided to meet up with her for an early dinner. My driver stops by her hotel so we can pick her up. I shoot a quick text to Savvy to see what she’s doing, and when she says she misses me, my chest puffs up a little bit more and I get a stupid ass grin on my face. I miss her too.

  “I know you’re excited to see me, but I know that smile’s not for me, loser.”

  Shelly slides into the seat next to me and leans over to kiss my cheek. We’ve been friends since I started out in the fighting world. At that point, she was an up-and-coming model and had a hard time fitting in with all the snooty bitches in this industry. When we met, we hit it off right away, but we lacked that spark needed for a relationship and decided to stick with just being friends.

  “I’m seeing someone,” I admit to her. If I can’t let the world know I’m in a relationship, I can at least share it with one of my best friends.

  “New love is fantastic. Do tell me about her, Zander. Is she your usual?”

  By usual, she means someone in our industry. When Savvy said she looked me up on the internet and made a point to say that she saw all the pictures of me with celebrity women, I felt like she was going to run in the opposite direction just from the look on her face. The media definitely portrays me as dating a lot of people, but the truth is, most of the red-carpet pictures were staged to benefit our careers and usually never went past the red carpet. I’ve said before that I got around, and I didn’t lie about that, but I know not to mix business and pleasure. I stick to that rule half the time…I am a guy.