Before she got another hit in, he tapped defeatedly and slid to the ground, coughing up even more blood. I saw the anger on her face as he did so. He just laid there with a grimace on his face for a long time as they announced her as the winner. Aubry, just stood there with an angry look pointed at TJ.
As soon as she was let go, she briskly walked off the mats. I immediately enveloped her in a tight hug and kissed her head.
“You’re so amazing,” I whispered to her, astonished.
“I wanted to knock him out!” she complained with a pout on her face.
I laughed out loud. However, that laugh caused her to scowl at me angrily.
“Aubry! You can’t be serious! You just beat the crap out of someone who has almost won the tournament for three years running! Yet here you are, complaining that you didn’t knock him out. Aub, give yourself some credit! No one thought that you’d win. They literally scheduled him another fight right after, because they all thought that you’d never beat him. You won! Be happy about that.”
She rolled her eyes at me.
“Seriously, you are going to win the whole damn tournament if you keep it up this way. Don’t get angry at yourself because you didn’t do something that is incredibly hard to do to him. Trust me, even I barely beat him a couple years ago. Be proud, love!”
I saw TJ hobbling his way down the steps when I finally got Aubry to give me a smile. I smirked as I held my hand out to stop him from passing us.
“Where are you going? I thought that we had a fight?” I asked, making his nostrils flare.
“Shut the fuck up, Aiden!” he yelled through clenched teeth. I smiled sadistically at the blood that coated his teeth nastily while he snarled at all of us.
“Your money will be at the window, little bitch. Someone is going to come and knock you off your pedestal soon. I hope that when you fall, you get the whole brunt of the impact too,” TJ said threateningly, only to leave quickly right after.
Aubry let out a short giggle as he walked away. Everyone turned to look at the girl who still had an amused smirk on her face. Her spirits had definitely brightened after seeing him so messed up.
“What?” she asked everyone as she laughed again. “Come on! I can’t possibly be the only one that finds it funny that he was knocked off his pedestal by me, the little girl.”
I snorted at her and kissed her temple. “I am so proud of you, my Aubry,” I praised her once again with a whisper in her ear.
I certainly didn’t miss the goose bumps that erupted as I spoke in her ear or the way she gave me a sultry look. However, all of those thoughts quickly disappeared when he walked up to us. I had to suppress a growl when he stood to close to her.
“I must say Aubry, you surprise me more and more each time I see you. Too bad you didn’t knock him out, though. I would have thoroughly enjoyed that,” Trey said disappointedly. “I guess I’ll have to figure something else out for tonight,” he said, looking down.
I pulled Aubry back into my body and wrapped an arm around her waist. I wanted to be clear that she was not even an option to think about.
“I do believe that I’m going to put my money on you to win the tournament, pretty thing. I mean, as long as lover boy, here, doesn’t beat you.”
I rolled my eyes at his words.
“Oh, don’t worry Aiden, I replaced your fight for tonight, so you are free to go whenever you want.” He shrugged as he was about to walk off. “But remember Aubry, my office is open for you . . . no matter how late it is.” He walked off, and I wanted to wring his neck for his insinuations towards my girl.
As Brandon pouted about not getting to fight, I kissed Aubry’s head several times to remind me that she was not going anywhere. I truly hated the way that guys seemed to like to belittle her and see her only as an object. I mean, I knew that there were some bad guys in the world, but she seemed to attract a lot of them.
“Hey, Aid . . .” Aubry whispered softly to me. “Can we go home now?” she asked while looking deep into my eyes. “I’d really like to go to bed with you.”
I was sure that she had not meant it in the way that my mind took it. However, as soon as I heard that, my mind was in the gutter, and I could think of nothing but my want for her.
“Alright, we’ll see you later,” I said in a rush.
“Hold up,” Tom said and pulled out some alcohol wipes that he had in his pocket. “Make sure that you clean her cuts up. Don’t want them getting infected.”
I nodded quickly and took the packets that he held out to me.
“Lets go,” it was all that Aubry had to say to get me to pull her out of that place with fervor.
I wanted her in my bed, all to myself.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
You’re Amazing
Aubry
“Aubry, you’re amazing. Do you know that? Absolutely amazing,” Aiden said as he touched my face while gently cleaning the cuts on my cheek I acquired from the fight.
The breath in my lungs quickly vanished as I stared at him. I didn’t understand how someone like him could think that I was amazing.
Then again, he didn’t know.
I rolled my eyes incredulously at his words as I stayed there. Aiden had put me on the counter in the bathroom, the room filled with steam from the hot shower that I had just taken.
“No, I’m serious,” Aiden said as he grabbed my chin and looked me directly in the eyes. “You’re absolutely amazing, and I have no idea what I did to deserve you,” he whispered softly right after putting a band-aid on my cheek.
I was truly baffled. I didn’t understand how he could ever think that he didn’t deserve me. I mean, I was absolutely no prize.
The only thing that I did know was that I didn’t deserve him. I mean, just the way he looked at me made me feel like I was the only person in the whole world.
I stared at him, trying to find a lie in his eyes. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to love him. I wanted to let him love me, but everything in me told me that I wasn’t worth it. I wanted him, but I was scared to let him have me. I was terrified that I was going to take him down with me.
As I looked at him, I felt myself gravitating towards him. His lips met mine and he kissed me slowly and passionately. I put everything I had into the kiss, I wanted to show him how much I wanted him. He easily matched my intensity, showing me how much he wanted me as well.
The already steamy bathroom seemed to get steamier as our kisses continued. Our bodies lined up perfectly like we were meant for each other. I truly wanted to believe that was the case. I wanted to believe that he was meant for me.
After too short of a time, we pulled away from each other. We were both breathing heavily as we stared at each other wide eyed.
When I looked at him, I felt it. I loved him.
So much, too much.
I needed him.
“Can we go to bed now?” I whispered close to his ear.
He moaned at my words and kissed the spot right underneath my earlobe, making me shudder in pleasure.
He easily helped me off the counter with his hands on my hips. He turned to the bathroom door and opened it quickly, rushing through the threshold, with me following him just as hastily.
We both were moving as if there was a fire trying to catch us from behind. There was definitely a fire, but it wasn’t that kind. I had a burning need for Aiden.
We both got to the room rather quickly. He was one step ahead of me, so he opened the door and pulled me inside with him. He shut it softly behind me while pushing me gently against it.
I quickly pulled his face to mine and captured his lips in a searing kiss. The kiss was very heated and it quickly picked up momentum. The fire between us was burning brightly and spreading like crazy. It engulfed my entire body in flames and made me hot, but it was a different kind of heat . . . a beautiful kind.
Somehow, in the midst of the passion, both my legs wound up around his waist, making our cores grind against each other. We both moaned at the
same time. I drank in the beautiful sound that came from his mouth, the sound of pleasure that I caused.
He carefully carried me to his bed and laid me down gently, not once breaking the ongoing kiss. He hovered over me and held himself up with his forearms, never actually putting any weight on me.
I wanted more. I wanted him.
He finally broke the kiss and stared at me for what seemed like hours. We were both panting heavily, and I could feel my eyelids heavy with desire. Desire for him.
“The flame in your eyes is burning so bright right now. It’s absolutely incredible, you are absolutely incredible,” he said eloquently, making me smile at him.
That fire was burning just for him.
“Please . . .” I whispered with extreme longing.
I didn’t mean to sound so desperate, but that’s what I was . . . Desperate for love, for affection, for acceptance, for him.
I loved him, and that scared me all the way down to my core. How could he ever love me? But in that moment, it didn’t matter because I loved him. I was absolutely in love with him.
“Are you sure?” he asked hesitantly. “I’m not pressuring you . . . we can wait,” he reassured me.
“Please?” I asked again, almost moaning the word out.
He ran his hands up my body and it felt so right, so good.
“Aubry, are you sure?” he asked again, pausing his hands at my hips.
I looked up at him and then at our position. His body was in-between my legs, and he had a little bit of his weight on me. I loved it. I loved feeling him against me. Shivers spread throughout my body—shivers of pleasure, fear, and anticipation, engulfing me completely.
I needed him.
I moaned quietly and nodded. “Aiden, I need you. I want you.”
I ran my hands down his abs slowly. His eyes flashed wildly with intense emotions that I had never seen before. He sucked in a long breath as he got closer to my face.
“Okay,” he whispered huskily into my ear, sending more chills down my spine. “Tell me if you want me to stop, or if I’m going too fast or anything.”
With that statement, his lips were on mine in an instant. The fire engulfed me once again, and I was putty in his hands. Without noticing, my shirt was suddenly off, and his lips were on my neck. He kissed, licked, and sucked on the delicate skin, drawing out a moan from my lips.
I felt good, too good. It was like my heart would explode eventually, but I didn’t want it to stop. It was ecstasy. Aiden was my ecstasy in that moment.
My hands expertly wandered over his shirtless chest, making me even more excited. I wanted him so much. Everything in me screamed for him.
His hands went further down my body and stopped at the hem of my sweatpants. I felt a slight panic in my chest as my breath hitched. He must’ve felt the slight hiccup because he stopped his hands and looked up to me.
“Are you okay?” he asked cautiously.
I smiled at him and stared into his deep blue eyes. “I’m perfectly okay, Aiden. Please don’t stop,” I whispered easily and pulled him back for another kiss.
His lips returned to mine quickly as my eyes stayed closed. His hands roamed my body slowly, seemingly like he was trying to memorize every part of me. He kissed down my neck and towards my breasts, paying close attention to them touching and kissing right outside the bra. I couldn’t help the butterflies that erupted when he moaned deeply.
Soon enough, my bra was off, and I was completely topless underneath him. He studied me for a few seconds. I didn’t feel uncomfortable though. He looked at me like I was a long-lost gem, nothing less.
He resumed kissing me again, his hands giving expert attention to my breasts as he tweaked each nipple carefully. He knew exactly how and where to touch to give the best sensations.
I closed my eyes in pleasure, laying back and enjoying the sensations that Aiden was giving me.
His mouth left mine and engulfed one of my breasts erotically before switching to the other one giving it equal attention. The little love bites that he was giving them made my core tighten and elicited several moans from me.
His hands soon found their way back to my pants, and my stomach filled up with nerves. I was nervous, but still excited. I opened my eyes because I figured that looking at Aiden’s beautiful eyes would probably help ease some of my nervousness.
When I opened my eyes, however, it was not Aiden that I came face to face with. His eyes were not mesmerizing blue, his hair was not midnight black, and I wasn’t even in Aiden’s room anymore.
I blinked a few times, but the man on top of me didn’t change as he stared hungrily at me, making me feel like I needed to be sick.
“Thought you got away from me, little girl?” I heard in his scratchy smoker voice.
Suddenly, I registered what was going on and freaked out. “No, no, no, no! Stop. Please stop. Don’t!” I screamed loudly while flailing around, trying to kick and hit the man in front of me.
“Please no!” I continued screaming. I wanted to get up and run, but I felt like I couldn’t move.
“Aubry! Aubry! Hey, hey, hey, Aubry, I stopped!” I heard Aiden say as my eyes darted around the correct room, looking for the man that was not Aiden to appear again. “It’s me. Look at me, I’m right here. Hey, I stopped. Aubry?”
I was no longer in my childhood room. I was back in Aiden’s room. Aiden had his arms around me tightly with a hand on my cheek, brushing my fallen tears away with his thumb. He stared at me worriedly, and I let his eyes consume me. They instantly calmed me down.
I was such a fuck-up. I had completely freaked out and let my anxiety get the best of me.
Why was I like that? Why?
The tears began to flow harder. I wanted him so badly, but I just couldn’t.
“A-Aiden, I’m so sorry . . .” I said through my tears. Why was I so stupid?
“Aub, it’s okay. We can wait as long as you need. I’m in no rush,” he said softly while wiping more tears away.
I stared at him, at the beautiful man that I loved so much. The man that I didn’t deserve. I could feel my heart swelling up with love and affection for him, yet I could still feel how my heart clenched in fear as my pants tried to be lowered.
“W-What if . . . What if I’m never ready?” I asked quietly.
“Hey, I see you. I see how difficult this is for you. I know that you have a hard time trusting. I can see the struggle, but Aubry I can also that you’re trying. I see how much you want this. I can see how much you want to trust me. You’re going to be ready one day. Just be patient with yourself. No one is rushing anything, love,” he whispered to me and stroked my hair affectionately.
I studied him. I so badly wanted to believe him. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him that I knew he was right, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t because I didn’t believe him, and I didn’t think he was right.
He didn’t understand, no one did. And how the hell were they supposed to? when no one even knew . . . No one knew half of it, half of me. Hell, most of me. No one knew.
There I was, telling the guy that I was in love with that I was ready to make love with him when he barely even knew me. He knew the parts of me that I wanted him to know. That’s no fair to him . . . to anyone.
We sat there with him hugging me tightly to his chest for a long while. I just wanted to feel better, however, I knew that we both needed some sleep, and I needed a shirt.
I sighed and finally sat up straight.
Aiden looked at me, and his eyes widened when he realized my state of undress. “Oh, um . . . here,” he said, handing me a T-shirt off the floor.
I smiled at his awkwardness and slid it on.
“Thank you,” I whispered softly as I laid down in my spot on the bed. He followed suit.
He reached over to the bedside lamp that was turned on, about to turn it off, but I quickly stopped him.
“Can we please leave it on? Just for tonight, please?” I asked hopefully.
“Of cour
se, anything for you,” he said, smiling at me and pecking my lips lightly.
I smiled and settled down into my pillow comfortably. Aiden threw his arm over me and pulled me towards him, kissing the back of my neck gently.
“Goodnight love,” he whispered into my ear.
“Goodnight Aiden,” I whispered back and closed my eyes, welcoming sleep to take me away at any point.
I sighed as I turned, and turned, and turned again. I fluffed my pillow and switched positions. I counted sheep and curled into a ball.
Nothing was working. I couldn’t go to sleep. That was never an issue for me . . . never. I could usually go to sleep at the drop of a hat.
After about twenty minutes passed, I heard Aiden chuckle from behind me.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked. “I must say, this is the first.”
I turned around to look at him while I rolled my eyes. “Shut up, obviously you aren’t getting any sleep either,” I said back, and stuck my tongue out at him.
“Why would I want to sleep when you’re right here with me?” he said sweetly.
I laughed out loud and rolled my eyes. “You’re so corny!” I said, shaking my head and pushing my face into the pillow.
When I looked back at him, he was looking at my upper arm where the T-shirt sleeve had risen up. I followed his line of sight and touched the little bruises that he had left there earlier. I quickly reached up to pull the sleeve down, but he stopped me with a gentle touch.
“I did that,” he stated softly. He touched the bruised flesh gently as if it was super delicate.
“It doesn’t even hurt,” I reassured.
“That doesn’t matter, I still marked your flesh.”
“It’s not permanent,” I told him quietly and traced his face with my fingertips. “Besides, I can point out a few other places that you’ve marked recently too,” I joked lightly, trying to get him off of the subject.
Fighting For Life Page 47