Tap Out: BTU Alumni Series Book #2

by Ciz, Alley

Looping the soft gauze around his thumb, she wrapped it down his wrist three times, before wrapping it twice more up toward the hand. She carefully wrapped around the thumb, then over the bottom set of knuckles while he kept his fingers spread to make sure she didn’t cut off his circulation. As she worked between his fingers, it was almost a choreographed dance of him spreading wide then forming a fist.

  Once she finished another wrap around the wrist and that layer was signed by the official, she repeated the entire process with surgical tape, ending with another signature in bold black Sharpie.

  Aside from the occasional cloud of tension radiating from her father when he watched her with Gage, the atmosphere in the room was mostly jovial and relaxed. Vince preferred to stay mellow and hang with friends before a fight instead of isolating himself—the chaos of people centered him better.

  Some of their squad was already sitting in their cage-side seats with Jordan, Skye because she was avoiding Tucker, Deck, Ray, Jase, and Gage staying behind until they got closer to Vince’s fight.

  “Sure you don’t need any last minute fight tips? I really showed O’Doul not to drop the gloves with me last night in Nashville. I could teach you a thing or two.” Jase leaned against the padded table Vince still sat on, their bromance on full display.

  As the rest of the room carried on, she ignored the millionth look from her father and rested her head against Gage’s shoulder, her head tipping to nestle inside the curve of his neck. They slipped into their own private bubble now that her job was done for the moment.

  “Those two seem to have quite a bromance.” He gestured with his chin to Vince and Jase.

  She let out a snort. “Oh, yeah.” Her fingers traced along the tentacles decorating the corded muscles of his forearm. “The two of them are actually the ones who gave The Coven its name.”

  “You know Wyatt is losing his shit over you guys adding Beth into your little group.”

  She couldn’t help but smile thinking of how easily Gage’s cousin-in-law molded into their original six. Then again, she shouldn’t have been surprised—Beth did refer to an MMA badass as a dumbass on a regular basis. There were no damsels in The Coven.

  “She’s a perfect fit.”

  “Okay, so tell me how you guys got your nickname,” he whispered in her ear.

  The feel of his scruff along her neck distracted her from the question.

  “Blue.”

  “Oh, right.” She paused to think, trying to remember how it happened. “Jor,” she called, “when did the guys name us The Coven.”

  “Umm…I think the first time they called us that was…Ry’s last Frozen Four, maybe?”

  “Oh, yeah.” She snapped her fingers. “Wasn’t it some bullshit about how we weave a spell to get them to do what we want?”

  “It’s not bullshit,” Jase defended.

  “It’s fact,” Vince agreed with his partner in crime.

  “You have been referred to as magical,” Gage whispered hotly in her ear. Sure, it might sound like he was agreeing with the two idiots in the room, but she knew he was referring to Beth’s magical vagina comment from the night they had dinner. The memory of the things he said while going down on her that night were hot enough to have her cheeks heating even now.

  Finally, it was time to start getting ready for Vince’s fight. As her brother shadow-boxed to stay loose, she walked the rest of their friends out, before coming back to be one of Vince’s corner people with their father.

  Jase had gotten waylaid by someone from the Storm’s front office attending the fight so Gage hung back to wait for him. She was happy to see her boyfriend had gotten over the jealousy he was feeling all those weeks ago. Then again, Jase was an easy guy to like.

  “All good?” she asked Jase when he was done.

  “Yeah. He just wanted me to pass a message to my sister about one of the upcoming Garden of Dreams events coming up.”

  Both Jordan and Skye had worked with the charity organization since their freshman year of college. Now that they had graduated, they were members of the board, each playing an integral role in planning some of the events the foundation put on to raise funds.

  “Well, well, well. If it isn't the illustrious Gage James,” a taunting voice interrupted.

  She recognized the brown-haired, brown-eyed man with the crooked nose immediately. Curtis “The Cutter” Cutler, looked at the three of them with a disgusted sneer on his been-punched-too-many-times-in-the-face face.

  She instinctively put herself between Gage and the guy she knew he detested.

  “This is surprising.” Cutler carried on like he wasn’t the last person any of them wanted to see. “You know, if you’re into sharing, James, you and I could have some fun with your little chippy,” he taunted when Jase shifted so part of his body blocked hers the same way she had done to Gage.

  “Fuck off, Cutler,” Gage spat.

  “What?” Cutler held up his hands, feigning innocence. “I know all about who your little girlfriend is.”

  Little? I’m five-ten, asshole.

  “I also know she used to date this guy a few years back.” He waved a hand at Jase. “But since he’s still around, I’m only going to assume there’s still something going on there. And I’m sure I’d be a better second than the hockey boy.”

  A shudder ran through her at the implication. She also couldn’t stop the eye roll at him calling Jase a hockey boy, like he wasn’t the top defender in the league.

  “If you want to make it out of here without your nose being broken again, I suggest you turn around and get the fuck out.” She felt Gage’s body coil with tension and she reached an arm behind her to put a comforting hand on his.

  “What, James? Scared I’d give her the dick better than you can?”

  “Mother. Fucker,” Gage growled, surging forward. Thank god Jase was still with them and stopped Gage from attacking.

  “Yeah, that’s got to be it. Is she still tight?” Cutler continued as though he wasn’t seconds away from being pummeled into the ground. “I could fix that for you. Give her to me for a night and I’ll stretch her right out.”

  When she spotted the Garden’s security walking toward them, she had never been more grateful for event security than she was in that moment. Both her boyfriend and best friend were about to murder this guy and that was the last thing they needed. It was bad enough Cutler’s vile words made her feel dirty and in desperate need of a shower.

  The tunnel under the Garden reeked with testosterone as the two alpha men beside her seethed in anger. She placed a hand on Jase’s chest and implored him to find his seat after security escorted Cutler away—she was going to need a moment alone with Gage.

  Those issues taken care of, now it was time to focus on the other.

  She ran her hands up Gage’s heaving chest, looping her arms around his neck, hooking her hands at the wrist and scratching across the buzzed hair on the back of his head the way she knew he liked.

  “Hey,” she called to get his attention, since he was still staring at the space where security hauled away The Cutter. When his blue eyes finally met hers, they were more the color of a stormy sea than the bright, crayon-like color she'd grown to love. “You okay?”

  His hands came up to cup her face. His touch so gentle and at odds with what she was sure he was feeling. The way he looked at her was almost reverent in its intensity. It was a touch and a look she’d only seen when he was holding his brand-new goddaughter.

  “I feel like I should be asking you that.” His words were hushed compared to the guttural response earlier.

  “I’m fine. Really.” She added when he scoffed. “It takes more than a few dickish comments to get to me.” Not exactly the truth but there was no way she was admitting that when he still looked homicidal.

  “The fucker had no right to talk about you like that.”

  “Forget about it, babe. He’s inconsequential.”

  Gage moved until he had her pressed against the cinderblock wall of th
e tunnel, resting his forehead on hers. “He may be, but you aren’t.” He placed a soft kiss in the middle of her forehead. “You are the thing that matters most to me. I fucking love you, Blue.”

  Her heart soared at his words. For weeks, she'd felt the same but was too afraid to admit her feelings out loud. She didn’t know if it was the adrenaline from what had just transpired or if it was hearing him say those three magical words first, but she wasn’t afraid anymore.

  Her hands tightened around his neck as she rose onto tiptoe to seal her mouth over his. She squeezed her eyes shut and she poured every ounce of love she felt into him.

  When they were both breathing heavy, this time not because of a douchecanoe, she released his mouth.

  Against his lips, she confessed, “I love you too.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Jase was waiting for Gage when he finally made it to his seat. Some of the raw rage he had felt abated slightly learning Rocky loved him back, but it was still there simmering under the surface.

  “You good?” Jase’s tone lacked his usual jovial air. He had wondered if anything was able to ruffle the guy’s feathers. Looked like he'd found that something.

  “Yeah.” His answer was clipped as he took his seat in front of the black octagon. From the look on the rest of his new friends’ faces, they were already filled in on what happened backstage.

  “You know, Blondie, I think you and The Coven really do practice some type of voodoo magic,” said the guy sitting next to Jake that he recognized as Tucker Hayes.

  “Oh, yeah?” Jordan leaned across her husband to look at his best friend. “And what makes you say that?”

  “Well, I mean ATS was building a good enough reputation branching into fighting with your boys at The Steele Maker, but look at you guys managing to land yourselves a ringer locking this guy down.” Tucker hooked a finger in his direction.

  “Oh, BB3. Ye of little faith.”

  “Careful, Tuck,” Ryan cautioned. “Don’t mess with their leader.”

  “Yeah, man,” Jase agreed.

  “You guys are just jealous she loves me most. We all know who her favorite brother is, blood relation or not,” Tucker declared.

  “Yeah, me.” Ryan, Jase, and Sean stated simultaneously.

  Jordan only laughed, not acknowledging their claims. As an only child, he always wondered what it would be like having siblings. Now that he had been welcomed into this group, he knew. It was freaking crazy.

  “Haven’t you learned not to poke the bear, Tuck,” Jake said to his friend. “She’ll have you signed on to endorse jock itch cream if you’re not careful.” He pressed a tender kiss to his wife’s temple.

  “Oh, can we sign him up for a jock itch endorsement?” Skye said with an evil gleam in her eye.

  Tuck waved off the threat. “Yeah. And I’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.”

  “So will I, bro, since I share a bank account with my wife who will enjoy profiting off your torture.”

  As entertaining as the conversation around him was, he knew this was his chance to try and glean insight into his girl’s headspace.

  “I need to ask you something,” he said to Jase. The guy had the experience of being both Rocky’s friend and boyfriend—though he was loath to remember that fact—and Gage hoped he would be able to see both sides of the coin. He always seemed directly involved with the drama at the gym like the girls.

  “Sure, man. What’s up?”

  “Has—” He hated having to go to someone else about Rocky, but at the moment it seemed like his only option. “Has Rock said anything to you about what’s been going on with her dad?”

  Jase frowned. “Yeah. And I have to say, I’m surprised Vic is still holding on to that ridiculous idea. There’s no way it’s not tearing him up as much as her.”

  “I agree.” He ran a hand over the scruff on his jaw. “To be honest, I would have thought they would have made up by now. But I swear, as we got closer to today, Rocky has gotten worse. Not that I thought that was even possible.”

  Jase was quiet for a minute, staring at the octagon where the officials were resetting for Vince’s upcoming fight. “That might have more to do with the two of you than what’s going on with Papa Steele.”

  That was not the answer he expected at all.

  “What do you mean?”

  Jase rolled his lips between his teeth while he thought. “Did you know that before you she didn’t date fighters? Like it was her own personal rule, one that had nothing to do with Vic’s reaction now?”

  “Yeah, I heard her mention it once.”

  “Do you know why?”

  He mentally scrolled through their past conversations but couldn’t recall a time she ever said why. He had assumed it was because of her job, but from what Jase was saying, that wasn’t the case. He shook his head.

  “She might kill me for telling you.” He paused, letting out a long exhale. “But with everything that’s going on with her dad, I highly doubt she’ll be willing to open up those scars, and you need to know if you’re gonna have any hope of breaking through her walls.”

  He braced himself for what he was about to hear.

  “All her life, she's felt like The Steele Maker and Vic’s fighters came before her. It was one of the main reasons she wanted to work outside the gym.”

  “I knew about the job stuff. I try to reiterate how essential she is to the staff as much as I can, but this crap with her being banned from working with me does not help.”

  “No, it doesn’t,” Jase agreed. “But you have given her a sense of…accomplishment she hadn’t had before. Ever since you started training at the gym, the narrative has changed whenever she speaks about work. That’s all you.”

  It felt good hearing that his efforts to make her see she was valued in her role at The Steele Maker were hitting home.

  “Unfortunately,” Jase continued, popping that bubble of warmth, “even if she and Vic make up, things are probably going to get worse before they get better once you book a fight.”

  “Why?”

  “Right now, it’s like she’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. The shoe being you pushing her to the back burner in favor of your career. It’s not something she would fault you for, it’s just what she’s been conditioned to expect.”

  A remixed version of the Superman theme song blared throughout the Garden as Vince and his team made their entrance down the corridor leading to the cage, cutting off any further conversation.

  His eyes automatically tracked to where Rocky stood with Vic. His girl was a total badass. She wasn’t intimated in the least by the macho posturing that oozed from an event like this. There was no chance of anyone telling her she didn’t belong, and if they tried to get fresh with her, she would put them in their place.

  He'd witnessed it in person and hell if it wasn’t one of the things that attracted him most to her. No one fucked with his Blue, not unless they wanted to end up black and blue.

  IN A PERFECT world, Rocky and Gage would be back in their hotel room, using their bodies to express those three special words they shared.

  He loved her.

  Gage James loved her.

  The declaration played on repeat through her mind. Not even the chaos of following Vince down the tunnel and out into the arena filled with cheering fans was able to dull the glow.

  It wasn’t until the cut man was doing his final inspection of Vince, prepping his face with Vaseline, that her focus snapped back into place. Now wasn’t the time to moon over Gage James loving her, that would come later. No, now she needed to help her brother kick Nunez’s ass, putting him that much closer to his chance to compete for the Light Heavyweight title.

  She and her father stood off to the side, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, arms crossed as they listened to the cage announcer give his spiel, followed by the referee. The two fighters tapped gloves and the first round got underway.

  Like Gage, Vince was a grappling specialist, his years on the wrest
ling team evident in his dominance on the mat. But unlike her boyfriend, her brother had a solid boxing technique thanks to growing up with their Uncle Mick.

  For five minutes, she watched as Vince and Nunez traded blows.

  “He’s not going to beat him on his feet,” she observed, speaking her thoughts out loud to her father. Things were still strained between them, but here at a fight, they were a united front. She could only hope it wouldn’t get worse when Gage booked a fight.

  “I agree.” Her father kept his eyes locked on the fighters in the cage. “He’s got to take him to the mat.”

  Hockey was the sport she focused on while at school, but fighting was where she was raised. Her dad may call her his Pumpkin, but he also liked to refer to her as his secret weapon. Knowing how easily her studies came to her, she retained an almost encyclopedic knowledge of fighters from all the hours she logged watching footage of them.

  The first round ended and they entered the cage to evaluate Vince and his injuries. He was in decent shape, luckily able to duck or block more hits than he took. Still, she didn’t want to be him come morning.

  Her father took her brother’s face between his bear paw-sized hands, leaning in to rest his forehead against Vince’s sweaty one. “Take this fucker to the mat. He can’t compete once you knock him off his feet.”

  Vince nodded.

  “You’ve taken Gage down enough in training. This guy doesn’t stand a chance when you’ve been practicing taking down The Kraken," Vic said.

  She gave her brother a sly smile and a nod, letting him know she agreed.

  “Can you try and finish this round? I’m hungry and want some pizza.” Their dad took the coaching role—she went with the annoying sister approach.

  Vince’s gloved knuckles bumped hers twice, the steely determination flaring in his eyes telling her everything she needed to know.

  There wasn’t going to be a third round.

  GAGE WATCHED AS Rocky and Vic entered the cage at the end of the first round, Vince looking no worse for wear after a physical first round. But Vince wasn't going to get anywhere if he didn't get Nunez onto the mat.