by Ciz, Alley
Cocking his hip out, arms locked tight around Cutler’s body, he used his own momentum against him, swinging him around his hip and dropping him onto his back on the mat. There wasn’t even the barest twinge in the joint, thanks to Rocky giving it the proper treatment he'd neglected with his silence.
The mat was where he shined. Not giving Cutler a chance to react, he stepped one foot out around his head, dropped his other knee across his chest, and rolled to his back, pulling Cutler’s arm up through his legs into an arm bar.
He locked Cutler’s body in place with his legs and pulled his arm back, centimeters away from dislocating the elbow. Not that the asshole would know, but he thought it was fitting for him to win using the move that first brought Rocky to his attention.
He eased the pressure for a second, giving The Cutter a chance to tap out. When he didn’t, he increased the pressure again until he felt the satisfying pop of the joint, finally followed by the tap on his arm with Cutler’s submission.
ROCKY WAS ON her feet, unable to remain seated for the fight, her body so flooded with adrenaline it was a miracle she wasn’t vibrating off the ground.
She'd expected Gage to attack first—considering how apoplectic he was over the entire situation—but that’s not what he did.
“He’s toying with him.”
“Gotta admire his restraint to do so.” Nick’s voice was the first clue she'd spoken her thoughts out loud.
She didn’t dare take her eyes off the fighters in the cage, settling for shifting closer to her friend instead. “I wouldn’t have expected this of him. He’s been so pissed.”
“Ahh, come on, Rock.” Nick put an arm around her, tucking her against his side. “You know better than any of us how brilliant this strategy is. Cutler’s been trying to get under his skin for weeks, yet by sitting back, waiting for him to make the first move, it’s the ultimate mind fuck.”
As she watched Gage continue to deflect most of the hits Cutler took, she did have to agree it seemed to be working. There was a part of her that assumed Gage would lead more with a boxing mentality, throwing punches to beat on Cutler the way he deserved, but she should have known better. Boxing wasn’t his strength and her guy was a skilled enough fighter to keep his emotions in check to fight smart.
Gage rarely had a fight that made it past the first round—it had only happened twice in his career—and as the clock wound down, she wondered if this fight would.
Then as if someone flipped a switch, Gage charged, executed a textbook perfect hip throw, then seamlessly transitioned it into a killer arm bar—her personal favorite.
Her squad lost their collective shit as Gage strutted around the octagon in celebration, her father and brother making their way inside the cage for the presentation of the championship belt.
The referee stood between the fighters, raising Gage's tattooed arm up as the announcer made the presentation of the champion while the UFC’s president wrapped the belt around his waist.
She was smiling so hard as she watched the spectacle that she was afraid her face might crack.
The rest of the guys from The Steele Maker made their way inside, joining the celebration until Gage was pulled aside for his post-fight interview.
“Rocky, baby. Get your fine ass in here,” Gage said as soon as the microphone was put in front of his face, ignoring the interviewer’s question entirely.
She was stunned immobile. Surely she wasn’t the first thing he would ask for. It wasn’t until she was shoved in the back that she snapped to attention.
“Well…” Becky said when she turned to face her. “You heard your man. Get up there.”
Not needing to be told a third time, she pushed her way through the crush of people surrounding the outside of the octagon and climbed the stairs into the cage.
Gage buried his hands in her hair, the edges of his fingerless gloves catching amongst the strands. She breathed in the smell of blood, sweat, and the underlying scent that was pure Gage as he devoured her mouth in an all-consuming kiss.
Everything around them faded away as she got lost in the stroke of his tongue on hers, the bite of his teeth on her lips, and his hard muscles pressed against her soft curves.
It wasn’t until the slimy voice of The Cutter spoke from behind her that they pulled apart.
“You know I’m the one who lost. Shouldn’t you be on your knees kissing my boo-boos away?”
Gage let out a feral growl.
Having had enough of this guy’s derogatory comments, she stilled Gage by placing her hands on his sweat-slicked pecs, holding him in place with gentle pressure.
“I’ve had enough of your shit.” She whipped around to face the scum of the universe. “Maybe if you weren’t such a tool, you wouldn’t have any issues getting a girl without harassing them.”
“Oh, come on, baby.” Cutler reached out to stroke a finger down her arm.
“Don’t. Touch. Me.” She jerked her arm away from his touch. “And I am so not your baby.”
“Don’t be like that.” His tone was oily.
When he ignored her warning and reached to touch her again, she snapped. Quick as a whip, her arm struck out, landing a solid jab to his crooked nose. The satisfying crunch of cartilage under her knuckles told her he was the recipient of a broken nose—courtesy of the girlfriend of the first guy to break it.
“Damn, Blue,” Gage said on a laugh as he picked her up to spin her in his arms. “Fuck, I love you.” His eyes sparkled like sapphires as he looked down at her.
She buried her face in the crook of his neck as the interviewers tried to get a comment on what just happened.
Gage kept her close with an arm around her neck, while stretching a hand out and calling to Vince. She heard something hit his hand as if her brother tossed him something.
He pinched her chin between her fingers, pulling her away far enough to see her face.
“I may have won the belt tonight, babe. But I can’t consider myself a real champion until”—he dropped to a knee in front of her, the crowd gasping in shock along with her—“you’re wearing my ring”—he flipped open the lid of the velvet box—“on your finger.”
She stood frozen, unable to process his words.
He took her hand in his, running a finger over the swelling knuckles. “Well”—he looked down at the bruised skin—“that is, if it fits after your killer jab.”
She loved how since the night they'd met he was never intimated by her ability to handle herself in dicey situations. If she were being honest, she was pretty sure it turned him on.
“What do you say, Blue? Wanna marry me and have a bunch of kickass babies with me?”
“Dude, wait for her to say yes before you try and knock her up.” A quick glance at her brother showed him cracking up with Jase.
“Should I be worried you took one too many hits to the head? This is crazy—we haven’t even been together for six months,” she said, looking down to where he was still kneeling in front of her.
“Never gave him the chance to touch me.” He ran a hand along his jaw. “When you know, you know. So what do you say, Rock? Marry me?”
She looked deep into his eyes, clouds meeting sky. It might be fast, and slightly unconventional, but starting that first night when he let her handle a drunk instead of stepping in himself, she knew he was her perfect match.
“Of course I’ll marry you, Champ.” She mimed ringing a bell. “Ding-ding.”
Epilogue
Chaos.
Complete and utter chaos.
That’s what happens when the winner of a UFC Championship fight proposes to his girlfriend in front of a crowd of twenty thousand people while being broadcasted to millions watching on television.
Rocky and Gage snuck out of the arena and back to the MGM Grand like they were auditioning for the next Mission Impossible movie. Tom Cruise would seriously be proud of how well they were able to evade the press looking for interviews and statements. And she thought she did it one better th
an Mr. Cruise because she did it in three-inch heels.
By the time all their friends and family converged on their hotel suite, Jordan and Skye needed to turn their phones off thanks to the barrage of phone calls and messages they were receiving as Gage’s PR firm.
Champagne was popped. ESPN showed fight highlights on the flat-screen. People celebrated the victory.
While all that happened, Rocky sat tucked tightly against Gage’s side, hand held out in front of her, admiring the way the large cushion-cut diamond caught the light. She wiggled her fingers, watching the rainbow prism of light dance.
She was engaged.
She was engaged to Gage-Flipping-James.
Is this real life?
“I did good?” he asked in her ear as they cuddled in their own private bubble.
She dropped her head back against his biceps so she could see the stupidly handsome face of her fiancé. Her. Fiancé. Eeeek.
“So good,” she answered with a smile so big the International Space Station could probably see it.
“You know…” He took her left hand in his right, stroking a finger along the diamonds inlaid in the platinum band. “When I originally planned all this, I didn’t quite factor in what it would do to our own after-fight celebration.”
The way his eyes burned like the hottest part of a flame spoke of all the dirty things they had promised to do to each other.
“You mean the type of celebration where we’re the only two people on the guest list?” She ran her nose along the underside of his jaw, reveling in his swift intake of breath.
“Yup.” His hand skimmed along her thigh, dipping down around the curve of her ass. “I didn’t even think we’d make it to a bed before I needed to be buried inside you.”
Now it was her turn for her breath to hitch.
“Go to the bedroom. I’ll meet you there in a minute.” He nudged her to get off the couch.
Rocky was a smart girl and did as she was told, pausing halfway up the staircase to see Gage pull Jordan aside to tell her something in private. She was too turned on to worry what all that was about.
She was about to cross the threshold of their bedroom when he came up behind her and scooped her into his arms bridal style.
“Gage,” she screeched in surprise.
“What?” He feigned innocence.
“You’re supposed to do this after we’re married.”
“I’m practicing.” He kicked the door closed with his heel, locking it before letting her body slide along his as he lowered her to the floor.
Her feet had barely touched the ground before he had her shirt pulled over her head and her bra joining it on the carpet.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful.” He crushed their lips together, cradling the back of her head in one hand to protect it from banging off the wall as their bodies crashed into each other, his dominant arm hooking around one of her legs, lifting her again with ease.
Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist, grinding against him as she felt his erection pressing against her center, the seam of her jeans providing a delicious friction.
Using his hips and legs to anchor her to the wall, he deftly released both the button and zipper of her jeans. If she wasn’t wet already, the way he was able to strip the denim from her body without ever putting her down would have done it.
Once her legs were back in position on his hips, he pushed down the waistband of his joggers enough to free his dick and slid himself home in one gloriously hard drive inside her.
Her head thunked against the wood of the door behind her as she stretched around him. The feeling of fullness was overwhelming.
“Oh, yeah.” His hips pumped in and out. “This is what I needed.”
One hand gripped the back of her neck possessively as the other did the same to one of her ass cheeks while he continued to pump inside her in steady strokes.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
“Fuck, Blue. I love feeling you wrapped around me in every way.”
Her hands scrambled for purchase on the cotton of his shirt, ripping it over his head as fast as humanly possible, needing him bare like her, hands and nails scouring down his chest once he was.
“Fuck, babe. I don’t think I can go slow right now.”
“Fuck slow. Give it to me hard and fast.” Her teeth bit into his shoulder as he followed directions, increasing the speed and force of his thrust.
“God, you’re perfect for me.”
Their mouths fused together again, mimicking with their tongues what their lower bodies did to each other.
The pace was fast.
The thrusts were hard.
It was the best kind of down and dirty quickie, their orgasms crashing over them one after the other domino-style.
He kept her pinned to the wall as they came down from their highs, heaving breaths returning to normal.
“I love you, Gage,” she whispered against the side of his sweat-slicked neck.
“Fuck, I love you too, Rock.”
WHEN HE WAS sure his legs were no longer shaky from coming harder in his life than he could ever remember, and he wasn’t at risk of dropping his fiancée—damn straight, she said yes—he walked them into the lavish bathroom for the shower they both desperately needed.
For weeks, he'd agonized over if his plan to propose after the fight was the right decision, the ring box taunting him from his drawer every night she slept in his bed.
He couldn’t recall a time he was more nervous than he was the day he asked Vic Steele for permission to marry his daughter. He was prepared for him to argue, tell him it was too soon, Rocky was too young, but he did none of that. Instead, he stood in front of him, leaning on his desk with his arms crossed, and stared at him for a solid two minutes, eyes assessing. Right when Gage was sure he was going to say no, he uttered one word—okay.
And so the plans were put in place to make sure anyone important in Rocky’s life was in Vegas to witness him put his heart on the line.
He reached inside the shower to start the water then sat her on the counter next to the sink while they waited for the water to heat.
“I do have a very important question to ask you,” he said as she ran her hand over the buzzed hair on his head the way he loved.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve already answered it for you.” She held up her left hand, wiggling the finger sporting his ring, his heart swelling with pride at the sight.
“Smartass.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead, gathering his courage for the second time that evening. “How do you feel about eloping?” he asked cautiously.
“Like with an Elvis impersonator and all that jazz?” Her tone was amused, so he decided it was safe to proceed.
“If that’s what floats your boat.” Another kiss, this one to the tip of her nose. “I meant more as a generality.”
Her silvery eyes shined like the band of her engagement ring as she watched him, the room quickly filling with steam.
“Well, I’m not opposed to it.”
“So if I was to say to you… Well, we are in Vegas. What would be your response?”
Her eyes widened in shock.
“You mean you want to marry me before we fly home in two days?”
“No.” The way her expression fell gave him the resolve to make his craziest suggestion to date. “I mean in like an hour from now.”
Her jaw nearly hit the floor.
“Wh-what?” she sputtered. “How would we even manage that? Every member of the press on the strip is trying to get an interview with you since you won the belt and popped the question.”
“Jordan’s working out all the details. All you have to do is say yes and I’ll get to wake up with you as my wife.”
Wife. He liked the way that sounded.
“You’re serious?”
“As a fucking heart attack, baby.”
She blinked slowly as she digested his words.
“Okay.”
&
nbsp; “Okay?” He needed to make sure he heard her correctly.
“Everyone we love is here, so yeah, why not.”
His whoop of delight echoed around the room as he lifted her and spun her around.
“I fucking love you, Mrs. James.”
“Not yet,” she teased.
“Tonight,” he confirmed.
“Tonight.”
And as she pressed her lips to his, he marveled at how the submission specialist inside the cage happily tapped out and submitted his heart to love.
* * *
Want to see how Rocky and Gage manage to elope? Click here for your invite.
Can’t get enough of the BTU Alumni Squad? They will all be back in November in SWEET VICTORY.
Reviews are the life blood of an indie author. So if you’re one of the cool kids who writes them here are the links to Amazon, Goodreads, and BookBub. Smothering toddler hugs and sloppy puppy kisses!!!
Alley
Thank you!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Tap Out. It means everything to me that you took the time to read it. It’s because of people like you that make it possible for me to do this author-ing thing.
If you liked my words and want to hear more about the crazy crew from BTU, I have many more stories coming your way.
Tap Out will release on September 9th, but if you would like to leave an early review on Goodreads, you can do so by tapping here.
Smothering toddler hugs and sloppy puppy kisses!!!
Alley
Randomness For My Readers
Hello new friends!
I hope you enjoyed hanging out with Gage and Rocky and meeting the new members of the BTU Alumni Squad.
If everyone was new to you, you can see where the group began is Power Play (Jake and Jordan’s story)
Did you know… when I first starting writing Tap Out it was supposed to be a book in any entirely different series.