Ground & Pound

by Emily Minton

  She deepens the kiss for just a second before pulling back. “Nah, go on and keep Trey company.”

  “Let me know when you’re ready to go to bed.” I dry my hands on a dish towel.

  She smiles at me before turning to place the plate in the dishwasher. “It will be a little bit. I’m gonna look online at some more job sites before going to sleep.”

  “You know, I make enough money to take care of us all,” I tell her, turning to walk out of the kitchen.

  “Don’t start that again.” She huffs, closing the dishwasher. “I need a job.”

  I don’t know why she has such an issue with me taking care of her. I make more money than we will ever need, so she doesn’t have to work. I want to provide for her and be the one she depends on. “Whatever,” I mumble and head upstairs.

  Walking into the game room, I question myself for the hundredth time. A part of me wants to turn around and go back to my woman, but a bigger part needs to do this. Emmy would kill me if she knew what I was up to, but I wouldn’t feel right going after Jason without talking to Trey first.

  As I approach the couch, I look behind me to make sure Emmy didn’t follow, then turn to Trey. “We need to talk about Jason.”

  His eyes jerk to mine as he lays the game controller on the coffee table. “You gonna go after that jackass?”

  The boy may be eighteen, but he has the mind of a grown man. He knows the bastard who laid hands on his sister needs to be taken care of, and he assumes I’m the one who will be kicking Jason’s ass. He’s right, well, somewhat right. As her brother, he deserves his chance to get a few licks in.

  “I sure am. It’s been a few days now, so he won’t be expecting it and neither will Emmy,” I explain, taking a seat beside him. “Before I do, I was wondering if you wanted to go with me.”

  Trey nods his head as a smile spread across his face. “Hell yeah, I do.”

  His excitement has me questioning my decision again. Trey is a good kid, but his main flaw is that he is too impulsive and lets his emotions get the best of him. “I know you’re damn near a grown man, also know you know your way around a fight, but are you sure you’re ready for this.”

  He doesn’t even hesitate before he answers. “I’ve fought better men than him and come out on top. That bastard doesn’t scare me.”

  “This isn’t gonna be like one of your bouts. This is gonna be you doing damage to another man, because you want to, not for a paycheck. Also, the other guy you’re fighting in the ring is prepared. He’s ready for the fight, but Jason won’t be. There’s a big difference between fighting in the ring and just kicking someone’s ass,” I try to explain, hoping like hell he understands what I’m saying.

  This time, he takes a second to think before replying. “I know it’s different. That dickhead put his hands on my sister, though. He deserves everything we give him.”

  “Yeah, he did,” I say, taking a deep breath. “He needs to pay for what he did, but we’ve gotta be smart. We want to hurt him, not kill him. You need to remember that when you’ve got your hands on him. You need to have enough control to stop.”

  He looks at me for a minute. “I’m glad she has someone like you to love her. She deserves it.”

  Never before has the thought of loving a woman even entered my mind, but Emmy’s different. She makes me smile, makes me laugh, and blows my mind in bed. Even more, she makes me feel complete, something I haven’t felt since I nearly killed my dad. Do I love her? Yes, I absolutely do.

  Before he can reply, I hear footsteps in the hall and know Emmy is heading our way. Lowering my voice, I lean toward him. “I’ll let you know when it’s gonna go down. Just keep your mouth shut about it until then.”

  He nods, then turns to look at the door and smiles. I do the same, turning in time to see her eyes scanning her brother’s face. She looks to me and cocks her brow. “What were you to talking about?”

  “Just shooting the shit,” I reply, turning away from her gaze. I hate lying to her; it just feels wrong. Still, there’s not much of a choice right now.

  “Hey, sis, you gonna let me kick your ass in Madden?” Trey asks, scooting over to make room for her.

  She walks toward the couch and plops down between us. “As long as I get Green Bay, you’re going down.”

  Emmy

  Opening up the closet, I’m shocked at all the empty space. I’ve been living out of my suitcase for the last two days, but Kane told me to unpack this morning. He said he cleared out at least half of it for me, saying he knows a woman needs to monopolize all the closet space in a relationship. Still, I didn’t expect him to actually leave so much room for me. Pulling my suitcase to the closet, I grab my red dress and put it on a hanger.

  I can’t help but smile as I’m hanging up my clothes. Seeing my things next to his makes this all seem more real; it makes us seem real. It’s as if my red dress hanging beside his white button-up makes us a couple. As happy as it makes me, I’m also a little scared. With each dress I hang, I get more comfortable and never want to leave. I have to wonder what will happen to me if all this ends.

  Shaking away my nerves, I hang the last of my clothes and shut the door. The glow of my laptop screen grabs my attention, so I walk straight to it and open my email. Of course, there is nothing waiting for me. I’ve applied for hundreds of positions and haven’t received one reply yet.

  There are absolutely no jobs out there that I qualify for aside from the service industry. I don’t want to take a cashier job, but it’s starting to look like I might not have much of a choice. I did get an interview at Baker’s Dozen. I can just imagine what Kane will think when I am serving up doughnuts. Worse yet, what will his fans think when they hear Kane Travis’ girlfriend is wearing a pink apron and making pastries for a living.

  I want to do something that would make Kane proud of me, something that won’t make him the laughing stock of the MMA world. I also want to make enough money so I can contribute to the house. As much as he tells me he doesn’t need or want my money, I feel like I need to contribute to the bills. I don’t want to be one of those girls living off of their boyfriends. I’m sure he’s had enough of them in his life.

  As I continue to think of my options, a pair of warm hands land on my hips, causing me to jump. When I hear Kane laugh in my ear, I instantly relax. “You scared me.”

  His warm breath sends a shiver down my spine as he says, “Didn’t mean to, babe.”

  I turn in his arms, wrapping my hands around his neck. “I love when you hold me like this.”

  Kane lifts me off the floor, cradling me. “I’m so glad you’re here. I love that you’re making my house into our home.”

  “Me too.” Lifting my lips to his, I give him a gentle kiss. “I love being here.”

  He smiles down at me as he tosses me onto the bed. Landing with a bounce, I let out a laugh. “If you wanted me in bed, all you had to do is ask.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” he asks as he grabs my legs and tugs my leggings off. Next, he jerks my panties off and climbs onto the bed.

  My laughter dies as Kane grabs both of my legs again and pulls them apart. He then lowers his face to my core. His mouth covers my slit, sending a wave of pure lust through my body. Lifting my hips to his hungry lips, I moan out my pleasure.

  “I love the way you taste, Emmy,” he mumbles, sucking my clit into his warm mouth.

  His tongue swipes at my juices before he zeroes in on my sensitive clit again. Unable to stop myself, my hands go directly to his head and fist his golden brown curls in my fingers. “God, that feels so damn good.”

  His fingers slide in and out of me, while his mouth continues to work its magic. I’m torn between forcing him closer and begging him to stop and fuck me. My body is frantic with need, wanting anything he’s willing to give me. “Please.”

  Kane pulls my clit into his mouth again, gently running his teeth over it. “I swear, I could stay between your legs for hours.”

  “Please,” I beg
again, still not knowing what I need more, his mouth or his cock.

  Pulling on his coffee-colored hair, I force him to look at me. His deep blue eyes zero in on me as he asks, “What do you need, baby?”

  “I love having you there, but right now, I need more than your fingers in me.”

  He places a quick kiss on my clit then pushes himself up onto his knees, tearing his shirt over his head. I watch as his muscles flex with each move, and grow more excited as the seconds tick by. He slowly works his button and zipper, then backs off the bed to push his jeans to the floor.

  Standing completely naked at the end of the bed, he shoots me a cocky smile. “Get ready for me, Emmy.”

  I pull my shirt over my head and toss it on the floor. I’m about to undo my lacy bra when he says, “Leave it on.”

  I do as he says, lying back and spreading my legs. “Please, give me what I need.”

  “Don’t I always?” he asks with a cock of his brow.

  He immediately comes over me, resting his body over mine and his hips between my spread legs. His lips meet mine, and my taste mixed with his nearly drives me crazy with need. “I need you now, Kane.”

  His hard cock nudges my entrance, but then he stops and stares into my eyes. “You know I’ve been with more than my fair share of women.”

  Pushing my hips up, I try not to let his words anger me. “This really isn’t the time to talk about all the women you’ve screwed before me.”

  “That’s the point, though. I might have had a lot of women,” he says, still staring down at me. “But, you’re the only woman I’ve ever made love to.”

  His declaration brings tears to my eyes. “Please, make love to me, Kane.”

  He enters me slowly, filling me inch by inch. When he’s finally buried deep inside me, he places his lips at my ear. “I love you, Emmy.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Kane

  Tension is flying off Trey as I drive down the street toward the strip club. Tonight, Jason will finally pay for what he did to Emmy. It’s been hard as hell waiting to go after him, but I knew we had to make sure the time was right so he wouldn’t be expecting it and neither would Emmy.

  Looking over to Trey, I shoot him a half-smile. “What’s the problem, kid? If you don’t want to come, you don’t have to.”

  “No, I wanna be there,” he answers quickly, fidgeting in his seat.

  Being eighteen, he may think he’s a man, but he’s not. I’m proud that he wants to help deal with this bastard, but at the same time, I don’t want this shit to scar him. “Trey, I want you to listen to me. There’s nothing wrong with staying out of this.”

  “I’m gonna be there. That not what’s bothering me.” He turns to look at me. “I heard you and Emmy talking last night.”

  “About what?” I ask, even though I think I already know the answer. There’s only one topic that could make him this upset. His parents.

  “I heard her telling you about what happened to Mom and Dad. She’s never told anyone around here about them. She doesn’t even talk to me about them.” His voice is full of emotion.

  “I know it’s hard for you guys,” I say, not knowing what else to add.

  “When we moved to Vegas, it’s like she forgot them or something. She even hid all the pictures of us together. It’s almost like they never existed.” The resentment in his voice is obvious.

  I draw in a deep breath, taking a moment to pick my words. “Sometimes, I catch her staring off into space. Hell, it’s like I’m not even in the room. Then, she just snaps back to reality. Every damn time, she has tears in her beautiful green eyes. I always wonder what she’s thinking about, but now, I figure that’s when she’s thinking about your parents. They’re never far from her mind.”

  “Yeah, I know it hurts her, but I think it hurts even worse never being allowed to talk about them. They were great parents. They made sure we had a good life. I don’t want to just forget them or what having them around was like,” he says, turning to stare out the window. “It may make me sound like a kid, but I miss them every day. It’s almost like she is taking their memory away from me.”

  “Just bring them up. Talk about them in front of her.” I hope like hell what I’m saying is right. “It’ll get easier for her as time goes on.”

  He stays quiet as I turn down the street the club is on. When the lights come into view, he finally says, “I’ll try. Maybe, since she told you, she’ll be ready to start talking about them again.”

  “All you can do is try,” I agree, praying she’ll give him a chance.

  “You know I don’t blame her, right? She was just a kid. It wasn’t her fault,” he whispers, his voice sincere.

  “I know, man. She just has to quit blaming herself.”

  Pulling the truck up to the curb, I cut the engine and turn to look at Trey. I know we need to talk more about this shit, but this isn’t the spot to do it. “Do you remember everything I told you?”

  He looks over at me, his grief replaced with anger. “Sure do. I stand back and act like a pussy, while you stomp the fucker’s ass.”

  “Trey, don’t give me any shit about this,” I demand, tired of hearing him piss and moan. The kid is tough as nails, but he’s still just a kid. He needs to take a step back and think about what is happening here, not jump in head first. When something like this goes down, you never know what could happen. One wrong move and everything could turn to shit. If something goes wrong, I don’t want him getting hurt. Not only would Emmy kill my ass, but I’ve grown attached to him. I think of him just like Ozzy, and I’ll be damned if this bastard will hurt someone else I care about.

  “Why the hell did you bring me, if I just have to stand back and watch? I know Em’s your woman now, but she’s my sister,” he argues, tossing his head against the back of his seat. “You may love her, but I do, too.”

  Knowing now isn’t the time to deal with this shit, I reach over and slap Trey on the shoulder. “As soon as I know everything is under control, I’ll let you have a go at him. You wait until I give you the okay, though, or I’ll take your ass down.”

  He finally smiles, reaching for the door handle. “Come on, then. Let’s get this done.”

  I grab his arm to hold his ass in the seat. “We’ve gotta wait ‘til he comes out. I’ve had some of the boys watching him, and he comes out about fifteen minutes after the club closes. If we’re lucky, he’ll be alone.”

  “Oh, yeah,” he mumbles, releasing the handle. “I can’t wait to get my hands on the motherfucker.”

  “Don’t go in there and start shit. Let me handle it, and I’ll tell you when you can step in,” I remind him, wondering if I made the right decision in bringing him with me.

  “I’ll hold back, but I won’t like it.” His legs are bouncing up and down, most likely from the adrenaline flowing through him. I can feel it, too. His eagerness worries me. I’m afraid he’ll jump the gun and make a stupid mistake.

  Hearing his anger, I know I need to calm his ass down before we get out. “Don’t forget, we’re here to teach him a lesson, not kill him.”

  Trey nods before looking over to me. “Is this gonna hurt you?”

  “Jason will never even get a hand on me,” I growl out, wondering how the hell he could ask such a fucked up question.

  “I know that. I was talking about with the UFC. If anyone finds out about this, you’ll be out. You’ll lose your chance at the belt,” he explains, barely meeting my eyes. “I wouldn’t hold it against you if you didn’t do this. Emmy would kill you if you tanked your career to deal with this bastard.”

  Again, the boy surprises me. As young as he is, he’s growing up to be one hell of a man. Even though he knows this man deserves everything we’re gonna give him, the kid is more worried about my ass. “I’ve got it covered. If anyone asks, even the cops, we’ve been at the gym all night. Ozzy and a few of the guys are waiting there for us. They’ll cover our asses.”

  When I
told the guys what went down, they were more than happy to provide an alibi. Well, everyone but Ozzy was happy. He was pissed as hell that I wouldn’t let him join us. He thinks of Emmy as a sister, and the thought of someone laying their hands on her drove him crazy. He wanted to have a go at Jason, too, but I knew one of us needed to be around the gym to lay the ground work for an alibi if it was needed.

  “Good,” he says, jerking his head to the side. “That’s him, isn’t it?”

  I look out the windshield just in time to see Jason walk out the door. He’s alone, but the club is still open and is full to the brim. Looking around the parking lot, I see a few drunks making their way into a taxi but nothing else.

  “Let’s go, but stay behind me,” I say, climbing out of the truck.

  We make our way around the parking lot, sticking to the shadows. We’re at his BMW before he’s halfway through the parking lot. The fact that his ass is riding around in a classy ride and all his dancers are driving pieces of shit like Emmy’s really pisses me off. I stand near the trunk, trying to keep myself from running after him.

  I step out of the shadows, just as Emmy’s former boss strides up to his driver’s side door. “Remember me?”

  He stumbles back, letting out a scream that would make any girl proud. Not wanting to draw attention, I grab him and cover his mouth. “It’s time to pay.”

  Dragging him behind his car, I force him away from the parking lot. The kid’s footsteps follow behind us, while the bastard tries to pull away from me. Trey notices his struggle and slaps him on the side of the head. “Settle down.”

  He sounds so damn bad ass, I can’t help but chuckle. “Don’t piss me off, or I’ll let him take care of you.”

  Trey may be smaller than me, but this asshole doesn’t know how much worse that would be. Finally getting far enough away from the club, I push Jason away from me. The visual of his fist hitting Emmy is all I can picture. She must have been scared, crying, wanting me there. Even more anger fills me as I stare at the pathetic man in front of me. “So, you thought it was okay to lay your hands on my woman?”