by Jessie Cooke
“That’s Gunner’s old lady over there.” Blair was afraid her voice might crack when she spoke. How long had it been since a man had this kind of effect on her? Maybe never.
“Oh, that explains a lot,” she managed. She realized when she turned her attention back to the fight that Wolf hadn’t really moved back. He was even closer to her now and if she’d been a little bit taller, their shoulders would be touching. She was usually big on personal space and there was room to the right of her, but her feet seemed glued to the floor. She glanced at Angel Brady, who had just introduced herself. Her old man Dax had his arms wrapped around her waist and his head resting on her shoulder as he watched the fight. Blair pictured herself and Wolf like that and felt a flush wash over her skin. Again, shaking that off, she returned her eyes to what was happening in front of her.
It looked like the champ had dropped his guard for a second. Gunner took advantage of it and threw out a right jab. The champ almost dodged it, but part of Gunner’s fist caught the side of his face and it caused the champ to rock back on his heels, trying to get his balance. While he teetered, Gunner swept his leg out and caught “Killer” behind the knees with his foot. It looked like he might be going down, but he avoided it somehow and stayed on his feet. It pissed him off, though, and he came at Gunner then full-force. He was throwing punches to Gunner’s torso, one after the other, drilling into him. Blair wondered how anyone could stand there and take that. It was only seconds before Gunner managed to get out of his way, but the assault had been brutal. Gunner spun around and went to the left, when the champ went that direction too. Gunner suddenly swayed back to the right and threw out a punch that landed right on the soft part of the champ’s stomach. The older man doubled over, grabbing his midsection, and looked like he was gasping for breath. The ref started over after a few seconds, but before he got there, the “Killer” popped back up and his fists started flying again.
Gunner ducked and dodged a few, and he took a few hits. He also landed one or two punches himself. The champ was getting closer and closer to having his back up against the net, and when he was about a foot away, Gunner rushed him and slammed him into it. The crowd went wild and the team from each corner was calling out things that nobody seemed to hear, or be listening to. “Killer” was hammering punches into one of Gunner’s shoulders and his back. Gunner had one leg around the older man’s and he seemed to be trying to take him down to the mat. They struggled like that for a while, with neither man seeming to gain much ground before the ref said:
“That’s it! Break!”
They broke apart and returned to center with their fists up again. The ref restarted the fight and after circling again once or twice, the champ suddenly dropped his head, bending his body in half, and went at Gunner like a bull. His head slammed into Gunner’s midsection and he used it like a battering ram to push him all the way back into the net. Gunner’s old lady was screaming and yelling, and at one point she had to be pulled down off the side of the octagon and moved back. It looked like she was being given a talking to, maybe being warned not to do it again. Meanwhile, the ramming head had knocked the wind out of Gunner and he was sliding down to the floor. Everyone was screaming at him to get up as the champ dropped to the mat with him and straddled his legs. Gunner instantly brought his arms up to protect his face and “Killer” began to pound him, first one side of his head and then the other. Gunner’s old lady’s screams seemed to go from angry to tearful and once again she had to be peeled off the mesh.
Blair had to bring her hands up and cover her eyes for a few seconds. She couldn’t stand watching it as the blows continued, one after the other, and Gunner moved his head from side to side, flinching and trying to buck the man off him at the same time. Blood and sweat were flying across the octagon...and then a loud horn sounded, calling an end to round one.
Blair’s heart was slamming into her rib cage as the adrenaline rushed through her blood. She was slightly disgusted by the violence, but shamelessly intrigued and excited as well. She looked back at Lana and Bruf. They were standing almost like Angel and Dax, and instead of shaking her head at her drunken friend for latching onto a man so quickly this time, she felt a pang of jealousy. She turned back forward, and she could see Wolf looking at her from the corner of her eye. She saw his face get closer and felt the tickle of his beard against her cheek as his lips hovered over her ear again. “Looks like Bruf and your friend are hitting it off.”
She forced a smile and said, “Is he safe? I mean, he wouldn’t hurt her, right?”
“No way,” Wolf said. “Bruf loves women.” She smiled again and said:
“Good. She’s pretty drunk, but she’s a good woman.”
“We don’t judge,” Wolf said. His eyes seemed to be looking through hers and she got the feeling that he was wondering if she did. Did she judge him for being in an MC? Not just in the MC...but the president. He was the one that made all the decisions and when it came down to it, if they did anything illegal, it was on him. Could she date a man like that? She didn’t know...but what she was beginning to realize, based on the way her body was feeling and the thoughts in her head, was that she could definitely have sex with a man like that...and she wanted to, badly. She turned her head just enough so that they were face to face and in a seductive voice that she wasn’t even aware she had she said:
“Neither do I.”
12
If Wolf had a problem hiding his hard dick a few minutes ago, now it was probably evident even to the men behind the scenes, staring at the security monitors. Did she just come on to him? It sure sounded like a come-on. It wasn’t what she said, but the way she pursed those sexy lips together and said it. The words came from somewhere deep in her throat and her eyes even seemed to darken slightly...like she was changing somehow, going into heat, maybe. Or maybe it was just his imagination. He was so fucking horny for her that he could do her right there. Maybe his raging hormones had him imagining things that weren’t real.
The sound of the horn announcing round two brought him back out of it, and in the hope of losing the giant woody tenting the front of his jeans, he concentrated on the two sweaty, bloody men in the cage. Gunner looked beat, but “Killer” wasn’t looking so fresh himself. The ref waved his hand and told them to fight again and this time instead of their dancing around each other, Gunner came out fighting. He was throwing punch after punch, so quickly that it was all the champ could do to dodge them, much less fire off a punch of his own. Gunner kept that up until he looked too exhausted to go on and then he danced back slightly out of the champ’s reach.
The older man looked dazed, but instinct seemed to drive him as he realized Gunner had let up, and he dove toward the other man. He threw a left hook, but Gunner dodged it and came back with a jab to the ribs. The older man danced around him again, and it looked like he was trying to catch his breath. He kept a good distance from Gunner, enough so that his punches had no “oomph” to them when they landed, and when he was ready...when he could breathe again...he kicked out his leg, connected with the backs of Gunner’s calves, and brought him down to the mat again. This time before “Killer” could straddle him, Gunner rolled to the side and tried to scramble to his feet, but the champ was able to move around in front of him. Before Gunner was upright, the older man grabbed Gunner’s head with a hand on either side and held it in place while he brought up his knee and slammed head and knee together. Blood went everywhere, and Wolf imagined if they were closer and the arena was quieter, they would have heard the crunching of cartilage as Gunner’s nose broke.
He tried to concentrate on what was happening in the octagon and not outside of it, but it was hard. Gunner’s old lady had gone ballistic when the champ slammed his knee into Gunner’s face. She was hanging off the mesh like a little spider monkey and security was trying to peel her off. Suddenly Zack was next to Wolf, excusing himself. Blair looked at Wolf then, wide-eyed, and after looking like she was thinking about it for a second, she leaned in close to
his ear and said, “She really loves him.”
Wolf laughed. “Yeah, I’d have to agree.” They both watched then as Zack reached her and peeled her off the net. He carried her toward the back exit, with her kicking, and if they could have heard her, probably screaming all the way. Wolf turned his attention back to the fight then. Gunner’s face was bleeding profusely, and the older guy looked like he was about to faint, but they were both on their feet and still throwing punches. It was that one well-placed, well-timed punch that made Gunner a winner. His fist shot out hard and the punch landed right in the center of the champ’s face. His feet came up off the mat and he flew back and landed on his back, striking his head not once but twice on the hard mat as it bounced up and down. It took a few seconds of the crowd’s screaming at the champ to get up for everyone to realize the guy was out. Gunner had won by a knockout, and as Wolf looked around him and watched everyone celebrating, he knew that if Blair wouldn’t have him that night, he would definitely have to find someone that would. She was killing him, and he so badly wanted it to be her.
13
The bar was wall-to-wall people, strobe lights flashed across the dance floor, and the music was all booming bass. Blair was trying to hear what the young fighter was telling her, but she had no clue. She could see his mouth moving, but she was no lip reader. So, she just smiled and nodded a lot, and sipped her drink. She hadn’t even really planned on drinking anything else at the after-party, but the chaos was giving her a headache and since Lana made her promise she’d stay at least until Gunner and the rest of the crew...aka Bruf...showed up, she was currently tolerating the advances of a kid that didn’t even look old enough to be in the bar. He had introduced himself when she first came in, before Lana had been whisked off to the dance floor by what might become Bruf’s competition. His name was Martin and he was an “up and coming” fighter. After that, it had all been “Wawawawawa...”
The kid’s mouth was still moving when a hush came over the crowd. The music stopped and everyone’s attention turned toward the suddenly open front door of the bar. “And that was when I knocked him out,” he yelled. He looked surprised to hear the sound of his own voice at the top of his lungs in the quiet bar. Blair smiled softly and pointed at the door. He turned toward it and they watched as Gunner and Jacob Wright strolled through. The place erupted in applause and suddenly the big men in the black shirts were crowded around the champion and his trainer asking people to stay back. Blair felt the migration of the crowd pushing her with them in that direction, but she wasn’t interested in seeing Gunner, or Jacob. Not that she had anything against them, or that she didn’t notice that they were both extremely hot...but there was only one man her eyes were searching for and when they landed on him, her heart sped up in an instant.
Wolf and Bruf stood side by side, and both of them were scanning the crowd around them. It was obvious that they were used to being on guard...Bruf, especially. He stayed right at Wolf’s side, stepping around and in between anyone that tried to get close to his president. She wondered what it was like to walk around with your own personal bodyguard. She was sure she wouldn’t like it. She liked her own space way too much.
The crowd of fighters and bikers filed in and any holes in the crowd that might have existed before they got there were filled in. Blair was almost pushed up against the, once again booming jukebox when she felt a hand on her hip. Instantly, she spun around and brought her leg up. Wolf caught it with his free hand before it made contact with his balls. Her heart was racing and she didn’t know if she should be angry or apologize. It didn’t matter either way, since he wouldn’t hear a word she said if she tried. Wolf must have had the same thought because he moved the hand that was on her hip to her wrist and opened up a path for her with his body as he led her outside to a small patio bar where the music was muted and there were very few people.
“Oh my gosh, that’s better,” she said. Wolf was smiling at her and she felt her face go hot. “I’m sorry about...”
He raised an eyebrow and said, “Almost making sure I never made babies?”
She laughed. “Yeah...that. But in my defense...”
“I shouldn’t have sneaked up and touched you like that,” he finished. “I’m sorry. I said your name three times before I finally touched you. No worries about you taking care of yourself, though, that’s for sure.”
She felt herself blush again. “I’m just glad to be out of there. I hate crowds like that.”
“Me too. You hungry?”
She had to think about that. It had been a few hours since they ate, and she’d had another drink, so it wouldn’t hurt to get a bite to eat. But she couldn’t leave with this guy. She barely knew him. He was a biker. The president of a 1% MC...besides, she couldn’t leave Lana. “I’m okay,” she said.
Wolf ran his tongue over his bottom lip and her eyes went to it. She was doing her best to fight the feelings that were flooding her system, but the chemistry between the two of them was strong and she had a feeling that she was fighting a losing battle. “Okay,” he said. “We don’t have to eat.” Her eyes were still on his lips. He took a step closer to her. He was breathing all of the oxygen in the hot Vegas night air, and making it harder for her to get a full breath in.
“Wolf...”
“What?” he whispered. Those lips, they were so close. What would they taste like?
“Um...I never thanked you, for saving me that day.”
He smiled. “You were doing okay before I showed up. You’re dangerous with a knee and a frying pan.”
She smiled too. The memory itself didn’t stir anything happy inside of her...but for some reason the idea that she and Wolf had worked together and saved the day did. “I should check on Lana,” she said.
Wolf’s hand was back on her hip. He was pulling her up against him. He was going to kiss her...and she realized, just before his lips met hers, that she was going to let him. His other hand was wrapped behind her neck with his fingers sifted through her hair. She heard herself moan just before their lips met and Wolf took what he wanted. She wasn’t sure who opened their mouth first, but it was half a second after their lips touched that their tongues were crashing together. His grip on the back of her neck tightened and his hips flexed against hers, allowing her a feel of just how excited he was. The kiss was deep, hot, and passionate, and even when he let her up for air, his mouth continued to nip at her lips and then her neck. His full, wet lips sliding across her hot, sensitive skin felt so good, but at the same time left her aching for so much more. She moaned again and that seemed to egg him on. He sucked harder on her neck and she arched her back, pushing her breasts into his chest. She didn’t even think about the fact that they were in public, until Wolf finally pulled back and looked into her eyes and said:
“Go upstairs with me. Please.”
She looked around and was suddenly embarrassed. She couldn’t believe she’d just done that. Nobody seemed to even be looking at them...but still, how dangerous was it for her to give herself over to a man like that, without even considering her surroundings? She was usually so much more cautious than that. “Wolf...I can’t. I can’t just leave Lana.”
“She’s fine,” he said. “She’s with Bruf. He’ll take care of her.”
She laughed nervously and said, “That’s kind of what I’m afraid of.”
He smiled. “Bruf won’t take advantage of her. He’s a lady’s man for sure, but he’s also a gentleman. He’ll make sure she gets back to her room safely, but he won’t go any further than she asks him to.”
She wasn’t sure if she was, in fact, that worried about her friend, or if she was using her as an excuse to not do what she almost desperately wanted to do. Lana was no stranger to the party scene, and she wasn’t a slut, but she was experienced with men. “I should at least text her...”
Wolf looked like he knew that a text wasn’t going to satisfy her in the long run. He took out his own phone and sent a text. Before she could even ask what that was about,
Bruf and Lana appeared in the doorway. Bruf walked up to his president and Blair took Lana aside so they could speak privately. “You okay?”
“I’m great,” Lana said with a smile. Her friend’s pretty eyes cut over toward Wolf and said, “What about you? Are you okay?”
“Yeah...I’m confused, but I’m good. He wants me to...”
Lana grinned. “Yay! Blair is gonna get some tonight!”
“Shush!” Blair giggled. “I didn’t say I was going to, I said he wants me to.”
“Do you want to?”
Blair looked back over where Bruf and Wolf were standing by the bar. Just looking at him across the patio sent a tingle down her spine. “So bad,” she told Lana. They both giggled and Lana said:
“How drunk are you?”
“Not at all,” Blair said. “You?”
Lana pinched her thumb and forefinger almost together. “I’ve got a little buzz, but I know what I’m doing...and I’m doing Bruf.”
Blair laughed again. “Lana Marie!”
Still laughing Lana said, “I don’t care. I am doing him. He’s so hot it’s a wonder I haven’t melted from the inside out yet. I’d like to take him to our room, if that’s okay with you? I mean, if you’re going to be here with Wolf anyways.”
“And what happens tomorrow?” Blair asked. “These guys are gang members, Lana. I work for the prison system. Your father is a US Congressman. You know better than I do what a fit he would have if he knew.”