by Caitlyn Dare
“I get your point, Cole.” Irritation skitters down my spine.
“Good. The question is, what are you going to do about it?”
“Do you think he’s still fighting?”
A tight expression falls over him. “I know he is.”
“When’s the next one?”
“Wednesday, I think. Why?”
“Can you take me there?” An idea starts forming in my head.
“I’m not sure that’s what I had in mind when I said you needed to fight for him.”
I roll my eyes. “Can you help me or not?”
“Fine. Wednesday. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“Good. And don’t tell anyone else, I don’t want him to know.”
Cole stands, jamming his hands in his pocket. “That’s the Kenny I remember.”
“My plan hasn’t worked yet.”
“It will. Conner’s worried about hurting you. He’s worried about losing control. You need to show him that it’s okay. That you can handle it.”
I give him an understanding nod.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He steps away but thinks against it and turns back to me. “And Kennedy?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re one of us now, and we always look after our own.”
Cole’s words stay with me long after he’s gone.
By the time Wednesday night rolls around, I’m a nervous wreck. I saw Conner and Aimee together again today. She touched his arm as they shared another joke.
I swear I growled like a feral dog as I watched them. Conner had spotted me and tried to talk to me, but I didn’t stick around.
I needed to keep my resolve if I was going to do this.
Checking my reflection in the mirror, I tighten my ponytail and braid the ends. The leggings hug my legs like a second skin, and the oversized sweater hangs off one shoulder, kissing the curve off my butt where it meets my thighs. I look cute, feminine even. But I’m still me. I still have the tattoos and piercings and the big chunky earrings in my ears.
Butterflies flap wildly in my stomach. This could all go wrong. Conner could take one look at me and tell me to leave.
But Cole is right. I have to do this.
I have to fight for him.
For us.
Grabbing my small backpack, I shove my keys and lip gloss inside and head out to meet Cole.
“This is the master plan?” His eyes skirt over my body.
I flip him off. “It’s an underground fight ring, what would you have me wear?” Yanking open the door, I slide inside his car.
“Something a little more tempting?” He ducks inside.
“Just drive, Cole.”
We ride in thick silence. I feel Cole’s eyes flick to me a few times. He does it again, and I finally cave.
“What?”
“I’m just trying to figure out how this happened. Shit, K, you’re so strong.”
“People change.” I don’t look at him. I can’t. “I always thought me and Conner would end up together. It’s all I ever wanted. Then after we slept together, he pulled away.”
“Yeah, because he’s a fucking pussy.”
My lip quirks at that.
“Warren started paying me attention and Conner seemed to encourage it. I thought he wasn’t interested. Then your mom died and everything changed.”
“When did it start... you know... him hurting you?”
I shrug, fighting the wave of emotion rising inside me. “It wasn’t like a switch went off or anything. It was gradual. He was always intense. Didn’t like me being around other guys. Wearing anything too revealing. I thought he was being protective. For a while it was nice, ya know? Like I was the most important person in his life.”
“Motherfucker.” I glance over at Cole. He’s white knuckling the steering wheel, his teeth clenched painfully tight.
“It’s okay, Cole. I’m okay.”
“Nothing about this is okay, Kenny. Not a single fucking thing.” He slams his fist against the wheel, making me flinch. “Conner will fix this, I promise you. He’ll fix it. And if he doesn’t,” his eyes lock on mine, “I will.”
Chapter Thirty
Conner
Sweat trickles down my spine as the guy Daz thought would be a good match for me bounces in front of me, his fists pulled up to his face, ready to make his next move.
I know I shouldn't be doing this. But fuck what everyone else thinks.
That last message I got from Kenny on the weekend repeats over and over.
She wants me to sort my shit out, but how can I do that when he's still walking around somewhere like he did nothing wrong?
The guy in front of me suddenly morphs into Warren, and I take him by surprise. My fist connects with his ribs, forcing his arms to drop so I can move in on his face.
My heart races, adrenaline pumping as I tell myself that this is him. This is the motherfucker who needs to pay for fucking everything up.
I trusted him with Kenny. I only ever wanted the best for her. If I had any idea that he'd...
The roar that rips from my throat is one I barely recognize as I continue laying into this guy. The crowd goes crazy as I take the upper hand. But after a minute or two, I discover why Daz thought putting the two of us together would be a good idea, because somehow, he manages to turn the tables.
My eye burns when he gets a solid punch in before another splits my lip wide open.
Twisting my head to the side, I spit the blood that pools in my mouth. But as I do, my eyes find someone I wasn't expecting standing right at the front of the crowd.
Kennedy.
My entire body stills for a beat. A beat too long, because it gives my opponent the advantage. This is exactly why she shouldn't be here. This is one of the reasons this shit stays underground.
The guy’s fist connects with my jaw, snapping my head to the side, but now I have another reason to fight.
Adrenaline like I've never felt before races through me. My muscles that were starting to tire wake back up, and my need to put him down takes on a life of its own.
I turn on him and don't stop until he's on the floor and I'm being declared the winner, but I don't hang around for the celebration. I've got someone else who needs my attention more.
Her eyes go wide as I storm up to her, but I see the darkness within them as she drops them down my naked chest.
Wrapping my bloody, dirty hand around her wrist, I drag her through the crowd—which parts like the Red Sea—and I don't stop until the door to tonight's makeshift dressing room has slammed behind me.
My hackles rise and my anger swells before I turn on her. She gasps at the look on my face. I understand why. I barely know myself after a fight, let alone one she put herself near.
"You shouldn't be here," I roar.
"Yet, I am." She smiles at me and tilts her head to the side in an attempt to be cute. Any other day, the move might make an impact, but not right now.
"You shouldn't be here. You told me—"
"Fuck what I told you, Conner," she seethes, stepping up to me and slamming her palms down on my chest, forcing me to back up. "Fuck all of this. This is bullshit."
"It's not bullshit. It's my fucking life, Kenny."
"Yeah, and you're fucking it up right now."
"You think I don't know that? You think I want to do this?" I lift my busted hands up between us. Her eyes soften slightly, but she by no means backs down at the sight of my blood.
"I don't know. You seem to do it a lot for someone who claims not to want to and keeps promising his brothers that he’ll stop."
"I don't know what else to do. I can't..."
"I do," she states, as the weight of her body crashes into my chest. She's tiny, but she takes me by surprise and I stumble back until I slam up against the wall. The air rushes from my lungs and my back smarts from the rough concrete it's pressed against. But I don't get a chance to recover, because she's on me.
Her fingers slide into my hair, pulling m
y face down to meet hers before her lips crash to mine. She doesn't hesitate as her tongue pushes inside my mouth, searching for my own.
I want to fight her, to push her away. I'm covered in blood, sweaty, disgusting, but one taste of her and I lose all sense of what's right and my arm wraps around her waist, pulling her body tighter against mine.
Her hand releases my hair and slips down my body. She trails her fingertips over my abs before digging her nails in and scratching upward.
"Oh fuck," I grunt into her kiss, my cock swelling faster than I can control.
"You need the pain, Con. I can give you that. Trust me to give you what you need in the same way I trust you."
"Oh shit." My head bounces off the wall, a sharp pain ricochets down my neck, but I forget all about it as her tongue laves at the spot on my neck she just bit.
"You just fucking bit me."
"I can do a lot worse than bite, babe. Wanna try me?"
My response dies as she pushes her hand past the waistband of my shorts and grasps my length.
My eyes shutter, but I just about managed to keep them on her as she kisses and nips down my body.
Each sting of her teeth feeds that feral beast inside that keeps demanding the pain, the punishment, the torture.
She keeps going until she's kneeling on the dirty floor. She stares up at me, her face now smeared with blood and dirt, but none of it seems to faze her.
Reaching out, she rubs at my hard cock through the fabric.
"You need to let go, Conner." Her eyes find mine and all I see within them is love and concern. "Fighting like this isn't going to give you what you need. I, however..."
She has the waistband of my shorts in her tiny fists before tugging them down my hips. My cock springs free and she wastes no time in wrapping her fingers around it and sucking the length deep into her mouth.
"Fuck. FUCK, Kenny."
Her spare hand slides up my thigh, wrapping around to my ass, and she squeezes, she squeezes so fucking hard, digging her nails in with such force that I have no doubt she draws blood.
The crest of my orgasm mounts as she continues sucking me as deep as she can at this angle.
Consumed by pleasure, my arm reaches out and I twist my fingers in her hair.
Her eyes lift to mine and I panic, but as I start to release her, her hand clamps mine in place as she shakes her head slightly, somehow managing to get my cock even deeper.
"Fuck, K. I'm gonna..." And then she's gone, leaving me standing there with my shorts around my ankles, my chest heaving and my cock about to explode.
"You're not coming in my mouth tonight, Con. No fucking way."
"But..." My argument fades away as she lifts her sweater and throws it across the room. Her bare tits greet me, and I bite down on my bottom lip at the sight, causing more blood to pool in my mouth. But she's not done. Only a beat later, she pushes her thumbs into her leggings and shimmies them and her panties down her legs.
"K, anyone could walk in right now," I warn, knowing there's no lock on the door.
"So? No one will hurt me with you here," she says, so matter-of-factly it makes my chest ache.
She steps up to me once again, her bare breasts brushing my chest as her hand grasps my cock once more.
"Now," she breathes in my ear, "where were we?"
She jacks me slowly, ensuring that my earlier release stays just within reach.
"Kenny," I warn, my head spinning with need for what she's offering but also with the knowledge that those images that haunt me will only stay away for so long. "I don’t—"
A loud slap fills the otherwise silent room. My eyes go wide as my cheek burns.
"Did you just..." I trail off as she walks backward with a shrug, her hips swaying and her tits bouncing.
"Yeah,” she taunts, “and what are you going to do about it?"
I'm on her before I know I've moved. My fingers fist her hair, pulling her head back so I can attack her lips. Her nails claw up my back as she climbs my body like a fucking tree until her legs are around my waist and my cock is teasing her entrance.
"Fuck me, Conner. Fuck me so hard so I never forget you were there."
She tugs my hair, her strength making it sting as she pulls my head back and stares into my eyes.
"Take. Me. Now."
With a roar, I surge forward, unable to do anything but what she demands.
"Conner," she cries, her own head falling back as the heat of her walls surrounds me, burns me, pulls me in.
"Fuck, Kenny."
"Move, Conner. Move. Please."
Taking her ass in my hands, I circle my hips. I watch as she cries out in pleasure. Her cheeks are red, the flush spilling down her neck to her chest. She's captivating.
Completely and utterly mesmerizing.
Her eyes crack open when she realizes that I've stopped moving. They're dark and full of hunger.
"Fuck me," Conner. "Take what you need and give me what I need." Her nails claw across my shoulder blades as she drops her face to the crook of my neck and bites down on my skin.
"Fuck, Kennedy."
I pull out of her and she tenses, but I don't disappoint her. Instead, I thrust back inside.
"Oh God, Conner. You feel so good. So fucking good," she breathes in my ear. "Keep going. I want to come all over your cock." Her lips kiss every bit of skin she can reach as I continue thrusting inside her.
All I can think about is her, the pain and pleasure as they mix together threatening to consume me. Her cries of pleasure and begs for more fill my ears and make me desperate. I want to hear her scream, I want to hear her lose control and cling to me as she falls.
I want to make her shatter.
It's a freeing feeling. One that I've been so desperate for.
I piston my hips faster as my orgasm approaches. Her muscles pull me tighter, milking it out of me until I snap.
Slipping my hand between us, I find her clit and pinch.
"Conner," she screams as she clamps down on my cock so tight that I have no choice but to fall. Thankfully she's right there with me.
"Oh fuck," I roar, dropping my head to the crook of her neck and riding out the release I've needed for weeks. "I love you, Kenny. I love you so fucking much," I whisper once the last wave has subsided.
I don't move. I can't. The feeling of her wrapped around me. Being skin on skin. It's too much.
"Conner, look at me. Please."
Unable to deny her, I pull my face free and look into her eyes. Whatever she sees makes her gasp before she lifts her hands and wipes the tears from my cheeks that I didn't even realize had fallen.
"Conner," she breathes, her brow creasing as we continue to stare at each other.
"Thank you," I whisper, but I feel like a fucking tool when all she does is throw her head back and laugh.
For those few seconds, I feel like a fucking king. That is, until I unwrap her legs from my body, allow her to stand on her own, and take a step back.
Then reality comes crashing down. She's covered in smears of my blood, dirt from the floor and my touch. The fear that I'm becoming all too familiar with starts to claw inside me.
"Conner, no," she warns, clearly seeing what's happening in front of her eyes. She takes both my hands in hers and presses the length of her body against mine. "I wanted that. I wanted you. Do not twist this into anything else."
"Kenny," I breathe, dropping my forehead to hers and closing my eyes for a beat. "Do you have any idea how incredible you are?"
She shrugs. I hate that she can't see what I see.
"You fucking slay me, K."
"You're pretty awesome too, I guess."
"You guess?" I ask, a smirk pulling at my lips. "Did you not see me just win out there?"
"I did, babe." Her eyes darken as she thinks back, putting ideas in my head that I don't need while standing in this disgusting attempt at a dressing room.
"Get dressed," I demand.
"But—" she starts to argue, but I cut
her off.
"This isn't over, K. But in order for that to happen, we need to get out of here. Anyone could..." I glance at the door as voices pass by.
"Uh... yeah, you're probably right."
"Probably right? I'm always right."
She shakes her head at me and laughs.
Barely two minutes later, we're walking out of the building. I've got Kenny pulled into my side as tight as I possibly can.
She turned up here to fight for me. My chest swells, warmth running through my veins. She did that for me, for us.
Now I've just got to hope that she's managed to rid me of the demons that were haunting me every time we've been together. Although, I fear that might be wishful thinking.
"So what now?" Kenny asks, her hand locked in mine as we head back toward the Bay.
"Now? We're gonna clean up, and then we're going to do it all over again."
"We are, huh?
“Probably a few times." Dropping her hand to my thigh, I brush it up until she has no choice but to wrap her fingers around my hard length.
I don't need to look over to know she's smiling.
"You weren't expecting much sleep tonight, right?"
"Nah, it's overrated if you ask me."
With a laugh, I press the accelerator a little harder, desperate to continue with our night.
Chapter Thirty-One
Kennedy
“Seriously, we’re both happy for you, but can you cut it out?” Cole eyes me through the rearview mirror. Conner doesn’t pull away though, kissing and sucking the slope of my neck as one of his hands hovers dangerously close to my panties.
“Let them be,” Hadley says with a hint of amusement. “I think it’s cute.”
“Cute?” Cole balks. “They’re practically fucking on my back seat.”
“Trust me, bro,” Conner lifts his head, “you’d know if I was inside her.”
“Conner.” I swat his chest, but my indignation melts away as he attacks my mouth with big, wet, open-mouthed kisses.
“Fuck’s sake,” Cole grumbles, “I think I liked him better when he couldn’t get it up.”