by T A. McKay
“Thank you for tonight, Zeke.” I kiss his head and close my eyes.
“It should be me saying thanks, baby. It was fucking perfect.”
Chapter Twelve
Bryce
I can’t keep my eyes off Zeke as he sits across from me in the café we decided to go to for breakfast. We haven’t really spoken this morning, content to just be in each other’s company. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep so quickly last night but being in Zeke’s arms had felt so good that I couldn’t help it. I had wanted to talk to him about how he felt after what we did and whether he was comfortable with it, but then he pulled me into his arms and sleep stole me.
When I woke this morning I was determined to talk to him, to make sure he hadn’t panicked through the night. We took our relationship to another level , and I need to make sure he’s comfortable. I don’t really want to label what we have together, but we spend all our time together and we have sex, so yes, to me this is a relationship. I know about his past, about how he lost his virginity and I'm scared of making him feel pressured. I would hate for our first time together to be because he felt forced, so I need to check that he wanted it as much as I did. The plan had changed quickly when I woke up with a mouth around my dick, making it officially the best wake up call ever. I thought there was no way to make the morning better, but I was wrong, so very, very wrong. When he kissed his way up my body to my ear, he whispered that he couldn’t wait for me to take him and that he was nearly ready for it. With my eyes crossed and my fingers digging into his skin, I felt like the luckiest person in the world.
“How are you feeling?” This is probably the tenth time I've asked him this, but I need to keep checking. I have this need to make sure he isn’t regretting anything, so I might be going slightly overboard.
“Again, I'm fine. I will tell you if I’m not. Will you stop stressing over it? We’re good, I’m good.” He winks at me and I smile. I love the way he’s trying to make me feel better when he's the one who pretty much lost his virginity all over again. I know he's slept with a lot of women, but last night I popped his gay cherry. This thought makes me laugh, and it’s one of those laughs that the more you try to control it the worse it gets. He puts his fork down and stares at me blankly which causes me to laugh harder. I try to take deep breaths and close my eyes to block him out so I calm down. I manage to get it under control when Zeke speaks and I nearly lose it again.
“Now I need to know what’s so funny. What’s just gone through that sexy little head of yours?” I take a few more deep breaths, trying to control the laughter that’s but.
“I was just thinking. Not many men can say they lost their virginity at twenty eight.” It’s not until the words are out my mouth that I realize that I’m talking really loudly. The waitress serving the next table turns to look at us, a shocked look on her face as her eyes rake over Zekes body. I don’t think I've ever seen Zeke blush so this moment will go down in history.
He leans in close, making sure that I will be able to hear him as he whispers across to me.
“I didn’t lose my virginity, well not fully. I will class myself as a virgin until you push that hard cock into my ass.” My mouth drops open at his words, and it’s my turn to turn bright red. I can’t believe he just said that in the middle of a café, thankfully he kept his voice down.
I'm saved from the conversation when my phone rings in my pocket. It’s unusual for someone to call me so early, but I see Eddie’s name and I answer straight away. I’ve been waiting on some news from him and I'm hoping it’s good.
“Hey, Eddie. How’s things?” Zeke goes back to eating his breakfast but his eyes never leave mine. I can see him trying to work out why Eddie’s calling but I’ve kept this from him until I knew for sure.
“He’s in.” And just like that he hangs up the phone. One thing I know for sure is that no one could ever accuse Eddie of wasting time with small talk. I throw my phone on the table and pick up my fork, ignoring Zeke’s stare as I focus on my plate.
“You're just doing that to piss me off.” I nod, still not taking my eyes off my plate.
“Yuuuuuup.” I feel something hit my head and a slice of toast lands on my plate. I look up with surprise on my face.
“Did you just throw a bit of toast at me?” I can’t believe he did that, no actually I can, and I'm just happy it wasn’t his fork.
“What did Eddie want?” I have two options here. Do I come out and tell him, or do I drag it out until it drives him insane? Well there’s no real question here, second option it is.
“He was just letting me know that we need to change your training schedule.” I can see the muscle in his jaw twitch as he resists the urge to throw something else at me.
“And why does my training schedule need to change?” His words are clipped, his frustration clearly showing. I decide to be kind and tell him before he does actually hurt me.
“You have a fight.” Immediately he stills and his mouth drops open as he stares at me. “Say something, Zeke.” He sits there for a few more seconds before he manages to talk.
“Are you fucking with me?” This is why I hadn’t mentioned the fight before I knew for sure. I didn’t want him to get his hopes up and then not be able to get a place. I cleared him to fight about a week ago and I've just been trying to find the right tournament for him. There’s one coming up in two weeks’ time, a big one that will get his name back out there, and Eddie used some of his connections to get him onto the fight sheet.
“You have two weeks to get fight ready. The hard work begins now.” I can see his hands twitch on the table, like he wants to reach out and touch me but knows he can’t.
“I could fucking kiss you right now. I want to reach across there and grab you so badly.” His eyes darken and he licks his lips, looking down to mine. And just like that my dick hardens to an almost unbearable level. I clear my throat before speaking, the arousal flooding through me making my voice sound husky.
“As much as I would love that, we need to get to the gym. I'm not lying about only having two weeks to get you ready to fight.” Zeke puts his napkin on the table and stands, throwing some dollars on the table to cover the bill.
“Well what are you waiting for? Let’s get the fuck out of here.” I follow him out the café, watching how excited he is. I wonder if he will be just as excited once I show him how much harder his training is about to get?
Zeke
My muscles are screaming in agony as I push myself to do another round of speed bag work. I'm pretty sure I won’t be able to put my clothes on once I'm finished but I make my arms work even harder. I thought the sessions Bryce had me doing before were hard but they was nothing compared to what he's putting me through today. I just want to get through this relatively unhurt and go home so I can relax until I need to do it all again tomorrow.
“Concentrate, Zeke. You can go faster. Keep your elbows up.” He's lucky I like him because if I didn’t I would use the last of my energy to punch him square in the face. I know he's only doing his job, but I kind of hate him right now and I'm sure in the morning I will hate him even more.
“Right, now drop and give me three sets of eight press ups.” I stop punching and let my arms fall to my side like lead. I can’t feel my arms and he wants me to hold my body up on them. Good fucking luck with that.
“Fuck off, Bryce. That’s not happening anytime soon.” We’ve been working out for five hours straight, alternating between cardio and strength work, and I'm done. I have nothing left in my reserves to give. I need to eat and I need to rest.
“Let’s call it a day then. I was going to call it a day about an hour ago but I thought I would see how far you would actually go. You did a lot more than I thought you would.” What the fuck? I stand staring at him, and he's lucky I have no energy to kill him just now.
“Are you kidding me? You mean I've just about killed myself and I didn’t need to?” I would be angrier with him but he looks impressed with what I just did, how much of myself I gave.
“I wanted you to push yourself and find that place inside you where you feel comfortable, and then push harder. And you did it, you kept going until you had nothing left to give. Now let’s get home and I’ll cook you dinner.” Listening to him, I realize that what he did was actually perfect, he gave me the control to see how far I could go. I pushed myself like a motherfucker and I needed to find that determination again so I can keep going, even after I think I'm done. I gave up in my fight with Dwayne, even though I thought at the time I was giving it my all. As soon as my hand went I lost my focus and I need to be able to maintain it, no matter what happens. I think this is why Coach hired Bryce. He’s just what I need, someone who won’t let me give up, who will force me to go longer, hit harder, push deeper. For the first time ever I'm actually really fucking happy with Coach’s decision to hire Bryce, and not just because I'm fucking him.
****
“Zeke!” I groan as I hear Bryce shout down the hall to me. I'm lying on the couch, finally comfortable, and I don’t want to move. When we arrived at my house the only thing that got me moving was food. Bryce understood that my first day of hardcore training would be an uphill battle so he's been looking after me. I've had a protein shake and the meal he made, and now I pretty much just want to go to sleep. I close my eyes, praying he’ll forget that I'm here but I'm not that lucky. I feel him pulling on my arm, making me get up from the couch.
“Babe, please. I just want to sleep. Look I don’t even have the energy to open my eyes. See? Eyes closed” He doesn’t stop pulling me and I decide I do have the energy to open my eyes, especially if it stops me walking into a wall.
“Come on, I have a surprise for you.” I follow behind him because fighting against him isn’t something I want or have the energy to do.
“It better not be some kinky shit, unless I don’t have to be awake for it.” Bryce laughs and I can’t help my smile. His laugh is so damn sexy and it makes that little dimple on his cheek make an appearance.
“What kind of kinky stuff can you do in your sleep, Zeke? Are you holding out on me, do I need to see these mad skills?” We stop just inside the bathroom and I look around in surprise. The lights are off and every surface is covered with candles. Soft music is playing and the bath is nearly overflowing with bubbles. I look at Bryce and see that he's looking awkward, as if he's not sure if he's done the right thing or not. I reach out and cup his face, pulling him towards me so I can claim his lips.
“You did this for me?” He nods, his eyes softening as I speak.
“Thank you. No one has ever done something like this for me before.” His hand reaches out, grabs the bottom of my t-shirt and pulls it over my head.
“Have you ever let anyone?” He asks the question as he pulls my shorts down my legs. I didn’t even have the energy to take a shower at the gym, promising myself I would do it as soon as I got home but the couch called out to me instead. I think about his question for a second. Have I let anyone get close to me before? I think the only one who knows a little about me is Asha, but she’s more of a friend with benefits than anything romantic. What he's done here is the most caring thing I've ever experienced.
He doesn’t wait for an answer before removing his own clothes and climbing into the tub. He motions for me to join him and I follow him in, settling between his open legs. The hot water feels incredible against my skin and I can feel it loosening my tight muscles. I lean back, resting against Bryce’s chest as his arms wrap around me.
We sit in silence for a while, just listening to the music playing softly. I didn’t think I could feel so content just being with someone, not even having to talk. It’s like we can just be together and relax knowing we are safe in each other’s arms.
“Feeling better?” Bryce reaches over and grabs my body wash before pouring some into his hand. He adds a little water and lathers it up before he rubs into my shoulders. I groan as his hands knead the knots that have built in my muscles.
“I’ll take that as a yes?” I just groan again, hoping he will take that as some form of answer. My muscles are starting to feel like putty and I'm not sure if I’ll be able to get out of the bath when he’s finished.
“I hope you're not wanting to get lucky tonight, Bryce, I don’t think I could get a boner if I tried.” It’s a complete lie. Feeling his hands on me has me hard but he can’t see under the bubbles. His lips move to my ear, licking over the outside before speaking.
“That’s a shame, but I'm sure I can go a night without jumping you.” His hands leave my body and warm water pours over my hair before fingers knead my scalp. I don’t think anyone has ever washed my hair before, I don’t even remember my mom doing it for me when I was a kid. Thinking about her makes me miss her a lot but not enough to go home and visit. Seeing her would mean seeing him, and I couldn’t cope with that.
“What are you thinking about? Your body just tensed.” I don’t think there is a minute that Bryce isn’t fully aware of my mood and it’s a little strange having someone so in tune with me. As much as I don’t like talking about this subject, I don’t want to lie to him.
“I was just thinking about my mom and how much I miss her sometimes.” He doesn’t stop massaging my head as I speak, and for the first time ever, I feel ready to tell another person everything.
“When was the last time you saw her?” I think about it and am shocked when I realize it’s been about four years.
“It was the day after my twenty third birthday. I’d gone home to see her because I thought my dad was away on business. I always timed my visits for when he wouldn’t be there and usually she was happy with that. She knew that I didn’t want to see him but she never asked why, which I'm grateful for. I didn’t know how to tell her that the only reason I started fighting was because she was married to a homophobe who would rather have his child beaten than love him for who he is.” I take a deep breath, trying to calm the tension that’s building inside. This always happens when I think of him. I know that I like to make out the way he treated me doesn’t affect me, that I don’t think about what he put me through but I do. I remember feeling so lost when I was a teen, just wanting my dad to hug me and tell me it would be okay. Instead I had him organising for me to fight against his friends and to have sex with a much older woman, sex that was forced on me without my consent. Yes Bryce was right, what that woman did to me was basically rape, but what guy speaks out about something that embarrassing? After it happened my dad patted me on the back and told me he was proud of me and as fucked up as it was, I felt happy. For once my dad was proud. Even through school when my grades were great and I made the football team it was never enough, he always wanted more from me. When I finally left I swore I would never feel useless again, and not seeing my dad was the best way to do that.
“Anyway, she knew I didn’t like to see him so on this occasion, she lied to me. She told me that he would be gone even though she knew he’d be there. A huge fight broke out between us with him calling me some pretty graphic names until I punched him. Knocked him out completely and she went running to him, screaming at me to get out. So I did. Haven’t been back to see her since.” Bryce rinses the shampoo out of my hair, his hands still gently massaging my scalp.
“Have you thought about going to see her?” I sigh, knowing that I'm about to sound like a child.
“She chose him over me that day, so no, I haven’t thought about going back. She heard what he was saying to me and she still chose him. What sort of mother does that?” I feel his hands leave my head and wrap around me. I relax back immediately in his hold.
“I'm sorry you were treated like that, you don’t deserve it.” And just like that, a little piece of my heart is claimed by the man who’s holding me. It’s then that I realize that I'm going to have to be careful, there’s a real possibility that I could fall for this guy and I'm not sure how to deal with that. I knew I wanted to be with him, but I didn’t honestly think I would fall for him as much as I have. He’s the full package. H
e's smart, sexy and as funny as fuck, he’s everything I didn’t realize I was looking for. I never would have dreamt that I would be lying here having one of the most romantic experiences of my life with a guy. I wonder how he feels about me, whether he has any real feelings for me or if this is just a little bit of fun to pass the time while he's over here? It’s something I would love to ask him, but I'm shit scared of rushing us and making things awkward. We just need to go with the flow and see what happens.
“I think we should get out before you turn into a prune. Come on, let me put you to bed.” He kisses my head and I force myself to move. The only thing that could get me moving is the thought of me wrapping myself in Bryce’s arms as I fall asleep.
Chapter Thirteen
Zeke
I try to keep my knee still but it won’t stop bouncing as my nerves about the upcoming fight showing rear their ugly head. I need to win, if I don’t then I won’t be scheduled for any future fights. It’s not a headline fight but I've been told that there’s a lot of buzz surrounding it and that it’s being billed as my big comeback.
I look down and watch as the ref wraps my hands. I smile when I see that Bryce has brought my red wraps, I suppose he would after me reminding him about a thousand times. He laughed at me when I first told him that they were first on my preparation list, made sure he understood I needed them and that’s why I lost the last time. I know it’s a stupid superstition but it felt like not having the right ones had started a chain reaction of bad luck in my last fight. This time I wasn’t taking any chances. When he realized that I wasn’t kidding he went out and bought dozens of pairs, telling me that I would need them for all my fights so it was better to stock pile them now. I see Bryce pacing behind the ref, and I want to tell him to stop before he wears a hole in the changing room floor. I know something’s bothering him but I haven’t been able to find out what. I'm sharing a changing room with the other fighters, only the headliners get their own room, so I can’t ask him and I hate not being able to go to him and hold him until he settles. I don’t know what he’s so stressed about, he knows I'm stronger than I've ever been thanks to him.