by Carol Lynne
Sid stared at Lucky and shook his head. “It has everything to do with her. You’re just too blind to see it.” He put his hands on Lucky’s chest and pushed. “Get outta here, Lucky. Go back to your gym, your tattooed freak and your joke of a career.”
Lucky’s breath hitched. He released his hold on Sid but didn’t immediately move back. The expression on Sid’s face said it all. How many times had Lucky seen the same look on his mom’s face? He knew it had nothing to do with drugs. Sid had given up on a better life. He’d accepted where he’d come from and refused to want for more. “If you ever need me. You have my number.”
Lucky turned and walked away. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but he couldn’t travel back down that road again. Dealing with his mom’s shit had nearly broken him, and he knew he couldn’t survive it again. It was hard to love someone more than they loved themselves.
“You okay?” Dray asked when Lucky reached him.
“He’s lost,” Lucky mumbled, not willing to say more. He left the bar without a backward glance. Once on the sidewalk, he glanced at Dray. “Go on back to Brick’s. I’m gonna hit the gym for a while.”
“It’s almost ten,” Dray reminded Lucky.
“I do my best thinking when the place is dark.” Not for the first time, Lucky wished he could crawl back into the bed that had helped him survive a lifetime of fucked up shit. He felt his throat tighten and his nose burn and quickly turned away. “Would you stop by and check on Gatsby?”
“Sure.” Dray put a hand on Lucky’s shoulder before pulling it away. “You sure you don’t want some company? If you need your space at the gym, I can wait at your place for you.”
Lucky shook his head. The way he felt, it would take hours in the gym to get his head on straight. “Thanks, but this is going to take some time. It’s how I deal.”
After several moments, Dray started toward the apartment. “Don’t wear yourself out. You have to fight tomorrow night.”
“Yeah.” Lucky took off toward The Brick Yard and soon his jog became a sprint. By the time he reached the backdoor, his hands were shaking with the need to pound his fists against something other than Sid’s face. He pulled out his keys and stepped into the darkness. The light in the front of the gym hadn’t been on, so he assumed Jax wasn’t spending the night. Good. He’d work out his anger then sleep in his old room.
Crossing to the speed bag, he pulled off his shirt and dropped it to the floor before reaching for the tape.
“Lucky?”
He turned toward Jax’s voice but couldn’t see him in the shadows. “Hey,” Lucky said. “I didn’t think you were here.”
“I just got here.” Jax’s voice sounded thick. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” Lucky tore off a long piece of white tape. He started wrapping his knuckles, but when Jax’s question didn’t come, he looked back to the shadowy figure in the doorway. “Jax?”
“Do you know where I can buy a gun?” Jax asked in a voice so soft and vulnerable it broke Lucky’s heart.
Dropping the tape, Lucky moved. There was only one reason Jax would ask that particular question. He turned on the hallway light and took a step back. “Christ!”
Jax turned his head. “He wouldn’t stop,” he mumbled. “He’ll never stop.”
Lucky’s breath froze in his chest. Jax’s face was so badly beaten, Lucky barely recognized him. The anger that had overwhelmed him earlier flared to life again ten-fold. “What’s your address?”
Jax shook his head. “I can’t tell you.”
“You have to.” Lucky rested his hands on Jax’s thin shoulders. “The only other choice is to call the police.”
“No, no cops. They’ll take me away.”
God, Lucky thought. Jax was just like he’d been. “Better the monster you know,” he said, reading Jax’s thoughts. “So, give me your address.”
Jax’s tongue ran over the cut on his lip that looked bad enough for stitches. “You’ll get into trouble.”
Lucky wrapped his arms around the sixteen year old. He thought of the many times he’d been on the receiving end of a fist as a boy and had wished he’d had someone who would stand up for him. Jax was right. Lucky could get into a hell of a lot of trouble for teaching Jax’s dad a lesson, but Jax deserved to know he had someone who’d watch his back. He dug out his phone and handed it to Jax. “Take pictures of your face and anywhere else he hurt you.” He met Jax’s gaze. “Anywhere,” he emphasized, not knowing whether Jax’s abuse delved into a sexual nature. “If your old man calls the cops, show ’em the pictures.”
Jax stared at the phone for several moments before giving in and rattling off his address. “His name’s Steve, and he was wasted when I ran out, so he may be passed out by now.” He dug into his pocket and removed a single key on a chain. He thrust it out to Lucky. “If he doesn’t answer, use this.”
Again, Lucky’s heart clenched. “Okay.”
Chapter Seven
Lucky pounded his fist against the apartment door for the fourth time. He had the key in his pocket, but he’d cooled down enough to realize what would happen to him if he beat Steve inside his own home. Seeking justice for Jax was one thing, but ending the night behind bars wouldn’t help Jax, Brick or him.
He raised his hand to beat against the wood once more, but before his fist could connect, the door swung open. A muscular man wearing nothing but a T-shirt and a pair of boxers stood in front of him. Shit. Jax’s dad was at least six-five and although he looked soft around the middle, it was obvious he was stronger than fuck by the size of his muscular arms.
“Who the fuck’re you?” Steve slurred.
Lucky knew the best chance he had was a surprise attack, so he grabbed Steve’s shirt, yanked him out of the apartment and landed a power punch to the man’s nose. Taken off guard, Steve stumbled back. Lucky didn’t waste time with words as he continued to deliver punches to Steve’s face and gut.
“What the fuck!” Steve yelled loud enough to wake the entire building.
Lucky lifted his leg and delivered a kick to Steve’s gut. The bigger man toppled to the ground, and Lucky placed a knee on his chest, keeping the asshole on the ground. He added as much of his weight as he dared and spit in Steve’s face. “If you ever lay a hand on Jax again, I’ll kill you.”
“Mind your own goddamn business!” Steve croaked out.
Lucky wrapped as much of his hand around the asshole’s throat as he could, and prepared to deliver another blow. A door two apartments down opened. A middle-aged man popped his head out of his apartment and stared at Lucky.
Still pinning Steve to the floor, Lucky scowled. “This man beat his son so bad the boy’s face is unrecognizable,” he stated. “Just enacting a bit of vigilante justice.”
The neighbor glanced at Steve before meeting Lucky’s gaze. He gave Lucky a sharp nod before going back into his apartment.
“Even your neighbors know you’re a piece of shit who likes to beat on an innocent kid.” Lucky narrowed his eyes and bent lower. “I have photos of what you did to Jax, so here’s what’s going to happen. Tomorrow, I’m going to bring Jax over when you go to work, and we’re going to pack his shit. From there, it’ll be up to him whether or not he ever sees your sorry ass again.” He leaned even closer. “Don’t fuck with me on this. You won’t win.”
“What are you, some kind of pervert? If you think I’m just going to let my boy go with you, you’re crazy.”
“The only interest I have in Jax is making sure the last two years of his childhood are spent unafraid. I wasn’t there for the first sixteen years, but I’ll be there for the last two.” Lucky got to his feet. “You’re a stupid sonofabitch because you had a son a man could be proud of, and you threw it away.”
* * * *
Dray turned on the bedside lamp when Gatsby jumped off the bed and raced into the living room. He heard Lucky murmuring to the kitten before coming into the room. “Hey,” Dray greeted.
Lucky, who was still
holding Gatsby, set the kitten on the floor. “I thought you were staying at Brick’s.”
Dray folded the blankets back on Lucky’s side of the bed and waited. “I wanted to be here in case you needed me.”
Lucky undressed and slid into bed beside Dray. He curled around Dray’s body and sighed.
Dray ran his hand down Lucky’s back. He still didn’t know what had gone on between Lucky and Sid at the bar, but it had taken everything he’d had to let Lucky go to the gym without him. “Did you work out your anger?”
“Sort of.” Lucky kissed Dray’s neck. “Jax came into the gym. His dad worked him over pretty good tonight.”
Dray stilled. “Did you call the police?”
“No.”
“We have to call them. What if something more serious happens to Jax?” Dray had been luckier than most kids who wandered into The Brick Yard needing a job. His home life had been pure shit, but it was more a case of circumstances. His mom had never raised a hand to him, even when he had been too small to fight back.
Dray noticed Lucky’s cut and bruised hand. “Oh, babe, what’d you do?” He lifted the battered knuckles to his lips and placed soft kisses over the wounds. Brick had let it slip that on more than one occasion, he’d found Lucky in the gym passed out from a night spent beating the bags, trying to fight the demons that threatened to destroy him. Dray pressed his cheek against the back of Lucky’s hand.
“I went to see Jax’s dad,” Lucky replied.
“Lucky, no. Do you have any idea how much trouble you could get in?” Dray understood Lucky’s anger toward Jax’s dad, but he also knew the kind of damage Lucky’s fists could do. Losing Lucky to the cage was one thing, but losing him to jail was another.
“I don’t think he’ll go to the cops, but I’ve got pictures of Jax, so if he does, he’ll be in for one hell of a fight.” Lucky kissed Dray’s neck again. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Dray turned onto his side and pressed his cock against Lucky’s. He wanted to tell Lucky he’d always be here, and it would be the truth. After giving it a lot of thought, he’d decided the last thing Lucky needed was to worry about The Brick Yard. If Lucky continued to move up in the ranks, the UFC would soon take notice. Brick’s hope that the gym continue to be a place for future fighters and kids who needed a way out of the neighborhood couldn’t be ignored.
Staring into Lucky’s eyes, Dray knew it wasn’t only the street kids he’d be preserving The Brick Yard for. The run-down brick building that housed four other storefronts, including Mac’s, was Lucky’s home. “I’ve decided to manage the gym. That way you can concentrate on training and fighting.”
Dray broke away enough to lean up on his elbow. “You’ve decided to stay?”
Dray nodded. He worried his bottom lip with his teeth, wondering if he should share more. Lucky wouldn’t truly be his until he’d gone as far as his career would take him, but Dray knew he wouldn’t be able to push Lucky away when, and if, Lucky needed him. “Once you’re traveling, we won’t see much of each other, but when you do come home, I’ll be around.”
Lucky reached for Dray’s semi-hard cock. “In that case, I’ll come home often.”
Dray closed his eyes as Lucky began to stroke him. He knew what life was like on the road and how important it was to train full-time year round. Lucky would be home for a few months a year, at most. He didn’t want to think about Lucky having sex with anyone else, but he was a realist. The adrenaline produced during a match made most fighters horny as hell afterward. Trading promises that they’d remain faithful would be setting each other up to fail. It simply wasn’t possible for Lucky to be surrounded by beautiful women and not fall back into his old pattern. When Dray had been on the circuit, he’d had it easier because he’d had Vince, who everyone around them had thought was his best friend. The lesson he’d learned from Vince had forever changed the way Dray looked at relationships. He wanted to tell Lucky that, as much as the thought killed Dray, he needed to stick to women. It would be too easy for a one-night stand to betray Lucky’s secret.
Lucky released Dray’s cock and moved to run his fingers between the cheeks of Dray’s ass. When he pressed against Dray’s hole, Dray couldn’t help himself. He pushed back, letting Lucky know without words what he wanted. The two of them had fucked numerous times over the last few days, and he’d been surprised to find he enjoyed receiving pleasure as much as giving it. Without a word, Dray rolled and reached for the bottle of lube. With his back to Lucky, Dray held the slick up.
Lucky ground his erection against the crack of Dray’s ass as he took the bottle. “I’ve been thinking of this all day,” he whispered in Dray’s ear.
Dray slid his legs apart, bending his right leg toward his chest. Before that morning, Lucky had never fucked a man, so Dray hadn’t known what to expect. He’d been pleasantly surprised by how confident Lucky had been with the whole process. It wasn’t until afterward that Lucky had confessed that although it was his first time with a man, it wasn’t his first time doing anal. As ridiculous as it was, Dray’s jealousy again flared at the news, but he’d swallowed the hurtful words that had been on the tip of his tongue and gave Lucky the moment. For his part, Lucky had been supremely content and had curled his body so tightly around Dray afterward, Dray hadn’t had a choice but to fight the green-eyed monster back.
Lucky’s lubed finger began to circle Dray’s puckered hole. “Being inside you is the closest I’ve ever come to heaven,” he whispered in Dray’s ear.
Dray groaned when he felt the head of Lucky’s erection press against him. “Let me roll over,” he said, pulling away from Lucky. He moved to lay on his back and opened his legs. “I want to hold you,” he explained.
Lucky looked surprised at the request. “Yeah?”
Staring up into Lucky’s big brown eyes, Dray nodded. Damn. It would be easy to get used to seeing the soft expression on Lucky’s handsome face each day, but he knew it was an unrealistic expectation. At most, he’d be a shelter in the storm for Lucky in the years to come. At worst, he’d be nothing at all.
“Thank you,” Lucky said. He started to say more, but shook his head instead. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the bottle of lube again. He coated his cock and scooted closer, insinuating himself between Dray’s legs.
Dray hooked his forearms under his knees and brought his thighs against his chest. It was obvious the change in position had Lucky nervous, something Dray found incredibly endearing. Deciding to help Lucky out, he reached down and guided the head of Lucky’s dick toward his hole. Lucky hadn’t taken much time in stretching him, so Dray warned. “Just go slow.”
Licking his lips, Lucky pushed inside Dray with infinite care.
“Christ, you’re good at this,” Dray groaned as Lucky slid forward. He was used to a partner who drove in, heedless of the pain it caused. The fact that Lucky cared enough to take his time showed in the pure pleasure that ran through Dray during the invasion.
“I had an excellent teacher.” Buried to the hilt, Lucky swiveled his hips. He braced his hands on the back of Dray’s thighs as he slid out before surging back inside.
As good as Lucky’s length felt moving in and out of him, Dray’s attention didn’t wander from Lucky’s face. Of all the men Dray had been with over the years, never had he seen a more expressive set of eyes. He doubted Lucky would ever be able to lie to him because no matter what came out of the gorgeous man’s mouth, Dray would always be able to read his eyes.
At the moment, Lucky’s gaze spoke volumes, and Dray’s heart leaped in his chest. Don’t fall in love with me. He broke the heaviness of the moment by reaching down to feel Lucky’s cock as it continued to pump inside him. The way the skin of his hole thinned to stretch around Lucky’s girth turned him on. “Fuck, babe, you’re killing me.”
Lucky moaned and surged in harder. “No, I’m not. I’m imprinting myself on you.”
Dray wanted to tell Lucky he already had, but he was too close to coming. He reached for his sha
ft and wrapped his hand around it just as Lucky let out a series of grunts, signaling his own journey to climax. God. He loved that Lucky didn’t try to hide the way Dray’s body made him feel. “Fill me,” he said, finally finding his voice. “Give me everything you have.” He jacked himself harder and faster, mimicking Lucky’s thrusts.
“Yes. Oh fuck yes,” Lucky groaned, grinding against Dray’s ass.
Warm seed shot from Dray’s cock to splash onto his stomach as he cried out his release in a series of grunts and hisses. He swore he felt the beat of his own heart in the length of his shaft as he continued to milk his dick. He pulled Lucky into a deep, erotic kiss, trying to tell Lucky without words how good they were together. Within a few days, Lucky had become the best lover Dray had ever had. He wasn’t sure if that said a lot about himself or Lucky, but he was fully sated, so he’d take either as a win.
Settling beside Dray, Lucky rested his head on Dray’s shoulder. He was silent for several moments before letting out a long sigh. “I tried to get Jax to come home with me, but he insisted on staying at the gym after we got him cleaned up.” He shrugged. “He has several small cuts on his face, but I put some Steri Strips on them, so they shouldn’t scar.”
Dray held Lucky close, loving the way Lucky’s five o’clock shadow rasped against his skin. It was real and masculine and reminded him once again how much he cared for the man in his arms.
* * * *
Lucky faced Dray in the training ring, listening intently to Dray’s directions.
“You can’t let the assholes get you into a clench. No matter what.” Dray turned to the side and kicked out, his foot coming within inches of Lucky’s stomach. “Use your strengths. Your hands are your strongest asset, but you’re damn good with your legs as well, so use that to your advantage. Keeping the fuckers from getting too close won’t be easy. You’ll have to watch them carefully, read their faces, if you’re going to use your kicks successfully without getting hurt.”