by Dawn Doyle
She lifted her head and floored me with her smile. “Thank you,” she said while toying with the ‘L’ on her necklace.
“For what?” I stroked over her hair, exposing her smooth neck. I wanted so much to kiss along the her skin, from her ear and down to her shoulder. With three broken ribs and tears along the connective tissue between my abs, I wouldn’t be making those sudden movements for a while.
“For trusting me with this. My dad—”
“Knows enough.”
I looked up to the man in the doorway, and Luca sat up. It had been two days since the fight, and nobody had been here except for Luca, my brother, and my friends. My parents were across the country on the vacation we’d insisted they took without us, but because I’d turned twenty-one, the hospital didn’t have the right to contact them against my wishes. Brady had, though because they wanted to know about the match. He’d told them I’d won my fight, but as a regular precaution of the club, I was in the hospital getting my knocks checked out. They’d said they were proud of me.
“Dad.” She shifted her position as though she was trying to guard me from him. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you that same question,” he replied. “You told us you were staying with Grace. This isn’t your Aunt Cora’s house.” He closed the door and sat in the visitor chair next to the bed, then spoke to me. “Thanks to an anonymous tip, Murphy, and his family will get the justice they deserve.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a photograph and held it out.
I recognized the room immediately, and when Luca’s breaths slowed, I knew she did too. “The bottle found in this room had been tampered with. A small dose of Ketamine had been injected through the bottom.” He tucked the photo back in his suit jacket. “There was enough of the anesthesia to slow a person down, but not enough that it would be immediately noticeable.” He stared right at me. “Whoever it was intended for, was lucky they hadn’t drank it,” he added, then turned to Luca. “Honey, could you give us a couple of minutes?”
“Why?” she asked, holding onto my hand and her dad smiled dryly.
“It’s okay, I’ll be fine,” I assured her, but I had no fucking idea if I would be.
She got off the bed, leaned toward me, and pressed her sweet lips against mine. I closed my already half-shut eyes, savoring the taste of her, knowing that once I was out of this damn place, I could get busy showing her how much I’d missed her. “I’ll be outside, okay?”
I watched her go, taking in the way the spare green hospital scrubs sat on her slim hips.
“What is it?” I asked as soon as the door clicked shut.
“I know what you were involved in,” he started, his stern gaze penetrating me. “And I also know that you did everything you could to keep my daughter out of it. I appreciate that.”
I swallowed hard, the thoughts of what I did to her hitting me with guilt all over again. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to Luca, Sir.”
“Call me John,” he said, smiling. “The reason I wanted to talk to you in private is because I’m a father first. I understand you’re the young man who saved her life at the beach?”
“Yeah.”
“And from what I recall, by going to the…place…see you, she saved your life in return,” he said as though purposely avoiding saying where we were.
Before Luca had turned up, I’d accepted that I was never going to make it out of there alive. “Yeah, she did.”
“Well, then, I guess that’s it.”
“Excuse me?” I said, raising my voice. The beeps on the monitor sped up and John’s eyes flicked to the green blips. “What the fuck do you mean, that’s it?”
“We’re done.”
“I don’t fucking think so,” I sneered. “Whatever you’re going to charge me with, just fucking do it, but you’re not going to stop me from seeing Luca.”
“I know you have strong feelings for my daughter—”
“Feelings? Are you fucking kidding me? I don’t just have feelings for her, John, I love her, okay? I almost died so I could be with her, so if you think that coming in here and spouting some protective Dad shit will keep me away, then you’re fucking wrong.” He grinned and reminded me so much of my brother when he was trying to get a rise out of me. “What the hell is so funny?”
“I’m not charging you with anything,” he said.
“Then what the hell are you talking about?”
He opened the door and took a step out. He gestured between us. “We are done. You got what you wanted son—you’re free.”
Luca
My inner thighs still ached, but every minute I felt it there, I was happy. Even after three weeks, Lucian’s injuries stopped him from doing most things, but that only meant I would be the one in control, and god how I was. I could control the speed, the movements, how deep I took him in… With his hands stroking over my thighs while I was thinking about this morning had me ready to take him again.
“Do you need anything?” Grace asked, cutting into my dirty thoughts. She stepped out of her house and walked toward us. Her smile was wide as she looked at us together, but I could still see the pain behind her eyes. She’d been given closure, knowing Murphy hadn’t stopped loving her at all.
“I’m good, thanks” Brady said, lying back on his lounger next to Lucian. “Want anything, Loosh?” Brady had been tentative to his brother, but had also given him extra space when he needed it, and god did we need it regularly.
“I got all I need right here,” he said, running his hand over my stomach underneath the same crotched top I wore the day we met.
“You know, this is much better without all those other people hanging around,” Nate said, then took a pull of his joint. “Nice and quiet.”
Paige nodded at Nate, her mouth still hanging open as she stared at him. It was as though she’d never seen him in her life, and I bit back a smile when Nate shifted uncomfortably.
“You just don’t like people,” Blaine said to him, “whereas I’m the life of the party.” He held his arms out wide. “What do you say, dimples? Am I right?”
Lucian growled and Blaine jumped from his seat, then dived into the pool where Charlie was floating on an inflatable ring. “Just wait, ass, these bones are going to heal soon enough!” he said, pointing to the white tape supporting his ribs and abs.
“Yeah, yeah, dimples!” Blaine yelled. “Luca will save me from your cuteness.”
Lucian tightened his grip around my waist and pulled me against his chest. “Is that so?”
I looked over my shoulder and batted my eyes. “Of course.” I kissed the tip of his nose, then lowered my voice. “You know why he does it. He’s just happy you’re okay, baby.”
“Every time he calls me that, I’m going to have to get you back instead then,” he threatened. The rumble of his low voice vibrated into me.
I squirmed on his lap, the throbbing between my legs starting all over again. “And how are you going to do that?”
His lips slowly pulled into a sexy as sin smile, his dimples popping making him even hotter, and his eyes bore into mine with so much heat the sun didn’t compare. “I can’t say.”
“Hmm, you said no more secrets,” I countered, then bit on my lower lip.
“It’s not a secret,” he said. “I’m just going to show you instead of telling you.” He pulled me closer and kissed me hard, running the tip of his tongue over my bottom lip before he whispered, “And you won’t know it’s coming… Until you are.”
“Jesus, get a room,” Grace joked, rolling her eyes and laughing.
Lucian and I stared at each other, the desire in his eyes reflecting mine back at me. “Okay,” he said, and I stood from his lap. I held his hands and pulled while he stood.
“Why don’t you just get married?” Blaine asked from across the pool. “You have similar names already, the same volatile temper, and you can’t keep your filthy hands off of each other for ten fucking minutes! Even Cupid couldn’t have made a match better than t
hat.”
I laughed away his joke and led Lucian inside, but his words were so accurate it was scary.
“Hmm, Luca Moretz, Lucian Moretz. Yeah, I can see how they’re so similar,” Lucian said as we got to the bottom of the stairs.
“My surname’s Marsd…” I turned around and my hand flew over my mouth when I saw him painfully lower himself to the floor. “Lucian, what are you doing?”
He pulled a box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing a diamond ring that matched my necklace perfectly. “Luca, I love you, and you already know I want to be with you every day. I know we’re still young, but I don’t give a fuck about any of that. We can wait for as long as you want but, Luca, I just want you. Will you marry me?”
“Lucian,” I whispered, the room misting as I stared in disbelief. “Are you sure?” I couldn’t believe what was going through my head. My first instinct was to scream yes, but there was something Lucian needed from me first, even though I knew he would never ask me for it.
He winced as he dragged himself from the ground to stand in front of me. He took both of my hands in one of his and held them to his chest. “Of course. I’ve thought about nothing else.”
“Lucian, you have three choices,” I said calmly, trying to hide that my pulse was racing so fast I could hear it. “You can pick door number one, where I say yes and you put that ring on my finger—”
“I pick that one,” he said with a grin, cutting me off. His eyes sparkled mischievously, and I had to avoid getting sucked in before I could finish what I’d set out to do.
“You could pick door number two,” I continued, “where I say yes, you put the ring on my finger and we go and have hot sex right now.”
“I’m liking these choices,” he said, wrapping his free arm around me and pulling me close, showing me just how much he liked them. His cock pressed against me, tempting me to just give in.
“Or, you could pick door number three. I say yes, you put that ring on my finger, and I take you upstairs and make your eyes roll back in your head. And, when you’re ready, you follow your dreams while I support you every step of the way.”
He pressed his forehead against mine, his brows knitting together. “Luca, I couldn’t ask you to do that for me. Not after…”
I lifted my arms and wrapped them around his shoulders. Tilting my head back, I gazed at him. “You’re not, Lucian. Don’t your remember our deal?” Pain flashed across his face. “I’m with you, baby, and I always will be.”
“And I’m with you.”
“Then my answer is yes. Lucian, I love you. I love everything about you, and everything you are. I want to be by your side, supporting you, cheering you on, and caring for you afterward.”
“Baby, are you sure?”
I released one arm and held my trembling hand between us. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Lucian. I picked my door, and I wouldn’t swap my prize for anything in the world.”
He slipped the ring onto my finger, then covered my mouth with his, kissing me senseless and leaving me shaking at the knee.
“Okay, hot sex right now,” I breathed, gripping his hand and carefully leading him upstairs, where I made oh so, so good on my promise.
Epilogue
Lucian
Four months later.
Nervousness wasn’t something I’d ever suffered from, but as I stood on the sidewalk, staring at the doors in front of me, my insides were rolling.
“Come on, Lucian, just open the fucking doors,” I told myself.
“Yeah, they’re not gonna open themselves, and I’m not doing it for you,” Brady said next to me.
“Fuck off, ass,” I said, but I didn’t mean it. Brady had always been my team, and he was still here.
I’d gone up against some of the worst fuckers I’d ever met, yet I stood there like a terrified kid, unable to move my damn feet. My phone beeped and I pulled it out of my pocket. I smiled when I saw my fiancée’s name and gorgeous face on the screen.
‘I’m waiting right here, baby.’
I scrubbed a hand over my face when a picture followed—a black lacy skirt that barely covered the side of her ass.
‘Are you trying to give me boner in the middle of the street?’
‘I’m trying to give you a boner at any chance I can, so get in there, sign up, and get back here.’
Brady snorted. “Luca busting your balls?”
I slowly released my breath. “Something like that.”
Fuck, I had to do it now or I’d be letting her down. Luca had put all her faith in me to do this. Getting out of the pit had been something I needed to survive, but the fighter inside of me would never rest, and she’d recognized that long before she found out exactly what I’d been involved in.
That was history, and my possible future was right in front of me.
“Let’s do this.” I took a deep breath and pushed the door, heading inside and toward the reception area.
“Hi, and welcome to Podium Sports,” the smiling woman said behind the counter, taking in the pair of us.
“I’m looking to sign up,” I said, looking around at the huge area with black floor mats, a boxing ring, and its own octagon. Two guys were sparring inside wearing head guards, shin pads, and mitts— things I’d never used.
“Hey, kids, how can I help you?”
We turned around to see a middle-aged guy, well built, and sizing me up. “That over there,” I said, gesturing to the cage. “That’s what I want to do.”
His assessing stare took longer than fucking necessary, and while he studied me, more faces turned in my direction. “Do I know you?” he asked. “You look familiar.”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Experience?”
I couldn’t lie. If he gave me a shot, he would see right away. “Three years.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, his stance wide. “Where?”
The entire fucking gym came to a standstill as though waiting for me to answer. Any other time I would’ve flipped them off, told them to go fuck themselves and walked away, but not this time. I looked at Brady and he tipped his head once.
“Not registered,” I replied, and his brows shot up.
“Huh. Fighter name?”
Wow, he’s not much of a talker. He and Nate would get on so well.
“Looks like a Tulip to me,” one guy said from across the room, and I whirled my head in his direction, but then turned to another when he suggested, “Flower Fists.”
I ground my jaw. “Luscious,” I said between my teeth. “People called me Luscious.”
The guy swallowed as his face drained and took a step back while the other two looked at each other with the same expression.
“That’s not a name we recognize,” he said quickly, then gestured toward the open space as though showing me around. He moved closer to me placed his hand on my upper back, and spoke quietly. “We have more rules than you’re used to, and some bad habits you need to kick.”
I whipped my head to him. “Okay.”
He fucking know’s who I am and he’s not showing me the exit?
He took a deep breath and smiled, raising his voice. “But, if you want to sign up with our gym, then Sharon can set you up.” He held out his hand and I accepted. He shook vigorously. “What do we call you?” he asked, looking back and forth between us.
“Lucian. Lucian Moretz. This is my brother and manager, Brady.”
“Well, Moretz, welcome to the team.”
Luca
One year later
My nails were chewed to death and I was on the edge of my seat as I waited for Lucian to come out of his area. The lights beamed in different directions, landing on the man already in the cage, his name, Jonas, illuminated over his corner.
“He’ll be fine,” Blaine said from the seat beside me. “That guy’s an ant compared to what Lucian’s fought against in the past.”
“Don’t remind me,” I said, already fighting the urge to vomit over the row in front of me. I still
had nightmares about that night where instead of Lucian fighting back, Titan had succeeded in what he’d set out to do.
“Don’t worry, he’s got this,” Charlie said on my other side, tapping away on his laptop.
“How are you working right now?” I placed my hand on my rolling stomach as Lucian’s fight song played. The chorus of White Knuckles by Five Finger Death Punch played, sending my already soaring heart rate higher than was safe.
He shrugged. “Pays the bills. Got a missing person’s case right now, but he won’t stay missing for long.” He turned the screen to me, and I was grateful for his attempt to distract me. I couldn’t see anything beyond lines of numbers. “Stupid fuck drew cash out three days ago. And…” he tapped more keys. “Bam. ATM Camera.” He chuckled to himself while shaking his head and mumbling incoherently.
“Fucking idiots,” Nate said from beside Charlie. “They fuck up eventually.”
“He’s here!” I shrieked, my voice barely carrying over the sudden screams of the paying crowd while butterflies attacked my insides, fluttering furiously as though encouraging my last meal to come up.
A white hood appeared, bobbing up and down the walkway, moving closer to me. The red striped edge crossed over at the front, another tying around the middle. Brady stood next to him, his eyes fixed firmly on the massive cage set up in the center.
Lucian stopped and turned to me, pushing his hood back. He looked up, and smiled. “Hey, gorgeous.”
“Lucian,” I choked.
He reached up and took my hand, the screens around the auditorium lighting up with our faces. “I’ll be back soon, babe,” he assured me, and I nodded. He gestured for me to come closer, and when I leaned in, he kissed me hard. “All this is because of you,” he said. “I love you, Luca.”
“God, I love you, too.”
Brady nodded to me and tapped Lucian’s shoulder, making him continue his walk to the steps leading into the cage.
The door closed, trapping him inside, panic welling up inside of me at the flashbacks of the pit.
“Lucian!” The commentator roared, and fireworks exploded around a magnificent sign. He was literally in lights, at least a hundred bulbs spelling out his name.