Alex (Striking Back #4)

by S. M. Shade

  Everly rings my phone just as I’m getting out of the shower. “You’d better be coming tonight, Ian Turner,” she says, without even a hello.

  I almost smile at the way she uses my last name like I’m a wayward kid. “I’m getting ready now. I’ll be there.”

  “Well, that was easy. Did you talk to him?”

  “No, he wouldn’t take my call.”

  “He’s been at the gym most of the day. Maybe he missed it.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’ll see you there.”

  “Fine, moody ass. See you later. Love ya.”

  “Love ya, pup.”

  In the hopes that the hyperactive mongrel attacking my sock won’t piss everywhere while I’m gone, I take him out in the yard before I leave. The weather has really warmed up. It’s been such a shitty, confusing winter. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see spring show her face.

  The tournament is being held at a convention center on the west side of the city. As a charity event, I know tonight won’t be too brutal since they aren’t fighting for money or titles. I don’t want to see Alex get hurt, though I could happily kick him in the head about now. The man working the intake table asks my name and checks the list I know Ev had me added to earlier. A blue spectator wristband is fastened around my wrist and I head inside.

  A few smaller rings have been made out of padded mats for the underbelts, circling a large ring in the center of the room where the main fights will take place. My eyes scan the room searching for a head of blond curls. Fighters and their coaches, friends and family members mill around, making it hard to find anyone. A scream behind me makes me jump and I turn to see a boy of maybe thirteen practicing a Bo Staff Form. The place is a madhouse.

  Finally, Parker approaches me, a wide grin on his face. “Well, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Cut the shit, Park. Where is he?”

  A look of innocence cloaks his face. “He? Who is this he you’re searching for? Could it be the pissed off guy punching the bag in the corner?”

  Sure enough, Alex is beating the stuffing out of a standing bag in the corner of the gym. Sweat pours from him in rivulets, following the lines of muscle I once traced with my tongue. Anger and jealousy still pound within me, but are now joined by lust. I want this man. Want every bit of him he’s willing to give me.

  He catches me staring at him and his glare could blister the paint on the wall behind me. Without acknowledging me, he angles his body, putting his back to me and continues pummeling the bag. Hell no. Turning his back on me like I’m not worth his time? The fuck he is. I’m going to remind him who he’s dealing with. Remind him he’s mine.

  Mine.

  Chapter Eight

  Alex

  What the hell is he doing here? Not a damn word for two weeks and he waits until I’m preparing for a fight to show up? When his name showed up on my phone earlier, I knew I couldn’t answer it. It may only be an exhibition fight, but I still need to keep my head straight. I don’t need this right now.

  I turn my back and keep working the bag, my blood pounding faster and faster through my veins. I expect him to shrug it off, go talk to Everly or something. He’s proven he can take or leave me, so why would he care? I’m shocked to feel hands land on my back, shoving me forward. It’s a good thing I have excellent balance or I’d have slammed into the heavy bag.

  Fierce black eyes burn into mine when I spin around and shove him back. “What the fuck, Ian?”

  “Don’t act like you didn’t see me! What’s the matter, the other guy here, huh?” His jaw is tight as he glances around. “You bring him home with you?”

  What in the blue hell is he talking about?

  “Bring who home?”

  “Whatever guy you’ve been protecting.” The word protecting comes out with a sneer and as I realize what he’s getting at, I can’t help it. I laugh. Like really laugh my ass off. He’s jealous? This is priceless. Ian’s face reddens and his lips thin to two white lines. When I catch my breath, I turn and start working the bag again.

  “What difference does it make, Ian? You’ve obviously made your choice. You want to fuck random bar trash and pretend it makes you happy. What or who I do is none of your damn business.”

  “Yes, it is!” He shoves me and pins my shoulders against the wall, bringing his face an inch from mine. His heavy breath is hot on my cheek as his gaze flows over my face, settling on my lips.

  “We’re attracting attention.” My voice is calm and I force myself to relax.

  “I don’t give a fuck.” Strong hands grip my face and his lips barely touch mine before he licks into my mouth, kissing me with a mix of passion, desperation, and pure rage. It goes on forever, tongues lashing and pulling, working us both into a lustful fervor.

  All the worry, sadness, and anger I’ve felt over the past two weeks melt away at his touch. Damn him.

  His forehead rests on mine when we break apart and his words shock me more than his jealous tantrum. “I’m sorry, Alex. I’m so fucking sorry.”

  “For fucking someone else?”

  He nods, his eyes closed. “For all of it. For cheating, for being too stubborn to call and apologize. For not realizing what I had until it was too late. I love you.”

  My chest feels too full and I fight to swallow the lump in my throat. He turns his cheek into my palm when I cup his jaw. “It’s not too late. We can work through our issues, but you have to talk to me. You can’t just detonate our relationship when you get scared. We have to fix things together.”

  “Together,” he repeats, wrapping his arms around me. “I have to know if you slept with him.”

  His body feels so good pressed to mine, his breath on my neck. “No, I’m not the one who sleeps around, remember?”

  With a chuckle, he steps back. “Touche. I’m sorry I fucked her. I swear there hasn’t been anyone since you left. I don’t need a woman. I just need you.”

  The words I’ve been dying to hear raise a lump in my throat and I swallow hard. “You’ve got me.”

  His face goes slack with relief. “I missed you.”

  “Me too. Did I miss anything at home? Your weekend with Kyle go okay?”

  “He stayed at school. Said he had a date. Oh, by the way, I got a dog.”

  “You got a dog,” I repeat, unsure of whether he’s screwing with me.

  “A puppy. You’ll love him.”

  My name is announced over the loudspeaker. “Want to go watch me kick some ass?”

  “Absolutely.”

  The fight is over almost as soon as it starts. It’s not a fair matchup, really, since the guy doesn’t have a fraction of the fighting experience I do. It’s all in fun and for a good cause though, and we shake hands when it’s over. There is one more fight after mine, and I’ve been looking forward to it since I found out who’s fighting.

  None other than the homophobic Dave from Mike’s gym, the guy who will never fight a homo. I’m doubly glad to see he’s brought his friends along to watch, the same guys who were talking shit at the gym. They look at me like I’m insane when I smile at Dave as he takes his place in the ring. That’s okay. I know two things they don’t. I know Dave is getting ready to get the living shit beat out of him by Lenny, a fighter from a neighboring gym. And that Lenny is also gay.

  I may have dropped a few words into Lenny’s ear about Dave’s former behavior. Tall and lean, Lenny is one of those fighters whose foot can slam into your head without you ever seeing his leg move. He’s lightning fast and strong as hell. I can’t wait to see this.

  Ian stands behind me, his arms around my waist, and rests his chin on my shoulder. “Who do you think will win?”

  “Lenny has this in the bag.”

  And he does. It’s almost hard to watch. Almost. Lenny could take him down in thirty seconds, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, he plays with him, kicks him in the jaw, blacks his eye, rings his bell just hard enough to confuse him, then backs off to let him recover before doing it a
gain. Dave keeps attempting to knock him off of his feet, but Lenny won’t go down. He has the advantage when he’s on his feet and he won’t give that up.

  When it’s clear the referee won’t let it go on much longer, Lenny goes in for the kill, taking him to the mat and putting him in a triangle choke hold. His legs wrap around his neck, putting Dave’s head right in his crotch. Laughter bursts from my chest. I can’t help it. When Dave finds out Lenny plays for my team, it’ll be his worst nightmare come true.

  Finally, Dave taps out and the crowd cheers. Lenny gets to his feet, all smiles, and joins me and Ian in the crowd. Mike and the others from Mike’s gym gather around Dave as he leaves the ring. They’re standing right beside us, and I just can’t resist. I throw my arm around Lenny’s shoulders and announce, “Great fight, Len. I’ve never got to fight Dave. He won’t fight me. Said he doesn’t fight fags. Afraid he’ll get AIDS.”

  The crowd falls silent waiting for the second shoe to drop. Lenny laughs. “Damn, you should’ve told me. I sweated all over him. Had him all locked up in my crotch. Oh, well.” He turns and drops a quick kiss on my lips. “I have to call my boyfriend, let him know I won. We’ll have to get together sometime,” he says, squeezing Ian’s shoulder before strutting away.

  The horrified look on Dave’s face makes me laugh again. He storms off, his band of rednecks right behind him. Ian hooks his arms around my neck. “That was hilarious. I kind of wanted to punch him when he kissed you, though.”

  “You realize he’s an internationally ranked fighter?”

  “Yeah, the thought did occur to me. I take it those guys have given you shit in the past?”

  “Yep. I’ll explain later, okay? I really want to go home.”

  Ian’s hands caress my nape, his fingers sliding into my hair. “Our home?”

  “Is it?”

  “Always was. Let’s get out of here.”

  * * * *

  We barely make it through the door before Ian shoves me into my room and plunges his tongue in my mouth. “Mmm,” I moan. “I should grab a shower first.”

  “You looked so fucking sexy out there, all sweaty. I want you just like this.” Well, okay then. In seconds we’re naked, our cocks rubbing together as he strokes us both. His mouth melds to mine, and I breathe in his panted breath. “I missed you so damn much, babe.”

  Babe. Ian just called me babe. He steps back, and I drop to my knees and take him in my mouth. I wait for him to tense up when my fingers slide between his legs to glide over his hole, but he only groans and fists my hair. In that moment I know, tonight’s the night. We’re going to put an end to his anxiety. I’m going to take him and make damn sure he enjoys it.

  A sigh of frustration makes me smile when I get to my feet and grab a condom and lube out of the nightstand. “Patience,” I tease, shoving him onto the bed. I lie on my side behind him and jerk him back, plastering my sweaty chest to his back. “You’ll come, but not until I’m ready for you to.”

  “You want to torture me.”

  “No, dark eyes, I want to top you,” I growl, working my lubed up fingers inside him.

  “Fuck,” he groans. I take my time, stretching him, preparing him for me. He nearly jumps off the bed when I caress his gland, distracting him from the discomfort of adding another finger.

  “Does it hurt?” I murmur, sucking his earlobe between my lips while discreetly slipping on a condom.

  “A little.” He squirms, another groan escaping.

  “Want me to stop?”

  “Fuck no.”

  He turns his head and kisses me. “Do you trust me, Ian?”

  Vulnerability shines in those dark eyes. “Yes.”

  His eyes squeeze shut when he feels the head of my cock press against his tight hole. “I’ve got you. Just relax. Nice and slow, love.”

  “I-I don’t know if I can do this.” He’s afraid, but the way he reacts to my fingers inside him, I know he’ll like this if he can get out of his head. I grab his hand and put it on his cock.

  “Stroke yourself.” When I feel him relax again, I push inside him, stopping when the head is just past the tight ring of muscle. Prepared or not, there’s no way being fucked in the ass doesn’t hurt like hell the first time, and he hisses, drawing his hips forward. My tongue traces the nape of his neck, and I suck on the spot behind his ear I know drives him crazy.

  “Alex,” he whispers.

  “I know. It’ll get better. Take a deep breath.” When he lets it out, I move further inside him, struggling not to plunge deep and fuck him like I own him. “You feel so fucking good. Almost there.”

  His hands fist the pillow when I slide the rest of the way, seating myself deep inside him. “Fuck,” he gasps.

  “You’re doing so good. I’m all the way in you now, Ian. I told you that you could take me.” A strained laugh shakes his body. “What?”

  “I have women I should apologize to. They’re right. I didn’t know how much this hurts.”

  “You don’t know how good it gets yet, either,” I reply, and pull my hips back an inch before pressing forward again. Slowly, I work in and out of him, until he’s groaning with every long stroke. “Still hurt?” I whisper, sucking his neck while I continue to fuck him nice and slow.

  “Some, but…”

  “But it feels good?”

  His eyes squeeze shut again as he admits, “Yes.”

  I love fucking him like this, on our sides, his body against mine, but I want him bent over in front of me. He gasps as I pull out of him. “Scoot down.”

  I bend him over the bed and I have to take a second to admire what’s in front of me. The skin of his lean back is pale in contrast to his raven hair. My lips trace down his spine, and I plant a kiss on his ass cheek before I smack it. “I’m not done with you, yet.”

  With a fresh coat of lube, I slide inside him again, grabbing his hips and pulling him back onto my cock. His hands clench the blanket and a string of curses fly from his mouth, followed by a long moan. Angling myself just right, I give it to him, not hard, but steady, striking that sweet spot with every stroke. He alternates between shoving back into me and scooting forward to escape the burn.

  “Can’t get away, babe,” I growl, reaching around to work his cock.

  God, the sight of him squirming and moving with my cock inside him is enough to make me blow my load. Just when I think I might not be able to get him off before I come, he gasps, covering my hand in warmth. Thank fuck.

  He grunts as I thrust harder and faster, my balls slapping against his, hands digging into his hips. I could do this forever. Fuck this man even if I was dying. My groan drowns out his as I come so hard I can barely stay on my feet.

  As soon as I pull out, he gets to his feet and disappears into the bathroom. I’m torn, but when I hear water running I decide to give him a few minutes to clean up while I do the same. He barely looks at me when he returns, and climbs into bed. I’m not sure if he’s pissed, confused, embarrassed, or a combination of the three. He doesn’t scoot away from me or say anything when I wrap my arm around his waist and rest my head on his chest. Eventually his hand comes down and nestles in my hair. He really seems to like playing with my hair.

  “Talk to me, Ian.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” he murmurs, massaging my scalp.

  “Are you pissed? Do you feel like I pushed you into it when you didn’t want to?” I know he was scared, but he never asked me to stop.

  “No. I mean, I didn’t really want to, but after we started…”

  “You liked it.” I finish the sentence he can’t seem to say. His eyes close and he nods. “Are you ashamed?”

  “I just never thought I’d like…that I’d want to…I’m not supposed to.” He sighs, frustrated at not being able to describe his torment.

  I roll on my side so I can look him in the eye. “I remember that feeling. Shame for enjoying something you think you aren’t supposed to. Who says you aren’t supposed to? It’s a limit you’ve placed on yo
urself without even realizing it. All sex is natural as long as it’s consensual. You can be sure others whose proclivities fall outside of what’s considered normal struggle as well. Who gives a fuck for normal? Enjoy what you enjoy. Revel in it and to hell with those who balk. They aren’t having half the fun or orgasms we are.”

  A smile cracks his face and he gives me a long, sweet kiss. “I’m an idiot. I didn’t want to be gay, to be thought of as a sissy or weak. When all along I’ve had you in front of me, stronger than I’ll ever be, mentally and physically. A perfect example of how untrue that is.”

  I grin up at him. “I dare anyone who thinks gay men are sissies to try taking a stiff one up the ass. Nothing sissy about it.”

  “No shit,” Ian scoffs, drawing me back into his arms. “It would help if you weren’t hung like a damn horse.”

  “Back at you.” Chuckling, I snuggle into him. His chest is warm beneath my cheek. “I’ll give you a few days to heal before I bend you over the arm of the couch.”

  “Seems like you’ve put some thought into this,” he teases.

  “Only since I met you.”

  His arms tighten around me. “I love you.”

  “Good thing, because I love you, too.”

  The next couple of days are the best I’ve had since Hawaii. We spend every minute together, either curled up in front of the T.V. or balling our nuts off. As usual, all good luck streaks must run out, and mine ended with a call from Indiana State Prison. There’s no way I’m answering, but it occurs to me that I haven’t been to the prison in weeks. With everything that’s been going on, Gene hasn’t even been on my radar.

  Unfortunately, I’m still on his. The message he leaves pisses me off. I was visiting to torture him, to remind him of his execution. He wasn’t supposed to enjoy my visits and ask me to come back.

  “Shit. What happened?” Ian asks, handing me a bowl of cereal and sitting across from me with his own.