by KL Donn
“Soph.” His voice held a warning in it. He’d never yell at her or give her shit, but on this one thing, he wasn’t going to budge no matter what anyone said or did.
Understanding lit her gaze, and he couldn’t be more grateful as she leaned up and whispered in his ear, “Please be careful, Levi.”
Nodding his head, she went over to her man, distracting him enough that Levi could make his escape into the shop and get some much-needed work done before his big fight the following night.
He hated keeping secrets from his brothers, and especially his mom. Their inevitable reaction was what kept him from telling them, though. He knew they’d be disappointed, mad, maybe even sad that he had such a strong desire to inflict pain on someone else. Even the pain he suffered made him feel alive, as if he wasn’t just going through the motions of life. He often felt like he was waiting for life to happen to him.
Logically, he knew he was still young at twenty-five, still had plenty of time to settle into what he wanted out of his life. But why did he feel as though he’d already hit his prime?
An image of Hayes flashed through his mind as he began prepping an old Impala, effectively cutting off any other thoughts.
“Hayes!”
Stopping in her tracks, about to walk into the main corridor of her high school, she turned to look for the chipper voice that had just called to her.
Seeing Alyssa, one of the girls she often ate lunch with, waving at the other end of the hall, she called, “Hey, Alyssa,” prompting the girl to race towards her.
She was nice—not as annoying as some of the other people Hayes went to school with—it was just that she was always so flipping happy. Hayes couldn’t imagine that amount of cheerfulness in someone not working in Santa’s workshop. It was unnatural.
“Okay, so, tomorrow night, what are you doing? I have the perfect idea for a girls’ night or maybe a double date. Did you know Brett’s”—that’s her boyfriend—“friend, Dustin, has the hugest crush on you?” Hayes was sure she must be mistaken.
“Take a breath, Lys.” She waited till the other girl did. “Now, what are you talking about?”
A deep breath in, and she rambled off again. “Brett got tickets to this awesome underground event. Dustin will be there. You should totally come. You guys would be so cute together.”
“I don’t know, Lys, it’s not really my scene.” She didn’t even know what it was, and she wanted out before she could be sucked in.
“Come...On…Hayes.” Her voice was exaggerated. “You never go out with me. Please come? Please, please, please!” Lys had gotten on her knees to beg her. It was downright embarrassing since other students had started watching her antics.
“Fine. But get up for crying out loud.”
Alyssa’s squeal of excitement did nothing to lessen the attention they were getting. Shaking her head, Hayes walked away to her first class of the morning, dreading the final she was about to write.
When she’d moved to town, Alyssa had been the first person to treat her with respect. While Hayes hadn’t been looking for friends or to fit in, she was glad for the other girl’s persistence up to now. She was still a bit of an outcast, but other kids no longer looked at her as though she were a freak. They hung out as often as Lys could convince her to stop running and studying, which admittedly wasn’t often.
Clearing her mind as she sat in her seat, the stress and worry came back about her test. Grammar had never been one of her stronger suits. English was downright horrible.
It wasn’t long before the bell rang and more students piled into the class with the same amount of dread on their faces as her own. When Mr. Stevenson entered the room, tests in hand, there was a mutual groan from nearly every person. He, of course, laughed and tried to encourage everyone that they were ready as he handed the papers out.
When he placed hers on top of her desk, she felt her brain seizing in protest over the torture she was forcing it to go through.
“You have two hours, everyone. No speaking and keep your eyes on your own tests,” Mr. Stevenson announced once he was at the front of the room again.
And so, the torture began.
Chapter Three
When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind.
Having no idea where her friends were dragging her to, Hayes didn’t know how to dress. Perusing her closet again, she debated on what to wear. If she dressed in something flirty and sexy, Dustin would think she were interested. He was a good guy, but she didn’t feel towards him the way he did her. Though, Alyssa thought it would be a perfect chance for them to get to know each other. On the other hand, Hayes didn’t think her standard attire of running sweats and a tank was appropriate, either.
Deciding her dark-wash ripped jeans, black off-the-shoulder sweater, and ankle booties would be friendly enough, she quickly changed just as the doorbell rang announcing Lys’s arrival.
Rushing down the stairs while wrapping her hair into a bun on top of her head, she answered the door somewhat filled with anticipation.
“Dang girl, you clean up good.” Lys whistled when she opened the door.
Looking down her body, she didn’t see it. She looked like her normal self. “Uhh, thanks?” She didn’t’ mean to pose it as a question.
“The guys are in the car waiting. Let’s go!” Before Hayes could say anything, Lys was racing back to the car.
“I’m leaving!” she called to her parents.
“Have fun, Hayes.” Her mom rounded the corner from the living room, a real smile plastered on her face for once.
“Call if you need us to come get you,” her dad yelled from his seat in the other room as well.
“Bye,” she said again, walking out the door on the way to the waiting car.
Blowing out a breath, she almost wished her parents wouldn’t let her go. She wasn’t in the mood to do whatever it was they had planned. And going with a boy she had no interest in sunk her spirit into the dark pits of hell.
“Hey there, Hayes.” Dustin’s smooth drawl followed by a tipsy stance drew a smile from her lips. The moron was half way to stupid already.
“Start early?” she asked, climbing in the back seat with Lys.
“How you doing, girl?” Brett asked her. He was a nice enough guy. Didn’t seem to be out to get laid as much as possible like so many others in their school.
“Good, Brett. How’s practice going?” He was training much harder this year after receiving a full football scholarship to Notre Dame as a running back. There were a ton of statistics that she had been given when he found out. Sadly, she remembered none of them. Just smile and nod was her motto when it came to certain sports.
“Real good.” His smile was full of pride.
As they sped off to whatever event they were going to, Dustin stuck his head out the window and started hootin’ and hollerin’. He sounded like a fool, and she desperately wanted to roll the window up with his head sticking out.
“Don’t even think about it,” Lys whispered, obviously seeing what she was thinking.
Sitting back with her arms crossed, Hayes pretended to pout. “Fine, but if he gets grabby, I reserve the right to kick his ass.” It wasn’t a negotiation, it was fact. She had no interest in boys. Especially the ones from school.
With the exception of Brett, they were all immature, little weasels who cared more about spread legs than spreadsheets. They didn’t want to know you, they wanted inside you. She couldn’t get with that.
On the heel of that thought came a memory of Levi.
Older. Sweeter. Smarter.
His jaw had to be made of the finest stone Michelangelo could sculpt from, looking the way he did. The two times she saw him, his face was covered in a light scruff. Just enough to say, “I’m clean, but I don’t care that I have a day’s worth of growth on my face.”
He was cocky, too. Knew what he wanted and didn’t seem to play around.
Except…
With her.
Sh
e got the sense that he was attracted but a little pissed off about it.
Not that she could blame him, she was in the same boat. If there were one person that could change her leaving as soon as the last bell of the year rang, she had a feeling it would be Levi.
“Here we are!” Dustin yelled, climbing from the front seat of Brett’s car.
Taking a step out, her foot was met with the door panel as the idiot slammed it shut. “Such a gentleman,” she muttered, crawling from the back seat.
Sorry, Lys mouthed from across the car. Shrugging her shoulders, Hayes cringed as said idiot put an arm around her neck.
“Well, hell.”
“What’s that, babe?” Dustin whispered in ear, spit flying on her neck.
Grabbing his wrist, she flung his arm off of her. “Not a thing, sweet cheeks,” she said mocking him. He didn’t get it as he smiled at her.
Linking an arm through Hayes’, Lys glanced up at her with a pleading look in her emerald gaze. “Ugh, fine.” It was agreeance to try and tolerate the night. She knew she wouldn’t last more than an hour, but for her friend, she’d try. The night was clearly important to the other woman.
Looking at her surroundings, Hayes didn’t recognize much and hadn’t paid attention to where they were going. Apparently downtown judging by the lights from the buildings—more like the outskirts of it. She eyed up the dilapidated warehouse and the screams coming from inside as the line they were standing in moved forward.
Once they passed through the doors, the noise level jumped from annoying to supersonic deafness. Between the music, the screaming, and what she assumed was an announcer of some sort, she feared significant hearing loss by the end of the night.
“Sweet!” Brett cheered as he led everyone closer to where the commotion was coming from. Finally there, she noticed the Octagon and immediately knew they were at an underground fighting ring.
Concern swarmed her next words. “Lys! Why are we here?” They had to know fights like this were dangerous.
Hands on her waist had Hayes looking over her shoulder to see some guy manhandling her. “Ain’t you a hot, young thing,” he slurred.
“Thanks, but no thanks.” She shot him her dirtiest look and stepped away, sinking under Brett’s other arm with Lys. She wasn’t into him, but he was a big dude, and she knew he could back up the threat.
“Bitch,” was muttered as the drunk guy walked away. Relief swamped her. She really wanted out of there.
When she was about to inform Lys and Brett she was leaving, an announcer appeared, inciting the loudest cheer yet from the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, are you readdyyyyy??!!” The last word rolled off his tongue as everyone around her screamed and cheered.
“I give you the challenger. Hailing from Miami, Florida…Ashton ‘One Shot’ Rod!” Hayes’ hands flew to cover her ears as the booing started, and cursing, and holy crap! Someone threw a chair as the beast of a man came out from behind a black curtain.
She watched as the behemoth bounced on the balls of his feet a couple times before flipping off the crowd and jumping into the ring. He was massive. One of his thighs was easily the size of her waist.
When the announcer put the mic to his mouth again, the crowd exploded so wildly that she couldn’t hear the name of the other fighter other than that he was new and undefeated with sixteen wins and no losses.
“Holy fuck, this guy’s awesome!” Dustin yelled beside her, pulling her body in front of his so she could get a clear sight of the ring. And so he could get grabby as his hands roamed along her rib cage. Just as she was about to blast him in the nuts with a knee, the curtain moved.
Her vision tunneled.
Her ears rang.
Her heart beat out of control.
“Levi?” she whispered.
That explained the black eye.
Dustin’s roaming hands were no longer a concern as she drank in the sight of her new obsession. All hard muscle, angry scowl, tattoo-covered chest. A single design on the bicep of his arm fascinated her. It was a crescent moon around a star with writing she couldn’t see.
Shrinking back into Dustin’s body so he couldn’t notice her, she really hoped he was one of those guys that could knock someone out with one punch. She didn’t want to see him get hurt.
The crowd went wild as Levi stepped out from behind the curtain. Biggest one he’d seen yet. His opponent was some buff guy from Miami, and he knew he was in for a real fight. It was a night that was either going to make him or break him.
No distractions.
He couldn’t afford it.
So why, when he saw a flash of auburn hair, did he think of her? Of what it would do to him to have Hayes there to cheer him on? To have someone he knew in his corner.
“Shit,” he muttered, climbing into the ring as Casp did his thing. “Get your head in the fucking game, Levi.” His diatribe wasn’t missed as One Shot narrowed his eyes on him.
None too soon, the bell rung, and he was being rammed into a corner by a fucking bull. Kidney shot after kidney shot stole his breath.
He was ready. He’d trained. He’d take the fucker down.
When the other man pulled back slightly, Levi saw his opening. An uppercut to the jaw had his opponent stumbling back, and a kick to the thigh had him on his knees. Levi could be dirty and kick him in the face, but he didn’t play that way; he wanted a fair fight.
Another uppercut had the bull on his back, blood pouring down the side of his mouth. But Levi knew One Shot wasn’t done. He might be stunned for the moment, but he’d be back up in no time.
Just as Casp was counting, that flash of auburn caught his attention again, and there she was. The girl of his dreams. The girl he’d run down.
Hayes.
Her eyes widened at something behind him, and he was quick to end the fight. Giving his opponent a few quick jabs to the kidneys and face then one shot to the temple, the guy was out cold.
As soon as it was announced that Levi was the winner, he was out of the ring and running around to her. She was there, and she was real. Finally reaching the spot where Hayes stood, he noticed a look of awe and pain glued to her soft features until the goon behind her wrapped a hand around her waist, gripping her hip. His own steps faltered at the sight, but then he saw the disgust crawling throughout her body.
Reaching a hand out to her, he didn’t say a word as she hopped the fence, and he carried her back to the locker room over his shoulder. As soon as the door was closed behind them, he let her slide down just enough that she sat on his hips with her legs wrapped around his back. Neither said a word as their breathing grew heavy from exertion.
He felt her fingers sliding up and down his biceps, almost like she couldn’t help herself.
“You fight,” she finally whispered.
“I fight,” he confirmed.
“Are you okay?”
Burying his head in the side of her neck, he took in a deep breath. “Honeysuckle,” he murmured, kissing just below her ear. “I am now.”
“Levi?” Her voice was husky, needy.
“Yeah, sugar?” He couldn’t move even if someone tried to pry him away.
When she started squirming in his arms, he sat on a bench nearby, planting her core against his now growing erection. A deep growl was released at the contact.
“Levi…” It was a moan that time.
His hands moved to her hips, grinding her down onto his length. She went up in flames. His lips found hers before she could scream out her pleasure. He took advantage of her open mouth, sweeping his tongue in to taste her.
Perfect. Just fucking perfect.
Her body was lax in his arms as he continued kissing her. When she finally joined in on the action, he wasn’t surprised by her tentative touches. She’s innocent was all he could think, and suddenly, everything clicked into place. Having someone with him; it wouldn’t be the hardship he thought it was going to be. With Hayes by his side, he kne
w he could conquer everything he wanted.
“Hayes,” he groaned when she slid along his shaft wantonly. “Sugar, you have to stop.”
“You didn’t,” she whispered seductively in his ear.
“Fucking hell.” His growl was primitive as he picked her up, walking blindly to the showers. Setting her down on her feet, he finally got a good look at her in her tight as fuck jeans, showing all her curves.
Turning the shower on, he stripped from his shorts into the warm cascade against his skin. When she stepped towards him, he gently pushed her back against the wall with a hand between her perfectly succulent tits. Rubbing between them as she watched the water roll down his body. When her eyes finally landed on his hardness, he gripped it with one hand, squeezing as tight as he could handle to try and stave off the release dying to mark her as his.
With one hand on his aching cock and the other between her breasts, he wasn’t able to stop her from wrapping her fingers around him between his legs. As she started pumping up and down, he removed his hand to enfold firmly around hers, showing her just how much pressure he liked.
“Hayes,” he warned as he could feel the impending release.
“Levi,” she moaned, pumping harder and squeezing her thighs together to relieve her own pressure. Just like that, one sweet sound, one hot hand, and he was done. Coming like a teenage boy getting his first handjob.
“Shit,” he growled out as cum shot from his shaft onto the shower wall beside her. Her own eyes shut in pleasure as he leaned his weight into her.
“For a tiny thing,” he whispered, melting his wet body against her dry one, “you sure pack a fucking punch.”
Her head dropped to his shoulders as they caught their breath. Never before had he had such an earth-shattering orgasm. He’d never thought about what it would do to him after a fight. Having all that pent-up aggression inside him to release was thrilling.
“Must you swear?” Hayes murmured into his ear.
It took his brain a minute to catch up to her words. The same ones she’d uttered the first time they met and a bark of laughter burst forth from his chest.