by Alexa Davis
He stumbled back with a stunned expression on his face. I moved in while he was still completely out of it and wrapped him up in my arms and drove my forehead into his. We were struggling for hip position. I hated the mat. I hated the floor. But, the only way I was going to beat this big son of a bitch was if I could manage to get him to tap out.
He moved and wiggled until he was able to press his back into the mesh and plant his feet far enough apart to get some stability. We stayed wrapped up like that for a long time before the referee broke us up.
I went back over and Charlie pushed me down onto the stool and rubbed my cut with Eswell to close it up before slapping on a piece of gel foam. Fuck, it hurt! At least if Chavez went for it again, I’d have a slight bit of cushion.
“Stay on your feet. You don’t want to be on the mat with him.”
“I can’t knock him out, Charlie.”
“Sure you can. You have power in that fist of yours; use it. You go down with him, you give him the full advantage of his body weight. Stay on your feet.”
“Okay…okay, I’ll do my best.”
When the buzzer sounded, we met in the middle and after a few seconds of dancing around with each other, I threw out a roundhouse kick that landed hard on his upper thigh. He staggered back, so I did it again and again, pushing him back into the mesh.
My plan was to hammer him with my fists while I had him pinned with my body, but before I could get close enough to pin him, he managed to get his leg up and that size-fifteen foot collided with my knee and I felt it explode with pain. I was focused on that when he came at me with his fists.
I could hear screams in the crowd, and once again the sound of Charlie’s voice trying to be heard over it all. Chavez was throwing punch after punch and sweat was rolling off of us both, mixing with the splatters of blood and making the mats underneath our feet so slippery that it was hard to get any traction.
I knew it was going to piss Charlie off, but I felt like I had to take him down and somehow get him to tap out. He was too fucking strong and my punches barely fazed him. I lunged at him and the S.O.B. slid in the mess on the floor, but he still didn’t fall. How in the hell someone so big could have such good balance was beyond me.
He grabbed onto me, and I was the one that slipped. I didn’t let go of him, though, and we both hit the mat, hard. He was on top, and I lost control. He straddled me and started a ground and pound that I was sure was going to knock me out. I told myself, this was it. He wasn’t just using his fists, he was using his elbows, as well.
I’d never been in a fight where I took so many hard hits to my face. I was sure my nose was broken and maybe even a cheekbone or two. I was actually wondering if this big bastard was doing permanent damage to my face, and I almost heard Karli laughing inside my head at how conceited I was.
The thought of Karli, sitting out there in the audience watching me get my face pounded in, maybe watching me lose this fight, gave me a renewed sense of energy and somehow, I managed to harness it and use it to buck my hips up as wildly as the mechanical bull that I’d ridden at Gilley’s. The giant flew off of me and landed on his chest.
He was already using his arms to push himself up off of the floor by the time I got to him. I jumped on his back, dropping my full weight down onto him. I wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled back hard. He grunted, cussed, twisted, and turned, and just about the time I thought he was going to scream, he slowly lifted his hand and let it drop to the mat.
I just became the heavy-weight champion. I’ll be damned.
“Winner by tap-out…‘Tricky Nicky’ Nick Storelli! Ladies and Gentlemen…your new heavy-weight champion!” The level of noise in the event center hurt my head. The lights as I squinted out through the mesh and tried to find Karli hurt my eyes. Charlie was hugging me and pounding my sore body with his big, meaty hands, and then I was handed a belt that weighed more than I cared to lift at the moment and paraded around the ring with my arm in the air. I hurt all over, and I felt dazed and slightly confused. I physically shook my head to clear the fog out of it.
When the ref finally let go of my arm, I looked over and saw Chavez getting to his feet with the help of his trainer. I thought about how my life was going to be different now, and so was his. He’d put up a hell of a fight and right up to the end, it could have gone either way.
I went over and when I saw his face, I wondered if I was making a mistake, but I had to at least try to show him some respect. I put out my right hand and said,
“I hope I can do this title as much justice as you did.” Chavez stared at me for a few minutes like he either couldn’t focus, or he wasn’t sure if he wanted to and at last, he smiled. It wasn’t his scary, “I’m going to break you,” smile. It was a genuine, warm smile. He put his big hand out and shook mine.
“Anyone that can beat me the way you just did is going to be one hell of a champion. Congratulations, boy. I know you’ll do us proud.”
I was floating on cloud nine. Charlie was proud of me. The former heavyweight champion was proud of me. The only thing I could imagine would be better was finding Karli. When I turned away from Chavez, they had opened the door to the cage and Charlie was standing at the entrance with Karli just outside.
She was looking at my face with evidence of a wince on hers. I could only imagine what I must have looked like. I limped over to her and as soon as I got past the blood and sweat on the mat, she threw her arms around me. She tried to pull back when I grunted, but I held onto her tightly. “Are you okay?”
I smiled. It hurt like hell. “I’m better than okay, babe.”
“I’m so proud of you, but that was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to watch.”
I kissed the side of her face. That hurt like hell, too. “I’m sorry, babe.”
“Don’t be sorry. My boyfriend is a champion. I guess I’ll just have to get used to it. I love you, Nick.”
I squeezed her tighter and this time, she grunted. “I love you, Karli. So fucking much.”
“There’s someone else here who wants to see you.” She stepped to the side next to Charlie then, and I saw my dad. He was frowning. I just stared at him. I was at a loss for words. I would have never suspected in a million years that he would show up here of all places. What he did next completely blew me away. He held out his right hand and said,
“I don’t think I can watch another one of these, son, so I want you to know here and now that I’m proud of you…and I’m sorry.”
I ignored his hand and pulled his three-thousand-dollar suit up against my sweaty, bloody chest. He could afford a new one, and it had been over twenty years since I had a hug from my dad. He stiffened at first, but after a few seconds, he hugged me back. “Thank you, Dad. You have no idea how much it means to me that you came.”
“I do, actually, but you can thank your brother and his intervention for getting me to see the light.”
“Ethan’s intervention?”
“There are a lot of people and reporters that want to see you. We’ll talk about it later. I should go change my suit.”
I was still smiling hours later after I got untangled from fans, press, and other fighters who wanted to congratulate me. By the time I showered and limped out the side door with Charlie, it was really late and I had no expectations that Karli had waited for me. When I got to my truck with my heavy ass belt slung over my shoulder and saw her standing there, I felt like the fucking king of the world.
CHAPTER THIRTY
KARLI
It was hard to put into words, but as hard as looking at the bandages on my beautiful man’s face and the way his perfect nose was all crooked now was…I felt like somehow we were driving away from that arena with our entire future ahead of us.
When we got back to his place, I tried fussing over him with pain medications and hot tea. He seemed amused and took it for as long as he could before finally reaching out and pulling me down into his lap where he sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m so afraid of hurting you
, babe.”
“It hurts worse not to touch you. I need you, baby.” He brushed his lips softly against my forehead. My eyes fluttered closed and I felt him nuzzle his face against my hair. “You’re mine, Karli, right?”
I pulled back, opened my eyes, and looked at him. I had tears in my eyes as I nodded. “I’m yours, Nick. I love you so much it hurts inside sometimes.”
He leaned his head into my chest and closed his eyes, and I held him there for the longest time before he looked at me again and said, “I want to marry you.”
I nearly choked. Maybe moving in with him, I was expecting, but not that. “What?”
He smiled and then winced. My poor baby. “I want to be with you forever. I can’t even begin to tell you how much better my life has been with you in it. I never want to have to live without you.”
I kissed his forehead in one of the few spots he wasn’t bruised or bandaged. “My life is better with you in it, too, but you’re on medication. We’ll talk about the future when you’re sober.”
He chuckled. “Fine, but my thoughts on that subject aren’t going to change – ever. I need you. I want you. I love you.”
He brushed his lips against my eyelids and then finally moved them down to hover over mine before saying, “I’m going to marry you, and we’re going to have an amazing life.”
He didn’t give me time to respond before covering my lips with his. I hated to admit it, but all thoughts of him being in pain were gone as soon as he did. I immediately opened up to him and he slid his tongue against mine with gentle, sweet strokes.
His hands moved up and he wound my hair up in his fingers. He tipped my head back and let his tongue delve in deeper. His kisses went straight to my head. Nothing in the world was more delicious than the taste of him. I moaned into his mouth as he pulled me in tighter. He kissed me until I didn’t have any breath left and my strength was waning, as well. When he finally let me breathe, he said, “Take off these clothes.”
I kissed him once more and then stood up, and he watched me with worship in his eyes as I stripped off my clothes. He kept his fists balled up like he was trying hard not to touch me. “Now you,” I told him as I bent over to touch my lips to his. He stood and I could see how hard it was for him. “Maybe we should wait…”
“Huh uh, that would kill me,” he said. “Please, baby, I need this.”
I reached for the hem of his shirt and helped him take it off. As soon as I saw the bruises on his chest again, I shivered. I leaned in and kissed each one softly as I used my hands to slide down the jogging pants he was wearing, taking his boxers down with them. I went down on my knees as I did and kissed the huge bruise on his upper thigh. God, he has to be in so much pain.
I almost felt guilty about giving in to this, but I wanted him so fucking bad. I reached out and took his big, raging erection between my hands. I held onto him tightly and began to slowly stroke him up and down. He groaned and reached down to take my nipples between his fingers. He pinched softly and ran the tips of his fingers the all the way around the outside, making them stand up even harder than they already were. Waves of pleasure raced up and down my spine and goosebumps covered my arms and legs.
I stroked him harder and watched as the muscles in his tight stomach rolled and contracted. I leaned in closer to take him in my mouth, but before I could, he pulled me back up on his lap. His soft, wet lips were on my neck and his big, hard cock pressed into my already soaking wet pussy, and he ground up into me as he sucked on the supple skin on the side of my neck. He kissed it from one side to the other and then with another, loud grunt, he flipped me over onto my back on the bed and lifted me, moving me up until my head was on the pillow and I was in the center of the bed.
His big body was suddenly above mine, covering me with his hot flesh and muscle. He covered my face with kisses, sucked and nibbled some more on my neck, and worked his mouth down to my breasts. He kissed and sucked around the outside of my nipples. I arched my back, forcing them up harder into his face, against his lips.
He put his tongue out and licked one of my nipples, making me shudder, and then he sucked it into his mouth. He held that hard nipple between his lips and flicked it hard with his tongue. I felt light-headed. He was so good…so fucking good.
He bit down on it slightly, and I cried out before he moved over and started on the other one – sucking, licking, and nibbling until I felt like my head would explode. He didn’t stop there, though; he kissed down the rest of my chest and when he reached my stomach he began to kiss and lick and suck there. My pussy was drenched, and I was writhing and moaning. I felt like if he didn’t touch me between my legs soon, I would die.
He used one finger to trace down my slit and set any part of my body that wasn’t already on fire ablaze. He smiled up at me before diving in with his face. He slid his hands underneath me and cupped my butt, holding me there while he sucked on my clit. I clamped my thighs on either side of his head while he licked and sucked and even bit down on my clit. It was pure ecstasy, almost more than I could take.
I was whimpering, moaning, and crying out his name. I opened my thighs far enough that I could reach down and put both of my hands in his hair and pulled hard, trying to pull him in even tighter. Passion, need, love…it all combined like a combustible cocktail and when he looked up at me and pinned me with those dark-blue eyes, the orgasm raced from my core and exploded in a way I’d never felt anything leave my body before.
He didn’t stop. He didn’t pull back. He nursed me through that incredible orgasm and my whole body shook as I came.
I was covered in a light sheen of sweat when he finished and it was the only reason I was able to wiggle out of his grasp. I got down on the floor and without warning, I sucked him into my mouth. He groaned out my name and put his hands in my hair.
I looked up at him and he began to thrust in and out of my mouth. I watched his muscles contract and reveled in the sounds he was making. It was a picture that was almost enough to make me come again. His body was responding to every soft or hard flick of my tongue.
I started sucking harder, bobbing my head up and down faster. I felt his huge cock swell and harden even more, and that was when he pulled me off and said, “Stop, baby. I need to be inside of you.”
I lifted my head and he hauled me back up to my feet. This time, he lay back in the center of the bed. I climbed up on top of him and straddled his hips. He wasn’t wearing a condom and neither of us mentioned it. As he reached up to cup my breasts, squeeze, and massage them lightly while tweaking the nipples, I forgot how to have a rational thought.
I leaned down and kissed him, hard, wet, sexy. He groaned out my name as I pulled out of the kiss and lifted my hips. I used my hand to guide his erection up against me and then I slid down onto that incredible cock, taking him all in one thrust.
“Oh, fuck!” he groaned.
He reached up and put his hands back in my hair and pulled me back down into another, deep kiss. I rolled my hips against him and he lifted his and matched my every move.
I had to use my arms to brace myself against his chest. Pleasure beyond anything I’d ever experienced coiled in my belly as his thrusts became more powerful and urgent. My body was begging me for another release, and I broke the kiss and sat straight up on top of him.
His cock was buried inside of me as deeply as it could possibly go and that was when sparks of electricity began to fire from my core and throughout the rest of my body. I felt like I was on fire from the inside out as I came in waves and buckets. I was gasping for breath or even some kind of hold on reality as he flipped me over and began his ride to his own release.
He wasn’t gentle about it – and that made it all that much better. I wanted to be his body and soul. I wanted him to take everything I had and use it to give himself pleasure. I watched him, entranced as the muscles in his body rolled and flexed, and his face colored with pure ecstasy. He grabbed my hips, dug his fingers into them, and I watched as his own orgasm claimed hi
m. It took him a long time to finish and when he did, he leaned down to softly and sweetly kiss my lips.
I shoved my tongue into his mouth and kissed him back. That passionate kiss lasted only seconds before turning into a soft, sweet exploration. Finally, Nick collapsed down next to me and we lay tangled up in each other’s sweaty bodies, and I wanted to be right there…forever.
“I love you so much, Nick.”
“I never imagined how happy those words could make me. I love you, Karli…so fucking much.” I snuggled into his warm arms and thanked God that I’d given Nick a chance, that I’d trusted him. Life from this point on was going to be unlike anything I ever imagined for my future and I couldn’t wait.
EPILOGUE
KARLI
TWO YEARS LATER
My husband had been the heavyweight champion for just over two years. I was going to start my internship at his brother’s law firm after the first of the year, and we were celebrating not only our third Christmas together, but our child’s second.
Life was awesome, and even though I know it won’t always be perfect, I’ve learned a lot about family, as well as gained a lot of it over the past year and a half. I knew that no matter what life threw at us from here on out, we would get through it.
The biggest blessing in my life was conceived the night Nick won his first title. His name was Gregory Grant Storelli, but his daddy called him Champ. He’s just over a year old and already up to thirty pounds. I didn’t doubt that I’d be staring up into the blue eyes of my son one day just the way I have to look up to see his father’s.
My brother and one of Nick’s best friends, Kevin, was on track to fight for the title. That means that someday soon, he’ll be in the cage with the love of my life, struggling for domination. I’m a little worried, to say the least.
Dad had handed Kevin off to the only other trainer in Vegas that he trusted just about a month ago. His name was Chavez, and once upon a time, he held onto that same title for three years.