by Leah Holt
Here, it was just us.
Leaning in, his lips dabbed gentle kisses down my neck. Each one touched my skin just barely enough to feel, yet my body still quivered. Tingles crossed through each muscle, my eyes slowly closing, head tilting to the side instinctively.
I wanted to live in this moment, and hold onto it for as long as possible.
Nothing in my life ever lasted, at least nothing that was worth wishing for anyway.
Quinn's hand gripped around my wrist, pulling it over to his thick cock. I ran my fingers over his shaft, pulling it free. Following the engorged veins, swelling with desire, I squeezed his length hard. A wild grunt burned from inside him, Quinn's head dropped back, chest lifting rapidly.
Slipping a second finger inside my silky pussy, I couldn't hold back, my hips rocked against his palm, forcing him in as far as my body would allow. “Ahh, Quinn.” The words trickled out one letter at a time.
“You're so fucking wet, it's dripping down my wrist.” His tongue licked his lower lip, hand grabbing mine on his cock, quickening the pace.
Jerking him forcefully, his muscle throbbed against my palm, hips lifting up to meet my hand. I watched his chest firm, ribs flexing with need to inhale. Turning to meet my gaze, his eyes were glossy, sweat glistening across his forehead.
Quinn reached his hand up, fingers wrapping around my neck. With one fluent motion, he had me bent over the arm of his couch. Tearing my shirt up over my ass, his fingers still buried inside me.
A loud smack rang through the room, a searing sting buzzed over my ass. “Fuck, look at that ass, it's perfect.” Trying to free his fingers from my pussy, I squeezed around him tighter. I didn't want him to stop, I needed to feel his touch.
With a soft slurp, he was free, his warm digits gliding over my thigh and up to my hip. Digging his nails in, he pushed me lower, forcing my back to bend, lifting my ass higher.
Turning my head to look over my shoulder, I said, “Fuck me, Quinn.” Rolling my hips, the twist mimicked by my back side. My two mounds proudly on display, ready to feel him, all of him, every last inch.
Gripping his cock, he slid the tip along my soaked entrance, I wanted him so fucking badly, I tried to lean back and force him inside. I couldn't wait anymore, my body was buzzing with excitement, sparks crawled through my belly. He needed to fuck me now.
His tongue snapped against the roof of his mouth, tisking me. “Now, now, patience, love.”
“Stop teasing me.” The arch of my back deepened, my ass pressed up as high as I could push it. “I need- Ahh! Quinn!” His cock thrust in hard before I could finish speaking, smooth and naked, nothing between us.
“Wait,” I said, shifting forward. “Condom?”
“Why?”
“Why?” I asked, brow raising. “A baby might be a good reason.”
“Does it really matter?” Running his hands over my ass, his cock slid up and down between my cheeks.
“Are you ready for a baby?” Rolling onto my elbow, I stared at Quinn, unsure if he realized what he was saying, or if he was just riding the high stealing his brain for the moment.
“As long as I have you, I'm ready for anything.” His engorged tip flicked my opening, sending a wave of pleasure over my body. “And we'd make a cute baby.”
“Do you hear yourself? A baby, Quinn?”
Biting down on my shoulder, he dragged his teeth over my skin. “I know what I'm saying, Cadence. And I'm not crazy. There's nothing in this world that I want more than you. And if you get pregnant, I'm all for it.”
Seriously?
He can't realize what he's actually saying.
“Quinn—”
“Cadence, if you don't want me to, I won't. But the idea of you carrying my child... It, it just does something to me. I can't explain it, but it doesn't scare me.”
I was shocked. But the thought drifted between the answer I should give, and the answer that suddenly took me by storm.
We hadn't known each other long, I didn't know all his little quirks, or rhythms he lived by; but I felt something for him that went deeper than the surface. It was there, and it wasn't just built off lust.
Am I falling in love?
Looking over my shoulder at Quinn, I reached around and grabbed his length. His eyes widened, face softening with a look that said; 'I knew you felt it too.'
Guiding him in, his cock lunged into my wet pussy. I could feel him in my belly, each thrust pushing deeper, his cock swelling as I squeezed around him, hungry for his dick. My body started to shake, tingles running through my stomach, starting down low and shooting into my brain.
Quinn's fingers clenched so firmly around my hips, I was sure there would be marks left after. His muscles tensed, cock throbbing inside me, each pulse threading our bodies together. “Don't stop, don't stop.” I mustered out between labored breaths.
Freeing one hand, he pressed my clit, rubbing it vigorously. That was all it took, my thighs shook, nipples hardening as they scraped the arm of the couch. Everything around me went into slow motion, all my worries dissolving, and melting away.
Grasping the couch, my body went limp, head falling down to rest on my hands. I had melted like ice cream in the summer, my legs went numb, toes curling tight.
His thrust slowed, cock purging its life deep inside. I felt him pulse, I felt him come, and then I felt his heart beating against my back.
We had just sealed our emotions, taking a silent oath that we would always be together. Knowing that he was willingly giving himself to me even if I could get pregnant, knowing he didn't care either way.
Quinn was my man, and my life now held a sense of feeling complete.
Of feeling... Loved.
Dropping back onto the couch, Quinn's hand fell across his forehead. “Wow, now that was better than breakfast.” A thin smile spread over his face, sweat beading up over his chest.
Grinning, I twisted to pull my shirt off. “Hope you don't mind, but I'm using this for clean up.” Chuckling, I threw the shirt to the floor, and climbed up onto his chest.
“Round two? Already? Damn, Cadence, you nympho.”
Slapping his bare skin, I said, “Please, I think you have that backwards.” Glancing away, I fiddled with my fingers. “Quinn, did you really mean what you said, about a baby?”
Lifting a thick lock of my hair, he twirled it in his fingers. “I meant every word.”
“You're really not scared to get me pregnant?”
“Not at all. Cadence, my life has been filled with such shit, the thought of a baby actually makes me...” His words fell, dropping into a long pause.
“What?”
Flicking his eyes up, I watched the sincerity of his emotions wash over his face. “Happy.”
I wasn't sure how to respond to that. So I sat quiet, letting his thought linger between us.
Swirling my finger in small circles on his chest, a quiet ringing cut the silence from the stand near the doorway. Perking my head up, I realized it was my phone.
“Fuck, I bet I know who that is.” Standing in my birthday suit, Quinn's eyes lit up.
“Take as long as you need to walk there, the view is amazing.”
Giving my ass an extra wiggle, just for him, I picked up my purse. Sifting through the jumbled mess inside, I dug around till I finally felt the hard case. The front was lit up, 'Dad' glowing brightly across the screen. “Yup, I knew it.”
“Don't answer.” Quinn had rolled onto his arm, the after sex glow still flushing his cheeks.
My head dipped down towards my shoulder. “He's pissed, I'm sure of it.”
“So what, let him be pissed, you're a big girl.”
Clicking reject, I dropped it back inside. “What time is it?”
“Eleven-thirty, why? Need to be some where?” His teeth gleamed through his lips. “Because I think you being here is exactly where you belong.”
I knew I was walking a fine line. Staying here, with the man who had come in and swept me off my feet; and ignoring the man who had once h
eld me trapped inside his grip, a slave to his every demand.
The strings that had held me close, dangling above my head, and moving me like a marionette; were severed.
I wasn't his puppet anymore.
Crossing the room, the sun broke through the blinds, hitting Quinn's chest. His tattoos streamed, the black details shaping his muscles, molding the contours of each crest. Small splashes of color were speckled across the paintings on his body.
He was a sight, a pantie-melting piece of art laid up on that couch. Bending his arm, the massive muscle rolled into a mound, his stomach rippling like waves, dancing as he pushed himself up.
And when he looked at me, it wasn't just lust I saw behind his stare. He had one trait that my life had lacked; Quinn actually cared about me.
For once, things felt right.
They felt perfect.
Chapter Fifteen
Quinn
Standing outside the entrance, Cadence curled her fingers into mine. We stood side by side, her small face looking up, eyes as large as the sun, but not nearly as bright. Her hands trembled inside my grip, the shaking so intense, it worked its way up my arm.
My stomach was a giant ball of knots and heavy chains. The thumping inside my chest rang so loudly, the world around me was on mute.
I was ready to cement my claim on her. This was it, I was about to end a long nightmare for the woman who breathed life back into my veins.
Was I nervous?
Yes. But not for me, or my fate inside the ring.
It was for Cadence.
We had spent the last few weeks together. She rejected all her father's calls, and was finally able to taste the gratifying sensation of exemption. I couldn't bring myself to tell her that her father had us watched from a distance the entire time, or that our every move had been studied by some set of eyes.
She just looked so light, like the weight had been shifted off her shoulders. I don't think she stopped smiling till this very moment, when we stood hip to hip, waiting for Dizz to open the door.
She was about to face the one person who she had betrayed, the one person who had kept her on a leash, and if I failed...
I won't fail.
Her time here, with this life, it's over.
I'm finishing this.
My lips were closed blade thin, but beneath my mask of calmness, my teeth ground down against each other. Rage filled my head and bled into my eyes.
The door squeaked open, the rusty hinges trying to hold the wall in place, keeping it sealed from the outside world. The musky scent of moldy wood and corroding metal permeated the dense air.
“Thanks, Dizz,” Cadence said, her tone grave and gloomy. Stepping through the threshold, her shoulders slumped forward. “You know you don't have to do this.”
“Yes, I do.” She had barely finished her sentence before I answered. “I'm ending this, Cadence.”
“Why can't we just runaway, Quinn? Maybe... Maybe we should just—”
“I know what he plans to do, and he will never stop looking for you. I'm not letting it happen. No fucking way.”
Stopping short, she tugged my shoulder to face her. “What?! What's he going to do, huh? You haven't told me shit about what you guys talked about, you just keep saying you won't let it happen! Why won't you just tell me?!” she yelled into my face, her eyes pleading with me to just give her the answer.
But how was I supposed to tell her? How the fuck do you drop that kind of bomb on someone?
'Oh, your dad just wants to sell you like a piece of meat. So if you want, I can turn and walk away.'
I stood silent, unable to move my tongue, my eyes glazed over trying to prepare for what was ahead. I wanted to tell her, but wanting and having the heart, those were two different things.
Standing silently, I shook my head no. “It won't help you to know, just understand that it all ends here tonight.”
“Fine. Fine, don't tell me. But did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, I deserve to know? That maybe I'd like to be included in why this is so fucking important to you? No, you obviously think it doesn't concern me, or I'm too weak to hear it. Thanks, thanks a lot for that.” Whipping her head around, Cadence turned and stormed down the hall.
“Cadence, wait!” I yelled. “I'm not telling you because it's fucking sick. What he plans to do if I don't fight...” Brushing the hair from my eyes, I said, “It's not something you want to hear. I asked you to trust me, so trust me.”
Huffing out a loud burst of air, her eyes rolled in her skull, brows furrowed in anger. “Whatever. Let's just go, come on.”
We walked in silence down the small corridor, echoes of water dripping off fractured pipes was the only voice between us.
Reaching the splitting wooden door at the end, small bursts of light crept out between the cracks. The loud yells and commotion broke through into my ears. Cadence threw the door open, its frail planks bouncing against the wall.
The room was packed, people spilled from every direction. It wasn't nearly that lively the last time I was there. Cadence stopped in her tracks, her eyes fixed on the same site, neck twisting side to side.
Leaning into her ear, I said, “Big turn out.”
“You ain't shitting.” Her hands hung limp by her side. “I've never seen it like this.”
Pressing up on her toes, she glanced through the crowd. “Follow me.”
We made our way towards the back, a small inlet was corded off with yellow rope, a few old folding chairs were set up inside. Stepping over the makeshift barrier, Cadence motioned for me to drop my bag on a chair.
I couldn't believe I was here and about to fight again. The first fight I had ever had that meant something. In the past it was for a title, for my own pleasure. Fuck, even when the Macro called me out the first time, I'd be lying if I didn't say a piece of me felt refreshed to be back in the ring.
But none of that mattered.
This wasn't for pleasure or pride.
This was for her.
“Quinn...” Cadence gripped my arm, holding tightly. “There's something I need to tell you.”
“Okay,” I said, wrapping my arms around her waist. “What is it?”
Her face dropped to the floor, eyes welling with puddled tears. “I don't know how tonight is going to go... Or how it will end. But—”
A familiar laugh shot out from behind us. Turning around, in the shadow of the corner, was Nico. “Wow! You actually showed up, I'm impressed, shit-stain.” He sat leaning back in a chair, legs spread open as if he was ready to invite a stripper to straddle him.
“Fuck off, Nico.” The words tore off Cadence's tongue, her disgust for his presence was written all over her face. Her eyes drew tight, body rigid and tensed.
“Oh, come on now. Don't be a bitch, that was meant as a compliment. I was sure you both would have slunk into a hole to hide, especially you, Cadence.” His bent, deformed finger pointed up at her.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
A deep chuckle rolled from the back of his throat. “You didn't tell her?”
Cadence shot a glare in my direction. “Tell me what?”
“I didn't think I had too, because I'm not going to lose.”
“Tell me what?!” The demand flew off her lips, head contorting between Nico and myself.
Nico shook his head, a crooked grin taking over his face. “What's going to happen if your boyfriend loses tonight.” His lip curled evilly, an empty glare fixing on Cadence. “Well, your daddy plans to make you work off his debt.”
“What the hell do you mean, work off his debt? I already paid him enough. He took every fucking cent I earned.”
“No, no, no, Sweetheart.” Waving his hand, the pure joy he was getting out of this was sickening. “You're not understanding this at all. You will be what he uses to pay off his debt. You remember Mr. Cribbs don't you?” Pressing up on his toes, he tilted the chair back on two legs. “You'll get to know him a lot better after tonight.”
I watched the realization sink into her skull. The color flooded from her face, her skin draining to a milky hue. Cadence's eyes grew as large as the moon, every muscle in her body giving way, arms swinging lifelessly by her side.
Slowly, she lowered herself into a chair. Gripping the seat, her knuckles tightened around it to hold her in place. “You knew this? You knew this and didn't tell me?” she asked, her face still and numb.
Fucking, Nico.
That bastard got off on seeing her crumble, watching the life get sucked from inside her. I wanted to protect her and all Nico wanted was for her, for us, to fail.
Every muscle in my body surged with anger, ready to knock him in his fucking jaw.
Not now, Quinn. He's not the one you're here to fight. Save it.
“Why didn't you tell me?” Her voice was frail, shock and disbelief layering her tone.
“I couldn't. I wanted to protect you, Cadence. That's why I'm here, that's why I'm fighting.”
I expected her to yell, and scream at me that I had no right to hold that information from her. That I was an asshole, and she hated me for not telling her what would happen to her if I didn't do this.
Except she didn't.
Her face, once white as a sheet, turned a bright scarlet. Her mouth turned down, lips taut, the small muscles twitching within the arch. She stood briskly, heavy footed she stormed right towards me. Her arm drew back, hand open, ready to strike.
Twisting my stance, I grimaced, waiting to take the hit. She was pissed and she had every reason to be upset. I didn't want her to know about this, I thought she had been hurt enough.
If taking a swing at me was going to make her feel better, I'd take as many as she needed. If it took twenty wails against my cheek just to give her a twinge of satisfaction, it'd be worth it.
A loud smack ricocheted through my ears from behind me. “Fucking asshole!” she yelled. “How could you?”
“What are you talking about, Honey?” Her father crooked his jaw, rubbing his cheek.
I hadn't even realized he had walked up behind us.
“Don't play that game with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about.” Shaking her head in disbelief, she veered her stare. “I fucking hate you.” Turning away, she twisted her head over her shoulder. “I hope you're happy. Oh and by the way... Congratulations, you're going to be grandfather.” Storming off, Cadence disappeared into the sea of people.