by Dee Garcia
“You’re gonna regret that,” I warned, bouncing around on the balls of my feet, to which he smirked as he ripped off the mitts and waved his hands challengingly.
“Prove it.”
One ass whooping, come right up.
I threw it down on him like a hailstorm, alternating between punching and kicking with such speed, he could barely cover himself. Every strike pushed him back a bit more until I thrusted him into the cage and busted out the hammer punches. He struggled in an attempt to free himself, but I didn’t relent, clocking him three, four, five times. After a few blows to the head, he managed to roll me over his back and fling me around, the unexpected defense sending me right into the spot he’d occupied not ten seconds ago. My back hit the chain links, and I lost my grip, allowing him to slip away and retreat to middle of the mat.
“Damn, baby,” he panted. “I said prove it, not kill me.”
“You asked for it,” I quipped, taking deep breaths of my own.
And I was only getting started.
Coach Carr was about to find himself very dizzy and very flat on the mat. In the year we’d been together, I'd yet to topple him, but that was changing right here, right now. All I had to do was spin him out long enough and it'd be a done deal. A challenge, obviously, seeing as Knox was quick.
But I was faster.
Let's see how long my man could stand upright, shall we?
A devious grin spread across my face, the fact he had no clue he was minutes away from hitting the mat fueling me on in my feat. Charging toward him, I came out swinging without hesitation, hoping the sudden rush would psych him out. And it did. He didn’t know whether to block or swing, which worked to my advantage. I clipped him twice in the jaw, stunning him momentarily, and eased away, granting him the opportunity to gather his bearings.
Or so he thought.
As he recovered, I shuffled around him in light, brisk bounces, keeping my arms in protective stance. Poor man tried his damndest to keep up with me, but after the all excitement, I was at least three steps ahead of him, and when he swayed to one side, I knew I had him. With a feral growl, I swung a leg out low and clipped him right at the calves, toppling him flawlessly like a tree, onto the black mat beneath our feet.
The sound of his body falling in a heap bounced off the walls along with a deep, guttural groan that shot out from his mouth. It was the sound of sweet, sweet victory, and I was on him not a second later, locking his arms above his head to seal the deal. Dropping my forehead to his, I smiled triumphantly and pecked his lips throughout the ten-second countdown. He struggled against me in a feeble attempt to regain control, but I had him. I fucking had him.
And by the time I whispered, “One,” he’d given up entirely.
What caught me by surprise, though, was when he yanked himself from my grasp, took hold of my wrist, and threw my arm up in the air.
“Your victor, ladies and gentlemennn, Hazelll “Lionesss” Perryyy!” He followed that with the typical hushed cheering, holding a hand to his mouth and all.
With my heart racing wildly, I leaned in closely to claim his mouth once more, a soft giggle bubbling in my throat when he nibbled my lip, prompting me to nip back.
“You better not have let me win,” I mumbled through his assault.
“Never. That was all you, baby. I most definitely was not expecting to hit the mat.”
“I know. That's why I did it.”
“Sneaky, but well-calculated. I'm not sure whether that falls under naughty kitten territory, or feral Lioness.”
“A little of both, I’d say.”
He hummed, though it sounded more like a growl. “You better tuck kitty back into her box before I let her out play.”
“And what if kitty wants to play?” I asked, grinding my hips into him reflexively.
“Here?”
“Now.”
“Anyone one could come in,” he advised, prompting me to drag a finger along his jaw.
“And the point would be, coach?”
His eyes darkened. “You’re being very naughty right now…”
“I know, and you love it. So, hush....”
“Don’t tell me what to do, kitten. I’m the coach. I call the shots, remember?”
A quick hand deftly wound around my ponytail, the other clamping down on my ass in a death grip.
“How could I forget? You’re so demanding.”
“And you love it, so hush.”
“Make me…” I whispered.
The mood was already set, spurred on by attitudes, frustration, and victory, but my challenge set it off completely.
Rolling me onto my back, Knox grabbed the waistband of my track pants and slid them down my legs, tossing them to the side of the ring without care. My panties were next, and then his lips crashed into mine, stamping harsh kisses down the length of my body until he was on his knees. I'd expected him to go back up the way he came and drape himself over me, but he pulled me into his lap and rose to his feet, walking us right into one of the cage walls.
“Remember those fantasies I told you about in Vegas?” he asked, whipping his shirt over his head as I latched my arms around his neck.
“Mhmm.”
“This was one of them. Fucking you so hard against the cage, the chain links left marks on your back.”
“And you thought that was gonna send me running for the hills?” I scoffed, smirking at the memory of us in the darkened hallway.
Two thick fingers swiped through my primed lips, dragging my essence up to my clit where he rubbed soft circles that arched me into his touch.
“I didn’t think you were such a naughty kitten.”
“Looks like you thought wrong, baby boy.”
“Very,” he purred, swiftly guiding his length inside me unexpectedly thereafter.
I gasped, but my body accommodated him with ease, swallowing him whole from tip to base. Knox groaned as he filled me to the hilt, his eyes scrunched tightly through every roll of his hips; slow at first, then faster and faster. Knowing anyone could walk in at any given moment amplified everything: his kisses, the light nips of his teeth, the way he touched me, the way he fucked me. Roughly and possessively; there was nothing sweet about it. The chain links dug into my back, rippling wave upon wave of exquisite pain down my spine. And I wanted more.
“More?” he asked, my desires not as silent as I imagined. “How much more?”
“All of it, give me all of it. All of you. Don't hold back on me.”
“Then don’t let go,” he instructed, releasing me to grab hold of the cage over my head.
And then he really let me have it, thrusting into me with such force, I knew I'd definitely have marks when we were done. At this angle and the fact that I was partially suspended, he felt so deep, it hurt to breathe. My eyes were at the back of my head as Knox fucked me without reserve, his grunts and groans quickly driving me to the edge of ecstasy. The coil in my belly was seconds away from snapping free and as he slowed his movements once more, digging into me like he couldn’t get deep enough, I fell apart, sinking my fingers into his hair for purchase. Up until then, I’d been fairly quiet, but the sheer amount of pleasure rushing through my veins was impossible to subdue. My moans bounced off the walls of the gym and with a few more thrusts, Knox was right behind me, stilling inside me, one of his hands gripping my thigh as he tossed his head back and groaned through his release.
That was mind-blowing.
It really was, but as we came down from our highs and I took in the unreadable expression on his face, I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d felt anything like this with her…
The ringer on my phone woke me up sometime around 3 a.m. Groggily, I forced open my eyes and reached out blindly through the darkness in search of it on the nightstand. When my hand skimmed over it, I silenced the call and squinted to read the number on display. It wasn't one I recognized and that reason alone was why I answered, croaking out a, “Hello?”
“Mr. Carr?” asked a swee
t voice.
“This is he.”
“Mr. Carr, my name is Felicity Smalls, a registered nurse down at Cedar-Sinai. I deeply apologize for calling at this hour, but I'm afraid Mr. Fonseca has been in a terrible accident. I've tried calling his sister several times, but unfortunately, there's no answer and you're the only other person listed as an emergency contact.”
I shot up to a sitting position, her words just barely registering through the disoriented fog, delaying my reactions. Luis had gotten into an accident…and Rey was out of town.
Holy shit.
“She's in Colorado,” I said to her in alarm, combing a hand through the hair falling in my face. “What happened to him? Is he okay?
“He was in a serious car accident and remains stable, but he's sustained grave injuries that will require extensive surgery.”
“Jesus Christ,” I muttered, shaking my head.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Carr. I know it’s not the easiest news to hear at this time of the morning. They just whisked him off to surgery, but you’re more than welcome to come see him once he’s in recovery.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Take your time, sir. He’ll be in there for quite a while,” she explained thoughtfully.
“Right, right, you said extensive. Okay, well, I’ll be there soon then.”
Hazel stirred as I ended the call and laid back onto the mattress in a heap. She rolled over toward me and splayed a hand on my chest, melting into my side. “Everything okay?”
I sighed and brought her hand to my lips, kissing the inside of her wrist. “No, it’s not.”
“What’s going on?”
“Luis wrecked out.”
“What?” she asked in disbelief, picking her head up.
“He’s stable, but they have him in surgery. The nurse that called said he sustained serious injuries.”
“Oh my God. And Rey…” she gasped, covering her mouth.
“I was gonna run over there to see him, but he won’t be in recovery for a while.”
“Where’d they take him?”
“Cedar-Sinai.”
“We can always get there early. Let’s have a shower, go eat breakfast. Then we’ll go check on him,” she suggested.
“Yeah, I guess we can do that,” I agreed, though I wasn’t sure I could stomach a plate of food after this blow. “Let me call Manny real quick and let him know we’re gonna be leaving.”
“I’ll start the water.” Her lips pressed against my cheek before she climbed over me and padded into the bathroom, lightly closing the door behind herself.
Illuminating the screen on my phone once more, I scrolled through my recent calls and clicked on Manny’s name. A second later, I could hear the ring in my ear and Manny’s ringer from the living room downstairs. It rang a few times before his hoarse voice echoed.
“Everything alright, man?”
“Nah, Luis got into a nasty accident. Hazel and I are gonna head over to Cedar-Sinai.”
“Shit, is he okay?”
“He’s stable, apparently, but he’s got serious injuries.”
“Fuckin’ hell. Does Reyna know?” he questioned, just as Kilo began sniffing under the door.
“At this point, no. She hasn't answered her phone.”
“I’m sure she's passed out, given the time.”
“I know,” I sighed. “Just makes the situation worse. I'm gonna hop in the shower before we go. I just wanted you to know so you wouldn't flip out when you woke up and didn't find us here.”
“I'll fill M in when she wakes up too.”
“Thanks, bro. As soon as I find out exactly what's going on, I'll give you call.”
If it wasn't one thing, it was another. One after another, to be exact. I couldn't catch a damn break. Life clearly was intent on breaking me and I didn't understand what I'd done so wrong to deserve even half of it. Yes, I know I wasn't the one who'd been in a severe accident, but my best friend had, the man who I considered my brother. To see him out cold in a hospital bed, banged the hell up, was not easy, to say the least.
Walking in here, I was well aware of the fact the wreck had been bad, but when the doctor actually explained what happened, I wanted to throw up. Basically, the driver who struck Luis ran the stop sign at over sixty miles per hour, t-boning him right in the driver's side. The impact was so strong, it wrapped Luis’ car into a tree on the passenger side, pinning him between both points. When the paramedics arrived on scene, they had to use the jaws of life to pry him out. He was beat up, with cuts on his head from the glass, a swollen nose, and a busted hip from the steering wheel, but the worst was the damage to his legs. All in all, my best friend was lucky to be alive, but the road ahead was going to be extremely difficult.
With my shoulders slumped over, I cradled my head in hands, my eyes trained on the floor beside my brother’s bed. We’d been here for an hour and he hadn’t woken up yet, which had me on edge, despite the nurse warning us this might happen due to the morphine. Hazel rubbed my back from the seat beside me, her legs curled up under herself.
“He's gonna be okay,” she murmured softly.
“What if he can't walk again?” I asked.
“He will. It'll take time and patience, but he’ll pull through this, babe. We just have to stay positive. If he wakes up to doubt, he'll lose faith in himself before even getting started.”
“All his clients, everything he's worked for.” I shook my head. “He's gonna lose everything.”
“He might, yes, but once he's well, he can rebuild. And you never know, some of those clients might wait it out for him,” she offered, reaching for one of my hands.
“I doubt it. Those stay-at-home moms are fickle as fuck.”
Luis stirred then with a groan, my eyes darting to where he laid. I leaned forward onto the bed and waited for him to come to, his eyes squinting from the bright lights in the room. My girl shot up to her feet and switched a few off, just as he turned his bandaged head toward me.
“Hey, bro…” I said, one corner of my mouth tilting up in a small smile.
“Knox? Hazel?” He glanced between us, confused. “Where the fuck am I?”
I swallowed deeply. “You don’t remember what happened?”
He shook his head and reached up to feel the bandage wrapped around it.
“You were in an accident. A bad one.”
“How bad?”
I motioned to his legs that were slightly elevated and his eyes widened in alarm. Fiberglass casts cradled his calves and feet, while splints and plasters held it all together. It was a gruesome sight.
“Well, shit,” he croaked.
Hazel shuffled to other side of his bed and pressed a kiss to his cheek, smiling as bravely as she could. “You're gonna be fine, okay?”
He smiled back but it didn't reach his eyes. Reality was setting in quickly for him and it wasn't pretty. All we could do was offer him the support he undoubtedly needed to pull through this difficult time. We wouldn’t really know how difficult, though, until the doctor came in to check on him.
“Oh shit, it’s Rey,” my girl said suddenly, her phone now in her hand. “I’ll be right back.”
Luis shot up to sit as Hazel scurried out the door into the hall. “Oh my God, Reyna…”
“Woah, woah, take it easy, buddy.” I caught him gently by the arm and laid him back. “You’re not getting up from here any time soon. Just relax…”
“Fuck, I just ruined her entire trip.”
“I’m sure she could care less about the trip. What’s important is that you’re alive.”
He scoffed. “Yeah, barely.”
Knock, knock!
The same man I’d spoken to when Hazel and I arrived poked his head in through the door, his expression lifting just slightly when he saw Luis wasn’t under anymore.
“Ahhh, Mr. Fonseca, you’re awake. May I come in?”
Luis nodded.
“I’m Doctor Jennings, how are you feeling?” he asked, en route to t
he computer beside the bed.
“Like I got run over by a train.”
“I’d be worried if you didn’t. Do you remember what happened?”
“No, everything is pretty fuzzy right now. I remember being in the car, but I don’t remember anything from the accident,” Luis explained, his words laced with worry.
“That’s not uncommon, Mr. Fonseca. It’s very likely you have some sort of a concussion from the force of impact, and you’re only just beginning the recovery process. It may come to you overnight, or it may take three months. Sometimes only bits and pieces will return. Sometimes none at all.”
“How'd the other driver make out?”
Doctor Jennings shook his head solemnly, a simple gesture that spoke volumes.
“And my car? I assume it's totaled?” he asked, shifting his attention to where I sat.
So, I nodded because although I hadn’t seen the car myself, I’d been informed it was not salvageable.
“Well, at least I'm alive, right?” He forced a laugh. “What's going on with my legs, doc?”
The good man clicked through several screens and pulled up x-rays of Luis’ legs. Gnarly was the only word that came to mind when I looked at them.
“You sustained comminuted fractures from your knee caps down.”
“What does that mean?”
“Each of your bones splintered in several places, causing a shatter effect as you can see here,” he said, pointing the different areas. “Because the bone fragments were jammed together, we performed an open reduction with different nails, plates, wires, and screws to reconnect the broken pieces.”
Luis took a deep breath and shut his eyes. “That doesn’t sound promising.”
“On the contrary. With lots of rest, patience, and rehabilitation, I expect you to make a full recovery.”