Breathless (The Game Series Book 3)

by Cara Dee

  “Some of you have already noticed the lube dispensers right outside the cages,” I said. “In short, how you fight is up to you and your partner—with a few exceptions. No closed fists near the face. Backhanding and slapping are okay, but no punching. Avoid your partner’s throat, which includes choking. Asphyxiation kinksters will have to save that for another time. Same applies to those into ball-busting and other types of genitalia torture. Leave the privates alone for this event.” I cleared my throat. “Other than that, you spend those five minutes fighting however you want, with whatever protective gear you want. And if you defeat your partner in two minutes and feel like a quick victory fuck, go nuts. There’s plenty of lube.”

  “Unless you wanna go dry,” Colt interjected. “That can be mighty fun too.”

  “No, it can’t,” we heard Kit mumble.

  I grinned, and to his visible embarrassment, many cracked up.

  When everyone had refilled their drinks, gone to the bathroom, and Shay had returned to me with a big smile on his face, Lucas stepped forward from the sidelines to declare this month’s event underway.

  He gestured to Shay and me next and smiled. “Gentlemen, you may enter the cage.”

  Finally.

  I dipped down and kissed Shay’s nervous-tinted smirk, and I could admit I wasn’t wholly assertive myself. I had some lingering worry about his reaction in case he lost, although…on the other hand, we’d cross that bridge if we came to it. Secondly, we’d gotten off on the wrong foot with this whole fight. It’d started with me riling him up in order for him to take the bait, but when push came to shove, I was by no means certain I’d win.

  Since we’d begun working out together in the mornings, I’d learned he was a fast, agile little shit. I had the upper hand in the pool, because of technique and sheer strength, but if we went running, which we did many mornings, I was panting before he even broke a sweat.

  River waited for us on the other side of the cage where the entrance was, and he pulled Shay in for a quick kiss. “Don’t go easy on him.”

  “I won’t.” Shay threw me a grin over his shoulder.

  I merely sandwiched him between us and rested my forehead against Riv’s.

  He’s ours.

  River drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, and he nodded minutely. “Put him in his place for this emotional roller coaster I didn’t sign up for.”

  “Hey!” Shay protested.

  I smiled and slipped an arm over Shay’s chest, hugging him back to me. “Let’s go, little fighter.”

  I ushered him inside the cage, and River closed the door with a metal clang reverberating through the construction. And it changed the atmosphere in a single breath.

  As I exchanged a look with Shay, I knew he felt it too. The shift was so tangible. Rain hung in the air. It felt darker, even though the space between the bars let in the firelight from the torches surrounding us.

  Staying in my spot, I tracked Shay walking over to the opposing corner as Colt counted down from ten.

  I’d half expected my years in the field would come rushing back; it hadn’t been that long since River and I were balls deep in thick terrain waiting for rebels to hand over information about an enemy insurgent. But nothing. This wasn’t Bangladesh or Mali. It wasn’t Belize or Syria either. This was new territory.

  When Colt said “three…two…” I tuned out everything on the other side of those bars.

  Only Shay existed, and the nine or ten feet that separated us.

  Show me who you are, boy.

  His posture spoke of as much readiness as comfort. He was in his element here; it was undeniable. Then I saw the slightest movement in how the corners of his eyes tightened right before he charged.

  Adrenaline exploded within me and blazed through my veins.

  The little fucker tried to come at me with a high kick to my shoulder, but that move wouldn’t fly with me. I wasn’t new, goddammit. I smacked away his leg with my forearm and planted my palm at his sternum and shoved him backward. A silent reminder that I could’ve cut off his breathing if I’d aimed for his throat instead.

  He gnashed his teeth from his half crouch, and I saw through his charade. He was trying to come off as more inexperienced, but the first fucking lesson was never lower your goddamn guard. Did he take me for a fool? Did he think I’d relax just so he could crank it up when I wasn’t prepared?

  “Are we fighting or starring in a high school play?” I shot at him. “Quit the act, kid.”

  “Fuck you,” he spat. Next, he went for the move that most Hollywood movies insisted on including. He jumped forward, spun around, and attempted to deliver a roundhouse kick.

  I punched his leg away this time. He could thank his lucky stars I hadn’t twisted his foot. He fucking deserved it.

  Shay hissed and cursed as he rubbed his shin.

  “Are you done?” I asked impatiently.

  He conceded with a small nod and annoyance rolling off his shoulders, but then we could begin for real. He raised his guard, holding his hands at chest-level, and the fight was on from there.

  In our second round, we kicked it up on every level. We’d barely entered the cage before we were on each other. We struck with open palms for the most part, except for when he was too fast for me and I had to apply my strength to knock him down a peg or two.

  And damn, he was fast.

  The question was how rapidly that method would tire him out.

  I grunted at the pain that spread when he slammed the heel of his palm against my sternum, but I retaliated with two quick jabs to his ribcage. Then I grabbed his arm and twisted it, to which he cursed and was forced to turn his back on me. Knowing full well he’d take the opportunity to stomp on my feet or kick backward, I parted my legs and released his arm to grab a fistful of his hair instead.

  “Son of a bitch!” he growled.

  I yanked him back and squeezed his jaw. “As soon as I get you on the ground, your tight little ass is mine.”

  “Ain’t gonna happen.” He wrenched himself free and turned around again, but before he could come at me with his blows, I dodged sideways, only to flinch toward him the next second and backhand him across the face.

  Fucking hell, his fury was stunning.

  I grinned darkly, beyond turned on by the bloodied scratches we’d given each other and the sweat shining in the firelight. He’d never looked so much like an animal.

  His excitement was visible too. His eyes gleamed and revealed the savage mind-set he’d entered.

  The next minute or so seduced me, sucked me in, consumed me entirely. We charged with quick jabs, constantly dodging, constantly trying to find a way in, both refusing to surrender. When he got me in the gut, I kicked out my leg and sent him tumbling as he tripped, but the kid was too fast to jump to his feet again. Our grunts and growled curses mingled with the sounds of hands hitting skin and our labored breaths.

  “Time!” Colt yelled.

  Fuck.

  Shay and I eased away from each other and panted.

  There would be another round.

  Thankfully, the line had already been cut in half by those who’d defeated their partners in the first and second rounds. We’d only have three couples in front of us.

  I drew a hand through my hair and opened the door of the cage for my boy, and Kit, Ella, and River waited outside. The Littles offered treats and juice, but we declined for now. I ruffled Kit’s shaggy hair as he ducked inside the cage to make sure it was ready for the next fight. In the meantime, the couple whose turn it was now stepped into the other cage.

  River had two bottles of water, and that was impossible to turn down.

  As thunder rumbled in the distance, I chugged my water and walked over to the nearest lube dispenser.

  “What do you think you’re doing, Daddy?” Shay asked, tucked safely in River’s arms. It was fun to see my brother get fussy. A new experience.

  “Preparing you for our last round.” I poured some lube into my hand and rejo
ined them, wincing when I put too much pressure on my right leg. “I don’t think Riv can handle a fourth.”

  My brother chuckled and hugged Shay to him. “I blame this one.”

  So did I. It was convenient.

  The other fight had started, so we moved away from the immediate area and stole some privacy along the tree line to the forest. Shay protested and told me there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d let me win, to which I told him to drop his fucking pants already.

  “You can forget about open palms,” he snapped.

  “Fine by me, sweetheart,” I drawled. “Come on, we don’t have all day.”

  The guests on the other side of the cages cheered at something, and I glanced over my shoulder. Another couple was finished, before their time had expired. Now everyone was treated to some live porn as the Top claimed his prize.

  I kinda lost my patience at that, and I faced Shay and River again, closed the distance, exchanged a slight nod with my brother, and pushed down our boy’s pants. And there wasn’t much he could do when River tightened his hold on Shay.

  “Daddy,” he complained. “That just messes with my head!”

  That was the point. Preparing him for defeat was only one of many tricks I was willing to use. “You tried to play dirty in the first round,” I told him, forcing two wet fingers between his ass cheeks. “Now it’s Daddy’s turn, and he’s gonna show you how it’s done.”

  He snarled in frustration, then whispered, “I’m gonna punch you so hard.”

  River and I grinned at our delightful little beast.

  With his ass lubed up and ready to be used, Shay had something to defend, and it completely changed his fighting style when it was our turn again. He didn’t retreat for a second, but he didn’t advance much either, and he refused to turn his back on me.

  We’d only been at it a few seconds when I felt the first raindrops.

  It changed nothing. Even if it started pouring within the next minute, I wasn’t stopping. Colt and the others could disqualify us if it came to that. This boy was going down.

  I did my best to establish a pattern he could predict, mostly hits to his chest and arms, in hopes he wouldn’t see my kill shot coming later. In the meantime, he was zeroing in on my stomach and sides.

  “Jesus,” I coughed, clutching the left side of my ribcage. Sometimes he got me a little too good. And he tried to attack again right away, so all I could do was plant a hand at his chest and shove him back as hard as I could. It sent him straight to the ground, effectively giving me a couple seconds to recover.

  We were going to wake up with bruises everywhere tomorrow.

  “One might argue that some protective gear wouldn’t be the end of the world,” Colt drawled outside the cage.

  He got a few chuckles from that.

  Thunder rolled in closer, and the rain was picking up.

  I met Shay’s animalistic gaze and felt the urgency crackle between us. I’d reached my limit. It was time to take him down.

  I let the desire flow through me and pulled more tricks out of my sleeve when I came at him. Quicker blows, unrelenting, to his shoulders, his ribs, his stomach, and his arms until my hands ached. Then when I was confident that he’d anticipate my next hits to his torso, I decided to strike. He flinched sideways to dodge my hand, and I grabbed on to his shoulder instead of his sternum, where I tightened my hold and kicked his legs from underneath him.

  He went down with a hoarse shout, and his biggest mistake was to try to roll onto his stomach before jumping up, because I was there the second his ass was in the air.

  “No!” he yelled.

  I grunted as I struggled to gather both his wrists in my grasp, but at least I had an edge here. He wasn’t as strong as me. Fuck me. The way he thrashed beneath me, specifically his ass against my cock, was seriously distracting. I grew harder by the second, not to mention more forceful.

  I checked out as a human being, though I still registered Colt calling out that I was the winner, and it set me on high alert for Shay’s reactions.

  “Give me your color,” I gritted out, shoving his sweats down past his delectable ass.

  “Go fuck yourself!” he growled breathlessly. “I’m not some weakling! Fuck—get off of me!”

  “I’ve never heard of that color before.” I applied more weight on his wrists, effectively pinning them to the ground and making it impossible for him to move, and I released my cock from my sweats. “I’m serious, Shay. Give me your goddamn color.” Sweat burned in my eyes, and I blinked past it as I rubbed the head of my cock against his slick opening.

  “Green.” His voice cracked at the end, giving way for his emotions.

  I sank into him with a low groan. His warm, tight ass buried my cock, a contrast to the cold raindrops splattering across my back. The combination drew shivers from me and helped my heart rate return to normal. It was still just us here. Just him and me.

  “Tell me who won the fight,” I murmured huskily in his ear.

  He whimpered and screwed his eyes shut, his cheek landing on the rubber mat.

  The sight of tears and rain falling down his face was incredibly beautiful. Almost hauntingly so, and I wasn’t surprised to feel the beast in me retreat. I fucking loved feeling those changes, how Shay’s needs brought out my own to meet, to satisfy, to complement. Like ever-moving puzzle pieces that switched places to fit in where they were needed. And he didn’t need the savage Sadist anymore; he needed Daddy.

  “Tell Daddy.” I pressed my lips to his rain-dampened hair and pushed in deeper.

  Only a shrill scream could steal my attention for a hot second, and it let me know they’d started the last fight in the other cage. Then I glanced down at my boy again, fucked him a little harder, and drank in the moment. The rain, the slowly dying firelight with its shadows dancing across Shay’s soaked skin, the thunder above us, the darkness, the sound of skin slapping, and his soft little whimpers whenever I slammed in.

  “I lost, Daddy,” he cried. “You won and I lost. I lost.”

  “And the world’s still standing, isn’t it?” I dropped openmouthed kisses along his neck, tasting him. “We’ll fight again and again, and you will lose some and win some.”

  Shay hmpf’d tearfully. It was the cutest goddamn sound.

  “You’re the best fighter I’ve ever faced.” I nipped at his shoulder and tried to stave off the impending climax.

  “Really?” That made him perk up.

  “Really.” I peered down between us, which was fucking stupid. He was too sexy, too slick, too irresistible. “I’m so proud of you, little fighter.”

  He let out a shuddering breath and tentatively met the next thrust, and it said it all. He’d be just fine.

  “You’re such a strong boy.” I went faster, unable to take my eyes off my cock disappearing in and out of his asshole. “You have no idea how much you impressed me tonight.”

  He clenched down around my cock, eliciting a groan from me, and the little slut fucking giggled through his tears.

  It was impossible not to smile.

  I became acutely aware of what was happening, how quickly I was falling for this boy, and it spurred me on. I coveted everything about him, his beautiful mind, his strengths, his perfect body, his sharp wit… Something swelled within me and filled me with a new sort of possessiveness. One I had a feeling wouldn’t go away.

  Closing my eyes, I gave in to the pleasure and started chasing my orgasm.

  The rain poured down. Our guests fled up the lawn. The torches fizzled out one by one.

  I groaned as the thunder roared.

  “Fill me, Daddy,” Shay pleaded.

  Those words pushed me to the edge. “I’m gonna fill you, baby boy,” I promised, completely out of breath. My body protested, ached, and burned, but I had to take more. More and harder and mercilessly. The sensations rushed through me, and I growled as I slammed in once, twice, three more times before I let go and started fucking my orgasm into his ass. “Ahh, fuck.”

/>   Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  The moment I heard the gate open, I knew my brother was done waiting.

  He fell to his knees next to us and slipped a hand to the back of my neck. No words. He leaned in and planted an openmouthed kiss to my throat, his breath warm and rapid. He needed Shay too.

  A plan formed in my head, and I withdrew from Shay’s ass.

  Our boy squirmed out of my loosening grip and rolled onto his back, seemingly giving no fucks about the rain soaking the last inches of him.

  River dipped down and kissed him passionately.

  “Shay, River’s gonna take you back to the cabin for a shower.” I cleared my throat and scrubbed at my face. My mind was utterly fucked, because my chest was still cracked wide open. All those feelings I’d felt so clearly wouldn’t be forgotten or hidden away again.

  River hummed as he ended the kiss, then sat back on his heels. “You’re not joining us?”

  I shook my head and tucked away my cock. “You two enjoy some privacy for a moment. I’m gonna shower at the main house and set up aftercare for us.”

  Shay sat up abruptly. “Can we use our lounger? It’s ours. I like it so much there.”

  I smiled and touched his cheek. “Sounds good to me.” The umbrella should keep us out of the rain.

  Some distance in the next half hour or so would probably do me good too.

  Because right now, I didn’t know if I could keep myself from rushing forward. Such as, filling Shay’s proverbial calendar for the next several decades with dates.

  Sixteen

  Shay Acton

  “How you feelin’, baby?” River asked quietly.

  I sniffled, his chest hair tickling my cheek. “The best ever.”

  I honestly couldn’t think of a better spot for our aftercare. Heavy, heavy rain pattered and bounced off the umbrella above us.

  Stray raindrops had already snuffed out two of the four candles on the side table.

  To make things even better, I’d asked if Daddy could play his guitar for us, and he’d brought it back here along with ice-cold Coke, a cooling pad for my battered body, and some snacks.