I kiss him back with the same intensity. My tongue meets his stroke for stroke and when he pulls back I find myself hating the loss of his lips against mine. I have to force myself not to pull him back to me. I know it’s only been a short time, but I’m more than ready to get this man back in my bed. The need I have for him pulses through me at a steady beat any time I’m near him.
“You look fucking hot,” he says directly into my ear and it sends chills of pleasure over my whole body. When he teasingly bites my ear lobe, I jump making him laugh huskily.
“You like it?” I pull away and ask him and then give him a turn so he can see the back.
“Are you not wearing a bra?” he asks me eyebrows up and focused on my nipples, hard from our kiss.
I shrug, teasingly, “Guess you’ll have to find out yourself.”
He grabs me around my waist, pulls my body hard against his and playfully pulls my head back by yanking my ponytail. “Really not cool saying that to me right now when I have to go out and fight soon.”
Shrugging I smile, “Sorry?” It comes out sounding like a question but my body language makes it clear I’m anything but.
“It would be embarrassing to walk out there with a hard on. Since that can’t happen, I’m two seconds away from telling everyone to get the hell out of here, that the fights over. I think I’d much rather go on a discovery mission under your shirt than get in the octagon tonight.”
“You can’t do that and you know it.”
“Is that a dare?”
“No. That’s not a dare,” I laugh. “Besides, it just gives you something to look forward to. Think of it as… a way to celebrate your win.”
“I like the way you think.”
“I figured you would.”
“Are you two going to eye fuck each other forever or can Zane get his ass back here now so we can get on with the whole reason all of us are here?”
I try to move back from Zane guiltily feeling bad for the fact I got so wrapped up in him I forgot about everything else. My eyes move to Jax’s hoping to convey my apology only to find him smiling in amusement. The sight makes me relax.
“Fuck off,” Zane tells him and turns back to me. “So, where were we?”
“I think we should probably go back over there.”
He stares at me and I actually think for a moment he’s not going to, but then he sighs, takes my hand and leads me over to where he was when I walked in.
“Hi there, Sutton,” Jax says kindly while handing Zane what looks like a health shake.
“Hi,” I feel a little shy after the show we just put on for everyone.
“You excited to see our man here kick ass tonight.”
“I’m nervous.”
“Woman,” Zane says the straw popping out of his mouth, “what did I tell you about having some confidence in my abilities?”
Laughing I shake my head, “It’s not that. I’m just not sure how I’ll feel if I see you get hit, that’s all.”
“Rowan was the same way,” Jax says with a smile. “Now she probably screams louder than any other fan out there.”
“It’s true, bro. Rowan’s a beast.”
They laugh, “I’m looking forward to meeting her.”
“She’s here,” Jax says, “Out at our seats with the gang. Dylan will be back here shortly to take you to your seat.”
“I’m sure I can find it myself. He doesn’t need to do that.”
“Not a chance,” Zane adds setting his shake down on the table. “I don’t want you to go anywhere alone here, alright? The guys will take care of you.”
“Why? What’s the big deal?”
“It can get rowdy and crazy. I don’t want to be worried about you when my concentration needs to be in the octagon. Plus, you never know how crazy competition could get in order to distract me. I’m not taking any chances – none of us do when we fight. I want to know you’re alright, cupcake. Understand?”
“Yes,” I nod. I can’t help but feel special by his concern.
When Jax begins talking to him about Zane’s opponent and what he found by watching old fights of his, I get annoyed when the person massaging him before resumes her task.
Zane is still holding my hand, he never let it go, and I must have tensed up or something because his eyes jerk to mine.
His eyes roam my face and I try to disguise the annoyance I’m feeling, but all I manage is a closed mouth smile that I’m sure makes me look somewhat psychotic.
“That’s enough, Vicki,” he says and the woman behind him removes her hands and walks away to wash them.
He looks back at me and there’s amusement in the curve of his mouth and in his eyes. He gives my hand a squeeze then looks back at Jax. Jax never even seemed to notice and kept talking the whole time. It’s stupid but I do feel more relaxed with her gone.
“Alright, I think you’re ready,” Jax asks.
“You know I am. I’ve got this.” Dylan walks in and when Jax sees him immediately gives him a nod. “Besides, I’ll be showing off for my girl. You know what that means.”
“Hell yes I do, I’ve been there myself. It means you’re going to annihilate him.”
“Damn straight.”
Someone walks over and hands Jax some black gloves. Zane gives my hand another squeeze then pulls his hand away from mine. “Sorry, cupcake. Gotta get the gloves on.”
He holds his hands out in front of him and Jax begins pushing them up his hands. They look small and tight.
“Hey, Sutton, you excited to see Zane fight?” Dylan asks with a smile as he sits and joins us.
“Yes, but I’m nervous too. Plus I don’t really understand all the rules and stuff so you may have to answer some questions for me.”
“No worries, I got you.”
“Cupcake, he’ll be bleeding more, that’s how you know I’ll be winning.”
“Damn straight,” Jax says while Dylan laughs. Me? I feel slightly ill at the thought of blood, or Zane bleeding at all.
Jax has him gloved in no time and Zane stands, turns and holds a hand out to me pulling me to my feet too.
“Alright, you go out with Dylan now. I’m going to get in the zone. I’ll see you out there. I’ll be the one kicking ass.”
“I’ll be the one covering my eyes,” I tease.
“You better not. You’ll miss my sweet moves.”
My mouth falls open when his hips do a little swivel like a dance to accompany his words. Laughing, I give him a quick kiss. “Alright, lover. Knock ‘em dead. Well – not literally, okay?”
He laughs and I take a few steps toward the door with Dylan.
“Sutton?”
Turning back toward him, he smiles at me, “Lover?”
I shrug, “Just trying stuff out. I can try a different one.”
He shakes his head, “No need. Just thinking all the ways I can live up to the name.”
Smiling, I watch him for a minute as he puts ear buds in his ears and starts to jump around in place. Turning to Dylan I follow him out the door.
“This is going to be great. The other girls weren’t sure about the fighting thing either, now they’re all maniacs.”
“Maniacs?”
“You’ll see.”
When we reach our seats I immediately recognize Zane’s friends, but this time there are four women there as well.
“Everyone, this is Sutton, Zane’s woman. Sutton, you remember Ryder, Tyson, Cole and Levi?”
“Yes,” I smile at each one.
“Allow me to introduce you to-”
Before he can finish his sentence, a beautiful woman with dark hair and big green, or are they brown, eyes approaches me and I see she has one of Jax’s t-shirts on.
“Hi, Sutton… you know, the doctor that delivered my daughter was Dr. Sutton. Random, I know, but I’ll never forget that. Anyway, I’m Rowan, Jax’s girlfriend and Tyson over there is my brother. It’s so nice to meet you. Ever since Jax told me about you I’ve been looking forward to meeting yo
u!”
“It’s wonderful to meet you too. I’d love to meet your daughter some time.”
“I’d love that.”
She turns and gestures to a gorgeous blonde standing next to Tyson. She walks over and holds out her hand, “Hi. My name is Sydney. I’m Tyson’s fiancé. Welcome to our fun little group.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m Tatum,” yet another beautiful woman smiles at me. She’s pregnant too and looks amazing. “I belong to Cole,” she says with a laugh. “It’s great to meet you.”
“You too,” I tell her feeling a bit overwhelmed.
“Don’t worry, I’m the last one you have to meet,” another voice says. Turning I see a beautiful red head smiling at me. “My name is, Tessa.”
Given the smile of the man behind her, I smile, “Let me guess, you’re with Ryder?”
“Yep,” she smiles.
“His grin and the fact his eyes are currently glued to your ass gave it away.”
She laughs and when she does so her head falls back and she gives into it fully. It makes me smile too, “I already know I like you,” she says.
“Come on, you’re sitting by me,” Tessa says taking my arm. Rowan frowns but shrugs and happily sits on the other side of me. The fact that they are all so nice and welcoming makes me feel great.
They make small talk and it’s a little awkward when they ask how Zane and I met. I keep it simple telling them we met five years ago but lost track of one another until we ran into each other at the gym. I’m not sure what, if anything, they know about Zane’s past and I’m not going to be the one to tell them.
“I heard about Zane going to that new gym. Jax was so pissed at first. He couldn’t figure out why he went back after the first time. I told him it had to be a woman. He didn’t believe me at first.”
“He should have known better,” Tessa adds. “We have intuition about these things.”
“You know, Zane asked that Sutton sit by me,” Dylan says.
“Are you pouting right now?” Sydney leans over and asks him with a laugh.
“No,” he says. “But I don’t want to deal with his wrath if he gets pissed.”
“We are literally surrounded by five men. Not only five men, but five MMA fighters. I’m pretty sure we’re all fine and safe, Dylan. Chill out,” Tatum adds with a roll of her eyes.
“These guys and their protective nature,” Rowan says. “It’s ridiculous.”
“Don’t forget hot,” Tessa adds.
“You know it babe,” Ryder says with a smirk.
All of us giggle when Ryder comments having heard her.
“I love what you did to your shirt,” Rowan says and all the women simultaneously look down at their own shirts. I grin when I see they all wear shirts belonging to their own men. I’m really glad I decided to wear this. I fit right in.
“Thank you. I just did it with some scissors.”
“Will you do that to mine?” Rowan asks.
“And mine?” Tessa asks too.
“Me too,” Tatum adds.
Sydney chimes in, “Don’t forget me. I love it.”
“I would love to. Maybe you all can come over a night and we can have a shirt cutting party.”
“It’s a date,” Sydney says with a smile.
“There’s no reason that word should be in a sentence that doesn’t include my name,” Tyson growls.
“Calm your tits. I was making plans with the girls and you know it.”
We all laugh when Tyson’s mouth drops slightly at her words but it quickly morphs into a grin.
I’m not sure these people could be any more perfect. How did I get so lucky?
Like a dark cloud Nico and his entire agenda crosses my mind. It makes my stomach wrench and I forcefully make myself forget about it. The fact is, Nico may be blackmailing me, but I’m falling for Zane. I want to be with him. I’m going to figure a way out of this and I’ll beg Zane to forgive me. Until then, I need to let this go and pray that in the end this all works out.
The thoughts immediately fall from my mind when suddenly the lights go dark.
“And now… it’s time for the main event!” the announcer yells and the crowd literally starts screaming and cheering so loud my ears feel numb.
We all stand up, unable to remain in our seats due to our excitement. Music begins to play and Zane’s opponent starts making his way to the octagon. I don’t really pay attention to the introductory details about his weight or anything else. Rather, I capture the excessively cruel look on his face and I start to feel a little fear trickle over my body in waves.
“Don’t worry,” Rowan says to me, “Zane is an amazing fighter. He’s got this.”
I nod my head and try to smile, but fail. My eyes are caught up watching Harrison ‘Hollywood’ Henderson shadow box around the octagon like he’s fighting a ghost. He looks huge. And mean.
Suddenly the lights go dark again and music, a different song this time, begins to play. It starts with the beats of a drum and the first line already has me smiling. Amazing by Kanye West is the perfect song for him. When the spotlight hits Zane the line from the song talks about his reign over everything he sees and right on cue, he looks out toward the octagon and his opponent and the crowd loses their minds. It couldn’t be choreographed more perfect.
As the chorus begins and the title of the song is sung repeatedly, he starts to make his way down the aisle toward the octagon. He doesn’t shadow box; he jumps around clearly keeping his body loose.
I can’t take my eyes off of him.
“There’s nothing like seeing your man like that,” Rowan says in my ear no doubt seeing the look of complete enrapture on my face. I think I nod my head or respond to her, I don’t even know.
He looks powerful and fearless – it’s intoxicating. The feeling within me is almost primal. If I wasn’t so focused on him perhaps I’d be embarrassed of my body’s reaction, but I can’t look away from him to allow myself to care.
When I see he’s turning to head in our direction and realize he will pass next to us to get to the octagon my heart rate kicks up. I can’t take my eyes away from him, and I’m startled when his eyes suddenly meet mine. Instead of giving me a wink or a nod before he walks by, he stops right in front of me.
Looking up at him, my head practically swims from the lust pounding through me. As if he knows, he smiles now. Then, taking me completely off-guard he takes me in his arms and smashes his lips to mine in a kiss that’s so hot and intense I feel like I’m on fire. When he pulls away I’m breathless. My chest pounds, my lower stomach has butterflies and my core burns from need.
“Needed one more for luck,” he says in my ear and then leaves. I stare after him feeling discombobulated and I hear understanding male chuckles around me and giggles from the ladies.
“We’ve been there, honey,” Tatum says to me patting my arm. “Just take deep breaths, it will fade in a moment and then you can look forward to jumping his bones once this is over.”
She’s right. She’s so right. I’m jumping all over him after this. Like as soon as I can. That man has got me under a spell and I hope it never lets up because it’s more than magical, it somehow makes me whole in a way I never expected. Something as simple as feeling like a wanted woman again is wreaking havoc all over my heart and mind.
So caught up in my thoughts it takes me a minute to realize the roar of the crowd only intensified after our interaction and they’ve already announced Zane’s stats. Each fighter is now standing in their corner. Jax is there and he’s got Zane’s face between his hands and is speaking intently. Zane is nodding to whatever instructions and encouragement he’s receiving.
The referee goes to each corner and talks to each fighter.
“He’s asking if they’re ready,” Dylan has moved and is now standing next to me in place of Tatum. “Now he’s going to tell the announcer so the fight can get started.”
Butterflies are flying around in my stomach once again nervous to wat
ch Zane fight.
“Ladies and gentlemen buckle your seatbelts. The winner tonight goes on to fight for the title. Are you ready?” He asks the crowd and it explodes all around us. “Are you ready?” He asks again and remarkably the crowd gets even louder. “Let’s get it on!” he screams and I’m pretty sure my ears will be ringing for hours after this is over.
He walks off and each fighter walks toward the referee standing in the middle. He speaks again, “He’s reminding them of the rules of conduct,” Dylan supplies.
Zane nods his eyes never leaving Harrison, completely focused.
A bell rings and the first round gets underway. Zane and Harrison begin dancing around each other. It’s clear they’re trying to feel each other out, maybe even work out their nerves.
Suddenly, Harrison kicks Zane twice in the side of his leg near his knee. I wince at the kicks and worry over how that has to hurt, then remember what he told me.
“He said your adrenaline pumps so much during a fight you don’t really feel the kicks and jabs.”
“That’s true,” Dylan immediately agrees.
Still dancing around each other, Zane decides to go at Harrison with a fury of punches, but only lands one really good one. He does have Harrison backed up against the cage and he looks trapped.
“Yes! Now! Kick his ass!” Rowan screams and I can’t help laughing because I wasn’t expecting it. She looks at me and grins and shrugs.
“Why do they look like they’re hugging?” I ask Dylan.
He laughs, “It’s called grappling. It looks strange but they’re each trying to get in a good position to dominate the other.”
I nod but secretly still think it looks strange. Harrison manages to get away from Zane and immediately goes for his legs trying to take him down, but thankfully he fails.
“Yes! That’s it!” Dylan yells. “Zane’s takedown defense against Harrison is stellar. He’s keeping a wide base and his knees are bent so Harrison can’t gain control.”
Both fighters are back to dancing around feeling each other out once more. They come to a clinch in the center of the ring.
“Another takedown attempt by Harrison and he failed,” Dylan says and I can hear Cole, Tyson and Ryder all yelling encouragement to Zane. I wonder if he hears any of it.
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