Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“Last I checked, she wasn’t yours to forbid anyone from,” he spat, not a shred of fear in his voice as he unwound the tape from his knuckles. “Ari’s a big girl. She can do what and who she pleases.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” I struck out like a viper, aiming my fist at his jaw. But Bones was quicker. He parried my punch and sent me stumbling with a low sweep that knocked my feet from under me.
I hit the mat hard but rolled upright in an instant. This fight had been brewing for weeks. It was long overdue for Bones to meet Freakshow.
He was about to be introduced to the man I truly was.
We circled each other warily, both waiting for an opening. The air was thick with tension, and the faint smell of sweat and old leather.
“I’m not a homewrecker.” Bones wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I don’t know what you and Ari are, but she isn’t yours. You said so yourself. So go fuck yourself.”
I feinted left and struck right, connecting with a solid punch to his ribs. “It’s not about what Ari and I are. It’s about what I told you. What I ordered you.” I grunted, dodging as he aimed a haymaker at my head. “It’s about respect—something you clearly know nothing about.”
Bones staggered back, pain flashing across his features before he masked it with a smirk. “Respect is earned,” he countered, then launched himself at me.
Our fists flew, as we exchanged blows that would surely leave bruises for days to come. This wasn’t just about Ari anymore. This was primal, two alphas determined to assert dominance.
Our grunts and the slap of flesh against flesh filled the gym as we danced our violent ballet. Bones was good; I had to give him that. His hits were precise, almost surgical as they found their marks despite my best defenses.
The rage boiled inside me, eager to be unleashed. But this wasn’t a street fight; there was a code between fighters like us. It was about proving a point, not killing each other.
I ducked under a wild swing and caught him with an uppercut that snapped back his head. His knees buckled, but he didn’t go down. He was tough, built from the same kind of hard knocks life that had forged me.
A rage-fueled grin stretched across my face as I pressed the advantage, driving Bones back with a flurry of body shots. His breath came in gasps now, but his counterattacks were no less dangerous for his fatigue.
We were both bleeding, sweat mixing with blood to stain the canvas beneath our feet. The gym was silent around us, save for the scuff of our boots and our heavy breathing.
Bones caught me with a hook across the cheek that made my vision swim. I staggered backward, then shook my head to clear it.
That’s when I saw it in his eyes—that flicker of doubt, the realization he might have bitten off more than he could chew.
“Come on!” I roared, blood and spittle flying from my lips. “Show me what you’ve got!”
He came at me again, driven by pride, stubbornness, or maybe not knowing when to quit. But something had shifted between us now. The fight was no longer even; it was mine to lose.
I moved in fast, my fist driving into his solar plexus with all the force I could muster. Bones’ breath left him in a whoosh as he doubled over, and I followed up with a knee that lifted him off his feet before he crumpled to the mat.
He lay there gasping like a fish out of water, eyes wide and unfocused. I stood over him panting, every muscle screaming in protest.
But something more raged inside of me.
Something so wrong.
Something so fucked up.
Something so goddamn animalistic.
Rage and lust blended as one.
“I told you to stay away from her,” I said between ragged breaths. “You fucked her, now I’m going to fuck you.”
I didn’t know what got into me, but as the adrenaline coursed through my veins, I dropped to my knees and tore his sweats off him with the same force I’d used to knock him to the ground.
Bones tried to cover himself, his eyes wild with fear. “No, man, no!”
But at that moment I was beyond caring about others’ feelings. I was in the grip of a primal urge to mark my territory, to show him who was boss not just by pummeling him into submission but by violating him in the most dominating of ways possible.
“Did you use a condom when you fucked her?” I shouted as I held his body down, finding renewed strength.
“What?” Bones gasped.
“I asked if you fucked her with a condom.”
“Yes!”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a condom I was happy to be carrying. “Good. I’ll pay you the same fucking respect.”