Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78725 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
I tried to bend my fingers and something in my knuckles popped and cracked.
Fuck.
Our first loss.
I’d known it would be coming at some point, but I hadn’t expected it to be accompanied with a pulsing pain in my hand.
And there would be plenty more if it was more than just a simple sprain.
I cradled my hand as I stood up. All I needed was some ice and a break. That was all. Frankie had been pushing us because Lucien was breathing down our necks like some kind of medieval dragon. Or a demon. A demon would fit better and be as ugly when it smiled.
I exited the ring with my head down.
Frankie clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. You fought great.”
Ari offered a small smile. “Going four rounds with Terrence Hudson is the best anyone’s done so far this season.” She glanced back at the Base One Gym crew and frowned. “They’re like behemoths.”
“And punch like one, too.” River slipped the mouthguard into his mouth and lightly punched my shoulder with his glove. “I’ll get some revenge for us. Firebrand won’t know what hit him. Or I guess I should call him Brock now, huh?”
“Probably. And while that happens, hit the showers.” Frankie patted my shoulder before letting go. “Lotto and Teo are there. At least you lasted longer than Teo.”
Poor Teo. A round two tap-out at this stage was the opposite of what we needed. But Meteor—or Mitchell now, I guess—had at least two inches and twenty pounds of muscle on him. That was on top of his years of pummeling people in the underground. I was surprised he’d lasted until round two.
Not that it would keep Lucien quiet when he called to complain later.
“Good luck, River.” I headed toward the showers before I could say how I really felt. It wasn’t like it mattered. I’d fucked up, and now my hand was paying the price.
Lotto was tending to Teo’s knee, so I took my time in the shower, letting the hot water soothe my aching muscles. It helped my hand. By the time I was done, it was barely a dull ache. Ice and some tape would do wonders. I dried off and slipped into my street clothes, flexing my hand at my side to stretch it out.
When I turned back to the other two, Lotto was eyeing my hand. “You good?”
“Better than him.” I jerked my chin toward Teo’s bandaged knee. Better than having the focus on me.
He shrugged. “I just gotta keep it elevated. More excuse to binge eat the best Chinese in the city!”
“Don’t let Frankie hear you say that,” Lotto warned.
“What happens between me and the moo goo gai pan stays between me and the moo goo gai pan.”
I shook my head. “Come on, let’s go catch the end of River’s match.”
Lotto kept quiet but I felt his eyes on my side and my hand as we headed out. By the time we made it back to Frankie and Ari, River had already been crowned the victor of his match. At least we hadn’t gone down 3-0—the only plus of this trip so far.
The van ride back to our hotel was quiet. I threw myself into bed and stayed with my face pressed into the goose down comforter for a while. I only lifted my head when the door clicked open.
Lotto padded over to me and slid onto the bed next to me. He lifted my hand and pressed a few times around my knuckles ’til I hissed. I jerked my hand back and sat up.
“What the fuck, Lotto?”
“Doesn’t seem like more than a sprained muscle.”
Perceptive bastard. I could never get anything past him.
“It’s no big.”
“That’s why you looked like a kicked puppy?” At my glare, he chuckled. “You look better than Frankie. Lucien’s pissed.”
I snorted. “What a surprise.” One loss, and apparently it was the end of the world. “I’m sure I’ll get a text from my dad about it soon, too.”
“Pops is watching, huh?”
“A few of the kids at the gym in Mexico City showed him how to stream fights from the Circuit. He sends me a text after every fight. Apparently, they watch it on the big screen.”
“He’ll be proud of you anyway, Bones.” Lotto shifted closer. “But if you want some help, let me make you feel better.”
I fell into him. I always did. Lotto knew everything about me and knew exactly what I needed. And right now, what I needed was his body on mine and his cock making me forget everything.
Our lips moved against each other like it was the most natural thing in the world. He stripped me down, barely breaking our connection until we were both naked. He pushed his tongue against mine, and his gasps for breath fanned against my lips. His teeth scraped my lower lip and tugged, his hands groping and massaging every piece of skin he could reach.