Page 115
“I didn’t—” I hissed at the sensation of his strong grip around both of us. “Fuck, baby. I didn’t throw the fight. You got in a kick to my fucking face.”
“I’m sorry! I said I was sorry. You told me to find my rage!”
My ability to think and make words was quickly dwindling.
“And I’m glad you did. The kick took me by surprise. It took the entire room by surprise. That leg is kind of famous. So, no, I don’t think people were surprised I went down. Will some people be angry that I didn’t do a better job of getting back up? Maybe. I’m not undefeated. It hasn’t happened in a while, but it has happened. And Dalton wasn’t worried. I promise he would’ve said something if he’d thought I’d deliberately thrown it. He, uh… probably knew I went a little easier on you than I should have.”
At least he had after I confessed I was in love.
Bett’s hands had slowed down until all he was doing was making me lose my mind more slowly.
“Will he be mad?”
“Nah. Unexpected fight results keep people coming back. If it was all predictable, it wouldn’t be entertaining. Now, shut up and fuck me.”
He started thrusting into his grip, hard enough to make me reach down to keep a good hold on us both. The little noises he made during sex were enough to make my brain go all fuzzy.
“So fucking good,” I gritted out, trying to keep from coming too soon. “You were hot as fuck in that cage, baby. Fucking Christ. I thought I was going to have to fight you with a boner.”
“Now you know why I came back inside the Pit that first night. And watched you fight. So hot.”
I thought of how it had felt to be in the cage back then, watching him watch me. It was enough to make me lose it. “Fuck, Bett, fuck.”
As my orgasm crashed over me, I almost laughed, realizing I’d done his little three-word deal.
“Ell, Jesus, god!”
“I fucking love you, babygirl,” I murmured into his hair when he collapsed on me in a sticky heap, and his body melted trustingly into mine.
“I love you, too,” he breathed. “So fucking much.” Then he propped his chin on my chest. “You wanna tell me your plan now?”
“Depends,” I teased. “You going to get pissed off if I mention… Rowan?”
His eyes narrowed, and his fingers dug into my ribs. “Don’t make me kick you again, asshole.”
Then I really did laugh. With a stomach covered in jizz and a beautiful boy in my arms.
A face full of pain and a wallet full of cash.
A war against some fucking powerful people still waiting to be fought, and a man I trusted to fight by my side.
A future that didn’t include helping raise someone else’s baby. And the soul-deep promise of a love I thought might actually last.
Whatever came next, we’d be ready.
27
BETT
I wish I could say I strode into church the following morning, but in reality, it was more of a shuffle. My body was sore as fuck, and my face still smarted where Vaughn had gotten in a solid punch to my cheek.
My father’s campaign manager took one look at me in the church vestibule and shook her head, quickly ushering me away from the milling congregation, through a side door, and into a small abandoned cloakroom.
“Absolutely not. Not with that bruise on your face. What the hell did you do last night? Have you lost your mind? Why haven’t you answered any of my calls about this?” Janine had the impeccable ability to keep her voice low even when she was shouting.
“Oh,” I said innocently, keeping my emotions locked tight. “Did you call? I’m sorry, I missed it.”
I hadn’t, of course. She’d been trying to reach me since midnight, and I’d ignored her.
