3 Breaths (14 page)

“Where are you going?” Ivy asks, as I miss the exit for the turnpike and continue towards the hotel.

“You’ll see.”

I can see her looking at me out of the corner of my eye. She yawns and I ask, “You tired?”

“Uh huh.”

“Did you ever talk to your mom about helping with the apartment?” I ask her a little too late, but the thought that she wasn’t involved just popped into my mind. She doesn’t answer and I look at her. “Ivy?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Every time I talk about you, she…she clams up.”

“I don’t give a shit, don’t you think she would have liked to have been given the chance to be there? Besides, I told you she hates me.”

She chuckles. “Well, it’s a little too late now.”

I glare at her, turning deeper into the city and she asks again, “Where are we going?”

“Be patient.”

“Uhhhh!” She rests her tired head back in frustration. “Well, the bag of stuff that I’m keeping of Zoë’s has a lot of things in it for my mom. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“Will you just make sure she knows I wanted her there and that we didn’t not ask her intentionally. Say we did it on a whim or something?”

“I’ll handle her, Krane.”

Her mom already has a bad taste in her mouth where I’m concerned and now that we did this without consulting her, although it was
my
apartment, it will elevate things if she doesn’t take it well. Pulling up to the hotel, I put my truck in park and am greeted right away by a valet guy.

Ivy looks at me surprised.

“Come on, let’s go decompress.”

“And shower,” she adds, looking down at her jeans insinuating they are dirty. I sling an arm over her shoulder and kiss the top of her hair on the way inside. “You do stink a little.”

She tries to pull away from me, but I hold her close.

“Thank you for doing this for us.”

“Anything for you,” I tell her.

Check in is a breeze and come to find out I went to school with the guy that works the counter. As we enter the hotel room, I can see that he hooked it up for us tonight. This place is massive, everything is open and lit up. There is an expansive wall of windows that overlooks Central Park. Flipping on the fireplace as I enter the bedroom, Ivy says, “Did you book this room? I thought you told the guy at the counter you wanted a king room?”

I flop back on the bed, looking at the ceiling and respond, “This is a king’s room.” She lies on top of me nuzzling close, and even though today was unbearable at times, we did it. “Thank you for everything,” I tell her, kissing the top of her shoulder.

“I can’t believe we got it all done.”

Going though the apartment and leaving it empty was a lot of work, especially to do it all in one day. But it also let me release a part of my past. Looking down at Ivy resting so peacefully across my body, it’s all worth it. Her breathing is even and I hate to get up, but we need to shower.

“Stay here,” I tell her and slip away. Walking into the bathroom, which is mainly made up of granite, I turn the water on to the huge soaking tub, knowing she’ll love to relax for a bit. Going back out, I lift her off of the bed. “Come on, baby, up you go.”

The endearment slips out of my mouth and we both look at each other. I’ve never said it before, and she grins as I cradle her tired body against my chest. Walking her into the bathroom, I set her next to the tub. The room is starting to fill with steam and I adjust the water before I remove her clothes, taking extra time to pay attention to all her sensitive places.

“Aren’t we going to rinse off first?” she asks.

“Probably smart,” I respond and turn the shower water on before I undress. Quickly we wash off and then as I hold her hand, we carefully walk on the slippery floor and she asks, “Will you just hold me?”

We both step foot into the tub and I slide down first, sitting in the hot water, which stings my skin. She stands in front of me and leans down cupping a handful of water that she picks up and runs down her body. As she bends forward, her ass and pussy are spread directly in front of my face.

“Do that again and you’ll be riding my cock in here.”

She looks back at me, bracing her weight on the sides of the high walls of the tub and sits in front of me. My cock is stiff and wants her, but I respect her wishes and fold my arms around her, pulling her close to me.

“Do you think you’ll ever tell your mom about us?” I ask, thinking about our conversation from earlier.

“Sure, when the time’s right.”

“You should give your mom the picture Zoë painted of Long Beach.”

She turns in my hold and blinks a few times before turning back around.

“Why?”

“Because it would make her happy.”

I cannot change the animosity that Brenda has for me, or make her understand what Zoë meant to me, especially once she finds out about Ivy and I, but what I can do is follow my gut and do what I think would make Zoë happy. I remember hearing her on the phone with her mom after she painted it, she was so excited and proud. She couldn’t wait to share it with her. It might be a small gesture, but right now, I’ll take it. Anything I can do to show the woman who hates me most that I am not a monster after all.

Looking out at the view of Central Park while I sip my coffee, the noises of honking and sirens in the distance are familiar. This moment takes me back to when I first moved here. I loved New York City, still do honestly. But being here is hard; my mind can’t rest because the noises in my head are loud.

My phone rings pulling me back to the present. It’s Logan. “What’s up, brother?” I answer, leaning back in my chair.

“Not much, buddy, just getting into the gym and I’ve got a bit of a dilemma.”

I take a sip of my coffee and respond, “And you’re calling me? I’m probably the last person that can help anyone.”

“Oh, but I think you can. Plus, you owe me one for yesterday.”

“You’re right. What’s up?”

“Cam cracked three ribs sparring last night.”

“Who the fuck was he sparring with?”

“Brock.”

“You need to get rid of that guy; he’s bad fuckin’ news.” My voice rises and I don’t want to wake Ivy. Looking inside, I see her ass peeking out from underneath the sheets. She’s sleeping so comfortably.

Christ, she’s gorgeous.

“I know, but that’s Ethan’s problem.”

“So what do Cam’s ribs have to do with me?”

“He was scheduled to fight tonight against Ronnie Shone, for ACM. Now we have to find a replacement fighter, and Ethan and I want that to be you.”

“No way, I’m down on my training and am not ready to get back out there, especially with ACM.” The American Cage Maniacs is one of the top fighting companies in the US. If I were to fight for them unprepared and lose, I’d ruin any chance at a real career. “I’m sorry, but for now I’m going to have to pass.”

“Come on, dude. It pays five grand, and if you win fight of the night it’s an extra 2K.” Fuck, I could use that kind of money. The thousand dollars here and there are nice, but it’s just not enough sometimes and Ling hasn’t called me for a while. Makes me worried that he got busted or something. “Please, man, Ethan and I will have your back. We wouldn’t ask if we didn’t think you could beat this guy. We saw you in the ring with Brock. You haven’t lost one bit of your skills. I know it’s short notice, but I’ll have everything there for you, all you need to do is show up and fight. It’s in your weight class so no cutting or anything like that. Will you at least think about it?” he asks, practically begging me.

“When do you need an answer?”

“Soon. Can you decide in the next thirty minutes?”

“Yeah, let me talk it over with Ivy, then I’ll let you know.”

“Great, thank you, man.”

I hang up and glance inside. Ivy’s lazy ass is still asleep, so I take this time to Google Ronnie Shone and see what kind of fighter he is and what his record is. He’s undefeated in his last ten fights and has lost only one fight for his overall ‘Big 20’ Record. Pound for pound, we match up well. Going back to Google, I click on another link and read an article regarding this fight that was supposed to be against him and Cam. He’s a shit talker. A mental player, like I am. Fighting him could get me back into the spotlight, and if I win, it could jumpstart my professional career, but on the other hand if I lose, it could end it all right away.

Looking in at Ivy, I contemplate what to do. I can’t decide without talking to her, so I get up and go in, setting my empty cup of coffee on the table before gently lying down next to her. As I brush her hair off of her back and strum my fingers over her skin, she whimpers and says, “Just five more minutes.”

“It’s almost eleven, baby.”

She opens her sleepy eyes and looks at me with the cutest expression. “I like when you call me that.”

“I know.”

I keep moving my fingers over her back again and again and she closes her eyes. “Come on. Wake up, sleepyhead,” I tell her and stop moving my hand.

She moans in protest, looking at me. “Why?”

“Because we have to check out soon and I need to talk to you about something.”

Her eyes open and she rolls over running her hands over her face. Her tit pops out and I grab it, massaging it. “What’s up?”

“Logan called.”

“Yeah, what did he have to say?”

“He wants me to step in and fight tonight for Cam from their gym against a guy in the ACM.”

“Why you?”

I fill her in on all of the details. “Am I crazy to even consider this?”

“No, this could be huge for your career.”

“But I’m not even sure that I want a career, some days.”

“But there are days that you are sure.”

Ivy and I continue this back and forth weighing the pros and cons and after watching some of his YouTube clips I still can’t make up my mind.

“It’s such a risk.”

“I think you should take the chance and do it,” she decides.

“Why?”

“Because I know you can beat this guy. Something’s just telling me you should do it.”

Looking into her eyes, I can see the certainty I need. “You sure?” I ask.

She nods her head and her certainty is contagious – I can feel it too. “Okay, let me text Logan.” Taking my phone from my pocket I send a message giving him a green light. Then a rush of adrenaline that I haven’t felt for a long time hits me, knowing that I’m about to step back into the world of legit fighting that I left behind.

Ivy hops off the bed and struts into the bathroom, naked and sexy. I sprawl out on the comforter waiting for her to get back, thinking about her pussy, but knowing that I can’t have it, now that I am slotted to fight tonight. “The laundry’s back if you wanna get dressed.”

“No, thanks,” she says and runs out of the bathroom, jumping on top of me. I laugh out loud as her naked body covers mine. She drenches me with kisses, grinding that delectable cunt so hard against my cock, but I have to put a stop to this. Flipping her over, I pin her beneath me and sit up. She looks puzzled and reaches inside my underwear. Taking both her hands, I hold them above her head and rub my nose against hers. “No.”

“What? Why?”

“Because you made me agree to a fight tonight.”

“I don’t give a shit,” she shouts and wiggles underneath me.

Tightening my grip on her wrists to show her that I am serious, I repeat myself again, “Not happening.”

“Why not?”

“Do you know how much energy fucking you and coming exerts? I need to save it for tonight, especially with my training being how it’s been.”

“So no sex?” she asks with the saddest look on her face.

“No, not until after I win, baby.”

I release my grip, hating that I can’t give her what she wants. I wish I could, but the ramifications if we fuck could be dire, and now she knows it too. She wants me to win just as much as I do. But I can still please her. Lifting her ass up, I scoot her up the bed and spread her legs. Her pink cunt glistens, wet for me, and I run my tongue over it, wishing that I could just slide my cock inside. To feel the walls of her surrounding me, how they tighten and expand from what I do to her. But I can’t, so I settle my mouth around her clit, flicking and sucking on one of my favorite parts of her body.

She writhes and moans from my actions and I get lost pleasing her, pushing her to the edge. I realize in this instance, how from today going forward that this is truly a fresh start for us. With making the money I could tonight, I can cover the rent at both of our places for a while. I don’t want her to stress about finding another job. I just want us to be together, every day.

“Oh my God, Krane!” she screams and grabs both of her tits, pinching her nipples. I close my eyes, pushing her into an intense orgasm that has her body red from working her.

I look up at her as her eyes finally open and keep sucking her clit. She moans from the pleasure and presses herself hard against me. “Are you sure you can’t fuck me?”

As I pull away, I blow a cool breath of air on her and she giggles. “Trust me, I want to…but I’m sure. Get dressed, I want to take you somewhere.” She smiles and rolls over, running into the bathroom, excited in a way that I haven’t seen from her in a long time. Too long.