“You know what? I know you’re stressed, so I’m going to give you a pass on that one. But that’s the only one you get.”
She walked up to me with her arms crossed over her chest. “I left everything to come be with you because I missed you so much it hurt. You mentor Jacob. He’s your friend. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but if you don’t want me to hang out with him, all you had to do was say so. All the macho posturing you’re doing
doesn’t
make me wet.” She threw my words back at me like she’d just won the argument.
I cocked my head and smiled slowly. “Are you sure?” I hooked my arm around her waist and pulled her closer. “Let’s see if that’s true.”
“No.” Her eyes widened, and she tried to push at my arm. “Don’t touch me, Ryder.” I ignored her warning and easily slipped my hand into her shorts. She gasped on contact.
“Well… look at that,” I said as my finger slid over her wet flesh. “My macho bullshit does turn you on.”
She narrowed her eyes, clutching my shirt. “Fine, it turns me on, but it also pisses me off.”
“That’s okay with me. It turns me on when you’re pissed off. You get all wild and aggressive.” I glided two fingers into her and started a rhythm that was sure to make her blow in minutes. “Are you still angry? Will you give it to me rough tonight? Make me pay?”
Her hazel eyes turned a little less green and a little more brown. They always did that when she was aroused. Her eyelids fluttered, she dropped her forehead to my chest, and panted. She was close. She whimpered and looked up at me with desperation when I took my hand away.
“What are you doing? Finish,” she demanded.
“I wouldn’t want to make you come and brighten up your mood.” I picked up my bag and threw it over my shoulder. “I’m going to go take a shower.”
“Asshole.”
I laughed. “Oh yeah, that’s how I like it. Are you angry? Because it’s turning me the fuck on,” I shouted as I walked away.
She snarled at me. As I reached the bathroom, a pillow hit me in the back of the head. I chuckled as I shut the door. My life must have been boring before she came back into it. I definitely didn’t remember it being this much fun.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Alexis
A week later, Ryder left California and flew to Vegas for his fight. I let Ryder know I had to go home first and then I’d catch a flight and meet him there. This did not make him happy. He was sullen the entire last two days we were together.
When I got home, David decided he wanted to join me and come see Ryder’s fight. I managed to talk Ryder into getting David a seat next to me but ended up waiting two extra days so David could juggle around his schedule. This didn’t make Ryder any more amicable toward David.
To top it all off, there was a fog delay at the airport, so by the time we touched down in Vegas, it was a few short hours until show time. We rushed to the MGM, and I managed to get five minutes with Ryder before Ty kicked me out. Apparently, I would mess with his focus. We’d sat through a couple fights, but Ryder was the headline. I sat anxiously as the announcer prepared to call him out.
The hunger and excitement for violence from the crowd was a thick energy, stifling the air. I felt edgy, a bundle of nerves had me teetering on the edge of fear, but I was also filled with anticipation. The other fighter was called to the stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen… at six-one, two hundred thirty-eight pounds, Manny ‘
the Maverick’
Jones.”
He walked out with a large group amidst cheers and taunts. He wasn’t much bigger than Ryder, but he was cocky as hell, gesturing and posing for the crowd. The women were eating this shit up. He had inky black hair, and from my amazingly close seat, I saw the sparkle of hunger in his eyes as he winked and began bouncing around the cage.
Ryder was brutal and fierce in the cage, but that didn’t stay my heart from palpitating as the announcer prepared to call him out. I had faith he’d win this fight, but I still feared he could get hurt. The last fight I’d been to he was unfocused, and I couldn’t watch when he got hit and started to bleed. The conversation I’d had with Jacob had been a distraction for me. My hands had shaken and my heart ached until the last second of that fight.
“Ladies and gentlemen… at six-two, two hundred nineteen pounds, the reigning heavyweight champion… the one, the
only
… Ryder ‘
the Hawk’
Hayes.”
The crowd lit up, pandemonium ensued as people chanted, and female screams thundered across the arena. The noise factor shook the room. Ryder walked out in the middle of his team, totally aloof. He was focused and stone-faced. He didn’t posture or evoke attention; he just emanated strength.
Jesus, he
is a beautiful sight.
His fight shorts clung to his muscular thighs and butt. No wonder the women were losing their minds. Those shorts and his fight gloves were all he had on. His light tan and tattoos accentuated the hard planes of his body. As he reached the cage, he angled his head to where he knew I’d be. He threw a seductive smile my way, winked, then bit down on his bottom lip.
Fuck
, he knew what that did to me. As if I weren’t bursting with enough emotions—I was aroused. Oh God… I was like all the screaming women in the room. I wanted to fuck the man—no—the
beast
who just jumped into the cage, ready to tear his opponent apart. There was a basic craving that built in a woman when confronted with a testosterone-filled fighting machine. I was experiencing it full blast, and I shifted in my seat in an attempt to quell the fire Ryder had started.
Ryder began bouncing around on his bare feet, flexing his fingers, bobbing his head, and doing arm lunges. The bell rang. I flinched. I couldn’t tell who threw the first punch because their movements where so quick and jerky. They threw wild punches and powerful kicks. It was breathtaking and agonizing watching as two powerful men battled for domination. They fought dirty, unpredictably. I let out the breath I was holding when the round ended.
The next round amped up my anxiety as they became more vicious. Maverick got a couple shots in on Ryder that made him stumble. I saw him shake it off. Then a wave of fury washed over him because he went feral. He threw a left hook, then a series of jabs that had his opponent pinned against the cage. Blood spattered, Maverick blocked his face with his hands, but Ryder continued to attack.
Maverick surprised Ryder with a knee to the ribs, causing him to stagger back. As Maverick tried to step forward for another hit, Ryder caught his arm and dropped him in a swift move. Ryder twisted as they battled on the mat. Then he caught the fighter in an awkward choke hold. Ryder’s legs were wrapped around his neck. He tried to break free, but Ryder was too strong. Maverick began to turn red, trying repeatedly to get up, but Ryder had a triangle hold on his neck with his legs. Maverick tapped out, collapsing on the mat as soon as Ryder released him. The crowd roared. Everyone surged to their feet. Cameras flashed. I was caught up in the swell of victorious energy.
The celebration was full force in the arena. Gone was the stoic Ryder who had walked out earlier. He was enthusiastically jumping around the cage in triumph. He climbed the gate, pointing and gesturing at the fans. Then his eye caught mine. He pointed at me, winked, and mouthed, “You’re next.”
Yes, I am.
If he wanted to conquer my body, I’d let him. He could pin me down and
pound
me anytime he wanted. He was running on pure adrenaline, on unrestrained animal-like stamina, and I couldn’t wait for him to exhaust himself on me—in me. The air sizzled between us as he continued eyeing me and climbed off the gate.
In the next few minutes, he was announced the winner, and he did a few short interviews, all the while throwing me subtle glances with sexual undertones. The intimate way he watched me caused liquid heat to form between my legs. Oh yeah, he was definitely on the prowl. I shuddered, crossing my arms over my breasts to conceal my hardened nipples.
When we got to the back, it seemed the party had already begun. Ryder had a private locker room, but there were so many people in there I was sure it was more crowded than the shared locker room. Ryder stood up on the bench, chanting, spurring everyone up in the testosterone-filled room. He must’ve grabbed a quick shower before I got back here because all the blood splatter was gone. Soon as he hopped down, he grabbed my arm and pulled me into a kiss so intense I forgot where we were and who was watching. His jaw moved forcefully, demanding everything from me. And I gave it to him. His tongue slid against mine, hot and delicious. His mouth seduced my senses. I was wet and hot all over. I couldn’t suppress my moans as he pushed me up against a locker, his hand massaging my ass, his erection pressed up against me.
“Fuck, I need you,” he breathed against my lips. I groaned as if his words had just stroked me. A week of pent-up sexual frustration that could not be pacified by phone sex was about to explode. So as he groped me in front of his entire team, I knew he wouldn’t wait until we got back to his room.
Ryder grabbed my hand pulled me down a short hallway and into an empty room. Maybe it was a closet because it was full of equipment.
“I got to have you, baby,” he said, licking and sucking on my neck like he hadn’t eaten all week. And he hadn’t eaten
me
all week. I missed letting him feed on me. The hunger turned him into a beast. His intensity was like nothing I’d ever experienced. His hands were in my hair, at my hip, then up my shirt.
I slid my hands into his tight shorts, finding him hot and hard, wrapped my hand around his smooth length of steel, and stroked him. He bit harder on my neck, thrusting into my curled fingers. He pulled my bra and shirt down, exposing my breasts, then plucked my nipples. I was beyond aroused. I was inflamed, wound up within an inch of detonation. He pushed his hands into my jeans, brushing his fingers over my sex, and shivered.
He shivered?
Imagine how I felt with him dipping his fingers into my slick heat. With one gentle touch over my clit, I was on the brink of coming.
“Fuck, you’re so wet,” he grunted. He drove a finger into my pussy. I mewled. My legs trembled as he added another finger, fucking me at a hurried pace. I thrashed. He held me with his free hand to keep me steady.
He pushed his fingers in and out, deep and hard, the ball of his palm rubbing against my clit. The friction was exquisite. My hips moved against his hand as I searched for the beautiful ending. My breath caught and then I cried out as I came. My body pulsed to life as he growled, rubbing his erection against my leg.
He kissed me hungrily, greedily, with so much passion it only strengthened my need for him.
I needed to taste him. I wanted to feel his pleasure pulsing against my tongue. I dropped to my knees. I pulled out his cock, the muscles of his thighs tensing as he reached for my hair. I put my lips on the head, sucking it gently into my mouth. He hissed, his grip tightening in my loose locks. I slid my lips halfway down, then slowly dragged back. He tasted like sweat, smelled masculine, and felt virile. But to me, he smelled of victory and tasted like a champion, and I wanted to make the champ succumb to me. To knock him off balance and taste his strength on my tongue.
“Take it all,” he demanded, tired of my teasing him. I pulled him back into my mouth, taking him deeper into my throat. He groaned when I pulled away, sucking on the head and rolling my tongue over his piercing. If his hold on my hair got any tighter, I’d lose some strands. When I tried to suck him back in my mouth, he tugged my hair, holding my head back, and glared at me.
“Open up, Lexi.”
I fluttered my lashes as I looked up at him and licked the drop of liquid at the tip of him. He let out a guttural sound, then pushed his cock slowly into my mouth. He moved his hips, guiding his dick in and out as I licked the smooth skin underneath.
“This is what you want, right? You want me to fuck your mouth?”
I moaned. My pussy clenched as he took my mouth more aggressively. I pushed him to take charge, and it was turning me on. He kept a steady rhythm until he was pushing in so deeply his pubic hair tickled my nose. Then he paused, grunted, and his dick jerked in my mouth. I grabbed him by his clenched butt cheeks and took him as deep as I could. He threw back his head and came against my tongue, panting my name. He tasted salty on my tongue as I continued licking him through his orgasm, causing him to mutter incoherently.
The
king
had come. And I felt like his conqueror.
~*~*~
Ryder was running late for his press conference. He stepped into a pair of gym shorts, threw on a T-shirt with a bunch of sponsors’ logos on it, and then pulled on a UFC hat. He hooked his arm over my shoulder, and we rushed down the hall. “There’s a car waiting outside that will take you to the house.”
“What house? I thought you were staying here.”
“I was staying here, but now that the fight’s over, I want to get away from all the publicity. I rented a house for the weekend. Ty’s throwing a small after-party there tonight. After that, we’ll have it all to ourselves.”
“All right, I’ll see you there.” I leaned in and kissed him.
“When you get back to the room, don’t get all prettied up for the after-party,” he said. “I’ll only get you dirty again.” He dropped a kiss on my lips, then left me standing in front of the bay of elevators as he raced down the hall.
The doors slid open the instant I pressed the button. I stepped into the empty car and pressed the button to the second floor so I could exit through the lobby. I leaned against the back wall as the doors began to slide shut. Before they shut, someone held the door and stepped in. Not just anyone. It was Leah, and she had backup. Ryder’s mom stepped in behind her, and as the doors slid shut this time, I felt trapped. They’d effectively made me their prisoner.
Julia reached back and hit the emergency stop button, and I shook my head. “We have nothing to talk about.”