Takedown (12 page)

H
ugh raised
an eyebrow when Luke told him he had to rearrange his meal plan and eat his supper first, then head out for a while and save the protein bar for before bed.

Though Luke was almost sweating, Hugh decided not to challenge it. He just pointed to the machines. “Better get your routines done early, then.”

The one advantage of his training being gradually cut back in the week or two before a fight was that he had a little more time in his day. He just needed to train often enough and in enough varied exercises to maintain every bit of his strength, not build. Mostly his exercises now were about building his speed and flexibility and stamina.

He threw himself into it once again, not wanting to hear it from Hugh when he left with Mitchell. For his pains, Hugh gave him a curt nod of approval and waved him off to the showers just before five.

He headed up to the apartment to shower there and change into something a little nicer. He didn’t have many good clothes, since he never really wore them anywhere and wouldn’t have been able to afford them anyway. He had his press conference suit and a collared shirt or two.

Luke chose a good, dark pair of jeans and a purple collared shirt that he thought might draw Mitchell’s attention to his eyes and lips. He wanted to look a little bit hot at his side.

Then, he wolfed down supper and headed across the hall.

“Ready to go?” Mitchell stood in the doorway in his usual linen shirt and pants. His expression of surprised pleasure made Luke laugh. “You dressed up!”

“I
do
have something other than gym shirts,” Luke grinned back at him. “I’ve had supper, so I’m ready to go.”

“Great.” Mitchell smiled. “I’m sure they’ll understand, but Emily still might try to feed you.”

Luke grinned. “Yeah, she’s like that,” he agreed. For a moment, he and Mitchell shared a nostalgic look, and then Mitchell moved for the stairs.

“Right, let’s go.”

Only once he’d followed Mitchell through the gym—and ignored the curious stares of the guys who were part of the after-supper rush for the gym—did Luke let out his breath.

“You tell Hugh about this?”

“Not technically. Just that I had to switch up the meal plan,” Luke admitted. “I definitely can’t cheat on anything tonight, though. He’ll know.”

“Like magic?”

“Like magic. My guilty face doesn’t help.”

Mitchell burst out laughing and Luke smiled at his gorgeous, warm voice. He ducked into Mitchell’s rental car and buckled up. “So you do feel guilt about some things.”

“It’s only cheating yourself,” Luke quoted, his lips pulling down into a mock-frown. “If you wanna go get your ass handed to you…”

Mitchell snorted. “He’s right, though.”

“I know, I know. And I don’t mind. I feel better when I don’t eat crap,” Luke assured Mitchell, then grinned. “But I’m still gonna complain.”

“Oh, yeah,” Mitchell smirked. “You were always good at that.”

“Hey!” Luke laughed. It was true, though—he’d been a sore loser as a kid. He’d only picked up his stoicism in the last couple years of training. After being bruised and battered daily and thanking the other guy for doing it, he’d lost the ability to judge what was enough to complain about, so he usually didn’t.

“So…” They were driving now, pulling out of the parking lot. Luke rolled his head to the side to watch Mitchell, a smile playing across his lips. “Is this a date?”

Mitchell laughed and considered it for a moment, his gaze flickering to Luke now and then as he drove. Then, he nodded. “Yeah. It may as well be.”

“It’s not like we’ll have a lot of chances for dates,” Luke laughed. Somehow, he liked it this way, though. It was quicker, more intense bonding than he’d ever experienced at a movie or dinner date. And they already knew each other, so there was no point in going through that awkward stage again anyway.

Mitchell’s face fell. “Yeah. Four more days ’till I go back.”

“And ten days until the fight,” Luke murmured. “Hugh will have me doing all kinds of weird shit to keep me on my toes, I’m sure. Once, he had me wash his car…”

“Really?” Mitchell laughed.

“No, but we joked that he should make me.” Luke grinned. “He’s cool, though. We have a great rapport.”

When he glanced over at Mitchell, he seemed troubled for a moment. Then his face cleared up again and he smiled, distracting himself from whatever that was. “Yeah, I can tell.”

Luke licked his lips and nodded to himself again. Minutes later, they were at a small house. “Is this where she’s living now? With Greg?”

“I’m not sure,” Mitchell admitted. “She’s definitely here. I don’t know if Greg is, too. It looked like maybe. Lots of men’s shoes in the closet…”

Luke laughed deeply. “You little spy.”

Mitchell’s cheeks turned red and he pushed open his car door, just scoffing. “Shut up.”

“Fine,” Luke winked. He walked alongside Mitchell up the driveway, then let him lead up to the front door.

Mitchell knocked.

Moments later, the door opened.

“Hello!” It was Emily, and she beamed at the sight of both of them. She pushed open the screen door, too, to let them both inside and then hugged them one at a time. “God, it’s great to see you again, too, Luke. You look good!”

“Thank you. So do you,” Luke told her as they moved into the living room.

A scruffy man with glasses and awkwardly pushed-up hair waited in the living room. He was cute enough, though he had nowhere near the magnetic charm that Mitchell did. “Hello,” he greeted them both. “I’m Greg, Emily’s fiancé.”

“Luke. I think we met briefly at… something.”

Greg laughed and nodded, shaking his hand anyway. “Yeah, I think so. So you’re Mitchell?”

That was a loaded question if Luke had ever heard one, but Mitchell seemed utterly cool with it as he smiled. “Yep, that’s me.” They shook hands, too. “Great to meet you at last.”

“You too.”

“So we have a few light dishes for supper, we thought you could do a choose-your-own,” Emily suggested, pressing her hands together to point in the direction of the kitchen. “Since I’ve heard you weren’t having supper,” she added to Luke. “Something a little more casual.”

“Thank you,” Luke smiled. “You didn’t have to. You can eat around me, I won’t implode.”

Emily laughed. It was good to see her looking happy again—smiling like always. She and Mitch
had
been happy when they’d first gotten together, but they’d both seemed so much more strained as the wedding approached.

It was kind of shitty of him to think, but Luke was glad that he’d broken up that marriage before it started. Ultimately, all of them were in better places now.

Once everyone else had food and they were settled at the table, Emily asked, “So, Mitchell, how’s New York?” She glanced at Greg. “He’s a realtor there.”

“Oh, wow, nice,” Greg approved politely.

“It’s great,” Mitchell nodded simply. “Like living the dream.”

They were all still awkward considering that Greg was the only outsider. The other three had known each other since childhood, but recent events had lent distance to them all.

“Can’t be all good,” Luke teased. “You’re there.”

“Oh!” Mitchell exclaimed while Emily laughed, then grimaced at him. “Thanks, bro. Anyway, yeah, there’s downsides. Like… you know how they always say country folks are too friendly going there? It’s true! You don’t realize how much you smile and act nice to people until you’re surrounded by people who think that’s suspicious.”

Emily laughed, and even Luke smiled.

“It’s the weirdest thing. And it doesn’t smell great, and the traffic’s bad. But honestly, that all feels like nitpicking for the privilege of getting to live there. Everything you could need’s in New York…”

Then Mitchell’s eyes flickered to Luke for a moment. He didn’t even need to say a word; Luke read it in his eyes. Almost everything.

“That must be great,” Greg nodded. “Still planning on staying there? I heard you own Luke’s gym now.”

“Oh, damn, I dissed my new boss.” Luke snapped his fingers.

Mitchell perked up. “That’s right. I am, sort of. But not really… Hugh’s his boss. I’m just the person who pays the bills,” he laughed. “I’m starting to get tired of it, though,” he admitted a moment later. “New York. It’s a great, laid-back routine at the gym.”

“Thinking about coming back, then?” Emily asked.

“I might someday.” Mitchell didn’t look at Luke again, but Luke’s heart pounded nonetheless. “But a lot of realtors specialize in certain areas. The ones with grounded family lives tend to do more family properties. I sell to single bachelors and rich trust-fund kids and stuff. That’s not really… something I can relate to.”

They were all relaxing now as Mitchell ate finger foods, Emily poured drinks, and Greg even smiled at both the men. It had to be awkward for Greg knowing most of the background story without having been around for it all. Luke gave him a lot of credit for not hating both him and Mitchell right out of the gate.

“Training can be weird like that too,” Luke spoke up. “I’m not exactly the same as the rest of them in some ways.” He glanced at Greg, who was already nodding. Safe bet Greg knew he was gay, then. “The culture’s really… odd. I mean, there are oddly accepting patches. Most guys just flat-out don’t care as long as you’re a solid fighter and you don’t shower around them,” he laughed.

The others joined in for a chuckle.

“And then, you know, there’s the assholes… most of whom just want to use it as a publicity stunt,” Luke shook his head. “So I ignore them. On the whole, in MMA culture, it’s actually easier than it is in this damn city.”

Greg cleared his throat. “Speaking of which, uh… I’m sorry about the Millers. I’m not friends with them no more.”

There was a moment’s silence between them all now.

“Oh.” That was a big deal in a town like this. Luke couldn’t quite wrap his head around it. Was Emily the one who’d told him to ditch them? Even so, it was still a big deal. “Thanks, man, but you didn’t have to do that—”

“No, I would’ve felt bad if I didn’t. It wasn’t to get thanks from you or anything. It was just the right thing to do. The Christian thing, even.”

“Most of them would disagree,” Luke murmured, sipping his water as he glanced around the living room. Emily still seemed to be a believer, but she’d always been Christian-lite in the way she approached conversations. That had made her fine to be around.

“I don’t think so,” Emily shook her head. “Things are changing, except really extreme churches. There’s a gay couple in my congregation now. It’s slow, but…” she trailed off, shaking her head. “Eventually things will be better.”

Mitchell cast her a quiet, appreciative smile. “I hope you’re right.”

Greg cleared his throat. “How long have you two been together, then?”

That blindsided Luke. He blinked a few times, then quickly glanced at Mitchell, who was looking back at him.

“Wait, we’re—” Luke started.

“It’s sort of—”

“We’re not, like—” Luke cut himself off. Was Mitchell saying they
were
?

Mitchell looked quickly at him again, then cleared his throat. “It’s sort of complicated. Long story.”

Holy shit, this is something.

The moment passed, Greg and Emily quickly moving past it for everyone’s sake, but it lingered on Luke’s mind right through to the end of the evening. Eventually, they said goodbye, hugging and kissing Emily’s cheeks again and shaking hands and half-hugging Greg.

From the way Mitchell watched him, that conversation was on his mind, too. No doubt—it was a big one.

Luke didn’t dare mention it even in the car, giving Mitchell some time to think about it as he watched street lamps flicker on. “Been a while since I’ve been out so late with friends.”

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Mitchell agreed. “I forgot what this was like. Everything’s so damn fast-paced out there.”

Luke reached out to carefully press his hand against Mitchell’s knee in a quiet gesture of affection. “Even you were fast-paced when you got here. You’ve slowed down a little.”

Mitchell seemed surprised, but he smiled and didn’t shy away from the touch. “Yeah.”

Luke let silence fall to give him a few more minutes to think about things. Mitchell seemed cool coming out to everyone, but it was going to get around town fast. When it did, he was probably going to back off when shit hit the fan again.

He could always run back to New York City. Luke was the one stuck here with a home wrecker reputation signed and sealed.

Was it worth it?

As Luke watched the street lamps glow against the side of Mitchell’s face, playing on his lashes and lips and his faint smile, he knew the answer: without a doubt.

T
he last thing
Mitchell wanted to do when they got back to the gym was deal with his emails and phone messages. There were already more now that he was coming back to NYC soon.

He’d gotten a great little penthouse listing by someone who’d specifically sought him out, which was an ego boost. Trouble was trying to coordinate photography and listing details and open houses long-distance.

There was only an hour’s time difference between here and New York City, but it felt like light-years sometimes.

As he responded to his last email and stared at his empty inbox, his heart sank. That was what it would be like the other way round—trying to arrange for equipment maintenance, make sure the bills were paid, and talk to Hugh and Luke about what the gym needed.

Could he really do this? Did Luke want to?

He pushed his laptop away from him on the counter and shut it, then let out a breath. Time to face the music.

When he knocked on the door to Luke’s apartment, Luke called out, “Come in.”

Mitchell slipped inside, then joined Luke on his futon.

“Everything go all right?” Luke asked.

“Yeah.” Mitchell slid closer, until their sides pressed together and Luke wrapped his arm around him just like he liked. “Had some emails and calls to answer.”

“Fun. Almost like doing real work.”

Mitchell chuckled. “This doesn’t feel like work. Well, paperwork does, but not management stuff. Not that I’m doing much of that. You two handle it all.”

“S’been that way for a month now,” Luke nodded. “We’re used to it.”

Mitchell knew what he meant: the month after Toby’s death, when he hadn’t had the guts to come back here. He sighed quietly and nodded. “I’m glad. Toby was mostly running the behind-the-scenes, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah.”

Mitchell rested his head on Luke’s shoulder, then turned his head toward him. He ran his hand slowly up that purple shirt and hooked his finger in the V where it was unbuttoned. “I like the shirt.”

“Thanks.” Luke rubbed Mitchell’s back quietly. “I think supper went well, hm?”

“Yeah. Greg actually seems pretty nice. I’m happier for Emily now,” Mitchell said.

Luke pressed his lips into Mitchell’s hair and chuckled. “I’m happy to see her happy. They seem sweet together.”

Mitchell hummed his agreement. “Things worked out for the best.”

“Oh, thank God,” Luke sighed.

Mitchell chuckled, sitting up just enough to see Luke’s face again. “Hm?”

Luke turned his face to look at him, and Mitchell was glad he’d left his contacts in. He liked looking at every detail of that gorgeous face—the new slight crookedness to his nose, the summer freckles that crept out along his cheeks, the long lashes… Mitchell brought his focus quickly back to what Luke was saying.

“It’s a bit of an asshole move to say
I’m
glad things worked out like that,” Luke chuckled. “Given what happened.”

Mitchell burst out in a light laugh, then shook his head. “No, I understand.”

“I regret how… you got outed, and everything. I thought I was saving you both from a shitty marriage.”

Mitchell shrugged. “You were.”

“But I still wouldn’t out a guy like that again… ever,” Luke said, grimacing. “I lost a lot of sleep over that.”

It was a little surprising to hear the truth at last. Back then, Luke had come off as bluntly indifferent.

Mitchell nodded slowly. “But I admired your conviction. I mean, you didn’t want her to get tricked into something, ultimately. And you stood by that.” Sure, that put Mitchell on the losing end, but he hadn’t held it against Luke.

Once he’d gotten over it, that was. He might have said a few harsh things before that.

“So you’re still happy living in New York City?” Luke asked.

Mitchell hesitated, making eye contact again. “Actually, I’m not
entirely
opposed to living and working here. It’s not my first choice, but it’s… a possibility.”

“I just wanna get out of here,” Luke admitted in a low laugh. “If I could find a deal as sweet as this, I’d have been out ages ago. But I wanna keep training with Hugh, and I want free rent. So…”

“Mm,” Mitchell hummed, his mind churning with ideas. New York City apartments were expensive, but close to the city, there were some possibilities…

“If things work out between us, we can find a way to make it work,” Luke murmured. “If I win, I’ll get a lot better exposure. I should get some good purses.”

“Right,” Mitchell nodded. “And I make enough to fly back and forth a couple times a month, or to fly you out. If Hugh will let me take you.”

Luke chuckled, the rumble vibrating Mitchell’s cheek pleasantly. “But you don’t mind this after all?”

Mitchell shook his head slightly. He could see himself staying here for a little bit, at least. He could take care of memberships and admin stuff, leaving Hugh and Luke to focus more on the training. Maybe get someone to do the grunt work and free Luke’s time up a little.

“And you don’t mind me being around?”

Mitchell stretched up to kiss Luke in silent answer to that, sliding his lips gently along those full, warm lips.

This was nothing like the kisses of obligation he’d given Emily, or the couple drunken kisses he’d had with men in NYC before fleeing.

This was…

Mitchell moaned softly and shifted closer as Luke slid both arms around his back now, pulling him onto his lap.

This was perfect.

He shoved his knees into the gap at the back of the futon so he could grind their fronts together, his cock hardening already. God, just being around Luke was intoxicating enough. Having Luke’s broad hands running up his back under his shirt made him shudder with need.

“When we fucked the other day,” Luke whispered, pulling away from the kiss. He pressed feather-light kisses along Mitchell’s neck toward his ear.

“Mm?” Mitchell meant to answer, but it turned into a nasal moan when Luke’s tongue flicked his earlobe.

“Was that your first time?”

Mitchell hesitated, embarrassment crawling up into the pit of his stomach. How sad would that sound? Would Luke judge him? Worse yet, had he been able to tell?

He pushed that aside, swallowing hard as he nodded once.

“Mmm,” Luke moaned, sucking behind Mitchell’s ear to bring him back to the moment. The parted lips and suction against the skin behind his ear made Mitchell twitch and squirm. “That was incredible then.”

“Y-Yeah? Oh,
yes
,” Mitchell grunted when those skilled lips closed around the rim of his ear. Luke lightly dragged the tip of his tongue around the rim back to the lobe and sucked it harder, then nipped. “Hnnh. Yeah, it was…” Luke’s kiss to his jaw tickled, and he laughed under his breath.

“I want to fuck you again,” Luke whispered, his voice low and… awed? Mitchell squirmed to get a look at his face, but Luke wouldn’t look at him. Instead, Luke nosed under his chin to kiss throat. “I’m not used to that.”

“More than one-night stands?”

“Yeah.” Luke’s voice was rough. “I haven’t dated in a while.”

Mitchell grinned. “We can learn together, then. Oh!” He was rising up, Luke’s arms around his waist and under his ass to hold him up and carry him effortlessly.

“I won’t drop you,” Luke laughed.

Still, Mitchell took his precautions. He wrapped his legs around Luke’s waist, his arms tightly around his shoulders. “No spotter, bro.”

Luke laughed again, louder this time. He dumped him on the bed and smacked his thigh. “Cheeky. I like that you’re picking up the lingo.”

Mitchell smirked. “I can’t help it, around you lot with your… testosterone and your bros.”

“Bro,” Luke laughed. He ran his hand up Mitchell’s front from his groin and under his shirt to his chest, pushing his shirt up in a casual, possessive slide of his hand. God, that was hot.

Mitchell shuddered as nerves sparked to life under his skin again, his cock pressing hard against his trunks and pants.

“You’re very easy to wind up,” Luke observed, his voice a low rumble that did even
more
to wind Mitchell up. He had to know that.

“Fucking hell,” Mitchell muttered. “Just kiss me again, already.”

Luke’s hand still ran across Mitchell’s stomach and chest, working him up, while his other hand cupped Mitchell’s cheek. He leaned down over him to kiss him until Mitchell moaned into his mouth, then started unbuttoning Mitchell’s shirt.

Breathless but eager, Mitchell grabbed Luke’s shirt and yanked it up, making him lift his arms so he could pull it off.

His body was so fucking hot. In the glow of lamplight, it was even better. Faint shadows stretched along his skin, and out of the shadows emerged the twists and contours of tattooed designs.

Mitchell’s gaze fell to the scorpion along Luke’s side. He
was
a Scorpio. Maybe that was why he fucked so well. The quote above it drew more of his attention, though, as he pushed himself up to help Luke strip his shirt off.

“What’s that about?”

“Which one?” Luke grinned, turning sideways for Mitchell to see his side better.

Mitchell ran a finger along his ribs toward the quote, then down across the lines of text.

“When did you get this?”

“After I lost my first fight,” Luke chuckled quietly. “That was just a statewide one, but it was brutal. I took a real pounding.”

Mitchell winced.

“But Hugh wouldn’t let me stop. He told me I had a lot more in me, and then he quoted that.”

“You tattooed your trainer’s inspirational speech on you?” Mitchell grinned, running his finger down Luke’s side to his hip now. “That’s dedication.”

“Turns out the quote’s from someone else, but yeah. He got really embarrassed about it,” Luke grinned. “Then he told me he’s training me until I outgrow him, so I better get my ass in gear so he can retire.”

Mitchell burst out laughing. “Nice.”

“God, after tonight I gotta fuckin’ focus, or Hugh’s gonna literally kick my ass.”

Mitchell leaned up, propping himself up on his elbow, and kissed Luke softly again, then flopped down on the pillows. “Okay. Of course. So, for tonight… You can continue.”

“May I?”

“You may.” Mitchell raised his hips when Luke unbuckled his belt and slid his pants down, grinning cheekily up at him. He couldn’t wait to feel Luke’s naked body against his own again. Denim was nothing like what he wanted, so he rushed to unbuckle Luke’s belt and drop his pants, too.

“Don’t hit yourself in the balls.”

“If you didn’t wear such big belt buckles…”

“I wouldn’t be a Nebraskan,” Luke snorted. “I’m proud of my heritage. Unlike you, city boy.”

“Hey,” Mitchell laughed. He hadn’t exactly told
everyone
he was from Nebraska—sometimes just mentioning the Midwest was enough to get eyebrows raising. “I don’t hide it.”

“Good,” Luke murmured, and that huge palm cupped his cheek for a moment. “Don’t ever be ashamed of who you are.”

Mitchell’s cheeks were hot. He nodded once, jerkily, and then pulled Luke’s jeans and underwear down to free his cock. When he got them to mid-thigh, Luke took over and yanked them off, kicking everything aside.

“Much better,” Mitchell whispered, pulling their bodies together and squeezing his knees around Luke’s hips. Luke’s weight blanketed him, weighing him to the bed and anchoring his thoughts.

He was struck by a sudden thought. He had another man on top of him, nestled between his thighs. Mitchell felt the pounding of Luke’s heart through his own chest. The rise and fall of Luke’s stomach against his own tickled slightly. Best of all, the slide of his hard cock against his own made him shudder again.

Everything felt exactly like he’d imagined, yet it was somehow so much better.

“I can finger myself,” Mitchell offered in a murmur. “If you don’t wanna.”

Luke smiled with unmistakable fondness. “I want to. May I?”

God, it was kind of embarrassing to be asked directly. Mitchell nodded slightly. “Y-Yeah, sure,” he said, trying to sound cool as Luke pulled away from him to grab lubricant and condoms.

Luke kissed him again, then scooted further down the bed. He pushed Mitchell’s knees further apart, running his hands slowly down the insides of his thighs. He cupped the base of his cock between his palms, lightly running them up along the shaft.

“Nnh,” Mitchell moaned as he pushed his feet into the bed. “Oh please God,
yes
.”

Luke didn’t indulge him yet, though. He grabbed the lube instead and slicked his fingers.

Mitchell reached down to stroke himself, then, since Luke clearly wasn’t going to help. Even jerking off right in front of Luke’s eyes wasn’t embarrassing. How could it be when Luke watched him and gave a moan of appreciation?

Then, Luke’s fingers were pressing up and into him again, sliding deep within. Mitchell rolled his head back and pushed his back away from the bed, arching up cleanly. “Oh!”

“You like that?” Luke whispered. “You like it when I find the spot right inside you… right
there
…?” He rubbed the prostate with two firm fingers.

“
Yes
,” Mitchell panted, his cock hardening in his own hand as he tried to keep the jerks of his palm up and down the shaft to a slow and steady pace.

Luke chuckled quietly. “Good, ’cause I like watching you. You’re so fuckin’ easy to turn on. It’s awesome…”

Mitchell’s whole body was already burning with heat. “C’mon, I’m waiting for more,” he dared to answer.

“Oho,” Luke grinned. “You can’t get enough of my cock now, hm?”

Mitchell smiled brightly back, trying not to think about his trip back home. God, just a few more days with this brilliant man.

Luke’s face softened for a moment as he pulled his fingers out, and Mitchell closed his eyes to wait for penetration.

The moments between Luke’s fingers and his cock always felt the emptiest, and his stomach churned with nerves. He didn’t think he had the guts to say what he thought about Luke, except to beg him to stay close right here and now.

“You ready?” Luke’s thick tip was pressing at his hole again.