31. Caine
CHAPTER 31
CAINE
“ Y ou ready for another fight?” Adam asks as I finish up my warm up set. Although I should be tired from fucking Max earlier, we took a short nap and I woke up ready to train.
I wanted her to come with me to the gym, but she insisted that she needed to work. She claimed to not be in as much pain, which I take full credit for, but I still tried to convince her to stay home, or at least come with me.
It didn’t work and now here I am, focusing on training until I can’t anymore. Then waiting for her to get off work for the night so I can steal her away again.
Though, I’m sure Adam and Drew will insist on joining. I want to fight it, but I can’t deny that I like seeing how happy she is with all of us.
“I’m always ready for a fight. Where?”
“Los Angeles.”
I huff in agreement. I’ll take any fight I can get, especially now that my dad cut me off. Plus, it feels like a piece of normalcy since we got Max back and it’s something we all need. There’s a darkness that lingers all around us, like we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop and I know we’re all feeling it. Despite Danner reassuring us that it’ll be fine, I know that the visit from my dad has set me slightly on edge, though I won’t show it.
“When?”
“Next weekend.”
“Max is coming.”
“Already got her a ticket.”
I don’t have anything else to say about it, nodding and grabbing my hand wraps to get started on my training for the day, especially since I now have a fight. I won’t say it, but I’m glad he already had the forethought to bring Max. It makes me glad that it’s these two fuckers she decided she wanted.
If I can’t have her all to myself, I at least want to share her with decent guys. That’s the nicest thought I’ll ever have about them, though.
Before I get into the cage to spar with Cal, I send Max a text to check in. She hasn’t been at the bar long, and I’m just hoping she’s not miserable.
Caine: You okay killer, or do I need to come rescue you?
Max: We both know I can rescue myself. I’m fine.
“What’re you doing?” Drew asks. I toss my phone down onto my bag and shrug.
“Just checking on Max.”
“I was going to head to the bar after I’m done cleaning up here.” I scowl at him. I’m going to insist on joining, but stop myself. I need to train and it’s okay if he goes to see her. It’s okay if he comes home with her, or if she goes home with him. I’ll still join, but it’s okay.
I’m trying to learn to accept this.
For Max.
I nod, entering the cage where Cal’s already waiting for me as he bounces on his feet, and stretches out his arms.
“You’re going to be rusty, bro, it’s been a bit for you,” he taunts.
I give him a deadpan look. “It hasn’t been a week and I don’t get rusty.”
“We’ll see about that.” He smirks and the little shit thinks he’s actually getting to me.
“You going to just keep talking or actually fight me?”
He chuckles, and we circle each other for a little longer before he comes after me first. I easily dodge him and huff out a breath.
“You’re too predictable,” I tell him, annoyed that we have this same scenario every time we spar.
That gets him to take a different tactic and I bite back a smile. He thinks he’s challenging me. But at least this time it’s different. I play with him a bit, not giving my full effort until I get bored and take him down until he taps.
Once I let up I see Adam standing just outside the cage. “Glad you’re giving Cal some competition, but you need some yourself.”
“Yeah, well, unless you want to get in here and fight with me then that won’t really happen.”
He leans back slightly, seeming to debate it.
“Come on, old man,” I taunt, seeing the flare in his eyes that he wants to meet the challenge.
“Nice try. Not tonight.” He shakes his head, “You need to be fully ready and not just coming down from another fight.”
“That was hardly a fight,” I scoff.
He keeps walking away and I look around for Drew, but he must have already left to go to The Tavern and see Max.
Alexander is around shooting the shit with Cal, but I know they’re about the same level and I don’t feel like babysitting another fighter right now.
Instead, I hit the bag until sweat beads across my brow. When everything floods in about my life now that I’m cut off, I just go harder. I still have access to my cards, at least I did when I checked earlier, but I’m not going to use them.
My dad didn’t lock me out of the house, but I wasn’t going to give him the chance to do it.
Then, there’s the whole talking to Max thing that night when she found me. For the first time, I talked about the shit going on and she just understood. I’ve never experienced that before. There’s so much with her that I’ve never experienced before, and it’s making it harder not to pin her down and say the words I’ve never said before while I force her to listen and not talk.
Maybe I’ll stuff her mouth full of her cum covered panties so she can’t say anything and just lets me speak.
Then she can’t try to reject what I tell her with weak protests that I won’t accept anyway. I can make her bend to my every will and she does it willingly. I can even make her love me if I need to.