Chapter Twenty-Three
It has been fucking torture being away from her. Not just because I’ve been desperate to hold her again, because being near her settles me. I’ve been so highly strung the last few days, I’ve been unbearable to be around. No one will fight me at the gym because I’ve been angry. So goddamn angry.
Sam had the foresight to make sure I only hit a bag, not a real person.
I’ve missed hearing her laugh, I’ve missed the soft feel of her hand in mine. Hearing her talk about her happy memories, wanting to make more with her. Thoughts of her have consumed me and kept me sane, even though I’ve felt like I’m losing it by not being able to go near her.
It was all for a good reason. I wasn’t lying. Last night, I’d threatened to rip Marris’ spine out of his big mouth if he even thought about Megan again.
Which was when Sam figured out something was going on between us. As I stare at Megan, I think back over the conversation with my trainer the night before .
“Have you lost your damn mind?” Sam yelled at me. “You had to mess around with Megan.”
“I’m not messing around with her,” I yelled right back.
“Bullshit. You’re telling me you ain’t just after something you’ve wanted for a long time, having a little fun.”
“Fuck you, Sam.”
“Shit. This is more than a good time,” he stated, not asked.
“It’s none of your damn business.”
“It is when it comes to a fighter here and one of the members. And before you give me some shit about her not coming for a while, that doesn’t mean she won’t ever set foot in here again. How the fuck are you supposed to stay focused if she walks in and you’re all goo goo eyed over her?
“Goo goo… What the fuck?”
Sam smiled, and that threw me off even more. Enough that I’d asked if he was having a heart attack until his face rearranged into his usual scowl.
But it had made me think. About more than just needing to see her. It made me think about what I felt for her. Which is why I ignore every instinct and every warning not to come here.
Tugging her closer, I bend down and kiss her again. She’s hesitant at first, and I hate that. I hate I might have put some doubts in her head by staying away. Then she surges into my arms and starts kissing me back. I know this will not fix everything. We will need to talk about all of this, but right now, all I can think about is holding her against me just like this.
Feeling how fast her heart beats next to mine, which works just as hard.
After what feels like an age, I pull myself back. I didn’t come around to get her into bed. I mean, hopefully that will come later. After our overnight stay in Sag Harbor, I’ve done nothing but think about how good it feels to be inside her.
It amuses me to see how dazed she is when I step away and then how her cheeks blush when she realizes. I ask her to go sit down while I get us both a soda from her fridge, then join her, tossing my hat and coat onto the chair so I can sit right beside her.
“Sam has always gotten his fighters to take random drug tests.”
“Really? Why didn’t you say this sooner, tell the press?” she asks.
“Because Sam wanted to make sure we had everything straight. He doesn’t want any nasty shit coming back on us because we rushed to back ourselves up. So the last few days, he’s got reports drawn up, labs brought in, lawyers dealing with every aspect. I don’t know how I got so lucky, but Sam is a fucking genius. And a hell of an excellent trainer. He’s got me covered from every angle.”
“So they can prove you’ve never taken drugs?”
“Right from the moment I started training with Sam six years ago. I get tested at least six times every year by Sam, and again by the governing body right before every fight.”
“Wow. That’s fantastic news, Joey.”
“Yep and tomorrow I’ve got a press announcement to make. But seeing as how you’re so fucking cute, I think I can fill you in on it before everyone else.”
She pulls a face at me, but I just grin back at her.
“Before I agreed to this stupid fucking fight with Marris, I already had one lined up with another fighter called Perry Jackson. He’s a great guy, a good fighter, and we’re evenly matched. I’d been looking forward to the match because it will be a challenge, and he’s a fucking professional too.”
Her brows lift at the vehemence in my voice, but it’s only because I’m still smarting from Marris’ unfounded and damaging allegations. What kind of fucking man uses lies and bullshit tactics to win a fight?
An asshole, that’s who.
“Joey?”
“Sorry, I got lost in my head there.”
“I noticed. So you’re going to fight this other guy instead?” she worries her lip between her teeth .
I lean closer and pull her lip away so she doesn’t do it any damage, not when I’m going to be ravaging it soon. “Yeah, but not for a couple of months. But we are both meeting tomorrow to announce the fight and to show the world what a fucking liar Marris is.”
“Wow. So you’re doing it all at once.”
“Sam has it all planned. No one knows except the people involved in the fight and the guy interviewing us. Sam has kept it hush-hush. Another reason I couldn’t see family and friends. I have no restraint. I’d tell people in a heartbeat. Only the ones I trust, but Sam wouldn’t even let me do that.”
“So how come you’re here telling me?”
“Because I missed you. I want to tell you everything that is going on with me. What you think of me matters to me. And I don’t want to start out by keeping things from you.”
Meg sits in silence, staring at me with her lips parted. I think I’ve stunned her mute. I’m not afraid to admit my feelings.
“Sam will kill you.”
“Sam can kiss my ass,” I laugh. I move closer and wrap my arm around her shoulders. “I hated the thought of you doubting me. Or doubting yourself. I need you to know this is serious to me. Having your trust means a lot. It’s everything, Megan.”
Her eyes mist over. Fuck, I don’t want her to cry. So I lean in and kiss her, because it’s the only thing I know how to stop her from tearing up. Or maybe that won’t stop her. I’ll do my fucking best to help.
It works because she shifts until she’s straddling my lap. My eyes darken and I itch to touch her, but I sit still and let her unbutton my shirt, spread it open and lean forward to press hot kisses to my skin. A groan escapes me when she unbuckles my belt and tilts her head so she can look at me.
“You have a lot of making up to do,” she tells me, in a low sultry voice that makes my dick jump .
“I’ve always been an overachiever,” I waggle my eyebrows, making her laugh and my heart fucking soars at that sound.
Perry shakes my hand when he arrives at the studio where we’re about to go on live TV.
We had a match back in the day, when we were in a different weight class. Perry has only just bulked up enough to move up into this class and be eligible to fight me. He’s shorter than me, but he’s tough and I know it won’t be an easy fight, but at least I know he cares about the sport.
“That’s some bullshit Marris has pulled,” he says as we make our way over to seats in front of the two huge cameras. “What a dick.”
“Couldn’t have put it any better,” I laugh.
“It’s a good job you have a smart team around you.”
I’d filled Perry in when we met two days ago, and we all agreed to re-arrange our original fight. He’d fought Marris too and beat him. He sympathized with all the bullshit I’d gone through, then mused that his team wasn’t as stringent as Sam is.
I’m pretty sure he went back to them afterwards about changing their policies.
“Yeah, I hear that.”
We shoot the shit while everyone gets set up. When they call us over, Perry lifts a hand for me to slap. Then he glares.
“Ready to put on a show?” he asks.
“Bring it, chicken.”
He laughs and socks me in the arm.
This. This is what it should be like.
Fighters working together like athletes. Respecting one another and only putting on a show for the fans and reporters. Sam never comes to shit like this. I like to say it is because he’s camera shy, but he just hates people. Even the ones he is around most of the time .
My eyes find Megan after that, making sure she is still okay. She’s standing off to the side, sipping on a bottle of soda. When she sees me looking, she gives me a little wave. I grin back at her.
I wouldn’t usually bring her along to something like this, but it’s a closed set, and no one is going to bother her. After last night, I’m not ready to let her out of my sight just yet either.
We talked after a couple of rounds of pretty epic ‘missed you’ sex. It gutted me, knowing she was so insecure and second guessing herself about me. I made a promise to her and myself, that I would do everything in my power to never make her feel like that again. I don’t have a clue where things are headed, but I hope she’s at my side for a long time.
We’re mic’d up and settle into our seats. It’s going out live across one major network. My PR team has been hyping up that I’m about to respond to the rumors for the past twenty-four hours. People have been desperate to get to me for an exclusive, but this is happening my way.
And it’s going to be the biggest fuck you to Kelvin Marris.
The man interviewing us is under a very strict directive not to even mention his name. I’ll respond to no questions about him, his problems with me or any of the shit he’s said.
I’m only going to address allegations of doping made against me, provide the evidence that I have not, in fact, ever cheated in my entire damn life.
And announce my next fight. With Perry Jackson. Not Kelvin Marris.
If he wanted to implode his whole fucking career and reputation. He did it with fucking style.
Once the interview is done and I’ve shaken all the hands I need to, I go grab Megan and we head out to my car. I turn off all notifications, set my phone on silent and lock it in the glove compartment. I’ve had enough of this shit. All I want is to be with my girl .
We spend an entire week together, only separating so she can go to work, and when I have to head into train. My official fight regime isn’t starting for another month, given we put the fight back a few weeks to accommodate some stuff Perry had lined up. I’m getting as much time with her as I can.
Despite the way things have changed for us, I’ll still stick to my routine.
A month of no sex.
I’m fucking insane. Keeping my hands off her for that long is going to kill me. The only saving grace is, Meg is taking this as seriously as I do. She wants me to win. So she will keep the temptation to a minimum, provided, of course, she doesn’t give in.
She’s even alluded to the possibility of watching the fight. I won’t lie. The thought of having her ringside makes me feel amazing, but I won’t subject her to it if it’s going to trigger her or do anything to upset her. Whatever she decides, I’ll be there for her.
When we come up for air, and I turn my phone back on, I don’t bother reading all the notifications. Sam hasn’t kept me abreast of what went down after the interview, because he doesn’t care about shit like that.
Malice filled me in a couple of times, mostly to tell me that the legal team are filing a defamation suit against Marris, he’s been dropped from the fighters roster and not a single person in the sport wants anything to do with him.
For our first trip out, rather stupidly, I take her to Angelina’s again, where she is welcomed with more attention than I get, especially because Angelina is still salty about me ghosting her.
Rookie fucking mistake.
I don’t mind, because Meg is like a different person to the woman I brought here a few weeks ago. She’s blossomed, become her own person who wants to make the most of the life she’s been blessed with. I know that isn’t anything to do with me. She’s worked hard to get to where she is .
Meg is well on her way to being the amazing woman I know she is before I started training her. I’ve seen it all while spending more time with her. Then fucking her.
I really like that part.