Chapter Fifteen #2
Kieran sprang, his knees bending in a deep lunge, and his left foot aimed right for Carter’s solar plexus.
And Carter did exactly what he needed to do. He parried Kieran’s ankle with both hands, blocking the impact of the strike.
But Kieran’s momentum raised him higher, as if the first kick was little more than a stepping stone. He whipped down and across with his right heel, smacking Carter in the temple with a force Lily had only seen him use on tape.
Carter dropped. Lights out. No one home. He crumpled to the mat.
“Duuuuude!” Billy and Steven sprang into action. By the time they got to Carter, he was already stirring. A quick knockout but a knockout, nonetheless. They guided him to the bench where AJ was already opening the first aid kit.
Kieran stood alone in the cage, a cocky smirk on his face that all but screamed, Fuck around and find out.
“Alright, Lily. Your turn.”
The blood drained from her face, and her gaze swiveled from the camera to the team, back to Kieran. “You expect me to fight you?”
“Why not?” He tugged off his gloves and tossed them to the mat. Next came his mouth guard, which he took more care in rolling into the waistband of his shorts.
Lily shifted from foot to foot. Why not? Maybe because he’d proven in the last half hour he could kill a man while barely breaking a sweat. Still, she placed one foot in front of the other and shuffled toward the Octagon.
Do one thing every day that scares you. Or some bullshit like that.
Facing Kieran, her nerves hummed with energy. He was going to kiss her. On camera. She was certain of it. But how? She looked him over, taking in his sweat-soaked hair and the blood pooled in the corner of his mouth.
He looked like he could ravish her.
“You’re hurt.” She pointed one hand at his lip.
He grinned and rocked backward, beckoning her closer. “Why don’t you come over here and kiss it all better?”
Answering his smile with one of her own, Lily flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and raised her fists. “Aren’t we gonna spar?”
“Okay.” Kieran prowled forward, dark desire flashing in his eyes. “You land a hit, you win.”
Despite her raised fists, Lily backpedaled on his approach. He crowded her, forcing her back until the cool touch of the cage met her shoulders.
His voice dropped low, dripping with innuendo and dragging the heat burrowed in Lily’s chest down to the apex of her thighs.
“Are you afraid of me?”
Lily swallowed and swung, her right hook going wide. Kieran easily caught it and folded his fingers between hers.
“Yes.” She swung with her left hand, aiming for his side, but Kieran grabbed her wrist and brought her hands together, pinning them against the cage over her head.
Every inch of his body was rigid against her—hard muscle crushing into soft flesh. His breath was hot on her lips, and it took all her willpower not to spread her legs and wrap them around his waist.
Instead, she waited, chest heaving, caught in the enchantment of his penetrating gaze.
His mouth hovered over hers, and he whispered a promise so quiet only she could hear. “I will never hurt you.”
None of their prior trysts could have prepared her for this. He kissed her like a man starved, desperate to consume her. His tongue swept across her bottom lip, begging entrance, and his hips ground against hers.
With her hands still firmly in his grip, she couldn’t move—couldn’t clutch his hair or his arms and mold herself to him the way she craved. Instead, she curved forward, meeting his fervor the only way she could—by bending her body to his will.
He tilted his head, deepening their kiss as his tongue claimed her mouth. His attention drew out a moan, low and needy in her throat and throbbing in her sex.
A groan rumbled in his chest, and Kieran dropped her wrists. One hand threaded in her hair, the other wrapped around her back. Lily couldn’t say when the whooping and cheering started from the team, or when she wound her legs around his waist and locked him in with a cross of her heels.
There was only Kieran. His touch scorching through her skin. His scent flooding her head with memory. Her desire for him to take her making her dizzy with want. Time and space and conscious thought vanished under his touch.
He was everything.
Somehow, he managed to tear himself away, and sound returned like breaking through the surface of the lake. First murky and far away, then all at once crisp and roaring in her ears.
“Fuck yeah, Coach!”
“Man, I’ve got some condoms in my locker if you need ’em!”
“If that’s how she kisses, imagine how she fucks.”
A blush buried itself in her cheeks—heat spreading from her chest all the way to the tips of her ears. But Kieran didn’t let her suffer alone. He threw his hands up in an overexaggerated shrug and glared at his team.
“I did all the work, and she gets the glory? Why the hell aren’t you wondering how I fuck, Billy?”
Laughter erupted among the men, and Kieran snatched up his gear, a grin still brightening his face. “There you have it, ladies and gentlemen.” He bowed toward the camera. “Happy National Kissing Day. Princess?” He glanced over his shoulder at Lily. “Got anything to add?”
As if she knew how to speak.
Lily swallowed and gave a little wave. “Happy National Kissing Day, indeed. Remember, kissing is good for immunity and boosts your mood! So, yeah. Go kiss someone, and try not to feel bad that whatever you get won’t be as good as what I got.
” She made a show of fanning herself and glanced at the team.
“Do we have cold showers here at the gym?”
Only God knew she really needed one.
* * *
Natalia screen-recorded the entire Live, which was great because Lily was able to clip the best portions and make a separate post out of it.
At one and a half million views, the video was explosive.
Lily couldn’t even begin to keep up with the comments, so she turned off that post’s notifications.
People would say what they wanted to say and assume what they wanted to assume.
At the end of the day, South Side MMA was trending, and that was all that mattered.
@teamblack212: the things I would let that man do to me… #thatgymguy
@lover_grl_toni: I don’t believe the rumors they’re together. Like, that kiss? That’s pent-up passion. Bet they’ll be together soon.
@beastman_J: Seriously? Like you’ve never heard of acting?
@ben_shrapnel: hey @taurusvov2002 [user unavailable] & @livinlavidaluka, isn’t that Lily?
@livinlavidaluka: Yooooooo wtf
@whitesoxgirly: Are you new here? @literallyLily runs their business page
@ian.beckbill: I hope the kid he knocked out is good. What a hit! They selling tickets for the fight yet?
@heyitsmae: I hope they really do get together! They’re so cute.
@crookedmind: lol ok? So, he can beat up his own fighters who aren’t in his weight class? Good luck facing actual professionals at the tournament. Fucking loser.
@authorjanessa.bright: Will the fight be live streamed? I don’t live in Chicago but need to watch for inspiration!
@dylanisonfire: it’s supposed to be. Set a reminder for August 5th