Chapter Nine #2
Diesel moved around the room as the pair disappeared.
He grabbed his shirt and put it back on.
His mind wandered. He couldn’t help but wonder if his observations had hurt or helped.
The last thing he wanted was to be the reason Kuba lost confidence this close to his fight.
They were two weeks out. While he didn’t know if Kuba was nervous, since he hadn’t shown any signs, Diesel was nervous as hell.
Kuba was confident to the point of cocky.
His entire life revolved around holding on to that top-dog position.
Diesel got it. Kuba was one of the youngest fighters in history to hold the championship title.
He was good. He was competitive. Diesel had a bad feeling Kuba was also one lost fight against Dread from a breakdown.
The closer he got to Kuba, the more he realized exactly why Kuba was the best. He had nothing else.
The pair returned. They both had their knuckles taped.
Chipper wore the same type of loose shorts that Kuba did.
They were made for range of motion. He looked every bit the champion he was.
The off-putting thing was, Chipper had an angelic-looking face.
His tattoos and hard body were at complete odds with the expressions he constantly wore.
There was a scar across his nose, but he never lost a smile that kept him looking like a giant puppy.
Chipper pounced onto the mat like an overexcited kid. He bounced. “Come on, Kuba. I’m ready to play.”
Kuba shook his head at Chipper’s antics. He readjusted the camera. “I’m going to let this run.”
“That’s cool.” Chipper bounced from foot to foot like a kid who needed to pee. “It’s been forever since we sparred. Let’s go.” Chipper dragged out the final word, making Diesel laugh. Kuba had definitely set something free inside Chipper.
Kuba met Diesel’s stare and motioned Chipper’s way. “Just so you know, this guy had an adult ball pit and bouncy house at his wedding.”
A surprised bark of laughter escaped Diesel.
Chipper’s smile never dimmed. “Don’t act like you didn’t jump in my bouncy house. I saw the whole thing.”
Kuba joined Chipper on the mat. It was the first time Diesel had seen Kuba go into a sparring match smiling. Diesel got it. Chipper was obviously just that guy. A gigantic fucking kid.
The two finally got serious.
Diesel watched in awe.
With Jayme, Kuba was definitely only training.
The switch-up to an actual fight was a little scary.
Their jabs were real. The sound each impact made caused Diesel to cringe.
Neither of them looked even a little affected by the blows.
Chipper made a move to take Kuba down. Kuba dodged and took full advantage.
He twisted Chipper’s arm and had him on the mat in seconds.
Chipper easily untangled himself and was back on his feet, facing off again without missing a beat.
Their fight went on for much longer than Diesel expected.
Kuba tried several times to pin Chipper with varying degrees of success.
Finally, the pair called it quits before one of them got hurt.
Chipper’s bright smile was back. “If I go back to the hotel with bruises, Baylor might give me a few more to match.”
Kuba laughed. “Please. I’ve never seen a more supportive husband in all my life.”
That gave Diesel pause. They had talked about twin boys, and Baylor was a pretty gender-neutral name.
He hadn’t even considered Baylor might be a man.
It was obvious this marriage wasn’t a secret.
Kuba was adamant about keeping his private life private.
Did Chipper know about Kuba? His mind was caught in such a loop of curiosity that he missed an entire conversation between the pair.
They had moved to study the recording of the match.
Diesel still stood where he had been standing the entire time.
He wondered how long he had been staring into space while his thoughts ran rampant.
He watched the two as they slowed and sped clips.
They looked equally sleek and dangerous.
Would there come a day when Kuba would so easily talk about Diesel the way Chipper talked about Baylor?
The pair suddenly turned his way.
Diesel nearly took a step back at their sudden laser focus.
Kuba pointed at him. “You. Shirt off and back on the mat.”
He didn’t know what he had missed, but he scrambled to do as told. The pair looked serious. He was a tough guy, but he hoped he wasn’t about to fight them at the same time. He should have been listening.
Kuba joined him and immediately went into sparring mode. Diesel didn’t hesitate to match Kuba’s move. He didn’t want to get hit by one of those strays he had been throwing Chipper’s way. Just like every time before, Kuba gave himself away, allowing Diesel to easily dodge his moves.
“Halt.”
They immediately froze at Chipper’s shout.
Kuba focused on Chipper.
Chipper nodded. “Same results.”
Kuba looked at Diesel in confusion. “It’s just you.”
“It’s just me, what?” Diesel couldn’t control how baffled he sounded.
Kuba didn’t look away or any less astonished. “That tell. I didn’t do it with Chipper. It’s only you.”
Something funny happened inside Diesel’s chest. He had no idea why it was just him. Diesel didn’t know what that meant, but knowing Kuba’s only weakness was him made Diesel’s knees weak. He never stopped holding Kuba’s stare. It was only him. That had to mean something.
Kuba saw Chipper off and locked the warehouse doors behind him.
When he made his way back to the sparring area, he found Diesel staring into space.
He hadn’t put his shirt back on. The bottle of water Kuba had given him was empty.
Other than that, it looked like time had frozen the moment he walked away.
Diesel came back to life at the sight of Kuba. “I like your friend. He seems like a fun guy.”
The visceral reaction Kuba had at Diesel saying he liked another man was chilling.
He knew Diesel only meant the statement innocently.
Kuba just fucking loathed the idea of Diesel even thinking about someone else.
Diesel caused a level of possessiveness in him that Kuba didn’t know existed.
Diesel had slept every night in Kuba’s bed for the last five months, and every day, he felt more for Diesel than the last.
Kuba closed the distance between them. He didn’t give Diesel a chance to guess at his intentions. In a flash, he swept Diesel’s legs. He caught Diesel on the way down, just enough to ease his fall before coming down on top of him.
Diesel wore a bright smile. “I guess you don’t always give yourself away with me. That was a hell of a move.”
Kuba sat back on his heels, straddling Diesel’s hips. “I need to ask you something.”
Diesel linked his fingers behind his head, as if settling in for a chat. “Okay.”
“Did I hurt you when I introduced you as my bodyguard?”