Chapter 18
EIGHTEEN
RILEY
I causally slipped the information about the fight to Nick and he asked Ava straight away.
It turns out he was going too. He holds a standing invitation and said he attends from time to time.
Ava needs to have a bit of fun too, and while a fight isn’t exactly my idea of a good time, it’s something to do.
It gets her out of the dorm and she can spend more time with Nick.
My muscles cry out in agony from my first week of classes and the extra training sessions from Wesley.
Thank God Julien tried nothing else in my survival classes.
Although, being partnered with one of the girls probably wasn’t much better.
I had whispered insults slung my way throughout our entire sparring session.
I could feel Julien’s eyes on me the whole time.
Not missing a beat when I escaped someone's grasp. And if I’m not mistaken, I could have sworn I saw a minute smile.
And I won’t admit this to anyone, but I secretly loved it.
I shouldn’t care—I don’t care, but gaining his approval did something to me.
Made me feel more confident, maybe? I don’t know, but I like it.
I will say I was pretty proud of myself for taking her down and earning a “good job” from Mr. Scarboro. Julien? glared at me as if I had personally offended him. I wanted to flip him the bird but thought better of it at the last minute. No need to poke the bear more.
The other women here hate me. I keep trying to make friends but I’m shut down.
Darcy and Julie are the only ones who speak to me, and only when I’m with Ava.
Maybe I don’t need anyone else. What’s that saying, quality over quantity?
Leah is the only one out of my high school friends who attempts to reach.
And Ava and I get along great. I'm not sure how I would have managed with a different roommate.
This morning I swatted Wesley away when he stepped into my room at four in the morning.
What kind of monster doesn’t sleep in on the weekends?
It's Saturday and I don’t need to do homework.
When he extracted me from my bed himself, I went dead weight on him.
I guess that works better while standing because he had no problem tossing me over his shoulder and swatted my butt.
Ava woke and told me to keep it down. She needed her beauty sleep and then rolled over like I wasn’t just flung around like a sack of potatoes.
What ever happened to chicks before dicks?
We trained for an hour, where I pinned him twice.
He told me we were going to start with weights next week before he let me go to get food.
Since it’s a weekend, I don’t have to be in uniform and I ran straight over, thankful for the lack of a line.
I’ve gotten used to having him eat with me, so I was a little saddened to sit alone, but since most students weren’t up yet, I could eat in peace.
Another thing I was grateful for. I haven’t seen Wesley since then.
He told me to wear something nice tonight, so I’ve been back and forth on whether or not I wear a cute pair of wedges.
“Just wear ‘em,” Ava insists, putting the last pin in her hair to hold it up. “You’ve been staring at them for like ten minutes now.”
I huff and nod. She’s right. I’ll wear them. As if on queue, there’s a knock at the door. I know it’s Wesley because Ava told Nick she’d text him after I was gone. Better safe than sorry.
I open the door and Wesley drinks me in.
I’m wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans that hug my curves, a light purple sweater that falls off my shoulder, and my hair falls in loose curls down my back.
Top it off with the sexy wedges and I feel confident, ready to face anything.
Including the sexy as sin man who is standing on the other side of the door frame.
“Damn. You look good enough to eat.” He leans in and places a chaste kiss to my cheek.
I blush and try to cover my smile. “Thanks.”
He takes my hand and tosses a goodbye over his shoulder to Ava.
I don’t even think he noticed she’s dressed for the evening either.
He parked his SUV outside and opens the door for me.
I go to climb in, but he presses me against the side of the car, holding me in place with his hips.
His lips meet mine in a scorching kiss and I’m panting when he finally pulls away moments later.
“You play dirty, Sugar Plum.” I blink up at him.
He laughs when I use the nickname on him. “I said something nice, not something that makes me want to fuck you against the side of the car, Hellcat.”
The thought of him following through with his desire has my stomach twisted up in need.
Most of our training sessions end up with a makeout and dry humping session that may or may not result in me having soaked panties.
We haven’t breached that line. I know he’s holding back and I know I should, too.
But while Julien still feels like a tormentor and Zander tries to avoid me most of the time, Wesley…
doesn’t. He’s constantly helping me. It’s unsettling how quickly he’s shifted from tormentor to something dangerously close to a friend.
“Wes,” I say his name in a breathy tone, but he shakes his head.
“Get in. We don’t wanna be late.”
I climb in and fasten my belt, sitting in my hands, an anxious gesture I do from time to time.
He gets behind the wheel and starts the car, pulling out of the parking lot faster than I would have.
He doesn’t talk, but keeps glancing at me like I’m about to disappear.
Nervous energy bubbles in my gut like a jacuzzi.
He’s really attractive, and it makes me feel inferior to him and the others.
How is it they can make me feel this way? Desired, but unwanted at the same time.
We pull into a small parking lot with only a few cars.
There aren’t any buildings around and I slowly unbuckle my seat belt, unsure.
The last time he brought me for a ride, I ended up getting chased through the woods by a psycho Julien and blackmailed into sucking him off.
My face flames with the memory and I rub my cool hand over my cheek, hoping it goes away without Wesley noticing.
He helps me out of the car and takes my hand, leading me down a path that looks vaguely familiar but also not in its darkened state.
They should really invest in more lights around .
It’s only September, but campus is going to be shrouded in darkness come winter.
We stop in front of the old, burnt, abandoned building and I bite back a laugh.
“Are you serious?” He grins at me. “Isn’t it dilapidated or something?
It’s been on fire.” But even as I say it, I can hear a cacophony of sounds coming from inside.
I expect more people to be milling around outside, but no one is here.
“Where’s everyone?”
“Inside.” He ushers me in front of him and opens a heavy door for me to enter first. “Come on. I’ve saved us seats in the front.”
The scent of bodies and booze smack me in the face.
Not entirely unpleasant, but also not the best. It’s warm inside, and I imagine it’s from the amount of people milling around.
Wesley scans a QR code on his phone and the large man nods at him once it’s accepted.
I’m momentarily blinded until my eyes adjust to the bright light in the center of the room, a boxing ring standing proudly in the middle.
We weave our way through the crowd and I search for anyone familiar.
This school is small enough, with only four hundred students enrolled.
I’ve gotten to know many of the faces, even if I don’t know names.
Men of various sizes and ages move around the space with familiarity.
They are too old to be students, and none of them look like teachers I’ve met.
Some are with beautiful women dressed to the nines, and some who seem to be with a crowd of buddies instead.
There aren’t many students here, so I find it interesting that it’s held on campus.
How many of these people are parents of the students here?
How many people travel for these matches?
“Wait here. I’ll be back in a few minutes.
Just need to check on something.” I nod, only half listening as my eyes drift from face to face.
I swear I see a few glances of recognition, but none seem to care enough to investigate.
In a way, I’m thankful. One less thing that will make it onto gossip sites.
“I’m serious, Riley. Don’t move.” I hold up my hands in surrender and widen my eyes, the “okay” written across my face.
With a final nod of satisfaction, he hurries down a darkened hall, leaving me alone in a crowd of strangers.
I’ve never seen a fight before. It’s not my thing generally, but already it seems like fun.
People place bets, talking, laughing, and cheering.
I listen to conversations happening all around me and smile when the woman behind me tells a stupid joke.
The energy in the room is electrifying. I’m giddy sitting in my seat watching everything unfold around me.
A couple sit down next to me and smile politely, and I nod at them in greeting.
There are whispered words around me, and I get antsy sitting here, waiting.
Where’s Wesley? I stand to expel some of my nervous energy and to locate my date for the night.
My gaze circles the room, finally settling in the direction he left in.
Glimpsing up at the ring, my stomach drops, and my heart races.
I inhale on a shaky breath and lick my lips as the devil himself stares down at me.
Julien.