10. Luna
TEN
LUNA
The first punch was thrown before the bell had even rung. Valerio blocked it, throwing one of his own at Finn. Just like that, everything around them disappeared and they were immersed in the battle between themselves, keen on destroying each other.
Luna could only watch in horror. She was long out of her seat, standing right beside the ring now while she watched the two massacre themselves.
This wasn’t just any fight; it was personal. She was nauseous as soon as the first drop of blood hit the already dirty floor. She didn’t know if it came from Finn or Valerio.
Allister stood beside Dante, an ice pack against his cheek. She stomped over to them. “Get Valerio out of that ring.”
“Why? He’s doing fine,” Allister told her.
Luna clenched her teeth. That was exactly the issue. He was doing fine and she needed him to lose. As long as the deal was still up that he would disregard the contract if he lost, Luna needed to do whatever she could to make him lose.
“Let them fight it out. They both need it,” Dante told her. “I just hope you didn’t bet against him.”
“I’m glad you got your ass kicked,” Luna said, walking back to the girls.
“I can’t explain it now, but I need Valerio to lose,” she told them.
“I don’t think there’s a single thing you could do to make that happen,” Cecilia said. “I feel like he’s got this in the bag.”
“Valerio is good, but my money is on Finn,” Gianna said.
“Bet on who you want. I need Valerio to lose.” She desperately tried to ignore all the thumps and sounds of fists meeting with flesh coming from the ring. “I need to distract him or something.”
“Well, kissing someone didn’t really work last time,” Blair said. “Just enjoy the fight. Seriously, what could be that bad?”
Luna took a deep breath. “If he loses, the contract is gone.”
“Oh, shit,” Cecilia was the first to say.
“I think he’s about to get a knockout, so your time is running out,” Gianna said, pointing to the ring.
Luna turned back to the ring in a panic. Finn was already kneeling on the floor, desperately trying to catch his breath. Valerio was leaning against the ropes, his chest moving rapidly. He straightened himself out, stalking over to Finn.
Luna caught his gaze. He smirked, knowing he was about to get the winning blow.
Before she could think, she used the one asset she had that she knew Valerio wanted. She grabbed the bottom of her shirt, lifting it up. All she wore underneath was a lacy lilac bra, but enough could be seen through it.
Valerio’s eyes widened before they narrowed, becoming lethal. Luna pulled the shirt back down, her cheeks flaming. The damage was done.
“I guess when in doubt, show your tits,” Gianna muttered, laughing.
“Oh, Luna,” Blair said, shaking her head.
“I had to think quickly,” Luna hissed.
It was enough of a distraction to get Finn to stand back up, about to send out a punch, but Valerio blocked it. He didn’t throw one back though. He jumped out of the ring, marching over to Luna. He didn’t give her a chance to react or say anything before he was pulling her with him.
She struggled to keep up, stumbling over her legs as he hurried to the locker room. He slammed the door behind them, pushing Luna against some of the lockers. The locks dug into her back, but it was the least of her concerns.
Valerio’s eyes were dark and terrifying. She had never seen him look that way before, and she hated that it was centered toward her.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” he practically growled, pushing into her.
“You have to go finish the fight,” she said, trying to change the subject.
“I don’t give a shit about the fight,” he hissed. “What do you think you were doing?”
She swallowed harshly. “You never said I couldn’t distract you.”
“So you decided the best fucking solution was to show your tits to everyone in attendance?” he asked mockingly.
“I had my bra on.” She tried to justify herself, but he wasn’t having any of it.
“How many fucking times do I have to remind you that you are mine? My fiancée, and soon my fucking wife.” His voice sent a chill down her spine.
“I’m not?—”
“Don’t fucking finish that sentence,” he spit out. “I have been patient. I have given you time to accept, but I’m done fucking waiting.”
Her eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about our engagement party. A chance for me to declare to everyone, including you, that you are mine.”
Her jaw clenched. “If you force me, I will hate you forever.”
He leaned in closer to her. “You already hate me. What more do I have to lose?”
“Maybe you have nothing to lose, but you have everything to gain if I end up loving you,” Luna said. “This is a sure way to ensure that will never happen.”
“How I see it, that doesn’t seem like even a remotely close possibility.”
Luna wanted something that would give him hope. She didn’t want to dangle anything in front of him, but if it would buy her time before he began moving along with their wedding, then she had to try anything.
She thought of the one thing that was a good enough incentive.
Luna lifted her arms, wrapping them around his neck to pull him closer to her. She had no idea what she was doing, but she had read enough books and seen enough movies to attempt it. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then pressed her lips against his.
The minute she did it, she regretted it.
His lips were softer than she’d expected, similar to how they felt in her dream. Only this time, she was tasting him for real, and he was intoxicating. She pulled back, shocked.
She opened her eyes to find Valerio looking back at her with just as much shock and puzzlement. This time he was the one forcing their lips together.
He led the way, allowing her to follow along and lose herself in the process. For just a second, she would indulge only enough to realize it wasn’t good. All she needed was just a second. One uninterrupted second where she shut her mind up and let the moment happen.
So she did.
Valerio’s lips moved with ferocity, all of his frustration towards her slipping into their kiss. Luna accepted it, pulling him impossibly close. She tangled her hands in his hair, tasting the blood that escaped from the cut on his lip. If it hurt him, he didn’t give any indication. Instead, one hand found its way into her hair, pulling her head back so he could get more access to her. She pulled on his hair back, his groan against her lips enticing her even more.
Luna hadn’t even noticed his other hand was sitting on her ass until he squeezed and forced a gasp from her. He took the opportunity to slide his tongue in, allowing her to finally taste him.
She was dizzy and out of breath by the time he finally pulled away. His eyes were wild. He felt it all too, just like she did.
The door to the locker room opened. Luna looked behind Valerio’s shoulder to see who it was, while he refused to acknowledge anything besides her.
“Fight Night’s over,” Allister said, looking at the wall instead of the couple pressed against the lockers in a compromising position.
“I don’t give a shit,” Valerio said.
“Your friends are waiting for you,” he said, this time to Luna.
She pushed Valerio away but he was like a magnet trying to grab onto her again. “I have to go,” she said in a rush, wiping her lips and trying to fix her hair.
Valerio watched her go, not saying a single word, which she was thankful for. She skirted past Allister, attempting to regulate her heartbeat. She must have looked wild with her messy hair, bruised lips, and wide eyes.
Luna walked out of the room, meeting up with the girls who looked at her suspiciously. “Not a single word,” she muttered to them, walking ahead.
She wasn’t sure who won the fight or how long they had been in the locker room for. Most of the arena had already been cleared out at that point.
But she was sure about one thing that she would never admit to a single soul—one taste wasn’t enough. She needed more.