Chapter 25
twenty-five
. . .
Romeo
I was happy to see Tia and Demi getting along so well. My sister had never liked anyone that I’d dated in the past.
But these two seemed to be fast friends.
I was fucking tired from the workout I just survived. I downed my protein shake and ordered a chicken sandwich, but I was ready to get home and get some sleep.
And then do it all again tomorrow.
Two more weeks of this. My body wouldn’t last much longer. I basically trained from morning to night. And Joey was pulling some tricks out of his hat lately that were no fun. Yesterday, he had me push a giant tire for miles through town. The man was relentless.
And as exhausted as I felt, I knew without question that I was in the best shape of my life. I was stronger than ever. Benching and lifting weights I’d never thought possible. I was running faster. Boxing harder.
But was it enough?
There was no fucking way to know.
That was what drove me day in and day out.
If there was more that I could do, I was going to do it.
I was going to leave that ring knowing I’d done everything that I could.
The odds weren’t looking good for me, and every sports book on the planet had Leo favored by a long shot.
But they also didn’t know how hard I was training.
It didn’t mean it would change the outcome, but it meant that I might last longer than people were predicting.
I didn’t think one sports commentator had me going longer than three rounds, and most had me being knocked out in round one.
I was going to fight like hell to keep that from happening.
“Well, isn’t this an unlikely group of misfits?” Lionel tossed some napkins down and looked between us. “You’ve got one, who isn’t old enough to be in a bar, and here she is, sitting with my lawyer, who is a tattooed, shady fucker but happens to be a brilliant legal mind.”
Laughter bellowed around the table.
“There are very few bar owners who have a lawyer at their beck and call. If you’d stop getting your ass into trouble, I could just be considered a regular patron.” River held up his beer and clinked it with Kingston’s.
“Nothing regular about your ass. And Mr. Charming over here…” He flicked his thumb at Kingston. “He started a bar fight three nights ago, and I’m still cleaning up the mess from that shit.”
“Hey, hey now.” Kingston held up his hands. “That girl was out of control.”
Demi’s mouth fell open. “The fight was with a woman?”
“Oh, yes. Our precious King is a heartbreaker, and Molly Slickman was not having it. He was talking to Lana Smith and Molly got pissed and tried to hit him with a beer bottle, but he ducked, and it shattered all over the floor. And then Lana decided to defend her man, and a whole goddamn scuffle broke out.” Lionel shook his head in disbelief.
“I don’t get it. You’re not that good-looking. ”
More laughter.
“What can I say? I was just chatting with Lana, and Molly lost her shit. So needless to say, I went home alone. Violence makes me uncomfortable unless I’m watching Romeo fight.” Kingston chuckled before taking a long pull from his glass.
“Please. You were a scrappy motherfucker as a teenager.” River rolled his eyes.
“Agreed. You got me into half the fights I was in during high school,” I said, tossing a wink to Demi, who was watching with fascination.
“Fine. Enough about me. Anyone else you want to analyze at the table?” Kingston asked as Doreen set our food down.
“Well, these two are an unlikely match, but it seems to be working.” Lionel looked between me and Demi and smiled at her. “Don’t know how his ugly mug got such a catch, but if I were Romeo, I’d hold on tight.”
“Hey, why are you so nice to Beans?” Kingston whined.
“Because she’s sweet, and she makes the best coffee.”
“Thanks, Lionel. I’ll keep the mocha lattes coming,” my girlfriend said.
He walked off, and we kept the conversation light.
“You all right, brother?” River asked, turning his attention to me.
“Yeah. I’m just beat. Looking forward to having a beer with you guys in a few weeks.”
“Shit. It’s probably not supportive of us to drink in front of you,” Kingston said, before tipping his head back and chugging his beer. “There. I’m done.”
I shook my head and laughed. “Dude. Drink away. It doesn’t bother me at all.”
“Thank God. After that bar fight story, I could use another one.” Kingston held his arm up and ordered another, and River shot him a look.
“So, Demi was telling me about the white party. Is everyone really going for the first time? Because I am all about it. I’ve tried to get my brother to go with me for years. I’m going to have to find a really cute dress to wear,” Tia said, and River, Kingston, and I all groaned at the same time.
“White parties aren’t really our thing,” I said, glancing over at Demi.
“You’re all going. My grandmother is counting on it. Don’t even try to worm your way out of it.”
“What if my face is all beat up after the fight? You really want me at a fancy party looking like that?”
She finished chewing her food and reached for my hand. “You’re always the best-looking guy in the room to me. It doesn’t matter what happens in that fight.”
“Hey!” Kingston shouted and pointed at himself. “You think him all beat up is better looking than this? Come on now.”
“What can I say?” Demi teased. “You’re all good-looking, but Romeo just does it for me.”
River barked out a laugh. “I’m going to check in with her about this after the fight. But I’m here for a woman who stands by her man.”
“They really are too cute for their own good, right?” Tia said, as she beamed at me and Demi, and I tossed my napkin onto the table.
I was struggling to keep my eyes open at this point. My whole body hurt. I needed to lie down. Demi picked up on it first and quickly pulled money from her purse, but I covered her wrist with my hand.
“I’ve got it,” I said.
“You two get out of here. I’ve got a tab going for all my legal expertise. Get your boy home. King and I will walk Tia to your mom’s on our way.”
“I don’t need an escort. I’m in college, remember?” my sister said as Demi and I both hugged her goodbye.
“Too bad. You’re on the way, so there’s no shaking us,” Kingston said. We said our goodbyes, and I waved at Lionel on my way out the door.
“You okay?” Demi asked as we walked the short distance home.
“Yeah. I’m just feeling it today.”
“My house or yours?” she asked.
“Let’s go to yours. It’s closer.”
She laughed, considering it was only a few feet closer than mine. But I was about to fall over, and the few feet made a difference at this point.
She unlocked the door, and we made our way upstairs, and I collapsed onto her bed.
Fuck. I was tired.
Joey and Butch were stepping up the workouts. We were down to the wire, and I’d be tapering back a few days before the fight, so this was the final push.
Demi pulled my shoes off, and she lifted my hands to see the bruising across my knuckles before tugging at my tee and seeing the same along my abdomen.
“I know you’re tired, but what if I run you a hot shower and help clean you up so we get you in bed?”
I stroked her hair away from her face. “Or you could climb on top of me and ride me into oblivion, and I’ll fall asleep to you falling apart around me.”
She licked her lips. “As much as I love the sound of that, I can see how tired you are. Let me take care of you tonight. We can catch up on the other stuff tomorrow morning if you’re up for it.”
“I’m always up for it,” I whispered, as I thrust my hips up so she could see how hard I was. But the exhaustion was making it challenging to do anything about it.
She pulled at my hand and helped me to my feet and led me to the bathroom.
I stood there in awe of this girl. She turned on the water, and the bathroom started to fill with steam. She completely undressed me as I leaned against the wall, unable to do much more than that.
She quickly stripped off her clothes and led me into the walk-in shower. Demi Crawford is the real deal.
She did exactly what she said she would do. She washed my hair and my body, gently tracing her fingers over the bruised areas. She was quick as she could tell I was fading, and she reached for the faucet to turn off the water.
I grabbed a towel, but she took it from me and pushed up on her tiptoes to towel dry my hair and then made her way down my body, patting me dry before doing the same to herself.
And then we climbed into her bed naked, and I wrapped myself around her and felt completely content.
I had everything I wanted.
Everything I needed.
It was right here in my arms.
I slept hard and deep, and when my alarm went off, I practically knocked the phone to the floor when I stopped it.
I glanced over at the beautiful woman nuzzled against me.
Her hair was covering her face, and I trailed my fingers down her arm as I shifted her onto her back and moved down the bed beneath the covers.
I had a one-track mind, and I’d gone to sleep without pleasing my woman. I couldn’t have that.
I pushed her legs apart and settled there before kissing her lower belly and the insides of her thighs and burying my face between her legs. I let my scruff run along her sensitive skin before my tongue dipped in for a taste.
She groaned and squirmed beneath me, whispering my name.
“I’m right here, baby. Right where I like to start my day.”
“We need to go for your run,” she said, her voice sleepy.
“First, you’re going to come on my lips, and then you and your horse can torture me.”
She chuckled, but it was sexy and gruff as she continued to rock against me. I slipped my finger inside, and my lips sucked hard against her clit. Her fingers tangled in my hair as she bucked up against me.
And I fucking loved it.
I slipped another finger inside, and she gasped as I took her right to the edge. I loved every little sound she made.
Every bit of pleasure that came from her sweet body.
“Romeo, please,” she begged.
I smiled against her as I pulled my fingers out and slipped my tongue inside, knowing just what she needed.
What she wanted.
I spread her legs wider, hiking them over my shoulders, my hands gripping her ass.
I pressed my thumb to her clit as I continued working my tongue in and out of all that sweetness.
She tightened around me and went right over the edge.
And I stayed right there. Taking care of my girl like I always did.
Like I always would.