Chapter 19
SKYLAR
The VIP treatment we receive is something I’ve only ever seen in the movies.
Our group stands ring side in a blocked off area with private drink service.
I feel like the bigwigs that come through the club and pay for the private section.
I look around the huge arena at the crowd.
This place is overflowing with people. Screaming girls and hollering guys cheer on their fighters as the loud crunches of punches reverberate through the air.
The current fight is bloody, like really fucking bloody.
The shorter guy’s nose is currently sitting in an unnatural position as the taller guy continues to pummel his opponent against the cage.
The crowd is going wild, I can hardly hear myself think.
Just when I think the shorter guy may fucking die from being hit so much in the face, the referee stops the fight, and the crowd erupts in even louder cheering.
“That was brutal,” I say to myself, but Saxon’s chuckle beside me has me looking up at his handsome face.
“You think that was brutal, wait for Finn.” Looking down at me, I notice he doesn’t have a drink himself.
“Why aren’t you drinking?”
“I don’t drink at these fights. Never know with this crowd.
I like to be sharp.” Now I instantly want to discard my drink as well.
Saxon leans down, his cologne filling my nose as he pulls my body closer, his hand snaking around my hip and squeezing just enough as he whispers in my ear, “Don’t do that, Sky.
Enjoy yourself. I’ve got you. I won’t let anything happen to you.
” This man is so fucking intoxicating. I can’t think properly around him.
I clench my thighs together, my core pulsing at how good this man smells and how incredibly close he is.
I’ve never seen him with another woman before.
Sage’s words fill my head, and when I open my eyes, his face is so close to mine I struggle to get a proper breath in.
My gaze falls to his lips, his beautiful full lips, as I remember kissing him in the storage closet at work.
As rough as this man’s exterior is, I remember his lips feeling pillowy soft.
Gentle and inviting. As if reading my mind, he leans in closer to me, our lips dangerously close before the spell is broken.
“Saxon, he’s up!” Owen yells over at us. Raising his arm towards his friend, he lifts one finger, telling him to wait. His eyes stay locked on mine. Heat from his body seeps into my skin as he fixates on my lips like a primal animal, trying his hardest to remain composed.
“You don’t want to miss your friend’s fight,” I whisper to him, my breath coming in shallow bursts as the tension between us grows thicker.
“Saxon!” I recognize Saint’s voice this time. An animalistic groan comes from Saxon’s throat, as he closes his eyes and finally pulls away from me. I watch as he gives his best friend a look that would make a nun cower.
“Let’s go, tesoro.” As he guides me to the front, I look over at Sage and the girls. The lot of them are fanning their faces mockingly. I smile and swat my hand in their direction, earning myself more giggles as they, too, get into place for the fight.
The arena darkens, the only light coming from two large strobe lights moving in quick succession around the arena.
The announcer wastes no time, calling the first fighter to the arena, and the crowd erupts once again.
Viktor Veron. The man is huge, like fucking caveman huge.
His body is covered in scars, long strips of thick, roped scars across his chest that look like three long monster claws.
“He was attacked by a bear while training in Russia. He’s a tough fucker,” Bristol says from beside me. I stare at her wide eyed and shocked that he even survived.
“Are you serious!?”
“Oh yeah, that guy’s mean.” I watch as he makes his way down the long walkway that leads to the arena.
A familiar song fills the arena. Ronald by Falling in Reverse vibrates my chest. When he finally gets to the cage, he stops and gives his team fist bumps before climbing in and making his way to his corner.
I can’t stop staring at him. His eyes are full of vicious intent as he scans the room.
His gaze locks on mine, and I can’t help but stare back.
He has one dark eye and one blue eye that’s almost white, like a glacier.
I’ve never seen anyone with two different colored eyes before.
When I’m about to look away, he blows me a kiss, and I instantly turn hot.
My cheeks flare with heat, but the growl that comes from beside me catches my attention.
Looking over, I see Saxon giving Finn’s opponent the most dangerous glare imaginable.
Eyes narrowed in thin slits, eyebrows furrowed and pinched tight and the corner of his lip curves up in a snarl.
He’s vibrating with fury as he inhales a deep breath beside me, as if he’s trying to calm himself down.
I can’t help but swallow, suddenly feeling uneasy.
A strong hand slides across on my waist and pulls me in so I’m practically an extension of Saxon.
Studying the side of Saxon’s face, I see him mouth one word to the fighter.
One word that has my insides flutter with an unfamiliar sensation.
One word that lights a spark inside my core that’s never been ignited before.
Mine.
“Saint!” Saxon calls to his best friend.
Instantly, Saint comes over, leaning close to Saxon so I can’t hear them.
Saint gives one nod and heads back to the cage.
Before I have time to ask what that was all about, the lights dim once more as the announcer calls Finn’s name.
If I thought the crowd went wild for his opponent, that was nothing compared to the sea of roars that erupt when Finn’s name is announced. Definitely the crowd favorite.
Sweet but Psycho by Ava Max booms through the speakers. Laughter and cheers threaten to blow my eardrums from how loud the crowd is.
“Is this really his walk out song?” I yell at Saxon, who’s watching his friend jump his way down the path towards the cage.
“Yeah. Finn’s a man of many surprises.” The smirk that pulls at the corner of his mouth has my complete attention. This man could stop a world war just from his smile alone, and I’m currently teetering between fantasy and reality.
“Keep looking at me like that, gorgeous, and I can’t be held responsible for what I’ll do next.
” My eyes shoot to his, his gaze giving away his own desire.
He feels this too, this energy that’s buzzing between us.
In an arena full of thousands of people, he creates his own orbit where it’s just him and me.
I’ve been trying to fight this feeling he’s creating inside of me since day one.
The forbidden nature caused by our families’ rivalry always making its way to the forefront of my mind, stopping me from letting this fire ignite.
But why not embrace it? Why can’t I just let it go and see what happens?
Finally set the forest on fire with this heat building between us.
Stop ignoring this intense need to let go and free myself from the shackles I’ve placed around me.
For so long, I’ve guarded who I am, protected my heart and my mind from outsiders.
The fear that someone else may break in and destroy my soul even more has kept me from living.
I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to hold back. So, I don’t.
I kiss him. I kiss him with all that I have.