“I’m just going to keep my mouth shut.” I smile. “Louis is under enough pressure. I don’t want to add to that.”
Shawn nods his head once. “This is why Louis has chosen you, Tulip. You’re exactly what he needs.”
Without another word, he swings his door open, then tugs mine open as well. Slipping out of the car, I run my sweaty palms down my jeans. I’m not wearing anything remotely sexy, I’m wearing my travel clothes and I wish that I would have been able to change.
Cringing, I look down at my canvas flats, skinny faded jeans and tucked in oversized shirt. I try not to think about the fact that I’m not wearing makeup and my hair is thrown into a messy bun that’s sitting high on top of my head.
Plus, there’s the fact that I’m wearing an oversized cardigan to top it all off. Everything is shapeless, comfortable, and in no way how I want to present myself to a crowd of people for the first time, which I know without a doubt are gathered around while the two fighters weigh in.
Shawn presses his palm at the center of my back and gently pushes me forward. My legs reluctantly move forward and I inhale a shaky breath as Shawn holds the back door open for me.
As soon as I step inside, I hear a lot of noise, camera shutters, yelling, and random shouts of Louis and another person’s name. It’s funny, I don’t even know who Louis is going to fight. With everything going on, my stuff and his hesitancy about tomorrow, I haven’t ever thought to ask him the name of the man that he’s going to be competing against.
“It’s loud in here, but the good news is that nobody knows who you are yet, so you’ll be able to just watch,” Shawn explains.
Slipping into the room where all of the commotion is taking place, I blink at the sight in front of me. It’s not some small room like I thought it would be. No, Shawn and I are standing to the side of a stage and there are hundreds of people.
We’re in a freaking auditorium.
Fans are screaming, there are at least twenty people on stage with a scale in the center and giant screens behind the stage along with freaking camera crews.
“Pretty amazing, right?” Shawn asks, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
I nod, unable to take my eyes off of Louis. He’s dressed in a pair of exercise shorts and tight t-shirt. I lick my lips at the sight of him, even if his back is to me, he’s a swoon-worthy sight. The crowd starts to scream when the announcer mumbles something that I don’t understand in the microphone.
Then without delay, the other man strips down and I watch him stand on the scale. He turns his head, his eyes focusing on Louis and he snarls before he barks something that I can’t hear. Judging by the way Louis’ spine straightens, I think that I’m glad that I can’t hear him.
They announce the man’s weight, two hundred and five pounds. He uses his fists to pound on his chest as he roars. He’s obviously very happy about his weight.
“They have to be over two hundred pounds to qualify for a heavyweight fight,” Shawn explains.
“Next we have Louis 'KO’ Kingstooooooon,” the announcer roars into the microphone.
The crowd goes wild. There is no other word for the mayhem that ensues at the announcement of Louis’ name. He reaches for the hem of his shirt and peels it off, throwing his arms high and wide as he turns in a circle.
Then with one quick shove of his hands, his shorts fall to the floor in a pile and he steps out of them wearing only the smallest of tight boxer briefs. My cheeks heat and I know that they turn pink at the sight of my boyfriend on display, practically every single inch of him.
“Well,” I breathe.
Shawn chuckles, sliding his arm around my shoulder and giving me a shake. I watch in awe as the other fighter starts hurling obscenities toward Louis. He doesn’t just call him names, he starts to call him a killer, a murderer, and my heart sinks.
“It’s all for hype, he knows that,” Shawn murmurs, but I’m not sure that he does.
I know that there are still extreme amounts of guilt that he’s dealing with. The last thing that he needs is his opponent talking like that to him, publicly. My heart squeezes as I watch and wait for what’s to come.
Louis stands on the scale, his face stony as he stares straight forward. He doesn’t even flinch at the words that are being hurled toward him. The announcer says some things, but I’m too focused on Louis until he announces the weight.
“Two hundred and fifteen pounds.”
The crowd erupts again and I watch as Louis throws his arms up before bouncing off of the scale and jumping in a circle. Then as if they’re two animals squaring off, both men stalk toward one another. They stand facing one another, nose to nose.
Louis’ opponent continues to scream in Louis’ face, but my man’s face doesn’t even twitch. Then when I think that it’s all over, I watch as Louis growls something to him. He jerks back as Louis turns and smoothly walks away from him.
A photographer follows him as he stalks in my direction. He hasn’t seen me yet, though. He can’t see anything right now. I know when he registers that it’s me standing in front of him.
His beautiful face shifts and his lips turn up into a grin right before he reaches out, wrapping his hand around my waist and none-too-gently pulls me against his body.
Placing my palms on his chest, I tip my head back and look into his gorgeous green eyes. I missed them—missed him.
“Hey, Louie,” I breathe.
His lips twitch and he smiles so wide that I see his white teeth. “Hey, baby.”
Without another word, his head slants to the side and those lips that I love so much, they’re pressed against mine in a hard, claiming, public kiss. Bright bursts of lights surround me, but then it, along with all of the noise fades away while my man kisses me for the first time in days.
My entire body relaxes. In this moment, all is well within my heart, my mind, and especially my soul.
LOUIS
Gary sputters around me as soon as we’re all offstage. I ignore him, my arm wrapped around my woman’s hip. I ignore everything around me, because she’s here and suddenly, I feel calm for the first time in days.
“I gotta get some clothes on, then we’ll go home,” I murmur, dipping my chin down to look at her.
Tulip turns her head, tilting it back and gives me a bright as fuck smile. Goddamn, how could she be any more gorgeous, I’ll never know, but every fucking time I see her, she simply takes my breath away.
Dipping my chin, I touch my mouth to hers quickly before I turn away and jog toward the dressing room.
“Are you sure you don’t want to use a model or something and just say that she’s Tulip?” Gary asks as soon as we’re in the room.
Aaron grunts his disapproval at Gary’s suggestion. Tugging on my jeans, I turn my head to look at him.
“Fuck, you’re an asshole,” I bark. “Tulip is my woman. That’s just the way it is. You get to make a lot of decisions for me, who I fuck isn’t one of them,” I snap.
Shawn chuckles and Aaron full-on guffaws. “Let’s get the fuck out of here, I don’t want to see Benny Meetze until I’m in the ring with him. He’s already proven that he has no issue hitting below the belt, I just don’t want to be around that shit.”