“Feet! Feet!” I scream.
Justice steps to the side and sweeps Tobias’s feet. While he’s going down, he upper cuts him again.
Tobias regains his footing, and I immediately kick myself for having told him he needed to work on that, because apparently, he listened.
They dance around each other, sizing each other up as they may have at the beginning had Justice not been delivering the first hit for me. Then Justice reaches out and strikes him. His head snaps back, and I see blood drip from his nose.
Tobias crouches down in a move I haven’t seen and kicks him in the chest. Justice stumbles back, hits the ropes, and bounces back off them, coming at Tobias with a left. Tobias crouches again, this time sweeping Justice’s legs out from under him. Leaving his side open, Tobias goes down and delivers three quick but intense jabs to his ribs as Justice nails him in the side of the face, stunning him as he quickly gets up. Tobias jumps up, as well.
They both crouch, striking at one another with their feet when the bell rings.
“Got a feeling he’s playing with JT,” Patrick sighs as he lifts the rope and I duck under.
Once on the ring outside his corner, Justice nods his head back. “He’s alone up here, Truth.”
“His own choice.”
“Wanna do the same.”
“Justice …” I shake my head.
“If I was on stage with you, would you be concentrating like you do up there alone?”
“Not the same.”
“Exactly the same. Love you, T. If I need you, you’ll know it.” He lifts his chin. “Go. See you in two rounds.”
I start to hop down when I feel hands grip my hips. “Easy, Miss Steel. Wouldn’t want you to mess up that ankle any worse than it already is.”
“Reeves, hands off.”
He sets me down, and I look up to see what death glare Justice is giving him, but he’s not even paying attention. For that, I’m grateful.
I hurry to the rope, and Patrick holds it up. I slide under and see that Kai and Miles are in our section.
“Don’t you two have the other side of the ring?”
“Only had time to set up one section; last minute switch and all.” Harrison smiles at me. “Safe to say, we’re all on the same team here.”
“Your loyalty lies with Tobias,” I remind him.
“Actually, my loyalty lies with entertainment. So far, this is quite boring.” He purses his lips.
“Why the hell do you do that?”
“Do what, Miss Steel?”
I purse my lips.
He smiles, bites his lower lip, and scrunches up his nose, eyes fully amused, and then he laughs. “If not, my lower lip would wear a constant bite mark.” He leans in. “It’s the only way to stop myself from saying what I’d really like to. From previous experience, doing so gets me into a bit of trouble.”
“Fair enough.” I shrug then look toward the ring. Justice looks content as he keeps bouncing and stretching so his body stays warm and loose.
I dare a glance at Tobias, who is looking right at us.
I quickly look away.
“Has he been toying with you, Miss Steel?” Harrison asks.
“What? No.”
“Has he painted himself the hero and I the villain?”
“You do a good job of that all by yourself.” I laugh.
He nods and smiles. “When you’re bred for a role, there’s really no sense in trying to change that.”
I ignore him, and then the bell rings.
“Oh, look, he brought his pre-fight fun along. I wonder if that means he’ll be entertaining her this evening, as well.”
I watch as Downward Dee holds up the number two in her red leather bikini as she walks around the ring.
When she gets to Tobias, she kisses him—hard, too—and he doesn’t pull away.
“I guess that answers my question.” Harrison chuckles. “Chin up, Miss Steel. It’s a game he plays.”
“I couldn’t care less what he does,” I huff.
“I’m not sure you’re living up to your namesake, now are you?”
Again, I ignore him.
“Don’t let him do to you what he did to Gabrielle. Don’t let him string you along, playing savior, only to then make you feel like you’re nothing.”
“I’m trying to watch a fight.”
“And I’m trying very hard to save you from the slippery slope I see you going down. Gabrielle was a good girl, like you once, then he fucked her head up. I won’t lie and say I tried to save her, but I will say she was my favorite pastime … until he kept needling her and needling her. And now she’s convinced I’m the problem.”
“And you’re not?” I huff.
He looks at me, face no longer pinched, and says, “My problem is I’ve never been with someone who didn’t want something from me. You yourself admitted that to me a week ago. My problem is I’ve had women at my disposal and none I’ve woken up thinking about. My problem is I’m not sure how to change it.” He reaches up and pushes my hair back, putting it behind my ear. “My problem is you.”
I look away from him and to the ring as Justice begins his assault.
“Not looking to be anyone’s problem,” I say over the crowd.
“Believe it or not, neither am I.” He laughs.
“Not.”
“Flowers one day; introducing myself to your family the next. Getting my ego not just bruised but busted all to hell, and here I am, willing to share my secrets and wanting to beg you for more. And here you are, looking at the most toxic human being like he’s the second coming. Three months, Truth, and I won’t have the kid who kicked my ass in ninth grade making me look like a pussy for his own gain, who manipulates every female he knows I’m interested in to think I’m a horrible human being because I come from money.”
“Block him, Justice!” I scream as Tobias nails him in the side.
“Show me the Truth, and I’ll show you mine.” His tone is unguarded, sincere, and unlike Harrison Reeves.
I look at him, and he shrugs. “I won’t hurt you, Truth. It’ll be you who ends up hurting me.”
I look back at the ring. “I can’t do this right now.”
“Sorry, saw an opportunity and wanted to take it, you know.”
Yeah, I know exactly how that feels, I think to myself.
“How about you take the opportunity to just chill and enjoy watching my brother kick Easton’s ass?”
“I can get down with that.” He laughs.
I cringe when Tobias sweeps Justice’s legs again, and this time, Justice lands on his side. His head bounces off the mat, and then Tobias begins to mercilessly hit him in the left side, the same spot, over and over again.
“For fuck’s sake, Easton!” Harrison yells. “This isn’t even a real fight!”
I cover my face, and he pulls me into a hug.
“You want me to end this, say the word.”
“Justice would be pissed.”
“He’s gonna bring it back, man. You watch,” Patrick says. “Come on, JT; get out from under him!”
Justice rolls to his back.
“Not like that, man! Fuck!” Harrison yells. “I’m calling this shit.”