"Now I am."
39
The crowd was in a frenzy of excitement by the time the four of us—plus Jase, the slimy fuck—made our way back through to the main event space. The celebrity commentator was having a grand old time in the cage with his announcements, really channeling his inner Bruce Buffer.
We paid little attention to him, though, making our way across to the side of the cage where the referee and an official did their mandatory safety checks, making sure Archer's mouthguard was in and that his gloves had been properly secured and signed.
Steele slipped away to the side, taking one of the seats that were reserved for us, and I started to follow him, only to be yanked backwards by a gloved hand on the back of my neck.
Archer tugged his mouthguard out then his lips crushed to mine, his tongue sweeping inside in a harsh, possessive, demanding kiss. When he released me, our foreheads pressed together for a second and his gaze drilled into me with scorching heat.
"Better hydrate, baby girl. It's gonna be a long night after I win this shit." With a confident wink, he replaced his mouthguard, then shed his hoodie, tossed it to Kody, and entered the fight cage.
Touching my fingers to my swollen lips, I breathed a heavy sigh and retreated to the seat beside Steele. Ecstatic butterflies flapped around inside me like they were tripping on acid, and my heart was in my throat. I wanted Archer to win—of course I did—but I was also looking forward to seeing a good fight. Here was hoping his opponent didn't totally suck.
The way Archer greeted the other guy in the cage, it seemed like they knew each other to some degree. Maybe just through the fight scene?
"Have they fought each other before?" I asked Steele, my eyes on the other guy, searching and assessing his physique. He was leaner than Archer, more like Kody's body type, but his muscles rippled under tanned skin. He didn't have a whole lot of ink, just one huge piece depicting a howling wolf on his side that wrapped from his back all the way around to his abs.
"Nah," Steele answered, "but they've met. Alexi is a Timberwolf, in case the ink didn't give that away."
I nodded slowly, considering this information. "I'd thought they no longer existed after... you know." After you three wiped out their entire gang in just one bloody night. "But they're not at all, are they?"
Steele gave me a knowing smile. "They restructured and now stay out of the public eye. The new management is very good at maintaining a professional front to their operation, but no. They're nowhere near as extinct as people like to think they are."
I bit at my lip, worrying that this was yet another player on the board for us to keep an eye on.
"We're on good terms with them, Hellcat. No need to look so concerned." He reached out and wove our fingers together. "Trust me on this, the Timberwolves are much more likely to come to our aid than attack. You don't need to stress on that front."
The fighters tapped gloves in the center of the cage, and then it was on.
"I'll trust you on that one," I muttered to Steele, my eyes glued on the fight. "I don't need to go borrowing extra anxiety."
"Fifty bucks says this is over before the end of round one," he told me, changing the subject to the fight in front of us. Archer certainly seemed to have the upper hand so far, landing his few test kicks and blocking the strikes Alexi threw back. But I had a feeling the Timberwolf was just biding his time.
"I'll take that bet," I replied, feeling sure. "Round three, ground and pound."
Steele barked a laugh. "You just wanna see more violence, you bloodthirsty woman. But alright, you're on."
The first round flew by, both fighters delivering and receiving some solid hits but neither of them making any power moves to try and end it. By the time the bell rang, Steele was groaning.
"They're just fucking playing with each other," he complained, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
I snickered a knowing laugh. "Yeah, no shit. All these people paid a bucket of money to see a fight. They'd be pissed as hell if it was all over in round one."
He grumbled curses, but he knew I was right. A short distance from us, Archer sat on his little stool, taking a casual sip of his water and barely even looking winded as Kody talked at top speed in his face.
Almost like he knew I was watching, Archer turned his head and met my eyes. He jerked his head, indicating he wanted me to come over, so I let go of Steele's hand to stand up.
My walk across that short gap to the cage held way more swagger than it needed to, but the way Archer's eyes darkened made it well worth the effort.
"Princess," he growled when I reached the outside of the ring. "You're a fucking tease."
"And?" I gave him a deadpan stare through the wire fence, and he just sighed.
"What's the bet, babe?" Kody asked me with a knowing grin. "Steele looks like he already lost."
I nodded. "He has. He bet me the fight would be over in round one."
"You want me to drag it out, huh?" Archer asked, swiping a gloved hand through his hair, which was barely even damp from perspiration.
"Like you weren't going to anyway," I scoffed. "But yeah, a round three ground and pound would be great. Sort it out, Sunshine."
He tossed his head back, giving a sharp laugh, then shaking his head. "Apparently I can't refuse you much of anything these days, wifey," he muttered, almost sounding like he was in disbelief at himself. "You've got it."
He stood up as the referee called out to him, indicating the break was over, and Kody slapped him on the back encouragingly. Both trainers left the cage, taking the chairs, water bottles, and towels with them, and then the fight was back on for round two.
Before I could return to my seat with Steele, Kody snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me in front of him, my back to his front as we stood right beside the cage.
"Stay here with me, babe," he murmured in my ear. "I feel like I've barely seen you this week."
I smiled at his words. "You've been busy training Archer's stubborn ass. Besides, shouldn't you be yelling encouragement and shit at him right now? Getting him fired up?"
Kody swept my hair over one shoulder and dropped his lips to the bare side. "What do you think I'm doing right now?" His arm around my waist drifted lower, finding my bare thigh, then creeping up underneath the long hoodie I wore.
"Kodiak Jones, we're in full view right now," I scolded him, but made no move to swat his hand away.
He chuckled against my neck, kissing the sensitive spot behind my ear. "Nah, we're not, this area is badly lit. The only people who can clearly see are in the cage right now, and they should be otherwise occupied." His hand slipped higher, finding my already aching core. The fabric of my hoodie was long enough to hide the graphic details, but if anyone was looking, it'd be pretty obvious where his hand was.
"MK, babe," he groaned, his fingers stroking over my bare flesh, "Steele's becoming a bad influence on you."
"Or a great one," I replied with a hitch in my voice as he slipped a finger into my cunt. "Matter of perspective, right?"