“You guys are acting like children, and I have fucking had it.” I’m about to retort when Rooke shows up out of nowhere and tosses me over his shoulder, carrying me down a hall I haven’t explored yet.
“Put me down, you big oaf,” I growl and he laughs, slapping my ass, making me gasp. Ugh, I need to get out of here. Way too much has gone down in too short a time. I need to either fuck, fight, or whip someone. And none of those options are going to happen when I'm being carried like a bag of dog food.
Nate has Cal by the arm and is dragging him behind us. He’s arguing about something, but Nate is ignoring him. Rooke sets me down and I give him a glare, fixing my dress. I turn to leave and Nate grabs my hand.
“I am so over this shit. You both need to learn to get along. So either fight or fuck,” he grunts, pulling me into a room. The lights are off, but it smells like a nasty locker room. Musty and like unwashed gym socks. I crinkle my nose and sneeze.
“Nate, I don't know what you’re planning, but I just want to go home. Tonight has been a lot, and my feet hurt,” I grumble. A door slams and a lock clicks. The lights turn on and I have to blink a few times. I’m facing a steel door and Kian is standing there with a smirk.
Cal starts to laugh and I spin to face him. “You can’t be serious. I’ll hurt her,” he grunts, and I look behind him to the boxing ring. I give him a huge smile and start to nod.
“Oh, fuck yes, I'm so in,” I squeal and kick off my heels. It has been so long since I have sparred with someone. I turn toward Rooke for him to unzip me. He chuckles at my excitement, but then groans when they all realize I’m not wearing a bra and only a small thong.
“Okay, that’s not fair,” Rooke grumbles and I laugh. Nate hands me a large shirt and I slip it on. It smells like him and I take a sniff.
“You can’t expect me to fight her in a thong and T-shirt,” Cal grumbles, and I spin around to face him. He’s holding his hands in front of his crotch and I shoot him a wink, then sashay over to the ring.
Another round of groans sound behind me and I laugh quietly. This is fun, and just what I needed. Nate walks closer and hands me a pair of pink gloves. I raise my brow and he shrugs. Have they been planning this the whole time? I shake my head and let him help me put them on.
Kian laughs as Cal starts to smack talk me. He’s the only one who knows about all the jiu-jitsu matches I have won over the years.
“Oh, don’t worry, princess, I’ll take it easy on you,” Cal goads and I bite my lip, hiding how excited I am to show him I’m not some princess. Ki tries not to laugh and takes a seat on the bench to watch. Ki knows what I can do, he used to attend all of my competitions, but he keeps his mouth shut, as Cal keeps smack talking me.
I give him a smirk and bounce a little on the balls of my feet. This is going to be fun. I just wish I didn’t have my nails done. This is going to hurt, but I am here for it.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Patience gives me a smirk and I take a moment to process that she actually seems excited about this. Fuck! Maybe I shouldn’t have goaded her so much. Nate laughs in the corner, and Rooke gives me a thumbs up with a smile.
I jump a little, warming up. “Now, when I hit you, princess, you can’t go crying to the authorities about spousal abuse, okay?” I give her a smirk and she rolls her eyes before moving closer to me and landing a roundhouse kick on my shoulder. She avoids my face, but fuck, that’s going to bruise. I shake it off and start to circle her, she keeps her front to me the whole time, never giving me her back.
Impressive. Has she had training? Wouldn’t surprise me. Patience James is not your typical woman. She throws another kick, but I block it and she stumbles. Her blue eyes are blazing with a fire I’ve never seen from her before.
“Kick his ass, baby,” Nate cheers and I glare at him. He shrugs and laughs as I land on my ass. Patience bounces away from me so I can’t grab her ankle and pull her down with me. She gives me a smirk.
“Don’t worry, baby, I’ll take it easy on you,” she coos, and I bite the inside of my cheek to stop from laughing. I’ll admit, I’m having fun right now. Reminds me of the days we would chase each other playing tag. Seems like a lifetime ago.
I climb back to my feet and ignore the gloves. She’s flirting with Ki, and not paying attention. I sneak up behind her, and charge, trapping her arms tight to her sides as she squirms. “This is not sparring! Ref!” Rooke yells, laughing the whole time. I roll my eyes, and I would flip him off if I wasn’t holding my squirming fiancé. She kicks my ankles and I wince. At least she's not wearing her heels anymore. I fall to my knees, but I don’t let go of her. She starts to laugh and I glance over her head at Nate.
He’s mimicking throwing his head back. Seriously, whose side is this fucker on? She throws her head back, smacking me in the chin. Ugh, that hurt. I let her go and she quickly gets to her feet.
Okay, I’m done playing. I take a deep breath and shake my shoulders, then climb to my feet. It’s on.
* * *
I chargeher again and she does some move out of a Jackie Chan movie or some shit. My jaw drops and I get so caught up in watching her that I don’t really care that I’ve been knocked on my ass three times back-to-back.
She’s getting frustrated and keeps making little huffs every time I fall. I haven't taken a swing at her yet, and I don't think I will. I have a hundred pounds of muscle on her, and I refuse to hurt her.
I fall again to the mat and she yells, ripping her gloves off, she stands over me this time and gives me a look.
“Why aren’t you fighting back? Why the hell are you letting me win?” she huffs and I snort. I have a perfect view of her thong-clad pussy and I can feel my dick hardening. I grab her hips and pull her onto my lap. Her eyes widen as she feels my cock. I roll us so I’m on top and have her pinned.
Nate climbs on the mat and smacks it, counting. I’m close to winning when she leans up and kisses me, shocking me into letting her get away. I blink for a minute, then get back to my feet.
“That wasn’t fair,” I tell her and she laughs. Her perfectly styled hair is a mess and her cheeks are flushed. She looks beautiful.
I must have a stupid look on my face. “Why are you looking at me like that? Come on, spar with me,” she whines and I laugh, then grab her around the waist and throw her to the mat. She gives me a beaming grin and my breath freezes in my chest.