Jagged Harts, page 11
He seems to realize that I won’t be letting my guard down on my head, so he starts going for my ribs. Hit. Hit. Hit. Hit. Fuck, my ribs are screaming in pain. I swear I just heard one crack despite the roaring noise coming from the crowd. I keep one hand up while I dart the other out and pop him in the face, hoping that I can get another window and get out of this fucked up predicament that I have currently found myself in, but to no such luck.
Exhaustion starts to pull me under with each hit, my adrenaline is starting to wain as pain overtakes me. Fuck. Everything hurts. Suddenly, breaking through the heavy clouds of exhaustion a rough voice cuts in.
“Short stuff, you gotta get him off you. You won’t be able to take much more. Buck him. Buck him off now. You got this. Fucking fight!” Dax roars into my ear.
I tilt my head back slightly and see that Dax is plastered against the cage right by my head. His face is dark with fury, but his eyes are heavy with concern. They urge me to fight, practically beg me to. Blowing out a determined breath I channel everything that I have into bucking him off me. Despite the insane pain it causes having my tender ribs slam against his as I move up and down on the floor, I keep at it.
It takes several tries before I am able to get any sort of gap between Collins and me. As soon as he raises up just high enough, I slip my legs out from underneath him and wrap them around his lower back. His head whips up before he tries to break free from my hold, but I only hold tighter as wrap my arms around the base of the neck and pull on him as hard as I can, effectively locking him into a guillotine.
“Atta girl,” Dax booms. “Snap his motherfucking neck if you have to. Don’t you fucking let up for anything but a tap, baby!”
I let Dax’s words of encouragement be a tether for my strength, forcing me to hold on with everything I can. I harness every moment of my life where I felt small, weak, outmatched and I put it into this hold. His neck strains under my hold and I can feel the moment where Collins begins to truly panic. He throws brutal hits to my sides in a desperate attempt to get me to loosen my hold, but nothing will stop me now. My body has become cold, I feel nothing except for determination and adrenaline.
Arching my back, I yank his head down even more, straining him to the max. My body shakes as I use every muscle that I have to keep this huge man in my hold. It pays off, though. Only a few seconds later I feel the soft pitter of a tap out against my ribcage. Tap, Tap. I keep my hold for a few more seconds to make sure it was a genuine tap out and not a slip of the hand. Sure enough, another harder tap, tap comes, and I quickly detangle myself and scoot out from underneath him as I go to stand up.
Looking around the room, I smile wide and proud at my hard-earned win. I turn back to give Collins a hand up but notice that he is already standing. He winds his arm back and nails me right in the temple. The shock of the hit sends me careening to the floor. I hear an animalistic roar sound out not too far away as I go down. At this moment I can’t be sure if it was the crowd, an actual animal or maybe just my imagination.
I feel Collins heavy body back on top of me once again. I am so dazed from that hit that I can’t even fight back. My stomach rolls with instant nausea as my head splinters into a debilitating pain. Yep, concussion for sure. I wait for the impending hits to come from Collins, but they never do.
Suddenly, his body lifts off mine before the floors shakes with a heavy thud. I slowly roll my head to the side and see that Collins is now the one pinned to the ground, and it is Dax that is on top of him. Dax is in his street clothes but that doesn’t seem to be stopping him. His fists are pulverizing Collins’s face and I honestly can’t be bothered to help the cheat. Who the fuck hits someone after they tap out? A fucking sore losing pussy that’s who.
Shit. I’m kinda impressed Dax got in here pretty quick. The gate is on the other side of the cage so he must have climbed it. My hero. I scoff to myself. I don’t think he could drop the hero bullshit if he tried. In this one instance though, I am moderately grateful for it. Just this once.
It doesn’t take long for others to storm the cage. Several guys swarm Dax, trying to pull him off an unmoving Collins but they don’t get very far before Dax is back on top of him yet again. It takes three huge guys to peel Dax off Collins for good but that doesn’t deter Dax. He fights wildly against his restrainers, his eyes that same obsidian black as he desperately claws to get back to his prey. He is practically feral at this point. I have never seen anything like it. And what does it say about me that I don’t think I have ever been this turned on in my life?
While I was busy watching Dax’s wild beat down, I didn’t realize that someone had come up behind me. Blake’s words are muffled at first before my brain can focus in on them enough to comprehend what he is saying.
“Aubrey! Are you okay? What hurts?”
“Everything,” I snark with a dry laugh that I immediately regret as my ribs scream in pain.
Ouch. Fuck.
“Fuck, girl. You are one crazy bitch, aren’t you?” He asks with a laugh of his own.
“You know it,” I slur slightly.
Slowly, Blake helps me to my feet. Ugh, standing is worse. At first I was thinking maybe Collins just cracked a rib or two but now I know for sure that a few are definitely broken. I can’t even breathe without the pain. That sucks too because ribs take fucking forever to heal and hurt like hell doing so.
“Dax! What the fuck is the matter with you! We never interfere in fights just because someone is losing, no matter who they are!” Cameron shouts as he steps into the cage.
His wild eyes land on Cameron as he lunges to break free from his restrainers, but thankfully for everyone’s sake, it doesn’t work.
“She wasn’t fucking losing! She won! Collins fucking tapped and then hit her when she let him go. He is a fucking cheat, and he is going to die!” Dax roars.
“Yeah fucking right. She is just being a shit loser. Always playing the victim when shit doesn’t go her way. Typical fucking woman,” Chase scoffs with his arms crossed over his chest.
I practically get a shot of adrenaline from Chase’s words and my anger is back in full force. I will fucking tear him apart! Dax looks to be having similar thoughts but before he or I can do anything, Cameron surprises the hell out of us all and whirls on him, decking Chase right across the face. He goes down hard and I fucking revel in it.
Cameron turns to face me like he didn’t just knock someone out as he cocks his head to the side.
“That true?”
I nod. “He tapped out, twice. I waited for the second tap out just to make sure that it wasn’t a mistake. He fucking tapped and then came at me.”
Cameron’s jaw tightens as his eyes sweep over the crowd. They land on a group of guys that were right up against the cage when Collins and I were on the ground.
“Did anyone see Collins tap out?” Cameron asks.
All the guys share tentative looks with each other before they turn to Cameron and nod solemnly. Cameron’s nostrils flare at that as he turns to bark at the on-hand medics.
“Go patch him up. If he needs the hospital, dump him at emergency with the typical mugging story. As of now, Collins is never allowed back on my property. You cheat, you are eighty sixed! Got it?” He barks out to the room.
A round of nods and agreements sound out before Cameron pushes through the crowd and stalks off. Dax seems to have calmed down a bit, but he still forces his way out of the guy’s arms. Instead of going after Collins again like everyone assumes, he rushes to me. His large hands cup my face tenderly, examining my injuries with a tenderness that I didn’t think he would be capable of.
I am sure I look worse for wear. Obviously my nose is all fucked up, my cheek is split, and I am pretty sure he nailed part of my eye when his meaty fits clobbered the side of my head with that last hit. You wouldn’t know that I looked like I just got out of an underground fight, literally, with the way that Dax is cradling my face, like I am the most precious thing in the world. An unsettling feeling settles in my stomach, and I don’t know if it is from the concussion or from him. Either way, I do my best to push it down.
“You okay, short stuff?” His low voice rumbles.
I try to crack a smile but wince when it pulls at all of my injuries at once. Fuck.
“I’m good,” I rasp. “Probably would be a hell of a lot worse off if you hadn’t jumped in. Thanks for not minding your business. Don’t make it a habit, though,” I fake scold in an attempt to get his serious concerned eyes to settle but it doesn’t work.
His frown deepens as he looks down at me.
“You need to be checked out.”
“I’ll be fine. A couple of ibuprofens and some water and I will be good as new.”
“Fuck that. You are hurt. Plus, you probably have a concussion. You need to be watched tonight.”
“I’ve had worse, Dax. Really, I’ll be fine. Appreciate it, though.”
“I seriously doubt that,” he scoffs.
Leveling him with a hard look I stare into his eyes.
“Trust me, I have.”
A dark look flashes across his face before he very carefully picks me up and holds me in his arms as he starts walking across the cage. He pauses briefly at the groaning Collins that is now being examined by one of the medics. Dax sneers down at him and I half expect him to give him a kick or go back to beating the shit out of him. To my and everyone else’s surprise, he doesn’t. He does, however, pause over Collins before he spits on his face and continues towards the cage door. Why was that a turn on too? I think I took one too many hits to the head. I am losing my fucking mind.
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
AUBREY
Dax barks at someone to follow us as we leave the cage before stepping into the locker room and gently depositing me onto one of the benches before he sits next to me. He takes my hand and holds it with both of his fiercely. The feeling that races through me has my completely thrown and I do my best to bury it and glare at Dax and the guy that followed us as he steps forward and takes a look at my face. I just want to fucking go home.
The guy steps up with a wet towel and carefully wipes away the blood covering my face. I wince a few times when he brushes over the cut on my cheek, but it doesn’t take long for him to finish. He quickly applies some antibacterial cream to the split before feeling my nose, confirming that it is just bloody, not broken. Yay.
His hands lightly trail down my arms before moving over to my ribs. I hiss a sharp breath when he touches one of them and then another and another as he makes his way down. He pulls away and shakes his head as he looks at Dax and me.
“He got you good. Without scans I can’t say for sure but based on your reaction and the feel of things I would say that you have at least three broken ribs and several more cracked. You should really go to the hospital.
“No hospital,” I groan as another wave of pain washes over me.
The guy grimaces and Dax’s grip on my hand becomes almost punishing. I wiggle my fingers a little because I swear there is no blood flow left in my hand which causes Dax to instantly relax his hold.
It’s your call but you are gonna be pretty damn sore for the next six weeks at least.”
“Well, that sucksss,” I say, my words slightly slurring at the end. The room feels like it is spinning, and my head is so fucking heavy.
Dax’s brows furrow as he looks down at my pupils.
“I think she has a concussion too.”
I shove his beautiful face away from me as I roll my eyes. I open my mouth to tell him that I am fine but suddenly find that I am unable to speak as my stomach’s contents empty themselves all over Dax’s shoes. The heaving part definitely doesn’t help the hurt ribs thing either.
“Definitely a concussion,” the other guy brilliantly surmises.
Dax finally lets my hand go before he kicks his shoes off and goes to his locker to put on a spare pair of shoes as the guy starts cleaning up my mess. I’d probably be more embarrassed if everything didn’t hurt so fucking much. The guy and Dax share a few more words before he grabs a few more things from his locker and turns to me. Without warning, he scoops me up again and carries me out of the gym and places me into his car. I don’t bother asking where we are going because I literally don’t care. I just want to close my eyes.
“Hey, you gotta stay awake,” Dax scolds as he starts the car up and slowly pulls out onto the street.
“Too tired,” I groan.
“I know. Just stay awake for the next hour and I will let you rest a little. I am assuming you have had a concussion before?” He asks.
His tone isn’t condescending or judgmental, just factual. Because getting a concussion as an MMA fighter are about as common as getting an STD from a hooker. Colorful comparison, I know.
“Yeah. Nothing more than an annoying headache,” I shrug.
“If you are lucky. If you aren’t, they are really fucking dangerous.”
I don’t respond, choosing to cradle my head in my hands. Fuck, this shit hurts. Dax wrestles around in the bag that he grabbed from his locker before he holds out a water and a bottle of pills out to me.
“Here. This should help. I got these last time I landed myself in the hospital.”
I look at the label and my stomach turns. Hydrocodone. Fuck that. I toss them back into his bag like they are a poisonous snake, ready to turn on me any minute. Because that is basically what they are. People say that weed is a gateway drug, which doesn’t have anything on this shit.
“Just take a half of a one at least. I promise it will help,” Dax says softly as he turns into the parking lot outside of the dorms and parks.
“I’m not taking that fucking shit!” I spit.
His eyebrows raise at my aggressive tone, but he doesn’t say anything more. Quickly, he gets out of the car and walks around my side to get my door, but I am already pushing it open. I go to get out of the car and almost eat shit on the pavement as my pain flares. Dax’s strong hands catch me effortlessly before he picks me up again.
I don’t even bother to protest because I literally don’t have the energy to care about my ego right now. Dax carries me in silence, and I am ridiculously grateful for it. My head is killing me and all I want is sleep at this point. We make it up to my dorm room quickly and I turn my furrowed brows to him when he stops right outside of my door.
“How did you know where my room was?” I ask as I reach into my bag for my keys.
Dax looks down at me for a second before he takes my keys for me and shrugs.
“I’ve asked about you before.”
He has?
“Oh yeah? What did you find out?”
When the door unlocks, Dax pushes it open before kicking it shut and carefully laying me down on my bed before he stands back to look at me.
“You are from California, though you won’t tell anyone where exactly which is more than a little sketchy. You are here on a full-ride scholarship, so you are probably a geek, and you don’t hang out with anyone besides Mckayla Blackburn and…” He pauses as his hands flex into fists by his side as his jaw clenches before he lets it loosen. “Cole Simmons.”
Looks like someone isn’t a fan of Cole. Which is honestly kinda weird. He is that nice guy that everyone can’t help but like.
“Wow. You knew all of that before we started hanging out?” I ask as I settle back on my bed.
“I could have found out more if I really wanted to.”
I snort. Of course, he could have. He is Dax motherfucking Hart. Anyone in this school, hell this town, would do anything to get on his good side.
“Not sure if I should be grateful that you didn’t give enough fucks to find out more or offended.”
He cocks his head slightly as his typical stony expression stays in place.
“Who said that I don’t give enough fucks? I just didn’t want to learn more about you from other people. I want you to be the one to tell me your secrets, not some gossipy bitches.
My stomach flips at his words as I see a flare of intensity flash in his eyes. I don’t know what to say to that so instead, I change the subject.
“Can you get into my dresser, second drawer, and hand me a sleep shirt? Sports bras and spandex weren’t exactly designed for comfort.”
Dax nods as he turns to my dresser and quickly retrieves a baggy shirt before handing it to me and turning to face the wall. He is pretty respectful for a rumored manwhore. I start maneuvering my way out of my sports bra, but frankly it is a bitch to get out of on a good day and with my ribs hurting the way they do it is pretty fucking impossible.
“Ah, fuck. Shit,” I curse as I get my arm stuck.
“Do you need help?” Dax asks hesitantly, still facing the wall.
I should tell him no. Tell him to leave and go home or something. But if I do I will be stuck in this thing all night and I really just want to get comfortable. Blowing out a frustrated breath I sigh.
“Yeah.”
Slowly, Dax turns around and makes his way to me, keeping his eyes firmly on mine the entire time. Without breaking eye contact he reaches down and grabs the bottom band of my bra as he gently starts pulling it up. When I need to lift up my arms I hiss out another pained breath. He pauses as his eyes bore into mine.
“Sorry. Are you okay?”
The compassion and concern that I see in his eyes takes me by surprise for a moment. I never would have guessed that he could have a soft side like this, but I am seeing it with my own eyes tonight.
“I’m fine,” I rasp, suddenly realizing that my breasts are totally bared to him and he has yet to even try to sneak a peak. I feel oddly impressed as well as slightly disappointed. Which is so fucking stupid.
Dax pulls the rest of material off my head and drops it to the floor. His eyes flare but they still never stray from mine. I don’t even realize that he is moving towards me until his mouth is only a half an inch away from mine. As if he is waiting for me to make the final move. Maybe it is all the knocks to the head that I took tonight or the flat-out exhaustion, but I don’t overanalyze my next move.
