Jagged Harts, page 27
“As if my wishes conjured him, my friend Julian from the gym stepped up to our porch and peeked in through the side window. Gary sent him to look for me since I was running late, I guess he had a bad feeling and wanted to make sure that I was okay.”
I shake my head as I look up to the ceiling briefly before looking back to Dax.
“I will never forget the look of horror that washed over his face when he realized what was happening. He was only 15, we were just kids. I am sure that it was the last thing that he expected to see. Julian kicked down the door almost immediately and ran at Darryl, tackling him off me before throwing a brutal punch to his temple. It instantly knocked Darryl out and Julian wasted no time helping me stand before getting me as far away from Darryl as we could. Despite my protests, Julian called the cops, and he rode with me in the ambulance to the hospital.
“One broken nose, two fractured ribs, a concussion and a face full of bruises later, I landed myself a spot in the hospital for a week. With Darryl’s obvious ties to the Snakebacks and the extent of my injuries it landed him ten years in prison. Guess he got out early or something since that was only seven years ago,” I trail off for a moment, looking at the ground before I glance up to Dax.
His fists are tensed into balls so tight on my thighs that his knuckles have turned white. His jaw is clenched so hard that I am sure it could cut steel in this moment. Anger is literally vibrating off his body. I know he is trying to keep it together for me, but it looks to be a losing battle.
“As soon as they let me out of the hospital, I practically lived at the gym. I would rarely go home and I lived and breathed MMA. They were my family, my chosen family. They were the only people that had ever gave a shit about me, they practically raised me. It was hard to come to Glenfield and leave them behind but if I stayed, I would always be haunted by my past. I wanted more for my life, and they wanted more for me too.”
I blow out a breath and nod my head signaling the end. Fuck, I expected to feel relieved after finally getting all of it off my chest but instead I feel raw, weak and uncomfortable as fuck. I look to Dax expectantly, but he doesn’t say anything. He just stares at me. I don’t know if I actually want to know what he is thinking right now. Does he look down on me? Does he see me as a victim, a weakling? That would be the fucking worst.
Then after a few minutes, he pulls me into his arms, holding me so tight, like if he holds on just a little bit tighter he will be able to protect me from all of the past hurt all these years later. We stay like that for a while before he murmurs into my hair.
“I am so proud of you, Bree.” I pull back and give him a confused look as he continues. “You went through something horrible at a young age and you didn’t skip a beat. You learned how to protect yourself when someone else should have been doing that for you. You kept on moving, you didn’t let the bad times define you, you let it drive you. That is just one of the many things that made me fall in love with you. You are so strong and brave. You are a true fighter.”
Damn. That wasn’t at all what I expected. But I can’t deny the relief that washes through me at his words
“I’m scared. I have been scared for years that he would find me one day and-”
“Shh,” Dax soothes softly as he runs his fingers through my hair. “He can’t hurt you anymore. I will never let anyone hurt you again.”
I give him a watery smile that makes his hardened face soften ever so slightly.
“I love you, baby,” he says gently.
“I love you,” I whisper.
Dax crawls into bed next to me and tucks me into his side, slowly stroking my arm. I am almost asleep when he whispers, “I’m here. I’ll always be here to protect you.”
I burrow my face deeper into his chest and fall into the heaviest sleep of my life.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-SIX
DAX
I woke up the next morning feeling like absolute fucking shit. It wasn’t just the lack of sleep, though that part didn’t help. I knew Aubrey had a rough background, but I had no fucking clue that it was all of that. I am sure there is a fuck ton more too, she only told me about two nights really. Knowing that I was in the same room as the man that broke not only her body, but her spirit, has me ready to explode. My temper is a ticking time bomb, and I am not sure how long I will be able to keep it in check.
Everything that Bree told me last night just confirmed what I already knew. This girl is resilient as fuck, she is more badass than anyone I have ever met, and I think I fell in love with her even more if that were even possible. I could see the concern on her face like she actually thought that what she went through was going to push me away. Clearly, she doesn’t understand how deep my feelings for her run. I meant it when I said that I am in this forever with her, and it feels so fucking good to know that she trusts me enough to tell me the good, the bad and the super fucking ugly.
We say our goodbyes an hour before the fight, and she leaves me with encouraging words and a heart stopping kiss. I have to get down to the locker room and mentally prep and warm up while she heads to the arena with Cameron as her escort. Knowing that we are in the same city as that piece of shit, I wasn’t taking any risks. Cameron is getting one of the trainers from the gym to sit with her so that she isn’t alone, just in case.
My time to unleash all of my anger is almost here. I’ll admit that I was nervous just yesterday that I may not have enough in me to take down Sanchez, not anymore though. I feel almost sorry for the fucker because I have never felt so amped up in my whole life. I am going to fucking annihilate him.
I am standing at the entrance of the walkway to the cage when I hear Sanchez’s music play before he struts down his side, working the crowd and preening at the attention. I just bounce in place and shake my head, cocky bastard. Once he is in the cage my music plays and I waste no time. I walk steadily down the path to the octagon, my eyes zeroed in on Sanchez. It’s too slight for anyone else to probably notice but his cocky smirk slips just a bit when he sees the daggers that I am throwing him. We stand in front of each other ready to start and I take a moment to picture Sanchez as the prick from last night. He’s fucking dead.
Taking every ounce of rage that I was trying to contain last night, I let it all fly at the commencement of the fight. Sanchez throws a light punch to test his reach and I immediately counter with a hit to his ribs. He grunts and jumps back to the side as he rears back for a jab that I easily dodge. I don’t wait for his next move as I storm towards him, throwing out a fake left jab before bringing my right leg up for a kick against his knee. I hear a loud crack, but he surprisingly doesn’t go down. Unsurprisingly, he does his best to keep weight off of it as he winces in pain and begins slowly hobbling backwards.
Come back here, you little bitch.
I don’t let him get too far before I throw a quick leg and jab combo, ending with a right hook to his jaw that hits so hard his entire body spins in a full circle before he collapses to the ground. I go to continue this fight on the ground when the ref quickly rushes to Sanchez, somehow stopping me in my tracks. The fight is immediately declared a TKO and the crowd goes fucking nuts. The sound is damn near deafening, but I couldn’t give a fuck. With my chest rapidly rising and falling, I look out to where I know Aubrey’s seat is and see her going absolutely ape shit, jumping and yelling her head off.
One solid punch to the face and I took down one of the stars of the Heavy Weight class. The ref holds my hand up in victory and if it were possible, the crowd gets even louder. Some reporters jump into the octagon and rush to interview me. I keep it respectful and brief. I am not big on all the show boating like most guys. I come to fight and prove that I am the best, and damn if I didn’t just do that. I just surprised even myself.
I told Aubrey to meet me at the locker room after the fight and when I get there, I see her standing outside of it in her black skinny jeans and sexy red tank top that I have no doubt she borrowed from Mckayla. Thank God that she did because she looks so fucking hot. Bree sees me striding towards her and runs at me, leaping into my arms and capturing my lips quickly and possessively. I grab under her thighs to keep her up and plaster her to me as I walk us into the locker room. After a moment we break the kiss and she jumps down, breathing heavily.
“I am so proud of you, babe! That was amazing! I have never seen anything like that in my entire fucking life!”
I smile and open my mouth to speak when the door bursts open and Cameron comes in frantically with a giant grin on his face.
“Kid! That was insane. They are going to be talking about that knockout for years to come. Unbelievable!”
“Thanks, Coach. Couldn’t have done it without you.”
He shakes his head and grips my shoulder.
“Well, I have some news and then I will leave you two to your celebration,” he says with a wink making me chuckle and Aubrey groan in embarrassment as she tucks her head against my chest. “I was approached right after you left the cage. It is confirmed that two months from now you will be in Vegas fighting Joseph Bernstein for the title.”
Everything around me goes quiet and the room stills. Wait, did that really just happen? Could they really be bringing in an amateur like me up for the title?
“Believe it, kid,” Cameron says, seemingly reading my mind.
I let out a whoop and pick Aubrey up, spinning her around. As I spin her, she keeps chanting, “Oh my god!”
When I set her down she kisses me deeply and the pride shimmering in her eyes warms my entire fucking body. It makes all of this so much better to know that I have her in my corner through it all.
When we get back to the hotel we barely make it through the door before Bree is naked. I have no idea how she got her clothes off so fast, and I don’t give a fuck, I am just thankful I didn’t have to tear them off her body. Adrenaline is pumping through my veins harder than ever before. Maybe it is because of the big win I just pulled off, maybe it is because I am up for a title fight in just two months or maybe it is because I have the sexiest woman alive in front of me right now. Either way I am so fucking ready.
I reach for my pants and quickly drop them as I whip off the shirt that I threw on in the locker room. As soon as my cock is free from my boxers Bree’s mouth is swallowing me whole.
“Holy fuck!” I shout out as her warm wet mouth sucks me deep.
Her tongue flicks against my tip before running along the length of my cock before she shoves me down her throat. I place my hands on either side of her head as I thrust against her. Fuck. I’ve had more blow jobs than I can count but my woman can suck a fucking dick.
When I feel that tingling at the base of my spine I quickly dislodge myself from her perfect fucking mouth.
“That’s not where I want to come, baby girl,” I say as I grab her hand and pull her up until she is standing as I walk over to the bed.
Bree follows me over to the bed as I lay down, grip her hips and lift her until she is on top of me.
“Now, be a good girl and ride my fucking face, baby.”
Her eyes flare with lust as she practically scrambles up me until her thighs are resting on either side of my head. She wastes no time in practically suffocating me with her pussy and I can’t help but groan as she does. When I flick my tongue out to brush against her clit before diving in she lets out a throaty moan that has my cock jerking. Soon, buddy. Soon.
As my tongue picks up its pace Bree begins grinding against me with shuddered movements. It is hot as fuck. Most women are self-conscious about sitting on a guy’s face but not my woman though. She shamelessly uses my face to get herself off and I couldn’t be more fucking willing.
Her breathing comes in short labored bursts and her legs tremble before her sweet tangy flavor coats my tongue. I focus on her clit, drawing out her orgasm for as long as possible before I lick her clean from top to bottom.
When she slowly lifts off of me, she looks down at me with hooded eyes and a satisfied smile. I smirk at her as I slowly lick some of her taste off of my lips.
“Hop on my cock, baby. Show me what you got.”
Bree’s eyebrow arches at the obvious challenge, but I know my girl, she never can say no to a challenge. She wastes no time sinking down onto my cock, causing us both to groan out in pleasure until I am fucking buried inside of her. Fuck. Yes.
Her hips begin gyrating in a motion that has my eyes rolling into the back of my head. I am all for being the alpha male and nine times out of ten I prefer to be on top, but Bree has me reconsidering that because I have never had a woman ride my cock like this before.
My hands grip her hips tightly as I begin to lift her up and down, helping push her down farther with each thrust. Reeling my hand back I clap it down on her left ass cheek and watch as her back arches and she lets out a blissful moan.
“Dax! Yes! More,” she begs.
I smirk and take a fuck ton of pleasure it watching my woman go practically boneless for me. Spanking her ass again as I help speed up the pace she gasps as she reaches behind and begins massaging my balls.
“Fuck yeah, baby. Just like that. Pull the come right out of me.”
She moans at my words as her walls constrict around my cock. I spank her one more time as my other hand makes quick tight circles over her clit which sends her catapulting over the edge as she screams my name so loud the front desk probably heard her.
One more brush against my balls and my body is shuddering as my cock jerks inside of her, coating her walls with my cum. I keep fucking her as I fill her with every last drop until I am fucking drained. As soon as I finish, Bree collapses on top of me in a heap. I wrap my arms around her and bury my face into her hair as our breathing eventually slows down.
Slowly, I lift her off me before laying her down on the bed. I quickly walk to the bathroom and grab a towel, wetting it down with warm water before coming back out to her. Bree is right where I left her, gorgeously naked on top of the blankets with a sated smile across her face. My inner caveman beats his chest in pride that I was the man that put that look on her face.
Crawling up the bed in between her legs I take the towel and gently clean her up. Once she is clean, I roll her over onto her stomach and slowly run my palm over her reddened skin on her ass. I softly massage it before peppering it with kisses. She mewls like a sleepy kitten at the contact before pulling me down to curl around her. I smile against her as I close my eyes and fall asleep with a cheesy ass smile on my face.
The next morning, Bree decided to show me around LA a bit, the real places to see, not the tourist trap stuff. I think she was nervous at first to run in to Darryl again, but she has one of the top Heavy Weight fighters in the UFC currently by her side, no one will be getting to her. I asked her if she wanted to go visit her old gym while we were in town. She looked surprised that I would want to go with her which just made me roll my eyes. This girl seriously doesn’t get that I would follow her to the ends of the earth.
A little after lunch, we roll up to a building with bold black letters out front spelling ‘Knock Out’. When we step inside, a man behind the desk looks at us and his eyes widen. His face tells me that he is in his mid-50’s but he is so in shape that I am sure he could pass for late 30’s.
“No fucking way. Is that my little princess?” The man asks, his eyes zoned in on Aubrey.
She lets out a wide smile and a mock eye roll.
“Easy there, old man. I can still whoop your ass,” she shoots back.
He barks out a loud laugh as he walks around the counter towards her.
“I’d like to see you try, Bree. What the hell are you doing here? Aren’t you in college in bumfuck Alabama?” He asks as he gives her a big hug.
“I am, but my boyfriend had a fight last night downtown, so I tagged along.” She looks up to me and smiles. “Dax, this is Gary, my oldest friend, and I mean that in both ways,” she says as he elbows her. “Gary, this is-”
“Dax Hart,” he finishes for her before putting a handout for me to shake.
“Nice to meet you, sir,” I say as I shake his hand.
“It’s great to meet you. We all stayed late here and watched your fight last night, un-fucking-real. I haven’t seen a knockout like that in I don’t know how long.”
I dip my head in thanks but Aubrey cuts in before I can speak.
“Have you heard, Gary? Dax is scheduled to fight Joseph Bernstein for the title in two months!”
I can practically hear the pride burning through her words. I love that she seems more excited than even I am, and that is hard because this feels like my every dream coming true. Gary’s eyes widen and a big smile crosses his face.
“No shit? Congrats! I have always hated that punk. I hope you wipe the fucking floor with him.”
I let out a rough laugh and shake my head.
“I don’t know, he is the champ for a reason. I am gonna do my best, though.”
Gary rolls his eyes and shoots Aubrey a look.
“Ah, a modest one. How overrated. Doesn’t he know that it isn’t being cocky if it’s true?”
She laughs. “Oh, don’t worry. He doesn’t lack any in that department. I am surprised his ego fit on the plane here.”
I send her a warning look and swat her ass before I smile. She just giggles before she looks over Gary’s shoulder and her eyes widen.
“Julian!” She screeches before she takes off running and slams into a guy who looks to be about my age.
He is a few inches shorter than me with short brown hair and lean muscles. I am guessing he is probably a welter weight. I recognize the name immediately from what she told me the other night. This is the guy that saved my woman. If he hadn’t done what he did, who knows what would have happened to her.
His eyes sparkle when he sees her and he catches her mid jump, spinning her around as they hug. I try to tamp down my jealousy, but it doesn’t work very well. I don’t ever want to see another man put his fucking hands on what’s mine, ever. The respect and gratitude I had for him protecting her evaporates as my jealousy takes over. I am about to storm over there and tear his fucking arms out of their sockets when Gary places a hand on my shoulder.
