The torment was, fortunately, soon over. “It’s a draw!”
I whipped my head around, looking at the ring. They both looked rueful, a little bruised but all right. They were staring down at me. Dylan shrugged first. “Good enough?” he mouthed, and I couldn’t help myself laughing.
I laughed in relief and something more that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Time suddenly seemed to speed up, the rest of the formalities going by quickly. I felt boneless as I looked over at Bobby. He nodded approvingly at me, then moved to shake hands with Dylan.
Was that all that it took, Dylan just had to prove himself to him? Or could Bobby tell how hard it had been for me to watch them go at it? Did he realize the depth of my feelings for Dylan?
Whatever it was, I only felt a sense of warmth and joy. Maybe things were going to be all right, after all.
Dylan gestured towards one of the security guards keeping people out, leaning close so that he could yell to the other guy, pointing at me all the while. The security guard finally nodded before walking to me.
“He says you’re his girlfriend?” the guy called. “He wants to know if you’ll go back to his dressing room with him.”
I grinned, my eyes on Dylan as I yelled excitedly, “Of course!”
FIFTEEN
DYLAN
I was sweaty and exhausted after the fight with Bobby. There was a part of me that was vaguely disappointed that we had fought so hard to only end up with a draw, but I knew that was for the best. Good for all parties. Now, if my calculations were right, Bobby had won enough points to win the tournament, but I had only lost the one match.
I hadn’t thrown it, exactly, and neither had Bobby, but I couldn’t help wondering if we had both come to some unspoken mutual agreement. Lucy meant enough to us both that I supposed it was entirely possible that we had looked out for her.
That handshake was all the encouragement that I needed from him to take his sister back to my dressing room.
I got back before her and collapsed in a chair, rubbing my face tiredly. I needed a shower, but first, I needed to chug about a gallon of water and give my muscles a chance to loosen up. Especially if things went my way, my exertions for the night weren’t over just yet.
The match had been a mental fight as much as a physical one, but I knew that I would need all my wits about me for what would happen next as well. Things might be cautiously positive between Lucy and I, as far as I could tell, but there was still a lot that we needed to talk about.
Of course, the moment she came into the room, talking flew out of the window as we found ourselves locked together at the lips.
I groaned, unwillingly dragging myself away from her. “I need a shower, and we need to talk,” I reminded her.
“I’ll shower with you,” Lucy said breathlessly. “We can talk afterwards.”
I shook my head. “You know that’s a bad idea.” Even though my cock twitched at the thought of it. It took all of my self-control not to drag her off to the shower with me right then and there. “What changed?” I asked her. “The last time I saw you, you were calling me an asshole.”
Lucy rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. “The last time I saw you, you were telling me my brother was a gangster and out to kill you,” she reminded me. “What changed for you?”
I sighed and ran a hand through my sweaty hair. “I learned how to read people pretty well when I was in the military,” I admitted. “Bobby’s never struck me as a murderer. Or a gangster. He’s kind of a dick sometimes, but I know he’s got good intentions. He just wanted to make sure his baby sister was okay. I guess I can sort of understand that.”
“How?” Lucy asked. “Aren’t you an only child?”
I nodded slowly. Truth time. I took a deep breath, trying to clear my head. “I guess I can kind of understand it because I feel the same way about you,” I said. “If anyone hurt you, I’d be livid too. I don’t even know what I would do to them, but I don’t think it would be pretty.”
Lucy groaned. “You mean I’m going to have to deal with the two of you being overly protective from now on?” she asked, grinning at me with her hands on her hips. She leaned up to kiss me, but I leaned away an inch.
“What changed?” I repeated. Because I had to know. Did she really think that I was an asshole? What had convinced her to give me another chance after all the terrible things that I had said to her.
Lucy fidgeted. “I never really thought you were an asshole in the first place,” she said under her breath. “Besides I guess I just realized that I knew you better than that. I know that Bobby isn’t a gangster, but there was no way for you to know that. You were just trying to look out for me. And for yourself.” She chuckled. “Imagine, a boxer looking out for his own safety.”
I snorted. “So, what now?” I asked her. “Bobby’s okay with this, right?”
Lucy smirked at me and stepped closer, pressing her body up against mine. I fought the urge to groan as my prick perked up to full attention in my shorts.
