Zander initiates a high five from my dad. “Go get it, Jack!”
“That’s what I fucking told her, son, but she was all ‘you don’t have needs’ and shit. Maybe you can talk some sense into her, let her know her old man playing hide the salami is perfectly natural.”
We both nearly spit our drinks out as we bust out laughing. “Okay, I will acknowledge you have needs, but these needs do not need to be talked about, nor do they need to be shared with your daughter.” I finish my speech right as our food arrives.
I take a bite of my lobster and let out a loud moan. Zander immediately whips his head toward me, squeezes my hand that’s resting on my thigh, and narrows his eyes. Taking my hand, he places it on his massive erection through his pants. Message received loud and clear, big boy! I pull my hand back after I give his dick a little pat and whisper an apology only he can hear. We quietly eat our food and talk about random things for conversation. At the end of dinner, Dad announces he’s taking care of the bill since he won big today, and it makes me fall a little more when Zander doesn’t put up a fight and just thanks him. I was expecting him to object a little, seeing as he won’t even let me spend any of my own money, but he must know my dad’s need to do this for his pride.
It’s after eight by the time we leave the restaurant, and I know Zander needs to get to bed soon. We drop Dad off on his floor and then head up to our suite. Between being up and travelling for a good portion of the day, I’m exhausted. We strip and jump in bed, where I lay my head on his chest and fall asleep in his arms.
CHAPTER 14
I wake up with the sun in my eyes, and I immediately know Zander is not in bed with me. I sit up and look around, spotting a note on his pillow.
You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn’t want to wake your gorgeous ass up. I’m down
at the gym for my training. I’ll be back by ten. Love, Z
He signed it with love! Before I can even ponder what that means, Zander comes walking through the door. Looking over at the clock I see it’s 9:50 a.m. Wow, I must have been exhausted, or it’s the fact that my creeper of a BFF isn’t here.
“Good morning, baby, did you just wake up?” He walks over to my side of the bed and leans in to kiss me. I pull him onto the bed and snuggle with him as he rubs soft circles on my bare shoulder.
“What do you have going on today?” I need to figure out if I’m flying solo with Dad or if Zander has time to hang out.
“Training isn’t as intensive this close to the fight. The only major thing I have today is the weigh-in this afternoon, which I know your dad is dying to go to. I’d like it if you came too.”
“Of course I’ll come. I have no idea what a weigh-in is, but I’ll be there with bells on. Remember,” I make jazz hands, “biggest cheerleader right here!” He laughs, jumps out of bed, and starts to strip his clothes off to change out of his sweaty gym clothes.
“A weigh-in is to make sure both fighters match up equally under their weight class. If I’m more than the allotted weight, I need to bust my ass over the next 24 hours to get down to it. That’s why my diet is so important. I should be good to go.”
We meet my dad in the lobby and go sight-seeing for a couple hours. Zander is trying to be incognito and wears a baseball cap and sunglasses. It seems to be working because nobody has stopped him yet for an autograph or picture, and the paparazzi seem to be scarce. I love how well Zander and my dad get along, seeing as he has literally had a problem with every one of my ex-boyfriends. I guess he knows how to judge a person’s character after all. Who would have thought all the shit our father’s spew at us when we are teenagers turns out to be true?
My dad’s not really into walking around, so he excuses himself and says he’s going to try his luck at blackjack today. Walking around with Zander, our fingers entwined, is beyond words. I decided today I would wait until after the fight to tell him I love him. I don’t want to freak him out before. His head needs to be clear and in the zone. What if I catch him off guard and he doesn’t feel the same way?
We walk by a shop, and I see the most beautiful necklace I have ever seen. “Which one are you looking at, baby?” Zander whispers in my ear. Shaking my head, I pull his hand and try to drag him away.
“No way, I saw that look on your face. Which one put that beautiful look there?” I point to a gorgeous necklace as I bite my lip. On a beautiful white gold chain are two connected hearts covered with tiny diamonds, and two pink diamonds are on the outside of the hearts on either side. “Stay right here,” is all he says to me as he enters the store.
He exits the store ten minutes later with a little gift bag in his hand. “I know having money freaks you out, but you need to realize I will do anything to put a smile like the one you just had on your face. I want you to wear this tomorrow night to the fight so that even if nobody else knows, I’ll know that you’re mine.” He’s smiling down at me and gives me a quick peck on the lips.
The weigh-in is about an hour away, so we end up walking back to the hotel. As we get closer, we notice the paparazzi again. “They are going to know it’s me, even with the hat and glasses. I’ll go ahead in front of you.” He leans down and kisses my cheek, saying he’ll see me inside. I wait a few minutes and proceed to head for the door.
One of the paparazzi looks at me and asks, “Didn’t you walk in with Zander Cage yesterday?” He holds his camera up and takes a few pictures as I start to panic.
“Nope, that wasn’t me. I don’t even know who Zander Cage is.”
Cringing inwardly as I give him the worst answer ever, I force a smile on my face and walk inside. As I’m making my way through the lobby, I look back and notice that same photographer peeking through the windows suspiciously. I notice Zander ahead of me at the elevator, and as discreetly as possible, tell him not to look at me and take the elevator to the second floor so he can pick me up. I enter the staircase, make it to the second floor, and jump into the waiting elevator with Zander.
He looks at me, puzzled. “What’s going on baby?” I explain the paparazzo and how I panicked. He pulls me close and rests his hands at the small of my back. “Look at you, being all James Bond. It’s making me fucking hard.” He thrusts his hips forward so that his erection is poking me in the stomach, and I start to laugh. “Everything makes you hard. Put that thing away, babe. We still have a little over 24 hours to go.” We make our way up to our floor and head to our room to get ready for the weigh-in.
Zander says the weigh-in isn’t as flashy as the fight, so I decide to wear a pair of black skinny jeans and a flowy pink blouse. As I’m looking through my things, I realize the pink bra I packed isn’t with my things. Weird. I made sure I had all matching panty sets because I was hoping to make Zander want to rip them off my body with his teeth. I have the panties; the bra must have slipped my mind when I was packing. Oh well. I grab a different one from my suitcase and put it on. I quickly dress and slip on a pair of black ballet flats. Seeing that Zander is ready to go, I walk over to where he’s holding the bedroom door open for me and kiss his cheek before I walk by him.
“I can’t believe your brothers are cutting it this close. Are they going straight from the airport to the weigh-in?”
I’m worried they are going to miss it. They were supposed to fly in last night, but they ended up missing their flight because Jayden caught a stomach bug that morning. Instead of the other two flying in, they decided to wait until this morning to fly in together. I love how they are such a close family, and Zander has been in constant connection with them on the phone. He won’t say it, but I know he’s nervous they might miss it.
CHAPTER 15
I feel anxious as I sit in my seat next to my dad and take a deep breath. I don’t know what to expect, but I’m excited with this being my first event of the weekend. My dad already told me to quit bouncing around in my chair like a toddler, but I can’t help it. It’s rich coming from a guy who has his camera out, taking pictures of anything and everything.
; I keep nervously looking around for Zander’s brothers, and as if thinking about them conjures them up, they come sprinting through the event center doorway out of breath. They spot me and come over to the seats I saved for them. We all exchange hugs and looks of relief. Just as we sit down, the announcer starts to call the first fighter to the stage. Kyle explains to me that Zander and Julio’s fight is the main event of the night, and there will be a few others before they get to theirs. This is for all the fights tomorrow, not just Zander’s. I really need to start paying attention when my dad tries to explain all of this to me. I had no idea there was more than one fight tomorrow night.
We’re on the second weigh-in when one of the fighters decides to provoke the other by saying something derogatory about his girlfriend, which results in them almost coming to blows. A few people step in to separate them, and I can only hope this doesn’t happen at Zander’s. Two more rounds of fighters are ushered to the scale before I hear Zander’s name called to the stage as they play some loud music to pump people up for the main attraction. I start to bounce in my chair as I see him make his way to the stage. I stand up and start cheering loudly with everyone else. When he gets on stage, he starts to strip out of his clothes. All the other fighters kept their sweatpants on, but not Zander. He walks up to the scale in nothing but his boxer briefs, looking like the picture of perfection. I can’t enjoy my perusal of his sexy as hell tattoos when I hear a few catcalls in the back. I turn around to try and find the sluts whistling at my man when my dad physically puts his hands on my head and turns it toward the stage, telling me to pay attention. Zander steps up on the scale, and his weight is announced. Before he gets off the scale, he flexes his muscles for the cameras. Everyone starts to cheer, and then steps off and goes to the far side of the stage. He looks out to us in the crowd, and a big, goofy grin lights up his face when he notices his brothers made it. I blow him a kiss, which earns me that sexy as fuck grin I love so much. Seeing him standing there shirtless makes me hot all over. I’m not used to being this out of control with my hormones; I was never in this constant state of need with any of my exes.
Next up, Julio Alverez is announced. As he gets up on the stage, I try to size him up. He looks tall—definitely over six feet— and has a similar build to Zander, except he has darker skin that has every square inch covered in tattoos. He opts to leave his sweatpants on as he gets on the scale with a serious scowl, and they announce his weight. I notice not as many people cheer him on, which makes me assume Zander is the clear fan favorite in this fight. Next, they both come together and make fists at each other as photographers get the pictures they need for their blogs and magazines. I notice Julio say something quietly to Zander, and next thing I know, Zander is lunging at him as security pulls him back. Julio starts laughing as he looks toward me and winks. He holds my stare, which is really pissing me off, so I narrow my eyes and flip him the bird. It will be a fat chance in hell this man-child will ever intimidate me or use me against Zander.
“Fucking right, sweetie. Don’t take his shit! YOU FUCKING SUCK ALVEREZ!”
I beg my Dad to sit down as more eyes turn toward us, no doubt figuring out I’m the one he’s singling out. At this point, I could care less if people know I’m with Zander. I don’t want him to think I’m ashamed of him; I’ll try talking to him tonight about it. People are looking at me out of curiosity, but nobody knows why Alverez was looking at me. For all they know, I’m his flavor of the week. Gross.
After they leave the stage, the place starts to clear out. We hang around, waiting on Zander to tell us where to meet him. Jayden throws his arm around my shoulders after he reads his text message and announces we are going to meet up with Zander at a restaurant right down the street. They explain to me that since the weigh-in is over, he can eat a proper meal because he barely ate anything today. I guess even the slightest amount of food can take you over the weight class limit if you are close to the top.
We are seated at the same booth in the back as last night, and I see Zander making his way toward us with a serious scowl on his face. He scooches in next to me and plants a kiss on my cheek. I have no idea what Alverez said to set Zander off, but I need to lighten the mood or this whole meal is going to be awkward for everyone.
“Babe, why were you the only one that had to get weighed in wearing only your undies? Did you hear all the women yelling in the back? I thought I was going to be forced to shank someone.”
The table erupts in laughter, which draws a few stares because we’re in a classy place.
“I didn’t want to risk being over. I’ve been hovering all week right at the line, and sweatpants can add a pound to your weight.” He leans into my ear and growls, “You being jealous is sexy as hell.” He nips my ear, causing me to shiver.
We continue on with dinner, and I watch Zander inhale a huge steak and mashed potatoes. I guess he has to eat light starting midday tomorrow because he doesn’t want to feel bloated, but he still needs his strength for the fight.
“Did you guys check-in to your rooms yet? I didn’t see any of your luggage.”
Jay starts laughing. “Sav, we’re your roomies for the next two nights. I would say keep the fucking to a minimum, but I know my boy here,” he throws his arm around Zander, “is forbidden to blow his load until after the fight.”
Zander shoves his arm off his shoulders and smacks him in the back of his head, directing Jay toward my dad with his eyes. When they make eye contact, I’m sure Jayden’s going to shit his pants. My dad is full on glaring at him with narrowed eyes while pointing his steak knife toward him.
“Jayden, I like you, I really do, but if I ever hear you use the word fuck and my daughter in the same sentence again, you will no longer be able to fuck since I will stick this knife straight through your dick.”
For emphasis, he angrily stabs the knife into his steak so it’s standing straight up, all while keeping eye contact. I notice the slow bob of Jayden’s Adam’s apple as he swallows hard and nods his head, breaking eye contact. I look over to my dad, who winks at me with a big grin on his face.
It’s getting late and tomorrow’s the big day, so Zander and I excuse ourselves to head back to the suite, and we give my dad a ride as well. His brothers opt to go out for the night, claiming they’re young and single as fuck. Jayden’s words, not mine. I narrow my eyes over at Josh, and he starts to blush when he notices. He gently grabs my arm and pulls me to the side for a minute.
“I want you to know I would never do anything to jeopardize what’s starting between Ashlyn and me. We may be taking it on a friend’s only basis right now, but I know it will turn into something more when she’s ready. I won’t throw that away for some no strings one-night stand in Vegas. I just want you to know that.”
He leans in to kiss my cheek before he walks away to join his brothers. I’m still standing here in awe when Zander walks up to me.
“What’s up, baby? You have a dopey look on your face, and I’m not the one who caused it. I don’t like it.”
I look up to him. “I think your brother is just what Ashlyn needs, but I hope he doesn’t hurt her.”
The three of us head toward the car waiting outside and get in. “I’ve never seen Josh talk about a girl the way he talks about Ash. I think he realizes how special she is. He even asked me about our relationship. He said he can see himself with her for the long haul and wanted to know if that’s what I feel for you.” Zander turns to face me on the seat. “If he feels even a tenth of what I feel for you, they will be just fine.” He leans in for a kiss, and we keep it brief because my dad is in the front seat, no doubt eavesdropping.
“Twenty-four hours,” I whisper to him.
When we get to the hotel, we opt to be dropped off at the back entrance so we don’t have to deal with the paparazzi. We say our goodnights to my dad when we drop him off on his floor. When the elevator door closes, Zander pins me up against the wall.
“After my fight, I don’t plan on coming up for air for a fe
w days. I hope you’ll be content never leaving the hotel room for the rest of the weekend, baby.” The hunger in his eyes and the grittiness of his voice has my pussy soaked and throbbing with need. I blow out a breath, and we continue to our suite, his hand at the small of my back. The heat of his hand has me shivering, which doesn’t help the ache between my legs.
Tomorrow, everything will change for Zander as he heads into the biggest fight of his life. Whether he wins or loses, he will always have my support unconditionally. We fall asleep in each other’s arms after a few minutes, both of us exhausted from all the events of the day. I wake up a few times during the night. What can I say? I’m a worrywart. I try not to move around so I don’t wake up Zander. By the time 5:00 a.m. rolls around, I realize I won’t be able to fall back asleep. I gently roll out of his embrace and out of bed, thankfully not waking him up in the process.
I make my way out to the kitchen to get started on breakfast. Zander will be up in about an hour for a light workout. He plans on taking it easy today until his fight tonight. As I’m cracking the eggs to make an omelet, I hear moaning coming from the living room. Me being me, I have to go and investigate, but I immediately regret my decision. I walk into the living room and see a blonde bimbo bent over the couch, Jayden pounding away at her from behind. They are facing away from me and don’t realize they currently have an audience.
“What the fuck? My eyes!”
Startled from my yelling, Jayden pushes off from the bimbo, which sends her flying over the couch. He trips over his pants and goes flying through the air, dick flopping until he hits the ground with a thud. Seeing him lying on his back, groaning while his legs are wide open, makes me want to scratch my eyes out. Covering my eyes, I turn around to run for the kitchen and immediately hit a wall of muscle. I look up into Josh’s amused eyes, and he’s only wearing a pair of boxer briefs. Do none of them believe in modesty, for crying out loud?
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