Theo snorted. “Are you kidding me? It’s perfect.” Coming to stand beside Harbor, he pulled out his phone and lifted it to take a picture of the two of them with all the glorious colors of the season serving as their backdrop.
Just before Theo clicked the button, Harbor turned his head and rested his forehead against Theo’s temple, letting all the love and hope and happiness this man brought him pour from his eyes.
“Harbor, baby,” Theo complained for a moment, fiddling with his phone, then stilling as he looked at the image on the screen. Harbor didn’t have to look, he could see on Theo’s face that it was perfect. Perfectly them.
Theo clicked around on the screen and then typed for moment. “Do you want to read it?”
“Nope.” Harbor kissed the temple he’d just been resting against. “I trust you.”
A small smile pulled up the corners of Theo’s mouth as he made one final click before he turned, his dark eyes sweeping Harbor’s face. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“This is my boyfriend. You all know him as Harbor “the Viking” Rourke, badass MMA fighter. To me, he’s just Harbor. And I love him. Yes, we are together. We’re a couple. We’re a team. We laugh and love and fight—sometimes for each other and sometimes against each other—but always together. When we meet in the cage in a couple months, yes, it will be a real fight. And I guarantee it will be explosive.” #fightersdoitbetter #datass #icebathconfessions #thepineapplestilllies #love #mine
Epilogue
Two Months Later
The pulsing rhythm of the music flooded through Harbor’s veins and he let his head fall back as he lost himself in the beat. Viridian was packed with the weekend crowd and Harbor was happy to let the sea of bodies sweep him away. Most of his family was around here somewhere. He and Theo’s fight had been a week ago, and they were all finally getting a chance to celebrate together. They’d had a nice dinner before Magnus promised a round on the house if they wanted to continue the celebration with libation and dancing.
Strong hands slid around his waist from behind before a sexy voice spoke in his ear, “Looking for a hook-up?”
Harbor pressed back against the body behind him, loving the feel of Theo’s arms around him and the way their bodies automatically began to move together. It didn’t matter if it was dancing or fighting or sex. They always seemed to be in sync.
“Nah,” Harbor said, looking back over his shoulder to the sexy smirk on his boyfriend’s face. “I’m in a committed relationship these days and my boyfriend might kick my ass if I gave it up to someone else.”
“Might? Might kick your ass?” Theo growled in his ear. “Baby, anybody gets this ass but me and yours won’t be the only one that gets kicked.”
Laughing, Harbor spun in Theo’s arm and kissed him. “You ready to go?”
“I thought you wanted to dance? Relive our first date.”
Harbor snorted. “If you consider that a date, you’ve got some low standards Theodore.”
“Maybe it wasn’t a date, but it was the first time I ever laid on eyes the sexiest fucking man I’ve ever seen, so that counts for something, right?”
Harbor narrowed his eyes. That tone was way too sweet. “Why are you trying to butter me up?”
“I’m not.”
Harbor was not impressed, and he let it show on his face.
“Okay, fine, the exclusive fight video Dan had made might have landed in our inboxes this afternoon and if you ever checked your email you would have already known that.”
“And you want to watch it? Youtube videos not doing it for you anymore?” Harbor teased, liking the way Theo shuffled and huffed.
“I just want to see the different angles and the extra footage that wasn’t aired with the live broadcast.”
Harbor leaned in, sucking on Theo’s bottom lip before sliding his tongue inside and kissing Theo deeply. He pulled back a moment later and chuckled at the dazed expression on Theo’s face. “You’re adorable when you pout. Let’s go say bye to everyone.”
Making their way to the large corner booth their group had commandeered, Harbor enjoyed the feeling of Theo’s hand in his, still amazed at how freeing it was for them to never hide what they were to each other. Even if it had been horrible the way the world found out, the outpouring of love and acceptance had easily trumped the hate in his eyes.
After they’d made that post on Theo’s Instagram confirming publicly that they were together and that no one was going to scare them apart or away from MMA, the support from their fans, sponsors, and the MMA community at large had been overwhelming. Including when Gregor Matheson approached them at the weigh in for the final fight and apologized for being a dick to Theo.
“Look, I know I was an asshole and I’m sorry. I was pissed about the fights and the tournament. Not because you’re gay.” He had said to Theo, who had shaken the other man’s hand and accepted his apology with a grace Harbor was sure he’d never possess.
As for Ray Ausman, they were still trying to prove it was him that had had them followed, but the investigation Carson had launched with a trusted private investigator was proving less fruitful than they’d hoped. It didn’t really matter, whatever damage the man had hoped to cause had been negated, but Harbor would still love to spend a few minutes alone with him. The asshole needed to pay for trying to hurt Theo.
“Hey, there they are!” Rory called, pulling his eyes away from the bar across the room, as Harbor and Theo got closer to their table. The booth was semi-shielded from the dance floor by a partial dividing wall, it didn’t block out the music entirely, but it made it so you didn’t have to yell yourself hoarse to have a conversation. Rory was sprawled out on one end of the booth, several empty bottles in front of him, while Dagen and Ollie were cozied up in the bend of the U-shaped bench. Vidar was stiff, sitting on the opposite side of the table from Rory, an old-fashioned glass filled with two fingers of amber liquid sitting in front of him.
Harbor raised a brow at his eldest brother, who almost never drank, but decided not to question him. They were supposed to be celebrating after all.
“Where’s everyone else? We’re going to head home,” Harbor said, glancing toward the bar to see if he could spot Kayla or Angie. Angie had come to celebrate with them and true to her word had been in Theo’s corner during their fight. Alex had wanted to be, but he was back out on deployment. He had video chatted with Theo the day before and the day after though.
“I don’t know where those two ran off to, but they’ve been gone a while,” Rory’s accent was coating his words meaning he’d had more than just the few bottles in front of him. “You lot aren’t going to stay and watch Niko’s debut?”
Harbor didn’t miss the way Vidar’s hand clenched briefly around the whiskey he was drinking or how he tossed the whole thing back in one go then slid out of the booth, pausing only a moment to speak with them.
“Be safe. I’ll see you at mom’s on Sunday. And congratulations again. It was a hell of a fight.” Vidar gave Harbor a quick hug and shook Theo’s hand before walking away.
Harbor turned questioning eyes to Dagen who gave a little shrug, but there was worry in his eyes. Both of the Barlos brothers, Niko and Luca, had taken Magnus up on the job offers he’d made them. Niko would be go-go dancing a couple nights a week while still keeping his job at the tattoo shop and Luca was learning to bar back. If Harbor looked closely enough he could catch glimpses of Luca now, behind the bar with Magnus.
Dagen and Ollie slid out of the booth to hug them both, wishing them a restful couple days and saying they’d see them for dinner on Sunday as well. While Ollie and Theo were discussing finishing up Theo’s tattoo, Harbor pulled Dagen a few more steps away.
“You’ll keep an eye on him?” Harbor asked, eyes darting to Rory. “Things have been weird between him and Magnus ever since the cabin.”
Dagen nodded. “Yeah, I’ll get him home or to our couch at the very least.”
“Good. See you Sunday
, brother.”
Grabbing two beers out of the fridge, Theo walked back into the living room just as Harbor came down the hall from the bedroom. As soon as they’d gotten back to the apartment from the club, they’d both changed into comfy sweats and breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a week since the fight, but some of the aches and bruises still lingered.
“You ready?” Theo asked, sitting on the couch with his back half against the arm rest and one leg stretched against the back. He beckoned Harbor to join him, patting the cushion between his legs.
Harbor smirked and took a long pull from the beer Theo had handed him before settling down between Theo’s spread legs, his back to Theo’s chest. Theo kissed the top of his head and wrapped his arms around him before reaching out to hit play on his laptop he’d set up on the coffee table.
He could feel Harbor’s chest expand in a deep breath as the video began to play, skipping most of the fanfare the live broadcast had and going straight into the action. The commentator’s voices filled the living room as they both silently watched themselves on screen standing on opposite sides of the cage.
“There has been so much speculation for this fight, Todd. So much bullshit for these guys to wade through that it’s honestly amazing they’re both here and obviously ready to give this crowd the championship fight they’re looking for,” Jim Rodan, one of the commentators said.
“You’re so right, Jim. I had the chance to speak with Theo and Harbor earlier and they both seem fit, mentally and physically, and absolutely ready to duke out it here in the octagon tonight.”
Harbor snorted. “These guys are so over the top.”
“They’re commentators babe. Being over the top is their whole job.”
“Now, that’s interesting,” Jim said, as the referee called the fight to a start on screen. “Rory Wilson, who is a consistent part of Rourke’s camp is cornering for Theo Smith tonight along with Angela Slater from Slater MMA. Wilson has been in corner for Harbor every single fight he’s ever had. Wonder how that switch got worked out?’
“I don’t know Jim,” Todd replied. “But it’s good to see Vidar and Dagen Rourke, Harbor’s brothers both in his corner tonight. And we have our first contact of the first round of this Middleweight title fight!”
Theo chuckled. They really were over the top. On screen, he and Harbor were locked in a clinch. It seemed so surreal to watch. That had been him a week ago. He’d been in that octagon, nerves putting knots in his stomach, facing off against the only man he’d ever loved and the toughest fucking fighter he knew. He squeezed his arms tight around that same man reclined back in them right now.
Harbor’s hand came up and gripped his forearm like he knew exactly what Theo was thinking. Their on-screen selves continued to battle, and he felt Harbor tense at what they knew was coming. Theo shot in, lightning fast and lunging deep, grabbing Harbor’s legs for a double leg takedown, and a moment later Harbor was on his back in the cage with Theo planted firmly on top of him.
“You shocked the shit out of me,” Harbor said, voice quiet. “I really didn’t see it coming.”
“You know you owe me something now, right?” Theo whispered against Harbor’s ear, letting his lips catch on the sensitive shell and Harbor shivered.
“You aiming to collect?”
“You know I am.” Theo gave up pretense and sucked the lobe of Harbor’s ear into his mouth while one of his hands skated down and worked its way under Harbor’s shirt so he could feel the muscles in his abdomen ripple against his palm.
“Thought you wanted to watch yourself kick my ass again?” Harbor asked, squirming under Theo’s touch.
“Nah, I’d rather be buried in your ass if it’s all the same to you.”
Harbor laughed and turned to straddle Theo. “I know I said it before, but you were incredible that night.”
The excited exclamations coming from the laptop’s speakers had them both turning their eyes back to the screen.
“I can’t believe this!” Jim Rodan’s voice shouted. “Theo Smith has taken down Harbor Rourke and he is rocked. And wait! Theo’s not hesitating, he’s going for the ground and pound! And Harbor is out! It’s all over folks. Theo Smith is the new Middleweight Champion! What a fight we’ve had tonight!”
Harbor was still as stone in his arms as he watched himself sit up in the middle of the cage, Theo and the referee both kneeling beside him. Theo knew he’d never forget the dazed look in Harbor’s eyes or how torn he felt in that moment. On screen, he watched Harbor climb to his feet and felt tears burn the back of his eyes. The second Harbor had been upright the very first thing he’d done was wrap Theo up in a fierce hug and tell him how proud he was of him.
“You were incredible that night.” Theo said, running his hands up and down Harbor’s sides. “They’re not calling it the most electric fight in MMAPRO history for nothing you know. We owned that shit, babe.”
Harbor chuckled. “I guess we did. So, how do you want me?”
Theo smiled leaning forward to catch Harbor’s lips with his. “I want you all the ways. Here, on the couch, in the bed, at my house, in the gym.” Emotion bubbled up in his chest. He’d never get enough of this man. “By my side. In my corner.”
“Always,” Harbor said, silencing him with a kiss. “You’re stuck with me now, Theodore.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Blondie.”
End of Take Down
A Note From the Author
This book contains mentions of sexual assault and domestic violence. If these things are potentially triggering to you, please read with caution.
Prologue
September - Labor Day Weekend
Shadows danced over everyone gathered around the fire pit—family. His family. Magnus Rourke had never been one to take things for granted, had always been thankful for all that he had. Even when those things sometimes went away. Looking across the flames, he wasn’t surprised to find Rory looking back at him. He'd been pissed at Rory for weeks. For running off with Vidar. For doing the dangerous thing even if it was the right one. For still churning up all kinds of feelings in his gut that he’d rather have stay buried and most recently, for leaving that damn voicemail on his phone last week.
He'd been leaving Viridian after a long night behind the bar. Losing another bartender had thrown his schedule into chaos, and he’d been forced to cover another shift just to keep the level of service he prided himself on for his customers. Before starting that night, he’d put his phone on silent knowing his family would call the club phone if there was an emergency. When he’d finally pulled his phone out of his pocket as he’d sat down at his desk to go over the night’s receipts, his stomach had twisted to see a missed call and message from Rory.
Rory didn’t call him. Rory didn’t text him. It wasn’t something they did...not since...
He’d quickly unlocked his phone and pressed the button to play the voicemail. Rory’s brogue laden voice was soft in his ear.
“Hey Maggie, it’s me. Look...I know we don’t normally do this, but um...well, I’ve been helping your brother with something as I’m sure you know by now and...there’s a chance for trouble. I didn’t tell you that for you to worry, even though I know you will. Just know that I’ve got his back, and they’ll have to bury me to keep him from coming home to all of you. And if it comes to that...I just wanted you to know that I’m proud of you. Proud of the man you’ve become and that I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that I wasn’t with you every step of the way like I’d promised I’d be.”
Sitting across the fire from Rory now, those words still echoing in his ears, Magnus couldn’t hold the other man’s gaze. Standing, he excused himself and headed off on a path toward the lake. The moon was high and full, and away from the glow of the fire, it lit up the landscape like a blue sun. He made his way through the narrow copse of trees that obscured part of the beach from view of the cabin and found a flat spot just shy of the sand.
He’d really been pushing it when he hu
gged Rory earlier. For all that they didn’t really talk, they absolutely never touched each other. That single, swift hug had been the first real contact in almost ten years, and it had been a mistake. That ache, the one that plagued him in the moments he let his guard down, was pushing hard to make itself known tonight. Because the truth was, the reason he’d come back wasn’t really that he was tired of the porn industry or that he had huge aspirations about being a club owner.
No, when he boiled it all down, all the things that had pushed him to come back home and be closer to his family, to safety, all stemmed from the same thing.
He was lonely.
He’d been lonely all the way across the country away from the only people that really loved him. He’d been lonely standing in the middle of groups of people he thought of as friends, and he’d been lonely in the relationship he’d learned a little too late had been a total sham. And knowing that Rory was back in the country—even after Rory had left him with so little explanation—had been tearing him apart. A shiver ran through him a moment before he startled at the sound of footsteps shuffling through the parse grass behind him.
Jerking his head around, he sucked in a relieved breath at the sight of Rory standing with his hands in his pockets a few feet away.
“Hey,” he said, one hand covering his pounding heart. “You startled me.”
“Sorry.” Rory bowed his head a little, the shadows from the tree branches swaying over him in long lines. “Mind if I sit?”
Magnus swallowed. “Um, no. Feel free to pull up some dry grass wherever you’d like.”
The corner of Rory’s mouth quirked up as he walked forward and settled himself beside Magnus, long legs stretched out in front of him. They weren’t touching. Rory had left several inches of space between them, but Magnus swore he could feel him all along his side, like they were plastered together. There was a time they would have been. How many times had Rory sat just like that, spreading his legs far enough that Magnus could sit between them, using Rory’s chest as his own personal backrest?
Open Wounds: The Boxed Set Page 26
