“Not really,” I answer carefully, very unsure of where he’s going with this. “My brother tried karate once.” I’m not sure that qualifies, though. He was eleven, and it didn’t last long.
Aiden rests his hand on my shoulder which only makes me worry more.
“We meet here for what we call the Ultimate Fighting Championships. We compete until there’s only one guy left. The winner goes against the other guys from North Carolina who won in their individual groups. This happens once every two weeks.” He stops and does that thing where he pins me with his eyes.
He’s waiting for me to freak out. A part of me actually considers it for a fraction of a moment.
“So you fight?”
“Yes,” he says.
I nod, not liking this one bit.
“Why?”
“Some do it for money, others for the title or the rush.” His eyes drift over my head toward the house, and I can see he’s deep in thought. Maybe he’s worried?
“Why do you do it?” That’s all I want to know. I don’t care about other people.
“Every bird of prey looks over its shoulder before it goes in for the kill, even a hawk. Every single bird of prey knows to watch their back, except an eagle because it’s fearless.” I sit frozen. The fact that he knows that leaves me stunned. “I fight, so others don’t have to.”
When his hand slips up to my neck, my heartbeat speeds up. I’m not sure who Aiden is, but from what I’ve seen so far, he’s just too good to be real. He might as well have stepped out of my dreams, and that’s a real danger to my heart.
He draws me against his chest and hugs me. “You’ll be safe in there. Just stay close to me.” As he pulls away, he adds, “And don’t accept drinks from anyone.”
I smile sheepishly. There won’t be any risk of that happening.
Just like I thought, it’s clear whoever lives here has money. What I get to see of the house is glamorous.
Once we step out the back, the atmosphere shifts, it’s charged with excitement. The same guys from the bar are all standing around, muscles bulging and gleaming under a spotlighted area.
There’s a cordoned-off circle with chairs neatly placed around it. That’s probably where the fighting will take place.
And the few women that are here are dressed to impress. Tight dresses that barely cover their butts make me look duller than yesterday.
One woman approaches Aiden, and I admire her balancing skills with how high her heels are. I’d break my neck if I tried to wear something like that.
“Aiden, are you ready for tonight?” Her tone is seductively low, almost sounding like she’s purring.
I try to pull my hand free from Aiden’s, but instead of letting go, he tightens his grasp.
“I’m always ready. Where’s Katia?”
I can’t believe it. Aiden’s not giving Ultimate Barbie the time of day, and she doesn’t look impressed.
“She’ll be out now. Why don’t you go get geared up?”
Only when she turns away does he let go of my hand. I follow him as he walks toward a group of men who are standing near the ring.
My eyes widen when some of them start to strip out of their clothes, but I relax when I see they all have shorts on beneath their sweatpants.
Grabbing hold of the collar of his shirt, Aiden drags it over his head. My eyes instantly glue themselves to his well defined back. The way his muscles ripple beneath his tanned skin has me in a trance until I smack into him face first.
“Crap,” I groan, embarrassed for being so obvious about drooling over him. You’d swear we weren’t naked together just a few hours ago.
“You okay?” he asks in a hushed tone, making his voice sound so much sexier.
“I’m great.” I want to high-five myself when I don’t blush.
“Will you hold my clothes for me?”
“Sure.” Taking his shirt, I watch as he steps out of his slacks. Standing in just a pair of shorts, there’s so much skin that I’m starting to feel dangerously hot.
The word Capoeira is printed in bold white letters down the side of his shorts, and I wonder what it means.
“I want you sitting close by. We’re going to warm up before the others come. Can I get you something to drink first?” Aiden asks as if everything is okay and I’m not melting into a puddle of raging hormones at his feet.
I shake my head and take the seat he points to. Folding his clothes neatly, I keep them on my lap as I resist the urge to sniff them.
Yeah, I’m in trouble. I have a massive crush on my roommate.
Warm-ups.
I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t men slamming each other to the ground.
Aiden’s talking to one of the others while they watch the two in the ring fight. I’m not sure who is who, I can’t remember their names, and at the moment I have them organized by the color of their shorts. Blue and Red are in the ring.
I suck in a breath when Red goes down, thinking he shouldn’t get up. Hell, I wouldn’t get up after being hit like that. I’d lay wheezing and counting my broken bones.
My eyes dart to Aiden, and then I hold my breath. He’s separated from the group and is doing what looks like a dance move, swaying agilely back and forth. Then he moves fast, and I let out a breath as he balances his entire body on one hand, every muscle taut.
I tip my head sideways, waiting for him to tumble down, but he eases himself back to the ground without much effort.
Damn, it’s just not right for one person to look so good. It could be hazardous to someone’s health. Hell, I’m already struggling to breathe. Never mind the heart palpitations.
When he moves again, he twists his body into the air.
Aaanndd I’d be eating dirt if I tried something like that. Damn, the man has talent.
“Aiden, you’re up,” Green-shorts calls out to him.
Aiden straps on a pair of gloves before he steps into the ring. I grab hold of his clothes and press them to my chest feeling nervous on Aiden’s behalf.
They tap hands, and my heart sets off at a maddening pace as they start to circle each other.
Green moves in on Aiden, kicking at him, and I shriek low in my throat for him to jump out of the way.
“The real fightin’ hasn’t even started yet. Relax, princess.” My eyes jump to Katia as she sits down beside me. “Your man has skills.”
She turns her body to face me, draping her arm on the back of my chair. She’s way too close for comfort, but at least she’s not leeching onto me. As long as she doesn’t try to touch me, I can deal with her.
“You have a nice house,” I say, not knowing what else to say. If I’m going to be around Aiden, I might as well try to get along with the people he hangs out with. Although, Katia is a different cup of tea altogether. Not sure how I’m going to get along with her.
She beams a smile at me. “Thanks.” Then she leans closer to me. “Are you cold, princess? You’re huggin’ those clothes awfully tight.”
I drop the shirt and sweats back to my lap and glance at the ring. It’s empty. My eyes flit all over the place until I find Aiden. He looks intimidating, to say the least, as he stalks toward us. At first, his eyes are on Katia, and I’m just about to start feeling awkward, thinking I might have misread something between them when he reaches his hand to me.
“You don’t mind if I borrow my girl, Katia?” I don’t wait to hear her answer. I’m up and dropping his clothes on the chair before she can think of a response. His hand is warm when he weaves his fingers through mine.
“People are startin’ to arrive, so it’s going to fill up fast. I just want to get you somethin’ to drink. Please don’t take anythin’ from anybody but me,” he reminds me as we walk in the direction of the pool and bar area.
I’d rather drink pool water than alcohol. After last night I’m in no hurry to ever drink that poison again.
Aiden reaches in behind a counter and retrieves two bottles of water.
We don’t he
ad back to the ring, though. Instead, he leads me over to the steps next to the pool, where he pulls me down beside him.
“Let’s just enjoy this moment before it gets crazy.”
Music starts to fill the air. Even though the bass is hard, vibrating the water in the bottles, the background tune is slower, lending a trance vibe to it.
“Thank you for comin’.” He places his hand right behind my butt and presses his shoulder against mine.
“It’s not what I expected.” Feeling worried for Aiden’s safety, I ask, “Won’t you get hurt?”
“Are you actually worried about me?” he teases, and as my luck would have it, I blush.
With him sitting so close, his eyes are too intense to meet. I look out over the garden, letting my hair fall between us as a smile forms around my lips. It’s one thing liking him, it’s another letting him know how I feel.
Some things I’d like to keep to myself for now. It’s still too new to admit it out loud.
“Maybe a little,” I say, surprising myself by flirting back.
I’ve never done anything like this. I should ask Chloe for some tips. She’s good at this kind of thing.
“I can’t drive you home if you get hurt. We’ll end up being one with a tree on the wrong side of the road,” I joke.
“I’ll be fine. There’s no need to worry,” he reassures me.
I glance back at Aiden and seeing the letters printed on his shorts, I ask, “What does the word on your shorts mean?”
“It’s the fighting style I prefer. Capoeira is a Brazilian fightin’ style. It’s a mixture of dance, acrobatics, and martial arts. I throw in some other things I’ve learned along the way. Capoeira teaches you respect and patience, which is why I love it.”
Before I can say something, his hand brushes my hair away from my shoulder, slipping up my neck. There’s an explosion of flutters in my stomach. He leans in, and when his mouth presses against mine, my abdomen tightens with anticipation.
I open my mouth to let him in, to experience more of him. I love the way he makes me feel wanted and safe.
The fights are brutal, to say the least. I sit shocked through the first three before life returns to my limbs.
Aiden’s fight didn’t even last seconds. I’m not sure what happened. The guy attacked him, tried to jab a few punches at him but missed, and somehow landed flat on his back with Aiden pinning him down.
I’m still not sure if I should be relieved or worried that Aiden incapacitated a full-grown man within seconds.
I don’t know how to react to what’s happening around me. Men going at each other until one is unconscious, and lying in a puddle of blood? It’s not right.
Colton steps into the ring with a guy who’s easily a head shorter than him.
As they start to circle each other, Katia calls out, “Kill him, baby.”
I’m too tense to sit. Standing up, I walk to the side of the ring where there aren’t as many people. I can see Aiden on the other side, talking to a few guys. He’s not even looking at the fight.
The moment Colton pounces, my eyes flit back to the ring. I flinch as they collide with each other. The other guy throws a punch, his fist connecting with Colton’s jaw. I wait for Colton to go down, but it doesn’t look like he felt the blow at all. I swear these men are made of steel. He just stands and takes it with a sneer, and I get a feeling that doesn’t mean anything good for his competitor.
“The fucker is going down. Colton is only playin’ with him,” Katia suddenly says next to me. She looks a little turned on by what’s happening.
The guy gets a kick and another punch in, while Colton still hasn’t started fighting back.
Katia almost gives me a damn heart attack, as she screams, “Take the fucker down!”
At her command, Colton darts forward, throwing his body against the smaller guy, who slams into the ground with a painful grunt. I stand and stare with wide eyes as Colton starts to throw punches. The other guy doesn’t even have time to block any of the blows.
I cover my mouth as shock vibrates through me.
Shit! Am I the only one disturbed by what’s happening?
I search for Aiden through the wire of the ring. He’s watching the fight with such concentration on his face as if he’s studying it. I can’t believe he’s okay with all this violence.
Disappointment fills my heart. I don’t have time to process the emotion as Colton straddles the guy, who looks like he’s passed out.
The guy’s head wobbles with each blow to his face and blood splatters on the mat.
My eyes dart over all the faces around the ring, as they roar for Colton to kill him.
My heart is slamming hard against my ribs, and it feels as if I’m being suffocated by all the brutality.
This isn’t right.
I dart around the ring, unable to be a simple bystander. Nothing about what’s happening here tonight is right. Someone has to do something before the guy dies.
I grab hold of the wire that forms the ring and rush through the opening. When I reach them, I shove at Colton as hard as I can, but he barely moves.
Startled, Colton’s head snaps up, and eyes filled with rage settle hard on me. For a moment I worry that he’s going to hit me. A cold wave of fear washes over me, making dread pool in my stomach.
I don’t know where the courage comes from, but I shove Colton again as I grind the words out, “Get away from him.”
Colton blinks, and he actually looks stunned that I’m breaking up the fight.
Anger starts to bubble up my chest as I growl, “Move!”
When he finally gets off the guy, I kneel beside his unconscious body.
There’s so much blood.
Focus on what you learned, Emma.
He needs you.
I keep chanting words of encouragement to myself as I try to assess his injuries. Leaning down I try to feel if he’s still breathing. My heart thumps heavily as I wait for any sign of life.
“Oh, God.” The words rush from me and panic vibrates through my body when it’s clear he’s not breathing.
I hope help is coming.
I grab his wrist and feel for a pulse. The seconds stretch out endlessly, while I can’t feel anything. I move my fingers to make sure I have the right spot. When I still can’t find a pulse, I check his neck.
No. This can’t be happening.
“Okay, deep breaths, Emma. You can do this.”
Not even thinking, I clean the blood around his mouth and nose with my bare hand, before wiping it off on my jeans. I start CPR, all the while chanting for him to hold on.
When Aiden kneels next to me, I hiss, “Back off.” I really can’t deal with him right now.
“Let me help,” he says, sounding calmer than I feel.
“Back the bloody hell off!” I scream at him, losing control.
Calm down, Emma. This guy needs you.
I continue giving him CPR while my throat swells from all the emotions swamping me.
I don’t know how long I do it for, until he finally sucks precious air into his lungs.
“You’re going to be okay,” I whisper to him even though he can’t hear me.
When paramedics and police arrive, I almost start to cry with relief.
I don’t know who phoned them. All that matters is he’s alive.
I move to the side, and it feels as if everything is distorting around me. People all blur together, and I feel sticky from the blood on my hands. I try to wipe more of it off on my jeans as I force my legs to move.
No one even notices as I walk away from the second most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen, because nothing will ever compare to my mother.
When I reach the street, I start to walk in the direction of the flat.
I need to get away from that house.
From the violence.
My stomach is raw with tension as I start to notice my surroundings. It’s really dark out. It’s actually a good thing because then no one will see the
blood smeared on my jeans.
As the adrenaline starts to leave my body, I begin to shiver.
I hate that I’m shaking like a leaf caught in a shitstorm.
I hate that I don’t know exactly where I am.
I hate that I put myself in such a dangerous position.
What the hell was I thinking?
“You were looking for a flaw in Aiden. Well, now you found it.”
I’m disappointed in myself for falling for someone like him. I should’ve seen this coming. Why do I make myself such an easy target?
I ran away from one monster only to find another.
I’m so upset that I’ve walked quite a distance without realizing when lights come up the street. I keep to the shadows, trying to make myself as small as possible. When the car slows, I quicken my pace.
Tears well in my throat when I hear a door slam shut. I dare a quick glance over my shoulder, and when I see that it’s Aiden, it doesn’t lessen any of the fear. Suddenly, Aiden doesn’t look as harmless as he did before.
“Emma, please get in the car. You can’t walk home,” he says, still sounding calm, and it only makes me angrier.
“You’re right,” I snap at him. “I can’t walk home because I don’t know where the bloody hell I am.”
Usually, I avoid any kind of confrontation, but this isn’t just about me. This is about a man almost dying.
Instead of walking away, I do something I never dreamt I’d do in my entire life – I turn to face him. My body is wound tight, and I have to fight the need to cower away from him.
It’s been so ingrained into me to submit, to not fight back, that I almost give in, but I can’t ignore the fire that’s been ignited inside of me tonight.
I saved a man’s life.
I made a difference because I stood against the monsters of this world.
And it felt good.
It felt empowering.
I lift my chin a little higher as I say, “I should’ve listened to you last night when you warned me that you could be psycho. Not could be, you bloody are psycho!”
Turning away from him, I start to walk again.
“Will you let me explain?” He doesn’t sound so calm anymore, and it sends my heart flitting into the nearest bushes.
The Ocean Between Us (A Southern Heroes Novel Book 1) Page 7
