The Final KO

by Jessica Florence

  “Remove your arm Alex.” He stood behind us and Alex did as he said, though it was so he could high five Arson hello.

  “Hey Arson, morning man!” Did he not see the angry look on Arson’s face? Those green eyes slid to me, and his arm reached out and pulled me to him. He sealed our lips, claiming me right in front of anyone who was watching. I heard some catcalls, but when Arson’s lips were on yours, nothing else mattered. When we parted, I was still riding the high when Arson looked at Alex.

  “Get it?”

  “Yeah man, I get it.” Alex laughed and wandered off. I smacked Arson on the arm.

  “Don’t do that. I’m not a tree you can lift your leg and pee on in front of the other dogs.” I was irked so I walked over to the selection of food. Arson wisely gave me a little space. He loved my passion? Well there was happy passion and there was angry passion, and right then it was the latter.

  I grabbed some fruit and a bagel, then plopped down in one of the empty chairs.

  “I won’t apologize for kissing my woman, or doing so in front of people. I want them to know you are mine; do you not want the same?” Arson sat down next to me with a plate of food as well. I thought about what he’d said. I was still irked, but he made sense.

  “Don’t do it again. Kiss me to kiss me, fine, but don’t kiss me to make a point. Comprende?”

  “Yes ma’am.” We ate our breakfast and talked about what we wanted to do that day. We decided to relax for an hour or so then take a dip in the water. We all ate lunch together and everyone talked about their upcoming fights. Some were nervous, and some were super excited. I could tell Arson loved fighting, but his thrill to do it was indeed burning out. I, on the other hand, was so ready for mine. I’d been working so hard and really wanted to get back in the cage. Only a few more months!

  After lunch, a few of the guys went out fishing again, and Arson and I played frisbee in the water. Then we went out on a leisurely ride with Coach and his wife on their boat. Arson was sweet, holding me tight as we cut through the waves. We saw a couple dolphins, a manatee, and a sea turtle. I took a pictures of them with my phone, but of course they didn’t really come out well. Arson stole my phone and kissed my cheek while taking a picture. I giggled and turned my face toward his. He snapped some more pictures of us and I loved every minute of it. When our day came to an end, Arson and I snuggled up in my tent and made out until we fell asleep. It was the perfect weekend.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Exceeds Expectations

  Arson said he had to run back to where he was staying as soon as we hit the mainland. He left and I headed home where I could unpack and take a long hot shower. On the drive home, my car started ringing. I hit the button on the steering wheel and engaged the bluetooth.

  “Hello,” I sang out.

  “How did it go? Was Arson there?” Cammy’s inquisitive voice filled the car. She just couldn’t wait to hear the details.

  “Yes he was there,” I confirmed, but enjoyed holding back before gushing to her. It got her riled up and I liked to do that. It was the little things in life that made me happy.

  “And…what happened?” Her voice was a little higher.

  “We hung out, fished. I caught a really big fish and we ate it for dinner. Umm, we played frisbee, swam a bit, just had a nice relaxing weekend.” I held back my laughter. I swore I could hear her getting frustrated.

  “I don’t care about fish! I wanna hear about how Arson hopefully fucked your brains out! Did he tell you about the year thing? Did you get laid?” She was practically screaming. Deciding not to string her along any more, I gave in and told her what had happened. She was so quiet while I told her everything, I thought the call had ended a couple of times.

  “Holy shit.” She spoke softly. I understood how she was feeling. It all seemed surreal. Arson Kade was in love with me. We’d had a marathon of quiet sex in my tent, and now we were dating. It was a lot to take in.

  “He fell in love with you a year ago when you got injured and has been in love with you ever since. Rayne you lucky bitch! Did you say it back?” I shook my head at her question even though she couldn’t see me.

  “No, we just started dating.” It was weird talking about love with someone I’d only known for such a short time.

  “Well hurry the hell up! You need to fall in love real quick, put a ring on that man’s finger, pop out my little niece and name her Cameron, then call her Cammy Jr. for short.” I rolled my eyes at that one.

  “Cammy Jr. isn’t any shorter than Cameron. No babies for some time, I wanna keep fighting. And put a ring on that man? Really?” Goodness. If it were up to Cammy, she would have me hitched that very night! Then I thought more about it, and I realized Arson would probably be right there with her, dragging me down the aisle. Oh boy.

  “Yes. Marry that man now!” she said stubbornly.

  “Ok, no more marriage talk. How are you doing?” That was my pitiful attempt to change the subject.

  “I’m fine. So when are you seeing him again since you’re an item now?”

  “Arson said he’d call me this afternoon so I’m sure we will figure it out.” My body started to tingle thinking about the next time Arson would be within my reach. I was ready for us both to scream out to the heavens in pleasure.

  “Fun. Well, I’m gonna go. I’ll catch up with you this week. I know you’ll be back to training hard so maybe we can go see a movie or something easy.” That sounded nice.

  “Sounds good.” We said our goodbyes and ended the call. I spent the rest of my drive home singing along to the radio, not thinking about anything, just enjoying the moment of happiness in my life.

  As soon as I dumped my stuff on the floor of my apartment, I went straight for the bathroom. I turned on the shower with haste and discarded my clothes on the floor. The spray of the water was pure euphoria. I lathered myself up with my favorite body wash and went to town. Between my legs was still sore, and considering the monster cock that had beaten it, I wasn’t surprised. I was extra gentle in the washing of my lady parts.

  About twenty minutes later I was like a prune and reluctantly got out and dried off. I changed into a sports bra and some yoga pants so I could do some stretching to keep my muscles loose. I knew yoga was supposed to be a time of breathing and emptying your mind, but my mind just wasn’t in the mood for that. It kept replaying over the weekend, every touch, all the words exchanged between Arson and me. I still felt like there was more he hadn’t told me, but we had time, and I was sure he would let me in the rest of the way; he’d been honest the whole time so far.

  I stretched for an hour then made myself some lunch and relaxed on my balcony overlooking the bay. It wasn’t too long after I finished my lunch that Arson texted me and I told him to head on over. We would figure out if we wanted to do anything then. It didn’t take long before he was knocking on my door. I set my empty plate in the sink and went to let him in.

  So far, the feeling of awe I got each time I saw him hadn’t subsided. He was standing there, freshly showered and wearing dark-washed jeans with a black shirt hugging his perfect fighter’s body.

  “Hi honey,” I teased, enjoying the smirk that graced his face.

  “Hello dear,” he replied. I gestured for him to come in and he did.

  “So did you have any plans for the day?” I asked. He went to my couch and plopped down. I looked him over and walked to him. He was mine now and I was quite touchy. I straddled his lap, making myself comfortable. His hands went to my hips, just resting there.

  “I wanna take you out to dinner.” His left thumb started rubbing circles on my bare skin, making little goosebumps rise.

  “Sounds good. So we’re going public then,” I stated. Chances were us being out together was going to be big news. Our faces would be all over the magazines for a while, or at least until something else exciting happened. I sighed thinking about it, wishing we could stay in our little bubble for a while longer. Being on the island had been nice, and private. None
of the other fighters cared; they wouldn’t blab to the world about us. We hadn’t had people watching our every move there, but once Arson and I came out to the world, that would happen.

  “Not yet. I have somewhere private for us tonight.” His hand ran up my back and pushed my hair back behind my ear.

  “Oh, that’s cool.” I tried not to sound too relieved. I didn’t want it to come off as me not wanting to be seen with him, because that just wasn’t true. His fingers moved to my chin and pulled me toward him. A goofy grin appeared on my lips; he saw it and smiled back, pleased with my reaction to the anticipation of kissing him. Our lips touched, and we sweetly kissed each other with our goofy smiles.

  “Happy?” he asked, and I nodded.

  “Ecstatic.” It was the truth. I was really that happy. I had a guy that didn’t live with his mother and wasn’t too insecure to be around me. So far Arson had been that man he said I deserved. I hadn’t gotten any flowers yet but he had been pretty damn romantic with his confessions—and he had certainly nailed the fucks. Yeah, he got “exceeds expectations” on that one.

  “You?” I hoped he was.

  “The girl I love is mine. Yes. You could say I’m very happy.” He kissed me and I melted into him. Could things really be this easy between us? I pulled back and looked him in the eyes. I needed to see his words in them.

  “You really love me, like hardcore, don’t you?” He probably wouldn’t say it if he didn’t, but it was still crazy to comprehend.

  “Yes.” He nodded. Crazy. I accepted his answer and lay down on his chest with my head on his shoulder. I confessed how I was feeling.

  “It seems so unreal.” He didn’t say anything and I took that as him not having anything to say because for someone like him—a manwhore and known bachelor—falling for someone was unreal, let alone waiting for them for a year.

  “I like you a lot.” I gave him what I could; I couldn’t say love because I wasn’t there, but I definitely liked him a lot. His arms tightened around me and he kissed the top of my head.

  We sat there and enjoyed each other’s warmth for a little bit before deciding to play a game of poker and watch a rerun of a fight that had happened over the weekend. We talked about the fighter’s skills and form. It was nice to have someone who understood it all watch them with me. Cammy watched them but didn’t know what I was talking about when I made comments.

  “You have a fight coming up soon right?”

  He nodded.

  “ Yeah next week against Leighton Lyle. He’s got speed and a mean kick, but I’m not worried.” He seemed calm talking about it.

  “I think after this fight I’m gonna retire.” Even though he had mentioned being burned out before, I hadn’t really soaked it in. It was a shock to hear.

  “Really?” I turned and faced him. He looked kept looking at the TV and finally turned his gaze to mine.

  “Yeah, really. I told you, you’ve made me want to be a better person. I’ve always wanted to open my little dojo but never thought that type of life was available to someone like me. Being with you, I feel like I can have the future I’ve dreamed of.” He turned back to the TV and I was left with many questions.

  “Someone like you? I don’t really follow you. You’re a great guy! You’d be great at a dojo because you’re a fighter.” He sighed and looked down at his hands on his lap.

  “It just wasn’t for me. Until you.” He obviously didn’t want to go into it more so I dropped it.

  “Well we should have a celebration for you! Do something fun. Where is your fight?” There weren’t too many places that the big ones were held. Usually Vegas was the main cage.

  “Vegas.” I was right.

  “Sweet. We can have some fun out there. There’s so much to do.” I was thinking over all the stuff I had yet to do and started making a list in my head.

  “You’ll be there?” His voice sounded vulnerable; I reached over and lightly turned his head toward me.

  “Of course. You’re my boyfriend right? I don’t half-ass things once I’m committed.” I was an honest person and meant every word I said. His eyes held the love he had for me and I knew right then and there that nothing could keep me away from this man. The falling had begun. He nodded and I leaned in to give him a kiss.

  “You nervous about your fight with Tasha?” I shook my head no.

  “No, I’m healed and I feel ready for any tricks. I’ve worked too hard to let something like nerves break me.” I pulled back and smiled.

  “I’m ready to dominate the game.” I raised my fists in the air in victory.

  “You’ll beat her, no doubt.” It was nice hearing that he believed in me. We went back to watching the game and then I got dressed so we could go out to dinner. I dressed myself in a simple pair of jeans and a light purple t-shirt, staying casual; I figured if he wasn’t dressed up then I didn’t need to be either.

  He led me down to his black SUV. I’d figured he would be more of a sports car type of guy, but shrugged it off. I was learning new things about him every minute.

  Chapter Seventeen

  You and Me by Lifehouse

  We didn’t drive very far before he was parking and helping me out of the car; it was sweet of him to do that. He wrapped our fingers together and led me toward the marina. I was a little confused but decided to just roll with it. We walked down the line of pretty boats and came to a stop in front of a yacht.

  “We’re eating on a boat?” I beamed.

  “Yep.” He smiled as we were greeted by the captain and crew.

  “I’m Captain Roger. On behalf of the crew and myself, I would like to welcome you to the Lazy Lady.” The captain was tall and fit. He was older and had a grey beard with soft blue eyes, a friendly looking fellow. The crew of five were all dressed in classy uniforms of black polos and khaki pants. I waved and said hello before they helped us onto the boat.

  “We will be leaving in just a few moments Mr. Kade,” Captain Roger said to Arson and then walked away. The crew quickly went about making sure we were comfortable and had everything we needed before giving us some privacy. It wasn’t long before we were off and coasting through the water, watching the horizon for the sunset.

  “Arson, you really know how to show a girl a good time,” I teased, but really it was amazing.

  “For you, I try,” he admitted.

  “Ah, so you don’t do this for all the ladies then.” I bumped his shoulder, then he spun me around and held me close.

  “Never.” That word made me feel special. I knew I wasn’t just another conquest to him, but it was still nice to hear.

  “Dinner is served on the top deck, Mr. Kade,” a younger member of the crew announced and gestured that we follow him. On the top of the three-story—yes three-story—yacht, they had set up a private table and chairs overlooking the horizon. It was breathtaking. I was speechless as I sat down and Arson took the seat across from me. It was so amazing, so romantic.

  “Fallen yet?” he teased and I rolled my eyes. Great way to break the romanticism Mr. Kade.

  “Nope. Not even a smidgen,” I retorted, even though it was a lie. I was beginning to see the fall ahead. It had been a slow burn since I’d allowed myself to truly give the relationship a shot. Or at least I kept telling myself that. His face lit up and a smile of mischief took over. Maybe I shouldn’t have teased the fighter.

  “I need to up my game then.” He reached out and sipped on a glass of water. No wine for us—we had training the next day. Dinner was served moments later. The chef had made us his special of shrimp with basil pesto and steamed vegetables with a variety of spices. It was delicious. I made a mental note to make it at home sometime, a simple but great dish. We talked about something we could do in Vegas to celebrate his retiring. I almost had him talked into the Vegas zip line, but he just wasn’t for it in the end.

  “I am so full.” I groaned and relaxed back in my seat. Arson stood and held out his hand for me. I took it and rose to my feet. He walked us over to
a little sitting area that was probably normally used for sunbathing. Thankfully over dinner we had said goodbye to the sun and hello to the moon; I would have been completely sunburned by then if not. He crawled onto one of the chairs with bed-like padding and I followed suit. His arms opened and I snuggled my way into their warmth. A sigh of contentment escaped me and Arson kissed my head in response. It was easy.

  “Thank you for tonight. It’s been amazing.” I looked up at his face and smiled. He’d done well and deserved praise for his efforts.

  “Night’s not over yet.” His words held a promise and my body warmed; I started to ache with the thought. No-holding-back sex with Arson was going to be cosmic, Big Bang type of explosions, I just knew it. His hand started rubbing up and down my spine. It was meant to be soothing, but only increased the ache that was building between my legs.

  “Arson,” I whispered. I knew my desire came through in my voice because his hand pressed me more firmly against him. With my eyes on his, I saw how hot he was burning for me. We had a connection that couldn’t be put into words. It was raw and carnal, yet passionate and sweet. It was something everyone searched for but few truly found.

  “I want nothing more than to fuck you hard on the deck of this boat, make that sweet pussy clench my dick all night, but not here Princess. Tonight you get it in a bed, at home, where you can scream and not give a shit who hears. Your cries and release are mine tonight.” He leaned in and kissed me, but it was reserved. I understood what he said but I was still hot for him no matter what.

  He ended the kiss and we lay there together just looking up at the stars as they started to make their appearances. I couldn’t remember the last time I had actually looked at the stars. It was something I could honestly say I had taken for granted. I obviously knew they were there, but never stopped and stared like we the curious human beings were meant to.

  The captain made an announcement over a small speaker that we would be arriving back at the dock in twenty minutes, which made my mood fall. I wasn’t ready for the moment to end; luckily for me it seemed like Arson wasn’t done yet. He sat up and a crew member came out with a small boom box. Odd. The crew member hit a button and Arson grabbed my hand. Together we got up and he walked us onto the deck more, away from any seats. I looked up at him in confusion until music started playing through the speakers.