by Lane Hart
That's when I realize Coach has been talking to me while I was thinking about fucking his daughter. "Sorry, what?" I ask.
"I said, you can get in cardio and strength training anywhere. Then we'll hit the training hard when you get back."
I act like I'm thinking it over.
"I'll pay you-"
"I don't want your fucking money," I say, probably more acerbic than needed. Just the idea of taking money for anything to do with sleeping with Sadie doesn't sit well. Sort of like how I feel about getting a half a million dollar fight for taking her to prom.
"Good, so you'll do it for free?"
"Fine, damn it," I groan as realistically as possible.
"I've just got to figure out a way to get Sadie and the other girls to agree with you tagging along."
I know I have some apologizing to do. Probably some groveling. Looking back, I don't regret the night, even with the lack of contraception. It had been...perfect until I flipped out on Sadie and lost my shit. She was right, I was so far gone. I wasn't sure if I'd been able to stop even if she'd been honest with me. I'd wanted her so goddamn much. No, it felt like I needed her.
"Tell her she can't go unless I do, too."
"Yeah, that should work." Coach laughs. "You heading to the gym today?"
"Probably, but it'll be later this afternoon after I get some sleep."
"See you then. I'm going to head over in about an hour," he says. I wave goodbye and get the hell out of there. At least for an hour.
...
Sadie
I've just finished blow drying and braiding my hair when Jude knocks on the front door. Here's hoping this damn pill stays down. I unlock the deadbolt to let him in, praying he won’t yell at me anymore.
"Hey," he says softly. I look up at his gorgeous face expecting anger, but he seems calm, his eyes warm and apologetic even.
"Hey."
He holds out the plastic bag in his hand which I accept. "Thanks."
"If you want to go ahead and take it, I'll stick around to make sure it stays down," Jude offers. I figure he just wants to be sure I actually swallow it since he doesn't trust me, and for good reason.
I nod and reach into the bag, noticing there are two boxes, the Plan B one, and a box of Trojan condoms. Condoms?
"I'm sorry about how I acted," Jude says. "I was just caught off guard, and then tried to blame you for my own mistake...no, not a mistake, but my oversight."
"You had every right to be upset. It was stupid of me," I admit, shaking my head.
"I still would've slept with you, and I probably would've tried to pull out, which is only about seventy-five percent effective, if that. So, we would've needed the Plan B either way. I don't regret it, Sadie."
"Good," I say with a sigh of relief. "And I'm supposed to start tomorrow, which means it really is unlikely that I can even get pregnant right now."
"That's great, because then you won't have to worry about the time of the month shit the week you're at the beach."
"What?"
"Your dad didn't tell you? He said he's going to let you go."
"Really?" I ask with a smile.
"Yeah, but on one condition."
"Great," I groan. "What is it?"
"I have to go with you."
"You're kidding," I gasp.
"Nope. You'll have to put up with me for a whole week, so that I can look out for you and all," he says with a wide grin.
I laugh at that. My usually overprotective dad has lost his freaking mind. "So is that what these are for?" I ask, holding up the condoms.
"No, I'm hoping those will all be used up before the beach trip rolls around."
"Oh," I say in understanding. He wants to be with me, apparently twelve times in two weeks and then for an entire week at the beach.
"Oh?" he repeats. "Are you okay with that?"
"Yeah, I guess I can endure a week with you."
"Endure, huh?" he asks with a smile, backing me up until my heels hit the foyer wall. Jude presses his huge buff body against my much smaller one, and through the front of his workout pants I can feel he's hard all over.
"You're not going to cock block us, are you? When guys see you with us, they'll all run the other way," I tease.
"Damn right they better run away," he replies, brushing his soft, damp lips over mine. "Take your pill and then I'll distract you for the next two hours, so it'll stay down."
"Is that a promise?" I ask, sliding my hands up the front of his t-shirt and over his rippling abs.
"Hell yes," he assures me after his body shudders from my touch. "Unless you start feeling sick."
"Maybe we should use one of these condoms before I take the pill."
"That's a great idea," Jude agrees.
Picking me up so that my legs are around his waist, he carries me down the hall to my room. After he tosses me playfully on the bed, I watch him jerk his shirt over his head. His broad chest heaves with each panting breath like he's ready to fight or fuck.
Someone's definitely going down.
Reaching for the bag still in my hand, he grabs the condoms and tosses them to me. "Here, you work on opening them while I get us undressed."
My fingernails go to work digging into the box, although Jude's distracting me. He yanks the rest of his clothes off angrily like they've personally offended him, then he starts in on mine. My cotton shorts and panties don't stand a chance, and I drop the opened box when my shirt lifts over my head.
I'm quickly flipped to my stomach, causing an oomph sound to escape me. Jerking my hips up so that I'm on my knees, Jude's tongue enters me from behind. The sensation from this position is...intense and...wonderful! I don't even have time to feel self-conscious about what he's doing or how he's doing it. I come an instant later with a sobbing cry. When my body grows too weak to hold me up, Jude's hands tighten on my hips, holding them hostage while his cock invades me.
"Fuck!" he yells, before he pulls all the way out again, causing me to whimper at the loss. "Forgot the condom," he explains.
I watch him tear one of the foil packages beside the bed. After a few attempts, turning it several ways he finally gets it rolled down his hard length. I realize with a smile that this is probably the first time this incredible man has ever put on a condom. It's adorable to see him this way, such a big, beautiful tough guy so unsure and inexperienced. How in the world did I end up here with him? I thought for sure that despite how wonderful last night had been, it'd be one night only and things would go back to normal with him ignoring me. If you'd told me that Jude Malone would end up here, in my bedroom, still giving me mind-blowing orgasms, I would've said you're crazy.
"What?" Jude asks with one arched eyebrow before leaving my line of sight to get back in place behind me again. "You think it's funny that you're making me lose my goddamn mind?" His lips press soft kisses over the back of my neck, letting me know he's teasing and making me shiver.
"It is kind of funny," I respond.
His cock slams into me, at the same time he pulls on my braid, turning my head, so he can kiss me, his tongue eager in my mouth. "Good thing you're worth it," he says before he begins to move.
Jude's reflection in the dresser mirror catches my eye. He looks beautiful and...savage as he pumps his sculpted hips wildly into me. It's so damn hot to watch all that intensity directed toward me. Holding my hips, he gives a few more deep thrusts before he throws his head back and curses.
He quickly climbs off the bed without a word. I watch as he grabs the plastic pharmacy bag, tossing the Plan B box on the mattress and throwing the used condom and wrapper inside. Ah, he's getting rid of the evidence.
With that taken care of, he comes back to the bed, trailing kisses up my back and over my shoulder before he stretches out beside me. What the hell is his frown about?
“Are you all right? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so rough with you,” he says, blowing out a breath, and scrubbing a hand over his sweaty face.
“You didn�
��t hurt me and I like seeing you out of control,” I assure him.
“Would you actually tell me if I did hurt you?” he asks, reaching over to brush my hair over my shoulder.
“Yes.”
“Good,” he replies, pulling me against his chest. “I've never done this before, dating or whatever. But I'd really like to keep seeing you.”
“Okay. I’ll be at the gym most days like usual,” I tell him, trying not to read too much into his statement.
“You know what I mean. Like this. The two of us naked wrestling,” he clarifies with a dimpled grin.
“I do, too.”
“Thank God.” He laughs. “Now let’s see if you can keep down one of those damn pills.”
I don't have any side effects this time around, or if I did, Jude kept me so distracted I didn’t notice.
Chapter Seven
Jude
After slacking off and passing out at four o'clock Sunday afternoon, I'm up bright and early at the gym Monday morning. I'm lighter on my feet than I've ever been, and I have a feeling that Sadie has something to do with it. I walk a little taller, with my chest puffed out farther, all because of the boost in my confidence after proving my masculinity.
That’s right, I fucked my woman so good, she screamed my name loud enough that someone called hotel security. I'm a badass motherfucker ready to take on the entire world. All the shitty doubts that've been weighing me down about the upcoming title fight are gone, leaving me with a brand new perspective. Now all I want to do is throw down in the gym during the day, and throw down with Sadie every goddamn night.
I've just finished up with my cardio, sliding off the treadmill when Jax walks up to me.
"Hey, little bro," he says with a smirk, trying to nail me with his fists as he bounces around me. "How was the prom? Every bit the fairy tale you thought it'd be?"
"Yeah, asshole. And if it wasn't for you, it would've been my second instead of my first prom," I counter, dodging his punches and trying to land my own.
His circling comes to a sudden stop. "Do you really blame me for that shit? I tried to talk you into staying here, but you refused."
"I know," I admit. “You did.”
"You wanna take me on in the cage?" he asks.
"Hell yes. You're getting sloppy, old man."
Once our hands are wrapped, we warm up and put on a pair of gloves, then we're set. A few of the other guys gather around the octagon to watch my brother kick my ass.
Pussies.
Only the heavyweights and I will face him in the cage.
Ronnie, one of the kickboxing coaches, comes in to ref. I'm relieved Coach Briggs isn't in this morning since I'm still not able to look him in the eye after the weekend. There's a five percent chance I knocked up his eighteen-year-old daughter. Fuck I hope I didn't.
Back in the cage we're given the signal to fight, so Jax and I start trying a few swings, testing each other. I bob and weave, escaping his attempted crosses and jabs. Knowing he won't be expecting it, I execute a perfect spinning back kick landing it on the center of his chest, throwing Jax off balance and into the cage. Shooting in while he's off balance, I grab him around the knees and yank, taking his ass down to the canvas.
Jax wins fights with his fists, so my only chance to beat him is on the ground. He tries to buck me off and reverse our positions but I get him in a leg lock, twisting and pulling back on the limb, contorting his body in an unnatural angle even for a flexible fighter. He has no choice but to tap out.
I instantly let him go when I feel the quick, consecutive pats of his palm on my leg then jump back up to my feet in celebration. I've never been able to make my world record holding, league legend brother tap out. No one else has ever beat him either. Hell I'm not even tired! I feel like I could take on every motherfucker in the place. At the same time.
"Holy shit," Jax mutters, still kneeling on the ground. "You actually beat me."
"Damn right. I told you, you're getting old and sloppy."
"No one's ever made me submit." Rising to his feet, Jax shakes his leg out, still watching me curiously with a crinkled brow before he starts snickering.
"What the hell are you laughing at, loser?" I taunt him.
"You finally got laid!"
I freeze, wondering how the hell he knew. Page? "Shut up, Jax."
"That's it, isn't it?" He throws his head back and chuckles.
"Jax, I'm serious. Shut. The fuck. Up," I warn him.
"Who the hell..." he starts then looks toward the hallway that leads to Coach Brigg's office before he curses. "No, Jude. You didn't! She's just a baby, even in that slutty dress-"
I haul my fist back and hit him with a cross, landing it right on his jaw to make him shut his mouth. His eyes widen in surprise when he stumbles backwards.
"What the fuck!" He comes at me swinging, and whereas most of the time we try to go relatively easy on each other in the gym when we face off, this is a real deal, no holds barred brutal fight.
And what do you know, after we trade so many punches, kicks, elbows, and knees that I lose count, I somehow end up beating Jax again on the ground, this time with a rear naked choke hold. When he finally taps out on my arm around his neck I let him go and collapse onto the canvas next to him.
"This conversation...isn't over," he says between pants. "My place...tonight."
"Fine," I agree since this isn't the place for it to go down. "But don't be surprised...if I beat the shit out of you...again."
"I'd like to see you try."
When I'm able to stagger to my feet I go visit one of our trainers who gives me some ice to put on my already swollen eye and jaw, surprised I haven't lost any teeth. After a few more hours of lifting, I take a quick shower and head over to Jax and Page's house. When Xavier was born, Jax bought a nice, big house in our old neighborhood with more space than his or Page's apartment, and with a fenced in backyard for Xavier and their new puppy to play in.
"Hey, Jude," Page says when she opens the door holding their Siberian Husky. She winces when she examines my swollen facial wounds. "For the first time since we've been together, Jax's gorgeous face looks like he's been in a fight. Go easier on him next time."
I nod my agreement when I reach out to scratch the fluffy dog's head, but have to admit that I'm still glad I've done more damage to Jax for once.
"I swear I didn't tell him," she says softly to me when we walk to the living room.
"I know."
I find my nephew and give him a plane ride around the house, chasing Boo while we wait for the food to finish cooking. Xavier named the little dog using a word from his limited vocabulary. It was either Boo or Poo, so Page deemed it the former. The whole time we play Jax just sits with his arms crossed over this chest, jaw clenched, stewing in his recliner, refusing to speak to me.
"All right, guys, dinner's ready," Page calls out, so I put Xavier in his high chair before fixing a plate of grilled chicken and vegetables.
"So, Jax, didn't you want to apologize to Jude?" Page asks him when we're almost finished eating.
"No."
"Jax!" she exclaims, then turns to me. "He's just pissed because I took your side on this instead of his."
"Go ahead, get it out of your system," I tell him. "What's your problem, Jax?"
"She's really young-"
I cringe because his words are meant to imply that I've made the same mistake as our mother. "She's eighteen!" I yell. The little guy jumped after I raised my voice so I reach over to ruffle his tiny jet black faux hawk. "Sorry, X man”
"Three or four years is not that big of an age difference. Elliot was seven years older than me," Page says, making Jax growl at the mention of her ex-fiancé.
"That's not helping," he mutters with a clenched jaw. "And she's Coach’s daughter. He'd kill you-"
"That's why you better keep your mouth shut," I warn him. "Remember that time you were screwing your attorney and you yelled at me to keep it a secret? Well, now it's your turn."
That's how Page and Jax had ended up together. She had represented him during his falsely accused rape trial.
"I won't say anything, but you need to tell him the truth," Jax replies.
"No."
"Honestly, Jax, you should be happy for your brother," Page tells him. "He finally found a girl to give his innocence, too."
"He shouldn't have taken hers," he mutters.
"I didn't, not that it's any of your business."
"Oh," he says, blinking in surprise. "Well, that does makes me feel better."
"She's not a little girl. I know what you think about her, because it's the same thing I thought until Saturday night."
"Is she leaving for college in August?" Page asks me.
"I don't know. Probably." And fuck if that doesn't blow.
"What happens then?" she asks.
I shrug. "I don't know."
"I just don't want you to get hurt," she says with a half-smile.
"You're afraid an eighteen-year-old girl will break his heart?" Jax laughs.
Page throws a roll at him across the table, nearly hitting him in the face. Xavier giggles then starts throwing pieces of his food at all of us. The puppy dances around his highchair, making out like a bandit from the dropped shrapnel.
"Nice, Page. Like he needed any help being messier," Jax grumbles.
"Lighten up, grouch. I think you're just mad that Jude beat you today."
"Twice," I add with a smile.
"He lucked up."
"Both times?” I ask. “Bullshit."
"Jude is a man now, honey-" Page starts.
"Hey!" I scoff indignantly.
"Maybe that's it," Jax agrees with a shrug. "I know I fight better after a few good fu-"
"Language," Page interrupts.
"Really?" I ask in all seriousness.
"Yeah," he answers. "You always said women were a distraction, but for me I need to blow my load-"
"Jax!" Page exclaims, laughing as she grabs up Xavier and takes him to the bathroom to clean him up.
"It improves my reflexes. I react quicker without thinking about the next move."
"So you're saying I've lost fights because I've been...wound too tight?"
"Fighting and fucking are both about instincts. Primal urges men do without thinking. Maybe it's like this, after we fuck a woman, the fight on a subconscious level isn't just about us anymore but it's about providing protection. Fighting for someone other than ourselves is a better motivator to kick someone else's ass."
