by Zoey Thames
Both wolves padded to their respective corners. She sagged back in her seat, folding her arms across her stomach. There were so many butterflies trapped inside her that she was surprised she wasn’t floating away.
The men shifted back into human form. She winced at the bite marks and scratches on each of their perfect bodies and at the red blood. They were breathing hard, covered in sweat. She chewed her lip, wishing this was over. Just a distant bad memory. In her mind, they were all on a beach somewhere tropical. Sunbathing naked. With fancy alcoholic drinks in their hands. Cold drinks. With little pink umbrellas.
But she wasn’t so lucky.
Both men pulled on their boxer shorts again but left their dress shirts, suit coats and trousers off. Then they faced each other in fighting stances.
The bell sounded again. Her breath caught in her throat once more.
Jackson and Aaron moved on one another. Jackson sent a kick at Aaron’s head. Aaron blocked it easily. He lunged forward, punching at Jackson’s chest. Jackson turned the blow aside. Then came a blur of punches and kicks and blocks. Aaron landed a hit to Jackson’s head that sent him reeling back. A sob escaped her lips before she could control it.
But Jackson recovered quickly, launching a side kick into Aaron’s stomach that doubled him over with a cough of air being driven from his lungs.
Michelle couldn’t take this any longer. She simply could not take it. Anger flared to life in her mind. She couldn’t think of anything but stopping this madness. She pushed herself to her feet, her knees wobbly. But after that first step, getting herself moving, it was easier. Each step was easier until she was running.
She made it up the steps at the corner of the ring and stopped at the ropes. She could hear voices raised in alarm behind her and she ignored them. Jackson and Aaron continued to fight, striking and blocking, attacking and retreating. Neither of them noticed her.
“Stop! Please!” she yelled at them.
They didn’t even seem to hear her. They were locked in their own worlds, completely focused on the fight. This stupid fight for dominance and a meaningless victory.
Damn them!
Tears were streaming down her cheeks, making her world look all water-blurred. There were running footsteps closing in from behind her. She didn’t look around. She knew their security goons were racing toward her like guided missiles. Instead of letting them catch her, she ducked down and slipped between the ropes of the ring and ran at the two men.
Still, neither of them seemed to notice her.
That was the final straw.
She kicked Aaron in the knee with her black leather dress shoe.
“Dammit!” Aaron yelled in surprise and pain. He gaped at her as if she were some weird alien that had beamed down out of nowhere. She realized she was acting crazy but she didn’t care. Before reality could reassert itself or she lost her nerve, she spun and kicked Jackson in the shin. As hard as she could.
“Woman!” Jackson snarled, staggering back, lifting his leg so he could hold his shin where she’d got him good. “You are mad!”
“Damn right, I’m mad! Look at you!” She waved her hand around in a jerking, erratic motion. “Look at this! This is what Crazytown looks like.”
All three of them were panting hard. The two men looked as if they’d just run a marathon, streaming sweat, covered in bites and bruises. She felt as if she’d doggie paddled the East River in a storm. She was practically ready to fall over, but her anger wouldn’t let her.
No one said a thing. She knew the security goons were all around the ring, surrounding them. She knew the council members and the scattering of other spectators were all staring at them. But she didn’t care. She was only focused on these two men.
“You love each other,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion. “I saw it in that kiss. I wish someone would kiss me like that. Once. Just once in my life. And you have it.” Her voice rose to a scream of rage. “You have it, and here you are hurting each other! Well, damn you if you think anything’s more important than love. And damn you for your pride. And damn you for making me see this.”
The tears were flowing freely now. Her body was trembling uncontrollably.
Both men stared at her, absolutely silent. She couldn’t read what was going on in their minds. She couldn’t tell from their expressions. The world was just a tear-blurred mess.
Finally, Jackson stepped toward her. His eyes were the purest blue she’d ever seen. So big. So intense. She was so exhausted by her own anger that she didn’t even bother to try and move away as he approached. But he gently put one hand on her hip, slid one around the back of her neck, cradling her head, and he slowly bent to kiss her.
The kiss she had wanted.
At first she was so shocked that she didn’t react. Her thoughts were reeling, even as her emotions soared. Then she melted into him. Giving in to the kiss. He kissed her with the same intensity as he’d looked at her. As if he poured every ounce of his passion and soul into the connection as he claimed her lips.
When he finally broke the kiss, they were both breathing fast. Her mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts and hopes. She didn’t have any words.
Jackson looked into her eyes, then he looked at Aaron who was standing close beside them, watching their kiss with what she could only describe as happiness in his eyes. Then Jackson said, “I submit.”
For a moment nothing moved. There was no sound.
Aaron spoke, his voice raspy. “No. I submit.”
The two men faced one another, their gazes so intense they could spark a fire.
She stepped between them, putting her hands on her hips. “Don’t even start with this again. Fighting over who submits first. Do you even realize what being with you two is like? It challenges my sanity!”
They both looked at her. She saw smiles spread on both Aaron and Jackson’s faces. Smiles that turned to grins. Grins that turned to laughter.
She threw up her hands in complete exasperation. “Wolves!”
And now they were all laughing along with Aaron and Jackson. The security guards. The council members. Everyone but her.
This was Crazytown indeed.
CHAPTER TEN
The shower’s hot water stream felt divine on Aaron’s skin. He leaned against the tiles, allowing the spray to wash off the stink of sweat and adrenaline. The heat worked its way into his tired muscles.
He ached from half a dozen bruises, bites, and claw-scratches. Oh, and a kick to the knee, he thought with a smirk.
But even as his body began to relax after the work of shifting and the stress of fighting, his thoughts remained in chaos. He could hardly believe everything that had happened. He wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t been there and on the receiving end. First, Michelle fearlessly charging into the middle of the fight and breaking it up with a couple of well-placed and enthusiastic kicks. And then, even more surprising, was Jackson ending the challenge, choosing to submit. If anyone had asked, Aaron would’ve sworn Jackson didn’t have it in him to submit.
He’d been proven wrong.
And that wasn’t all. The kiss between Jackson and Michelle had left everyone there stunned, him most of all. It had been hot-as-hell, too, seeing the two of them lost in each other for that intense moment. More than enough to stir his cock and lift his heart. Then and now.
He finished rinsing off before his needy cock came fully to attention and demanded some satisfaction. Down, tiger. He grabbed a towel with a groan and began drying off as he headed from the showers into the changing area. He had no idea what would happen going forward. Everything had changed, so now what would he—?
He never finished the thought. As he entered the main locker area, Jackson was there waiting for him. He still only wore his boxer shorts. He stood near one of the benches. There were bruises and cuts on him as well. Each one made Aaron want to flinch and wince. He’d been the cause of those. Of that pain.
Aaron froze, watching the other man and trying to think of
what to say. A joke? A curse? Everything seemed to loom so big between them that words all felt cheap and shallow.
Jackson didn’t say a thing. He only took a first aid kit from where it sat on a nearby bench and walked to him. Jackson’s eyes, that cool, striking blue that Aaron had always loved, watched him intently as he stopped in front of him. The heat from the other man washed against Aaron. Jackson reached out and trailed his fingers across one of the bruises on Aaron’s chest. One of Jackson’s kicks had caught him there good.
The touch set off little electric thrills throughout Aaron’s body. A gasp slipped from between his lips. Jackson raised his gaze from where his fingers were touching Aaron’s chest to lock eyes with him. Such beautiful eyes. Aaron had always loved them.
Slowly, and with the care of a surgeon, Jackson began to tend the claw and bite marks on Aaron’s body. Aaron’s cock began to tent his towel. Even the sharp sting of disinfectant didn’t cool his building lust. It was all he could do not to groan and let his eyes flicker closed to lose himself in the sensations.
After Jackson finished, Aaron reached for the first aid kit to return the favor. Instead, Jackson casually tossed the kit over the lockers. Aaron gaped at the man, but before he could speak, Jackson slipped his arms around him, one hand burying itself in the short hair at the nape of Aaron’s neck. He fisted his hand, drawing Aaron’s head back. Then Jackson kissed him.
The kiss burned with passion; it held the same intensity as their earlier battle in the ring. Jackson thrust his tongue past Aaron’s lips. Aaron fought back, bringing his own tongue into play, deepening the kiss. He was rewarded with a low moan from Jackson. His heart lifted at the sound.
They finally broke the kiss. Now Jackson’s cock was standing out, proud and long, straining against the constraints of his boxer shorts. Aaron was just as hard. So hard he ached. The need coiled deep in his balls.
Jackson reached down and pulled apart the towel around Aaron’s waist. He let it fall to the floor. Aaron’s cock bobbed there, standing up at an angle as if desperate to feel the touch of Jackson’s hand or mouth or the sensation of thrusting inside him.
Grinning, Jackson gave a growly little chuckle as he reached out and circled Aaron’s cock with his thumb and forefinger and began to teasingly stroke him. The sensation had Aaron gasping. Lightning bolts of pure bliss shot through him from cock to brain, scattering his thoughts completely. All he could think of was how he didn’t want the pleasure to ever end.
Jackson pressed his advantage, drawing his hand up around Aaron’s glans, tracing a fingertip across his slit, drawing the precum forming there back down the shaft of his cock.
Too good. Too soon. If Jackson kept this up, Aaron knew he’d be coming in seconds. And he didn’t want this to end anytime soon. He hadn’t even started in on Jackson yet. Gently, he caught the other man’s hand and opened his mouth to warn Jackson that if he kept that up, Aaron was going to shoot off across the lockers. Before he could form the words, Jackson seemed to read his intentions. He withdrew his hand from Aaron’s cock and slid it up his abdomen, to his chest, stroking a nipple, and captured Aaron’s mouth in another of those dizzying kisses.
They stood like that, pressed together, hard chest to hard chest, hard cock to hard cock, lost in their deep kisses. Time seemed to stretch and become one long instant of bliss. But then Jackson broke the kiss, and as Aaron’s eyes fluttered open, he felt the cool touch of a condom being rolled down his cock and lube generously spread across the thin sheath as Jackson coated him. Finished, Jackson handed him the lube then turned to face the lockers. He spread his legs, giving Aaron a wicked look over his shoulder, and braced himself with his arms.
Aaron didn’t need to be told twice. He carefully lubed Jackson up, gently working the lubricant all around the other man’s entrance and then pushing his finger carefully inside. Jackson grunted, then groaned. Aaron slowed, making his motions rhythmic, letting the other man get used to him.
When Jackson looked back at him again, his eyes were full of heat, full of need, with none of that ice Aaron had seen earlier. Aaron understood what his mate wanted without needing words. He wanted it too. Needed it.
Slowly, he eased his cock into the other man. He sank all the way to his balls, but doing so gradually, allowing Jackson’s body to adjust to his size.
“Fuck, that’s good,” Jackson groaned. It was the first thing he’d said since coming into the locker room.
Aaron didn’t need any more encouragement. He began to pump into his wolf mate, their flesh slapping as he drove home. His pace was restrained at first, but soon they were both panting. Soon his body was demanding more, harder, faster. He was reaching that height quickly. It had been so long since he’d had this. He’d bitterly missed this. He had missed Jackson. His mate. His lover.
There was no holding back, no matter how much he wanted the experience to last forever. He came hard, all his muscles tensing, pleasure roaring through him like an explosion.
“Jackson…” he gasped out as he emptied himself. Jackson was shuddering beneath him, trembling as if he’d run a marathon.
Aaron reached around Jackson and found him still hard, his cock jutting out, aching for attention. He began a series of slow pumps with his cock as he also began to stroke Jackson’s dick. He kept his thrusts even, measured, hitting that spot within his lover while his hand stroked faster, working his cock mercilessly.
“Fuck!” Jackson shouted, all his muscles going rigid as he came. His cum shot out and painted the locker doors in long, thick ropes. Aaron loved how Jackson always swore when he came. It had always played into Aaron’s fantasies of the man.
They stayed locked together for a long time, coming down from the heights of their ecstasy together. Finally, Aaron withdrew from his lover, regretting the loss of their connection.
Jackson turned to face him. Naked. Flushed with pleasure. He seemed younger than Aaron remembered. Unsure of himself. Aaron immediately felt the need to protect him, to stand beside him. To let him know that everything would be all right, no matter what.
Jackson spoke first, looking him straight in the eye. “I’m sorry. So sorry for things ever getting to the point where we were facing off against each other. Fighting each other. That never should have happened. I’m sorry I left you.”
There were a thousand things he could’ve said in reply. Blame. Curses. Excuses. None of them mattered. All he said was, “I forgive you.” He gave his lover and mate a tight-lipped smile. “If you’ll forgive me, my friend.”
Jackson’s eyebrows shot up and he looked almost wary. “There’s nothing to forgive.”
“No. You don’t let me off that easy. I could’ve called you. I could’ve listened when you wanted to branch out to the West Coast. Hell, you proved me wrong a thousand times over. But I was too damn prideful, too busy feeling betrayed to swallow my pride and come back to you.”
“Because with us, the business was more important than our love.” Jackson said it with bitter regret.
“We were fools, weren’t we?” He sighed, his body feeling more relaxed than it had in months, despite all that had happened tonight. The aches had faded to a dull roar after their fucking. All those things that had seemed so damn important just this morning now struck him as worthless. How had he ever let his damn alpha-pride stubbornness drive him away from this man?
It had been one of the biggest mistakes of his life.
He wasn’t about to make another mistake like that. Ever again. Not with Jackson. Not with Michelle.
Jackson was watching him again as he slowly pulled on his now-wrinkled shirt and began doing up the buttons. “You’re thinking about her.”
“I saw that kiss between you both,” Aaron said quietly. “Tell me the truth. Your wolf wants her.”
Jackson laughed and shook his head as if amazed. “Wolf? I want her. Like you cannot even believe. That woman…she ran into the ring and kicked me in the damn shin.”
A grin spread on Aaron’s face. “S
he damn near crippled me with that kick to my knee.”
“How could we let a woman like that out of our lives?”
He shrugged. “We may not have a choice in the matter. We essentially brought her here against her will. Well, I tried to smooth things over with money, but I don’t think her heart can be bought.”
Jackson’s eyebrows shot up again. “I should’ve figured. You were always great at negotiations. Except with me.”
Aaron elbowed him good-naturedly in the side. “I could never stop thinking with my cock around you. It’s the same with her, but this time I’m on the hunt for her. Maybe that’s a bad way to phrase it. But I’ve been falling for her hard since she barged in on us.”
“That kiss,” Jackson said, shaking his head again. “I thought I had a handle on all my feelings. I thought I’d cut them all loose. Or buried them. Not even close.”
“Same here. But you have the advantage. You’ve kissed her. I think you shocked everyone in the amphitheater with that one.”
“Including myself. I wasn’t even in control of myself. She was so angry. So beautiful. And she cared so much. I could see it in her eyes. Those tears just about killed me.”
“Me too,” Aaron replied softly. He would never forget that moment. Turning to see Michelle standing in the ring with them, so angry, so broken-hearted. It had hit him like a slap. Hard enough to bring him to his senses. “I think we need to find her. We have a lot to explain to her. A lot to make up to her.”
“You’re right.” Jackson paused as if a horrible idea just popped into his head. “What if she’s already left? On her own. Because of this. We could’ve blown our only chance.”
Cold fear shot through him at the possibility, even though his rational brain was certain that wasn’t the case. True, she hadn’t been happy. The fact that she’d actually stopped the fight had seemed to stun her. Jackson’s kiss might have stunned her even more. But yes, she had been about as furious as a wet cat. He would’ve said it was adorable, but he would never have said it to her face, for fear she’d kick him in the knee again. Or maybe somewhere even more sensitive.
