“Can’t help how you feel? A twenty-three year old man, can’t help the way he feels around a seventeen-year-old girl? Doesn’t that seem a bit wrong to you?”
Mr Sparks shakes his head and runs his fingers through his already messy hair. “I know it was wrong. It’s why I quit teaching. I didn’t want to cause trouble for your family and I didn’t want to embarrass Meg.”
“Well, you did cause trouble for this family. Couldn’t you have waited until she was eighteen, or at least done with school? If you love her, you can wait. Hell, I waited for Evie for years, and I’m just a kid compared to you.”
I hold my breath for a moment, absorbing what was just said. Did he just say that he loved me – for years? The revelation is confusing, as I’ve been sensing that he’s fighting with his emotions. But if he’s loved me for years, then why doesn’t he just say it? Why does he react the way he does when I say it?
“I understand, Zac. Really, I do. But can we…”
“We can’t anything. All I can think right now is that when I look at you, I want to beat your face in. So get out of my house and if you have any sort of decency, let my sister go and wait until she’s at least old enough to vote.”
“You want to beat my face in?”
“Very much.”
“Well, you’ll get your chance in about a week. That is, if you think you can beat second place.”
“What? You? You’re in second place? You’re Pitt Bull?”
“And you’re The Hammer. Inventive names they come up with, don’t you think?”
Zac rises to his full height and stands a couple of inches above him, looking down on him like he’s an unstoppable god. “Then we make a deal. I win, you fuck off and leave my sister alone.”
Mr Sparks rises up as well, puffing his broad chest and accepting the challenge by saying, “Fine. And if I win, you let this go so Meg and I can be together in peace.”
“Fine.”
“Deal?”
“Deal.”
They shake on it, and I swear I hear at least one or both of them growling. Then it all stops when Meg yells, “You can’t be serious!” and runs out the door. Mr Sparks sprints after her and after a heated exchange in the driveway, I see him tenderly hold Meg’s face, much like Zac holds mine as he whispers something to her that seems to calm her down. Then he kisses her and they get in the car, leaving a furious Zac and me alone.
“Fuck!” he yells, picking up a small statue from the bookshelf then pegging it on the floor where it shatters into unrecognisable pieces.
“Calm down.”
“How? How the fuck am I supposed to calm down when my seventeen year old sister, who I’m responsible for is out there fucking her teacher?”
“Ex-teacher,” I correct, not sure why I’m pointing that out, but feeling that it’s an important piece of this puzzle that shouldn’t be ignored.
“I don’t give a fuck. He shouldn’t be with her. She’s too young for him.”
“Where are you going?” I ask when he spins around and heads for the back door.
“I’m going to the fucking carport to train some more. I need to beat him.”
I follow him out. “Zac, I don’t think this bet is a good idea.”
“Why? You don’t think I can beat him?”
“I do think you can. That’s the problem. Meg is going to blame you forever. How would you feel if someone forced you to give me up?”
He turns and faces me, closing the distance between us and gripping the sides of my head.
“I would never take that bet. And the fact that he just did, proves he doesn’t care about her.”
“Maybe it just proves that he thinks the number two can beat the number four.”
“Well, the joke’s on him. I’m not going to be number four for very long.”
He turns around and begins thumping into the bag, the jolt of it causing the corrugated iron of the carport to vibrate with each thud.
Shaking my head, I turn away, realising that where his family is concerned, I won’t be able to talk any sense into him. He has this intense need to keep them all together and the fact the Meg has left them and broken that bond, has been a huge blow to his ego.
“Where are you going?” he demands, his back to me as he continues his assault on the bag.
“I’m going home, Zac. Call me when you’ve calmed down.”
I turn away again, making my way up the steps and into the back door where the laundry is, but before I make it to the other side, Zac is behind me, grabbing my arm and pulling me to him roughly.
“You said you wouldn’t leave me,” he growls out.
“I’m not leaving you, Zac. I’m giving you time and space to calm down,” I whisper, feeling the tight grip he has on my arm lessen as I speak.
His hand moves up to grip my face again, it’s what he does. It’s how he possesses me. Holds me in place.
“Don’t. Don’t go. I need you here. You’re the only thing that’s keeping me together, Evie. This doesn’t work if you’re not around.”
He presses his mouth to mine, his tongue demanding entrance into my mouth as he kisses me roughly, I whimper slightly, feeling a little confronted by his rough treatment and aggressive need. I feel it coming off him in waves as he plunders my mouth with his tongue, devouring me with such fierce passion that I can hardly breathe.
It’s intoxicating, and I feel my own body react, a surge inside me, wanting him to take me, wanting him to own me.
Reaching down with one hand to grip my arse and squeeze my flesh, he pulls me against him, turning us so I’m forced to step backwards where I hit the washing machine.
I feel his hard cock, straining against me as his hands begin to roam, squeezing, kneading, pinching. I feel the same fervour, reaching around to grip his arse and pull him roughly against me.
He growls in response, the noise reverberating down my throat as his tongue continues to dominate my mouth then his hands move to my sides and pull my shirt up, his fingers dragging over my skin as he lifts it up and off my head. I do the same with him, getting his shirt off quickly as he works the clasp of my bra. A desperation overcomes us as we feel a great need for skin on skin.
Without wasting any time, we both move to push down the other’s pants, kicking our shoes off along with them, our mouths still locking in a kiss as he reaches down and lifts me off the ground, sitting me on top of the washing machine where he pulls my legs either side of him.
“I need you here with me,” he growls, his breathing ragged as he circles his cock at my entrance.
“Why,” I gasp, as he pushes in slightly, stretching my opening with his glorious size. “Tell me why you need me.”
“You know why.” He takes my mouth again and pushes in the whole way, filling me completely as he thrusts back and forth, the force of his thrust causing the washing machine to bang against the wall and tap on the tiled floor.
“Tell me,” I whisper, that emotion that pours from him, spilling into my body from his as he grips my hips, grunting possessively as he thrusts me toward climax.
As it tears through my body, I cry out with his mouth still on mine, and he thrusts inside me once more, gripping me tightly as his body shudders and his cock pulses with a heat the causes me continued pleasure. Then he releases my mouth and drops his head on my shoulder, his chest heaving with his breath as he shakes his head, seemingly conflicted – struggling with his mind and his emotions.
Gently, I slide my hand up his back, feeling the difference between the scars and the skin and I say it again, knowing that he needs to hear it more than I do.
“I love you, Zac,” I whisper, and as usual, his arms wrap around me tightly before he picks me up and carries me to his room, where he makes love to me again, slowly, softly, sensually. It’s as if he’s telling me how he feels without needing the words. But I want the words. I want the words.
Thirty-One
Zac
“What did your dad want to talk to you about earlie
r today?” I ask Evie as I lay beside her in bed. There’s still about an hour before I have to go and get the kids from school. So I’m taking my time and enjoying her being next to me, losing myself in our connection so I can forget all the other shit in the world.
“Oh, he just wanted to ask if Sisley, Lucas and I would take video of the other fights next time you go to the circuit. Then he gave me a big lecture about being careful out there because of all the seedy characters that hang around,” she responds quietly.
“So he’s cool with you coming to watch me fight now?”
“I don’t know that he’s cool about it, but he gets that I’m going to do it anyway. So he’s just accepting something he can’t change, I guess.”
She lies with her back facing me. She’s talking okay but when she responds her voice is a little quieter than normal, and I can tell she’s a bit upset with me.
“Was I too rough with you?” I whisper against her ear as my hand slides around her waist to gently stroke the soft skin of her stomach, brushing the very top of her coarse curls.
She shifts and reaches her arm up to curl around the back of my head, turning so our faces are close and I can look into her eyes.
“No. You weren’t too rough. You were just…intense, and I guess…I don’t know, it shouldn’t matter, it’s silly.” She releases me and turns away so she’s once again showing me her back.
Gently, I grip her shoulder and get her to turn back to me, and I see her eyes are glistening. She’s upset and trying to hide it.
“What? Talk to me,” I whisper, gently pressing my lips to each of her eyelids. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s just…” She hesitates. “Before when you were arguing with Mr Sparks, you said that he should wait for…for love, like you had to wait for me, and…and I keep…” She closes her eyes and shakes her head. “This is silly. It’s fine. We don’t need to do this.”
“Of course we need to do this. If you’re upset I want to know about it. I want all of you, Evie. Every piece of your body. Every piece of your mind. Every part of you. And if you’re asking if what I said means that I love you, yes, I do. I love you so much that it feels like my heart is going to burst out of my chest every time I look at you. And I know I don’t say it back when you say it to me, when you probably want to hear it in that moment. But when those words, those three small words, fall from these beautiful lips.” I run my thumb across her bottom lip as I speak. “It means so much to me that I can’t speak. All I can do is feel, and do my best to show you that I love you far more than words. I love you with my life.”
Her arms wrap around me, her hands in my hair as she holds on and presses her lips against mine, sucking softly as her body shakes with her sobs. “I love you, I love you. I love you,” she whispers, and the words hit me like they do every time. Rolling her to her back, I enter her slowly, moving languidly inside her as she cries and kisses and whispers about her love for me. I bring us both to a slow and powerful climax, and by the end of it, my cheeks are wet too, and I’m not sure if they’re her tears or if they’re mine. All I know is that I love her. More than words can ever say.
***
By the end of the week, I’ve practised all of the new moves that Aaron taught me, and worked with Damien to combine them into something new and unique, training for almost five hours a day to get the new combos right.
The semi-finals are the first fight where the fighters know exactly who it is we’re up against, and what day we’re fighting. It’s always a Friday or Saturday night. But we generally don’t know which one. This time, I know it’s a Saturday so, Damien gave me the Friday off to rest, and now I’ve got a butt load of pent-up energy, and I’m pacing the floor, just waiting for my phone to go off and let me know exactly where and what time this fight is going to be.
“Sit down and try to relax,” Evie urges, catching my hand as I make yet another pass of the living area. But I can’t stay still. I need to keep moving.
I look at her apologetically as I continue to pace and she smiles, showing me that she understands and releases me.
She’s waiting on the couch with Sisley and Lucas, while Nikki and Jason sit at kitchen table. All of them are probably getting dizzy from my movement. The kids are all in bed asleep and Nikki is here to watch over them while I’m out.
“Do you think Meg is going to be there?” she asks, leaning on her hand, her voice sounding bored as she watches me pace.
“Probably. Fucking Hugo Sparks is fighting me so…” I raise my hands and let them drop and slap against my side.
“She’ll be there,” Nikki says. “What do you think she’s going to do when you beat him?”
“Leave him, hopefully,” I state, not understanding why we’re even having this conversation.
“Don’t you think she’s going to lose her shit and blame you?”
I stop pacing for a moment and place my hands on my hips, turning to face Nikki. “Honestly, I don’t give a fuck if she hates me forever for it. I know this is the right thing to do. I am not going to let her ruin her life over some guy who is way too old to be dating a seventeen-year-old. He should know better and she’s supposed to be smart enough to see that this is all wrong. But since she’s too stubborn to do it for herself, it’s my job to watch out for her.”
“Well, it is until she’s eighteen in a few months. You can’t really stop her then,” Jason puts in.
“He can barely stop her now,” Nikki adds.
“Yeah. You’re both right. I’m trying to do right and it’s fucking hard. When she’s eighteen, yeah, she can go out and do whatever the fuck she wants, but right now she’s my responsibility, and I’m not giving up on her.”
“The way I see it, if he loved her so much he wouldn’t have made the stupid bet in the first place,” Lucas says, his arm placed around a nodding Sisley.
“I agree. If Lucas ever made some sort of a bet on our relationship, I’d be livid.”
“Sure. But he probably thought he could win. He’s ranked number two and Zac is number four. He properly thinks winning is a sure thing,” Evie adds.
“Can we drop this, please?” I ask the room. “No matter what, I need to win this. Otherwise I’m going to be stuck doing the same thing all over again next season and God only knows what Nelson is going to make me do in the time between. So please, can you just let me pace the fucking floor and wait for my phone to beep?”
As if answering my prayers, my phone vibrates then chirps in my hand.
“We’re at the speedway. Starts in one hour.”
Everyone jumps up together. “Shit,” Jason says. “We’d better bloody go.”
“Good luck,” Nikki says, giving me a quick hug. “Go and get our Meg back. We’ll all work together to make things alright again.”
“Thanks, Nikki,” I tell her, hugging her back, then taking a hold of Evie’s hand and following everyone out to pile into the van. Jason is the one driving. I’m too fucking nervous to be trusted on the road.
“You’re going to do this,” Evie whispers. “I’ll be right there with you, all the way.”
I wrap my arms around her and bury my face in her hair, breathing her in, her scent giving me comfort. “More than words,” I murmur.
Squeezing me back, she whispers, “I love you too.”
Thirty-Two
Evie
Standing with Sisley and Lucas, my heart beats nervously for the outcome of this fight. I want Zac to win. He has to win. But, I also worry about the state of his relationship with Meg. If he wins this, and Sparks follows through with his side of the bet, then Meg is going to be devastated and she’s going to hate Zac. No matter what the outcome, Zac is getting hurt.
The crowd cheers around us as the announcer enters the cage, eager to get this night started. But I take a deep breath, swallowing my nerves so that when Zac comes out, he sees me being strong for him.
“Welcome to the first match of the semi-finals! Tonight, you’ll watch our final four fighter
s duke it out for a place in the final fight next month for their chance to win the pot of gold at the end of this motherfucking bloody rainbow!” He lifts his hand and the crowd whoops and hollers, screaming out the name of their preferred fighter. “Who’s ready to see some blood?” Again, the crowd roars, their whistling reaching a feverish pitch as many of them stomp their feet and kick up the dust on the road, filling the air with its smell as it floats about us and obscures our vision.
“Then let’s get started! On one side of the cage, we have our current number two and favourite for this match, Pitbull!” More cheering as Sparks enters and moves over to his side of the cage on my left. He keeps his head down, as a man on the outside of the cage gives him instructions, and he nods about each one as he slides a mouthguard over his teeth and hits his fists together.
I glance around the outside of the cage, expecting to see Meg somewhere. But I don’t spot her at all, and I don’t see Sparks looking at anyone else besides Zac who is currently standing at the entrance with Jason, awaiting his announcement.
“And on the other side, a new face on the circuit and one of our youngest fighters. Currently ranked number four with a fist made of iron, we have The Hammer!” I cup my hands around my mouth and cheer along this time, loving the sight of Zac as he strides into the cage and turns in a circle with his arms out to acknowledge the crowd.
“I can’t hear you!” he yells, cupping his hand to his ear. The crowd hollers and stamps, the whistling growing to epic proportions as he lifts his arms up and down to encourage them.
Biting my lip, I grin at him, feeling so proud of how hard he’s worked to get where he is. An underdog at the start, he fought with such conviction that the crowd has been quietly rooting for him along the way and becoming staunch supporters as his skills have developed over the months and he’s become a firm spectator favourite. It seems they love to watch him move. And I can’t say I blame them, with his height, and his lean physique, his piercing blue eyes, and the way his brown hair falls in damp sexy strings over his eye as he dominates his opponent, I can’t quite stop watching him either.
Drawn to Fight: Zac & Evie Page 18
