Break Me

Chainz spits at Brock. “You should watch yourselves, Brock. That spitfire redhead who warms your bed sure would be fun to break.” He taunts my friend and sparring partner with his fight name.

He looks at me as Brock reaches up, latching his hand around his throat. “Heard you wrapped yourself up in a crazy one, Cobra.”

“If you come near either of them, I’ll make sure you never enter a gym or fight again. I’ll fuck you up so badly you won’t make it out of the hospital on your own two legs,” Brock warns, releasing him with marks on his neck just as the door opens and a trainer walks in.

“Problems?” he asks, raising an eyebrow at Chainz.

“Nah, just having a chat,” he answers smartly.

With a shoulder bump, he pushes past us. I see the flare of Brock’s nostrils. As wound up as he is, this should be a damn good session. Chainz crossed a line with me and my man that he shouldn’t have. Brock will make sure he gets the message, too.

Two hours later, I’m sweating, my heart is pounding, my muscles burn, and my face, ribs, and legs all hurt. Brock stood toe-to-toe with me and maintained power on the ground. We were evenly matched in every round.

Cooling down, we walk the gym, trying to get our breathing regulated and hearts to slow out of cardio rate.

“How’s it feel?” he asks, and I raise an eyebrow at him. “Going home to someone who isn’t ready to start a fight every two seconds.”

I sigh. I have been so in the moment I didn’t stop to let myself think of how it feels. I don’t dread going home anymore.

Home.

I have never given a thought to being at home until now. My entire life has been spent wanting to avoid being at home. First, it was because of my father and then because Missy would spend her days deciding what I did wrong for our nights.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to fight for a while. The quiet and inability to release my stresses physically was going to kill me.

Having never had a normal family life, I guess I never knew what a real relationship should be. Maybe this is the feeling I should have had all along. Though Lo is still far from normal, but we’ll fix that.

“Damn good,” I answer with a smile.

“She’s got some magic in those angel eyes.” He laughs. “You’ve never smiled this much.”

“Fuck off,” I give back to shut him up.

He’s right, though. I have never been this relaxed or happy, which means I better find a way to hold on to it. I also need her to find herself and move beyond what happened to her family. All of this brings me back to needing to know if my father set them up.

She told me she was late that night. If she had been there on time, she wouldn’t be here to be my angel now. There is no doubt in my mind she couldn’t have saved them. She would be just as dead as her family.

Brock and I hit the showers then leave the gym. I feel both exhausted and energized. I’m not already halfway angry going home, something I haven’t felt in so long the feeling is odd to me.

I make my way inside and find Lo cooking in the kitchen.

Going up behind her at the stove, I turn off the burners. She looks at me, but before she can speak, my lips crash down on hers.

“You give me good, Lo. I’m gonna give you the only good I have,” I growl into her ear as I push her pants down.

She steps out of them, holding on to my shoulders for balance. “You okay, Jason?”

I back her to the countertop. “I need you, need to feel you, need to be one with you. I realized some shit today. You’ve gotta know, Lo, that you and me . . . This is it.”

I release my cock from my pants, not bothering with my shirt or hers as I slide into her, holding her up by her ass. I take all her weight easily and rock my hips, rolling to her sweet spot.

“This is home.” I slide back out, then in. “Home,” I growl, and she moans. “Say it,” I command as I drag my cock almost all the way out, teasing her entrance. “Tell me this is home for you.”

She moves her hands from around my neck to cup my face. “This is home,” she whispers with her angel blue eyes locking on to mine as she drops her hips, taking my cock deep inside her. “Home,” she mewls.

I can’t hold back. I pick up my pace, my body breaking out in a new sweat. This may be the biggest mistake of my life, but I can’t be without her.