I inhaled through my nose and clenched my fists under the wraps. “Damn straight.”
I put in my mouth guard and I followed him out, raising my arms as the crowd cheered around me. I lived for this. I got up into the ring within seconds and looked at the guy in front of me. He was only about three inches taller than I was, with a similar build. This certainly wasn’t the guy that Georgie was using in the underground. Those two had been gigantic, didn’t even look like regular human beings. But this guy? He was beatable.
I looked over my shoulder and saw Leo nodding to me lifting up his right hand to signal that I should open with my right hook. If I was fast enough I could block this guy’s first punch and get him in the side of the face before he even knew what was coming.
I heard the whistle blow, and the crowd around me was drowned out. The only thing I could hear was the beating of my own heart. Just as Leo had anticipated, the guy came at me first and I dodged him, standing back up and landing a right hook directly under his chin. He kicked me in the left side where I had broken those ribs, and I winced under the pain. But it was just pain. I could do this, without the pills. I backed up, giving some space between us and waiting for him to advance. When he finally did, I set off a roundhouse kick that got him right in the head. He was on the ground in a second—I heard the thump of his body hitting the floor. I sat on top of him and gave him a few more good punches in the face as I heard Leo yell, “Get him kid! Show ‘em what you’re made of.”
I landed one more good face shot before the ref pulled me off him. I turned around to look into the crowd and saw Georgie standing with a very unhappy look on his face. His guy was about to get beat, and he knew it.
The whistle blew again, and this time the guy advanced too fast for me to set my hands before he landed a blow to my face. My head was pounding but I kept going. I pushed ahead, putting us into a lock. After the ref separated us, I bounced around the cage a bit trying to figure out my next move. I wanted to look at Leo, but I didn’t want to lose eye contact with my opponent. He would take that opportunity to strike.
But he wasn’t as smart as I was. He looked at Georgie, who made a kicking motion, but I ran at him. A direct punch between his eyes and he was flat on his back, almost out cold. I knew what that meant. I was the victor. The referee held my arm up in the air and the crowd cheered my name. I ran down from the cage and searched the crowd for Berkley, finding her standing right next to Leo, who was clapping with a huge smile on his face. He was always proud of me, and I was lucky for that.
“You won!” She screamed. “Oh my God Dillon, you won!”
I took out my mouth guard and spit out a little extra blood before wrapping my hands around her face and kissing her with all the force I had just had in the cage.
I won the fight.
In the cage, and for her heart.
His Naughty Nurse
A Bad Boy Doctor Romance
By Nicole Elliot
Prologue
My skin burned
from the cigarette.
“Don’t you cry again, you little weasel.” She sneered at me and took a puff of tobacco.
“I’m… I’m not crying.” The truth was I was trying hard not to, but I could feel the tears stinging the backs of my eyes, threatening to betray me.
I wouldn’t let them, I couldn’t.
If I did she’d just hit me again.
That wasn’t going to happen, not tonight.
“I don’t know why your father didn’t make a man out of you. Jesus, he’s as useless as you are, isn’t he?”
“Don’t talk about him like that.” I was going to pay for that comment, I knew it. I should have kept my mouth shut.
Just as she reached out to slap me, I woke up. Sweat dripped from my forehead.
The military, being overseas, should have been the hardest moments of my life. But instead I had nightmares full of burns, pain, and harsh childhood memories.
Fuck my childhood.
And fuck everyone who ever hurt me.
Someday, I would make them wish they didn’t.
CHAPTER 1