Banging Reaper (Pounding Hearts 1)

As I walk out of the cage, I look to where my Raven is sitting. Her eyes are swollen and her cheeks are sticky from tears. She laces her hand fingers together under her chin with a look of relief on her face. Marching over to her, I stick out my hand.

The crowd is clapping and cheering now. I don’t know if it’s because I am retiring or simply because they don’t know how else to react.

Avery takes my hand and I pull her to the barrier. I stick my hands under her arms and lift her up and over it. I don't let go though, I swing her into a threshold carry and march out of the arena with her in my arms.

I lean down and whisper into her ear. “I am done waiting. You’re mine now, I don't care about anything else. I want you as mine forever.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Avery

It’s been so long since I’ve been near Chase I can’t stop touching him.

After carrying me through the cheering crowd, we’re back in his room. He’s getting checked out by the doctor. It’s the same doctor that checked out my head after I was shoved into the wall by Ethan. She seems to be a bit upset that there’s something wrong with Chase’s ribs. She wants him to go to the hospital for some x-rays. In the meantime, he tosses back some Tylenol and has words with his trainer while his minor cuts and scrapes are tended to.

I stick close to Chase.

I touch his arm when I can, and when I can’t, I place the tips of my fingers softly against his back. He seems to like having me near, making sure I’m always sitting right beside him. There’s a new heat in his eyes when he looks at me and he looks at me a lot, even when someone else wants his attention.

When his face isn’t turned towards me, I feel like he’s watching me out of the corners of his eyes. Perhaps he’s afraid I’ll run away? Or perhaps he wants me to try to so he can prove his point.

When he carried me out, he told me he’s done waiting for me and he wants me to be his forever. I squirm anxiously, waiting for everyone to leave. We need to talk. I need to know what forever means.

The fight was brutal. He looks way worse this time than after the last one. I don’t like the way he’s breathing in short, shallow breaths. I’m worried for him. After everyone is done and he’s ready to leave, instead of talking, I decide it would be better if I drove him to the hospital. He seems so tired, right now it’s just enough being with him.

The hospital confirms that Chase has fractured some ribs. There’s not much they can do for it, apparently they don’t even bandage them because it can cause complications. He’s given instructions to take it easy for a few weeks and to use Tylenol for the pain. Now that I don’t have a job, I plan to devote all my time to taking care of him until he’s better. Now that he’s retired, I wonder what he’ll do instead of training.

When we leave, I’m pretty damn confused after he tells me to drive us to my apartment.

“Are we staying at my place tonight?” I ask as I pull out of the parking lot and make the turn for Elm.

“Gods, no,” Chase says as he shifts uncomfortably in his seat. I can only imagine how much his ribs must hurt as the Impala seems to rattle and bump with every dip and crack in the road. “I hate your place.”

I don’t exactly love my place either so I don’t take it personal.

“Then why are we going there?” I ask, so not getting it.

I glance over at him and he grimaces, “I want to get this part over with.”

What the fuck? Did he change his mind? Is he having second thoughts? Does he now realize he’s too good for me and I don’t deserve him?

I don’t even know what to think, my mind is a jumbled, emotional mess. All I know is if I start crying now, I’m going to wreck this big noisy muscle car into something. So I try hard to keep it together. I press my lips in a tight line and bite the panic back.

When I pull into my parking lot, I slam the car into park and jump out.

“Grab all the stuff you want to keep and leave the rest,” Chase grunts as he climbs out of the car. “I’ll get Sebastian.”

“What? Why?” I ask, turning on him.

He

quickly walks up to me, grabs me by the face and plants a kiss on my lips. “Because you’re moving in with me. Do you got a problem with that?”

I blink at him as it sinks in and slowly shake my head. I don’t have a problem with it. All I feel is relief.

“Good,” he smirks and let’s go of my face only to give me a little slap on the butt. “Get to it. I’m ready to go home.”

As soon as I unlock the door to my apartment, Sebastian is there meowing. Chase feeds him as I gather up my things.