Perfect Addiction (Perfect 2)

“Point’s holding a fight tonight?” I ask.

Julian gives lazy nod. “The usual. Knockout rounds for the titles are starting in two weeks, so everyone wants to dip their toes in before jumping into the deep end.”

Two weeks? That’s sooner than I thought.

“Who’s fighting tonight?” I can’t stop myself from inquiring.

“Some Murphy guy, I think. And that other dude who’s been turning heads since last year—Kayden Williams.”

“No way.” I breathe. “Kayden’s an underground fighter?”

“Yeah. You remember him, right?” When I shake my head no, his eyebrows rise in confusion. “Come on. Jax went up against him during the finals last season. It was a pretty brutal and long fight. Lasted about twenty minutes, and it took Jax putting Kayden into a rear naked choke to get him to concede.”

As soon as he mentions that, the memories rush back to me. I recall trying to soothe Jax’s nerves right before he went into the cage against Kayden. It was weeks of intense training and preparation leading up to the big fight but he still felt on edge. It was a big deal because Jax rarely ever gets nervous. He can usually predict the outcome of a fight even before it starts, so the fact that Kayden shook him up means that this guy is a real threat.

“He’s one hell of a fighter, though,” Julian explains.

“Apparently, just started getting into all this shit last season.

You rarely ever get to see a rookie make it that far in the finals.”

“That’s quite impressive,” I admit, despite my initial distaste for the guy.

I guess I should have put two and two together when I met Kayden earlier. It makes sense, since he’s extremely athletic looking, his body strong-packed with lean, tough muscle but not bulky or overly defined in a way that a gym enthusiast’s or a bodybuilder’s would be.

There is also a certain kind of rigidness to him, an unyielding sense of determination in his eyes, which makes me wonder what happened during their last fight. Jax tends to leave all of his opponents in much worse shape than they were before they entered the cage, so I’m sure there’s a lot of animosity there.

“Why are you so interested in Kayden, anyway?” Julian asks, the side of his lips tilting into a sneaky side-smirk.

“Unless you’re looking for a side dude? I’m not sure about his sexual history, but hell, you’ve dated Jax. And I assume that these fighters are incredibly freaky and unhinged in bed.”

“First off, I will not confirm nor deny anything,” I tell him with a hint of a knowing smile. “Second of all, I’m not interested in him. Not in that way, anyway. I went over to check out his apartment a few days ago and he was incredibly rude to me.”

“Maybe the world hasn’t been kind to him,” Julian suggests.

“The world hasn’t been kind to me, either, and I’m such a ball of sunshine.”

“Sure, you are,” he says flatly, and I pretend to be unfazed by his sarcasm. “Anyway, I have a feeling this season’s gonna get competitive if Kayden is in the roster.” He pauses for a while before adding, “Jax will probably be joining, too, you know.”

“I know. He’s been training for the past few months. Or that’s what he told me he was doing anyway. Maybe half of those were excuses so he could sneak off to fuck my sister.”

Julian merely blinks back at me, unsure of whether to laugh to diffuse the tension or offer some sympathy. I think I’d rather him do the former. I’m aware that the entire situation is shitty, and I’d rather be snickered at than be pitied.

My thoughts drift back to Kayden. I wonder how he felt after his fight against Jax. It must have been a hard loss to swallow. I understand the feeling of being so close to having everything you ever wanted, only to have it ripped away from you at the last second. Surely he’s looking forward to a rematch this year.

A plan begins to take shape in my mind, and I get so excited I start to jump up and down on the balls of my feet.

“Oh my God. Oh my God.”

Julian gives me a weird stare. “What?”

“Are you going?”

“Nah, I’m done trying to keep up with that shit. It’s exhausting.” He releases a sigh. But his eyebrows lift when he notices the knowing smile on my face. “You’re thinking of going.”

“Of course I am.”

“To see Jax?”

“To see Kayden.”

His dark eyebrows knit in confusion. “I thought you weren’t interested in seeing him again?”

“Well, I’ve got a new plan now.” I tug on the strap of my gym bag and blow him a kiss with my other hand. “See ya.”

“But you just got here—” Julian protests.

“I’m a genius.” I raise both middle fingers and kiss them before lifting them to the air. “A fucking genius!”

I know exactly how to get my revenge on Jax.