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She felt his thumbs brushing over the tops of her hands. Her eyes moved over his grinning face and somehow, like it always did, his teasing humor calmed her fears.
He dipped his head to hers, his eyes looking reassuringly into hers. “I got this, Princess.”
Reaching up, she slid her hand up his cheeks and pulled his face down, her mouth taking his. They kissed long and deep until Cole finally nudged him. Crash broke from the kiss, twisting his head to look back. Cole tapped his wrist, indicating time. Crash’s head swiveled back to Shannon. She pulled his head down and brushed his lips again and said, “Win.”
He smiled and winked at her, and then moved off with Cole.
“Damn, girl,” Angel broke the spell. “I thought you were both going to simultaneously combust that was so hot.”
Fifteen minutes later, Green and Crash climbed into the cage. Both men were wearing small open fingered gloves. Staying true to his heritage, Green was in long shamrock-green satin boxing trunks. Crash was in a pair of black compression shorts that hugged his ass and leg almost to his knee. Shannon had to admit they made his slim hips and ass look great, but her eyes kept straying to all that bare, muscled chest, shoulders and arms. He really was quite a sight. The tribal tattoo scrolling down his rib cage perfectly framed the cut of his abs from the narrow width of his hips to the broad span of his shoulders. She wanted to run her hands over his lean, hard-muscled body.
Rusty called them both to the center, where he had them touch gloves, and then back apart. Then he blew the whistle, and the clock started. Shannon studied the two men as they circled each other, bouncing on their feet and jabbing at each other. Green was shorter and stockier, his thighs thicker and his shoulders powerful, but Crash had the height and therefore the reach advantage, with both his arms and legs.
He nailed Green with a kick to the head that had him staggering for a moment, and before he regrouped, Crash hit him with a right hook, followed by a knee to the ribs.
They circled each other like two predators. Shannon wanted to look away, but she couldn’t take her eyes off them. The fear began to return. God, she didn’t want anything to happen to Crash. Could she actually stand here and watch him receive blow after blow. She didn’t know how Crystal had managed to watch Wolf fight. It was so nerve-racking, but the girls were surrounding her, giving her support and showing her that they were there for her.
“It’ll be over soon,” Angel whispered, sensing her tension.
“What if he gets hurt?” She watched Crash. The look in his eyes was focused entirely on Green. It was a look that said he was determined, focused on one sole purpose, putting his opponent on the ground and making sure he stayed there. The scariest thing of all was…Green looked just as determined to win as Crash did.
The two men moved in and grappled with each other, slamming into the walls of the cage. Green threw his powerful shoulders into Crash, pushing him up and back. Crash hooked Green’s leg and Green stumbled, but regained his footing quickly.
Crash’s body shone with a sheen of sweat, as he hit Green with a fist to the face and brought his knee up into Green’s ribs. Green retaliated with a series of blows to Crash’s midsection.
The pummeling went on, back and forth. Shannon had to stand there and watch it, her eyes continually going to the digital clock ticking down the seconds. Oh, God. This was only the first round, and she was going to have to struggle through two more of these. She didn’t know if she could bear it.
Mack strolled over to where Cole stood watching the fight. His eyes slid to Shannon standing off with the women, and he said to Cole, “You need to stop bringing in every little lost good girl you find.”
Cole’s eyes cut to Mack. “You got in my personal life once before. I gave you a pass on that when I shouldn’t have. You get in my business again, it’ll be you and me in that cage, ‘ol man.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Besides, what’s your problem? It worked out fine for me and Angel. You don’t always know best.”
“Ain’t worried about you.”
“Crash is fine. He’s got Shannon well in hand. What are you worried about?”
“We got a lot of shit goin’ down right now. Shit that doesn’t need to get fucked. And I don’t need her problems comin’ round to bite us in the ass.”
Cole blew out a breath and went back to watching the fight.
Red Dog sidled up to Shannon. Hooking his arm around her neck, he pulled her close and leaned to her ear. “Have a little faith in your man, there, darlin’. He’s got this.”
She twisted her head to look up at him. “I don’t want him to get hurt.”
“Crash got his name by throwing motherfuckers through plate glass windows. He’ll get Green. He’ll get him to the mat, and when he does, the fight’s gonna be over.”
She nodded, wanting to believe him, wanting this fight to be over. Her eyes returned to the fight. It was somehow terrifying and thrilling all at the same time. It was electrifying, gripping and scary-intensity all wrapped up in male testosterone overload. A brute show of strength, force, brawn and power. A battle for dominance.
Suddenly, Crash charged Green, getting a hold of his legs, and driving him up and back, and then down to the mat, where he pinned him to the ground and brought his elbow down into Green’s face twice in quick succession. Blood went everywhere.
Crash was able to get in several more punishing hits to Green’s head before Green broke the hold and was able to scramble to his feet. He staggered, wobbled, swung.
Crash got him against the cage and punched and kneed him in the gut. When Green naturally bent forward in protection, Crash was able to get his arms wrapped around Green’s neck from above, locking it between his bicep and forearm, pulling Green’s neck up with his arm and hip, a move Red Dog whispered in her ear was called the guillotine. Green attempted to break the hold by taking them both to the ground. Crash outmaneuvered Green by wrapping his legs around Green’s body and keeping pressure on the headlock. Green, being stubborn, refused to tap out, and it wasn’t long before the choke hold that Crash had on the carotid artery in Green’s neck had him slipping into unconsciousness. Rusty blew his whistle, and Crash released Green. Getting to his feet, Crash’s arm was jerked skyward by Rusty, declaring him the winner.
The crowd roared. Angel and Crystal were jumping up and down, screaming and cheering. Shannon stood stunned. It was over. He’d done it. Angel grabbed Shannon’s forearms and shook her.
