AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The scary guy leaves the ring right as the crowd starts to murmur and Jamie grabs my arm and gives me an excited grin. I return it, noticing the way her other arm is still wrapped tightly around Aleksei’s waist. I arch an eyebrow at her but don’t get a chance to say anything because in that next moment I hear someone whisper, “There he is!” right as I look up and see Dmitri ducking under the ropes and stepping into the ring and everything else disappears.
My mouth drops open at the sight of him. I’ve never seen him this close up in person, and the fact that he’s bare chested has made my entire brain go numb. I feel like I’ve taken a massive step back on the evolutionary chain. Fuck etiquette and using my words. I just want to rip my clothes off and rub myself all over him.
His chest and abs are an absolute work of art. I’ve never seen so many peaks and grooves, and my fingers itch to touch him. He has a few tattoos on his chest and back, and I want to study each and every one of them, first with my eyes and then with my tongue. The red boxing shorts he’s wearing show off a pair of long, muscled legs, and by the time I drag my eyes back up the length of him, I’m practically drooling. He’s looking away from me, giving me an amazing view of his strong, chiseled jaw. His dark hair is so short that it matches the length of his stubbled cheeks, and when he turns to see his opponent step in, I get a glimpse of that sexy scar running down his left cheek.
The room suddenly feels a whole lot warmer, and I bite my lip to keep from moaning when his muscles flex as he shoves on his boxing gloves. I barely spare a glance at who he’s fighting. His shorts are the color of the Irish flag, so I’m guessing he’s from the Irish boxing club on the other side of town. From what I’ve heard, there’s always been a bit of a rivalry between the clubs.
Dmitri certainly doesn’t look pleased to see him. The dark look in his eyes has me grateful that I’m not on the receiving end of it. But just as I think that, his head turns, and I’m caught in that icy blue stare. I’m frozen in place. I can’t breathe. I can’t move. All I can do is stand there drowning in his eyes. His gaze is hard, and I’m dying for some sort of love-at-first-sight flicker in them, but it’s not happening, not on his end at least. I’m pretty sure I look like a love-struck idiot, but I can’t help it.
Before I can even think to try and give him a smile or a provocative wink, he turns his head and puts all his attention and focus on his rival.
“Holy shit!” Jamie says next to me. “He was just staring at you!”
“It wasn’t a very nice stare, though,” I say, not looking at her. I still can’t bring myself to look away from Dmitri, even if he has completely forgotten about me by now.
“It’s a start, babe.” She gives me a soft elbow jab, and I can hear the smile in her voice.
Without any sort of big to-do, the fighters face each other and start circling the ring. I can feel how tense the crowd is. Everyone’s waiting for the first punch, and they don’t make us wait long. The Irishman throws a punch that Dmitri easily blocks before coming at him hard. A series of punches so quick I can barely keep track of them hit the Irishman leaving his face bloody and starting to swell.
I’ve never seen a fight in person before, and I’m a little surprised at the rush of adrenaline I’m getting. The crowd around me is getting louder, and I can’t help but cheer Dmitri’s name when he lands another punch to the guy’s nose. The Irishman’s a little unsteady on his feet, but he’s not giving up just yet.
They circle one another, and I’m amazed at how graceful Dmitri is making this look. I figured they’d just get in there and beat the hell out of each other, but there’s so much more to it than that. I can see the concentration on Dmitri’s face, the way he’s plotting out every move well in advance and planning how he’ll block whatever is coming at him, never letting his guard down for a second.
There’s a light sheen of sweat covering him now, and watching his muscles flex as he throws punches has me more aroused than I’ve ever been. I’m pretty sure I could wring my thong out at this point. My God, I’ve got it bad, so much worse than I thought.
I hadn’t realized I was clenching my fists until my fingers start to ache. The Irishman takes another hard hit to the head, and we all watch him take a couple of wobbly steps before Dmitri lands one more hard blow to his jaw, knocking him to the ground.
I don’t even think about it. I just start yelling and grinning so big it makes my cheeks ache. My yells are lost in the crowd who obviously had put their money on the winner. Big smiles and handshakes fill the room, and it makes me wonder just how much money is being exchanged. It’s probably best not to know.
A loud whistle has everyone looking toward the door to the Arctic Fox. The bouncer yells something at Dmitri in Russian, and then all hell breaks loose. The crowd quickly walks to the door where a couple of waitresses are ready and waiting, handing them drinks as they walk through to the club so they can immediately get lost in the crowd.
I shoot a quick look to Jamie. She looks just as confused as me, but then Aleksei is pulling her closer and staring at something over my head. I immediately sense a large presence behind me and realize thesomethingis asomeone.
Jamie’s wide eyes tell me everything I need to know. Fuck. Dmitri is standing right behind me, so close I can feel the heat of his body, and I’m frozen in place like a deer who’s about to become roadkill, and I can’t do a damn thing about it.
Then I hear a loud voice yelling from the club, and it sends a jolt of fear through me. Before I can stop myself, I look up and say, “Dad?”
Dmitri’s eyes bore into mine, and I hear his voice for the first time, but it’s not to say any of the sweet things I always imagined him saying to me.
“Your dad?” he asks, but it comes out as more of a growl.
I can’t help but notice how sexy his accent is though.
My dad yells, “Police! Everyone stay where you are!”
Aleksei looks to Dmitri. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
Dmitri shouts something in Russian, and I look over to see another boxer entering the ring with the Irishman who’s still on his knees and not looking so great. The other boxer starts throwing shadow punches, working himself up so it looks like he’s the one who’s been fighting.
“Take her out of here,” Dmitri says to Aleksei.
I start to follow but he grabs my arm, keeping me in place. My skin buzzes from the contact, and I look up at him. His face is cold and unreadable, but I’m not about to just let myself be separated from Jamie.
Looking as menacing as I can manage, I lift my chin and say, “I’m going with them.”
He lets out a harsh laugh and ignores me. Looking over my head at Aleksei, he says, “Go now. She is coming with me.”
“No fucking way,” Jamie says, making me so proud that she’s my best friend.
