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“Arewethereyet?”I groaned, leaning my head against the cool glass window.
“You’re impatient tonight.” Kellan chuckled, glancing at me before focusing back on the road.
“Can you blame me?” I shot him an accusatory look and judging by the faint twitch of his lips I could tell he spotted it. “You still haven’t told me anything.”
Normally I wouldn’t mind a nice relaxing night drive but anticipation thrummed through me. I knew they had something up their sleeves and I couldn’t wait.
“We’re almost there,” he sighed, putting a hand on my knee. Since they hadn’t given me a clue where we were going, I’d opted for tight black jeans and a low-cut top. I rarely ever splurged on clothes, so I figured I’d buy an outfit that could be worn again.
He rubbed over the material, his fingers snagging in one of the distressed holes. Just that small touch lit a fire in me, my mind drifting to how it would feel if I’d worn a skirt tonight and there was nothing in the way, no jeans to stop his path up my inner thigh. A shiver ran up my spine, and just as I thought he’d pull away or put his hand in a firmly platonic zone his hand delved farther. He slipped under the edge of the tear to rub against the sensitive skin of my inner thigh.
A sigh slipped from his lips, and I watched the effort it took for him to stay silent, the agonized longing that played across his face as he ran his fingers just under the edge of the seam, their soft pads gliding over my sensitive skin like silk.
I bit my bottom lip, willing my legs not to tremble, not to give away how good it felt, how much I wanted to kick dirt over that line and watch it dissolve into nothing. My hand trembled as I raised it, about to close over his, and push him higher … that was until headlights caught my attention.
“We’re here,” he breathed, his hand easing away reluctantly. The air was still thick with the palpable sexual tension that stretched between us.That was too close.
“Where is here?” Internally I scolded myself for how breathless I sounded. I kept my gaze firmly focused outside, unable to meet his, not yet. I couldn’t bear to see if there was desire there, not when I still had no clue how I would react.
“Can’t I keep it a secret for a little bit longer?” His voice wavered, as though there was some deeper meaning to his question. But when I finally gathered the courage to turn to him, he’d already wiped his face of whatever it had held a moment before, a weak smile now curving his lips.
I sucked in a long breath and nodded tightly, forcing a smile to match his. He turned off the engine, reaching for his door but I didn’t wait and instead rushed to open my own door. I couldn’t stand touching his hand after he led me out, not after that. My knees might just give out from under me if I let that happen.
The cool night breeze wrapped around me like a comforting old friend, shaking me from my inner thoughts. I truly took in where we’d parked this time. Floodlights were set up around the parking lot, weeds and small trees poking out of the crumbling asphalt of the long-abandoned area. We were past the edge of town, out where a few warehouses slowly decayed.
“You brought me to a fight?” I asked, my eyes lighting up with excitement at the prospect. The thumping bass was already audible through the thin sheet metal walls. The exhilaration that rushed through me should probably concern me—most eighteen-year-old girls didn’t crave danger and violence, nor did they thirst to see the spray of blood splatter across the ground. But I honestly didn’t care.
“There’s my little devil.” He chuckled, wrapping an arm around my waist and closing the door for me. “We know you so well.” And they did—not only did they know about my lust for this sort of bloodshed, they enjoyed it, indulged it.
Anticipation thrummed like electricity through me. Both Merrick and Kellan participated in the illegal fight ring here from time to time. We’d been a few times, but I rarely got to go anymore, and they hardly ever participated either because of their busy schedules.
I couldn’t help but lean into him, my chest light as a grin stretched my lips. He led me over to the front entrance where a large muscular twenty-something-year-old was checking IDs. My throat bobbed at the sight of him, unsure if I’d remembered to bring my fake, but he just ushered us in, nodding at Kellan as though they knew each other.
I looked up at him, my brow lifted in suspicion, but he just stared straight forward, his only tell the faint bouncing of his chest as he worked to suppress his laughter. We passed by the booth at the entrance, the line already curving around the side with people eager to place their bets.
Maneuvering our way through the crowd of eager people, the air was thick with anticipation. Patrons sipped on drinks and chatted in small groups, the throng already pushing toward the ring. A DJ booth was set up beside it with speakers wired along the roof. They must’ve struck a deal with the local authorities, because before everything was made to be peeled down at a moment’s notice. Yet this looked permanent, as though they weren’t afraid of being busted at any moment.
Whoever put on these fights apparently kept up with the maintenance inside much better than outside—which made sense. The inside looked to have been renovated since I was here last. They somehow managed to have enough electricity to run the lights spotlighting the cordoned-off area where the fight would happen, with muted neon lights washing over the rest of the space, casting a faint glow over everyone. Kellan led me toward a bar at the far wall. It was made of sleek metal that reflected the glow of lights off of it, causing it to flash back on the crowd gathered around it.
I tried to dissuade their fighting once Merrick got arrested, not wanting the cops to have another reason to take him in. But I loved watching them. It had been the highlight of my week, a place where I got to indulge in the violence, watching my friends pummel their opponents into submission. It gave me a thrill each time I saw how powerful they were, and I lived vicariously through them, wishing it was me landing those punches, having the spray of blood coat my face.
But unfortunately, I’d never been let in the ring before, but maybe …
“Do I—”
“Nope,” Kellan said, cutting me off, clearly knowing exactly what I was about to ask. I huffed out a breath of exasperation as we weaved our way toward the bar and past the few groups meandering their way closer to the stage.
“Is Merrick?” I asked, doing my best to hide my excitement. I leaned on the bar, the cool metal chilling my bare skin in the sweltering heat of the warehouse. They may have invested in some improvements, but unfortunately air conditioning was not one of them.
“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see,” he teased, his grin spreading slyly across his handsome face.
I huffed out a breath of exasperation, looking toward the bartender so I wasn’t tempted anymore. I pushed down the urge to kiss that stupid smile off his face and smiled weakly at the bartender heading our way.
He flashed me a flirtatious grin, eyeing me up and down as he sauntered closer. He was handsome, sure—he had on a band tee that was hard to read in the shifting neon lights, and short brown hair pushed back in an effortlessly sexy style—but he wasn’t one of my guys. He didn’t make my heart skip a beat when I looked at him or light that fire in me, sparking an urge to draw nearer.
That look fell though as Kellan wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. His eyes flicked between the two of us as his face sobered with understanding. I didn’t bother to pull away from Kellan or correct the bartender though, and instead leaned into Kellan, walking that dangerous line once again.
“What can I get you two?”
