I stilled as the saltiness sat on my tongue.

Then I swallowed.

Smiling at me, he grabbed my hands and pulled me up. He pressed a kiss against my cheek and positioned me on the bed so that my legs were hanging over the edge.

“Let me pay you back for that.” He kissed my thigh.

He slid a hand between my thighs and swirled his thumb around my clit.

“Wait!” I gasped and sat up.

“What’s wrong?” He pressed a kiss on my shoulder, looking completely unfazed.

“I think we should get dressed and take this upstairs to your room.”

His lips curved into a smile. “Why is that, Penelope?”

“Because some of my brother’s entourage is next door and they might hear us.”

“Then try not to scream.” He pushed me back down, rendering me useless with the skills of his mouth.

Thirty-Five

Present Day

Penelope

Las Vegas, Nevada

“Is it me, or does your brother look a bit more psychotic than usual?” Tatiana whispered to my left. “Something’s off with him.”

I looked up from the floor as he danced in his corner of the ring.

“I don’t see any difference,” I said, noticing the same fire that’d been in his eyes since he was sixteen. “He looks focused.”

“If you say so.” She shrugged. “By the way, a brand-new, designer wardrobe was delivered to our suite last night, but since you weren’t there, and your boyfriend can afford to buy you another one, I’m keeping it for myself.”

I laughed. “Noted.”

“Ladies and gentlemennnn!” The announcer stood at the center of the ring, yelling into the mic. “Welcome to UFC Fight 1234 between Travis ‘The Punisher’ Carter, the undefeated, undisputed welterweight champion and the challenger, Christopher ‘Red Eye’ Juarez!”

Screams filled the arena. The lights above flashed in an array of reds and blues.

“This match is five rounds,” he said. “The winner will be determined by judges in the event that there isn’t a TKO. If you’d like to touch gloves out of respect, do so now.”

My brother didn’t make a move.

The announcer looked surprised at that, but he focused on the crowd. “Let’s fight!”

The referee took his place in the ring—going over the rules one more time, and I braced myself for an ongoing saga of brutal wear and tear.

My brother attacked Juarez the moment the bell rang, punching him straight in the face.

He didn’t falter, though.

He returned the jabs to my brother’s shoulders, kicking him in the legs whenever he couldn’t quite connect.

My brother smiled with glee as he punched Juarez in the throat, right as the first round came to an end.

“I wish he’d retire,” I whispered to Tatiana as the crowd roared.

“I don’t see why.” She tilted her head to the side. “I take back what I said about him earlier. Your brother is hot as fuck.”

“You’re dead to me.”

She laughed. “I’m just saying. Do you know if he has any cock pics out in the world?”

I swallowed before bile could rise up my throat.

The bell sounded for round two, and I leaned against Hayden’s shoulder.

He smiled and clasped my hand.

My brother bobbed and weaved between Juarez’s attempts to strike, but one of the left punches actually landed on his face. Hard.

Then Juarez landed another one.

And another.

The crowd collectively gasped as Travis stumbled backward.

I jumped to my feet as his head hit the mat with a sickening thud. Blood spewed from his lips.

Juarez moved over him, punching him in the face repeatedly until the referee pushed him away and called the match.

There was a stunned silence in the arena. Everyone held their breath in confusion, but then wild, raucous applause broke out amongst the fans.

Juarez strutted around the ring and blew kisses to the crowd.

My heart dropped to the floor.

I’d watched Travis conquer his opponents time and time again; I’d never once had to witness him in defeat.

In a state of shock, I rushed over to the side of the ring, waiting for him to move, but he was out cold. The bleeding was getting worse.

Medics surrounded him, and I grabbed onto the rope.

“Travis!” I yelled louder. “Travis, get up!”

“He’ll be alright, Pen.” Hayden pressed his hand against the small of my back. “Come on.”

I screamed his name again anyway, wanting to watch until the medics got him up, but Hayden pulled me away.

Several hours later

“Juarez is on fucking steroids.” Travis seethed from the hospital bed. “I want him tested for drugs, Shaw. I want him tested tonight.”

“Yes, sir.” His manager nodded, and his entourage of yes-men remained silent on the other side of the room.

“Mr. Carter?” A nurse held out a tray of pills. “Can you—“

“Get the fuck away from me, please.” He glared at her. “I’ll heal myself.”

Her cheeks reddened and she rushed out of the room.

“It’s not her fault you lost,” I said softly.

“It damn sure isn’t mine.” He glared at me. “I’m fucking undefeated. This bullshit match doesn’t count, and it’ll be wiped away the moment everyone knows the truth about him being on drugs.”

I bit my tongue.

“How the fuck does some scrawny ass kid from the middle of nowhere beat a fucking champion?”

I’m sure your first opponents thought the same thing …

“I don’t think he was on steroids, Travis,” I said.

“He was, and he is.” He attempted to glare at me, but his face was too fucked up for it to have the full effect. “I’ll never make the mistake of pacing in a match again. Now that I think about it, I remember telling you to start every routine with an attack when you were skating.”

“Funny, I remember you hardly ever showing up for me when I was skating.”

“What’s that, Crown?”

I didn’t answer him. I’d already gotten away with more than usual.

Hayden suddenly stepped into the room, handing him an energy drink and a bag of Cheetos from a vending machine.

“Here you go,” he said. “Need me to get you anything else?”

“Yeah, I want you to fly Crown away from Vegas,” he said. “Distract her with something she actually understands.”

What the fuck? “My reservation is for the rest of the week, Travis. I’d like to stay and enjoy it.”

“I don’t want her here anymore. Take her and Tatiana on to a beach or something,” he said. “I’ll pay you back for whatever that costs.”

“There’s no need to talk about me like I’m not standing right in front of you.”

“Oh, and keep checking out her new boyfriend for me.” He ignored me like I was seventeen all over again. Like he made all the decisions, and I had to willingly accept the aftermath. “Maybe we can all get brunch sometime after I get Juarez’s drug test back. You can help me with this, right?”