Page 172 of With Us

A few more brutal thrusts, and Theo came, too. His grunts filled my ear, turning me on no matter how spent my body was.

Like the fight, it’d been savage and brutal, though beautiful in its own way.

He lowered me, keeping hold of my hips until my legs felt steady. “You good, my gattina?”

‘Good’ would be an understatement. Apart from the baby conversation, Thanksgiving dinner with his family had been perfect. I’d been tempted to skip the fight and stay. As it was, we’d had just enough time to go home and change. It was a good thing we had decided to go because one of the first fighters had shown up drunk on more than just the holiday spirit. The match had been cancelled, and Theo and Sammy had scrambled to adjust the times.

“Better than good,” I said. “The fights are mesmerizing, I’m full of good food, and I was just full of something way better.”

He pushed in close, taking my mouth in a hard kiss before backing away. “We’ve gotta get out there if you don’t want to miss the headliner.”

I grabbed my panties and black jeans, shimmying them on. With a quick check that my breasts were back in my bra, I turned to Theo. “Ready.”

Wrapping his arm around me, he smiled down at me. “We could always go back home…”

“After.” A shiver ran through me. “Definitely after.”

When we got back into the main room, Theo steered us to a blocked off area right near the ring. We approached just as one of the men fell. The whole thing shook.

With all that weight hitting so hard, I’m surprised the whole thingy didn’t collapse.

It’s called a ring.

And not a stage, like I called it earlier…

Theo sat in a chair and immediately pulled me onto his lap. There were other people sitting in similar position. Some men had more than one woman with them.

“Do you get a lot of rich people?” I whisper yelled in Theo’s ear.

He looked over to one of the men who was surrounded by gorgeous women. “How do you know it’s not his award-winning personality that draws them in?”

“Is it?”

“No. He’s a pretentious dick. But a loaded one who likes to drop cash on a regular basis.”

“Thought so.”

I’d been curious if I’d have to make small talk with anyone since most of Theo’s work functions required it. There, however, no one spoke to him unless he greeted them first. No one even looked at him.

There was a difference in him, too, subtle as it was. He was more serious, bordering on stern. Dominating and intense.

When he looked down at me, his face always softened even if his eyes were filled with a wicked heat.

I liked it.

All of it.

In the back of my head, there was still a quiet voice who protested it all. With each day, each kiss, each time he touched me, the voice faded more and more.

After the fighter was counted out and helped from the ring, there was a short break. A buzz of exhilaration and heightened anticipation had the crowd already worked up. Had it not been for the strict and heavy security along with the smooth-running schedule of the fights, the frenzy they were whipped up in could’ve become something dangerous. Luckily, the vibe stayed mostly positive as the crowd awaited the next fight.

There was a burst of applause and cheers that travelled like a wave from one end of the room to the other. A scowling man stepped into the ring first. When a beefy and muscular kid climbed in and smirked, the noise level was near deafening.

“That’s Astaire,” Theo told me when it quieted enough for him to be heard.

“Why do they call him that?” I watched for a moment as he moved, his feet going faster than my eyes could follow. “Never mind.”

I couldn’t hear Theo’s laugh, but I could feel it.

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