Page 89 of Pulse
The blood began to pump through my veins at the thought of fighting again. No rules, no regulations save for one. Fight until your opponent taps out, or can’t continue. The AUFC always gave me a rush, but it could never give me the burst of adrenalin that now flowed through my veins. The pro ring had been brutal, but this? This was a massacre. Dangerous, exhilarating...
Sucking in a deep breath, I ran my fingertips over Ash’s lips. I was vaguely aware of Hamish standing next to him saying something along the lines of ‘fuckin’ puke’ before I turned and strode to the center of the cage.
Rogue made a kissy face at me and raised her fists into the guard position.
“Don’t hold back,” she said with a sneer. “When I beat your ass, I want it to be because I’m better than you.”
I raised an eyebrow, but didn’t give her the satisfaction of a reply.
The referee stood beside us and gave us the rules as we eyed one another and with a swipe of his hand, the game was on.
Rogue didn’t waste any time. The moment his hand dropped, she lunged, fists flying. I didn’t have any time to react, but my instincts kicked in and I ducked, the whoosh of air as her fist sailed over my head, ruffling my hair. Her body twisted to the side as she followed through and I stepped forward. We were twisted around one another for a split second until I brought down my elbow into her ribs.
The force of the blow jarred through my arm as I twisted away, bringing my guard back up as Rogue stumbled with an angry cry. The crowd cheered and hands rattled the cage like they were trying to enrage wild beasts. Once the fight was on, that was pretty much the gist of it. That and I swore most of the male punters had hard-ons watching two-toned women beating each other into a pulp. Whatever floated their boats.
Rogue and I circled for a while, her movements becoming more subdued as she reined in her anger. She’d learned a lot since the first time I’d fought her. Back then it was her frustration that I’d used to get the upper hand. This time it wouldn’t be so straightforward. We knew each other, we knew how we both fought and we compensated our strategies.
She soon became irritated in waiting for me to strike and lunged again, this time locking her forearms with mine. We grappled; trying to keep our footing while felling the other, but neither one of us could get a purchase. Rogue let out a scream and pushed with all her strength and I stumbled backwards, my back hitting the edge of the cage with so much force, the entire structure rattled.
There were people right up against the chain-link yelling and screaming as Rogue pinned me against the fence and punched, her fist connecting with the side of my face. My head snapped to the side and my eyes widened in surprise.
Suddenly Ash was there, his fingers winding through the fence, his green eyes fixed on mine. “Use your knees,” he bellowed over the din of the crowd.
I pulled my gaze away and fixed onto Rogue and brought my knee up with a cry of rage. I connected with her vagina, her eyes widened with shock and her hold slackened. That kind of move was extremely painful for a guy and enough of an annoyance to stun Rogue enough to be able to break away.
Sense told me to distance myself and regain some strength, but unfortunately I didn’t have a lot of that. If it was pro, then that’s what I would’ve done. This was all or nothing, so naturally I gave it my all and then some.
I kicked out, using my weight as an anchor, and slammed my heel into the side of Rogue’s knee. She crumbled, landing awkwardly on the mat and crying out as her elbow cracked against the hard floor.
Using her break in concentration to my full advantage, I shoved her shoulder, forcing her down onto the flat of her back. One perfectly aimed punch and all this could be over. I had the upper hand; there was no way I could lose this.
I straddled her and raised my fist with a cry as my muscles coiled into a tight spring, ready to let loose.
Before I could strike, Rogue slammed her palm on the mat and the beast inside me kinda felt disappointed. She’d tapped way too early, but it was still only the first round. She was smart and points could be made up. The crowd cheered and I rose to my feet, letting the tension ease from my arm.
My first fight back, against Rogue no less, and I’d won. Holy shit. That had to be some kind of fluke.
Rogue sat up as the referee called it, wiping her brow on the back of her arm. She looked pissed, but that was Rogue. She was a sore loser and the kind of fighter who wanted to be a winner at everything. Those kinds of people were few and far between. You know, the ones who are just good at everything they pick up. That wasn’t her and it wasn’t me.
I held out my hand and she scowled. But to my absolute surprise, she lifted her hand and grasped mine.
I helped her to her feet and she tore her hand from mine the moment she was upright.
“I still hate your fucking guts,” she said.
I smiled and shook my head. It was as close as anything we would ever have to an understanding.
Stepping away, I held out my hands, palms out and laughed. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
