Page 111 of Keep Your Guard Up
Chance was losing.
It made my body physically ache watching every hit he took. The cut on his left eyebrow was deeply split now, blood pouring down his face. He wouldn’t be able to take many more hits before they stopped the fight because of it. Chance knew it too. He’d switched back to predominantly using a southpaw stance, leaving the right side of his face further exposed.
His cheek was busted as well as his lower lip. Bruised marks were already beginning to form on his high cheekbones, and I dreaded what his beautiful face would look like tomorrow morning.
The bell signalled the end of the fourth round, the referee pulling Chance and Randy apart.
Time is running out.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Hogs asked, his huge arm pinning my body back into my seat.
“Hogs, you gotta let me get in there, man,” I begged. “He needs my help!”
“You can help him by keeping your little ass in this seat until the end of this fight,” he replied, sipping on his coke whilst he single-handedly held me down.
“Hogs.”
He sat quietly.
“Hogs.”
Silence.
“HOGS!”
More. Fucking. Silence.
“I’ll give you a free gym membership for a year,” I bargained.
“Not worth losing my dick when Chance cuts it off for letting you go.”
“ARGH!” I huffed in raging frustration. “I’ll give you unlimited Knock’s gear.”
“My dick is worth more.”
LIGHTBULB MOMENT HERE, MARI.
“I’ll get you a date with JJ.” I smirked. His thinking music was all I needed to jump out of my seat and onto the floor. I ducked and weaved security guards like a woman on a mission before heading straight to the open cage door. I was on the first step when one of them caught me.
“NO!” I screamed. “Chance! Al!”
A wave of relief went through Chance’s eyes but was quickly replaced with concern. The cut on his eyebrow was brutal, but he waved off JJ holding a cotton tip to it and started to stand. Though he wasn’t the first to speak.
“Put her down!” Al bellowed, and I swear the whole stadium went quiet. The two hands that were holding me off the ground quickly left my sides, and I dropped to the floor.
I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the pain shooting up my ribs. I’d lost my heels by the time I hit the top step. “Chance!”
He scrambled past the small crowd of people and came to me, checking me over quickly and frantically. “What are you doing up here? I told you to stay with Hogs—”
“I love you.”
He was speechless as he stared at me with wide open eyes. I’d loaded up on words, ready to snap him out of his daze, when the most beautiful, breathtaking grin broke out over his face and he slammed his lips on mine.
The crowd went silent, though I knew they were cheering.
The bell went for the round to start, though I couldn’t hear it. All I could hear was my thumping heartbeat as he kissed me.
“Time’s up, Riordan,” Randy said with a faux yawn.
