Stand of Redemption (15 page)

Chapter 19

“Come in,” she said anxiously when she heard the knock on her door.

The waiting had been excruciating. She had wished she had gone to the fight to at least know versus thinking the worst.

She was halfway across the room when he opened the door
. She came to an abrupt stop. Mitchell had called her to tell her Nicholas was on his way up, but he hadn’t warned her.

“No more!”
she yelled. “No more, Nicholas. You’re not putting yourself through this for me.”

Nicholas
walked forward and took her into his arms, and Ria burst into tears. His hand forced her to look up into his badly beaten face.

“You can’t stop me
, Ria. I’m not stopping until you’re out of this apartment, standing on your own with your mother.” His thumb wiped away her tears. “It looks worse than it is.”

Ria didn’t believe him. He was lying to protect her feelings. “I can’t bear to see you hurt because of me.”

“Babe, I’m a fighter. I’m usually always fucked-up.” He smiled, wincing at the movement.

“Sit down
. I’ll get you something to drink.”

“Nothing alcoholic
. I’ve got painkillers in my system.”

Ria nodded
before going into the kitchen to get him a large glass of tea.

Handing it to him
, she sank down onto the couch next to him, taking his free hand in hers. “Who did you fight?”

“Ace Barros.”

“I’ve seen him fight. He hasn’t lost.”

“He has now
,” Nicholas said smugly.

“You
're crazy.” Ria couldn’t hold back her smile as she leaned against him.

“All fighters are crazy to step into a ring.
But I love it. Actually, the pit fighting will help round me out—boxing was always my weakness. I prefer using my wrestling and kickboxing, but now I have an even better shot at regaining my title.”

“Why do you do it? You have enough money to stop.”

“Because I love it. I used t
o watch my dad fight when I was a kid. He didn’t want me to train just because of him, though. I had to beg him to let me do it. He knew the pain and glory only happened for a very few, and he didn’t want me to go through what he had. He still can’t accept Melanie fighting. He hates to see us hurt.”

“I can’t blame him.” She gently reached out to touch his nose before placing a light kiss on the bandage.

“When my mom used to do that, it had no effect. With you, I feel better already.”

She placed tiny kisses along his jawline until she reached his mouth
, her tongue tracing his full bottom lip before plunging inside, discovering the full extent of his passion. His hand went to the back of her head, holding her in place while he took control of the kiss.

Nicholas
was a very dominating lover. He liked it when she became soft and took what he gave her. Ria enjoyed it, too, rejoicing in his masculinity that was missing from so many men. She didn’t want courtesy shown to her in bed; she wanted a rough and tumble lover, capable of making her feel like a woman. Nicholas did that in spades. He made her feel like the most desirable woman in the world.

“I love your body.” She ran her fingers across his chest
, enjoying the sensuous feel of his hard body beneath the expensive material of his shirt. He was built perfectly, each muscle highlighting his strength. It was the kind of body a woman usually only fantasized about. She couldn’t believe that she was with him, able to freely touch him.

“In the body department
, you have me beat.” Nicholas smiled as he buried his face in her breasts. He pulled her tighter against his body and grabbed the side of her hips, pulling them back and forth so she was grinding her body along his dick. He was definitely feeling better, yet she was worried their lovemaking would hurt him.

“Are you able?”

“It would take more than one fight to keep me from fucking you tonight. I want you,” he groaned.

He lifted her up so she was standing with her legs straddled over him on the couch.
He unbuttoned her shorts then pulled them down her legs along with her panties.

Once the clothes were out of the way, she started to bend down onto her knees to stra
ddle him again, but he stopped her. He kept her standing and placed his hands on her ass to pull her pussy closer to his mouth. Ria put her hands on the wall behind the couch to support herself as she felt his mouth clamp down on her clit.

She started to pull away
. She had never had a man go down on her, and it didn’t feel right at first. His hands slid to the side of her hips, not allowing her to move away.

“Stay still,” he ordered, then went back to sucking on her clit.

At first, Ria felt uncomfortable.

“Relax
, Ria. Stop fighting it,” he commanded.

Ria forced her body to relax and allowed him to have his way with her pussy.
She released the tension in her body as he started running one of his fingers along the inside of her lips while pulling and flicking her clit with his mouth and tongue. He ran his finger along her opening and slowly started sliding his finger inside. She was already wet; therefore he was able to slide his finger all the way in without any resistance.

She started panting.
Her legs started shaking, and she had to work to hold her body weight up, keeping her from collapsing on him.

Her whole body was on edge
, and she knew she was going to come. She tried to pull off him, but he barked out another order to stay still. He added another finger and thrust them inside of her as she rode his fingers, all the while keeping his mouth latched on her clit. She felt the waves of pleasure start to build and felt the explosion from her orgasm. She could feel the wetness pouring out of her as her body contracted on his fingers.

She was embarrassed
, but whimpering with pleasure. Nicholas continued to finger her, sending more waves coursing through her body.

“I can’t stand
. My legs are going to give out,” she pleaded as she tried to catch her breath.

She heard Nicholas laugh as she started to sink down on top of him.
He caught her and placed her on the couch next to him. Then, he took off his shoes and stood up. Ria watched as he took off his shirt, his busted up hands taking much longer than it should have. Next, he pulled down his pants and underwear, finally standing naked in front of her. He reached down and pulled her to her feet, picking her up as if she weighed nothing.

H
e carried her to the bedroom where he turned her toward him when he placed her on her feet again, gently pushing her back onto the bed. She scooted herself up onto the pillows and looked up at him. He hadn’t followed her on to the bed yet.

“What’s wrong?”
she asked.

“I forgot the condoms in my duffel bag. I’ll be right back.” He turned to leave.

“Nicholas, I’m on the pill.”

He hesitated then moved back to the bed.
“I’ve never fucked without a condom.”

“Then it will be a new experience we both can share.”

Without the condom, they were both placing their trust in one another.

“I want to bury my dick inside of your tight pussy.”

He got on the bed and flipped her onto her stomach, pulling her hips backwards until her ass was in the air. Nicholas rubbed the head of his cock against her clit until he felt her get wet and she was moaning.

His hand rubbed against the globe of her ass
, feeling the firm flesh against the palm of his hand. He held onto his control, letting just the tip enter her.

“Yes,” she groaned.
His dick was huge; she felt like just his tip was spreading her so far apart. Yet she needed him all the way inside of her.

“Fuck
, Ria. You have no idea how sexy that is,” Nicholas groaned, watching his cock stretch her open.

Without words, he started slowly thrusting.
He placed his hand on her shoulder, pressing her down farther into the soft mattress.

“Oh
, yeah. That’s it,” Nicholas encouraged her as she started moving back against him. “Damn, you’re a fast learner.”

She felt herself get wetter, listening to him.

“Ohh, si… Dios… mas adentro.”

He suddenly slowed down, leaving his dick inside of her and rubbing
it along her g-spot. She felt the desire start to build and then spiral out of control when he started playing with her clit at the same time. Her sudden orgasm surprised her, and she let out a scream from the intensity. Her scream got Nicholas thrusting again, and she continued to come until he did so as well. She could hear the groans of pleasure coming from him as he finished inside of her.

They were both breathing heavily, trying to catch their breaths.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he pulled her to his side.

She wrapped one arm and leg over his body.
“More than okay,” she panted and reached up to kiss him on the lips. “That was incredible.”

“Yes
, it was,” he agreed smugly.

“You’re to
o sure of yourself sometimes,” Ria grumbled.

“It’s easy to tell when I’m getting it right with you
.”

Ria rolled her eyes. “How?”

“You start talking in Spanish.”

She opened her mouth in dismay
. She hadn’t realized she had this time.

“That’s not fair,” she said reproachfully.

“I figure it is when I don’t understand a word you’re saying.”

“Good
.” She laughed, relieved she didn’t even remember what she had said.

“Next time, it will be even better,” he promised her.
“I’ve been taking it easy on you.”

“Dios.”
Ria didn’t realize he had taken it easy the whole time. She was in trouble.

“Baby, I can’t wait to show you
.” He kissed her on the forehead and closed his eyes.

I can’t wait
, either,
Ria thought just before she fell asleep.

Chapter 20

“You look rough
. Another bad night at work?” Lacey asked her the next morning.

Ria
had begged Emiliano to let her see Lacey, telling him her friend was going to report her missing if she didn’t. She hadn’t lied. Lacey had threatened to do just that the last time they had talked. Ria had told her that she had taken another job in a neighboring county.

They were having breakfast and Ria
had barely made it by nine.

“Actually, it was a really good night
.” Ria smiled.

“Oh, I see.
Would you also call it a long and hard night?” Lacey asked suggestively.

“Yes, that would be one way to describe it,” Ria answered with a laugh
, blushing at her friend’s suggestive comments.

“Was it as hot as he looks?”
Lacey asked with a grin.

“Yes, it was so amazing,”
Ria sighed. It was hard leaving him this morning, but she had already promised to meet Lacey. She was definitely feeling the aftereffects, though. She needed to crawl back into bed and get a few hours sleep.

“I’m happy for you
, Ria,” Lacey said warmly. She would never have a more loyal friend than Lacey.

“I have some exciting news for you,”
Lacey said with excitement.

“Really?”
Lacey’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Ria was excited to hear the news.

“You can’t tell anyone,”
Lacey said quietly.

Ria held her breath
.

“
Peter and I are moving in together!” Lacey exclaimed.

Ria’s mouth dropped open.
“I thought you hated him?”

“
That was before I got to know him.” Lacey rolled her eyes.

“Oh
, my gosh! I couldn’t be more excited for you,” Ria responded with glee. She jumped up to give Lacey a hug. “I thought you were just a little too mean to him,” Ria teased, hugging her tightly.

Lacey
hugged her back. “I went to the restaurant for lunch a few times, and we started talking. He’s a flirt, but he’s only allowed to flirt with me now. I may make an exception for you, though,” she teased back.

Ria sat back down and couldn’t take the smile off her face.
She was truly happy for her friend. She wanted to tell Lacey her own good news. She’d actually passed the damn exam. All the studying had paid off. Then she recalled that she was still under Emiliano’s control and almost lost the smile; however, she still wanted to share her own happiness with her friend; have something of her own to be happy about.

“
I just got my letter. I passed my exam!” Ria couldn’t contain her excitement any longer.

“
Oh my God, that’s great news. So get your resume together and put your notice in at the new bar you’re working in.”

“What if I can’t find a job?”
Ria asked. She still needed a job to support her and her mother when Emiliano let them go.

“I’
ve already been working on getting you a job with the university hospital. I was just waiting for you to pass the test.” When Ria started to shake her head, Lacey stopped her. “No, Ria. This time, I’m helping you. Quit telling me you can do everything on your own. Plus, I’m being selfish; I want to see you more.”

Ria sighed.
“Okay, I won’t argue with you this time. I’d like to work near you, too.”

“Great!
But you still need to be thinking about finishing your degree,” Lacey gently reminded her.

“You never give up, do you?”
Ria looked at her best friend.

“Nope,”
Lacey replied as she popped a grape in her mouth.

They both laughed and enjoyed the rest of their breakfast.

*  *  *

Ria
called Nicholas on the way home. He was at Zane’s gym, going over the fight with Ty and getting him ready for his next match. Ria wanted to wait until they were together to tell him she had passed her exam.

She entered her apartment and pulled the file out.
This time, it was a woman in her late twenties. Her name was Kataya Meyers.

Ria stared at her picture
. She looked like a nice woman, but the documents said she had been Emiliano’s secretary, and she had used information to hijack a shipment of illegal firearms. Damn, not only was the cartel into drugs, but firearms as well. She hadn’t even asked what type of drugs; she didn’t want to know. The less she knew the better.

S
he was last seen at Emiliano’s office downtown. Ria found it interesting that these people actually thought they would get away from Emiliano after betraying him. This woman should have known better since she had been around him every day.

Ria read a little f
arther. The firearms were worth over six figures.

Ria looked at the time.
It was eleven in the morning. Nicholas would be busy until about seven that evening. There was no reason to delay the search.

Ria figured it would be best to start at
Kataya’s house. It also was the safest because that would be the last place she would try to hide, so Ria had no fear of running into anyone.

Thankfully
, Kataya’s home address was included, so she didn’t have to narrow it down like last time.

She took a deep breath and grabbed her keys.

*  *  *

“Now finish with the uppercut,” Nick said to Ty.

Ty did as he was told
, executing the move with perfect timing.

“Excellent,” Nick complimented him.
Nick motioned for Ty’s sparring partner to take a break and stepped into the ring to talk. “How are you feeling?”

“Fucking awesome,” Ty replied with enthusiasm.

“You’re doing great. You looked good during your last fight, and I know you’re ready for the next one.” Nick was being honest. Ty was very talented and had a bright future in cage fighting. He reminded him of himself at that age. But Ty had no care for his reputation. He was developing a troublemaker image and was limiting his potential for making additional money through endorsements by working for Emiliano.

“How’s everything going with your family?”
Nick asked. He had missed training again that morning.

He watched Ty shut down immediately.
Nick had to stop himself from shaking some sense into the kid. He needed to talk it out, and Nick had to figure out how to help him.

“Same old shit.
Dad’s a drunk, and Mom puts up with all his shit.” Ty said it calmly, but Nick could see the rage in his eyes.

“Does he hurt your mother?”

Ty shrugged it off. “He’s just a pain in everyone’s ass. If he hurt my mother, I’d make sure it was the last thing he ever did in this lifetime.”

Nick nodded.
At least he was starting to get somewhere with Ty. It was obvious that a lot of Ty’s anger was directed at his mother for putting up with his father’s behavior.

“Is that why you’re starting fights all the time?” Nick asked bluntly.

Ty looked up at him with anger. “What the fuck, Nick? I don’t start the fights. I’ve never thrown the first punch.”

Nick looked down at him.
“Follow me.”

“I don’t need a fucking pep talk
, Nick,” Ty growled.

Nick stepped back toward Ty.
“I don’t plan on giving you one. Now follow me, or I’ll beat your ass right now for everyone to watch.”

Nick stepped out of the ring and toward an empty office in the back.

Ty had an attitude, but knew that he had to abide by some rules, or he’d be back out on the street until he could afford the fancy apartment he was working for.

Nick opened the door and Ty walked in behind him, looking up at him with belligerence.

“Wipe that scowl off your face or I’ll do it myself,” Nick threatened him.

Ty took a deep breath and did his best to look normal. He wasn’t doing a very good job, but Nick gave him credit for trying.

“I see so much potential in you
, Ty, but you’re pissing it away with your behavior. If you don’t stop getting in trouble, you’ll have a brief career in cage fighting before people lose interest in you.

“You can be the
troublemaking punk, or you can be the fighter that people respect,” Nick continued. “I know you’re tight for money. You just graduated, and you don’t have any future plans besides fighting. I know you want a place of your own, but you can’t do that if you don’t straighten up. Making money from working with Emiliano won’t benefit you if you lose endorsements.”

“I can if I win all my fights,” Ty said arrogantly.
“It won’t matter if everyone thinks I’m a punk.”

“I’ve seen so many guys like you
, Ty. They start off strong, but that anger catches up with them, and it takes something out of them. You won’t stay successful. And do you know how much you’ll lose without the endorsements? You can make a lot of money by saying a few lines, but no one will call you with the reputation you’re starting to develop.”

“I don’t care
. The money from the fights will be enough,” Ty fired back. “I don’t want to be like you, Mr. Perfect. Not everyone has your perfect life. I have no desire to be the golden boy.”

Nick shook his head.
“You have no idea of the shit I’ve been through in my life. Maybe I shouldn’t try to hide it, but I’ve been able to take care of my family, and they’re the most important people to me. I put this act on for them because it’s my fault my mother is dead,” he said harshly while staring down at Ty. “I work hard to try to make up for my mistake.”

Ty’s eyes widened with surprise.
“Fuck, man, I didn’t know you were carrying that kind of shit,” Ty replied, the cockiness and arrogance gone for the moment.

“All I’m trying to say is get your act together.
I’ll be honest, if you get in one more fight, Zane has to let you go. You know he likes you, kid, but he can’t afford to have you destroy what he’s worked hard to build. He’s had his own shit to deal with, and things are finally getting better for him. Do you want to fuck that up for him?”

Ty shook his head.
“No, of course not.”

“Find someone to talk to that can help with your dad,” Nick advised.
“Or you can talk to me anytime. I understand how hard it is to open up. I know someone on the police force; maybe he could do a couple of drive-bys a night at your mom’s house. And just so you know, this is the first time I’ve ever said out loud that I’m responsible for my mother’s death.”

“Thanks
, Nick. Sorry for being such an asshole. I know how hard you and Zane have worked with me. I’m lucky to be here.” Ty had finally calmed down. “I won’t get in another fight.”

“Good.
Now go home. You’ve worked hard today. I’ll get with Zane to schedule your next fight.”

Ty nodded his head and went to get his things.
Nick watched him leave and then sat down to contemplate their conversation. He told Ty to talk to someone, but there was no one Nick could talk to. His story consisted of women, murders, drug lords, and illegal fights. He was jeopardizing his own endorsements. Fuck, he was the last person that should be giving anyone advice.

*  *  *

“I talked to Ty. Not sure if it’s going to stick, but he said he wouldn’t get in any more fights.”

“Thanks
, man. That kid has a bright future. I knew you were the only one that could get through to him,” Zane replied.

“He’s ready for another fight.
Set it up with Freddy. That’ll be a good match up.”

Zane nodded his head in agreement.
“I’ll call his coach today.”

“I’m headed to my gym,” Nick said as he stood up.

“You going to explain that face you’re carrying around?” Zane asked.

“No.”
Nicholas went to the door.

“Don’t you think you
’re pushing it fighting again so soon?”

“I’m not pushing it
. The doc says my arm’s fine. I’ve never felt better. I’ve gained five pounds since I’ve been out with the arm, and am going up a weight class.”

“Damn
, man, there’s some big guys in heavyweight,” Zane warned.

“I know
. I’m ready for the challenge. I was getting bored winning all the time,” Nick drawled.

“Fuck off,” Zane snapped back with a grin.

Nick laughed as he let himself out.

He said goodbye to the guys
then walked out to his car. It was a nice day, so he decided to take a drive before meeting his dad for training.

As he drove, his thoughts drifted back to Ria.
He got hard just thinking about fucking her last night. He hadn’t even been able to get that hard, but it still had topped any other sexual experience he’d had.

He
had wanted to fuck her again this morning, but she had looked exhausted and was rushing to meet her friend. As he had watched her get dressed, it was obvious she was still in pain from the night before. She was walking carefully, and he had watched her grimace when she put her shorts on. It was probably for the best. She needed some time to recover, but Nick had plenty of other ideas while he gave her pussy time. The thought of his mouth on her, listening to her sultry voice talking dirty in Spanish, had him almost driving by her apartment.