Brooklyn's Baddest: A Bad Boy Fighter Romance (11 page)

“Hey, I wanted to come and talk to you. I guess we’ve both been really busy lately,” he said.

She pushed in the drawer she had been looking through and walked toward him, stopping at the side of her desk. “Yeah, we both have a lot going on right now. You’ve got your first competition tonight.”

He smiled and lifted his hand to his head, raking his fingers through his sandy blonde hair. “Yeah… that’s one of the things I want to talk with you about.” He stepped closer to her and smiled, watching her intently.

“You’re going to be there, right? I mean… I haven’t seen much of you around and I know we both have our things going on, but I want you there. It’s important to me. I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for you.”

She drew in a shallow breath as he stepped even closer to her; so close that she could feel the heat from his body. With a nod, she smiled back at him. “Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t really have many friends, and you’ve really shown me that you’re one of them… a true friend. I want you there.”

Lisa bit at her lower lip and saw his eyes drop to her mouth as she did it. “Friend…” she repeated in a whisper. “Yes, I am a friend, Jake, and I want to be there for you to support you and to see you do well.” She couldn’t help thinking of how they were much more than friends, but there was no going forward with the rest of it; only the friendship.

His smile slowly faded and a serious look came into his cool blue eyes. He reached a hand up to her cheek and held it there, cupping her face as he lifted her chin slightly. “We’re more than friends, and I want that, too,” he breathed huskily.

Her heart began to race, and just as she was about to protest, he leaned forward and wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her body snugly against his as he closed his mouth over hers, silencing any argument she had. He parted her lips and the moment his tongue began to twist around and over hers, she lost all of her willpower and found no resolve to push him away.

Heat began to swell inside her, like a wave building with the promise of washing over her and pulling her under. Her breath grew short and she could hear that his was doing the same as his kisses grew more urgent. Blood pounding through her and all of her senses arrested, she moved her palms from his chest to the solid curve of his shoulders, holding them tightly. Jake let go of her face and slid his hand down over her breast, massaging it for a long moment before moving it to her waist and then her hip. He pushed his body against hers and she felt his erection; adamant desire that drew the same need and desire from deep in her like a gravity pulling them both together.

She moaned softly as he moved himself against her, breathless and hungry. Jake grasped her hips tightly and lifted her, sitting her on the edge of her desk before reaching for the hem of her skirt and sliding his hands beneath the material, pushing it up and pulling her toward him.

Something in the back of her mind steeled her, and she opened her eyes wide and pulled her mouth from his almost in a panic. “No! Jake, we can’t do this!” she tried to speak without any breath.

He blinked at her and leaned forward to take her mouth with his again. “Yes we can.” He nearly groaned with need for her.

Lisa leaned backward and turned her head from his. “No… Jake… we can’t.” she said a little more clearly, but he pulled her body fully against his stiff desire for her, and she felt it hard and hot through the thin material covering her skin.

“Yes we can baby, I know you want this as much as I do. No one will catch us. It’s been two weeks! I need you, and I know you need me too. You can’t deny that you want this.” He pushed himself against her again and she gasped and clung tightly to his shoulders as she looked away from him.

“I do want it, but that doesn’t mean that we can do it! There’s too much at stake here! You have your competition, this is my work…” he pushed himself against her core again and kissed her neck hungrily, and she closed her eyes and exhaled heavily, trying to stifle the moan that escaped her. She did want him and he was nearly inside her already by that point, but she couldn’t stand down.

“Jake, please! Please don’t make me need you like this! This can’t happen here and now! In fact, it probably shouldn’t ever happen again!” She pushed her hands against his chest and he leaned back and looked directly at her.

“You’re serious?” he asked in amazement, his eyes widening as realization washed over him.

“I’m serious,” she said, scooting swiftly off the desk and standing upright before him. She tugged her skirt back down and ran her delicate fingers over her long black hair. “Jake, I do want that, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the right thing to do. We just can’t do it. Both of us have way too much at stake here. You have to focus on your fight and your training, I have to focus on my work and my fam- ….uh…. on other things, and there isn’t any way to compromise. There’s no middle ground for us. We’re here for each other as friends, but we can’t be lovers in the future, okay? I’m sorry.” She sighed and moved a few feet away from him.

He looked like he’d taken a gut check and he turned his eyes from her, placing his hands on his hips as he let a gush of air out, trying to calm his body. “You’re sorry.” He shook his head and bit his lower lip as he looked back up at her. “Okay. I do have to concentrate on the fight. I’ll let this go this time. You and I though… we are going to do this again. We both want each other and you can’t resist that. You can’t keep pushing it away.”

He walked over to her and lifted his hand to her chin, running his thumb over her lower lip gently. “Nothing feels as good as touching your body and being inside you. We’re not done with this. Not by a long shot. We both want it, and it’s going to happen again. Different time, different place, that’s a promise.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the room and she watched him go as her heart beat in her chest fiercely. She pulled her chair out and sank down into it, trying to catch her breath as she slid her hands over her face.
He wasn’t wrong,
she thought to herself. She did want him, and denying it was becoming more and more difficult.

Keeping away from him altogether might prove to be her undoing if she didn’t keep a better handle on it. She had seen the frustration on his face and she had heard it in his voice, and she knew that he was serious, and that there was no way he was going to let it go that easily. She knew he would bring it up again, and she was going to have to be much stronger the next time.

She packed up the things she needed and she drove herself to the competition. Lisa met up with Koichi and Masahiro and together they sat at near the edge of the fighting arena. Conversation between them was kept to nothing more than pleasantries and no word was spoken about the fight. Lisa knew that they were all hoping for Jake to win, and each of them had taken a considerable risk on Jake’s ability to be successful on the mat.

Several other fights finished before Jake and Corbin were called to their match. Lisa sat up a little more and locked her eyes on the two men as they both walked onto the mat. Jake searched the crowd for her, and when he saw the three of them sitting together watching him, he nodded. She saw him look for someone else, and when she turned her head to follow his gaze, she saw him nod at another young man who was sitting not too far from her. She wondered momentarily who the other young man was, but her attention was turned back to the main floor as the match began.

Jake took his place and bowed, and saw that Corbin scoffed at him, bowing only slightly as he laughed and shook his head. The buzzer sounded, and Corbin moved toward him aggressively, holding Jake’s eyes with his own. Jake got the distinct impression that he was looking into the eyes of a lethal serpent who might strike out at him any time, and he knew that he had to be wary and be ready no matter what happened.

“You actually came to fight me…” Corbin chuckled in an undertone loud enough for Jake to hear. Jake shrugged and stared at his opponent as they began to circle one another.

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” he retorted calmly. He told himself to be like water, and to focus.

Corbin shook his head. “Yeah, but I can already see that you’re going out of here on a stretcher. You’re no match for me, Jake… not even a little bit. This is your first competition ever… right? I’m a champion, Jake; you can’t beat me. It isn’t possible. They never should have brought you here.” He laughed again.

Jake said nothing, he only watched Corbin like a hawk. He knew that Corbin was trying to distract him, like so many other men he had fought on the street, and he knew that the best thing he could do was ignore it and concentrate on every movement that his opponent made.

There was silence between them, but it was only audible silence. Their eyes spoke volumes to each other. Each one of them promising a loss to the other. Corbin moved a little closer to Jake a few times, but made no attempt to strike at him, and Jake knew that he was gauging Jake’s reaction. Looking for a weakness; a soft spot, a way in. Just like Jake was.

“I saw you brought the whole tribe with you. Those two old men are a joke, and if you had any real experience at all, you’d know that already, but… like I said, you’re brand new. You know nothing.” He took in everything about Jake as he said it, and Jake knew that Corbin was still searching for a button to push. He didn’t react at all to Corbin.

They circled and Jake waited patiently for Corbin to make the first move. Corbin jerked his chin up toward the seats where Masahiro, Koichi, and Lisa were sitting. “I see Lisa came to watch too. Did she get you signed up for this? Said she was going to support you and come to your fight?”

Jake tried not to react, but the memory of Corbin coming on to her at the Momose dojo made his stomach turn. He gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw unwittingly, and Corbin saw him do it. Corbin laughed at raised his eyebrows.

“Oh…. So that’s it. You like her! Well then, I’m glad she came to watch this match. She can see me kick your ass and then maybe I’ll take her home and show her what a real man can do to her.” He lunged momentarily toward Jake and Jake, thinking only of Lisa at that moment, blinked and tried to dodge, but Corbin spun and kicked, knocking Jake on the floor. Jake was back to his feet almost instantly, but Corbin had got in a hit, and Jake’s ribs were definitely hit hard. He concentrated on Corbin with everything in him.

Corbin laughed and shook his head. “You know, I take that back. I might not go to all the trouble to take her home. I think I’ll just take her out to the parking lot and lay her out in the back seat of my car. That’s good enough for her. Maybe I’ll just put her face in my groin and see how good she can make me feel.” He laughed again, a little louder and Jake growled back at him, fighting the anger and hatred that was building up like a bonfire inside of him.

Corbin nodded. “Yeah, I think that’ll do it. If she’s good enough, I’ll let her do it twice. I can’t wait to twist my hands in her hair and feel her lips wrapped around my-”

Jake couldn’t stand to listen to him any longer. He plowed straight forward and leapt into the air to kick Corbin in the head, but Corbin dodged him easily and turned his body, throwing him off balance, slamming him to the floor and knocking the wind out of him.

“Yeah, that did it! That hurt you Jake? Come on now, you pathetic little worm, get your ass up off of that mat and fight me! Do it!” Corbin reached for Jake’s gi, grabbing it and pulling Jake to his feet. Jake gasped for air and spun around to face Corbin, glaring at him with more hatred than he had felt in longer than he could remember.

“That’s it Jake…” Corbin taunted him. “That’s it. She saw you just now, you know. She saw me kick your ass, she saw you hit the mat. It’s going to turn her on. She’s going to be so hot for me by the time I’m done with you. You’re going to be bleeding on the mat and she’s going to see what a real man looks like, and she’s going to be begging me to give it to her, and I will. Oh, I will… and she’s going to love it.” he circled closer, his eyes glinting like lightning.

“Come at me, you little bitch. Come here and get me. You know you want to. Try… you maggot. Try to come and get even one little finger on me. You’re not going to touch me.” Corbin grinned almost maniacally, and Jake felt a tidal wave of rage wash over him, totally overtaking him.

He dove toward Corbin again, going for a kick to Corbin’s torso, but Corbin flipped around and hit Jake square in the chest with his foot, knocking him to the floor again. Before Jake could even begin to know what was going on, Corbin was on him, striking him over and over until the buzzer sounded and he stopped.

Jake looked up at him as Corbin bent over him and laughed. “That was like taking candy from a baby, Jake. Thanks for making this the easiest win I ever had. I’m going to go get your girl and take her to celebrate my epic win against you. She’s going to love the backseat of my car.” His hand flashed out and he struck Jake in the head before laughing once more and walking away.

The referee came to him and helped Jake get to his feet. Jake was sick to his stomach; the cold steel knot there wasn’t going away. He limped toward the side of the arena where he saw Masahiro, Koichi, and Lisa rise up from their chairs. He made his way toward them and paused when he reached them.

Masahiro would not even look at him, let alone speak to him. The older man grunted in disgust and turned away, walking out of the room in silence. Jake looked at Koichi. Koichi’s face was like stone and his expression was grim.