Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 79870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79870 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
The announcer smiled and took the microphone back. “Well, congratulations on your win. Say goodnight to Michael Kage, everybody. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of this guy.”
And then he was gone, and it was mayhem in the Octagon. Someone was shooting photos. I was posing.
I saw Jamie inside the Octagon near the gate, standing entirely too close to my uncle. I hated the idea of Peter Santori being anywhere near Jamie. Ever.
Jamie was beaming with pride and excitement, and in that moment I wanted to wrap my arms around him and just enjoy the moment. He was the one I wanted to celebrate with the most, yet he was the one I had to practically avoid.
When he noticed I was looking at him, his smile faltered. He looked confused, like he didn’t know where his place was in this whole thing. He didn’t know if he belonged, and I felt terrible about that. It hit me that what I was doing to him was the same thing he’d done to me in front of his family, only on a larger scale. I didn’t want to be guilty of that. But I didn’t want it to be this way, anyway. Why did it have to matter who you cared about and who you slept with?
I was going to be there for him, though. He was here for me.
I made my way over to Marco and gave him a big hug and a sloppy kiss on the cheek. Then I squeezed his face between my hands. “Thank you for everything,” I said.
He smiled and hugged me again. “You earned it.”
Then, only because I had to pass him as I made my way through the crowd inside the Octagon, I shook my uncle’s hand. “Santori,” I said.
“Good job,” he said, pulling me into a stiff embrace.
Jason was standing near the gate not far from Jamie, and I ran up and picked him up off the ground in a big bear hug, holding onto him for a long moment as I rocked from foot to foot, nearly bumping into the people on either side of us. Then I put him down. “Thanks for everything, man. I don’t know how I would have gotten here without a great training partner.”
He leaned back and smiled. “No problem, buddy. Like I said, I’m in it to win it.”
“Whatever that means.” I leaned in and gave him a big peck on the cheek, and he laughed.
Then it was Jamie’s turn. I figured I’d shown everyone else in my entourage enough love that what I was about to do with him wouldn’t stand out as odd.
His smile was unsure as I pushed between people to get to him, and his eyes darted away from me for a second. “Hey,” I said, walking right up in front of him and looking down into his face.
“Hey,” he said back.
We were flirting, if anyone cared to notice. I hoped like hell they didn’t.
I wrapped my arms around him and took him into a passionate embrace. When my mouth was next to his ear, I said, “You ready to get fucked by a winner?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Who did you have in mind?
I laughed and kissed his cheek. “Why don’t you go to your room and wait and see? I heard he’s hung like a horse and has a thing for sexy college boys in glasses.”
This time he hugged me, pressing his lips up next to my ear. “Thanks for letting me be here, Kage. I’m so proud of you.”
“I wish I could kiss you on the lips,” I said, letting go of him. It was time for me to leave the Octagon to make room for the next fight. As I walked down through the crowd, hands grasped at me. People wanted me to pose for photos, and I probably leaned up against the barrier and had my picture taken with twenty people on my way out.
It was glorious, everything I’d worked for. And it felt almost perfect.
CHAPTER 12
(JAMIE)
The night of Kage’s first UFC fight was actually a night of several firsts. It was also the first time Kage opted not to have sex with me. I left him all fired up, waiting to do a post-fight interview with the media outlets, and went to our room to prep myself. The sexy words he’d spoken to me in the Octagon after his victory had gotten me good and horny, not to mention the knowledge that Kage was always ready for some good rough sex after a fight.
So when he came to the room and found me lying on the bed wearing nothing but the glasses that he claimed to love, I was beyond shocked when he bent over and kissed me and said, “I’m tired, babe.” Then he got into the shower.