Page 13 of The Midnight Delivery

“Yup.”

Dustin put his hand on my face and shifted it so I could see his displeasure. “Ari, are you telling me, you slept with him?”

I shook my head. “No.”

Dustin threw back his chin and sighed. “Oh, okay. You had me going for a second, there.”

Memories of Damian’s arms wrapped around me, his manly smell, the warmth of his body, and the hardness and strength in his muscles, made me dripping wet. We locked eyes across the area, and a sly smile formed on my face. I’d made up my mind. If we survived the night, this man was going to be mine going forward, no matter what. But first, I had to do what I had to do. I hoped he would forgive me. “I’m telling you I fucked the shit out of him,” I bragged.

Dustin balled both hands and squeezed so tight, I could feel his biceps tighten.

“What the hell, Ari? Why would you do this?”

“Because I’m taking control of my life, Dustin. I’m tired of the double-standards. You think you can fuck whomever you want, and I can’t? No, I’m going to live my life the way I see fit, and I’m going to damn sure start sitting at the head of the table.”

“We’ll see about that.”

“Yes, we will.”

“Whoa,” came the shout of the announcer. His name was Mike, which was fitting since he walked around with a portable one to do his job. He was the voice of The Pit, and as much a part of the online success as the action. “Did ya’ll see that shit? He didn’t knock him out, he knocked his fucking bones out. Guess that means the next two fighters are up to bat and ya’ll know that means...time for The Midnight Prize! First up, Dustin Munoz. They call him the Vampire. Then, there's Damian Wolf, the Hunter. He’s on the prowl. This is going to be epic.”

Dustin stepped forward then looked back at me over his shoulder. “You fucked him. Now, I’m going to fuck him up.”

ROUND SIX

Damian rotated hishead around his neck and met my brother in the center. Both men stood as equals physically, as if cut from the same clay and fashioned into the same sculptures. With the two of them standing face-to-face and eye-to-eye for the first time, it was clear why Dirk chose the two of them for this year’s Midnight Prize fight.

My flippancy and goading whipped Dustin into such a rage that sweat streamed down the sides of his face. Mike, the master of ceremony, met them in the middle and wore a huge smile. Damian stared at my brother, and then to his arms. His veins popped in such a display of manliness, all I could think of was the moment when we’d be alone again and would go another round.

“Oh, shit,” Mike shouted through high-powered speakers placed around the park. “This is what The Midnight Prize is all about. Not one, buttwoundefeated fighters, from different parts of the world, ready to entertain you!”

Damian’s eyes and mine met as he looked over my brother’s shoulder, disregarding the entire pre-fight stare. I knew he wanted to pound into me, and I would be his willing partner.

“And what’s the prize? A cool, million dollars to the winner," Mike continued through the sound system.

Damian didn’t know what was getting ready to hit him, and neither did the crowd. But I did, and it was purposeful. As Damian and I continued to examine each other over Dustin’s shoulder, a thought formed in my mind that maybe he wasn’t focused on me so much as he was avoiding eye contact with Dustin.Damian doesn’t know Dustin and I are family, does he think we’re a couple? Shit.My brother was tensed and ready to destroy this perfect specimen, and I’d been confident that Damian would be able to avoid most of my brother’s furor until this moment, and knots formed in my stomach. Where one fighter was incensed, I saw in the other, hesitancy.Shit, shit, shit! Dustin’s going to kill him.

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