Page 10 of From Best To Bested

“I think it’s like his way of scorching the earth and saying your reign meant nothing.” Levi weakly shrugged. “There’s nothing he wants from you, just to see you miserable, so there’s no way to make him accept a challenge.”

Roman fumed, growing more and more furious with each passing second. He’d lost everything, but he damn well wouldn’t lose his only true friend, the only person who had his back no matter what, the only person who didn’t give a damn about the title of champion.

Roman bolted into the arena, unable to contain his anger anymore. Patience be damned. What the crowd thought meant nothing to him. Ezra would answer for this. Without hesitation, Roman swung Ezra’s opponent around by the shoulder and decked him across the face.

A one-hit knockout was all it took, but Roman didn’t credit himself too much. He’d seen Ezra toying with the guy, wearing him down until he could barely stand. Hell, Roman unleashing his rage on the guy would probably allow him to salvage a bit of his dignity when he came to. After all, Roman had used a cheap trick to blitz-attack him.

“This is your attempt at forcing a confrontation?” Ezra tsked, shaking his head at Roman like he’d caught him stealing from a cookie jar. “It’s poorly calculated. You assume you’re the only person here who will break the rules and overstep.”

Ezra looked to the crowd, where some of his new allies pushed their way to the front lines and awaited a sign to jump Roman, to take him down before he could even land one hit on Ezra.

“I’m here to set terms for our rematch,” Roman declared. “A wager, if you will, for the current champion.”

Ezra smirked at that slight.

“Already told you, you’ve got nothing I want. Already took your crown. Took your stuff. Took your bestie. You got nothing left to offer me.”

“I do.”

There was a curious look on Ezra’s smiling face, but his eyes, those haunting green eyes, held more rage in them than all of Roman’s muscles, ready to lash out and attack.

“Oh? What’s that?” Ezra asked, his cool and cunning voice only added to the anger Roman kept in check.

“You can have me.”

Chapter Four

Ezra blinked, the anger in his eyes and joy on his face replaced by pure bewilderment. The crowd roared, disgusted, intrigued, and delighted by the turn of events.

“What makes you think I want you?” Ezra asked, eyes fixated on Roman but scanning the crowd as they curiously listened.

“Like you said, you already took everything from me.” Roman shrugged, downplaying the massive wager he’d thrown out for all to hear. “My title, my cell, my best friend. I’m thinking there’s one more thing of mine you want.”

His pride. It was the ultimate thing to offer in prison, the last thing an inmate would want taken from them, stripped away.

“I graciously accept this wager.” Jake cut in, smiling and menacing, feeding the already hungry audience the idea of bedding and breaking Roman.

It was a dream come true for Jake, so despite the incredible discomfort the entire scenario brought Roman, he took some small satisfaction in shutting down Jake.

“You’ve tried your hand at those terms without the wager,” Roman replied, acknowledging when Jake and a few of his crew members found Roman alone and unprepared and tried to take him by force. “You lost then, too.”

Jake had handled his loss as champion well enough, never caring for the demand of reigning and entertainment. No, hedidn’t care Roman had claimed the title, but he certainly wanted to claim Roman.

It’d been a grueling fight. Jake learned after walking away with two slings on his arms to never make an attempt on Roman again, with or without his crew at his side. He could and would taunt, nothing to be done there, but Jake knew no amount of his venomous nature would beat Roman.

“So, I beat you in a fight, and you bend over for me?” Ezra asked, dismissively shrugging while gesturing for additional clarification.

Roman couldn’t discern if he was downplaying his piqued interest or truly bored at the potential. Maybe Roman should’ve bet someone like Jake. He shuttered at the idea. Not that Roman intended on being defeated again, but there were worse things than giving it up to a cocky guy strutting around with the new champion title.

The biggest problem was that if he made this bet, if he lost this bet, then it’d put an even bigger target on his head. There was a reason that men didn’t offer up their ass freely. Even Levi understood the second an inmate submitted, for fun or for force, they lost the right to resist the advances of everyone else who sought a quick release.

“And all you want is your title and bestie back?” Ezra quirked a brow.

“Cell, too.” Roman shrugged.

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to raise the stakes.” Ezra sucked his teeth, expression contemplative. “If you win, you can have what you want, but I want more than a one-and-done fuck when I win.”

Roman’s chest tightened.

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