Page 60 of Duke
Letting go, I get off Royal and rise to my feet. He scrambles to his knees, takes a quick breath, then climbs to standing as well. He gives me a glare, but I can also see the reluctant appreciation in his eyes for a fight well-fought. Wiping sweat off his brow with his forearm, he heads over to his team where Wilder gives me a slight head bob, as if to admit that he also agrees that it was a good fight, then goes about helping his friend get water. He takes his mouthguard and wipes his face down with a towel.
I’m in a post-win daze, staring out into the cheering crowd.I did it.A moment later, Mason is with me. He takes my face between his hands, scanning for injuries before looking into my eyes. “You good?” It’s hard not to see the worry there, and I want to grab him into a fierce hug, but I settle for tipping my forehead to his and simply breathing along with him because my heart is threatening to rip right out of my chest for more than physical reasons. Mason always assists Bear like this, too… but it hits different when it’s him caring forme.
“I’m good.” I accept the water he offers, then turn to see Lennon has climbed up to the outside edge of the cage, her fingers clutching at the metal wire to hold her steady. I step over to her, my chest still heaving from exerting myself to the max during the fight.
“You did so fucking good, Duke.” Her blue eyes shine, her grin, contagious. “Seriously. Amazing.”
We’re interrupted when the ref calls Royal and me to the center of the ring and brings us on either side of him. He takes both of us by the wrist before he makes his announcement. We all know who won this fight, but it seems he wants the pleasure of… rubbing it in?Interesting.“By submission, this fight goes to Bainbridge Hall’s Duuuke Valentine!” From there, he yanks my arm into the air, signaling my victory. I hide my relieved exhale by lifting my other arm into the air and waving at the cheering crowd. My gaze flicks to my father, then Derek and Murdock. They seem… displeased. Actually, that’s a poor choice of words. They’re fuckin’ pissed.
Interestingly enough, they clear the room fast, the three of them heading back to the office without a damn word to us. Not even so much as a congratulations from my father. It figures. Ever since I quit football, I’ve been on his shit list, so a win here likely means nothing to him. Especially if he bet against our own house.
When Bear sees the OG Bastards have gone, he pushes his way through the crowd, ignoring those who recognize him. I’m just coming out of the cage with Mason behind me when he gets to us.
He grabs me, uncaring about the grimy sweat and spray of blood I’m currently covered in, and thumps my back. His embrace is rock solid, and for a moment, we simply stand there, arms wrapped around each other. “You fuckin’ did it.” His chest heaves against mine. “Thank you.”
I back up a hair so I can look into his eyes, though neither of us completely lets go of the other. Pressing my lips together, I slowly shake my head. “No thanks needed, brother. You’d do the same to help me.”
He blinks a few times and nods. “Yeah. I would.” His gaze shifts to Mason and Lennon, who stand off to the side with my gear in hand. “For any of you.”
Grinning, I rub my hand over my bruised cheekbone. “Same.”
Mason jerks his head toward the back hallway. “How about we get you a shower, then we can get the fuck out of here and show our appreciation for each other at home where the OGs won’t be breathing down our necks?” He gives me a cheeky grin, then extends his arm toward the dressing room with a flourish. “After you, champ,” he huffs out, clapping a hand to my sweaty back as we turn to go.
All the way to the dressing room, I let myself think about what just went down and the consequences of our actions. Who knows whether Bear would have won or lost that fight, but the important thing is that we saved his arm—and totally fucked the OG Bastards in the process. I’d seen the terrible, surly looks on their faces before they’d taken off. Because, of course, they bet on Bear losing again.Mean fuckers. There’s lesson one for you, assholes. Don’t underestimate the men you raised.
THIRTY-ONE
LENNON
“You okay?”I work my bottom lip between my teeth, trying to get a read on Bear’s current state of mind. Eyeing him, I’m not entirely sure what he must be thinking. He’d thrown back the hood from his head the minute we got in the dressing room and dropped onto the couch. I know it had to have been hard for him to take a back seat like that and watch Duke step in to take his place. Difficult, but necessary.
Upon our arrival, Duke and Mason had gone directly into the bathroom, where Mason is checking Duke over for bumps and bruises. I can barely make out their hushed conversation about the fight. I doubt they’ll waste any time, as none of us have any desire to stay longer than necessary. Sure enough, the shower turns on a moment later, the sound of water drowning out anything being said in there. That also means they can’t hear what’s going on out here either.
If only Bear would talk to me. He has to know this was our best course of action.
Rubbing his hands on his joggers, Bear lets out a deep sigh, leaning back and resting against the couch cushion. His hands grip the back of his neck. I can tell by the stance that he’s trying to relax, but he’s not having an easy time of it. His eyes finally connect with mine. “I’m good. Just hate that he had to do that. And don’t know what it’ll cost us.” His lips twitch in amusement. “But fuck, did you see the look on my old man’s face when Duke won?”
A smile curves my lips as I nod, glad to see he’s not completely thrown by the situation. Scooping my hair off my neck and twisting it into a knot, I try to suppress my laughter, but some of it bubbles out. “Oh, yeah. I turned around because I knew it’d be good and seriously thought he was going to pop one of those bulging veins in his forehead.” The vision I conjure in my mind makes me outright snicker. “And the thing is, he couldn’t even express how pissed he was without everyone knowing he’d bet against you.”
“Yeah. That gave me a little thrill, too.” He holds out his hand to me. “Come here, Lennon.”
I walk over to stand in front of him, cocking my head to the side. It shouldn’t catch me off guard, but it does when his hand snakes out and grips mine, then tugs me onto his lap. I end up straddled there, hands resting lightly on his chest as I meet his gaze. Something about it is a little off—and I get a feeling that maybe what transpired in the ring tonight is at the root of his concern.
“I want you to be extra careful, extra vigilant. Will you do that for me?”
“Of course.” My throat goes dry, and I barely squeak out my next words. “You’re worried.”
“I am. We’ve just hit them where it hurts. They’re greedy bastards, Lennon, all of them, and I have no doubt they’ll be looking to repay us in kind.”
It hits me like a sledgehammer to the chest. “You mean they’d do something… to me?”
He nods, holding my head between his big hands. “I can think of nothing that would hurt us more than to see you harmed again… or taken from us.” I let his words sink in deep as his thumbs sweep over my cheekbones, and he stares cautiously into my eyes.
A line forms on my forehead as I consider what he’s saying. “You won’t let them hurt me. Not if you can help it. I know that. But you also taught me how to fight. And I’ll use that knowledge to protect myself, if necessary. I—” My throat feels like it’s thickening as I attempt to swallow. Looking down at my hands, I blink, trying not to let on how emotional I feel as I look up at him from under my lashes. “I don’t ever want to be separated from the three of you. It’d be like losing part of myself.”
“I guarantee you we all feel the same.” His rough thumb brushes over my cheek again as he tugs me closer. “Let’s put it out of our heads for a minute. Give Daddy a kiss from these sweet lips.”
Those same lips quirk at his demand, but I have no desire to say no. I lean forward, resting against his chest, our mouths only a fraction of an inch apart. My heart pounds, like it recognizes him as mine. It knows that he’s part owner of every beat it takes. I drink him in—his strength, his protective nature, everything that makes himmyGideon.
