Page 16 of Royal
My lungs on fire as the fragrant breeze blew through my hair.
And Royal’s laugh bouncing off the trees of the forest surrounding us.
He was the one I wanted. And I had him… until our lives spun out of control.
His breath is warm as he rasps, “You’re going to show all of them that you belong to me. My dirty little slut.”
Feeling my cheeks scorch with heat, I push back so I can stare into his eyes. It’s startling to be this close to him after all this time, but I aim a sultry look at him, sliding my tongue along my lower lip for full effect. To anyone watching, they probably think we’re totally into each other. I taunt him with a saucy smile. And then I catch his lip between my teeth and bite down.Hard.
He blinks, and his quick intake of breath is followed by a deep growl. Hoping he sees the challenge in my eyes, I finally let up, sucking on his lip before I let it go with a pop. A metallic taste hits my tongue. Wicked pleasure rolls through me at the idea that I made him bleed. He deserved that.
But then, a rough, gritty chuckle escapes him. Against my lips, he whispers. “I love it when you fight back. Always have.”
NINE
ROYAL
Echo thoughtshe’d gained the upper hand when she turned her back on me. Little did she know, she brought out the lion. Time to teach her why she should never antagonize a predator.
The fire in her eyes is impressive, and it makes my blood course thick and hot through my veins.Oh, little lamb.It’s time to take you to the slaughter. I grimace and thrust against her, rattling the cage, much to the delight of all the horny fucking assholes in the crowd.
This motherfucking getup she has on is going to make my dick poke through the steel cup meant to protect it. Flames race down my spine as need rushes through me. Iwillmake sure Echo understands that I’m not fucking around. My hand drifts down to find the bare skin on the back of her thigh. My touch is light, but entirely inappropriate in this public setting. Goose bumps erupt over her flesh when I trail my fingers lazily upward until they’re under the fabric of her fuck-hot glittery skirt, mere inches from her ass. “You are not the one in control here, princess. You’d do well to remember who you’re dealing with.”
Whatever I do tonight, I can’t let her presence distract me.
Movement inside the cage catches my attention, and I reluctantly glance up. The ref is staring at me, his brow arched high on his forehead. A semi-irritatedOkay, time’s up, lover boyis written all over his face.
“That’s my cue, princess.” I dip my head, my tongue darting out for a taste of her skin. I slide it from the base of her neck to the hinge of her jaw, all while she squirms against me. I inhale, taking in a potent hit of everything Echo. “Give the crowd a good show, sweetheart. We’ll settle up later.”
And with that, I release her, easing away. My concentration needs to be on this fight. I enter the ring and eye Bear on the far side where he’s moving around to keep his muscles warm. Oddly, he has no one with him tonight either, which is interesting because normally Duke and Mason are around to back him up.
My eyes subtly shift to Beckham and Wilder in seats they wouldn’t normally be in. I’m really fucking glad Beckham alerted me to the fact that he was on his way to the warehouse with Echo in tow. If he hadn’t, I’d have been caught off guard, and that would have pissed me off.
If we’re going to keep up the ruse that they aren’t my friends, they’ll have to support me from over there. It’s all good. It’ll be worth it when I bring Echo’s world crashing down on her head.
I jut my chin toward Bear while I swing my arms back and forth across my chest and jog a bit to stay warm. Keeping an eye on Echo, I don’t know what to think. She had to have fucking rigged this. How the fucking hell is she here otherwise? I don’t get it.
My teeth grind, and I shake my head, shoving my mouth guard in and attempting to focus. I glance up as the ref beckons us to the center of the ring.
“The challenger for our fight tonight is from Sigma Iota Nu. He’s a killer in the ring and fighting for the first time in our main event. Everyone give a round of applause for Roooyal Kaaaaplan!”
I huff out a hard exhale through my nose and raise my arms into the air, nodding my head as the crowd makes some noise. Out of the corner of my eye, I can tell Beckham and Wilder are on the edge of their seats, their focus pinging back and forth between me and Echo.
She’s seated there, on my bench alone, gaze darting around the room. She spots “Benneti” and “Emory” and gives them a tiny wave. This is, possibly, an excellent opportunity to have them try to get closer to her, to make her feel like they are her friends.
Her attention returns to the ring as the announcer continues his spiel. “And the man of the hour, the one you’ve all been waiting for, from Bainbridge Hall, the one, the only Beeear Piiiierce!”
I give him a feral grin, shaking my head when he leers right back at me.
“Tonight’s fight is scheduled for three rounds of five minutes each…” And I tune him out because Echo has found her Round One card and hoists it over her head. Her perky breasts jut from her chest as she swings her hips, beginning her walk around the ring.
My lungs fill with fire. I glance back at Wilder and Beckham, seeking their understanding. With my eyes flicking from them to the now empty bench, I give the command.Get your asses over here.
They don’t hesitate. While Echo’s busy charming the audience, they take their places on the bench. I hope no one vocalizes any questions as to why they aren’t assisting me as they usually do. The ref is getting ready to start the fight when Echo stops in front of the bench where my friends have settled in.
Faintly, I hear her whisper, “What are you doing?”
It doesn’t matter what they’re saying to her—I trust them—and I can’t hear them over the crowd, anyway, as everyone begins to get loud in anticipation of the start of the fight. Turning one last time to put eyes on what’s happening behind me, I grit my teeth. It’s obvious she’s attempting to decide whether to invite them to stay with her or not. Does she think I won’t notice that her twofriendshave come to join her on my motherfucking bench? My eyes connect with hers, and I shoot her a death glare, telling her in no uncertain terms that she’s about to cross a line.
