Page 39 of Rematch
Nodding again, I silently promised I would. After all Max has been going through, he deserved to hear it.
Wesley returned with our snacks. He practically shoved Tysir, who was silently guarding the end of the aisle, out of the way to hand us our food and drinks. Then, he took his empty seat to sit beside Gianna. Almost immediately, he leaned over and started making conversation with her.
I giggled as Tysir rolled his eyes and walked over to sit beside me, closing the other end of our protective barrier.
The first few matches of the event were entertaining. I almost forgot how much more you see and hear when you’re up so close. Beside me, Gianna flinched a few times at the sounds of bone hitting bone and bodies slamming to the ground. “Jesus,” she murmured. “This shit is insane.” She leaned over to whisper in my ear. “Your ex used to do this forfun?”
“Yup.”
“And you let him. Y’all both crazy as hell.”
I giggled. “What? It’s kinda hot watching them fight.”
Her eyes widened as she cocked her head. “Hot?”
“Yeah. You can’t tell me you would mind being in one of those headlocks.”
“Headlocks?” A smile crept on her lips as she shook her head. “Oh, no wonder that man is wrapped around your finger like that. You freaky as hell.”
I turned my gaze back towards the octagon. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She scoffed. “Yes you do. You aren’t innocent.”
Shaking my head, I ignored her and continued focusing on the match happening in front of us.
Time practically flew, and before I knew it, Max’s match was next. The crowd went wild at the mere mention of his name. When he actually walked out, the cheers in the arena were so loud it nearly broke my eardrums. Confidently, he strutted down the aisle with Tony and the rest of his professional team. Raising his arms, he welcomed the cheers and acknowledged his loyal fans with smiles and nods. His eyes scanned the room as he stepped into the octagon.
Our eyes locked, and he practically froze in place. I didn’t know why he seemed surprised. He knew I was going to be here. Yet, he was staring at me with an expression I couldn’t label.
Smiling, I waved at him.
Blinking, he broke out of the invisible hold on him and returned my smile. He put his gloved hand over his heart, patted it, and pointed his glove back out to me.
Chapter 16
Max
Audrey’s here.
And she’s in the front row where she belonged.
I expected that. I did not expect to see my old gym jacket draped over her body. I didn’t even know she still had it after all these years. My last name still looked good over her heart.
Reluctantly, I tore my eyes away from her and turned to my opponent who was entering the ring. Deon Sanders was a tall, dark-skinned man who outweighed me by a few pounds in muscle. During our training sessions, Tony warned me not to be deceived by his size. Apparently this dude was fast as hell. Probably strong too. Yet, neither of those traits scared me. For as long as I’ve been fighting, there hasn’t been much I haven’t seen before.
He held his glove out in respect. Returning it, I tapped it with my own.
“Ready?” The referee asked each of us. After receiving nods from both of us, he threw his hand up and called, “Fight!”
As soon as the referee freed the space between us, Deon was charging at me. He swung quick, powerful punches and kicks.
I danced around his first few strikes, already anticipating the speed and combination. What I wasn’t expecting were his false strikes. He’d crank one arm back as if about to throw a punch,leaving me focused on that glove, and then actually throw a punch with his other. The first one caught me in the cheek. The second was a blow to my ribcage. The third, another hit to my face, sent me a few steps backwards, directing into the metal stitching of the octagon.
Deon smirked as he tried to corner me there. He moved in close, caging me between his body and the netting, and targeted my abdomen.
I held my arms at an angle to keep some distance between us and guard my ribs. Between his hits, I managed to find a few openings - a few opportunities to knee him straight in his stomach and ribs.
Deon hissed at one of the harder blows. His punches paused for the briefest moment.
