Page 6 of Craving the Fight (Gloves Off: Next Generation)

CARTER

“Dude, I don’t see how you can walk right now.” Kase sat down across from me and shook his head, his grin wider than the Cheshire cat. He had to be at the club later, so he was dressed in a Labyrinth T-shirt and jeans with his blond hair perfectly gelled. “Seriously,” he said, pointing down at my groin. “I’m surprised your balls aren’t shriveled up like raisins. How many women did you fuck last night?”

My brain was still foggy from all the alcohol. I tried to picture the women in my mind, but they all blurred together. I remembered two blondes, a brunette, and maybe a redhead? Or was it two brunettes? Shaking my head, I realized it was best not to remember. Hell, I was twenty-eight years old and enjoying life. That’s all that mattered.

“Not sure. I think I lost count.”

Kase hooted a laugh. “Lucky bastard. I was too busy running the club.”

Carrying a tray with our drinks, Quinn climbed up the last two steps and made her way over to us. She was Kase’s younger sister by two years, making her twenty-five. Her long blonde hair was the same color as Kase and their father’s, but she had her mother’s sea green eyes and beautiful face.

“I think last night went amazing, Kase,” Quinn said, setting down our beers and a whiskey bottle with two shot glasses. She smirked at me and then focused back on her brother. “And I’m talking about the club, not the fight.” She patted Kase on the shoulder. “You lost that one, brother. Big time.”

Rolling his eyes, Kase took a giant gulp of his beer. “Rub it in, why don’t you?”

Quinn snorted with laughter and slid the tray underneath the table before sitting down with us. “Someone has to give you a hard time.”

“Hey, what did I miss?” Thea called out as she climbed up the spiral staircase, carrying plates with our stuffed mushrooms and crab dip. “I heard laughing.”

Hurrying over, she set the food down on the table and sat beside Kase, pushing her chocolate-colored hair behind her ears with her delicate fingers. Kase snuck a glance at her, and I noticed the spark of wanting in his eyes. He'd been exceptionally protective of her in all the years I’d known him. Thea Bennett was a gorgeous woman, her eyes strikingly exotic. They were a bright blue with a golden ring around the pupils. Kase noticed my smirk and glared at me as he took another swig of his beer, obviously not wanting me to say anything. I didn’t believe his excuse of not getting any pussy last night due to being too busy with the club. His focus was on someone else.

“You didn’t miss much,” I assured Thea, scooping up some crab dip on a pita chip. I tossed it in my mouth and glanced around at the restaurant. We were in the private loft at K & B’s Bistro, owned by Kacey and Bree, who were the mothers of Kase and Quinn, and Thea respectively. It was my last night in Vegas, so I had to end it with a fabulous meal. K & B’s Bistro was the hottest spot in all of Nevada.

“Are you two excited about owning all of this one day?” I asked Quinn and Thea.

Quinn beamed as she peered around the restaurant. “More than excited.”

Thea picked up a mushroom and set it on her plate. “It’s crazy how it all worked out.” She smiled over at Quinn. “Our mothers are best friends, and here we are the same. Hopefully, we can continue the tradition.”

Quinn nodded. “Definitely.” She ate a mushroom and then focused on me; her eyes narrowed in curiosity. “How are the guys in Cali? It’s been forever since I’ve seen them. I miss how our parents used to get us all together when we were younger.” A hint of sadness passed across her face when she shrugged. “I mean, I still catch up with the girls on social media, but it’s not the same as seeing them.”

“The guys are good,” I answered, scooping up another pita chip full of crab dip.

Kase chuckled. “You’re damn right they are. I have to say, we all turned out just fine, maybe even more successful than our parents were at our age.”

Quinn agreed with a nod. “Yeah, you have Carter’s sister, Aleah,” she said, pointing at me, “who took over her mother’s position at Physique magazine. Then, you have Reagan, Ethan, and Ripp Jameson who all fight for the UFC.”

“It’s awesome Reagan wanted to compete,” Thea added, her voice full of awe.

There was one Jameson they had yet to mention, and I didn’t want to hear her name. Reagan and Ethan were her siblings, with Ethan being her twin brother. I’d tried my best to forget about her to no avail; I doubted I’d ever be able to.

“Oh,” Quinn blurted, waving a hand excitedly in the air at Thea and Kase, “Brooks is about to be part of some special FBI group. I don’t think you guys knew about that.”

Kase’s eyes doubled in size when he glowered at me. “What the fuck, man? You failed to tell me this.”

I held up my hands. “Don’t blame me.”

He shot his attention back to Quinn. “How did you find out?”

Quinn snickered. “Unlike you boys,” she said, flourishing a hand between me and Kase, “who only talk once in a blue moon, I actually keep in touch with my friends.”

“Well, damn,” Kase replied, sitting back in his seat. “Guess we shouldn’t be too surprised. His mother was an undercover detective.” Brooks and Ripp Jameson were twins, the sons of Camden Jameson, a cutthroat fighter with a dark past. He had a scar down his face to prove it.

After taking a sip of her water, Quinn patted Kase on the arm. “Not all of us wanted the fighter life, brother. Although, I do have to hand it to Reagan and our cousin Kali. They’re killing it in the ring.”

Out of all the females in our inner circle of friends, only two decided to fight: Reagan Jameson and Kali Andrews. Kali’s father, Kyle Andrews, a former heavyweight champion, was my dad’s worst enemy almost three decades ago. It took a couple of years, but my parents forgave him for the shit he did to them. To this day, I still didn’t know all the details.

“The girls are definitely dominating right now,” I affirmed. “Reagan won the featherweight title.”

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