Page 90 of LOT 62

I glared at him, hating that he knew what buttons to push. Maddox had a direct path to three parts of me—my dick, my heart, and my competitiveness.

“Lloyd!” I shouted at the guy who ran this shit show. “We’re next!” I pointed between me and Maddox.

Lloyd beamed a smile and word spread throughout the crowd. It’d been over a year since we’d fought at fight night, and apparently, the park had missed it. Side bets and bullshit taunts flew, but I zeroed in on the boyfriend who just goaded me into a fight.

“Happy?”

“Very.” He grinned.

Despitethecopperytangof my blood in my mouth, all I could taste was adrenaline. What fuelled me? Passion or rage? Fury or desire? Simply rivalry with my best competitor? Probably that.

Maddox, the smug fuck, had his fists raised and a cocky, bloody smirk on his face. His teeth were etched in red, his knuckles busted, and his hair jutted up all over the place. What a sexy, sweaty, bloody mess. He might have been mine, but I still wanted to beat him. Bragging rights and prizes were on the line. I told myself not to get distracted by the trail of blood that dripped off his chin to decorate his tanned chest, and I told myself even harder not to let this sexy gladiator thwart my goals.

I intended to win and put him on his knees where he belonged, just like I’d said.

My head swam with dizziness, my leg muscles burned, and my eye swelled shut a bit, but the way my blood buzzed through my system made me feel more alive than I had in a long time. Fuck, I’d missed this.

“Don’t tell me you’re done,” Maddox chirped. “I know I’m not dating a quitter.” He pulled his black swim shorts up his thighs to give himself more freedom of movement, crouching down in a fighting stance.

I smiled at him, loving the rush this gave me. “I won’t be done until I knock you the fuck out. You never used to talk this much, and I’m dying to shut you up.” I hiked up my white shorts, matching his stance—his energy.

“I’ve got plenty more to say tonight,” he goaded, baiting me.

Well, no time like the present. I lunged at him, and the gathered crowd roared with the buzz of our fight. I aimed my first right at his shit-talking mouth. My punch landed, and Maddox either bit his tongue or his cheek because fresh blood dribbled over his lower lip and down his chin, making him feral.

Stars sparkled in the periphery of my vision, and I stumbled back a few steps. I hadn’t even seen that hit coming. Maddox didn’t stop. He landed a punch to my gut, my ribs, and then he kneed me right in the thigh. Pain weaved through my muscles, locking them up so hard I doubled forward, buckling in anguish. But from my lower point of view, I saw the perfect opportunity present itself. I wound up and landed a hard uppercut to the underside of his jaw.

He fell. Hard.

And he didn’t get back up.

“Fuck,” he groaned, sprawled out on the sand. “That was a cheap shot, you prick!” He tried to get to his feet, but he flopped right back down.

I bounced on the balls of my feet, not ready to let go of the fight in me until I knew for sure this fucker wouldn’t get back up. “You getting up, Madd?” I shouted down at him, tuning out the crowd. “Get up!”

Maddox tried two more times, rubbing his jaw and trying to shake away the faintness in his head. Dizzy and wobbly, he crashed to the sand on his back, laughing and shaking his head. “Fuck you for this.”

I raised my fists in the air and the crowd cheered for my victory! I left Maddox lying in a heap, doing a victory lap, because I earned that shit. You know what else I earned? Bragging rights! I crouched down and laughed right in his bloody face.

“See?” I knelt beside him. “Sometimes you need to be put in your place, Madd.” I grinned at him, grabbing his hand to yank him into a sitting position.

He swayed a bit, but it levelled out after a minute. He groaned, wiping blood from his mouth, getting sand everywhere. “I’m sure you’ll never stop putting me there.”

“Never,” I agreed. “Get up, loser. I’ve got a prize to collect.” I heaved him to his feet, steadying him while he found his footing. He might have lost, but there was a smile on his face, and if I wasn’t mistaken, there was something else there, too. Nerves, maybe? Smugness, definitely. What the hell did he have to be cocky about?

What a difference. We used to fight at these fight nights, but no matter who won in the end, we’d still be pissed off at each other after the fight. Now, Maddox actually smiled at me, proud of my win and willing to celebrate it with me. Kind of loved how much our dynamic had changed while holding onto some of the parts we weren’t ready to let go of. Fighting? Check. Actual anger? Good riddance.

I ran my thumb over his bottom lip, smearing the blood. “You need to wash all this off before it makes me too rowdy and I pop a woody in front of all these people,” I laughed, eye-fucking him. Goddamn, Maddox. “Swim?”

“Carry me,” he whined, smirking.

I shook my head. “Your pride couldn’t take it after losing. You can walk your own ass to the water, and then you can give me my winnings.”

Maddox gave me an almost shy smirk, able to mix the two expressions seamlessly. I didn’t get the time to dwell on it. Nate and Xavi rushed us, yammering on about the fight.

“You disgraced the family name,” Xavi scolded Maddox. He probably shamed the family name the first time he kissed a Sawyer, but whatever.

“Glad to see you can still beat his ass with more than just your dick,” Nate laughed in my face.

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