Page 27

Chapter 27

Frankie

“ F rankie? Can we talk?” Ari said softly as she approached me in the locker room.

Everyone had left for the night, and I was cleaning up the space before calling it myself.

I looked up, surprised. Ari had been avoiding me ever since the incident in her office. We all had done what we agreed to do, but nothing had been acted upon or discussed since.

In fact, it had been damn awkward between all of us.

I set down the mop and leaned against the lockers, studying her face. “Sure.” I kept my voice carefully neutral.

Ari fidgeted with the strap of her tank, avoiding my gaze. “I know things have been...strained between us.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “And I’m sorry.”

I raised an eyebrow, surprised at her apology. “You’re sorry?” I tried to mask my skepticism.

“I never asked you. I never took the time to discuss Bones and Lotto, and what that all meant for you and me.”

“You and me?” I parroted.

“Yes. Us. Because whether we want to admit it or not, there is a you and me. It starts with us. It has always started with us.”

Ari drew a deep breath, still not meeting my gaze. “This isn’t just about seeing other people. Or having an open relationship. Or whatever else term we want to use. This is now about the four of us. But”—she inhaled—“it starts with us. I think that fact should be addressed.”

I nodded slowly, processing her words. “You’re right,” I said. “We do need to talk about this. About us.”

Ari’s smile was small and tentative, and it made my pulse quicken. “We never have.”

“I’m not exactly good with words.”

Ari’s smile grew a little bigger at my confession. “That’s okay. I’m not either. But I want to try. I want to make this work, Frankie. I want us to work.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I promised your dad?—”

“Fuck that,” she said. “Don’t make this about him. You know damn well that you and I are more than just a promise.”

Ari’s words caught me off guard, and I couldn’t help but smile at her fiery response.

“I’ve loved you since you were the annoying teenager who watched me be trained by your dad while sucking her lollipop,” I admitted.

“And I’ve loved you since the day you walked into that gym, all bravado and attitude, and proceeded to kick everyone’s ass who even dared to spar Freakshow,” she said.

“Do you think your dad knew?”

She laughed. “Yes. He always knew. He knew before we even did.”

“What do you think he’d say about what we’re doing?”

“I think he’d say he’s proud of us,” Ari replied, sounding steady and certain. “He’d say that we’re strong, and that we can handle whatever comes our way. He’d tell us that he’ll always look over us. And though he’d be pissed as hell we chose cage fighting over boxing, he’d understand our reasons why. Just as he understood why you chose to fight in the cage over the ring, too.”

“Oh he was fucking pissed,” I said with a grin, remembering the man’s rage.

Ari chuckled at the memory, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Yeah, he was, but he got over it. Eventually.”

“Eventually.”

We stood there for a moment, staring at each other in silence. The tension between us was visceral, the anticipation building as we both waited for the other to make the first move.

Finally, I broke the silence. “When he died, it was just the two of us against the world.”

“Just the two of us,” she said softly.

“So do we really want to add two more?”

Ari looked up at me, her eyes meeting mine. “Yes,” she said, firm and resolute. “Yes, I do. I want to add Bones and Lotto to our world, Frankie. I want us to be a unit. A found family.” She paused. “It feels right—at least for me—but I also know it’s not fair to simply expect it from you, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”

“If I asked you to walk away from them both? Truly walk away?”

“I would be lying if I said it wouldn’t be hard.” Her gaze never left mine. “But at the end of the day?—”

“I would never ask you to choose,” I interrupted. “Never.”

Ari’s shoulders relaxed at my words, and she let out a sigh of relief.

I took a step closer to her, closing the distance between us. “I don’t want to lose you, Ari,” I said, firm and determined. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”

Ari’s eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she looked up at me. “I feel the same way. I don’t want to lose you either.”

We stared into each other’s eyes. I could feel the pull between us, the connection that had always been there, even when we were avoiding each other.

I couldn’t resist any longer. I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers, feeling her respond with equal passion. We kissed deeply, our bodies molding together as if we were two pieces of a puzzle that had finally found their place.

“Now,” Ari said, pulling back with a mischievous glint in her eye. “Can we stop all this mushy talk and do what we do best?”

“Which is?”

“Fucking.”

I reached out and pulled her close, our bodies pressed together as we kissed and explored each other’s bodies, as if we were trying to make up for lost time.

We undressed each other slowly, savoring every moment. I traced my fingers over her skin, feeling her shudder with pleasure at my touch. Ari did the same to me, her fingers leaving a trail of fire in their wake.

When we were both naked, I trailed kisses down her neck and over her chest, teasing her nipples with my tongue. Ari arched her back, letting out a soft moan as I continued my descent down her body.

I reached her hips and spread her legs, settling myself between them. I looked up at her, seeking permission. Ari nodded, her eyes heavy with desire.

I lowered my head to run my tongue over her clit, and her hips bucked against my face.

She tasted sweet and tangy, a flavor that was uniquely her. I licked and sucked, enjoying every moan that escaped her lips.

Ari fisted my hair, pulling me closer. She was getting closer to the edge, her breath coming in short, sharp bursts.

Just as her muscles tensed, I pulled back, smiling up at her. “Not yet,” I teased, blowing gently on her damp skin.

Ari’s eyes fluttered open, frustration and desire warring in their depths. “Frankie,” she warned, her voice low and husky.

I ignored her, instead moving up her body to claim her mouth in a searing kiss. Ari wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me closer. I could feel her wetness against my thigh, and I couldn’t resist the temptation any longer.

I pushed her up against the lockers. “I can finally fuck you without a condom. I’m going to be the first.”

I positioned myself at her entrance, teasing her with quick thrusts before finally pushing inside. We both groaned with pleasure as I filled her, our bodies moving with no barrier between us.

We moved together, our bodies in sync as we chased our release. Each thrust was met with a corresponding buck of Ari’s hips, our bodies moving together with a desperate urgency.

Her walls were tightening around me, the tension building in her as she approached her climax. I reached down, finding her clit with my fingers as I continued to pound into her.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” I moaned. “Why the fuck didn’t we commit and do all the testing shit before?” I thrust again, enjoying the sensation more than I thought possible. “Fuck!”

Ari wrapped her legs tighter around me, her nails digging into my back as I moved inside her. “I don’t know,” she gasped, her breath hot against my ear. “But I’m glad we’re doing it now.”

I pulled back and looked into her eyes, seeing the love and desire that mirrored my own. “I love you, Ari.” My words were thick with emotion.

“I love you too, Frankie,” Ari replied, just as emotional. “I always have.”

We moved together in a rhythm that was both familiar and new. It was raw and real, a connection that went deeper than merely physical pleasure.

Ari’s orgasm was building, her muscles tensing around me. I thrust harder, chasing my own release.

We came together, our bodies shuddering with pleasure. Just the two of us… for now.