Page 2

Chapter

Two

ARI

“ T he numbers don’t lie.”

I set down a paper and looked over at Frankie, whose eyes were focused on the gym’s balance book. He wasn’t actually reading it but was conveniently ignoring my intuition ’cause it wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

We either needed to give River a contract and apply for the Circuit or call up Troy and sell our souls to the devil.

Both weren’t the best choices, but even with our Heathens Hollow money, we could only skirt for a year or two before going under again.

I knew my choice, and Frankie wasn’t going to like it.

He carefully set down the book, rose from the plush chair on the other side of my desk, and rapped his knuckles over last month’s balance with a frown. Even at his most asshole-y, Frankie was a sight to behold. Sandy blond hair, strong jaw, thick chest and muscles accented by his sprawling tattoos. His three-quarter-sleeve white shirt was unbuttoned down to his clavicle and showing off his pecs. It was hard to focus on work when all I wanted to do was run my tongue over his sharp collarbones.

When he didn’t say anything, I sighed. “What’s worse, me being back in the ring, or us hiring River?”

“You back in the ring,” he answered without hesitation.

I tilted my head. “Then what’s the hold up?”

Frankie closed our ledger book and threw it aside. “I’ve known of River for a long time now, but I’ve never known him. He unretires from the underground, works with the douchebag Perks to kick our ass at Heathens Hollow, and what—at the first loss, comes crawling here, asking to join? Horse shit smells better than that, Ari.”

“And horse shit doesn’t nearly take out our best fighter in the ring,” I argued. “That’s why we offer a contract.”

“The same as Troy offered a contract, and River still walked his ass onto our turf and asked to change the game completely.”

“You took a chance on Bones. Why not River?”

“We were desperate then. We aren’t now. We have time. Choices. Shit we didn’t have just a few months ago.”

I couldn’t refute that. The numbers said we could last about a year without alternative funding. Unless something happened, of course. God forbid another tree decided to plant its branches in the middle of our practice ring. But I also didn’t want to let this opportunity slip through our fingers. Not when we had fame and power behind us. And that momentum meant we could get a leg up in the Circuit and be one step closer to becoming the best gym in Seattle.

Not to mention a legit gym.

“We also have a deadline.” My smile didn’t fully reach my face. “Troy’s not going to wait. What if the Circuit fades out again after this year? We have two good opportunities on our plates?—”

“There’s nothing ‘good’ about Troy’s bullshit offer, Ari.”

“Could you not bite my head off here?”

Frankie grunted and threw a hand through his hair. “He only wants us to suck his dick for a little fame and money.”

I held up my hands. “I promise there will be no Troy dick sucking.” A smile split my face. “But I can’t promise about any other dick sucking.”

At least that got him to smile. He shook his head and let out a long sigh. “We don’t have a choice, do we?”

“Not much of one, no.”

“And River is part of that plan?”

“Yep.”

He glanced at the picture of my dad on my desk. “At least we’d be putting his dream into motion.”

My cheeks warmed. “I think he’d be proud of that.”

“I think he’d be more proud of your fight.” Frankie came around the desk and pulled me into his chest. His grin was somehow insufferable and downright sinful. “I’d be surprised if Misty still has two brain cells to rub together.”

“Like she had them before,” I joked and set my hands on his chest. “I had a good coach.”

“I’d say.”

“He showed me plenty of techniques.” I squeezed his pecs, and Frankie’s smirk only grew. “Both in and out of the ring.”

“Like what?”

“Like how to kick your opponent’s ass.”

Frankie laughed. “The only ass I want you to kick from now on is mine, Ari.”

“Well, good thing that’s not all he taught me.”

“What else?”

“He taught me how to take someone out with just one hit.”

Frankie gripped my waist and maneuvered us so my ass hit the edge of my desk. When he leaned over me, his strong, thick body encompassed mine. “Go on.”

“And how to keep your eye on the end goal.” I hopped up on the edge of the desk and spread my legs. “Especially when other shit gets in the way.”

He slipped between my legs, setting his hands on either side of my hips. When his hot breath fanned my face, I had to bite my lip to keep from whimpering.

“And what’s your end goal here, Ari?”

“A compromise.” A teasing smile stretched across my face. I drew my hands lower, raking my nails over his abs through his thin shirt before I hooked my fingers around the loops in his jeans. “Since you said we never listen to you.”

“I’m listening.”

“How about this? You get your head out of your ass and use it for more important things.”

Frankie choked on a laugh. “You’re saying River is one of those important things? Give me a fucking break.”

“Well, if you’re offering, I wouldn’t say no to the both of you working together.” I let my innuendo hang. When Frankie didn’t bite—or even refute—I giggled. “Come on. One tryout.”

“And when one tryout leads to one contract, what then?”

“Then we join the Circuit and kick everyone’s ass. Simple enough plan.” I circled my legs around Frankie’s waist and pulled him flush against me. We both moaned at the contact.

“Somehow our plans always get derailed.” Frankie pushed me back onto the desk, and I fell back on my elbows with a gasp. He trailed his strong hands all over my chest, squeezing at my tits until I was arching into him. “Usually happens like this, too.”

“We can always stop.”

Frankie grunted. Clearly, he wasn’t a fan of that proposal, but neither was I. As much as I loved having Bones and Lotto with us, Frankie and I were something different. Something special. We loved each other in our own way—usually with a little more biting, clawing, and makeup sex involved. But I certainly wasn’t going to complain about any way I could get Frankie’s hands on me again.

“Then let me make you a compromise.” Frankie lowered himself until his lips brushed my ear, his tone dropping with him. “One orgasm per tryout. How many do you think you can get before Lotto and Bones come knocking?”

My entire body flushed with heat. My answer was pressing him flush against me and tugging him into a kiss. Our mouths moved with the same intensity as the burning in our bodies. He pried my lips open with his tongue and forced his way in, twirling his tongue around mine until I whimpered into his mouth.

I tugged at his shirt to get it off. He only broke our kiss to throw it somewhere before diving in again. By the time he pulled away, my lips felt swollen, a small bit of saliva dripping from the corner of my mouth.

Frankie tugged at my pants as he marked up my neck. Every sharp bite made me gasp; each flick of his tongue made me shiver. My neck became a canvas of evidence for his love—or his possession. I sure as hell didn’t mind either. My pants joined his shirt elsewhere. My bra and shirt joined the pile not even seconds later.

“Seeing you laid out for me never gets old.” Frankie’s smirk matched the darkness swirling in his eyes. “Maybe I should tattoo those hickies on you. Really mark my territory.”

“Only if I get to return the favor.” I reached out to dig my nails into his sides, pulling him back into me. “You’ll look really good with scratch mark tattoos all over your back and chest. Would fit your others.”

“Why get a tattoo when you can make them yourself?”

I leaned further back, splaying myself out for him. Frankie drank me in like I was a special prize. When I shifted my hips to flash more of my covered pussy, he inhaled slightly.

“I’ll ask you the same question,” I murmured as I dragged my fingers up his abs, tracing the muscled lines on his skin. “You have such a pretty canvas to play with. Why not make it your own?”

Frankie practically purred as he dove into me. Every single area he could mark with bites, he did. My throat, my shoulders, my chest—everywhere had a small piece of Frankie as he moved down my body. I threaded my fingers into his hair as he played with my nipples. He tugged, sucked, and licked until I was arching into his mouth and pushing him closer for more. Goosebumps rose on my flesh when he dragged his fingers along the crotch of my panties. I was already soaking wet for him, and he’d barely even touched me. Then again, Frankie clearly felt the same way, his hard cock pressed up against my inner thigh as he moved down.

My panties came off easily. Frankie took a moment to ogle my naked, marked-up body, his lips curling in satisfaction. With a harsh tug, he jerked me down to the edge of the desk and bent between my open legs. His growl vibrated throughout me as he dove into my pulsing cunt.

He was rough and quick from the start, circling his tongue around my aching clit in a way that ripped a moan from my parted lips. His fingers dug into my thighs so hard, no doubt leaving red fingerprints on my flesh. I ground my hips into his mouth as he worked me, practically humping his face. My body was on fire, and I couldn’t get enough.

I arched off the desk when he entered me with his thick fingers. My moan echoed off the ceiling when he started thrusting. My thighs trembled and slightly closed; Frankie pulled back with a cum-slicked frown and smacked my inner thigh.

I gasped at the sting. “The hell, Frankie?”

“Keep them open,” he demanded, “and scream my name when you come. See if the others bite.”

I tried to answer, but it only came out as a groan when he put his mouth back on me. Two fingers fucked me hard, dragged along my walls, stretching my pussy. He sucked and rolled my clit between his tongue so fast I saw stars. Heat built in my stomach when he flattened his tongue; I was helpless to stop my hips from grinding into his face.

When he curled his fingers, I came with a shout of his name. My pussy sucked him in further, walls pulsing and spasming around him. Frankie kept working my clit, even as I shook and trembled beneath him. When he was satisfied, he pulled back and slowly stood, popping his fingers into my open mouth. I moaned and sucked on them, the taste of my juices flooding my taste buds. He thrust his two fingers in and out of my mouth as he fumbled to get his pants off with one hand. When he couldn’t do it, I giggled and reached out to help him. That earned me a particularly harsh thrust that made me whine.

His thick chest rose and fell with his harsh breaths. When his cock sprang free, drops of cum already beaded its tip. I hooked my arms around my thighs and brought my knees up to my shoulders. Frankie’s eyes dropped down to my wet pussy, his eyes growing somehow darker.

I dipped my head back so his fingers were on my lips and not in my mouth. I pressed a little kiss there and giggled when it seemed to catch him off guard.

“That’s one tryout, Frankie,” I purred and spread my legs even more. “Still up for counting?”

“If your pussy’s still up to get beat.”

“Why stop there?” I teased. Keeping my legs bent by my shoulders, I ghosted my hands down my body. When I reached my cunt, I spread my pussy wide open for him with one hand and spread my asscheeks with the other.

Frankie inhaled, eyes focused on my cunt as he took a step back. I whimpered at the loss of heat between my legs, but it was quickly replaced with a fire in my veins when Frankie wrapped a hand around his weeping cock.

“Get your ass ready for me,” he ordered. “I’m going to make my mark everywhere.”

I shivered at the promise in his words. Dipping my fingers into my pussy, I gathered some slick and trailed down to my ass. I circled two fingertips over my asshole before dipping one inside. Frankie’s grunt masked my little mewl of pleasure. He slowly stroked his cock as he watched me push a finger into my ass. I bucked up into the pleasure, thrusting my finger in and out a few times until I could take a second. Even as I fucked my ass with two fingers, I circled my aching clit with the other, and Frankie maintained his agonizingly slow pace.

“Frankie,” I whined. As much as I loved putting on a show for him, it wasn’t enough. I needed that thick cock in me—preferably all over me.

Frankie smirked. “What?”

“You know what.”

He squeezed his cock, his voice catching. “Say it.”

“Fuck me.” I jerked into my quick motions. My cunt ached for a second release; I ground into my fingers, trying to push them deeper in my ass and groaning when I failed. “Right now—fuck—need your cock.”

“Where?”

“My pussy. My ass. Fuck, I don’t care where. Just need you.” I fluttered my eyelashes and grinned. “I’m ready. Aren’t you?”

Frankie muttered a heavy ‘fuck yes’ beneath his breath and slipped back between my thighs. He ripped my hands away from my body and gripped my hips so hard, I gasped. We shared a moan when he pushed inside and stretched my walls.

He was relentless from the start. He wasn’t just fucking me—he was marking his territory. Before Bones, before Lotto, before Heathens Hollow, I’d belonged to Frankie. Each drag of his cock and slap of his balls against my ass was a reminder I was Frankie’s girl.

And I fucking loved it.

I shifted my legs onto his shoulders, locking my ankles behind his head. He was so fucking deep . I cried out with every sharp thrust. My vision flashed white as he fucked me so hard, I nearly fell off the back of the desk. I raked my nails down his arms, over and over until red lines marred his tan skin. My own little mark. Because as much as I belonged to Frankie, he belonged to me, too.

Frankie cursed and pulled himself from me with one jerk. My annoyed grunt morphed into a whimper as soon as he thumbed my clit. My head swam with pleasure. Too lost in the trembling of my sweaty body, I barely felt him push into my ass. My eyes flew open when he bucked into me, filling my ass to the brim.

“You better hang on, baby.” He grunted.

“As if I haven’t been?” I teased and wiggled my hips. “Fill me up.”

My words spurred him on, and the slaps of our hips rang in the room. The desk shook under his forceful pace, while he worked my clit with his thumb as he made a mess of my ass. It was hard to breathe, let alone think. My head fell back against the desk as toe-curling heat unfurled from my cunt and threatened to swallow me. I pulled Frankie even closer with my legs, his name slipping from my lips as easily as water.

Frankie had me bent in half, holding onto my thighs to push me even higher. My pussy throbbed with need for release. The pulse of my aching clit grew and grew until I could only gasp for more.

“Fuck, Ari,” Frankie growled, and it was my undoing.

I came with a loud shout, digging my nails into his wrists so hard, I drew blood. I clung to him as heat consumed me. My body arched and shuddered into him, hips humping against his to ride out my pleasure. With a few more strokes, Frankie’s hot cum filled my ass. He rocked into me a few more times before he stilled, his face contorted in blissful pleasure.

I loved seeing him like this. Fucked out all because of me. There was nothing better.

Except maybe a win at Heathens Hollow. But I’d keep that one to myself.

When he popped open an eye, his pupils were still blown with lust. “How’s your back?”

“My back?” The question made me laugh out loud. “Not going to ask about my pussy? Or my ass? But my back ?”

“The desk isn’t very comfortable.”

“And how do you know that?”

My sly question made him roll his eyes. “This is what I get for trying to be nice.”

“Then knock that off. I don’t think you have a nice bone in your body.”

“I have at least one nice bone that made you come twice.” He snapped his hips into mine, and I grunted. “Unless you want me to get rid of it?”

“Don’t even think about it.” I lowered my legs from his shoulders but kept them pressed close to his sides. “And don’t get any weird ideas about next time.”

“Next time, huh?”

The shrill notification of a text from my phone cut into our bliss. Lotto’s name flashed on screen, and I reached to grab it, squeezing hard to keep Frankie’s dick from slipping out from my ass. His rough hands wandered, palming my tits as I read through Lotto’s message.

“He’s on the way back,” I told Frankie. When he tugged at my nipples, I set the phone aside and lifted a brow. “Says to call a meeting.”

“Another fucking meeting.” He grunted, swiveling his hips into me. I sucked in a breath when his dick twitched. “I already agreed to have River tryout?—”

“Two tryouts, technically.” My lips slid into a smirk.

Frankie leaned closer, hands and breath hot as they ghosted over my body. “Wanna make it three?”