1 Last Shot (The Fight Game, #4)

by Nikki Castle

“You have no idea how annoying it is to know that you can do that without even trying.” I let out a bark of startled laughter. Fuck, when was the last time someone made me laugh?

"Such a furious little ballerina," he murmurs, his lip curling into a smirk. He reaches to attach the strap for me.

"You're the first girl to ride bitch. Is that what you're asking?" I glare at the back of his head, even though the admission makes the butterflies in my stomach take off. "Has anyone ever told you that you're shockingly charming?" He revs the engine. "It's practically my main descriptor."

"Can you—I mean, if it's not too much trouble, can you… come inside for a little bit?" And if her stuttered words didn't convince me, her hopeful expression would have. "I can do that." I nod my chin at her front door. "Let's get you inside, princess," I say softly.

i cannot lie i love a man who calls his girl princess

"I got tired of always having to fight,” I add. “I needed to get away from it all." "Or maybe you were tired of surviving," she says absentmindedly, her gaze on where she's twirling her empty mug. "Maybe you wanted to learn how to live, instead."

“Good girl,” Kane praises, those two words doing more to me than my first boyfriend managed to do in an entire year. I think Kane knows it, too, because his lip twitches when I feel my cheeks flame.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're quite mouthy for a sweet little ballerina?" I drawl, pleased to see a shiver run through her body. I smirk when her smile drops and she sucks in a sudden breath. "I'm still a sweet little ballerina," she says, but her voice is too breathy for the clapback to be effective. "No, you're not." I cock my head and study her for a moment. "You play the part, but it's just an act, isn't it? Underneath all that lace and sweetness, you're actually a tigress. You're strong, and passionate, and you’re so fucking sexy."

You could be the greatest dancer that ever lived, and I'd still think the rest of you was more valuable."

It just makes me appreciate him even more. So of course, he chooses that moment to text me. Kane: Princess Immediately, my heart rate starts to accelerate. How does one word, one written word, make me react like this?

“Kane, I–” But he cuts me off with another nip to my shoulder. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to make you come on my fingers, and then on my cock. Then I’m going to take you out to get food before I have to go to work. Because I don’t just want to fuck you, Isabella. I know exactly what you were thinking last night, and I’m telling you right now, you’re not just a convenient piece of ass to me. Understood?”

"Give me one more, princess,” Kane growls into my skin. “Come all over my bike for me. I want it to be the only thing I can think of every time I ride it from now on."

Isabella still has a huge smile on her face when we exit the fenced in area. It's been there since I knocked on her door at 8 a.m. this morning. Somewhere along the way, it became my favorite sight in the world.

"What on earth does unhappy Kane look like?" I wonder sarcastically as I lean down to pull the pan out and set it on the stovetop. I'm so mesmerized by the sight of our cheesy, perfect meal, I don't realize Kane has stepped up behind me until his arms go around my waist. He tightens his grip and nuzzles into my neck, and his voice is quiet when he says, "It's getting harder and harder to remember."

What do you want to do? No one's ever asked me that. I've never thought about it. And it hits me that at twenty-six years old, for the first time I have someone that cares enough about me to ask that question. Isabella's not asking because she's making conversation and feels obligated, she's asking because she gives a shit. Because even though she's only known me a few weeks, she sees something in me that even I don't see.

"Kane, you deserve to have someone care about you," she says firmly. "You deserve to be loved. Do you hear me? Isabella isn't settling for you. She's been choosing you. Every day. Because you're worthy of being chosen."

want to deserve you," I admit in broken voice, pulling back slightly. "I know I'm not even close to being good enough for you, but for the first time in my life, I want to be. I don't want to be a fuckup anymore, I don't want to be hated by my coach, or my teammates, or random fucking people in a bar. I'm sick of being broken. And you deserve to be with someone amazing, someone who could take over the world and leave it at your feet. Someone who⁠—" She cuts me off with a kiss. I let out a sound of surprise, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her closer to deepen the contact. But she pulls back slightly before I can do that, putting just enough space between us to whisper against my lips, "I already have someone amazing."

"I know you've had a hard life," she says. "I know you've seen and experienced things that no one should ever have to go through, and I know they've made you a little hard against the world. But Kane, that doesn't mean you're broken. It just means you had to load up with more armor than the rest of us. And I don't care that we might have to spend a little extra time creating a safe environment for you. This isn’t your 1 last shot to get it right, this is us trying, every day. And some days will be good, and some will be bad, but every day, we keep fighting. Together. Because I would rather live in your world, with your arms around me and your heart against my palm, than anywhere else. I want you, Kane. Never doubt that."

can’t believe this is my life now. Can’t believe this is what my future looks like. That Isabella, and Oscar, and happiness are a part of it. And as I shut my front door, I can’t help feeling like I’m closing the door on my past. I’m ready to lean into a future I never thought I could have, but will be thankful for every second of the rest of my life.

And if I thought Kane’s first smile was one I’d never forget, it’s nothing compared to the one I get right now.