1 Last Shot (The Fight Game, #4)

by Nikki Castle

Because all I can think about is how sweet she'd feel taking my cock and screaming my name.

Isabella. It hits me that she's squirming on my leg and taking big gasping breaths. By the time I feel her hands scrabbling at my abs, I realize this has already gone way further than I ever intended. I pull back to look down at Isabella, wide-eyed and slack jawed. And when her head drops back against the washer, her eyes closing and her hands fisting in my t-shirt as the sexiest fucking moan I've ever heard drips from her lips, all I can do is stare.

But eventually she sags against the machine, hands still gripping my shirt, and drops her forehead to the center of my chest.

"Did you just come?"

"Your thigh was vibrating against the washer," she mumbles, so quietly I barely hear it. Then she's nudging me to back away from her.

"Fuck, I didn't know. I didn't mean—"

“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?

Awwwww

"Problem, princess?”

My shoulders drop with a defeated breath. "It's just been a bad day," I mumble. "It seems like everything is going wrong. And the cherry on top is that I can't find my keys. I have no idea what to do now." I shrug helplessly. "Guess I really am a princess."

"I don't know anyone who hasn't lost their keys at some point in their life,” he murmurs.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride on my way home.” “Why, so you can make me come on your lap again?”

He’s… amused. The corner of his lip is twitching with a smile, and his eyes are lit up with a twinkle.

“Is that the most vulgar thing you’ve ever said out loud?” he asks. I straighten with a sigh. “Yes. And I don’t like that you brought it out of me.”

"Come on, princess, in the time it takes you to flag down a taxi, I could already have you home and sitting in a nice little lavender-scented bubble bath."

"It's eucalyptus."

"But if I die, I'm dragging you to the hospital with me." Then I stuff my bag into the compartment and take the helmet from Kane's hands.

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

"So, this is just a spare helmet you carry around with you in case a damsel in distress needs a ride?"

"You're pretty far from a damsel in distress, Isabella."

"That hardly answered my question, Kane." There's a pause before he replies. "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."

"Umm," I start, looking around my seat. "Where can I hold on? Is there an oh shit bar on this thing somewhere?"

Oh shit handle😂😂⭐

"Sorry, princess, you're going to have to settle for my waist." "Absolutely not," I splutter. "And if that's why you offered me a ride, then I might as well get off right now."

"It's not, but suit yourself."

Except, when my palms slide over the rippling muscles and a shiver tears through me, that theory is soundly squashed.

forward. The force of it is so strong, and so sudden, that my body jerks backward before I can do anything. With a shriek, I dig my fingernails into Kane's shoulders and try with all my might to stay on.

“Hang on and try not to come again.”

My entire shift at the strip club, I can't get rid of the phantom feel of Isabella’s arms around my waist. It’s fucking infuriating.

He's missing one of his rear legs. It doesn't seem to bother him, though. He's standing, looking perfectly balanced and comfortable in his own skin. And for several long moments, we just stare at each other. Fuck. What do I do with a dog?

"Fuck," I mutter under my breath. Guess we're giving the dog free roam of the house tonight.

"Alright, boss," I start, watching as he settles on the blanket. "Just… try not to do too much damage, alright? If you keep it clean, I'll get you a big breakfast tomorrow morning. Deal?"

“Why are you dressed like that?” She looks amused as she gestures to her outfit. "Three guesses, Kane." My eyes narrow. "Smartass," I mutter.

"Who's this?" she asks, and I'm glad to see she doesn't immediately approach a strange pitbull. "He's a stray I just picked up,” I answer. "He's very handsome," she says, smile still in place. "Does he have a name?"

I guess I've started calling him Oscar in my head." Isabella gives me a blank stare. "Like Oscar the Grouch," I explain. "Since I rescued him from a dumpster."

"That's horrible. How could anyone be so cruel to an animal?"

but he doesn't seem to be great with strangers, so it's probably best if you stay—" The words freeze in my throat when Oscar's ears swivel toward Isabella, and his tail starts wagging. I swear there's something like a pep in his step when he walks forward to greet her. "Oh," she breathes in surprise.

"You were saying?" she asks, giving me a smug smile.

"Make a liar out of me, you little shit," I grumble.

"Come on. We're walking that way anyway, we'll walk you home." "Wha—? Wait, you don't have to do that," she stammers, but she trips after me to catch up as she says it. "Kane, I'm serious, that's not necessary—"

"Doesn't have to be necessary, I'm still doing it. Come on."

"Dogs are the purest souls in the world,” I muse. “They love despite everything, and all they want is for you to love them in return. It's hard to even stomach the thought of giving him away."

😭😭⭐

"Just one job," she says with a laugh. She slants a sly look my way and adds, “My hands are full with telling grumpy men to breathe correctly.”

"I got hurt… back in New York. It basically killed my ballet career overnight."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I tell her gruffly. Honestly.

"My entire life has been about ballet. Every minute, every life decision, everything I've ever done or spent time on has been with the intent to get better at ballet. My parents sacrificed so much to get me the best of everything. They saw how much it meant to me to dance, so they rearranged their own lives to make my dream happen."

"In a way, my dream did actually come true," she says quietly. "I made it to the biggest ballet company in the country. And yet, one freak accident, one singular moment… and it was all gone. Just like that. Like none of it ever happened."

"So, a new city felt like the right move,"

"It’s temporary as of right now, but I figured if I'm going to

be starting over, I might as well do it in a new environment with new people." She glances sideways at me, and finally, she seems less tense. "Which is how I ended up with two jobs and ...

"Personally, I could do without the job that has you yelling at me and bending me into positions no man should be in," I mutter.