Ballad (Rockstar #5) (31 page)

Jace’s body reminds me of a Spartan warrior. He’s pure perfection, weighing in at 250 pounds and six foot four inches tall. I may not be ready for a man, but I can damn sure fantasize about him all day long.

He enters the cage, not really paying attention to anyone. I cringe a little as some crazy, hard metal music starts pounding through the building to introduce the competition, Ford Johnson.

Ford’s about the same size as Jace; they’re evenly matched in that way only. Jace appears more focused, like he trains relentlessly. Ford always seems like this is just a big game to him and none of it matters. He reminds me of one of those privileged people, who has basically had everything handed over to them, but couldn’t care less. Not to mention he has such an obnoxious attitude, he seriously needs to be taken down a peg or two.

The event center people always play the fight interviews prior to their turn in the ring. They show them on big screens mounted throughout, and some of these guys are real cocky pieces of work. I’m sure winning fights must help build up their egos, but it’s very unbecoming.

Jace stalks around his side of the blue mat, alert that the enemy is near. He reminds me of a caged animal, waiting to pounce on the first person who gets too close to him. He’s usually this way right before he fights.

I think it gets people even more pumped up, waiting to see what Jace’s first move will be. The other fighters don’t seem to be able to handle his calm pacing. They get pissed and try to rouse him, but he’s like a stone, acting as if the other guys don’t even exist.

I’ve seen Ford fight before; it was a night right after one of Jace’s fights. I had decided to stay around, hoping there would be more matches with fighters who fought in the same style as Jace. I was sorely disappointed with the other fighters. They were shiesty, doing whatever they could to permanently hurt the opponent rather than participate in a competitive sport.

Ford tends to fight dirty. He likes to throw illegal elbows. He’s fairly good, but Jace is better and is going to pound him in the ground. I really hope Jace doesn’t get too messed up during the fight though. His face is way too gorgeous to be marred with bruises and cuts.

I lick my lips in anticipation, watching as Ford enters the cage sneering and barks something over at Jace. The announcer goes through his spiel about it being a clean fight, although we all know it probably won’t be. I mean, what is clean fighting anyhow?

Jace doesn’t acknowledge Ford at all, taking the high road until it’s time for them to tap hands and get to fighting. When their hands tap though, it’s like Jace disappears into his own world, ignoring everything else but his opponent. He flashes a smile at Ford quickly, and I’m guessing it’s probably something on his mouth piece he wants Ford to see. I imagine you would have to be in ‘the zone’ though in order to focus and not let any doubt creep up on you.

The crowd’s pretty obnoxious as usual. They’re all yelling at each of their favored contender to kill the other guy. I yell for Jace, cheering him on.

It smells a little musty in here, like a mix of gym, perfume, sweat, and blood. Gross, but goes with the territory I suppose. I don’t get how anyone can be eating during this though. The event planners probably make a fortune setting these fights up and only taking minimal care of the buildings, not to mention a beer is seven freaking dollars.

The fights always get me so pumped up, I feel like I could just go and punch some jerk’s face out after I watch one. I usually like to go workout at the gym and do my nighttime cardio blast class after I come here, to work off some leftover adrenaline. I use a small gym right next to an MMA training gym; I should see if they have any cool classes I could take there, too.

As the fight gets going, I watch the cage. Ford charges at Jace—his arms up, protecting his face. After a moment, Ford throws Jace to the floor, the crowd booing in response. Jace is the favored fighter tonight and the crowd isn’t afraid to let it be known.

“Chyna! Chyna!” I glance over to see Aria waving at me.

I’m glad I told her I was coming, so we could sit next to each other. Ever since I came to UT Austin for college, she has easily become one of my favorite people on campus. Considering I’ve already been here for three years I’ve met my fair share of fakes and assholes, so she’s a breath of fresh air.

“Hey girl, so glad you saved us some good seats!” Aria says excitedly.

She’s so adorable. I know she’s happy to be here with Gavin. They make such a charming couple. Aria’s really friendly and outgoing, whereas Gavin is quiet but nice. He opens up a little more and jokes once you get to know him. His brother’s a huge football star at the college—like a quarterback or something—and I think he’s used to having his brother be the center of attention.

Gavin’s the type that doesn’t realize how gorgeous he is. They are typically the type of guy who swoop in and steal your heart before you know it’s happened. Aria is definitely gone for him too.

“Of course, Aria, it was no problem!” I beam at her and turn to her man, “What’s up, Gavin! Came to support your infatuation with Jace?”

I love giving him shit; he’s so alpha but a big softie when it comes to Aria. Makes me a little jealous I don’t have someone who’s like that with me, but I know I shouldn’t get serious about one person; they always end up leaving in the end anyhow.

Gavin and Jace are friends, and once I found that out, I started to grill the poor guy relentlessly about everything that has to do with Jace. I sucked in as much information he would give me, but, unfortunately, it wasn’t very much. I’m still secretly hoping he’ll fess up that he has pictures or something at their apartment. That way I can quietly fangirl stalk when I go over to hang out with Aria.

“’Sup Chyna, don’t hate.” Gavin grins and fist bumps me as they sit down.

I’m so jealous of his spar partner status with Jace. It’s like standing outside watching the cool kids play football without you. I want to be a cool kid, too, damn it!

The crowd cheers and we all quickly turn to the cage. I don’t like to take my eyes off of the fight, but I don’t want to be rude to my friend either. Jace and Ford are done with round one and round two has just begun. I can’t believe I just missed what happened. Shit!

Aria passes me the Dr. Pepper she bought from concessions and I could seriously just kiss her. “Thank you, beautiful!” I yell over the music and she nods happily.

“Gavin had training so we had to get here last minute. We’re all going to Club ATX after the fight; do you want to come with us?” Aria screams at me over the ACDC song playing throughout the room. Her eyes are glittery with excitement. She’s finally gotten as addicted to MMA as much as I am. At first she was a wimp about it all, but she’s gotten a lot better. Now she can watch other people fight besides Gavin and no longer feel like she’s going to be sick.

“I don’t know if I should.” I say quickly, keeping my eye’s glued to the cage, not wanting to miss anymore. “Are many people going with you guys?”

She has a few friends I really don’t care for, and I don’t feel like dealing with their snarky attitudes, especially after I get to watch my favorite fighter. I may go all kung-fu and try to copy a Jace move. That would get me nowhere but jail. I can already imagine the lecture my father would give me over the phone if I had to ask him for bail money.
Yeah, so not happening.

“Well your crush will be there! Gavin already talked to him yesterday when they were sparring together, so naturally I figured you would be in.”

At that news, I nod and beam a smile at her. “Hell yeah, you know I’m down to party. I just have to quickly change beforehand and I’ll meet y’all there.”

Once I hear Jace will be going, it’s on. Any chance of being around him, I want to see how it could possibly play out. I’ll get over any snarky bitches that may go, too, as they won’t even be on my radar anymore.

“Okay cool! Do you want to ride over with us?”

“No, I kind of want to get a cab so I can get fucked up.” I shake my head, watching and sucking in a quick breath as Ford hits Jace in the ribs.
Ouch!
I do tend to be a party girl sometimes, but that’s what happens when you want to forget shit from your past.

“I figured, since that’s your usual choice and all but still wanted to ask you.” I glance over at her, with a tender smile, she knows me too well. She squeezes my arm affectionately in return.

We turn to watch the fight, and I’m in heaven to see Jace in his element. He’s even more gorgeous when he’s fighting than on his poster picture. You can tell that it’s his passion and he trains so hard for it. It’s inspiring just to think of the amount of dedication and discipline it must take to do what all he does to actually win the fights. Not to mention all of those muscles are on display and flexed like a snake ready to strike.

Every time he gets a good hit in, I stand up to scream like a mad woman and cheer for him. My arms flailing in excitement, I probably look like a loon but I couldn’t care less, as he’s going to town on Ford’s stomach, wailing on him over and over.

The fight is crazy. The guys are trading punches—blow for blow. Jace digs in, throwing hits left and right until finally, he clips Ford in the side of the jaw. Ford falls to the floor in a heap, and Jace wins by knockout. He’s kind of known for his KO’s so you’d think his opponents would guard their face when they’re fighting this guy.

The referee steps in and makes sure Ford is okay. After a few seconds he comes to and not very happy. The event people enthusiastically announce Jace as the winner, parading him around the cage with his arms up in the air. It’s pretty amusing that Ford refuses to even look at Jace now, after whatever ugly thing he was saying at the beginning of the fight. It just goes to show you, one should never be too cocky or overconfident over something that doesn’t have a guaranteed outcome.

Jace thanks his trainers and supporters over the intercom—sweaty, breathless and even more amazing than before. Once he’s finished and leaving the cage with his team, we make our way down the bleachers, attempting to beat most of the crowd.

I hold onto Aria’s shirt, following them closely behind. They know this place much better than I, so I don’t pay any attention to the fact that we aren’t headed for the main door. Next thing I know, Gavin is congratulating Jace right in front of me—he’s like maybe two feet away.

My breathing kicks up a notch. The air feels hot, probably from his charged up body and the guys surrounding all of us. I gaze over at him, taking in each little detail on his body. I doubt I’ll remember them all, but I’m gonna try.

I can’t hear a word they’re saying; all I can do is stare at him. I feel like I’m in a fangirl fog or something. I almost want to bow and say “Hail to the King.” Cheesy, but fuck me, it’s true. He has that air around him that screams worship me. My ex was confident when we first met, but he was nowhere near the same level as this man’s confidence.

Jace is shirtless again, having ditched it right after they snapped a photo of him wearing it inside of the ring. Sweat cascades down him in little beads, drawing attention to his hard pecs. He radiates with the kind of excitement and energy you long to be a part of. Sex on a stick doesn’t even begin to describe his appeal. His mouth moves, and I can’t help but wonder what his lips taste like.

His body’s still wound really tight from the fight, evidenced by the way his muscles jump a little from being jacked up on adrenaline. The veins on his body are plumped up from the workout he just had. His jet black hair is still wet from the fight, giving it a just-showered look. It’s super short, and my fingers itch with the desire to rub and lightly scratch across his scalp.

Deep blue irises and a dimple to die for are staring at me while he talks. He’s splattered with little droplets of blood and his face has a red mark on the side that is destined to turn into an ugly bruise later, but gosh he’s never looked more beautiful.

“Chyna! Earth to Chyna! Aria bumps my arm and elbows me in my side. She giggles quietly, but I still catch it. Glancing at her—intrigued and still partially dazed—she smiles broadly and gestures with small nods for me to look back at Jace.

“Yes, Aria?” I grin, cocking my eyebrow. Shit! What did I miss? I didn’t hear a word anyone said once those deep blues caught my gaze. And that sweat dripping down his stomach, I just want to lick him. I bet he tastes salty. Her eyes widen and she flicks them towards Jace.

“Jace was asking if you enjoyed the fight, Miss Space Cadet.”

The fight?
Oh yeah, that’s the real reason I was here in the first place. I follow her eyes and mine land on some amused sparkly baby blues. I feel like I’ve been hit by a tidal wave and sucked under.

Blinking suddenly, I wake completely out of my fangirl daze. I was totally cataloging his image for future book boyfriend reference material.
I wonder if he has a fan page.

“Oh! Yes sorry, it’s so noisy in here!” I gesture around the room attempting to play it off. I know I just lost tons of cool points, however, and my friends won’t let me live this one down.

Ugh,
cringing, I bite my cheek. The first thing I ever get to say to him and its lame! So much for a good first impression. I can’t believe he’s here in front of me right now. Hmmm, I wonder if he would care if I reach out and pet his muscles. Jace smirks, his dimple sinking slightly deeper, almost as if he can read my mind.

“All right, well I’ll catch y’all in a few. Chyna, it was so nice to meet you.”

Holy shitballs, his voice is deep and a little rough, probably from the crazy workout he just went through. Almost makes you think of a piece of chocolate silk pie when he speaks. I wonder if that’s how he sounds after he has sex.
So freaking hot!

I can’t believe I spaced out on everything he’d said. I bet he thinks I’m a hot mess or something. I nod silently in response. It’s probably best though that I don’t speak, there’s no telling what would come out.

Jace winks at me, turning after he does a man hug thing with Gavin and walks away with his posse in tow. He’s like a giant beast man that makes me feel tiny and womanly, and I absolutely love it. Aria turns to me, grinning like the cat that ate the canary and I put my finger on her lips. I don’t want to hear her teasing or chatter about what just happened.