X: The Hard Knocks Complete Story (29 page)

“You like that?” he whispers as he continues to pump in and out of me. “You want more? Harder? Deeper?”

My mouth hangs open, and he bites my bottom lip.

“Tell me.”

“Yes. All of it. Just keep going.” The desperation in my voice surprises me.

Xavier grabs both of my thighs, lifting me off my feet with ease. I wrap my legs around his waist, and he pushes inside me even deeper.

“Fucking perfect. You were made for me.”

His pace picks up, and sweat slicks his skin as he pounds into me.

The constant attention to my pussy causes that familiar tingle to erupt, and I cry out as an orgasm rips through me hard. “Xavier. Oh God. Yes.”

His movements become more rigid. He buries his face into the crook of my neck and bites my shoulder as he finds his own release. “Fuck, Anna. Shit.” Tremors ripple through his entire body as he comes down from his orgasmic high.

He pulls back and presses a soft kiss to my lips. “I love you, Anna.”

I stare into the eyes of the man I love without a doubt, and there’s no question that this is who I was made for, the man I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with.

Our love—it’s unbreakable.

T
here’s not
much shelter from the brutal Detroit winter under a freeway bridge, but it’s the best place I can find to sleep without being harassed by the cops all night long.

It’s been a month since I packed all my shit into one tiny bag and split from Grandmother’s house. The beatings were becoming too severe, and if I stayed, I would’ve ended up really hurting the old lady—or worse, killing her. At fifteen, I’m already twice her size, so all it would’ve taken was me losing my head and hitting her back harder than I’d meant to, and my ass would’ve been locked up.

So, I decided taking my chances out here on the streets is a much better option.

Footsteps crunch along the gravel, and I pull the only blanket I own around me even tighter to keep the person from trying to snatch it from me. I really don’t feel like fighting over this thing again tonight.

The steps grow closer, and a flashlight shines right in my face, blinding me. I hold my hand up to shield my eyes as I squint.

“What do you want?” I ask in the roughest voice possible to try to scare whoever it is.

“Holy shit! Xavier? Is that you?” A voice that sounds vaguely familiar sounds excited to discover he actually knows who I am.

Still doesn’t mean I trust them.

“Yeah. What of it?”

“Damn, man, I thought you were dead. It’s me—Cole,” the voice says.

But I still can’t see the person because of the light.

“Cole?”

“Yeah. Oh, shit. Sorry.”

He cuts the flashlight off, and soon, my eyes adjust back to the darkness.

Standing there is Cole Parker, a scrawny black kid with braids who used to sit with me at lunch from time to time. Beside him is Malakai Johnson, mostly known as Kai around the neighborhood. Kai and Cole are both in my grade, but Kai is a well-known troublemaker who runs with a local gang, and Cole is more laid-back. I never even knew the two of them were friends.

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” I ask, my voice groggy. “Don’t you two have someplace to be?”

I don’t want them here. I don’t want them asking any questions about how I ended up here. That’s something I don’t want to discuss with anybody.

Kai shrugs. “Home? What home? If you call that shithole foster house where I live a home, then you can fucking keep it. If there wasn’t already a rap sheet a mile long attached to my name—shit, man—I’d be right out here, next to you.”

I nod but then direct my attention back to Cole.

“I have a pretty good home, but I’m a rebel, and I like to break the rules.”

Kai shoves Cole’s shoulder. “You’re trippin’. You’re spoiled.”

Cole doesn’t argue. He only laughs in response. He shoves his hands deep into his front pockets. “You really don’t have any other place to go?”

I frown and shake my head. “No.”

“Is your family searching for you?”

“Definitely not.” I sigh. “The only person I’ve got is me.”

Cole whips his head in Kai’s direction and says, “You should take him to Bishop.”

Kai raises his dark eyebrows but turns his attention to me. “Slingin’ ain’t for everybody, but I know a guy who is looking to expand his crew. Once you’re in, you won’t be sleeping under bridges anymore.”

I glance up at the concrete pillars holding up the freeway where cars have been zooming over me all night long. While selling dope has never been on the top of my priority list, a warm place to stay is something I would be willing to sell my soul for right now.

“I’m in. How soon can I meet this Bishop guy?”

“Shit. I can take you to him right now,” Kai says with a smile. “Bishop is my older cousin.”

I shove myself up from the ground, and my cold, stiff legs take a minute to stretch out. Once the blood is flowing through them and I feel like I can walk without falling over, I stuff my blanket into my backpack. “Let’s go.”

I might be jumping into fire, but at this point, I really don’t give a fuck.

My eyes snap open, and I gasp. It takes a moment for me to figure out that it was just a dream because it’d felt so real. While reliving one of the lowest points in my life wasn’t exactly a nightmare, it’s not something I like to dream about.

I haven’t dreamed about that night in so long, and I have no idea what brought it on tonight, but I’ll take those dreams over the nightmares any day.

Anna’s head is resting on my shoulder as she lies on top of me on the floor of the living room. There wasn’t anywhere I could bear to sleep in this place but in the spot in the corner where I always slept when I was a kid.

She stirs and lifts her head. “You all right?”

My hand strokes her hair. “Yeah, I’m good. Go back to sleep.”

Anna’s breathing evens out, and I fight the urge to hop up and begin doing push-ups to stop myself from thinking about the times that haunt me.

I
stand
outside Quinn’s car, hesitant to leave Xavier alone. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me? Designing a wedding invitation shouldn’t take too long.”

“That’s totally a chick thing. Go have fun,” he says.

“What are you going to do all afternoon?” There’s no way I can hide the worry in my voice.

Xavier slides his index finger under my chin. “No frowning. I’ll be fine. Besides, I’m going to go check out Cole’s gym.”

I smile and poke at his chiseled abs beneath his tight T-shirt. “Don’t want these to get all soft, huh?”

A wicked grin spreads across his face. “Hell no. My girl seems to like them, so I need to keep her happy.”

I bite my lower lip. “They are pretty damn sexy, but I would love you with or without them.”

That earns me a genuine smile.

“You’d better go before I stop you from leaving.”

A familiar tingle erupts in my belly, and I can’t help myself from asking, “How would you plan on doing that?”

He leans in and presses his warm lips to the sensitive flesh below my ear. “I have my ways.”

I inhale deeply, attempting to keep my body from going into overdrive. The spiciness of his cologne mixed with a scent that is one hundred percent all Xavier flow through my senses, making my mouth water.

He pulls back, takes in my face, and then chuckles. “See?”

I shake my head at his amusement of his ability to turn me on so quickly. “On that note, I’m leaving.” I open the car door. “I’ll see you when I get back.”

He kisses me. “Be careful, beautiful. You have any problems, call me.”

“I will.”

Warmth spreads over me as I buckle in, and Quinn backs the Honda out of the driveway. I love how protective he is over me. It’s a complete turn-on, even during the times when he takes it too far and I explode at him for being so reckless. It’s a good feeling to know he cares so much about me.

“Damn, Anna.” Quinn’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. “He’s got it so bad for you.”

My cheeks tingle as my mouth spreads into a smile. “The feeling is mutual. I can’t seem to get enough of him.”

She laughs. “And to think, it wasn’t that long ago when I had to threaten you to get a pair of lady nuggets when it came to X.”

“I can’t believe it was ever so hard to come out with how I really felt about him.”

She shrugs. “You didn’t want to get hurt. On top of that, you’d never been around someone like Xavier. Uncle Simon made sure to keep guys like that far away from you.”

I tense at the mention of Father’s name, and while I don’t agree with how he treated me or the way my family back home expected me to live my life, I do miss them.

“Has Aunt Dee heard from Father?”

“Oh, yeah. She’s been on the receiving end of his wrath ever since he came to Atlanta. He’s so pissed at X. He blames X for your rebellion and not coming back home.”

“That’s absurd. Xavier isn’t the only reason I don’t plan on going back.”

She nods as she stops at a red light. “I know that, but you know Uncle Simon needs someone to blame for why you aren’t going back home.”

“Nothing is ever his fault. He doesn’t see a thing wrong with how he treated me. I mean, who in their right mind tries to force their daughter into marrying a man she doesn’t love just because it fits their plan for how they want the world to perceive their family?”

She presses on the gas pedal, and the car moves again. “The whole Jorge thing was completely fucked up. It never seemed like you ever really liked him.”

The relationship I had with Jorge is nothing like the one I have with Xavier. Jorge felt more like a friend, someone I enjoyed being around. I didn’t long for him with every inch of my being when I was away from him. It’s the complete opposite of how I feel about Xavier. When I’m not with him, he’s always on my mind. They’re two totally different feelings.

“I don’t think I ever loved Jorge—at least, not in the way you should love the person you’re going to marry. Being with Xavier has opened up my eyes to a lot of things.”

Quinn giggles and then suggestively wiggles her eyebrows. “I bet. That man is sex on a stick. I can only imagine what he’s like in the bedroom. He’s probably all primal and demanding.”

I nudge her arm. “Quinn! Oh my God, I can’t believe you just said that.”

“What? It’s true, isn’t it?”

Heat creeps up my neck and then spreads into my cheeks. I know I’m blushing something fierce.

Quinn flicks her eyes in my direction before she squeals. “I knew it. I knew having sex with a known bad boy would change everything for you.”

“It’s changed
everything
,” I say. “Being with him, I feel things I didn’t know was possible. He’s so intense and a bit scary sometimes, but I find comfort in him. I feel like he could protect me from the world.”

Visions of what happened last night flash through my head. I want to tell Quinn about Kai and the whole situation, but she’s already worried. If I tell her, knowing her, she wouldn’t take me back to Xavier. She’d demand I stay with her and Aunt Dee, which wouldn’t be a possibility for me because Xavier wouldn’t stay there, and I couldn’t be without him. So, I keep it to myself.

I need a change of subject, so I don’t rattle on too much and let things slip. “So, this wedding . . . do you have your colors picked out?”

Quinn instantly begins firing out all the things she’s planning to do. It’s nice to see her so excited and, above all else, happy.

I
park
my bike on the sidewalk outside of Tough’s Gym. The three-story brick building towers over me, and aside from appearing even more run-down than the last time I saw it, it looks exactly the same—rough.

No one would ever figure a world-class wrestling training facility rested behind these walls. Some of the finest athletes who have ever trained to be in the ring came from this gym, including me. This place taught me that hard work and discipline combined with strength could get you far in this business. I owe Cole’s father a world of thanks for allowing me to train here practically for free.

I swing my leg off my bike and adjust the waistband of my sweatpants. I stand outside the front door, staring up at the place where I used to spend every waking hour when I was a kid, wondering what it’s going to be like inside.

I take a deep breath and push open the door.

The stairwell is dark, dingy, and covered in tattered posters of wrestlers who went pro. I smile when I get to the top landing and spot a fairly new poster of me hanging beside the door.

“You know that ugly motherfucker?”

I turn and find Cole sitting just down the hall in a single chair with a cell phone in his hands. He pops up from the chair and walks in my direction, wearing a huge smile.

I clasp my hand in his and then nod to the poster. “Yeah, I might’ve seen this guy a time or two.”

He laughs. “It’s good to see you, X.”

“You, too. I see you’ve cleaned up a bit.” I nod to the fade on the top of his head that’s replaced the braids he used to wear.

“Can’t say the same for you. What’s up with all this long hair? I thought you weren’t going to do that.”

I push my hair back from my face. “I know, but once I started growing it, I liked it.”

Cole smiles. “I can hear Dad now, saying,
I told you to grow your hair out
.”

We both laugh, remembering all the times his dad would get on my case about my nearly bald scalp.

“He was right. It does add dramatics to the ring and exaggerates movements,” I admit.

“He was known to be right from time to time. Come on in. Check out what I’ve done to the place.”

Cole opens the door, and I follow him through.

Fresh gray paint covers the walls and the old wooden floor, causing the red on the ring ropes and punching bags to pop. A few guys are here training, but none of them notice me because they are so fixated on what they’re doing.

“Wow,” I say as I throw my hands on my hips and continue to look around. “You’ve cleaned this place up.”

“It’s amazing what a little paint and scrubbing will do. Dad never had time for all that. He was too focused on training.”

I turn to my friend, and I see pride in his eyes. “You did good. Frank would’ve been real proud.”

Cole claps his hands together, and I know it’s his way of getting off the topic of his dad. From what I’ve gathered from Nettie, his father’s passing is still pretty fresh, seeing as how it just happened.

“You here to train or just look pretty?”

“Do you have the time?”

“For you, there’s always time, as long as we’re done by three. I work second shift.”

I drag my shirt over my head and toss it over a weight bench before I begin stretching. “This isn’t your full-time gig?”

“Not yet, but I’m hoping to get there one day. I’ve got a wife and a little girl to support, so I can’t be living here like Dad did. I had to go out and get a real job.”

I grab a jump rope off the wall and begin jumping in a slow rhythm. “Makes sense. So, what do you do?”

“I’m a cop,” he says simply.

My eyes widen. “A cop? Are you fucking with me right now?”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “I never joke about my job.”

“What about Kai and Bishop?”

“We have an understanding. They keep their shit away from me, and I won’t bother them.”

I lift my eyebrows. “I never saw that coming from you. A cop . . . wow.”

“Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have either, but when I figured out that running with the crew was the wrong thing to do, I wised up. What they were doing wasn’t right, and I didn’t want any part of it. So, to protect myself, I changed everything about me. Being a cop is the most opposite of those guys that I can get. Plus,” he adds, “they know they can’t fuck with me or my business and get away with it. I won’t pay them their fucking protection fee, like they demand from the rest of the local businesses around here.”

“It’s good that you stand up to them. More people need to do that.”

“They do,” he agrees. “But you know how intimidating those guys can be. Hell, when you ran with them, even as a teenager, you were scary as hell. That’s why Bishop liked having you as his muscle.”

I shake my head. “I look back at myself during those couple of years of my life, and I don’t like what I see there.”

Cole nods. “But you were smart enough back then to realize for yourself all the damage the crew was doing, and you walked away even though you knew you’d be living on the streets again. That was brave as hell. I only got out because Dad threatened to send me to military school.”

I think back to that time period. Kai was right. Bishop made sure I had everything I needed—food, nice clothes, and a bed—to entice me to stay and do his dirty work. I got caught up in having things I’d never had before, but when things went from simple drug dealing to hurting people for money, I couldn’t take it. I was done, and I walked away. After spending two years with Bishop and his crew, I went back to living under that freeway bridge.

I’m not sure what I would’ve done if Nettie and Carl hadn’t intervened in my life. I’m a better person because of them.

All this talk about the old days has me curious. “When’s the last time you saw Kai?”

“I haven’t talked to him in a long time, but I’ve seen him around while I’ve been out on patrol.”

For a moment, I debate on making Cole aware of the situation that happened last night, but I decide against it. There’s no need to bring him into the situation. I won’t put him in danger, but it’s good to know that, if the shit gets too hot to handle, there’s someone on the force I can trust.

Once both Cole and I are warmed up, I climb into the ring. Leaning against these ropes, I feel at home. Countless hours were spent in this very ring with Cole and his father, working on all the moves that are now trademarks of my style. Cole’s father helped me figure out ways to harness all the rage I felt inside and put it into punishing my body in and out of the ring. It’s one of the main reasons I’m able to take so much punishment. In an odd way, I enjoy the pain.

Cole swings his leg over the middle rope and then bounces around on the balls of his feet, like he’s ready to box me. “Let’s see what you’ve got, X. I’ve been dying to get back in the ring with you after watching you on television and seeing how much you’ve improved. I’ve been studying the new moves you’ve coined.”

I laugh. “Don’t worry. I’ll take it easy on you.”

Cole lunges first, and we lock up, but I get out of his hold with ease.

“Damn. How the hell did you get even faster?”

I wave him on. “Try again.”

We repeat the same thing over and over, and each time, I get the best of him.

Eventually, Cole gives up and leans against the corner ropes. “Things have definitely changed. What else is different with you?”

I throw my elbows over the top and lean back. “Nothing, man. Same ole. You know.”

“What about that girl I’ve seen you with on Tension? That real?”

I bite the inside of my lower lip. “Yeah. Her name is Anna.”

“She’s cute. Did you meet her through Tension?”

“No.”

“Then, how’d she get on the show?”

I sigh and then go into detail about how I met her, and before I know it, I’m spilling everything to Cole about my situation with Rex. It feels good to get it off my chest.

“Shit, X. She worth all the trouble?”

“She is,” I confirm without any hesitation. “I’d do anything for her.”

Cole lets out a low whistle.

“What?”

He shrugs. “I never thought I would see the day when Xavier Cold fell in love. You’re not exactly known for keeping the same girl for very long.”

“What can I say, man? Anna’s different.”

We finish training, and the muscles in my body burn. I needed this. It really helped bring things back into focus, and I realize that Anna was right. It would hurt like a motherfucker if I could never wrestle again. I’m glad she’s kept a level head in this situation. I want her by my side when the suspension is lifted.

Cole walks with me down the stairwell, and I notice the sun is about to set.

Once we get outside, Cole turns to me. “Stop by whenever you want to train. I’m here most days.”

I reach out, and we clasp hands. “Thanks, man. I appreciate that.”

When I turn to walk to my bike, I notice Kai and another rather large man from his crew, leaning against the black Escalade that was at the house last night. My shoulders stiffen of their own accord while Cole stills next to me.

Kai is making good on his threat. The beef we had last night isn’t over. Going with him to see Bishop is the last thing I want to do, but if I don’t go, Bishop won’t stop coming at me. Leaving with him in front of Cole will give me a little peace of mind. Kai’s not stupid enough to kill me if a cop can place me with him last.

I turn toward Cole. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Cole doesn’t try to talk me out of going with Kai. He knows as well as I do that there’s no shaking Kai or Bishop in this city.

If going with him right now keeps Bishop away from Anna, I’ll do it.

I’d do anything to protect her.

I near Kai, and a knowing smile spreads over his face.

He looks like he’s won the battle. “I see you’ve come to your senses. ’Bout time.”

“Shut up, and get in the fucking car,” I snap.

I open the door of the Escalade and hop into the backseat while Kai and one of the other guys get in the front. The engine rumbles to life, and my heart races in my chest, as I’m about to face my past head-on.