and he grabs my arm, halting any further movement. "You're not leaving just yet."
The high I had been feeling slowly creeps back into my veins as my blood boils and races faster and faster. It practically pounds beneath my skin. I shove down the excitement and look up at him with disdain. "Oh yeah?" I spit in his face. "And who's going to stop me?"
Those dark chocolate brown eyes of his flash with something dark and sinister, making my lips curl up in spite of myself.
"Avalon," Jake calls, "your shirt..." I rip my arm from Dean's grasp—hating the way his touch makes me feel—and yank my t-shirt from Jake's hand. Instead of putting it on right away, though, I use it to mop up the worst of the sweat and blood.
"That was some fight," Abel says, sidling closer.
"Fuck off," I snap.
Instead of taking offense, he merely laughs and slings an arm around my shoulders. "You should've told us you could fight like that, we could make some money, you and me," he offers.
My body stiffens against him. "No thanks."
Jake steps closer, earning a glare from Dean—well, well, well, looks like his betrayal didn't make anyone happy. I should've known better. With Dean's expression, my anger begins to cool. "Here," Jake says, trying to hand me the money back, "you earned this. I don't need a fee."
I grunt as I use my shirt to wipe around my middle. "Don't want it," I say, avoiding looking at the stack.
"Well, I'm not taking it," he insists.
I roll my eyes. "Then throw it away," I snap. "I told you, I don't fucking fight for money. It's yours if you want it."
"I don't."
Out of the corner of my eye, I see that my opponent has regained consciousness and a couple of guys are helping her out of the cage as she limps through the crowd. An idea pops into my head. I snatch the money from Jake. "Fine," I say.
"What are you—"
I don't stay to listen to his question as I pivot and head straight for the girl. Each guy supporting her has one arm over their shoulders. One narrows his eyes at me as I approach. "Sore winner?" he accuses, his eyes darkening as I stop in front of them.
"Not at all," I say. "I had fun." The girl lifts her head and I wince. Yeah, she's gonna feel this fight tomorrow. Hell, I might too, but there are still too many hormones flooding my system for me to feel anything right now.
"Then what do you want?" the other guy spits out.
"Nothing," I say and then reach forward, jerking the girl's elastic waistband of her shorts out and stuffing the stack of hundreds down into the side.
Her head lifts and confusion fills her eyes. "The fuck are you doing?" she asks, her words muffled as if she's still trying to get her bearings or stay awake—I'm not sure. Her eyes are hooded but it doesn't make it easy to tell if that's natural or because of me with how dark they both are.
"I don't need it," I say, turning back around as I finish the rest of my sentence over my shoulder. "And you look like you could use it. Thanks for a fun fight."
I walk away, but I don't get very far as a familiar masculine arm falls around my shoulders. "Come on, li’l fighter," Brax says with a grin. "Let's get out of here."
"I thought I was 'li’l psycho'," I say.
He shrugs. "Li’l psycho, li’l fighter—both are you, aren't they?”
Maybe. "Or little savage," I suggest.
Brax throws his head back and laughs. "You're right," he agrees. "That's what you are. A pretty little savage."
He steers me towards the exit and I see that Dean and Abel are already waiting there. Jake is nowhere to be seen. I guess they chased him off. My chest aches. I'm mad at him, but I'd at least hoped he'd stick around to give me a ride home after they laid into me. As the adrenaline begins to fade, soreness makes itself known. Walking back is going to be a bitch, I can already tell.
Shrugging Brax's arm off my shoulders as we stop at the far side of the parking lot, I lift my head and I meet Dean Carter's gaze head on. Might as well get this over with.
"Well," I state, crossing my arms over my chest, my shirt dangling from one hand, "go on." I gesture for him to say something.
Of course, being predictable isn't in