Untamed: Bad Boy Fighter Romance (Fighting for Gisele #2) (9 page)

Strength surged in Micah’s veins, and with a growl he shoved the Cuban hard, then slugged him in the jaw. Before Lopez recovered, Micah hit him with an uppercut. As Lopez staggered, Micah funneled powerful force from his shoulder through his arm and into his fist. He slammed the Cuban in the side of his head, and the punch knocked his opponent to the ground.

The crowd’s roar went up a decibel. The ref began counting. Micah gasped for air, pacing the ring. It was over; Lopez was down for the count. The referee grabbed Micah’s wrist and thrust his glove up in the air, signaling that the win was his.

Out of blurry eyes, Micah glanced out at the crowd. He saw Gisele jumping up and down with tears in her eyes. He was high on the win, and proud. No way was some Russian pawn going to take him down in bloody fashion. The Russians had bet on the wrong guy.

The coach held the ropes so Micah could exit. He held up his gloves as he walked away. “Fuck you bastards,” he said, then turned the corner to the locker room. On the way in, Micah caught a glimpse of his face in the mirror. He looked like he’d been in a war.

Luke was right beside him. “What a show, man…you were awesome out there.”

Micah hopped onto a table, and the coach began to unwind the tape from his hands. “Sick pricks,” Harlan said. “What happened to the goddamn rules?”

Strong hands massaged his shoulders as he mopped his face with a towel. Luke handed him another bottle of water. One of the Russians strode by and gave him a dirty look. Micah could have kicked his ass, but it wasn’t worth the trouble. He’d won; it was time to take his money and get the hell out.

Chapter 9

When Micah won, the crowd went wild. Thrusting his gloves in the air, he circled the ring, basking in his fans’ adoration. Tears streamed down Gisele’s cheeks as relief flooded her. She pumped her fists, grinning at Micah when he looked at her.

Gisele’s heart threatened to pound right out of her chest. She felt weak, but exhilarated. And she wanted to hop into the ring, but Micah had cautioned against it. This was the underground, not amateur boxing, and the rowdy crowd could be dangerous.

Standing there looking up at him, Gisele nearly leapt into the ring anyway.
To hell with safety
. Micah wasn’t safe, so why should she be? Overstimulated from the fight, she just gazed at him, admiring his awesomeness. With sweat coating his skin and blood smeared on his face, her man looked bad, sexy bad. Gisele wanted him more than ever, and sensation tickled her skin, as emotion swelled her heart near to bursting.

The coach swept Micah out of the ring toward the locker room. When he disappeared, Gisele sagged into her chair. “Oh my God.” Still stunned, she put her hands over her face. “He won…Micah won.”

Gisele was shaken from watching Lopez beat on Micah. Every punch had made her flinch as if it was a blow to her gut. She’d gripped her hands into fists, her heart pounding, wanting to fight too. But she had only been able to watch, helplessly.

Abby sat down and hugged Gisele. “He was amazing!” she said, her enthusiasm contagious. “Micah knocked that brute out cold.”

Zeke stood over them. “He handled himself well in there. That was a rough fight.”

The music started playing and the next fighter headed for the limelight. Gisele put her arm through Abby’s and stood up. “We should get out of here.”

The bodyguard herded them through the crowd and out to the parking lot. He stood by the car, facing toward the building so he could see if anyone approached. Zeke wore a similar uniform to the one he had before, the cargo pants and vest. It crossed Gisele’s mind that he probably carried some type of weapon.

Abby was animated. She threw her arms up and twirled around. “That was
some fight
. Micah didn’t let that asshole get him. He pounded the shit out of him.”

Gisele looked up at Zeke. “His opponent was ruthless. Is he allowed to do all that stuff? Kicking? Head-butting?”

“It’s against the rules, if that’s what you mean,” the stocky bodyguard said, without emotion. “But the promoters don’t like losing money. The ref knows that.”

“So he just let that Lopez guy get away with unsanctioned tactics?” Gisele was angered by that realization.

“That’s what he did…just ignored it,” Zeke said. “Only once did he call a foul when he should have.”

“That sucks,” Abby said. “I was worried for Micah…but then he turned things around.”

“Yes, a fight can change in the blink of an eye,” Zeke said. “I’ve seen Micah fight enough to know that he’s a winner. It might look like the other guy is getting the best of him, but those underhanded tactics just fuel his rage…make him fight harder.”

Gisele raked her hands through her hair. “The fighters aren’t safe if the ref won’t enforce the rules.”

Zeke just looked at her, confirming her statement.

“Was Micah hurt? I couldn’t tell,” Gisele said. “There was so much blood.”

The bodyguard leaned against the car. “I guess we’ll find out.”

That wasn’t reassuring. Gisele was a wreck. It had been impossible to watch Micah getting hurt without suffering herself. “Maybe we should go back and see.”

“That’s not a good idea,” Zeke said. “He wouldn’t want you to hang out near the locker room. There are too many testosterone-fueled fighters in there.”

The fight had been a battle until the end, and Gisele was anxious to see if Micah was injured. There was no way to tell by looking at him in the ring, as he didn’t exhibit pain even when something should have hurt like hell.

Standing on the asphalt in hundred-degree weather was uncomfortable. Zeke ushered them into the car and cranked up the air conditioner. The longer Gisele waited, the more concerned she was. “Shouldn’t he be out by now?”

Abby fiddled with her phone, and Gisele glanced at the text on the screen. “Luke says they’re on the way out.”

Facing the warehouse, Gisele saw Micah when he stepped into the sunlight. She checked him out, but he looked all right. He walked fine, with that macho stride of his. His sunglasses covered his eyes, so she couldn’t tell if they were puffy.

Micah wore jeans that fit snugly over his muscular thighs, and a loose-fitting shirt that draped over his big shoulders and chest. She stopped breathing. His dark hair was spiked up, and he appeared freshly showered for his date, instead of having just barely survived a deadly fight.

Luke got to the car first and opened the back door. The heat from outside swamped the interior when he ducked his head inside. He smiled at Abby and held out his hand. Accepting his offer, she put her hand in his. “You can ride with me,” Luke said, and Abby got out of the back seat.

Then Micah appeared and slid into the car beside Gisele. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close for a kiss. Her heart thumped hard at the touch of his lips and the feel of his strong arms around her.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Gisele said when he released her.

Micah didn’t take his eyes off her. “Drive us to the Strip,” he said to Zeke. “You can drop us off in front of the Paris. We’ll get some dinner at that French place in the Eiffel Tower.”

“French place?” Gisele said. “I didn’t know you liked that kind of food.”

“I know you like it.” Micah put his arm around her, and Gisele leaned into him. It was so much better with him next to her than watching him get punched. She wanted to ask him all sorts of questions, to find out if he had any serious injuries, but decided to wait until they were alone.

Gisele had been so distracted having Micah back that she’d forgotten about her friend. “What about Abby and Luke?”

Micah squeezed her close. “I think they have plans. Luke mentioned going out dancing.” He looked over at her. “I thought we would spend the evening alone.”

A tingle ran up Gisele’s spine. “That sounds good to me.”

Part of the Paris hotel was a replica of the Eiffel Tower that housed the restaurant. Micah held Gisele’s hand, and they walked through the lobby to take the elevator. The place was upscale, complete with white tablecloths, and had a view across a small lake to the Bellagio. The lake had built-in fountains that periodically provided spectacular shows of water, music, and light.

The server pulled out Gisele’s chair for her, and Micah sat across from her. She couldn’t hear the music, but could see the water geysers dancing over the lake below. She glimpsed the lights on the Bellagio and surrounding casinos before turning back.

Micah had removed his sunglasses, and Gisele looked at his black eye. “He got you in the eye.”

“Yeah, looks that way.”

“Are you injured…otherwise?”

Micah leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hand down his shirt. “A couple of bruised ribs.” He bent his arm then extended it, massaging the joint.

“And your arm?”

“It’s just an elbow sprain,” Micah said. “That Cuban had a hard head.”

Gisele was glad to know his injuries weren’t too serious. He had no concussion, and no stitches, so things could be worse.

“I’ll feel it tomorrow,” Micah said. “But I’m okay right now.”

The waiter came by for drink orders. Gisele had white wine, and Micah started with a beer.

They shared an appetizer of King Crab, because Micah was too hungry to wait for the main course. Gisele liked watching him eat, and couldn’t get enough of just looking at him, anyway. Micah was a stud with his strong build, square jaw, and handsome face. She looked into his brown eyes and melted.

“Did you enjoy the fight?” Micah said, as if discussing the latest movie they’d seen.

Gisele dabbed at her lips with a napkin. “No, I didn’t.”

Micah frowned. “Why not?”

“How would you feel sitting in the audience watching someone knock me around until I was bloody?”

“That’s different.”

“Maybe so, but you see my point,” Gisele said. “If you were seriously injured I…don’t know what I’d do.”

Micah smiled. Her confession seemed to please him. “I’m glad to know that you care. But there’s no need to worry.” He looked at her, calm and confident. “It can get rough…but I’ll come out on top.”

Gisele sipped her wine. There was no arguing with him, and after all, fighting was what he did. She’d known that when she met him. Yet that didn’t make it any easier.

“Why can’t you fight in amateur boxing? At least they follow the rules there. It’s safer.”

Micah shook his head. “I could, but there’s more potential with the underground circuit.”

“You mean more money?”

“That too.” Micah gulped his beer. “And it has an edge to it.” His gaze met hers. “You have to admit, the thrill is highly addictive.”

Gisele studied him, giving in to his charm as if he’d cast a spell over her. “That’s the trouble, Micah.” She took a breath. “That’s how we are alike. We both like thrills too much.” After a beat she said, “So what’s to stop us?”

Micah raised his brows. “Why should we stop?”

And that was it, right there. Micah was every bit the thrill seeker that she knew him to be. Gisele had vowed to stay away from a man like him. But she was in too deep to stick to that promise. She’d blown by that weeks ago. And he was right about her: Gisele liked the thrills too, and seemed incapable of curbing her urges.

“We won’t stop,” Gisele said. “That’s my point.”

Micah looked over at her and their gazes locked. “You liked the fight, didn’t you? It excited you seeing me up there?”

Gisele nodded. “I still don’t want to see you hurt.”

Micah took her hand and kissed her fingertips. “I don’t plan to get hurt.”

Gisele knew that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t, but she didn’t say more. The waiter took their orders. She selected the peppered salmon and Micah chose lamb shanks. “And bring us a bottle of champagne,” he said, pointing to the item on the wine list.

The waiter took the menus. “I’ll be right back with the bottle.”

“We should celebrate my win,” Micah said.

“Yes, we definitely should.”

The champagne arrived quickly and they were halfway through the bottle before the meals were served. Gisele remembered that her anticipation about the fight had prevented her from eating lunch. The alcohol on an empty stomach went straight to her head.

Micah was relaxed and didn’t seem to notice, no matter how giddy she was. He just talked about whatever came to mind. Gisele liked hearing about other places he’d been, and other fighters he met. She gazed at him as he spoke, wanting to touch him and knowing she would soon enough.

The lamb staved off Micah’s hunger temporarily, but he still ordered dessert to share with her. It was an expertly created crème brûlée, with the sugar topping sweet and crunchy, like it was supposed to be. Instead of coffee, Micah asked for the drink menu and they ordered after-dinner drinks.

Gisele was having a great time listening to Micah’s tales about the circuit and the fighters he’d met. Sipping his drink, he asked her more about what interested her. He wanted to know what she did in Vegas when she wasn’t working, what she had liked about growing up in Chicago, and how she had met Abby.

The way Micah looked at her made her quiver inside. Even when he asked the most innocent question, he listened intently to her answer. Gisele felt as though he saw her so completely, and understood her in a way no one had before.

The low restaurant light flattered Micah, enhancing his good features. She gazed at the scruff over his chin and the sterling studs in his earlobes. Her eyes rested on his beautiful lips, then she looked up into his brown eyes, realizing that she was staring.

“I can’t take my eyes off you,” Gisele said in a seductive voice.

Micah’s eyes gleamed. “There’s more to see,” he said, then stood up and reached for her hand. Gisele hand trembled slightly when she placed it in his.

The hotel wasn’t far, so they walked. The lights, noise, and bustle of the Strip at night settled around them. But they were in a world of their own, holding hands, aware only of each other. In the hotel lobby, Micah put his arm around Gisele’s waist to guide her into the crowded elevator.

The electricity between them was palpable. Micah held Gisele in front of him with his arms around her waist, and she closed her eyes. When the elevator opened on his floor, he took her hand again to step out into the hallway.

Gisele ached for his touch, and waited in breathless anticipation as Micah opened the door, shoving it wide for her to enter. The windows faced out toward the casinos, and lights glimmered across the room as though they were on stage.

Standing in front of her, Micah dug his hands in her hair. He kissed her lips then licked across them with fierceness in his eyes. “I want you,” he said, in a voice rough with emotion. Then he kissed her again, deeper this time, making shivers race through her body.