Stroking down her neck, I listened to her whimper. Lord, she was killing me. “What's so upsetting? Don't you want to fuck me?”

Zoe hesitated. She clung to my shoulder blades, stuck between holding on tighter or letting go. “I'll never pay for things with my body.”

“You didn't answer me, do you want to fuck me?”

“No, not like this.”

Leaning away, I looked from her cherry-lips to her flushed face. I ate up the vision of her nipples cutting through her shirt. “Again, always lying.”

Some of her ferociousness returned, lips curling back. “I'm not lying. I don't want you, not even a little bit.”

“Then why were you grinding against me so eagerly yesterday?” I asked, shoving her up the bed, pushing myself between her legs. We both wore shorts, our skin chafing with my movements. “Why were you pouting when I said you couldn't touch me?” A single thrust, I imitated the filthy motion of fucking.

Zoe's moan echoed around us.

Watching her, I froze up. Her wanton need had shocked us both. She bit her lip, then clenched her jaw. When she saw my wide smirk, she tensed harder.

I said gently, “We should make a few things clear.”

Zoe dared me with her silence.

My cock was stiff, filling my shorts to the point of discomfort. God, this woman, she got me going. “Zoe, how badly do you want my help?”

Laughing with a cynical bite, she let her hands fall from my body. “I need it, I don't want it. Aren't you the one who wanted to help me?”

My gaze trailed over her lips, enjoying every curve. “I did. And I do. You're the one messing it up by making it complicated.”

Wrinkling her forehead, Zoe slumped back. “You don't understand how hard this is for me.”

Grinning, I rubbed my rigid shaft over her shorts. “Believe me, beautiful. I know what hard is.”

Each time she blushed, it felt like a win.

“Huck, I don't want to owe you anything. But I'll pay you. With money.” Her smile was coy. “Not my body. Never my body.”

I was disappointed, but most of it came from a deeper place. I'd finally stopped to consider her issue. Distaste slid over my tongue. “You really don't like whores, huh?”

Zoe tucked her chin, clearly confused. “I just don't want to be one. Sex for money—that isn't me.”

No, I mused bitterly. It's me. Eliza had been right. This girl wasn't ready for who I was. Huxton the piece of meat, the man who lusted and craved each and every cunt across the globe.

I still wanted her... but my mood was tainted by her judgment. “Fine, you can pay me.” Leaning away, I fixed my erection as covertly as possible. She still saw, still gazed with those frustratingly eager eyes and parted lips. I wanted to feel her sucking me, not sucking her teeth in doubt.

“How much?” she asked.

Turning away, I willed my blood to cool. “How many fights will there be?”

She sighed and said, “I don't know. It used to be around two, three a month... Nehro asking for another the next day is weird. But I can't say no.”

My anger fled in the wake of her distress. Zoe sat up, hugging herself and folding over. I was tempted to reach down and embrace her. Instead I just cracked my knuckles. “You decide what to pay me,” I mumbled. “Whatever you can manage is alright.”

Wide-eyed, she gawked at me. Hope—a hope I hadn't seen on her before—glowed. “Really? You're serious?”

Chuckling, I smoothed my hair a few times. I was fidgeting, letting the arousal she'd poisoned me with fade. “Suddenly you're so willing to bargain. Yes, anything.”

“Even if it's just twenty bucks a pop?”

I arched an eyebrow. “That little?” I got paid hundreds to wrestle with women in the comfort of their own beds. Twenty bucks to risk a busted jaw was insulting.

But that flicker of defeat... it had returned, stealing her energy with my stupid fucking comment. Before she could speak again, I put my hand on her shoulder. “It's enough. I promise.”

Zoe flinched when I said 'promise.'

Again, I thought about how irrational I was acting. I had no reason to help this girl. She'd offered me nothing but attitude and blue-balls.

Some insane part of me was drawn to her. She had a strength and clearly her own demons. Eliza thought she was fragile, up-tight.

I thought she was a thunderstorm meant to be set free.

If I sat back, maybe I could see the edges of what pulled me so deep. Here was someone clearly suffering. She'd been dealt a cruel hand, and she still didn't want to tell me what game of cards she was even playing.

Why did she owe Nehro money... and how much was it?

Though I wanted to know, I wouldn't press. Not yet. Not now.

I knew what it was like to have nothing... to be in trouble.

No one had helped me. I'd always had to save myself.

I took what I wanted from the world. I was fine with fighting because it was what I knew. It was familiar.

And here was this crazy woman, battling me tooth and nail when all I offered was help.

For no fucking good reason I was ready to bust myself up for her.

And the odd thing was...

Nothing had ever felt so right.

- Chapter Six -

Zoe

He'd done it again—I'd done it again.

Against all odds, he'd gotten alone with me, this time in my own bed, and had me inches away from fucking him. From feeling that tauntingly perfect cock not just on my cunt but inside of it.

God fucking dammit.

Could humans go into heat? Was that it?

But there was another issue here. One beyond my off-the-wall hormones. Huck had said he'd help me. He'd poked his nose into my business, but ultimately said he would help me.

And I believed him.

That was the craziest part. I didn't want to get ahead of myself, because fuck, I'd been here before, but... it felt like he was serious. Twenty bucks a fight was petty cash. I'd give him more, but I couldn't. The funds from the fights were in Nehro's hands. Huck would have to take it up with him if he wanted any of it. But... maybe he should. It was only right.

Just because Reese had let me put all of it towards my debt, didn't meant Huck had to. I just wanted it to be over. The longer I was forced to attend the Dog House, the more risk I inherited. Each fight that rose up was a chance for me to fuck up, default, and let Nehro take what was left from my flesh.

Ten more years of this—and that was if things went smooth.

Nothing ever went smooth for me.

There was a good chance that once Huck got hurt, he'd come to his senses and walk away.

Don't get too attached. People break promises.

Hope was a liability.

Standing by my door, he leaned on the wall in his dark swim-shorts. If I'd been an artist, I would have asked if I could draw him. I figured it was only his ink that kept him from traditional modeling. Screw those people, though. Huxton was meant to be seen.

Though, if I listened to my gut when we'd been by the pool, I didn't want anyone to see him but me. It had soothed me, learning Eliza was just his friend. I didn't feel great about my envy, and less great about my contentment.

Grabbing my phone, I checked the time. “It's only one-thirty. The match won't be until nine.”

“What do we do until then?”

I blinked. “Huh?”

Laughing, he hooked his thumbs in his shorts. “I know how to fill seven hours. Do you?”

My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. “Is sex all you think about?”

“Around certain people, yes.”

Fuck. My heart was too big for my chest. Sliding off the bed, I considered how close he was to my door. Moving around him would bring us within inches. “Eliza wanted to do some shopping. I'll take care of that. Meanwhile, I guess you should prepare.”

Huck cocked his head, some odd mix of bird and mythical beast. Wasn't there an Egyptian god like that? I couldn't recall the name, he was stealing my thoughts. “Prepare in what way?”