The Brick Yard (13 page)

Lucky, who was still holding Gatsby, set the kitten on the floor. “I thought you were staying at Brick’s.”

Dray folded the blankets back on Lucky’s side of the bed and waited. “I wanted to be here in case you needed me.”

Lucky undressed and slid into bed beside Dray. He curled around Dray’s body and sighed.

Dray ran his hand down Lucky’s back. He still didn’t know what had gone on between Lucky and Sid at the bar, but it had taken everything he’d had to let Lucky go to the gym without him. “Did you work out your anger?”

“Sort of.” Lucky kissed Dray’s neck. “Jax came into the gym. His dad worked him over pretty good tonight.”

Dray stilled. “Did you call the police?”

“No.”

“We have to call them. What if something more serious happens to Jax?” Dray had been luckier than most kids who wandered into The Brick Yard needing a job. His home life had been pure shit, but it was more a case of circumstances. His mom had never raised a hand to him, even when he had been too small to fight back.

Dray noticed Lucky’s cut and bruised hand. “Oh, babe, what’d you do?” He lifted the battered knuckles to his lips and placed soft kisses over the wounds. Brick had let it slip that on more than one occasion, he’d found Lucky in the gym passed out from a night spent beating the bags, trying to fight the demons that threatened to destroy him. Dray pressed his cheek against the back of Lucky’s hand.

“I went to see Jax’s dad,” Lucky replied.

“Lucky, no. Do you have any idea how much trouble you could get in?” Dray understood Lucky’s anger toward Jax’s dad, but he also knew the kind of damage Lucky’s fists could do. Losing Lucky to the cage was one thing, but losing him to jail was another.

“I don’t think he’ll go to the cops, but I’ve got pictures of Jax, so if he does, he’ll be in for one hell of a fight.” Lucky kissed Dray’s neck again. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Dray turned onto his side and pressed his cock against Lucky’s. He wanted to tell Lucky he’d always be here, and it would be the truth. After giving it a lot of thought, he’d decided the last thing Lucky needed was to worry about The Brick Yard. If Lucky continued to move up in the ranks, the UFC would soon take notice. Brick’s hope that the gym continue to be a place for future fighters and kids who needed a way out of the neighborhood couldn’t be ignored.

Staring into Lucky’s eyes, Dray knew it wasn’t only the street kids he’d be preserving The Brick Yard for. The run-down brick building that housed four other storefronts, including Mac’s, was Lucky’s home. “I’ve decided to manage the gym. That way you can concentrate on training and fighting.”

Dray broke away enough to lean up on his elbow. “You’ve decided to stay?”

Dray nodded. He worried his bottom lip with his teeth, wondering if he should share more. Lucky wouldn’t truly be his until he’d gone as far as his career would take him, but Dray knew he wouldn’t be able to push Lucky away when, and if, Lucky needed him. “Once you’re traveling, we won’t see much of each other, but when you do come home, I’ll be around.”

Lucky reached for Dray’s semi-hard cock. “In that case, I’ll come home often.”

Dray closed his eyes as Lucky began to stroke him. He knew what life was like on the road and how important it was to train full-time year round. Lucky would be home for a few months a year, at most. He didn’t want to think about Lucky having sex with anyone else, but he was a realist. The adrenaline produced during a match made most fighters horny as hell afterward. Trading promises that they’d remain faithful would be setting each other up to fail. It simply wasn’t possible for Lucky to be surrounded by beautiful women and not fall back into his old pattern. When Dray had been on the circuit, he’d had it easier because he’d had Vince, who everyone around them had thought was his best friend. The lesson he’d learned from Vince had forever changed the way Dray looked at relationships. He wanted to tell Lucky that, as much as the thought killed Dray, he needed to stick to women. It would be too easy for a one-night stand to betray Lucky’s secret.

Lucky released Dray’s cock and moved to run his fingers between the cheeks of Dray’s ass. When he pressed against Dray’s hole, Dray couldn’t help himself. He pushed back, letting Lucky know without words what he wanted. The two of them had fucked numerous times over the last few days, and he’d been surprised to find he enjoyed receiving pleasure as much as giving it. Without a word, Dray rolled and reached for the bottle of lube. With his back to Lucky, Dray held the slick up.

Lucky ground his erection against the crack of Dray’s ass as he took the bottle. “I’ve been thinking of this all day,” he whispered in Dray’s ear.

Dray slid his legs apart, bending his right leg toward his chest. Before that morning, Lucky had never fucked a man, so Dray hadn’t known what to expect. He’d been pleasantly surprised by how confident Lucky had been with the whole process. It wasn’t until afterward that Lucky had confessed that although it was his first time with a man, it wasn’t his first time doing anal. As ridiculous as it was, Dray’s jealousy again flared at the news, but he’d swallowed the hurtful words that had been on the tip of his tongue and gave Lucky the moment. For his part, Lucky had been supremely content and had curled his body so tightly around Dray afterward, Dray hadn’t had a choice but to fight the green-eyed monster back.

Lucky’s lubed finger began to circle Dray’s puckered hole. “Being inside you is the closest I’ve ever come to heaven,” he whispered in Dray’s ear.

Dray groaned when he felt the head of Lucky’s erection press against him. “Let me roll over,” he said, pulling away from Lucky. He moved to lay on his back and opened his legs. “I want to hold you,” he explained.

Lucky looked surprised at the request. “Yeah?”

Staring up into Lucky’s big brown eyes, Dray nodded.
Damn.
It would be easy to get used to seeing the soft expression on Lucky’s handsome face each day, but he knew it was an unrealistic expectation. At most, he’d be a shelter in the storm for Lucky in the years to come. At worst, he’d be nothing at all.

“Thank you,” Lucky said. He started to say more, but shook his head instead. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the bottle of lube again. He coated his cock and scooted closer, insinuating himself between Dray’s legs.

Dray hooked his forearms under his knees and brought his thighs against his chest. It was obvious the change in position had Lucky nervous, something Dray found incredibly endearing. Deciding to help Lucky out, he reached down and guided the head of Lucky’s dick toward his hole. Lucky hadn’t taken much time in stretching him, so Dray warned. “Just go slow.”

Licking his lips, Lucky pushed inside Dray with infinite care.

“Christ, you’re good at this,” Dray groaned as Lucky slid forward. He was used to a partner who drove in, heedless of the pain it caused. The fact that Lucky cared enough to take his time showed in the pure pleasure that ran through Dray during the invasion.

“I had an excellent teacher.” Buried to the hilt, Lucky swiveled his hips. He braced his hands on the back of Dray’s thighs as he slid out before surging back inside.

As good as Lucky’s length felt moving in and out of him, Dray’s attention didn’t wander from Lucky’s face. Of all the men Dray had been with over the years, never had he seen a more expressive set of eyes. He doubted Lucky would ever be able to lie to him because no matter what came out of the gorgeous man’s mouth, Dray would always be able to read his eyes.

At the moment, Lucky’s gaze spoke volumes, and Dray’s heart leaped in his chest.
Don’t fall in love with me
. He broke the heaviness of the moment by reaching down to feel Lucky’s cock as it continued to pump inside him. The way the skin of his hole thinned to stretch around Lucky’s girth turned him on. “Fuck, babe, you’re killing me.”

Lucky moaned and surged in harder. “No, I’m not. I’m imprinting myself on you.”

Dray wanted to tell Lucky he already had, but he was too close to coming. He reached for his shaft and wrapped his hand around it just as Lucky let out a series of grunts, signaling his own journey to climax.
God.
He loved that Lucky didn’t try to hide the way Dray’s body made him feel. “Fill me,” he said, finally finding his voice. “Give me everything you have.” He jacked himself harder and faster, mimicking Lucky’s thrusts.

“Yes. Oh fuck yes,” Lucky groaned, grinding against Dray’s ass.

Warm seed shot from Dray’s cock to splash onto his stomach as he cried out his release in a series of grunts and hisses. He swore he felt the beat of his own heart in the length of his shaft as he continued to milk his dick. He pulled Lucky into a deep, erotic kiss, trying to tell Lucky without words how good they were together. Within a few days, Lucky had become the best lover Dray had ever had. He wasn’t sure if that said a lot about himself or Lucky, but he was fully sated, so he’d take either as a win.

Settling beside Dray, Lucky rested his head on Dray’s shoulder. He was silent for several moments before letting out a long sigh. “I tried to get Jax to come home with me, but he insisted on staying at the gym after we got him cleaned up.” He shrugged. “He has several small cuts on his face, but I put some Steri Strips on them, so they shouldn’t scar.”

Dray held Lucky close, loving the way Lucky’s five o’clock shadow rasped against his skin. It was real and masculine and reminded him once again how much he cared for the man in his arms.

* * * *

Lucky faced Dray in the training ring, listening intently to Dray’s directions.

“You can’t let the assholes get you into a clench. No matter what.” Dray turned to the side and kicked out, his foot coming within inches of Lucky’s stomach. “Use your strengths. Your hands are your strongest asset, but you’re damn good with your legs as well, so use that to your advantage. Keeping the fuckers from getting too close won’t be easy. You’ll have to watch them carefully, read their faces, if you’re going to use your kicks successfully without getting hurt.”

Lucky nodded. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been told a million times to use his legs to keep an opponent at bay, but his past always clouded the advice. Even standing within the safety of the gym, the three-inch long one-inch wide scar on his calf seemed to burn as he remembered a night that still seemed like it had happened yesterday. He turned his back on Dray and climbed out of the ring. “Be back,” he said over his shoulder as he headed for the locker room.

Struggling to catch a breath, Lucky rushed into a stall. He shut the door and pressed a hand to his heaving chest. Normally, he’d have gone into the storage room, but Jax was still in bed due to the sore nature of his battered body. Alone, Lucky rested his sweaty forehead against the cool door and fought back the memories. It wasn’t like a vicious attack by one of his mom’s strung out boyfriends was unusual. Yet, for some reason, the beating and subsequent punishment had changed him more than any other.

Lucky awoke to the sound of his mom crying out in pain. He heard the loud voice of his mom’s boyfriend, and willed himself to be strong. He was only eight and way too small to go up against the junkie his mom had allowed into the house, but he couldn’t listen to his mom’s cries without doing something. He slowly crept from his bed and peered out into the living room.

His mom was cowering in the corner with her hands held up defensively as her wacked out boyfriend lands another punch to her already battered face.

“Momma,” Lucky screams and charges toward the asshole beating her. He used all his strength to pound his small fists against the man’s back, praying it would be enough to save his mom.

With a growl, the man reached back and grabbed a handful of Lucky’s hair. “Piss off, you little bastard!”

The boyfriend flung Lucky across the room as if he was nothing more than a momentary distraction. Lucky landed with a thud as his head slammed against the wall. He stared up at the ceiling for several precious seconds while he tried to keep himself from passing out. His mom’s screams came again, and Lucky knew the man wouldn’t stop until he’d killed her.

Lucky used the wall to steady himself as he slowly got to his feet. Tears began to run down his cheeks when he realized what he had to do. He knew the punishment for being a bad boy, and as he made his way into the kitchen, he accepted his fate. The important thing was saving his mom. He slid open the drawer and pulled out a serrated knife. Let it be sharp enough, he prayed as he prepared himself to do the unthinkable.

Armed, he took a deep breath before running as fast as he could toward his mom’s boyfriend.

“Watch out, Carl!” his mom screamed she pointed to Lucky.

It was the first time Lucky had ever heard the man’s name, and as he raised the knife over his head, he knew he’d never forget the betrayal he’d just been handed by his own mother.

The warning was enough for Carl to spin around and plow his fist into Lucky’s face before the knife connected with Carl’s dark skin.

The force of the punch knocked Lucky backward, landing him on his ass. He immediately pressed his cupped hand to his nose, knowing he’d get into trouble if he got blood on the already-stained carpeting. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself not to cry because he knew it would only get him into more trouble.

When he felt a hand wrap around his ankle, he automatically kicked out, thinking it was Carl.

“You little fucker! What’ve I told you about kicking!” his mother yelled. “For that, we’re going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.”

When the next part of the memory hit him, a soft sob forced its way out of Lucky’s tortured throat.

“Lucky?” Dray’s deep voice called from outside the stall.

Lucky wiped his hands down his face, trying to rid himself of the tears that had snuck up on him. “I’ll be out in a minute.” He turned and gathered a length of toilet paper to blow his nose. There was no way he could hide the fact he’d just been a crying pussy. Dray had obviously heard the sob that had escaped him.

After several minutes, Lucky took a deep breath and opened the door. He found Dray leaning against the closed locker room door, arms crossed over his chest and feet crossed at the ankles.