Zel: Markovic MMA (3 page)

Zel’s smiling expression collapsed as he glimpsed the tiny tattoo on her skin that marked her as a person in the Albanian mafia’s debt. “I guess I don’t have to ask if you know Besian.”

“I know him. Probably better than you,” she allowed. “But my debt is paid. Yours?”

He shook his head. “Soon.”

“The fight?” she guessed.

“Yes.” Hesitantly, he asked, “Were you one of Besian’s girls?”

“Would it matter if I was?” She had never been embarrassed or made a secret of her humble beginnings on a badly lit Houston strip club stage.

“No,” he answered quickly. “I don’t care about those kinds of things. We’re all just trying to make a living and survive. I was only curious about how you ended up in his debt.”

“That’s a long story.”

“I’d like to hear it. Tonight,” he added with a smoldering glance.

The offer hung in the air as a promise of night she wouldn’t ever forget. Wondering if she was reading him right, she said, “Maybe.”

“While you decide if you’re going to tell me that story,” he presented her with the program from that night’s show, “would you mind signing this for me?”

“I don’t mind.” She crossed to her dressing table and chose a marker from the cup Lucy had left. Glancing at the mirror mounted over the table, Sara noticed Zel’s eyes trained on the outline of her ass through the clinging robe. Her tummy fluttered as she realized he hadn’t just come for an autograph. If that was all he’d wanted, he could have waited for the meet and greet.

No, he’d come for something else.

Something she was more than willing to give, especially after the way he had come to her aid. If nothing else, he had earned a proper thank-you kiss. Before Ramsay had appeared without warning or invite, she had been fantasizing about this very man. Refusing to let her ex-con stepbrother take anything else away from her, even this fleeting moment of possible happiness, she pushed that horrid encounter out of her mind and focused only the man standing before her now.

With a seductive swing of her hips, Sara approached Zel and took the program from his hand, making sure to graze her fingertips against his skin. She smiled coquettishly and placed the program against his chest. The tip of the marker raced across the bottom of her vixenish pose.

Her signature in place, she toyed with a button on his shirt. His heartbeat sprinted beneath her fingertips and she took that as her cue to continue. Rising on tiptoes, Sara languidly sniffed his neck and lazily purred, “You smell amazing.”

Tiny goose bumps erupted along his neck. The corners of her lips curved with a smug grin. “Do you want to kiss me?”

“Are you serious?” The vein in his throat jumped. He seemed taken aback by her rather brazen behavior, but also very, very interested.

“Yes.” She smiled saucily and pressed her plump lips to his. He stiffened in surprise but quickly relaxed as she sucked his lower lip between hers. Anxious quivers rocked her belly. A hungry groan escaped his throat and vibrated through her lips. His strong arms wound around her back, and he hauled her against his chest. Fingers sifting through his short hair, Sara captured his mouth in a sensuous kiss. Her tongue slipped between his lips, searching for his.

What are you doing? You don’t know this man. Slow down.

But she didn’t want to slow down. Kissing this man felt incredible. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so alive. She trembled inside, her heart racing and her breaths coming faster and faster.

As their tongues mated, Zel’s hands rode the curve of her back and grasped her bottom through the flimsy fabric of her robe. Her eyes widened as his cock stabbed her soft belly. The length of his hardness made her curious so she slid her hand down his abs and over his belt buckle.

When she grasped him through his trousers, Zel groaned and pumped his hips. Throwing caution to the wind, she pushed him backward until his back hit the door. They traded frantic kisses as Zel dragged her robe down around her shoulders. Sara let her arms drop and, with a little shake, sent the robe fluttering around her ankles.

Standing in just her rhinestone thong and tassels, she felt incredibly sexy and just a little bit vulnerable. Zel groped her bare cheeks with his big hands. He peppered her jaw and neck with kisses. Hands on her shoulders, he spun her around and pulled her ass against his cock. His rough palms caressed her breasts and belly.

When he tugged on her nipple tassels, she sucked in a sharp breath. He nibbled her neck and sucked on the curve of her throat. Eyes closed, she pushed back against his cock, wiggling her ass to tease him.

As his fingers found their way to her slick cleft, her eyes flew open and caught their reflection in the mirror. Her heart raced as she watched his hand beneath the thin triangle of fabric covering her sex. Zel’s gaze burned hers in the mirror across the room.

When a thick finger slid inside her pussy, Sara whimpered and bucked. His thumb settled over her clit and flicked the swollen nub. Zel’s dexterity amazed her as he worked her pussy in a way she had never experienced. Her knees trembled as he fingered her slick sheath and rubbed her clit with just the right amount of speed and pressure. His teeth grazed her shoulder as he alternated suckling the sensitive spot with teasing nibbles. Sara’s toes curled at the sensual assault. Her breath hitched as she approached orgasm.

“I want to see you come.” Zel’s whisper tickled her ear. “Look at me.”

Sara couldn’t deny his request. Their eyes locked in the mirror. For the briefest of moments, she wondered how the hell this was happening. Twenty minutes ago, she was fantasizing about touching him. Now he was doing these wicked, wicked things to her body.

As the waves of ecstasy crashed down upon her, she pressed her pussy into his hand, milking his digits for every last ounce of sensation. Only his arm curled around her waist kept her from falling to the floor in a boneless, quivering heap. She shivered when he gently removed his fingers from her G-string. He brought the shiny fingers to his lips and sucked them clean. The sight drove her wild.

Suddenly Sara was overwhelmed with the need to taste him. She turned around and dropped to her knees. Her greedy fingers tugged on his belt buckle and unzipped his fly. She grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled it free from his trousers. Her nose nuzzled his bellybutton and happy trail. Teeth grasping the waistband of his black boxer briefs, she started to drag them down.

And then there was a knock at the door.

“Sara?” Lucy’s voice penetrated the wood. “Are you okay? They security guys just told me there was some kind of altercation!”

Cursing her sister’s timing, Sara cleared her throat of its huskiness before replying, “I’ll explain everything in a few minutes. I need to finish getting dressed.”

“You’re sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Well it’s only ten minutes until the meet ’n’ greet. You need any help?”

“No.”

“All right. I’ll be back in a sec to escort you.”

“Okay.” As Lucy left, Sara rested her forehead against Zel’s rock-hard stomach. She could actually feel the ridges of his muscular abs and wanted nothing more than to get him naked so she could see and taste and touch all of him. “I’m sorry.”

He cupped her chin and tipped it gently. His warm smile reassured her. “It’s okay. I understand.”

“Are you sure?” Some part of her expected Zel to get salty about not getting his way.

“I’m sure.” Like a gentleman, he helped her stand. He bent down, snatched her robe from the floor and draped it around her bare shoulders. Leaning in, he kissed the side of her neck. “What we just did was beyond my wildest expectations. I was really just hoping you’d let me buy you a drink.”

Meeting his heated gaze, she smiled. “I’d let you buy me a drink.”

“I’d like to see you again.” He traced her collarbone with his finger. “Maybe we can have dinner?”

His hopeful tone made her practically giddy. “Tonight?”

He nodded.

Sara scurried to her purse on the corner chair and rifled through the contents. She found the spare key to her penthouse suite and raced back to him. “You’ll need this to access the elevator to my floor. I’ll be back in my room by eleven.”

Zel pocketed the key. “I’ll be there.”

She trembled with the promise of a night she’d never forget. “So I’ll see you then?”

He leaned down and kissed her hungrily. “Count on it.”

Flashing that ever so sexy grin, Zel opened the door and slipped into the hallway. Sara collapsed against the door, barely able to breathe.
What did I just do?

Fear and anxiety drenched her in a cold wave as she thought of Ramsay. That burst of intense pleasure she had shared with Zel seemed like something out of a dream world when she remembered the menacing look on her stepbrother’s face.

If he had come all this way to harass and intimidate her, he was never going to stop. Not for the first time, she wondered if picking up and moving overseas really was the best option for dealing with him.

Wanting to escape from the ugly reality awaiting her, she decided to push Ramsay out of her mind. She finished changing into the dress she had chosen tonight, a fun little rockabilly style number to fit with her usual fifties pin-up style, and fixed her hair and makeup. Lucy returned while she was primping and helped her into a pair of candy apple red heels and pearl jewelry.

“So?” Lucy asked.

“So what?”

“The altercation?”

She didn’t want to upset her sister, but this wasn’t a secret she could keep. “It was Ramsay.”

Lucy’s face turned pale. “He’s here? In Vegas? How? When did he get out of the pen?”

Sara shrugged. “I don’t know. We didn’t have a chance to talk.”

“What are we going to do?” Lucy asked carefully, her face a mask of concern and worry.

“I’ll talk to security and the police when we’re done with the meet-and-greet.”

“What do you think he wants?” Lucy stuffed a few necessities in a clutch and handed it over.

Sara studied her reflection in the mirror. “What he always wants—money.”

“Fuck that guy,” Lucy said angrily. “Just fuck him so hard.”

Sara smiled sadly at her sister. “We can’t let him twist us up like this. It’s exactly what he wants. He thrives on manipulating people and gets off on upsetting us. We have to just let it go.”

“He’s dangerous. You can’t just let it go.”

“I know he’s dangerous,” Sara murmured quietly. She had the healed fractures and nose reconstruction bills to prove it. “But I won’t let him rule my life anymore.”

Lucy embraced her in a side-hug. “We’ll figure it out, okay? I don’t want you to worry.”

“I’m not worried,” she lied. Perking up, she embraced her inner vixen and motioned toward the door. “We should go. I have plans for later.”

“With that fighter I saw sneaking out of here a few minutes ago?” Lucy eyed her with a mischievous smile.

Sara blushed. “Maybe.”

“He’s a nice guy. If the press about him is to be believed,” she added.

“Oh?” Lucy and her wife were diehard fans of mixed-martial arts and boxing. They spent more on pay-per-view matches than Sara did on shoes. If anyone had the inside info on Zel, it would be Lucy.

“He has this whole tragic story. He was an orphanage kid. Then he was in the military in Croatia. Eventually he came to the US—to Houston, actually—with his baby boy. That was, like, seven or eight year ago. He’s had a really successful career. Lots of really spectacular wins. He always finishes strong.”

“A son?” Sara seized on that bit of information. “He’s not married, right?”

“No.” Lucy bopped her shoulder. “But
you
are.”

“I’m separated,” she insisted hotly. “For nearly ten years! I’d be long divorced if Lalo would just stop the bullshit and sign the papers.”

“He can’t control you if he signs the papers.”

Lucy was right, of course. After Luscious Lingerie, the plus-size clothing company Sara owned, had started to churn major bucks, she had offered her estranged husband a sizeable payday to let her go free, but he’d refused. Actually, he had countered with a higher number and the demand that she let him have her for one more weekend. Knowing what kind of damage he could do in forty-eight hours, Sara had ended the negotiations and continued living her life as a single but not really single woman.

“Zel was a single father,” Lucy said.

“Was?” That didn’t sound good at all.

“His son died about a year ago? Maybe fourteen or fifteen months ago?”

Sara no longer had to wonder about that sadness in his pale eyes. It was the haunted look of a man who had lost something important and impossible to replace. “Oh my God! How awful!”

“He was a just a kid. Maybe six years old? I don’t remember all the details. I just remember that he stepped away from the ring for about two years, right around the time his son became really sick. He’s been fighting again, taking small matches and doing well. This is his first big match since stepping back in the ring. They’re saying it might be his last.”

Sara tried to wrap her head around all of that information. She hardly knew the man, but she ached for his loss. How terrible to lose a child! From what little Lucy had said, it sounded as if Zel’s son had been sick. To go through all of that fear and stress and grief alone? It must have been incredibly hard on him.

As she followed Lucy out of the dressing room and down to the meet-and-greet, Sara decided that she and Zel both could use a little escape tonight. Vegas had their motto for a reason. Tonight, they were the perfect couple to indulge in a little one-night-stand therapy.

Because if anyone needs a torrid escape from reality, it’s us…

Chapter Three

Amped up for his secret date with Sara, Zel paced his hotel room. He glanced at his watch for the hundredth time and decided it was time to go. He tried to ignore the quiver of guilt irritating his stomach. There were strict gym rules for all the fighters on Ivan’s roster and those included staying away from women before fights. It was an old school thing, but Ivan’s rules were his rules. They weren’t meant to be broken.