Xavier Cold (Hard Knocks #2)(65)

My God. This gets me every time.

My heart flutters at the sight of my powerful man.

He grabs my hand and then struts down the ramp like a warrior entering battle.

“The following match is scheduled for one fall,” the man in the ring announces. “Making his way to the ring, from Detroit, Michigan, weighing two hundred and sixty-five pounds, he is . . . Phenomenal X!”

“Stay right here.” Xavier kisses my cheek and then climbs into the ring and continues putting on a show for the crowd by running from corner to corner throwing a victorious fist in the air.

The announcer introduces Xavier’s opponent. “Making his way to the ring, from Hollywood, California, weighing two hundred and thirty pounds, your Tension champion, he is . . . Rex ‘Assassin’ Risen!”

Rex and Deena take their time making their way to the ring. Deena glares at me from the opposite corner as Rex steps inside the ring and holds the belt in the air.

The two men stare each other down and the crowd goes electric. Lots of signs with Xavier’s stage name written all over them. There’s no question who the fans are backing tonight.

Bright lights flicker overhead and a bell rings, signaling the beginning of the match. Xavier and Rex circle each other, and I grab the corner of the mat and shout encouragements to Xavier. My breath hitches the moment they lock up. Part of me doesn’t want to watch, but the other part of me wants to see Xavier unleash on Rex. Nervous energy passes through every inch of me because I have no idea what’s about to happen.

I just pray Rex doesn’t do something stupid and say something that will get him killed. Xavier has promised to work on his temper, but I think at this point his intension to keep a calm head can only be tested so much before he loses his mind.

Rex’s taunts earlier tonight didn’t help, but I have faith that somehow Xavier will dig deep inside himself and find a way to do this.

Rex twists around and catches Xavier in a headlock, but Xavier quickly shoves him off and grabs his wrist and lands a kick to his side.

This time it’s Xavier who wraps his arm around Rex’s neck and grunts as he pulls tight. Rex’s arms flail around wildly and then he elbows Xavier in the ribs, causing him to let go.

Xavier doesn’t give up though, because he grabs Rex’s arms and flings him into the ropes and lands a clothesline, knocking his opponent to the mat so hard the ring shakes.

Rex pushes himself up, and waves Xavier on. “Is that all you got?”

“Spear! Spear! Spear!” The crowd chants over and over, egging Xavier on to use one of his finishing moves on Rex.

Xavier bends at the waist and puts his hand on the mat in a football player three-point stance and then charges full speed at Rex. Cameras flash the moment Xavier makes contact and both men go flying.

A collective, “Ohh,” echoes through the massive room as Xavier tackles Rex down to the mat and then punches him once in the face.

Rex doesn’t make an attempt to get up, but Xavier isn’t finished with him yet. He crawls over to the corner of the ring and climbs up the turnbuckles until he’s balancing himself on the top rope. A six-foot-four man towering this high over the ring is really a sight to see. It’s spectacular.

Xavier stretches his arms out and then sends his body toward Rex. An audible crack echoes around the room, and I gasp. I’ve been around wrestling enough lately to know that sound means real pain, and I pray Xavier is all right.

I resist the urge to jump into the ring to check on him because doing that will stop the match, so I wait with baited breath to find out if Xavier is okay. I can barely watch to see what happens next.





Chapter 32


Xavier


The minute my elbow makes contact with Rex’s chest, he grunts in pain. Granted we aren’t trained to actually land with that much force on our opponent, but this motherf*cker deserves all the pain I can inflict on him.

The lights overhead are nearly blinding when you stare up at them too long. The mats hard beneath me as I lay here attempting to catch my breath.

I roll over and then push myself up to my feet. Pinning Rex so early wouldn’t be good business. The fans are expecting a show, and it’s my job to give it to him.

I stumble over to Rex and grab his hair, forcing him to his feet. “On your feet, f*cker.”

“Kiss my ass. I won’t help you take my belt.”

He grunts as I elbow him in the ribs. As much as I want to unleash my anger, I hold back and maintain perfect control of my temper. This * will not ruin this for me again no matter how much he tries to get to me.

Rex shoves me back, and I stumble back to sell it to the crowd. We face each other, both of our chests heaving, waiting on the other to make the first move.

“Come on!” Rex screams out of frustration as I rush at him.

Our arms hook up in a test of strength, and he tries to push me back. I plant my feet and a cold smile crosses my face when he realizes that I’m not budging.

His eyes widen as I slam a forearm across his chest. The wind gushes out of him as I pin him against the ropes and growl. “This is my house, motherf*cker, and it’s time you respect that.”

I hit him one more time and he wobbles on his feet. It’s clear he’s losing the will to fight. It’s time to finish this.

I rush back against the ropes and bounce off of them with momentum that could rival a freight train. Rex braces for impact as I launch myself at him, spearing him to the mat with enough force to shake the whole ring.