32
"Hey," Bella murmured, pulling my attention to her.
I was sitting in our hotel room. The day before our team arrived in Austin, Texas for our next tournament. We'd all been spending the last several days training, trying to focus our attention on the matches that we'd be facing once we stepped onto the campus of the University of Texas. To be honest, I was worried. With only a few tournaments left before nationals, we needed everyone one-hundred percent focused on our tasks. Any faltering and we could lose our program, and that had me worried.
Not only did I have the tournament on my mind, but Bella and I had fielded phone calls from our family all week. They wanted to know how our trip home had been, if we made any stops on the way. It was harder than we thought to keep our marriage from them. I wanted to share our happiness with them, but I was afraid. I wasn't stupid, I knew they wouldn't be happy that we eloped.
Bella had legally filed the paperwork to change her last name, get a new social security card, and renewed her driver's license, and now every piece of identification had her listed as Isabella Cullen-Masen.
"Hey," I said with a smile.
"Is there a reason you aren't in this bed, husband?" she asked, sitting up and letting the sheet fall, revealing her breasts. My eyes automatically drifted down. "Oy, perv, my eyes are up here."
"I know." Smirking, I pushed myself out of the brown, leather chair I'd settled in an hour ago and climbed onto the bed. I placed my hand on her chest, nudging her back onto the bed. "You're fucking beautiful."
She smiled. "Yeah?"
I nodded, placing my hand next to her hand, while sliding my other hand up her leg, wrapping it around her thigh, and pulling it over my hip. I pressed myself against her, laughing when she moaned. "Edward!"
"Yes, wife?" I whispered.
"Make love to me," she cried, tangling her fingers in my hair.
Leaning down, I crushed my lips against hers as I thrust my hips forward and filled her. Bella cried out into my mouth, her fingers pulling on my hair in a deliciously painful way. As I began moving inside of her, I felt her body responding to mine, clenching and pulling me deep into her.
"Edward, oh, fuck," she gasped, tearing her lips from mine as her other hand flew up to the headboard, bracing herself against my thrusts.
"You feel so fucking good, baby," I growled, sliding my arm under her, lifting her off the bed as I pounded into her.
"Harder," she begged. "Please, fuck me harder!"
I groaned as I leaned up and placed my hand on the headboard, right next to hers. With this new angle, I was able to really drive into her, stroking her walls at a new angle. Bella was writhing beneath me, clutching onto me and pleading for more. Her mouth opened as she cried out, her walls clenching down around me, milking my own release. I slammed my hips against hers, mumbling her name as I filled her.
Rolling onto the bed next to her, I smiled.
"Aw, my hubby's looking all goofy," she snickered, rolling onto her side and leaning up on her elbow and sliding her hand across my stomach.
I smirked. "Can't help it. You make me happy, wife."
"Are you ready for today?" she asked.
"Yeah, I think so," I told her. "You?"
"You know it," she giggled before turning serious. "But I'm worried about everyone else."
"Me too," I admitted. "But we've done everything we can to prepare them, right?"
"We have," she replied with a sigh, falling back onto the bed. She looked over at the clock and groaned. "We'd better get in the shower. Don't want to be late, and not get to kick ass, would we?"
"Nope," I sniggered, and climbed off the bed, grabbed her foot, and dragged her to the bottom of the bed. "Come on, love."
—LO—
Half an hour later, Bella and I grabbed our bags off our bed and made our way down to the lobby to wait for the rest of our team. We were focused, ready to do our jobs. Slowly, one by one, our team wandered into the lobby, settling on the couches and chairs around us. The mood was thick and tense, full of expectation and uncertainty.
Phil came over and stood in the middle of our group, placing his hands on his hips and looking at each one of us. "Before we get on the bus and head over to the gym, I feel like we need to clear the air. Before the break, we'd faced some difficult situations."
I shifted my attention over to Tia, who was sitting next to Benjamin. While physically, she had healed from her wounds, at least most of them, the concussion she suffered had caused nasty headaches, double vision, and she'd had trouble sleeping. But she was a part of our team, and the only person who could keep Benjamin's attention on his matches. She was his Bella, the one person who he could always count on to just be there.
"But we start fresh today. We're going to walk into that gym and make it clear that we mean business," Phil added. "Agreed?"
With subtle nods and whispered acceptance, we all stood up and followed him out to the bus. The ride was short, but tense. The driver pulled up just outside of Gregory Gymnasium, and we filed off the bus, heading inside. Like most the gymnasiums that we'd been to over the last few months, there were half a dozen rings scattered amongst the floor, and at least a hundred boxers were milling around them, getting ready for the three day tournament to begin. As we made our way down the cement steps, I noticed a few of the teams stop and look over us, mostly the ones we had seen at previous tournaments, the ones who knew we were a threat that shouldn't be taken lightly. Most of the others, however, couldn't seem to be bothered that we were there, that we were going to challenge them the rights to be called champions.
We settled in one of the corners, spreading out as we focused on our stretching. Bella and I both had our iPods on, both with playlists that fit our moods for that day. Mine was a passionate list, filled with songs that me aching to touch my wife. I almost burst out laughing. We'd barely been married a week, yet I couldn't imagine a day when she wasn't my wife.
Phil came over to us after getting us registered and handed out our schedules for the first day of the tournament. Six matches, six battles to prove that I was the best. And I was the best. I wasn't being cocky, just staying a fact. I wanted it more than anyone here. Other than Bella, at least. I don't know if anyone wanted it more than her.
"Everyone ready?" Phil asked, looking around at each of us.
"Yep," we all muttered as we stood up, gathering our bags. With a nod, he led us to our mats. Each of us strayed off as we found ours. First Embry and Demetri, then Riley and Liam, Heidi and Bree, Maggie and Missy.
Bella was stationed at the ring next to mine and Benjamin's. Her first match was set to start twenty minutes before mine so I went over and grabbed her hands, putting them in front of me. She smiled, but didn't move them. I grabbed the tape out of her bag and began wrapping her hands. My finger grazed over her left ring finger. We had debated on whether or not we should remove our wedding rings while we fought. Our gloves would protect hands, protect our rings, and keep them from posing a danger to anyone, so we opted to keep them on. I just couldn't bear the thought of taking it off. It was a part of me, a symbol of how much I loved my wife.
"Tell me about her," I said.
Bella looked over her shoulder at her first competitor. The dark-haired woman was leaning against the ring while she chatted animatedly with her teammates. Like she could feel us watching, she looked over, allowing her eyes to travel down the length of Bella's body before a smirk curved upward on her lips.
"She's cocky. Thinks she's unstoppable, which means she's going to be tough. But that's also going to be her downfall, because she's going to come out of her corner and try to take me down quickly. I'll have to be smart, keep my feet moving. Make her use all her energy in the first round so that by the second, she'll be mine to take down." Bella looked back at me. "And I will take her down."
"I know you will, baby," I laughed, once I'd taped her gloves on. Grabbing her headgear, I fit it onto her head before I leaned in and kissed her. "Kick her ass, wife."
"Will do, husband."
Bella pulled away from me and climbed onto the ring, bringing her arms up behind her and stretching them. Her opponent stood opposite her, still wearing a smirk, still sure she was going to win. The referee called them into the middle of the ring and gave them the standard chat about playing nice before asking them to bump gloves. While Bella offered hers, the other women didn't. She turned and sauntered into her corner, clearly believing that she had the upper hand.
The bell rang and, just as Bella predicted, the woman leapt out of her corner, throwing wild punches in an effort to build up points. But Bella was faster and able to block ninety percent of the hits. By the end of the first round, the woman was clearly tired. She stumbled into her corner, waving her coach off as he offered her some water. I shook my head. Stupid mistake. You always replenish by staying hydrated.
The bell rang signaling the second round, but this time, Bella made a beeline for her opponent, pinning her against the ropes. A left jab, right hook, left roundhouse, uppercut, over and over Bella struck her, hitting her torso, arms, and head. The sound of the woman's muffled cries could be heard, but still the referee didn't stop the match. People were gathered, watching as my wife beat that woman, but still, nobody stopped it.
I rushed up to the ring, slamming my hand on the mat. "Wife, stop!"
She froze with her arm reared back as she prepared to strike her with another jab. She looked back at me, her chest heaving and her eyes harsh and cold. The woman she was fighting fell to the ground, defeated. Bella stumbled back and looked down at her before turning to the referee, who was still just standing there watching. Almost as if he had been in a trance, he shook his head and waved his hands in the air, finally ending the match.
"Winner," he announced, gesturing to Bella after he'd accessed her opponent. "Good luck.
Bella gave him a look before she nodded and climbed out of the ring. I pulled her headgear off but didn't touch her gloves, knowing she had another match in ten minutes. "You did good."
"Why didn't he stop it?" she mumbled, looking over her shoulder at him. "I could have hurt that girl."
"Hey, look at me, wife," I ordered, and she turned back to me. "You didn't hurt her."
She nodded. "You're right, I didn't. It just . . . it was weird."
"Just focus on your next match, okay?"
She nodded.
"I'd better get ready for mine. Love you, wife."
Bella smiled. "Love you, husband."
Giving her a quick kiss, I ignored the gagging noises coming from Tia and Benjamin and headed over to my ring. Once I had my hands taped and my gloves on, I climbed into the ring and put my headgear on. Turning to the opposite side of the ring, I appraised my first opponent. He was tall, thin, and kind of lanky. He had dark hair, almost black. Both of his gloves were leaning against the ropes and he was leaning away from it. There was almost a serene feeling coming off of him. The referee climbed into the ring and called us into the center. As my opponent walked toward us, he lifted his head and I saw the doubt in his eyes. He knew he wouldn't win this match. I almost felt bad for him, but this wasn't the amateurs.
"Keep it clean, gentlemen," the referee said, shifting his attention between both of us as we nodded. "Bump gloves and then retreat back to your corners."
I pressed my gloves against his before I turned and walked into my corner. I glanced back at Bella just before the bell rang. My opponent stepped timidly out of his corner. This was going to be too easy, I thought to myself. And it was. He barely made it halfway through the first round before he was slumped against the ropes and pleading for me to stop, which I did and the referee declared me to be the winner.
I climbed out of my ring and looked over to Bella's finding her in the middle of her second match. Based on the determination on her face, she was going to win. A hand landed on my shoulder and I looked over, finding Benjamin smirking behind me.
"Stop perving on the wife, and help me get ready for my match," he snickered.
I rolled my eyes. He and Tia had enjoyed teasing us about getting married. Hell, our entire team had enjoyed the teasing, not that we cared. "Whatever," I muttered, yanking my gloves off and tossing them into my bag before I took the tape from him and began wrapping his hands. "You ready for this?"
He nodded, though I could see how nervous he was.
"What's your first step?" I asked.
"Wait for him to make the first move," he said.
"And then?"
"Make a plan," he replied.
"What kind of plan?" I asked. He huffed. "Tell me what kind of plan."
"If he's slow out of the corner, I should be aggressive, take advantage and stake my claim early."
"And if he's quick?"
"Then, I should proceed with caution, but protect my blind spot, make sure he can't get the upper hand."
"Good," I said, fastening his gloves. I looked up at him. "You've got this, dude. Just go in there, and take it."
He nodded, before he climbed into the ring. His challenger — short, broad in the shoulder with snow-blond hair and dark, beady eyes — looked over at Benjamin, a cool, confident smile on his face. Benjamin turned back to me, and I nodded, silently reaffirming what he already knew. Like in every match, the referee called them to the middle, they bumped gloves, before retreating back. The bell rang, and Benjamin took a tentative step to the side. However, his opponent flew out of his corner, hell bent on destroying him. That was his first mistake.
Benjamin sidestepped him, causing him to fall against the ropes. He turned and in a heartbeat had him beat as his fists flew like lightening, striking him over and over, again and again. The guy attempted to block his attack, but Benjamin was ready, and when he brought his arm up, he hit him in the gut. When he tried to block the gut shot, he hit high, nailing him in the arm or shoulder.
"Kick his ass, baby!" Tia screamed, and I looked over my shoulder to see her, Bella, Phil, Missy, Maggie, Liam, and the rest of our team watching as Benjamin destroyed his opponent. In that moment, that brief heartbeat, I knew our team was prepared for whatever came our way.