Loving Kinnick (Rewritten 2023)

Chapter Seventeen

 Kinnick kept me close as we stepped through the parking garage. I wanted to hear everything going on inside his head. Maybe it would distract me from finding the nearest exit. I could already smell the smoke inhabiting the atmosphere. I felt the vibration of fans screaming and the speakers thumping music as we approached the door.

 The tattooed boxer placed his hand on my back to lead me inside. He didn't lose touch as he directed me toward a bar encased by glass windows. I questioned if anybody inside were fans or fighters waiting for their match. Their eyes watched us walk through the place, but Kinnick's skin against mine made me feel untouchable. Before I could let the thought of everyone staring overwhelm me, John's voice filled my ears.

 "Bo! Thank heavens you came," he cheered. "Kinnick wouldn't stop pestering me. He said if he couldn't convince you, he would make me ask you until you said yes!"

 A giggle fell from my lips as he pulled me into a hug. "Is that so?"

 "I knew you would be best friends when I paired you two up together," he led us toward a bar. "Order whatever you want. It is on our sponsors."

 Kinnick slid into a seat beside me as I asked the man at the counter for water. The nerves in my body wouldn't let me settle down. My shaking hands made me worry I would cause an earthquake. As I curled my fingers around the plastic cup to bring the drink to my lips, Kinnick leaned into my side.

 "Are you okay?"

 "Yes."

 The group of men sitting at the table beside us continued to wink at me. One of them tipped their glass toward me as he licked his lips. The chair I sat on allowed me to twist back toward the bar. That is when the shaking in my hands grew worst. I tried to hide it. I didn't want anyone to notice. Yet, the bright lights flashing over my eyes brought back memories of something I didn't want to remember. Those memories sounded like clinking bottles and laughter.

 "Bo," Kinnick's voice called out my name.

 My eyes shot open to see the concern on his face. He sat merely a few inches away from me. I wasn't sure if he was fluent in body language, but he looked at my hands as if they told him what was wrong.

 "I told you I don't like big crowds."

 He followed my gaze to the men who sat a few tables away. "It has nothing to do with them, does it?"

 "It wouldn't matter." I shake my head. "There is nothing you can do about it."

 "Want to bet?" He scrunched up his nose before adjusting his jacket. "Hey!"

 He leaned forward in his seat, yelling at the men to gain their attention. My face twisted in horror as I watched him holler. Everyone heard him. They watched as he confronted the men and me as I tried to hush him. My hand went toward his mouth, but he nuzzled me away.

 "Keep your fucking eyes to yourself." My eyes widened as he pulled a knife from his waistband. "If I notice you looking in her direction again, I'll cut them from your fucking head."

 And just like that, they turned away. Without another word, Kinnick's face pulled into a satisfying, grinning one. I looked at him with horror as he shot me a wink and tucked his knife away.

 "You can't just threaten people like that."

 "Sure I can," he shrugged. "They won't do shit."

 "What if they jump you?"

 "It has happened before."

 "Kinnick – "

 "Stop," he spoke so gently, I almost got whiplash. "Everything is fine. I got you, okay?"

 "I don't want it if it comes with a risk."

 "You have such little faith in me," he mumbled. "What you don't understand is everyone is afraid of me. No one would do a damn thing. They're too scared to try."

 I tilt my face back to stare at him. Now his breath is fanning across my face. The smell of the gum he chewed cooled my face. I could hear John talking behind us, not paying any attention to the boxer or me. Something in me hoped he didn't disrupt the moment we shared.

 "Not everyone is afraid of you."

 "If you are insinuating you are one of those people," his eyes flicked up from my lips to meet my gaze. "I can prove you wrong."

 "You are all bark, no bite."

 His bottom lip snapped back into place as he released his from his teeth. "We'll see."

 The sound of his name echoed through the arena, capturing our attention. John followed the security guards as they prepared the hallways, leaving me alone with the blue-eyed boxer. First, my finger twitched, then my hands began trembling. It hadn't been my fight, but I worried about the tattooed man stepping into the ring.

 My breath got caught in my throat at the simplicity of his hand resting over my own. "I'm better than what you give me credit for."

 His fingers sprawled out before me as if he requested me to lace our fingers, but his lips didn't say a word. They didn't need to, though. As our skin touched, I felt everything shifting. My missing puzzle pieces were finally molded together. Despite the beating of my accelerating heart, and the butterflies in my stomach fluttering as they did whenever he glanced in my direction, I felt all too giddy at something as simple as holding Kinnick's hand.

 I watched as he brought my knuckles to his lips before murmuring up to me. "Promise you'll be out there watching me?"

 "I'll be ringside, cheering you on."

 I felt his smile stretch across my skin as he held my hand close to his lips. "I guess I'll have the cutest cheerleader in the building then."

 "I guess you will."

 "Let's make a deal, okay?" The ocean in his eyes raged with possibilities as he stared at me through his darkened eyelashes. "If I win this fight, you go on a date with me. If the other guy loses, I will go on a date with you. Deal?"

 With one last kiss on my knuckles, he pulled away without so much as hearing my answer. "Wait! Either way, you win!"

 He turned back to look at me over his shoulder. "I always win."

 John motioned me toward him as Kinnick disappeared down the hallway after sending a wink in my direction. I found myself desperate to be next to him again, to have my hand encased with his, to hear his laughter, and to feel the effect only his words gave me. Within seconds of turning down the hallway, I could hear the fans chanting Kinnick's name. That is when I realized I didn't want to lose whatever this was. Even if it was nothing.