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Watching.

Waiting.

Poised to strike only when it will benefit him.

The man lets out a scream and races toward Dalton, who dodges to his left and throws a punch into the side of the man’s face that sends him crashing down to the mat.

There is a moment of silence surrounding the ring.

And then chaos.

It’s so fucking loud I can’t even hear myself think but in the ring, Dalton turns right to me and meets my eyes, flashing me that damn grin again. I didn’t even realize that he knew where I was but of course he did. He saw everything.

Oh, fuck me.

Maybe we could sneak off to one of the trailers before his next fight.

“Hyyyyddddeeee,” the man says again, drawing his name out dramatically. “Your winner. We’ll see him again in the semifinals.”

The crowd erupts some more as Dalton leaves the ring but instead of staying back with the other fighters, he turns toward me. People part like water as he strides towards me with determination. When he reaches me, he grabs my and pulls me into his arms, planting his lips on mine.

I moan and my knees buckle but his arm is already around my waist, holding me up. He’s sweaty, his chest heaving and the rest of the damn world falls away as I get lost in him. I let out a whimper when he pulls back way too soon and meets my eyes, a grin on his face.

“You can’t look at me like that when I’m in the ring, baby.”

I arch a brow. “Like what?”

“Like you want to go somewhere more private.”

“Yeah,” I say with a shrug. “I don’t know how else you expect me to look at you after that showing.”

His brows furrow. “You weren’t scared?”

“Dalton,” I whisper, shaking my head as I reach up and gently drag my fingers across his beard. “Why would I ever be scared of you?”

He releases a breath and a shudder moves through him before he leans down and steals another kiss, lingering a little longer this time.

“You have time to sneak away?” I whisper against his lips and he laughs.

“No. But I’m all yours after the tournament.”

I nod, letting out a hum. “Good. I have plans for you.”

“Goddamn, baby,” he says, pulling back and meeting my eyes. “Maybe I should be scared of you.”

“Maybe you should.” I give his stomach a pinch and he lets out a laugh, stealing one more kiss before he releases me.

“I have to go back behind the ring but stay with Jumper, okay?”

I nod. “I will, baby.”

He flashes me a wink before turning and walking back through the crowd to the staging area for the fighters. People are patting him on the shoulder and as more people touch him, I can see his shoulder begin to tense.

“Don’t worry,” Jumper says. “That shit amps him up for the next fight.”

I shake my head. “He doesn’t like it.”

“Yeah,” he says with a sigh. “But that’s the risk of coming into the crowd to see you.”