Princeton
I missed her.
Being away from Bella during fight camp felt like punishment in the worst way, especially now that I could tell it was beginning to affect her too. She wasn’t as wordy in the texts we shared, wasn’t as talkative nor cheery in the few phone calls I made, and even the pictures she used to send every night had become more sporadic, meaning she was either super busy with her new solo gig or straight up mad at me. And since I hadn’t been there to give her a real reason to be mad at me, I assumed it was the distance between us that was finally catching up to her which meant I had to make something shake before I lost her.
So I did, sneaking off to her spot the second my plane landed back in town even if I wasn’t technically supposed to see her until the pre-fight weigh-ins next week. But this… this was an urgent matter. And while I knew my father would probably try to rip me a new one if he found out what I was doing, it was a risk I was willing to take for my girl.
I tried my best to stay low-key, though I was sure I stood out like a sore thumb walking through her building that didn’t exactly make their ceilings with people like me in mind. But I eventually made it to her unit, giving the door a knock, then a second heavier one to increase the urgency. And I was just getting ready to knock again when she yanked the door open, her angry expression from my disturbance falling flat once she realized it was me.
“Princeton, what are you…”
The rest of her question fell right against my lips as I pushed her back into her apartment with my steps, keeping my lips locked with hers as I shut the door behind me before pulling away to take a good look at her.
While I hadn’t been away that long, I still noticed small things that had changed in our time apart. Her pixie cut was a little longer than usual, but still wildly attractive. Her boobs looked even fuller than I remembered under her oversized tank top, the thin fabric enough to see her hardened nipples through which was always a plus. And there seemed to be a glow about her, even brighter than her usual radiance.
She was beautiful.
“Those pictures didn’t do you any justice,” I said, grabbing her hand for a kiss that made her blush meaning not all was lost. But she still didn’t seem as thrilled about my presence as I expected her to be, so I decided to turn it up a notch, swooping her up into my arms to carry her to her bedroom and make good of my impromptu visit since I knew it couldn’t last long.
“Princeton, are you crazy?” she asked with little giggles of disbelief until we made it to the destination. And instead of answering, I set her down on the bed, making quick work of my hoodie and sweatpants before climbing on to join her.
My lips immediately went at her neck as she pressed her hands into my chest and groaned, “Princeton, wait… I need to tell...”
But once again, I didn’t let her finish, pushing her tank top up so that I could continue my attack of kisses down her body and using them to punctuate my words as I told her, “I can’t wait, Bella. I fuckin’ missed you. I missed this. And I’m about to show you how much.”
While I wasn’t sure if it was the aggression I had built up in preparation for the fight or just my pure desperation to be connected to her, I felt like a savage as I devoured her pussy, spreading her as wide as she could go to give me better access as I licked her clit and every crevice in between. Her legs shaking in my grip gave me a similar rush to what I’d get from an arena of people cheering me on, a roar that only fueled me to give everything I had. And that wasn’t changing here as I continued my assault with my tongue, flickering at varying speeds that had her digging into my shoulders for leverage until she finally let herself fall.
Just like in a real fight, it wasn’t my job to let her fully recover, the daze she was in from her orgasm only making my desire to deliver a knockout combination even more urgent. So I wasted no time, swiping the back of my hand across my face to get rid of her juices before flipping her onto her back and entering from behind with one swift plunge that had her releasing a shrill cry of pleasure.
My hands went to cover her fists that were clenching the sheets as I continued to drive inside of her, giving her everything we had missed out on while I was away, reminding her of what I had to offer now that I was back and letting her know I was here to stay. And even if she didn’t get the message completely, she definitely wasn’t complaining as I blew her back out with reckless abandon, naturally releasing some of the tension I had built up during fight camp without letting it all go since I’d need it for my actual bout with Boston next week.
Somehow this also felt like a fight, like an opportunity to plead my case and solidify my place in Bella’s life regardless of how carnal it was. But it seemed to be more and more worth it with every moan of my name coming from her sweet lips, with every request to go deeper and harder, and especially once I felt her tense up as if she was getting ready to cum again.
“Give it to me, Bella,” I demanded, feeling completely out of control as her walls began to contract around me with her orgasm, practically squeezing my nut out of me even though I did my best to pull out since we hadn’t used a condom. But even without being inside of her, my body was still spasming as I stroked myself empty onto her sheets, my grunts clashing with Bella’s heavy breathing as she worked to collect herself.
Since I was at the tail-end of camp, I was in tip-top shape, giving me a leg up on recovery as I climbed from the bed and teased, “Didn’t know you liked it so rough.”
“Me neither until you did it. What was that all about?” Bella asked, flipping onto her back and resting her forearm against her forehead as if she was legitimately exhausted.
I shrugged as I made my way to the bathroom nearby to clean myself up, yelling from the sink, “I’ve been around nothing but grown ass men for almost two months, B! Shit felt like some fresh outta jail pussy even though the mission isn’t complete just yet.”
Sure I had snuck away from training camp to see her, but I still had a big fight to worry about; a fight that I couldn’t take for granted nor an opponent I could treat like lightweight. And while I wasn’t supposed to be letting anything get in the way of that, seeing Bella’s smile live and in color as she leaned against the door frame to watch me somehow made it worth any possible trouble in the future. Though she still wasn’t completely sold when she asked, “Should I feel special or like a bad influence?”
I quickly dried my hands so that I could pinch her chin when I answered, “Both. More special though.”
She rolled her eyes teasingly as her hands went to my abs, admiring them as she gushed, “You’re so ripped. I mean, you’re always in good shape, but… somehow you look even more in shape.”
“That’s what fight camp will do to you, B. Stricter diet, more training, more sparring. Had to get this body right so it’ll handle business for me next week,” I replied, laughing at how fascinated she seemed by the transformation until I asked, “But yo, what’d you have to tell me?”
“Huh?” she said, snatching her hands away and turning to leave.
But I was right on her heels as I reminded her, “You said you needed to tell me something earlier, but I cut you off.”
“Oh! Uh… nothing. Nothing important,” she replied with a wave of her hand as she began to pull the bedding up so she could wash it, the action only making things feel more suspicious.
Still, I tried to play it cool, jumping in to help as I said, “Must’ve been important if you were trying to get it out right away.”
Once again, she only brushed me off. “Nah. I mean, it can wait. You have a lot on your plate, big fight coming up. I don’t want to put anything extra on your mind when you’re supposed to be focusing on that.”
I didn’t mean to snap, but I could tell Bella received it that way with how she flinched when I asked, “How can I focus with you keeping secrets from me?” And her heavy sigh that followed only made my anxiety worse, my still mostly-deprived state unable to deal with even the smallest agitations.
But her uneasy approach didn’t make much sense when the only thing she said was, “I… got another cover story. With Levi Graham.”
“The ball player?”
There was a notably odd switch in her mood the way she pepped up to answer, “Yep! Interview is in two weeks, with the photoshoot the week after that.”
“That’s what’s up. Congratulations,” I replied shortly, legitimately proud to hear the news while also still feeling skeptical. And since I didn’t really have the patience to continue beating around the bush, I straight out asked, “Is… that all?”
“That’s all,” she rushed out as she gathered the bedding to take to the washer which really meant that wasn’t all.
But since I hadn’t been around to really know what else might’ve been going on in her world, the only thing I could do was follow her and ask, “You sure?”
She kept herself busy stuffing everything into the washer as she answered, “It was positive. I mean, I’m positive, Princeton. Just good news about my career when you’re not even supposed to be thinking about me because you have someone waiting to get beat up by you and millions of people ready to watch worldwide; legally and illegally.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her wit, shaking my head at what I knew was the truth when I said, “Aight. Well let me get out of here before Pops catches on and I gotta beat him up too.”
I went back to the room to get the rest of my clothes on, Bella eventually joining me to ask, “How much are front row seats to that fight? Cause I’d be willing to pay double. Triple if I can get a lick in myself. You know I’ve been working on my left hook.”
Once again, I shook my head with a laugh, grabbing her by the chin for a kiss before telling her, “You’re so crazy, B.” Then I landed another kiss that I especially savored since it would be the last for at least a week.
On my way out of her room, I noticed a bad ass dress hanging from the door that made me smile just thinking about seeing her in it, turning back to ask, “This what you wearing to the fight?”
Some of that skittish energy returned as Bella crossed her arms over her chest, gnawing at her lip when she replied, “I was going to, but… it doesn’t fit quite right anymore. So I have to find something new, something more comfortable.”
“Well as long as you’re there, that’s all that matters,” I assured her before taking off towards the door with her right behind me, pulling the door open and turning around to take one last look at her.
She was wearing a half-hearted smile when she said, “We’ll be there. Gina and I… will be there.”
My original concerns returned, but I knew I didn’t have the capacity to take on whatever she was holding in without losing complete focus. So instead, I gave her a smile of my own, brushing a hand against her cheek as I told her, “See you then, B.”
&
She wasn’t there.
Physically, sure.
I could see her, and she looked gorgeous as always.
But it was clear Bella’s head was elsewhere as I took on the press with her at my side, her eyes constantly drifting off into space as if there weren’t a million and one things going on around her.
I originally assumed she was just a little taken aback by seeing me completely in character at the weigh-ins, not used to the rowdy persona that made for good photo ops and built suspense to sell last minute Pay-Per-View purchases. Then I wondered if she was just overwhelmed, not used to being in the spotlight, much more comfortable as the one asking the questions instead of the one answering them. But it usually took even the shiest person only a few questions to shake that off. And since Bella and I had been at it for at least an hour now, I knew something was really up with her.
Without causing too much of a scene, I leaned over to whisper, “B, you good?”
The way she jumped in response to my words only showed me just how out of it she had been, especially once she said, “Huh? Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired, I guess.”
“Bright lights and hot takes got you beat, huh?” I asked with a grin, knowing good and well how draining it could be.
Honestly, I was glad she could see what it was like to be on the other end so that she’d be forced to take that into consideration in the future when she got back to business. But it didn’t seem as if that was the true root cause of her standoffish demeanor when instead of giving her usual wit, she only answered, “Yeah, yeah. All that.”
The response made my concern grow steeper to the point that I decided to excuse us from the press room, the action earning a side eye from my father though he knew better than to intervene. And once we were alone, I couldn’t help but notice the way Bella still seemed aloof, forcing me to ask, “Bella, for real. What’s going on with you?”
“I… really don’t wanna talk about it right now. I just need you completely focused,” she answered, taking her attention to the table of goodies instead of leaving it with me.
But even then, I followed her over, watching intently as she picked away at a croissant before tossing it in the trash. As if whatever was on her mind had taken her appetite. And once I thought back on her words, I realized, “So that’s what this is about? Now that we’re a day away from the fight, you’re feeling nervous about my well-being?”
It shouldn’t have surprised me that the fight had Bella feeling uneasy since that had never not been the case, though she only rolled her eyes when she replied, “Princeton, you’re a black man in America. I always feel nervous about your well-being.”
While I was grateful to see at least a small glimpse of the witty Bella I knew, I still told her, “You know what I mean.”
She released a heavy sigh, peeking up at me to explain, “I just want you to… No. I need you to be okay after this.”
“Bella, we already talked about this. I’ll be fine. I mean, it’s not like this is my first time in the ring,” I reminded her with a laugh, once again finding her concern adorable.
She only doubled down on that when she replied, “It’s not. But it’s my first time seeing you in the ring and actually being invested in the outcome.”
“So you really fuck with me like that, huh?” I asked with an arrogant grin as I pulled her into a hug, hoping that would ease some of her worry.
Though she didn’t let me pull her completely into the embrace, instead stopping me with a hand against my chest as she said, “Princeton, I’m serious. This whole thing has me… beyond sick. For more reasons than one.”
Her anxiety was evident, but it was also the exact type of energy I didn’t need around me since confidence and aggression would be the driving force in my victory. And while I knew it wasn’t because she didn’t believe in me, I still did my best to kill any doubt when I told her, “Listen, Bella. I appreciate your concern. Knowing you care so much has my heart feelin’ all warm and fuzzy. But I need my shit to stay on ice so I can really fuck “Big Time” up tomorrow. It’s an important part of the process, love.”
“Understood,” she answered shortly with a nod before trying to make her way back to the goodies table.
I didn’t let her get away, instead pulling her closer as I continued, “And when I’m done, we’ll sit back and laugh our way to the bank about you being all worried about the kid. Right after my celebratory fuck.”
She didn’t seem so convinced, her grin half-hearted when she said, “If you’re up for it.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely be up for it. Consider your guts demolished, B,” I replied, being sure to shut that down just like all of her other worries.
And while it felt good to at least have the situation a little more stabilized, I wondered if I should’ve been the one concerned once she said, “Trust me, Princeton. They already are.”