Page 17 of Bound By Ink

The downside of great sex with no release. I stroke myself, but my nerves are twitching, my hips thrust, and I gasp. Fuck, everything is so sensitive, I’m on edge. I grip tighter, reaching around. I tug at my balls a little, grunting as my dick twitches in my hand. My hand moves faster, my breathing hitches as I fire over the back of my hand. After blowing out while I calm my racing heart, I finish washing the rest of my body. I grit my teeth when I get to my ass; it stings a little, but then I smile. I can’t wait to see Derren again. He made me feel wanted. A little confused that things went so far so fast, but now I can’t stop grinning.

Killian

Chapter 9

I have a short day today. I hate it when I’m not busy, especially now, because I can’t get that snake out of my head. I don’t like how Derren treats Scott. I can’t get this awful feeling that’s niggling me to subside. This isn’t going to end well. It’s crawling in my bones, and I can’t settle.

Scott’s so sweet but naïve. I don’t want to see him taken advantage of. I know guys like Derren. Iamguys like Derren. The only difference is the people I fuck know that I’m not interested in anything long-term. I don’t claim to be anything I’m not. I’m a fuckboy, plain and simple. I fuck. I don’t feel, and I move on.

My mind won’t quieten, constantly racing, wondering how I can save Scott before he gets his heart or his face broken. Part of me wants to swoop in and save him, but I also know if I push too hard on this, it could shove him into Dickhead’s arms, and I could lose him. I’m too hot for prison, but for Scott, I would do time.

I need to hit something, and if I don’t do it in a controlled environment, that something could be Derren’s face, and then anything could happen.

I snatch my duffel bag out of my car and head into the gym to spar. It’s an MMA gym, grimy, dingy, and weathered, not some corporate shiny gym with a million different machines. Impact gym is held together with duct tape, spit and sheer grit and determination.

Jerry has been my male role model since I was a kid. He took me under his wing when I was getting into trouble. When I was bullied for not having a dad, for not having what everyone else had. Trouble just seemed to follow me. I didn’t feel like I missed out, though. Mum has always been everything I’ve ever needed.

One day after school, I was being chased and ended up running in here, looking for somewhere to hide. The door opened as someone left, and I darted in, crashing straight into Jerry and falling on my skinny ass. The other kids skidded in behind me. He just stood there. They scrambled to get outside and then waited for hours. Jerry said if I wanted to hide in here, I could, but it would cost me, and I could clean the mats and keep the gym tidy.

I thought that was great until I was cleaning blood, puke, and teeth. I put in the hours, and he eventually decided to train me. I had no friends, no one other than Mum, until I went to secondary school and met Steven. Things started to ease off after that. But Jerry still let me carry on.

I occasionally do fights for him to raise money for the gym. He will never tell me I owe him, but I do. I don’t know where I’d be without him. I’ve got a fight coming up. It’s my way of giving back. I can raise a shit-ton of money in one night. I have to be more careful now that I own the shop. I can’t afford to get injured and lose out, but the money is too good to pass up.

“Killer!” Jerry yells from the back as I push through the doors. I chuckle. It was Jerry who gave me that name when I fell at his feet. All those years ago, he crossed his arms over his chest and chuckled. “Where you going in a hurry, Killer?” It stuck, although I’m not a scrawny kid anymore.

“Good to see you, Jerry. You make out like it’s been ages, but you see me most days.” I laugh and toss my bag down as he comes over, arms outstretched. I reach him in a few strides, hugging him tight. “It’s really good to see you, Jerry.”

“So, what are you doing here today? Training? Blowing off steam? Pent-up sexual tension?” He waggles his eyebrows at me, giving me a suggestive smirk.

I bark out a laugh. “All of the above, mate.” He grins, clapping me on the back.

“Don’t you think you should start to settle down. You ain’t getting any younger.”

I glare at him before shaking my head. “Fuck off, I’ll settle down when you do.”

The laughter erupts from him. I’ve never seen him with a lady friend. I’ve seen women try, especially back in the day, and even now, he looks fucking good for his age, that whole silver-fox thing—beard and a few tattoos done by me over the years. He let me practise on him when I started my apprenticeship. Jerry believed in me even back then. He kept me out of trouble. In return, I fight to keep the gym funded and the doors open to kids like me. The no-ones and the underdogs. Those who, without Jerry, would end up in jail or dead.

Now I’m more than motivated. I need to get some of this tension out before I beat Derren to a pulp. I mean, Ithought Scott had more sense than that; he’s the smartest guy I know. He could really go somewhere and do something special with his life. He’s so fucking intelligent, and he’s just gonna end up wasted if he stays here, especially if he stays herewith him. When it comes to this fucking dickhead, he seems to be the worst judge of character. He’s the dumbest smart person I know, and I don’t know how to stop the car crash from happening.

I shake my head and wrap my knuckles. I step up to the bag that’s got more tape on it than leather right now. It’s been here longer than I’ve been coming, and I start to warm up. I pass the hours, sweating and beating the bag, sparring with a few of the regulars who want a taste of Killer.

I shake my head, and then when I think I’m done, Jerry brings me the mop.Fucker. I mop the floors and tidy up, picking up the towels and tossing them into the crate. I pick up all the tape remnants from the floor and trim the loose bits from the bags before re-stacking the weights.

In the middle of the gym, I stand and turn slowly, checking to make sure there’s nothing out of place before heading up to the office, which sits on a mezzanine above the gym.

“Hey, Jerry, I’m heading out.”

“Feel better?” He tosses the paperwork in his hands on the desk and stares at me.

“Not really.”

“You wanna talk?”

“Nah, it’s not my issue, just Scott. He’s kinda getting swept in with the wrong type of guy.”

“What type is the wrong type?” He eyes me curiously.

“Horny douchebag. I think he’s the type who will get a little handsy if you know what I mean?”