SWOLLEN: A Secret Baby Sports Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

shines in the halogen lights, those gorgeous smoldering eyes, that bulge that makes the front of his shorts look like they are begging me to remove them, or simply because now I know he knows I’m watching him. Whatever it is, it’s certainly more than I can control.
    Pitbull is slowing, but he still refuses to give up. In the meantime, the crowd has gotten even more animated and boisterous. They want to see this ended now, Pitbull has been outclassed and needs to be put down, even though he refuses it.
    Liam is circling like a vulture ready to pick meat out of a carcass that’s on the edge of death. I can see in his eyes he’s looking for the way in, to turn this fight into a victory, assuage these bloodthirsty fans, and pick up his well-deserved prize money.
    There are bruises where he’s taken hits across his ribs and chest, a more serious wound underneath his eye where Pitbull landed his illegal haymaker, but it’s not enough to stop him and nothing close to the injuries Pitbull has suffered.
    Liam’s opponent is dragging his feet and his hands, his whole body heavy, his head swimming with the intensity of the situation.
    “ Fucking finish him off”, I hear someone shout from the crowd before Liam looks briefly at me and moves in.
    No one sees it coming. Liam has demonstrated a whole range of different moves, but even so, no one expects him to have this one in his locker. It happens so fast I almost miss it, but as much as I can tell, Liam wraps half of his body around the Pitbull, and there is literally no way for the man to escape being smashed head first to the ground.  
    There, Liam is quick to neutralize him, and with an arm wrapped around his neck, and the crowd baying for him to rip it off, he chokes the man mountain out.
    The fight has lasted less than three rounds, which I believe is kind of normal for this kind of thing, but never enough to satisfy the crowd.
    While Liam salutes his supporters, those that have come to cheer on their now flattened champion drag him into the shadows.
    It’s been a comprehensive win, and despite Pitbull putting up a tenacious challenge, the better man has clearly won.
    I watch Liam take his hoody, count the money the referee passes him and make his way towards me.
    “ Let’s go”, he says, as though we’ve come here together.
    Knockout puts his arm out to protect me and Liam looks up to the man that’s even bigger than the Pitbull as if to say, you probably don’t want to do that .
    “ It’s okay”, I say. “I know him.”
    Liam takes my arm, and the crowd part to let us through.
     
    Liam
    I take Jasmine as far away from that toxic environment as I can, embarrassed already that she’s seen what I do. I made a conscious decision not to involve her in my life one year ago because I didn’t want to expose her to that, and here she is in the very front of the crowd, the only girl I think I’ve ever seen in a fight crowd, balls as big as brass.
    We make our way to a nearby café just to talk this out. I can’t not, especially now she’s seen me at my absolute worst.
    The waitress gives us both a worried look as she takes the order, my black eye and swollen hands clearly making her feel ill at ease.
    Jasmine doesn’t seem as bothered, though. She’s certainly not the same girl that bolted back to her house after I stopped three men from helping her get there. If anything, she looks like she enjoyed that.
    I have a million questions, none of which seem right to begin with.
    “ Sorry you had to see that”, I eventually decide to say.
    “ So, what is that, a hobby or a profession?”
    The waitress buys me time to think how to answer when she brings over the coffee, her eyes still flitting between us as though trying to decide whether to call the police.
    “ It’s good money”, I say to explain it. “That’s the only thing I like about it.”
    “ You’re good.”
    “ It’s a horrible sport. I don’t like what I do, I just need to do it, that’s