Mason:Inked Reapers MC(53)

With a few clicks on her laptop, she'd purchased a ticket to his fight  that evening. Her heart raced as she confirmed the transaction. She had  no idea how she'd locate him once she was at the venue. What if he  refused to see her? Kait didn't know his number or anything. But he did  have Twitter, and he seemed to respond to messages from his followers.  Kait had an account she barely used. She only went on it to occasionally  stalk celebrities she liked. She could contact Jasper through there,  but then she really did risk looking crazy. Perhaps she could message  him later at the fight. Say she went along with a friend and noticed he  was there competing. Keep it casual, keep it light. But was it  believable?



Kait chewed on her lip and mulled it over. She was determined to see  Jasper if only to tell him that she was worried about it. Maybe he  didn't want to hear it, but she needed to tell him all the same. He was  pushing himself too much and being reckless with his health, and despite  his lack of interest, Kait did truly care about him. Her heart had  climbed up in to her throat when she saw him bloodied on the television  screen at the bar. She felt sick thinking of him getting hurt again.  Even though he was a champion fighter, he was still just a man whose  bones could break, whose skin could split.                       
       
           



       



Kait glanced at the clock. She had over eight hours until the fight. The  thought of seeing Jasper in the flesh made her stomach churn uneasily.  She considered calling Anna and begging her to join her at the event,  but she didn't want her friend to witness her shame if Jasper did just  turn her away. She just had to hope that he'd at least be willing to see  her.





Chapter 10



Kait's heart was pounding as she walked towards the venue of the fight  that evening. Crowds of people swarmed around her. There were couples,  groups of men, and some people seemingly alone like she was. All the  while she kept thinking about seeing Jasper again. But before she'd be  able to see him, she'd have to sit through an entire match. She'd have  to watch him take punches and kicks. The thought made her feel sick.



When Kait was eventually settled in her seat, which was blissfully quite  far back from the main stage in the centre of the arena, she pulled out  her phone with a shaking hand. This was it. Jasper's image was  everywhere inside, covering countless promotional posters. It was  reasonable for her to pretend that she'd attended with a friend and seen  he was fighting purely by coincidence.



Taking a deep breath Kait sent the Tweet.



Joined a friend to watch a fight and wow, you're here @J_Duboix #smallworld



Biting her nails, Kait waited. People settled in to their seats around  her, and soon the entire venue was full with expectant spectators.  Checking her watch, she saw that it was quarter to eight. Just fifteen  minutes until the fight began. Jasper might not even check his Twitter  account before a fight, instead needing to remain completely focused on  the task ahead.



Ripples of excitement bounced through the crowd. The air was electric,  and everyone was perched on the edge of their seats, Kait included.  Though she wasn't holding her breath for the fight, she was waiting to  see if the man she couldn't stop thinking about would actually get back  to her.



Ten to eight.



Her phone chirped in her pocket, and Kait thought her heart might stop.  Frantically, she reached for it and saw that she had several Twitter  notifications.



@J_Duboix was now following her and had sent her a direct message. With a swift swipe of her finger, Kait was reading it.



Wow, small world indeed :) Fancy coming back stage after the fight? Just you x



Kait exhaled and laughed at the same time. He wanted to see her. She  felt so giddy, she thought she might float up out of her seat. But her  jubilation was eclipsed by the lights which suddenly dimmed. The sounds  of the crowd became thunderous as an announcer declared that the fight  was about to start. Checking her phone, Kait realised that Jasper must  have messaged her with just seconds to spare before he was about to  enter the ring. Did that mean that his thoughts would be of her while he  was out there?



When Jasper's was name was called and he sauntered in to the ring, the  crowd erupted in to wild whoops and cheers. He was clearly very popular  and had his fair share of fans. Men and women alike shouted out his name  in an encouraging fashion. Jasper nodded courteously in recognition of  their calls, but then his face hardened, just as his opponent was  heralded and also entered the ring.



Kait didn't want to watch. She wanted to tear her eyes away, to get up  and leave, but instead she forced herself to be a spectator. This was  what Jasper clearly lived for: the thrill of the fight. The bell for the  first round rang out, and the two men sprung in to action. Kicks were  expertly executed as were several punches. Most of the time they were  dodging one another and bouncing around the large mat beneath their  feet, but occasionally a blow inevitably landed. Despite the cries of  the jeering crowd you could hear bones crunch and blood splatter. Kait  clenched her jaw and tightened her hands as Jasper walked to the edge of  the ring after a particularly vicious round. He spat blood in to a  bucket and poured water over his sweating face. Even though Kait was sat  far away, she could see that Jasper was exhausted. His chest heaved,  and he slumped in his chair whilst his opponent was still rigid and  alert.



"He shouldn't be fighting," Kait concluded to herself with a shake of her head. "It's too soon; he's too worn out."



Anger began to replace any concern she had for Jasper. Another bell  chimed as the next round started. Jasper slowly stood up whilst his  opponent in blue sprung to his feet as though filled with boundless  energy.



"Come on, Jasper," Kait willed him as around her the crowd chanted for  him. Despite his previous wins, he was the underdog in this battle. His  broad, strong shoulders sagged with exhaustion. Why was he doing this to  himself? Why had he chosen to fight two nights in a row?                       
       
           



       



His opponent came at him and landed a punch squarely on Jasper's jaw.  His head snapped back, and Kait's hand flew to her mouth. It was torture  to watch him being beaten up like this. She couldn't take much more.  When Jasper straightened, a dark look glinted in his eyes. He pushed  back his shoulders and then launched himself at the man in blue. He  punched in quick succession, each one landing on its target. Then he  stepped back and kicked with the precision of a ballerina, and his heel  connected with his opponent's chest. The man wearing blue staggered  back, winded. He fell against the mat. The punches to his head had dazed  him, and he seemed unable to get up. The referee dropped to his side  and began to count as Jasper impatiently waited, bouncing on the spot as  though he was now full of energy rather than verging on the point of  exhausted.



The man in blue didn't get up. The final bell rang, and Jasper's arm was  raised as the champion. The crowd went nuts. People were on their feet,  fists pumping the air. They screamed Jasper's name and clapped their  hands until they were sore. Kait felt herself swept up in the euphoria.  She too got to her feet and clapped madly for the victory. The sound was  deafening, drumming in her ears. But as she clapped, she thought of  Jasper's invitation to come back stage. She hurried off towards the  toilets, wanting to give herself a brief once over before coming face to  face with him.





Chapter 11



Kait pushed against the crowd as people eagerly left the venue. She  headed back in to the arena where a burly security guard swiftly ceased  her progress.



"Where do you think you're going?" He asked sternly as he folded his bulging arms across his ample chest.



"I … um … " Kait could feel her cheeks starting to burn. "I'm a friend of Jasper's; he invited me backstage."



"Name?"



"Oh … Kaitlyn Stewart."



To her surprise, the guard gave a curt nod and then gestured for her to  continue on her way towards the back of the venue which led to the  changing rooms and the backstage area.



Away from the crowds, the backstage area was still a hive of activity.  Agents and trainers darted about with their phones glued to their ears.  No one paid Kait any attention. They must assume that the fact that she  was there was enough to warrant that she belonged. Nervously, she  wandered down a stark corridor, glancing at the doors as she moved.  Finally she found the one with Jasper's name stuck on it. Inhaling  nervously, she knocked on the door.