by Alexa Riley
“I love you, too,” she says, and I close my eyes, letting those words sink in.
“Say it again,” I order, and she bites her lip to hide her smile.
“I love you.”
“One more time,” I say, leaning closer so her lips are a breath from mine.
“I love you.”
“I’ll never get tired of hearing that,” I say right before our lips connect.
We make love slowly that night, and it’s the most intimate and beautiful thing we’ve ever shared. There are no more barriers between us, and nothing is left unsaid. I’ve fallen completely for the woman of my dreams.
Chapter Seventeen
Pepper
I stand in Bear’s locker room at the arena waiting for him to get back. He had to go do a few more things before the fight starts tonight. I bounce around on my feet, unsure of what to do with all the anxiety inside of me. I’ve been like this all day. Why did the fight have to be at night? The wait is killer. I’m ready for all of this to be over. I’m not looking forward to watching him fight, and I don’t care if he’s used to getting hit. I still don’t like the idea. I keep most of those thoughts to myself because I don’t want Bear worked up. If I’m upset he’s upset. So I’m trying to act relaxed and calm.
He been in beast mode for the past few days. I’m nervous, yet he’s pumped to get into the ring with Gio. I don’t even want to see Gio’s stupid face. I’ve never in my life not liked someone, but I do not like that man. I’m going get a little satisfaction at seeing Gio take a few hits. I still can’t believe what he tried to do to Bear. He used me as Bear’s weakness.
When the door opens I turn to see Bear standing there filling the entire space. His eyes are locked on me. I run towards him and jump into his arms. He holds me close and I breathe him in, wrapping my arms and legs around him tightly. This last fifteen minutes were the longest we’ve been apart since he came back home two nights ago. He wouldn't let me out of his sight after that. I went everywhere with him and I haven’t complained one bit. I love him and won’t go anywhere without him because he makes me feel safe. I know I can be a little naïve at times, but Bear will protect me. I should’ve never questioned whether he’d come back to me that night, and I’ll never doubt him again.
I’m happy they canceled the press meeting for Bear and Gio. I’m a hundred percent sure a fight would have broken out, and the event and sponsors didn't want that to happen. They wanted their fight night surrounded by people willing to pay to see it.
Bear kicks the door closed behind him and gives my ass a squeeze. “Miss me?”
“Always,” I tell him before he kisses me. I push at his chest when a wall hits my back. “Bear. You know Rico said no sex before the fight,” I remind him. He grunts, still pissed about that. “I’ll make it up to you,” I say as I trail my tongue along the seam of his lips. Then I wiggle for him to let me down.
All of Rico’s rules have been driving me nuts, but it’s almost over and I won’t do anything to mess up this fight for Bear. He’s trained and worked so hard for this. I want my man to go out on top.
He groans as he slowly slides my body down his. “You better put that away,” I tease him, eyeing the bulge in front of his shorts.
“We could take care of it,” he attempts, but I duck under his arm when he tries to grab me. I dart to the other side of the room as a squeal escapes me. “You know I’ll catch you,” he challenges.
I have no doubt that he would. He doesn’t let anything come between us. “Bear.” I put my hands on my hips to try and talk him down. His eyes roam over my body and a smirk pulls at his lips.
“Where did you get that?” he asks, and I smile. I turn, letting him see my shirt with his name across my back. The front of it has both our initials inside of a heart.
“I made it. Do you like?” It’s pink and glittery and was so fun to make. I’ve been working on it on the sly for the past few days. It was hard when he’s been pretty much attached to my hip, but I got it done.
“Yeah I like.” He closes the distance between us and reaches up, tugging on my braid. “You know what would make it better?”
“What?” I say, thinking he’s going to kiss me.
I gasp as he pulls a box out of his pocket and slowly drops to one knee.
Immediately my eyes are filled with tears knowing what he’s about to do. He opens the box and takes the ring out before kissing my shaking hand. Then he slides the ring onto my finger and I throw myself into his arms before he even has a chance to ask me.
“Yes, yes, yes!” I shout, not letting him get the words out.
Bear wraps me in his arms and we start kissing. In seconds I’m flat on my back with Bear between my thighs. We’re both crazy with need.
“What did I tell you two?” Rico yells standing in the doorway, breaking up our makeout session. Bear growls deep in his chest and I smother my laugh. “Save it for the fight.”
Bear pulls me to my feet and kisses me once more on the lips.
“Holy shit.” Tasha pops up behind Rico. “You look so adorable.”
In addition to my shirt, I’ve got on short black shorts and knee socks. I thought it would look sporty, but I had second thoughts when I got to the event. Some of the other women were dressed up like they were going out to a club. But when Bear looked at me with ravenous eyes, I knew I made the right decision.
He pulls me into his side and wraps his arm around me. “There’s this, too.” I hold up my hand and realize that I never even looked at my ring.
It’s a large circle diamond with small pink ones all around it.
“Good lord, can your little hand even carry that around all day?” Tasha squeals with excitement.
“This is too much,” I say to Bear. I don’t know a ton about jewelry, but I’m pretty sure the center stone is five carats and flawless.
“It’s not as if he can’t afford it,” Rico says, then congratulates us.
Bear and I never talked about money before. I know he owns the building we live in, so I guess he does all right with fighting. I never thought much about what he made before now. Maybe I should have, because he said he was retiring.
“It’s true,” he says, as if reading my mind. He shrugs like it’s no big deal and he’s right. It doesn’t change anything between us. “I live where I do because it’s where I grew up. I don’t need much.” He leans down and his lips brush against mine. “Only you.”
“I only need you, too.”
“She’s not signing a prenup,” Tasha says, breaking our moment, but I laugh.
“I wouldn't ask her to. I’ll make sure she never has a reason to leave me.” We start kissing again because I can’t help myself. I get lost in him so easily.
“Remember that guy who was fucking with your girl a few days ago?” Rico says, and Bear’s body goes rigid. “He’s waiting on you out there in the ring. And he thinks he’s going to beat your ass and then take your girl.”
“He’s not taking me.” I roll my eyes, but Bear looks ready to kill.
“Hush, Pep. We gotta get him all worked up and get him in the zone.”
I shake my head at Tasha, trying to fight a smirk. I want Gio to go down tonight. Not only is he going to lose this fight, but he’s about to lose everything.
Rico found a video of what Gio tried to do to Bear that night. Someone had a phone out and recorded everything. They weren't sharing it until after the fight because Bear wanted his time with Gio first. Then Gio is likely going to be banned from ever fighting again. I don't have a trace of sympathy for him. He made his choices and he can live with the fallout.
Bear’s coach walks in the room and everyone goes into business mode.
“We gotta get you ready,” Rico tells him, and Bear nods.
Bear gives me another kiss before letting me go. I step aside as he takes his shirt off to get ready.
Coach starts wrapping up his hands and Rico puts stuff on his skin as he talks him up. They both give him reminders about w
hat to watch for, remind him of his weaknesses and when to use his strengths.
I watch in awe of the transformation that falls over Bear as he turns into Cannon. The room is charged and the tension is tight. He’s amped up and even I’m ready to go to war in that ring.
When it’s time, Bear grabs my hand and we exit the locker room to walk down the long hallway.
“You two keep her close,” Bear tells them. “I’m not fucking around.”
I squeeze his big hand, trying to reassure him. When we get to the end of the hallway, he turns, looking down at me. I can hear his name being chanted from the other side of the curtain and I can practically see the energy rolling off of him.
He presses his forehead to mine and I close my eyes in silent prayer that he’ll come back to me unhurt.
“I love you,” he says before turning and walking through the curtain and into the crowd.
Chapter Eighteen
Bear
The music is blaring through the crowd and people are screaming as I walk up to the ring. When I step onto the mat I turn around and see Pepper in her reserved seat next to Rico and Tasha. She cheers for me and my chest swells with pride as I dance around on my feet to stay warmed up.
I go over to my corner where Coach is waiting. He holds my water bottle up and I open my mouth as he gives me a drink. Then I shadowbox, feeling my muscles loosen as the crowd begins to get loud again.
“Here comes the little dick showboat,” Coach says, and I can’t help but smile.
Gio comes out to shitty rock music and half the crowd cheers while the other boos. He’s being lifted by a golden platform covered in lights as a number of half-naked women surround him.
“If he spent as much time training as he did on his Girl Scout parade he might have stood a chance.”
“I think that’s an insult to Girl Scouts,” I say, shaking my head at the spectacle he’s created.
“That’s true. I fucking love their cookies,” Coach says, giving me another drink of water. “He’s a damn embarrassment to the sport.”
I can almost see why the media wanted to match us up. Gio is talented, and he’s got a big fanbase. But there’s no soul to his fighting. There’s no heart to his dance once he steps onto the mat, and you can feel that in his energy.
As he steps in with me and waves to the crowd, he continues to move around and wave his arms, inciting people to react. Either good or bad he doesn’t care. As long as people are making noise.
He couldn’t totally buy his way into the ring tonight, but he greased some wheels for sure. He’s a big guy and he’s got skill, but I’ve spent months training for his weaknesses. He’s spent his time trying to plot a way to drug me and get me banned so he can steal the belt from under me. This is why he’s going down tonight. That, and he touched my woman.
The referee comes out and does his speech, and I stand there while Gio tries to glare at me. I call on all my training and control while I calmly listen and wait for the match to begin. Once the referee has finished the opening, I walk back to my corner and listen to Coach. He puts his hand on the back of my neck and pulls me close until our heads are together.
“I’m so proud of you, Theodore,” Coach says, surprising me. When I lean back and look into his eyes he claps me on the shoulder. “Now let’s get this over with so you can have some babies with that woman of yours and make me feel like a grandpa.”
I nod as I shove in my mouthpiece and go to the center of the mat. I don’t take a second to look at Pepper or anyone else in the arena. My sole focus is on my fight and getting this over with as soon as possible. I know if I look at her right now, she’ll take up all the space in my head. I’m doing this for everyone in my corner tonight.
Gio comes to meet me and we stare one another down. He’s smiling, but I can see the uneasy look in his eyes and in this moment, I know I’ve just won. Then I feel myself smiling and his own falters.
The bell rings and we descend on one another. He’s strong and locks us up in a defensive hold right away. I could tell he wanted to go in for a hit right away, but I got into his head.
Fighting is also a mental game, and he never realized that. Goliath is big, but he created this whole personality for showmanship. Fighting for me is about the thrill. It’s the rush and the passion of trying to win against someone else. But it’s time for my career to come to its end and I’m okay with that. I’ve had a long career, and this is a young man’s sport. I’m ready to be a husband and a father and put this in my past. I’m thankful for all that it’s given me, but my life is only just beginning. Now that I’ve found my forever with Pepper I’m ready to start living it and put this behind us.
Rico told me to pace myself and draw him out a few rounds. He’s worried I’ll injure myself permanently by going too hard too fast. But I think Rico underestimated just how much I want to hurt this guy.
I break his hold and twist around until I’ve got him face down on the mat with my knee in his back and my arms locked around his. He’s straining under me and I can tell he’s already winded just from a few minutes of fighting. I haven’t even broken a sweat.
Leaning down I get close to his ear so only he can hear me. “This is for my girl,” I say, snapping the arm that he wrapped around her.
He lets out a scream, but I’ve already pushed his face into the mat so the ref doesn’t hear it. I’m surprised he didn’t hear the bone break, but the crowd is ridiculous so that’s probably why.
“Oh, and this if for her, too,” I say, pressing my knee into his rib until I feel it pop.
Another scream comes from Gio, but the ref is behind us and can’t see or hear. Gio is losing strength under me and it’s time to end this.
When I go to roll him over, there’s a little fight left in him, but it’s not much. I get both shoulders on the mat and as the ref slides over and begins the countdown, I look into Goliath’s eyes.
“You ever fuck with her again,” I say, leaning close.
Seven, six, five…
“I’ll make sure no one finds your body. You understand me?”
Three, two…
He nods as the ref smacks the mat and pulls me off of Gio’s limp body. He holds my hand in the air and the crowd that was already insanely loud erupts in cheers.
Suddenly a streak of blonde crashes into my arms and the scent of my woman fills my lungs. I wrap my arms around her as she kisses all over my face until she gets to my lips. When they finally find mine, I slide my tongue in her mouth and kiss her like I’m starved for it.
I hear the crowd roar with excitement and see camera flashes going off left and right. But I don’t care. There’s absolutely nothing that can top this moment and I want to remember it forever.
Then I think about all the moments Pepper and I will have together, and this might just be a blip on the radar of our love story. I kind of like the idea that our story is just beginning.
“Take me home,” I say against Pepper’s lips.
“I’ve got a freezer full of ice cream and clean sheets waiting on you.”
“Goddamn, you know the way straight to my heart,” I say, grabbing her ass with both hands. “I love you, doll face.”
“I love you, too, Bear.”
Epilogue
Pepper
One month later…
I pace back and forth in the bathroom as I wait for the timer to go off.
I don’t care if I’m young. Ever since having Bear’s baby was a possibility, I can’t get the thought out of my head. I place my hand on my stomach, praying I am. We talked about much we both want kids, and I know he’s going to be just as excited as me. Finding that baby blanket under his bed only fueled my desire.
I had Tasha sneak me a test last night and I’ve been dying to take the freaking thing all day. But Bear is always connected to my hip now that he’s retired. He doesn't fight anymore, but he still hangs out at the gym helping train and mentor some of the kids in the neighborhood. I even tried to do some working out
there myself, but after I fell off the treadmill for the second time I was banned from pretty much any machine there. Bear still likes me to come with him just so we can be together, so I guess it’s the best of both worlds. No working out, and I get to be with my man.
Things have calmed down a lot since the fight, but not completely. Once everything got out about what Gio had done there was paparazzi everywhere for a few weeks. They dubbed Bear and me “America's Sweethearts” after our rush to the altar. Luckily, they’ve been leaving us alone lately. It helps that the neighborhood protects us from them, too. Everyone around here really does love Bear. Not that I can blame them. He’s hard not to love.
The alarm goes off and I step towards the sink. I take a breath before I look down and see the two bold blue lines. I’m filled with so much excitement I start jumping up and down. I want to text Tasha and tell her, but Bear is going to be the first to know.
Grabbing the stick I run to the bedroom and go into the closet. I had a feeling I’m pregnant because my breasts have been tender and I haven't had a period since I met Bear. Those two things made me pretty sure I was, but I wanted to see a test before I told Bear. I know he’s going to be over the moon, and I didn't want to get him too excited before I was one hundred percent sure.
I find what I’m looking for in the closet and pull it out. I set it down on the bed, smiling as I hold the sign I made a few nights ago. He was at the gym late, so I had a little time to make it.
I strip off the shirt I’m wearing and grab a pair of high heels and the very skimpy gold bikini I ordered online. It doesn’t fit the best. I’m not sure that it’s supposed to because it doesn't cover up much. Not that I’m planning on wearing it for long.
I get dressed and my boobs practically fall out of the top. I go to the bathroom and put on a little makeup, then take my hair down. I grab the sign off the bed and go to the living room, knowing Bear should be back any second.
