Jasmine was out there today, her and all the guys from the gym. There were people in the crowd from his neighborhood, who’d stopped to ask if he was the Tyler that was fighting in the tournament coming up. These guys knew boxing from the old days, from growing up like he had, fighting anyone and everyone. And as soon as he went out there and started to lose, they were going to know he was a fraud and there was going to be pity in their eyes every time they saw him afterward.
He was shaking. He wanted to grab his bag and run. Better to be a coward and have them believe he could have won, after all, than have them see him lose. Everyone was out there. His old coach was out there, even—but for the other guy.
Drake. Tyler shook his head. The kid had kept training. Tyler supposed he had kept training, too, honing his eyes to see new techniques and working his body to the limit every day before class and after class. He’d spent his mornings running down the familiar roads and lifting weights in his tiny living room, but surely that wasn’t the same.
Unless…well, maybe it was.
You’ve lost before, and it didn’t kill you.
So what if they all thought he had lost it? He stood up, bouncing on the balls of his feet to loosen the muscles. So some of them expected him to win. Hell, some of them probably did hate him. But this time, he wasn’t here for any of them. He was here because he found a pure, unmatched beauty in the art of the fight. He was here because the woman he loved had believed he could do this.
And he had better win, because it was going to be damned awkward to tell her how much he loved her if he had just lost. It would be too demoralizing. It was scary as hell anyway, and he needed all the help he could get. He wondered what she would say, and imagined her telling him that it was too early. She would tell him that, too. She would say it had only been a few weeks.
He already knew his answer to that: I know I’m going to love you. I don’t know how I know, but I know it. He knew it didn’t make sense. But he also knew it was true. He pushed his way out of the locker room and into the deafening roar, and felt a smile stretch across his face. He did not look for Jasmine; he could feel her there, believing in him. He did not look for the guys—he could hear them yelling his name, and it made the blood pound in his chest. He’d never had anyone in the stands cheering for him before.
He’d never given back before. He’d never taught, or helped, or been kind. And he was surprised to find that the thought of the past few months warmed him more than the thought of victory.
He sized up Drake as he stepped into the ring. They boy was taller now, and his shoulders were broader. He’d been training hard, that much was clear. But there was a sleekness to his gear, a smoothness to his skin, that suggested he’d been training in an elite gym, pushing himself to the limits on shiny machines while never getting down and dirty. Tyler allowed himself a lazy smile.
When the bell went, he waited, and saw the flicker of consternation on Drake’s face. Once Tyler had been impulsive, always rushing in. He had no defensive mode then, and Drake had taken full advantage of that. It was as if the man had expected that Tyler would come back knowing nothing new.
His loss. Tyler darted away as Drake closed in, catching the man with an uppercut in the ribs before dancing out of range. The man winced, and Tyler smiled. Before, he hadn’t been much of a one for a tiny flurry of punches when one big one was so dramatic—but his students, all smaller, all used to winning fights they had no business even being in, had taught him the power of small strikes.
He was holding his own now. Tyler managed his distance, allowing the fight to drag on, searching for signs of weakness in his opponent. Drake was in peak physical condition, no doubt barred from anything delicious and forbidden to drink. But he wasn’t used to fighting for a long time. That was the difference between the two of them. Tyler caught him with a smarting blow on the temple and shrugged off a glancing hit to his torso.
He had a chance here. He felt his heart begin to swell, smugness radiating from inside him. Drake was good, Drake had trained. But Drake had also come here thinking this would be an easy win. He hadn’t thought Tyler would have the strength to get up and fight again. He was going to—
The flurry of punches caught Tyler without warning, blows raining onto his torso and then up onto his head. The crowd’s yells rose to a scream and Tyler stumbled back, his head ringing and stars flashing before his eyes. Drake was closing in on him aggressively now, and every time Tyler tried to evade him, he was getting closer and closer to failing. He knew how powerful Drake’s strikes could be. As he slid sideways the next time, at last, one of those famous punches caught him right along the jaw.
He was falling. He was going to go down, and not get up, and he’d have to watch them hoist Drake’s hand into the air again. Tyler embraced the sickening drop in his stomach as he went over backwards. Time had slowed down to a tiny crawl and he could see everything through his slitted eyes: Drake’s smug grin, Tyler’s former coach yelling in triumph, the crowd with their mouths hanging open. He was going to lose. He’d known he was going to lose and he’d come here anyway. Why?
No.
The thought caught him halfway to the floor. It wasn’t over until he said it was over. He’d lost last time because he’d been too shocked, too hurt, too blindsided to get up again and face another hit. He’d lost because he hadn’t known how to get up. With time still moving so slowly that Tyler felt trapped, lost, he began to twist. He watched his foot start to move. Could he catch himself in time?
Time snapped back into focus and he slammed back against the ropes, catching himself and staggering back up, his hands coming up into a guard. He saw his coach’s eyes widen, heard the yell for Drake to turn around. The fear in the other man’s eyes was like a drug, sending fire down Tyler’s veins. He was still seeing spots but he was not going to go down without a fight—a real fight. He was in it for the long haul.
He had something to win for, now.
He unleashed his own flurry of punches, the combination he’d been drilling the boys on for weeks now. Put effort into your fundamentals, he told them, striding around as their punches connected with pads. Your fundamentals will save you every time. And so they were, his punches landing perfectly on point, knuckles meeting ribs, jaw, nose.
And then Drake was on the floor and the crowd was screaming, and a man was hoisting Tyler’s hand into the air. He shook his head, trying to make sense of what had happened. He could see people jumping and waving, cheering his name and applauding.
It was as if he had never won before in his life. As if he’d never understood what it meant to win. They were proud of him. He’d taken hits and come back. He was their underdog, and he’d won fairly. They were cheering for him. He felt tears in his eyes and blinked them back, punching the air with one fist.
He vaulted over the ropes without even thinking. He could hear Jasmine’s voice, and he ran to her through the crowd, enfolding her in his arms. She was laughing and crying, kissing him, and he could see the words her mouth was shaping even if he couldn’t hear them over the yelling:
I’m so proud of you.
He leaned his forehead against hers and laughed with joy, with relief.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you, too.”
The End
Part II
Fallen Angel
Paranormal Romance
About the Book
Ana seems to have a perfectly normal life. Normal family, normal school, normal friends and a normal job. However, after witnessing a murder, her life becomes anything but normal. She is thrown into a world of the unknown. It is only with the help of a beautiful angel that she is able to make sense of anything.
Remi is your typical bad boy, except he is hiding one thing. Remi is a fallen angel who is trapped on Earth. He fills his time with women and booze and doesn't apologize for anything. He chooses to harden himself against the goodness inside of him. That is until he comes across Ana. Now he can't seem to
get the girl out of his head.
With Remi as her guide, Ana delves deeper into the new world she has become a part of. All of a sudden, things that she thought were impossible now seem more like a reality. Can the new Ana come to terms with her new life or will she fall behind and fade away?
Chapter One
Today was Ana’s twentieth birthday. You would think that she would be happy and excited to spend the day with family and friends, but spending time with the people she loved seemed to be the last thing on Ana’s mind. Instead, her mind was focused on the tightest ass she had ever seen.
She worked at a local coffee shop; the customers all indie and hip. Like most of the working population, she was forced to work on her birthday, but she didn’t really mind, especially right now. The guy was faced away from Ana and the girl in front of him was on her knees with her hands kneading into his perfect ass, her fingernails leaving little red lines in their wake. Ana knew that she was just standing there in the back room doorway, frozen like an idiot, but she couldn’t seem to move.
The guy lifted his hand and ran it through the girl’s hair and she moaned in return. Ana couldn’t see the girl, but she could hear her just fine. The guy must have sensed her presence because he turned his head and looked right at Ana. He didn’t stop what he was doing, but instead he let his gaze run up and down Ana’s body. His eyes came up to meet hers and it was then that he started to pump harder into the girl’s mouth. Her sounds became muffled and her fingernails dug in deeper.
Ana felt hot under his stare, but she became an inferno when he winked at her right before he turned around again and finished. Ana stepped back into the hallway and leaned her back against the wall. She couldn’t seem to get enough oxygen to fill her lungs and slow her rapidly beating heart.
Quickly realizing that she didn’t want to run into whoever was in the store room, Ana made a beeline for the front counter. Rachel was just finishing up with a customer and asked if Ana would take over the register while she made the drinks. Still a little flushed from a few minutes ago, Ana was making progress in the never-ending line when Mr. Perfect Ass was right in front of her, again. Even though he was fully clothed this time, it didn’t stop Ana’s cheeks from getting any redder.
“What can I get for you today?” she asked.
He smiled while looking up at the menu. “I’ll just take a regular coffee.”
“Would you like cream or sugar with it?” This was a mandatory question, but with him it seemed to be a loaded one.
“Lots of cream please,” he answered as he winked at her, yet again.
Ana thought she was going to melt into a puddle of goo right there on the floor. The memory of him winking at her earlier was almost too much for her to handle. She took his money and hoped she counted his change correctly, because her brain couldn’t seem to function. All that was left to do was get his name for the order.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Tell me yours first. I think it’s only fair after what happened earlier.”
Ana debated giving her name, but couldn’t see the harm in it: he did have a good point about earlier. “My name is Ana.”
“Ana,” he said, trying out the sound. “I’m Remi.”
Ana wrote his name on the coffee sleeve and passed it to Rachel. Her name on his lips had been pure bliss and she knew she was blushing again. Rachel was quick with the order and as he started to walk away he turned around and said, “Until next time.” And damn if he didn’t wink again.
“Who was that?” Rachel asked.
“Just some guy.”
“Yeah right. Just some guy my ass. Tell me!”
Ana rolled her eyes because it was pointless to deny Rachel. They had been friends since the beginning of freshman year, and Ana knew there was no escaping her questions. “I walked in on some girl going down on him in the back room earlier.”
Rachel’s eyes got as wide as saucers. “Are you serious?”
“Yep.”
“Was it hot? Did you see any of the goods? Who was the girl?”
“Way hot. Just his ass. And I have no clue.”
“I bet his ass was made of steel. He was a hottie for sure.”
“It was perfect,” Ana laughed.
“Are we still on for later?” Rachel asked.
The two had plans to go to a club called Incognito that night, with a handful of friends. Rachel loved the place because a mask of some sort was required, costumes encouraged and they could always score free drinks even though they were underage.
“Yeah. Tiffany and Lilly said that they would meet us there,” Ana confirmed.
“I can’t freaking wait! I’m so pumped for my mask tonight. What does yours look like?” Rachel asked.
“It’s white with little pearls, some ribbon and a white feather. Very innocent looking.” Ana had picked up the mask at a local thrift store and knew it was perfect for tonight.
“Ooh yay!” Rachel giggled. “Now let’s hurry it up and finish up so we can bust out of here.”
And with that, the countdown was on.
Chapter Two
Ana was checking her mail in the entry way of her apartment building when Sam walked in. He was the blond Adonis next door and Ana would be lying if she said that she didn’t have the biggest crush on him. He stopped to check his mail too and their arms brushed from the close proximity of the mailboxes.
Ana bit her lip, not sure if she should say something. Knowing her, something utterly retarded would come out and she would never live it down. Luckily though, she didn’t have to think long because he spoke first.
“Hi. How are you today?” he asked as he retreated away from the mailboxes, looking at Ana.
“Um, good thanks.” They stood there just looking at each other and Ana could feel the awkwardness rising. “Today’s my birthday,” she found herself saying.
Sam smiled at her and Ana’s heart went crazy. “Well I guess a happy birthday is in order then!”
“Thanks.” Feeling a surge of boldness she said, “Um, we’re going out tonight to Incognito. If you don’t have anything planned, you’re welcome to join us.”
Sam seemed to think about it for a minute and then nodded his head in agreement. “Sounds like fun. Is that the dress up place?”
“A face mask is required, costumes are your choice.”
“And what are you going as?” he inquired.
“Me?” Ana stammered. “Just a mask for me. It’s white, and frilly. Kind of innocent looking.”
“Cool. What time are you leaving?”
“Ah, Rachel should be here in about an hour, so let’s say in a couple of hours? I can come get you when we’re ready,” Ana offered.
“Okay. I guess I’ll have to go find a mask between now and then,” Sam laughed. “See you later,” he said as he walked back out the main entrance.
Feeling proud of herself, Ana made her way upstairs to her apartment. She couldn’t seem to shake the smile that was plastered to her face.
Deciding to stick with the innocent theme, Ana chose a short white dress that bared one shoulder. She was in the process of curling her long hair when there was a knock on the door.
“Come in!” Ana yelled. “It’s unlocked.”
“Hey!” Rachel said as she made her way to the bathroom Ana was in.
Rachel looked to die for. Her short brown hair was curled, teased and hair sprayed into perfection. Her plum colored dress clung to every curve. On her feet, she had five-inch black suede heels, finishing off the look.
“Damn, Rach. You look hot as hell!” Ana joked.
Rachel strutted around like a peacock for a moment, both girls laughing the entire time. She then took over curling Ana’s hair and the two chatted about nothing and everything. When Rachel was done, she moved to the kitchen to make them both a drink, while Ana stayed to finish her makeup.
She decided to go with a sparkly, silver eyeliner with a bold red lip for contrast. The only thing left was shoes.
> “Hey Rach!” Ana called from the bedroom. “I need help choosing shoes.”
Rachel entered the bedroom with her hands full. She had a margarita in each hand and the biggest smile on her face. “Here, drink some of this first,” she said as she handed Ana one of the drinks. “Cheers to you babe! Happy birthday, love!” The two clinked glasses and then took a sip.
“Mmm, delicious!” Ana crooned. “Now, shoe time.”
She went to the closest and grabbed two pairs of heels. The first pair was a matte silver color and went with the innocent theme perfectly. The second pair, were blood red stilettos and taller than a skyscraper. Ana held both pairs up for Rachel to see.
“Hmm,” Rachel said as she thought hard. “The red. They’re sexy, sassy, and totally you!” she laughed.
Ana nodded in agreement and quickly donned the heels. She placed her mask on her face and looked in the floor length mirror to check everything. The creature staring back at her was breathtaking. Her long, dark blonde curls hung loose around her face, her mask and dress were beautiful but it was the addition of the red heels that really made the outfit.
Rachel put on her black velvet mask and the two looked like light and dark standing next to each other.
“This is going to be so much fun tonight,” Rachel said as she finished her margarita.
Ana smiled in return. “Yes it will. I have to go get Sam before we go.”
Rachel’s laser like eyes zeroed in on Ana. “Sam? As in the way too cute neighbor Sam? That Sam?”
Ana smiled shyly, “Yes, that Sam. We ran into each other earlier and I invited him. No big deal.”
Married to the Dragon Page 7
