Fighting for a Second Chance (Fighting #1)

by Nikki Ash

  I can’t even respond. I just simply look at him and laugh humorlessly to myself while I walk away. It feels like for the first time I am seeing him in a whole different light. I have always known he doesn’t see me how a loving father should see his kid but I never realized how truly unhappy and bitter he is.

  Chapter Eight

  Cooper

  I jump in the shower back at my house and get dressed. Normally I would shower at the arena but I left so quickly I completely forgot about needing to get ready for the after party. Bentley and Caleb are meeting me back here and then we are going to ride over to the Kaden’s for the party. I head downstairs to see Caleb and Bentley already in my living room waiting on me.

  “Are Liz and Kayla coming to the party?”

  Bentley is the first one to speak up. “Yeah, apparently they are friends with Hayley, the chick that works as the on-site doctor at the gym. Hayley invited them to the fight and after party. When I went to go invite them, Kayla told me they were already planning to go. What are the odds, man?”

  “Seriously... this whole situation is just so surreal. Get this shit, my dad told me if I go to the party tonight to see Liz not to show up at the gym tomorrow. I am done with him running my life. I get I can’t be in a committed relationship. Between the fucked up crazy DNA running through me, and the insane hours I put in at the gym, I know it would never work. But I am not going to just not see her. I have thought about this girl for years. I am twenty-seven years old and he’s still trying to run my life.”

  “I am going to say this for the millionth damn time, Coop. The shit your parents put each other through and continue to put you through has nothing to do with you. You are just the collateral damage. You deserve to be happy. You don’t realize it now but one day you are going to wake up and wish you would have went after more than just a title. I am not saying you shouldn’t work hard but find a balance and let someone in. Just because your parents are both unhappy doesn’t mean you have to be as well. Fuck both of them.”

  “Bentley, I get you come from a home with two loving parents and all so you honestly believe what you are saying. But you and I aren’t the same. You are ok with where you stand in your career. You fight and enjoy it but you don’t care whether you win or lose. On top of that, cheating isn’t in your DNA. I am already set up to fail in any relationship, and that’s without adding my fighting to the mix.”

  He slowly shakes his head with a sad smile that tells me this conversation clearly isn’t going anywhere so he’s giving up. And it’s for the best because yeah, Bentley is one of my best friends but the truth of the matter is we come from two completely different worlds.

  I look at Caleb to see if he’s got anything to add and he just shrugs. That’s one of the things I like about Caleb. He doesn’t throw in his input. He does his thing and let’s everyone else do theirs. I grab my keys from the bowl near the garage and we head out in my SUV.

  The entire ride none of us says a word. I know for me I have a lot to think about. Liz is going to be there tonight, and judging by the way she looked at me when she recognized it was me I think she might have missed me as much as I missed her. But is it right to be with her again knowing I can’t give her anything more? Maybe if I explain it to her she will accept me the way I am. I know it is wrong to ask this from her and I know she deserves more but I am a greedy fucking bastard and I want her.

  We pull up to Kaden’s house and can hear the music thumping from the road. He has some nice ass neighbors to ignore all this, that’s for damn sure. If I so much as sneeze too loudly in my community somebody is all over me hitting me up with fines and citations. I have thought about moving to somewhere with more land but I don’t really see the point. It’s just me and most likely will always be just me.

  For about four years when we all lived in Colorado, Kaden, Bentley, and I were roommates while Caleb was living by himself. When we all moved out here to Vegas, Kaden and I decided to get our own places and Bentley and Caleb decided to rent an apartment together. I am actually shocked Caleb agreed because while he is one of my best friends, he is definitely more of a loner. Nobody really knows much about his life except that when he fights it’s like he is chasing off some demons.

  I moved into to a four-bedroom townhouse in a gated community only a couple miles from the gym while Kaden decided to move a little further out of the city and into a more rural area where the houses are a bit more spread out; which is why the parties always end up taking place at his house.

  I park my vehicle along the road but away a little bit so I don’t get blocked in, in case I want to leave early.

  Walking around back to where the bonfire is going, I immediately start looking for Liz. I look over at Bentley and I can swear he’s looking for Kayla as well.

  After we left Miami I asked him about her and he said she was a cool chick but she wasn’t the girlfriend type. When I asked him what he meant by that he just shook his head and changed the subject.

  There are people scattered everywhere. I walk around the fire pit, over by the patio, and around the side of the house getting stopped every five seconds by another person congratulating me on my win. I don’t want to be rude so I force a smile and say thanks but try to keep moving along to find her.

  When I don’t see Liz anywhere outside I head inside to look for her. Generally Kaden tries to keep the party outside. He even has people use the bathroom in the guesthouse near the pool instead of in his house. I am hoping he has made an exception for her because if she isn’t inside that means she might not be here. The thought of not seeing her again makes me feel ill. How did a girl I only spent thirty hours with manage to turn me into such a damn pussy?

  I get inside and go straight to the living room and that is when I spot her. She is sitting on the couch with Kayla and Kaden. I watch her for a second as she throws her head back in laughter. Her thick head of curls flies around her face as she continues to laugh with abandon and all I can think is I want to be the one to make her laugh like that. C’mon Coop, get that shit out of your head.

  I make my way over to her and it’s like she can sense me getting closer. Her back goes straighter and she stops laughing. Maybe she hasn’t missed me after all. But then I crack a smile and watch her face completely light up and I know she feels something of what I’m feeling.

  She stands up from the couch and brushes down her dress. It reminds me of the dress she wore that night at the club. I take a minute to check her out and notice that time has been good to her. Her looks have matured. While she still has the same beautiful curly hair and amazing tan, her face appears to be less girlish and more woman; her body is still curvy but again more womanly. She’s filled out more in all the right places. Don’t get me wrong; she isn’t by any means fat. She’s still fucking perfect. It’s just that something is different about her.

  Realizing I am checking her out she begins to blush the most adorable shade of pink and at the same time covers her front by wrapping her arms around her stomach. I close the distance between us and pull her into me for a kiss. She must be shocked by my actions because I feel her tense up as I wrap my arms around her waist and seek entrance into her mouth with my tongue.

  She finally gives in and gives me access, and in this moment it feels like all is right in the world. I want this reunion to be soft and sweet but the moment she exhales into my mouth and I can feel her relax into my arms I can’t hold back. I attack her mouth with mine, nipping at her bottom lip and then the top one. I move my tongue back into her mouth to taste her.

  Her hands come up to my head and tighten around my short hair. God, I have missed this woman. I run my hands down her back and over her perfect ass to her thighs. I grab ahold of the back of them and lift her up. She can feel it happening because she immediately wraps her legs around my waist and locks her ankles together.

  She pulls her head back and looks into my eyes smiling. In that moment I know I would do anything to keep that smile on her face. I can vaguely
hear our friends in the background chuckling and somebody says to get a room. I can’t help but laugh at that. This girl could easily become my entire world.

  “Kaden, guestroom?” I can’t stop looking into her beautiful brown eyes as I ask him for permission to get this girl alone.

  “Yeah, yeah” he replies through laughter.

  Not taking my eyes off Liz I walk her down the hallway and kick open the guestroom door. Once inside I make my way to the bed and sit down on the edge with her still wrapped around me.

  “Baby girl, do you have any idea how often I have thought about you over these past five years? How many times I wished I had gotten your number? Too many times to count.”

  She smiles brightly. “I feel the same way, Cooper… or is it Liam? Or Rage? I thought Cooper was your damn name! What the hell do I call you?”

  I chuckle at that. “Baby, you can call me any name you want as long as you are naked and in my arms.” I wink at her and she throws her head back laughing. I could never get tired of hearing this girl laugh.

  I bring my lips to hers again and kiss her. It starts out soft and slow. I feel her tongue touching mine and I can smell the vanilla shampoo. It’s the same smell from five years ago. She continues to kiss me back and then begins to move her body closer, like she is trying to climb up me. It is then I realize she is tightening her thighs and trying to grind herself against me for relief. My girl wants this as much as I do.

  Without stopping the kiss I grab ahold of her thighs and flip us over so she is lying under me. Continuing to kiss, it gets harder and more forceful. I take one of my hands and move it down her side to the bottom of the dress and roughly lift it up. When I get it to right above her panty line she puts her hand over mine to stop me from going any further. I still my movements wondering if I read this all wrong.

  * * * *

  Liz

  A few minutes earlier…

  I am sitting in the living room of Kaden’s home talking to Kaden and Kayla. Hayley is around here somewhere chatting with everyone she knows since she works with a lot of these people. I am not really paying attention to the conversation because I am too busy looking around for Cooper. I hear Kayla tell Kaden that he needs to introduce her to some of his hot UFC friends because sharing is caring and I can’t help but laugh at my crazy best friend.

  I feel him before I even see him. When I look over he is standing ten feet away from me just staring. I don’t know what to do so I stand up and look at him. I can feel him checking me out and it makes me uncomfortable. Not because it’s him who’s checking me out but because I know my body isn’t the same as it was five years ago. I worked hard to get back in shape after I had Bella but I am not delusional about my post-baby body. My breasts got larger during the pregnancy and never went back to my original size. My stomach is much softer now and there’s a permanent little pooch from the emergency caesarean I had to have when Bella’s heart rate decreased during labor.

  Luckily he can’t see the stretch marks that, if after four years haven’t completely faded, will probably never fade.

  Thinking about all the hot women who were chanting his name today, begging him to marry them, and wanting the chance to sleep with him, I can’t imagine why in the world he would want me now. Instinctively I wrap my arms around my stomach like that is going to hide anything. Before I can say anything Cooper is right in front of me kissing me.

  At first I am in shock but when I feel the way his lips move into mine I can’t help but give in to him. It just feels right. After a few seconds he lifts me up into his arms and I wrap my ankles around the back of him. Words might be being spoken but I can’t hear a damn thing that is being said. The only thing I can focus on are Cooper’s hands on my ass and the delicious smell of his cologne invading my nostrils and hitting me right between my legs.

  The next thing I know we are moving down the hallway and into a bedroom. It looks smaller than a master bedroom so it must be another bedroom.

  Cooper sits down on the bed with me still in his arms and tells me he has thought about me often and regrets not getting my number. Hearing this from him sends my heart soaring. It gives me hope that when I tell him about our daughter he will be accepting of her. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought about this man. I know I haven’t spent enough time with him but when I am with him it feels like all the pieces of the puzzle are put together.

  I tell him I have thought about him as well and make a joke about not knowing what the hell name to call him since he has so many. He laughs at me and then tells me I can call him whatever I want as long as I am naked and in his arms.

  Watching him go from the intense fighter in the ring to this sweet, funny guy makes me laugh out loud. I love the many sides to Cooper. He graces me with the most beautiful smile before we go back to kissing. The need between my legs is getting so intense I can’t help but try to relieve some of the tension by rubbing on him. He must realize what I am trying to do because he flips us both over and pins my body under his.

  While continuing to kiss me, Cooper moves his hand down my body and grabs the material of my dress to pull it up. Once it makes it almost to my stomach I remember that if he looks at my stomach he will see the scar from my cesarean as well as my stretch marks. As much as I know I need to tell him about Bella, I just want a few minutes for whatever is happening to be just about Cooper and me. Once he finds out about our daughter everything will change.

  Afraid of him seeing what is under my dress I grab his hand to stop him and he stills. I must have sent him mixed signals by doing this because he completely stills and drops his gaze to mine. I know I have to save this without explaining so I do the only thing I can think of and take control.

  I slide out from under him and push him down onto his back. He looks confused but once I move my hands down his shirt and to his pants his expression goes from confused to pure want.

  I move his shirt up enough so I can undo his belt and unbutton his jeans. I unzip his pants and look up at him silently asking him to lift up so I can pull his pants down. He understands what I want and lifts up while I grab the top of his jeans and yank them down taking his boxers with them.

  Once his cock is free it springs up hard as steel. So many times I got myself off remembering the taste of this perfect cock in my mouth.

  Taking his shaft in my hand, I bring my mouth down on to it to get it wet. I take the entire member into my mouth until it hits the back of my throat causing me to gag for a second.

  He goes to stop me when he hears me gag but I shake my head no and go back down again. I start bobbing my head up and down getting it soaking wet with my saliva until I feel him getting harder. The last time I was like this with a man was five years ago with Cooper. I know he must be close because I can taste the pre-cum on my tongue.

  Intertwining his fingers into my hair tightly, he pulls my face up to his. “Slow and easy, baby. I have been fantasizing about this very moment for too damn long for this to end so soon. I need to take my time and get to know your body all over again.”

  When he says shit like this my body comes alive.

  “I need to be inside of you, baby. Please.”

  His words have me dripping wet. I remove my panties and get up on top of him bunching my dress up so it isn’t in the way but it is still covering my belly and scar.

  Since I haven’t been with anybody but Cooper I know I am clean, and although I don’t consider Bella a mistake I decided getting on the shot would ensure I never get pregnant until I am ready to, again.

  I hover above his cock waiting to see if he wants to use protection when he grabs ahold of my waist and slams me down onto him. I am going to assume that means he is clean and trusts that I am as well.

  “Fuck, Liz! You are so tight. It is like you were made for me.”

  If he only knew that he is the only guy that has ever been inside me.

  I lean forward a little bit putting my hands on his shoulders to steady myself when Cooper stills and
then raises his hand up from around my waist to my neck.

  “You are wearing it. You are wearing the necklace I gave you five years ago.” He says this with such amazement in his voice.

  “Yes,” I choke out. “I have worn it every day since the day I received it.”

  Pulling my face down to his, he kisses me with such force that when he pulls away I swear my lips are bruised.

  He moves his hands back to my waist and uses his ass to lift up pumping into me from underneath. The feeling of his cock in me is amazing. I don’t know how I went five years without this.

  “Baby girl, you are too tight and too wet on my cock. I am not going to last. I need you to push on your clit. I need you to come for me.”

  I move my thumb to my pussy and gather up the wetness he has created and move it to my nub. I begin rubbing it in circles while he hits some crazy spot deep within me with the tip of his cock.

  “Oh my god, Cooper. Right there. Please don’t stop.”

  Between the friction of my finger to my clit and his cock filling me so completely I know I am about to have a huge orgasm. It keeps building up and what feels like seconds later I lose it. My body tightens up and then releases and it feels like I am going to blackout from sensory overload. I scream out Cooper’s name over and over again clearly forgetting where we are.

  He must remember because he pulls my face down to him and swallows my cries with his mouth.

  Cooper waits for me to ride out my orgasm and then flips me over onto my back and starts drilling his cock into me with a punishing rhythm. Within minutes he finds his own release, pulling out, and coming in his hand.

  I look down at him and he chuckles. “We didn’t have the whole protection conversation so I didn’t want to assume you are covered. I wouldn’t be much of a gentleman to knock you up the first time I get back between your legs.”