by Nikki Ash
The bell rings, and the fight begins, and Cooper owns up to his name. He goes after the other guy in pure rage. They both go back and forth swinging punches. I wince several times at the hits they’re each getting in. The other guy gets him good in the eye, causing it to bleed, but Cooper doesn’t even seem affected by it. It’s like he’s in a zone.
The fight can’t be more than a couple minutes in when Cooper throws a punch straight to the guy’s chin that knocks the guy to the ground. The referee jumps in front of Cooper to stop him from continuing his attack on the guy who is now motionlessly lying on the ground. The medics run over to the guy to check him out. Holy shit! Cooper must’ve knocked him out cold because the guy still isn’t moving. The crowd goes wild. They’re screaming and chanting his name. The arena is a damn nut house.
The announcer declares Cooper the winner and raises his arm in the air. He doesn’t even crack a smile, but I notice he’s scanning the crowd, and when his eyes meet mine once again, he raises his two fingers to his eyes and points at me. Kayla nudges me, a grin spreading across her face. I’m in such shock I can’t even move or respond. I try to make my head shake up and down, but I have no idea if it’s working.
The other guy finally gets up with the help of the medic and walks out of the fighting ring, leaving Cooper there with his entourage.
I recognize his three friends from the club that night. Time has definitely been good to all of them. Also with them is an older gentleman who looks to be in his late forties, built like Cooper, with the same color hair and eyes. If I had to guess, I would say that has to be his dad or somebody related to him. He doesn’t smile like Cooper’s friends do. While his friends are patting him on the back and shoulder and giving him hugs to congratulate him, the guy just stands there and stares, the look on his face sending chills up my spine.
Once Cooper is done with his interviews, they all head out of the fighting ring back toward the room they came from. He whispers something into Bentley’s ear and Bentley’s head shoots up, looking around until he spots me. He smirks and nods his head. While they all head to the back, Bentley stops right in front of us.
“Well, God damn. If it isn’t the girl who got away.”
His grin gets wider as he looks me up and down, clearly checking me out. Then he turns his head to Kayla and his face morphs from humorous to full-on lust. Kayla never admitted to what happened between them, only that they had sex and moved on, but looking at his expression, I swear he’s reliving it all over again, and I’d bet there was more to them than just a wham-bam-thank you-ma’am.
“And her best friend,” he adds. “Never thought we’d ever see you two again.”
Because I’m still stuck on the girl who got away part, I don’t hear anything Kayla and Bentley are saying. The girl who got away? Could that mean he’s thought about me? It doesn’t make any sense because he’s the one who left that morning without leaving his phone number.
I catch what must be the tail end of the conversation—Kayla telling Bentley we will be there. Be where? Where are we going? Oh! She must be referring to the after party. That would make sense since it’s for the fighters and Cooper is a fighter.
Bentley nods at Kayla, then at me, and then walks away. This is too much to take in. To think, if I wouldn’t have come tonight, I would’ve missed running into Cooper. This whole time we’ve been living in the same city. What are the odds?
Nine
Cooper
Holy. Shit. My world feels like it’s just been turned on its axis. No, more like picked up, shaken every which way, and flipped the hell all over the place. I’ve spent the last five years imagining what Liz would feel like beneath me again, but I never thought it could become a reality.
I just won my fight. I should be focusing on the fact that I’ve ensured myself a spot for the title fight. I’ve worked my ass off to get here. Thinking about this girl is not going to help me get ready for this fight, that’s for damn sure. She would be nothing but a distraction if I let her in. Plus, I’d never be able to devote the time to her that she deserves and where would that leave us? All I have to do is take a look at my drunken, cheating mother to remind myself what women are capable of when they don’t get enough attention. But damn, when I think about Liz and our short time together in Miami, it feels so different, like the connection we shared could possibly mean more.
Out of nowhere a wet rag smacks me right in my face and I’m brought back to the present.
“What the fuck was that for?” I ask, looking around to see who threw that shit at me.
“Get your fucking head in the game, boy!” my dad shouts. His face is beet red and a couple veins in his forehead look like they’re about to bust open.
“My head is in the game,” I tell him, dropping the rag on the ground. “I just won my damn fight, didn’t I?”
“No, it’s not! I can hear that shit running through your head about that girl. I heard Kaden mention to Bentley that she’s here. You want a championship or do you want a piece of pussy?”
I just shake my head—there’s no point in arguing with him. I’ve learned the hard way to just let him say his peace and walk away. He’s never going to change his way of thinking and he definitely doesn’t care what I think or how I feel.
“I asked you a fucking question, son. You gonna answer or just stare at me?” And at this simple question, I lose it. All the years of keeping it all in finally rises to the surface and boils over.
“Of course I want a championship. Haven’t I made it clear over the last five damn years that I’ve been working my ass off at the gym every goddamn day? Will anything ever be good enough for you? I’m twenty-seven years old and other than having a very rare one-night stand or a drink with the guys, I’ve spent every waking moment at this gym. I get that mom cheated on you. I’ve listened to you tell me for the last fifteen years that women are no good. Ever think maybe she cheated because she couldn’t stand the way you treat her or your family? And that maybe not every woman is like mom? I’ve chosen this career over everything. What more do you want from me?”
He stares at me in silence like he is contemplating how to respond to my outburst. For a second I think maybe he gets it, but then he says, “I’ll ask you again. Do you want a championship or do you want that piece of pussy out there in the crowd? You can’t have both. If you want her, then go—go after her, but don’t bother showing up at the gym tomorrow.”
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’m seeing him in a whole different light. I’ve 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.
Ten
Cooper
I jump in the shower back at my house and get dressed. Normally I’d shower at the arena, but I left so quickly I forgot about needing to get ready for the after-party. Bentley and Caleb are meeting me back here and then we’re 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 to speak up. “Yeah, apparently, they’re 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 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’m 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’d never work, but I’m not going to just not see her. I’ve thought about this girl for years. I’m twenty-seven years old and he’s still trying to run my life.”
“I’m going to say this for the millionth damn time, Coop. The s
hit your parents put each other through and continue to put you through has nothing to do with you. You’re just the collateral damage. You deserve to be happy. You don’t realize it now, but one day you’re going to wake up and wish you would’ve went after more than just a title. I’m 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 them both.”
“Bentley, I get you come from a home with two loving parents and all, so you honestly believe what you’re saying, but me and you aren’t the same. You’re okay 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’m 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’s going to be there tonight, and judging by the way she looked at 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’ll accept me the way I am. I know it’s 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’ve 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 elsewhere. 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’m actually shocked Caleb agreed, because while he’s one of my best friends, he’s definitely more of a loner. Nobody really knows much about his life except that when he fights it’s like he’s chasing off some demons.
I moved into 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 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’m hoping he’s 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, where I find her 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 flying around her face as she continues to laugh with abandon and all I can think is that 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 as if she can sense me getting closer. Her back goes straight and she stops laughing. Maybe she hasn’t missed me after all. But then I crack a smile and her face completely lights up, telling me she feels something of what I’m feeling.
She stands from the couch and brushes down her dress. It reminds me of the one 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 womanlier. 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’m checking her out, she blushes the most adorable shade of pink while covering 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 she tenses 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 relaxes 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’ve missed this woman. I run my hands down her back and over her perfect ass, to her thighs, grabbing hold of the back of them and lifting her up. She can feel it happening and immediately wraps her legs around my waist, locking her ankles together.
She pulls her head back and looks into my eyes, smiling, and I know I would do anything to keep that smile on her face. I 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 on the edge with her still wrapped around me.
“Baby girl, do you have any idea how often I’ve 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 shakes with laughter. 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 can smell her 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’s then I realize she’s 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 grip her thighs and flip us over, so she’s lying under me. As our kiss becomes ravenous, 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 right above her panty line, she puts her hand over mine to stop me from go
ing any further, and I still my movements, wondering if I read this all wrong.
Eleven
Liz
A few minutes earlier
I’m 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’m not really paying attention to the conversation because I’m 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.
And then I feel him before I even see him. When I look over, he’s standing ten feet away from me just staring. I don’t know what to do, so I stand and look at him. He’s 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’m 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 as if that’s going to hide anything. Before I can say anything, Cooper’s right in front of me, his lips on mine.
