The Fighting Series (Books 1-5)

by Nikki Ash

  I try to contain my smile. I learned quickly with Kayla when she doesn’t think I’m taking her seriously it only fuels her fire.

  “Look, I’m sorry. But can you blame me? We had an amazing couple days together in Miami and when I asked you for your number, you said you would think about it, then I wake up to you gone without so much as a goodbye. I searched the beach that morning hoping to find those surfers who knew you, but none of them were around. I’ve been back to that beach several times over the years hoping to see you surfing and now you’re here. I can’t take the chance of you disappearing again. I believed you were my soulmate all those years ago, but now that I’ve run into you again, I know you are.”

  “Well, obviously, I did think about it and decided not to give you my number,” she sasses. “And I’m pretty sure in order to be soulmates, two people have to agree.” She crosses her arms over her chest, pushing her amazing tits up, and before I can stop myself, my eyes dart down to appreciate them. Her eyes follow mine and then she lets go of her arms.

  “Are you seriously staring at my chest right now?”

  I chuckle and then bite my lip to contain my laughter and smile. She’s so fucking adorable.

  “I’m sorry. They’re just there.” I shrug. “The memory of you in that hot bikini, and then naked, wrapped around me on the beach is seared into my mind. I’ve spent five years thinking about you.”

  Her face softens and she gives me a small smile. “You just remembered me because I’m probably the only girl to ever out surf your ass.”

  “Hey, now! I let you out surf me!”

  She playfully slaps my chest and we both laugh. Finally, I feel like I’m getting somewhere with her, but then her friend Liz walks toward us looking really upset, and I have a sinking suspicion my time with Kayla is up… at least for now. I nod to Kayla to let her know that her friend is walking over. When she sees Liz, her hand drops from my chest and she runs over to her. I can’t hear what’s being said, but within seconds both girls are walking away.

  I follow them out to their car and see Cooper screaming for Liz. I don’t know what just happened, but it can’t be good. The next thing I know Cooper is walking away and Kayla is peeling out of the driveway.

  A little while later, I find Cooper sitting by the bonfire with a whiskey in his hand. “Bro, what the hell happened?”

  “It doesn’t even fucking matter. She’s gone and it’s for the best.”

  I want to talk to him, but I know when he gets like this he just wants me there without my lectures, so I do what he wants and drink with him. At one point in the night Cooper is so drunk he decides he’s going to find Liz.

  “I never should have let her leave,” he says through slurred words. The problem with being drunk is you’re always the last person to realize you are in fact drunk.

  “Just chill out. You need to get some sleep, sober up, and then you can talk to her in the morning.”

  He nods in agreement and then takes another swig of his drink. At this rate, he’ll probably be sober next week.

  The next morning, we’re at the training center and I’m totally fucking with Cooper. His ass is so hung over, I don’t even know how he’s fighting back, but it makes it that much more fun. At one point, I throw a punch to his stomach and he looks like he’s going to upchuck all over the ring. I can’t help but laugh at his ass. Serves him right for drinking so damn much last night.

  While he’s catching his breath, I ask him if he’s going to contact Liz and he tells me he can’t because he has no way to get ahold of her. This guy gives up way too easily, but as much as I want to let him know that, I decide to give him a break.

  “You are aware her best friend works at this gym, right? And even if she didn’t, I got Kayla’s number last night.” I must admit, I’m still damn proud of the way I stole her number. Hopefully her stubborn ass doesn’t change it just to spite me. I wouldn’t put it past her.

  I shake myself out of my inner thoughts to hear Marc, Cooper’s dad and owner of this training facility, bitching at him and apparently, me.

  “… And you need to stop fucking around and take this shit seriously. Any more losses and you’re going to be removed from this team…” He goes on and on about my upcoming fight, but all I can focus on is not decking this asshole in his face. He doesn’t know shit about me, and if he did, he’d know I fight for fun and I don’t give a fuck if I win or lose. I do it because I love it. Sure, I want to win. I’m a guy. I’m competitive. But I do it more to spend time with my friends and have fun, and this asshole isn’t going to suck my love for fighting out of me like he’s done to his son. Fuck him and the horse he rode in on.

  Four

  Bentley

  It’s been eight days since the UFC fight and party, and I never imagined so much shit could change in that short amount of time. I’m sitting at the hospital with Kayla holding her hand to comfort her as they treat her for smoke inhalation while praying for Liz and Cooper’s daughter Bella, who’s in the children’s wing with the same diagnosis. If you had told me that I would end up here with Kayla, I would have told you you were crazy. If you had told me Cooper has a four-year-old daughter, I would have laughed in your face.

  After Cooper and his dad got into it the other day, Liz showed up at the gym shortly after to let Cooper know she got pregnant all those years ago in Miami. Unfortunately, Cooper’s ass of a dad stopped her and sent her away. Cooper ended up finding out about his long lost daughter when he ran into them at the grocery store. When he confronted his dad, the asshole made it clear he didn’t give a shit about anything but Cooper fighting, so Cooper ended up quitting.

  Nobody has seen him in the last several days and since he refused to go back to the gym, so did I. Kaden’s ass is stuck there because he’s under contract with the gym as a trainer, but Caleb and I aren’t. So, until we hear from Cooper about what he wants to do, we’re using guest passes at another local gym. I have a fight coming up, so I can’t just stop training. Luckily, Caleb is helping me train, so it works out well.

  I sent Kayla a few texts, but she only replied with single word responses. I had been working up the courage to ask Hayley for her address so I could confront her in person, but after today it won’t matter what her address is since her apartment caught fire with her and Bella in it. Thankfully both of them are okay.

  All my life my parents have said we can’t control who we love. We’re destined to be with one person, and when we meet that person we will know it. It’s called fate, and we don’t stand a chance against it. I believe that Kayla is my soulmate. The problem is my parents never explained what would happen if you met your soulmate and they don’t believe in love. If I didn’t already believe in fate, I would be a believer after today.

  While I was training with Caleb, I hit my hand the wrong way on the punching bag, something I never do, and decided to go to the ER to have it checked out to make sure there wasn’t any huge damage. Imagine my surprise when I saw Kayla and a small little girl being wheeled in by ambulance. Kayla asked me to call Liz to let her know what’s going on—that their apartment caught on fire and both Bella and her are at the hospital—and of course she came immediately. I tried to contact Cooper, but he didn’t answer.

  That leads me to the present time. While Liz is in the children’s wing with her and Cooper’s daughter, I’m currently sitting in the recovery wing with Kayla. Her eyes are closed and she has on an oxygen mask so she can’t really talk. I just hold her hand and massage my thumb into her palm to let her know I’m here.

  Finding her today in the hospital only strengthens my argument that we’re meant to be together. Now if I could just convince Kayla of this, we would be golden. Easier said than done, though.

  The door swings open and Liz and Cooper walk in. Liz looks terrified, but as soon as Kayla opens her eyes and lifts her oxygen mask, she calms down and runs right to Kayla. They exchange hugs and Kayla explains that she fell asleep with Bella and woke up to a fire in the apartmen
t. She’s so upset and heartbroken that something could have happened to Bella. It’s clear she loves that little girl like her own.

  Of course, Liz tells her it’s not her fault and calms her down by telling her it’s okay. Those two are more like sisters than best friends. A few minutes later a police officer and a couple firemen come into the room to explain what happened. I’m trying to pay attention, but all I can think about is that Kayla almost died. Whoever set that fire should be dead, and if I ever come across him or her I’ll probably kill ‘em myself.

  I look over to the officer handing Liz a photo of the guy who set the apartment on fire and Liz begins to freak out and then hands the photo to Cooper.

  “The man in this photo is Marc Cooper. This is my father.”

  What. In. The. Actual. Fuck. I know Marc is a first-rate asshole, but to burn down their home to keep Liz away from Cooper is fucking crazy. That man belongs in the loony bin.

  Liz and Cooper are exchanging words and their conversation is getting heated, but then what he says next shocks the shit out of all of us.

  “He’s dead, Liz. My dad is dead.”

  I walk over to Cooper to give him a hug and tell him I’m sorry. “I know you two didn’t get along, but I never thought he was capable of this.”

  Cooper doesn’t say anything. He looks fucking defeated and I don’t blame him. I have no clue how I would react if I found out my dad almost killed his granddaughter and then saved her. I’m pissed as hell that he didn’t save Kayla, but Cooper doesn’t need my anger on top of what he’s already dealing with.

  I look around and realize the officer and firemen must have left at some point. Liz tries to comfort Cooper but he ends up spouting out some shit about them being better off without him and then storms out. Once he’s gone Liz loses it. Kayla is laying in the hospital bed after almost dying from being caught in a fire and she’s comforting Liz. She doesn’t cry or even look upset. She’s the strongest fucking woman I know.

  Finally, Liz calms down and asks the question of the hour. “Now what?”

  Kayla sighs and says, “It will be okay, Liz. We’ll figure it out. We always do.”

  The love these two women have for each other is undeniable. I think back to that night on the beach when Kayla told me love isn’t real. Doesn’t she see how much Liz loves and needs her? No, it’s not the same as a relationship, but love is love, and Kayla is surrounded by love.

  Kayla looks like she has the world sitting on her shoulders and I vow to do whatever I can to show her that it’s okay to love and accept love from a man. She doesn’t always have to be so strong.

  I clear my throat to get their attention and when they both look at me I tell Liz to go focus on Bella and suggest they move in with me. I don’t know what I was thinking except that I want Kayla near me and if she’s living with me maybe she’ll give us a chance. I also don’t want any of them being homeless. Hopefully Cooper will come to his senses and figure his shit out, but until then I figure I can make sure they’re all safe.

  After getting emotional, Liz goes back to her daughter. I can’t even begin to imagine what she’s going through. Being a single parent and at such a young age can’t be easy. That gets me thinking about Kayla and how she fits into all this.

  Once she’s gone, Kayla says, “You didn’t have to do that but thank you. Apparently, Cooper isn’t going to man up right now.”

  “That’s not fair and you know it,” I tell her. “He just lost his dad. He has struggled for years dealing with that man. Marc has Cooper so fucked up he can’t see straight. Just give him some time.”

  “I get that, but he has a woman and a daughter who need his support.”

  “And he will come around. Have you and Liz been close the entire time she’s been raising Bella?”

  I see the adoration in Kayla’s eyes when I say Bella’s name. “Yeah, that little girl is amazing. When we got back from Miami, Liz found out she didn’t wait long enough to have unprotected sex after starting her birth control pills and was pregnant. We tried to look up your names but got nothing. We lived together and made it work. We went to school, worked part time, and raised Bella the best we could. I love that little girl like she’s my own.”

  “Do you want to have your own kids one day?” I ask, hoping she’ll open up to me.

  “I do. I want to find a man that wants the same things as me so we can have kids and raise them.”

  “What things are those?”

  She thinks for a second before she answers. “Somebody with a career and his own money who wants to partner up to have a family. Somebody who is looking for an equal and is willing to share the responsibilities, bills, etcetera.”

  Her response tells me she still feels the same way she did all those years ago. I can give her all that, but I can do it with love if she would just let me.

  “Sounds like the perfect business relationship, just like your parents.”

  She just nods and closes her eyes.

  “That’s all I can give anyone,” she mutters before falling back asleep and ending the conversation.

  I use this time to text Cooper, and when he doesn’t respond, I send out a text to Kaden and Caleb. I get a text back from Caleb letting me know Cooper is there. I let him know the girls are coming to stay with us in our spare room until they figure shit out, and for him to let Cooper know as well.

  A few hours later Kayla is still sleeping, but I can hear her whimpering like she’s scared. She must be having a bad dream. I decide to lie in the bed with her to comfort her. She tries to be so strong, but sometimes we just need to let someone else hold us up. Carefully, I kneel onto the bed and gently move her over, and once I’m situated, I wrap my body around hers, pulling her close to me. She instantly calms and continues to sleep. She may not want to admit it, but this woman is my forever and I’m hers.

  * * *

  I must have fallen asleep because when I open my eyes the sun is shining and s staring at me with a smirk on her face.

  “Well, good morning, sunshine. First, you take my number without asking, and now you take half my bed without asking? Have you no manners?”

  I attempt to stretch, but with the bed being so small and me being so big, it doesn’t work out well. I just end up cuddling closer to Kayla, which is absolutely okay with me.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet, sweetheart. Now that you’ll be living at my place I plan to take much more from you. Although, if you would just give it all to me willingly, it would make everything go a whole lot smoother.”

  She laughs and shakes her head, then attempts to push me off the bed. Good thing the rails are there or my ass would be on the floor right now.

  “Let’s go, big boy. Out of my bed. You won’t be taking anything else from me, and I definitely won’t be giving you anything.”

  The nurse walks in and eyes me in her bed not looking too thrilled, so I get up but not before whispering in Kayla’s ear, “Oh, I will, and you will, and the sooner you accept you are mine, the sooner we can get to the fun stuff.”

  She tries to look like what I said doesn’t affect her, but I can see the blush appear on her beautiful alabaster skin. I decide not to point it out though. I don’t need her realizing she’s giving her true feelings away.

  Kayla and Bella finally get discharged from the hospital. Liz came to the hospital in her car, so she takes Kayla to get hers from the apartment complex, and then they meet me at my place.

  When the girls walk in, Kayla seems to be impressed at our place, but Liz looks nervous. It must be frightening to suddenly be homeless and have a kid in tow. I had Caleb clean up the night before, but there wasn’t much to clean up. We’re actually pretty clean guys. I give them a quick tour of the place and they see all the stuff Cooper bought the night before. I knew he was picking up some clothes for them since they lost everything in the fire, but he definitely went above and beyond. There are toys and dolls, and a bunch of girly crap for Bella. He picked up a bed for her as well and a bun
ch of movies. I don’t want to overwhelm them, so after I let Liz know when the funeral will be, I give Kayla a kiss on the cheek and give them their space.

  * * *

  It’s been a few days since the girls moved in and everything is going fine. We have had a few meals together and Bella is absolutely adorable. I’ve watched more Disney movies than I care to admit, but I can’t help it. That little girl knows exactly what she’s doing with her cute little pouty face and the way she bats her eyelashes. She even got Caleb to watch one with us. Every night Kayla makes sure to go to bed when Liz and Bella do to avoid me, but I think I’m wearing her down. She still won’t answer my texts, but I catch her staring at me quite often. I’m not giving up.

  It’s a little after eleven at night when I hear a banging noise. I know Caleb is working and everybody else should be asleep so I walk out from my room to check it out.

  I realize the banging is coming from the front door and I rush to answer it before it wakes anybody up. When I swing the door open, Chelsea, a girl I was dating up until a couple weeks ago, is standing at my door, looking drunk as hell.

  “Hey, baby!” She slurs out the words as she wraps her arms around me.

  “Chelsea, what are you doing here?”

  “I miss you, baby. Can I come in?” Oh lord. This isn’t going to be good. After getting to know Chelsea for a few weeks, I learned that she has a drinking problem. I backed away from her after that, but clearly she didn’t get the message.

  “Chelsea, you can’t be here. How did you get here anyway?” I ask, looking out toward the parking lot to see if there is a cab waiting for her. Maybe I can catch it before it leaves.

  “My friend dropped me off.” I walk her into my room so she doesn’t wake up the entire house while I try to figure out how to handle this. She plops down on my bed, so I take her phone and try to call a couple of people I know she’s friends with. Of course, nobody answers.