Fighting for It

by Jennifer Fusco

  She snuggled in next to him and ran her hand over his flat abs.

  “You okay, baby?” he asked, holding her in his arms.

  “That was incredible.” She didn’t miss his slight grin.

  “Just like old times.”

  “Better. Way better than before.”

  He pulled her toward him and covered her mouth with a light kiss. He probably didn’t want to have a discussion about their relationship, or talk about how things were going to go. But like it or not, she had two things going for her as she started to broach the subject. She was in no short supply of his attention. And there was a good chance he was too tired to walk away.

  “I guess we should talk.” She winced.

  He took a deep breath and pulled her closer into him. “About what?”

  She shook her head. “You’re really going to make me work for this, aren’t you?”

  He grinned. “If it ain’t worth working for, it ain’t worth having.”

  She pinched his skin playfully. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously.”

  She broke free of his hold and sat up, wrapping the sheet around her bare chest.

  “Oh come on.” He reached for her and pulled her back down into his arms.

  “You have to make me a promise.”

  “What’s that?” His hand drifted up the length of her arm.

  “That you won’t push me away like you did before. If that happened again, I don’t think I could recover. I barely recovered the first time.”

  He fell silent. She didn’t mean to unload on him, but there was no other way to say it except to put the words out there and see what happened.

  His touch traveled all the way down to her hand until he curled his fingers around hers and said, “When you left, my heart left boxing.”

  She lifted her head. “That’s not true. You had an undefeated record.”

  “I didn’t say I couldn’t box. I said my desire for boxing left when you did.”

  She lifted her head again and scooched up toward him. Then, just as suddenly, she crushed her mouth to his. Darting her tongue inside his mouth, she possessed him. Making him, once and for all, absolutely hers.

  Breaking their kiss, she melted back onto him. She ran her hands all over his body, her own private playground. This was perfect. The two of them. Alone. In their cabin. Their bubble. Where no one could hurt them. Part of her wanted to stay here forever, but it wasn’t the real world.

  And there were parts of the real world she still needed to know.

  “What were you like after I left?”

  He let out a snort. “Do you really want to know?”

  “Yes.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes. I heard you went wild.”

  “I was wild. Running with a different girl all the time. Unfocused. Your dad used to get so frustrated with me. Said if I didn’t have so much raw talent, he’d cut me loose. He never did, though. He made me get a job instead.”

  She laughed. “He did? Where?”

  “Unloading freight for Binion’s Gambling Hall.”

  “Ugh. Old Vegas. That’s a bummer.” She laughed louder, thinking of what it must’ve been like to work in that crazy part of town. Sure, Old Vegas was great for people-watching. Nowadays with the lightshow and street vendors, Fremont Street had become a tourist trap. But when they were younger, the back alleys around Binion’s served as a reminder that if you didn’t make something of yourself, there was such a place as hell on earth.

  “He loved you like a son. I’m sure if he made you get a job, it was only to settle you down.” Her heart sank, hearing them talk about her dad. Tears pricked the back of her eyes.

  “Yeah. It did. At the time, I didn’t understand why. But I do now. It was for my own good.”

  It suddenly occurred to her that he never talked about his parents anymore. When they were together, his mom and dad fought a lot, and he ended up staying with her most of the time. Since she’d been back, he hadn’t mentioned his parents once. “How is your dad?”

  “Gary is my stepdad.”

  She frowned. “Right. Sorry.” Jack didn’t know his real father. From what she knew, Jack’s mother had never disclosed who he was. Gary, the only father figure Jack had besides R. L., was one of those guys who wanted to have a career in boxing, but never really worked for it. From what she remembered, aside from being boxing fans, Gary and Jack didn’t have much in common.

  Jack stared across the room into the distance. “Gary’s in jail. He did something really stupid. The dumbass drove a getaway car while his buddy held up a liquor store.”

  She pressed her palm to her chest. “Oh Jesus, Jack. When?”

  “After Mom took off. He claimed he didn’t know his buddy was going to rob the place. The cops pinched him for being an accessory after the fact.” Jack wiped a hand over his brow. “Gary never was the sharpest knife in the drawer.”

  She felt her stomach knot. “And your mom was gone?”

  “Yeah. She met some guy a few months after you left for school. She and Gary were having money troubles. They argued. He drank too much. The police broke it up once. Their relationship was going south. And this new guy, I guess he offered her a way out of Vegas.”

  A strange sense of guilt ran over her. She should’ve been there. She would have wanted to know, to help. “How did you handle her leaving?”

  “Okay, I guess. I was doing my own thing. One day, she packed up her shit and left. That was it.”

  Achiness settled in her chest. Her breathing slowed. Her palm, like a weight, pressed against her lungs. “You should have called. Why didn’t you tell me Adele left?” Her voice filled with compassion.

  His breathing remained steady. He must’ve been expecting the question. “And say what? ‘Come back. I’m alone. Mom ran off with some dude and Gary is in jail.’ Yeah, that’s a great selling point.”

  “Don’t be stupid. You could have called.”

  He let out a deep exhale. “I wasn’t bothering you with my problems.”

  She fought back tears. “I cared.”

  “I know,” he responded with a stoic tone.

  His mom leaving had hurt him. It had to. But knowing Jack, he’d be damned if he ever let anyone, especially his mother, learn about his pain. “How’s Gary doing now? Do you visit him?”

  “I did, at first. After I lost and R. L. died, I couldn’t bear to see Gary anymore. I wasn’t sure if he knew, and I didn’t want to be the one to tell him. He always thought I’d go far with boxing. He even encouraged me once. Gary wanted to be a boxer too, back in the day. Anyway, I’d already let R. L. down . . .”

  He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to. He’d already let her father down, and although they weren’t as close as some stepfathers and sons, admitting he might turn out like Gary was too much.

  She understood. “Do you know where your mom is?”

  He shook his head. “Before she took off, she came to me and pleaded for me to quit. I was too young and cocky to understand what could go wrong. Mom spent years in Vegas. She knew the life, how seedy this place can be.”

  Daniella slipped her hand into his. “Why did she leave so suddenly?”

  He lowered his head. “Gary hit her, another one of his colossal mistakes. His drinking was always an issue. Deep down, I believe she was afraid I’d end up like him. When her chance came to skip out, she did, so she didn’t have to watch.”

  “My dad never told me any of this.” Daniella closed her gaping mouth.

  “I asked him not to.” His voice, low and controlled, rippled through her.

  Emotion filled her throat. Having his mom leaving so soon after she did must’ve hurt him deeply. She knew how much he loved his mother, but his tough, independent streak usually won out. It was hard to imagine how devastated and alone he must’ve felt. She shook her head. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. I would have wanted to be there for you.”

  His body stiffened. “I threw myse
lf into boxing. At that point, I was totally dedicated. I knew she didn’t like my ambitions to be a professional fighter, and she never changed her mind. But I miss her like hell. I think about her a lot, but who’s to say if she ever thinks of me.”

  Daniella bit her lip. She could’ve sworn his eyes turned glassy, but he blinked and the look disappeared.

  “Gary is due to get out of prison soon.”

  “What do you think will happen?”

  His gaze flicked back to her. “I can’t say. It’s not important. His life and Adele’s no longer affect mine.”

  “Of course it does. He’s still your stepfather. And she’s still your mother.”

  He shrugged off her words. “My life was never as important as the things you were doing. Going to college. Getting a degree. Pretty cool stuff. There were times I asked R. L. about you. Checked on you, asked how you we’re doing. Or if you had a boyfriend.” He paused. “I know you got serious with somebody for a while.”

  “Yeah. Eric. I guess it was kind of serious.” Not as serious as she and Jack had been. No. There would only be one man for her. She let out a pensive sigh.

  Jack’s eyebrows lifted.

  Her head pulled back. “What was that?”

  “What?” Then his brows pulled together quizzically.

  “That look.”

  “What look?” He stared at her in a way that made her squirm.

  Her mouth split into a wide grin. “You’re jealous.”

  He turned his head away from her.

  “Oh my god. Jack Brady is jealous.” She pushed her body up and rested on her elbow.

  He turned his face back to hers. “Why aren’t you with him now?”

  “Lots of reasons.”

  “Like?”

  She searched her mind, recalling the list. “Because. . . . I don’t know. He owned his own house. Played golf on Sundays. He liked quiche.”

  “You not with him because he liked quiche?”

  “No . . . he just bored me senseless.”

  He pushed his arm behind his head, propping himself upward. “I don’t get it. He sounds like a safe bet, like he would’ve taken good care of you.”

  She squinted. “I’m very good at taking care of myself.”

  He pursed his lips; the action was her visual cue that he knew he misspoke. “I mean, he sounds like a stable guy.”

  “He was, and if stability was what I needed, I guess I’d have been very happy. But I don’t need security. I’m quite self-sufficient.”

  “I know.”

  “I need someone who wants me for me, someone who can’t imagine life without me.” She lowered her head back to his chest.

  He removed his arm from its resting place and trailed his hand down the side of her body, pulling her into him. “I know I seem like a guy who is better off alone, maybe that I prefer it sometimes. But it’s not true. When you came back, a fire lit inside me. I train harder. I punch stronger. And that’s all you, babe. Most of the time while you were gone, I pretended that I wasn’t fucked up because you weren’t here. But I was. So yeah. That’s what I’m saying. I’m not dumb enough to make the same mistake.”

  A thousand butterflies fluttered in her stomach. There it was. His commitment. It was all she’d ever needed. Swallowing hard, a tear welled and rolled down the side of her cheek.

  He continued in a dry, determined tone. “If you’re scared that I’m going to push you away, don’t be. It won’t happen again.”

  She kissed him. The tear fell and landed on him. He opened his mouth, and his tongue met hers. His muscles slackened, losing himself in their kiss. He gave in to her, letting her have him. All of him.

  He tasted so good.

  “You ready for round two, baby?”

  Oh God, was she ever.

  Pressing a light kiss to his mouth, she climbed on top of him and he held her, straddling him as the velvety round tip of his cock pressed against her warm flesh. Back and forth, he rubbed her with his wet, hardened tip, showing her just how much he wanted her.

  A hand reached out for the nightstand and grabbed a condom. He worked to cover himself, and she deepened their kiss, thrusting her tongue into his mouth, turning it from tender to titillating, keeping him hard.

  Then he slid inside her. “You come for me whenever you want this time. It’s all about you.”

  She smiled. Nothing had ever felt this good. He filled her. She loved how he fit between her legs.

  Perfect.

  He angled his hips and swiveled, adjusting her, every smooth motion ratcheting up her desire. Her body hummed, and he played her. Oh, how he played her.

  She’d missed him so much and now that her body had a taste of him, she craved him more than ever. And she had no apologies for her greediness.

  She moved her hips slowly at first. Her head dropped back and she lost herself in him. In them.

  His fingers squeezed her hips, kneading her skin, driving him deeper into her. He took his time, caressed her skin, and ran his hands gently over her body. This was what she wanted. Him. Only him.

  She tightened her sex. His moan, her reward.

  “Oh, baby. Moan for me.”

  Sitting up, she rode him nice and deep and slow. Grinding him, fucking him. Oh sweet, beautiful Jack. Wet and hot he pushed, teasing just the right spot inside her. The build started. He must’ve felt it too, because the speed of his thrusts increased, more urgent, desperate.

  Soon she felt it. The aching tension.

  “Don’t stop,” she cried out. The build increased. Faster, then faster.

  A hand moved from her hip to her breast. His fingers clamped down and squeezed. It was just what she needed. He pinched her nipple. Oh, the pleasure. And the pain. He rocked her. So fast. So hard. His fingers tweaked her nipples.

  “Fuck me, baby.” Her voice sounded breathy, needy.

  His length now stroked her center quickly, tightening the pressure in her belly. Building her need for release all over again.

  Deeper he drove, giving her exactly what she wanted. The sensation was so strong, so powerful, another small cry left her lips. Her pelvis arched, and he dropped his hand to her belly, steadying her. She nearly begged for him to give her the quick release her body craved.

  “Come for me baby,” he ordered. “Do it. Now.”

  It was as if all she’d been waiting for was his permission, his approval that he was just as satisfied as she. And Daniella let go.

  She came with a force so strong that it left her weak and pliant. Yielding to him, she slumped forward and rested on his chest. Here, right now, she was in the place where any woman would die to be, in the arms of the man who wanted her.

  He wanted her.

  He.

  Wanted.

  Her.

  Nothing could stop them now.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Jack lay in bed, thinking. While last night ended with the best orgasm in recent memory, the conversation they’d shared during a night full of hot sex had bummed him out. Terribly. All that talk about his mom and Gary reminded Jack of how often people took care of themselves first, sometimes even putting their own wants before their children. Their sense of family. If he knew anything about pushing people away, he’d learned it from Adele. His relationship with his mom wasn’t good. And the situation between her and Gary was even worse.

  But what could he do?

  Nothing.

  Daniella and the guys at Stamina were all the family he needed.

  If Gary had laid a hand on Adele as she’d claimed, well, he owed the dumb fuck one hell of a beat down.

  But then again, he wouldn’t have put it past Adele to lie, play on his sympathies, and give him the impression Gary had hit her in hopes the lie would tempt Jack to quit boxing and leave to protect her. He never bought in to the stereotype that boxing turned men into monsters. That they only solved problems with their fists.

  Bullshit.

  He spent enough time with his mother cluttering up his brain
space. It was time to get back to the only woman that mattered. Jack would have liked to have spent the day in bed, holding Daniella and watching her sleep. But he couldn’t. Fight preparation sunk into his mind, and he mentally prepared for the regimen that lay ahead of him.

  Until the phone rang.

  Peeling from him, she got up and answered it, only to hop back into the bed beside him. Wrapping the sheet around her body, she paused, listening, and uttered a few uh-huh’s into the conversation while he trailed a finger down her shoulder blade.

  Then her shoulders slumped.

  “So you’re going back then.” Her tone sounded deflated, almost guilty. After a few I see’s followed by an okay, she hung up the phone and turned to Jack. “We’re all going back to Vegas.”

  The news punctured the silence. “Why?”

  “There’s a semipro match off-Strip at Breeze’s Casino that we need to see. Plus our flight to London leaves from McCarran. Gotta go back sometime.”

  He frowned, not understanding why they had to give up their bed to watch a bunch of semipros dance around a ring. Semipro bouts weren’t uncommon for off-Strip casinos. Smaller venues provided an outlet for semiprofessional fighters who needed experience in the ring. Fighters got paid purses and groomed their talent.

  “Shakes said one of the guys was up and coming. He’s somebody we need to look at as a potential contender for Mike.”

  First his fight had been moved to London, now she’d agreed to take a look at a potential match-up for Mike. She was already thinking of fight cards for the future. That meant she put a lot of faith in him to win, and she had his back when it came to planning his future. An indescribable feeling in his chest cavity swelled.

  “Sounds good. Gotta shower and pack.”

  “Fight’s not till eight. We’ll make it.” She pressed a light kiss to his lips and got out of bed.

  Truth be told, they needed to get out. And go home. They were exhausted. And while there was nothing like sleeping in his own bed, now he’d get to sleep in it with her. And do more than sleep. During their time in the cabin they’d fucked so hard, he’d made Daniella’s screams turn to song.

  Fucktasia, the musical.