Revived

by Tia Lewis

  The crowd went wild as I stood and shook hands with my opponent, jogging over to the cage door and walking down the stairs, spying Benji and the rest of the guys waiting for me in the aisle that led to the locker room.

  "Great show, man," Benji said, slapping me on the back as I walked past. "You did it. Hell yes, we did it. The gym ain't going down quite yet. Drinks on me!"

  I accepted his congratulations, my mind already whirling at the possibility of my next match and my next opponent. I was going to be back in the game, vying for a title.

  Julia was waiting at the end of the line, a smile on her face, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "You did it. You won!"

  I shrugged, stripping off my gloves in the process. Hell, I hadn't even broken a sweat with this one. "It was just an exhibition."

  She cocked her head to the side, her smile growing wider. "You know it was more than that."

  I reached out and pulled her against my hard body, brushing the hair from her face. "Yeah, well don't let the guys hear you say that."

  She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Men. You think you have to be macho."

  I brushed my lips across hers. "I'm nothing compared to what you have gone through, what you did tonight. That was pretty damn amazing, Julia."

  She colored and looked away, uncomfortable with my praise. Hell, she deserved a medal for what she went through. Most men would have folded a long time ago, cut their losses and moved on. But she had taken it head on and without a whine. "It's really over."

  I touched her chin and moved her gaze back to mine, giving her a nod. "It's really over."

  She shuddered, and I gathered her close, my heart pounding in my ears. It was really over. She was free to make her own decisions now, to gain her life back little by little. Julia pulled back in my arms, her eyes free of worry or concern for the first time since I had met her. "Thank you."

  I leaned down, touching my forehead with hers. "No, thank you." She had no idea what she had done for me. "Come on, let's get out of here."

  She tucked herself under my arm as we walked back to the locker room, leaving the crowd behind us. I was on top of the fucking world at the moment, the only thing that was going to top it off was Julia naked in my bed in an hour or so. "Hey," I said, turning to look at her. "Where's my money?"

  She grinned and wrapped her arm around my waist. "Now, for that answer, you will have to ask Jace."

  I frowned. Shit. I was never going to get my money back then.

  A Few Days Later

  "Now you know you can't kill the fucker. I'm putting my neck on the line for letting you have this time."

  I cracked my knuckles as I peered into the room, feeling the rage run through my veins. Jace had called me down to the station so that I could pick up my money, but I had come with another thought in mind. At first, he had balked at the idea, but I had eventually worn him down.

  "He's going to be extradited to New York tomorrow," Jace was saying as I watched the lone guy in the small room drum his fingers on the table, obviously waiting on whatever was going to come. "Turns out Julia is not the first woman he's done this to."

  "But she's the first to fight back," I said softly, thinking of how strong Julia was to even want to put this fucker in jail.

  "Yeah," Jace admitted. "She is. Though the bigger fish was more of a catch than this guy was. He's wanted in three states for money laundering and connected to a few murders. Julia took a bad dude off the street."

  I thought about the woman that was currently at her new job, the woman that had reached in and stolen my heart while I wasn't looking. She was fucking amazing, and I couldn't imagine not having her in my life now. "How much time do I have?"

  "Two minutes," Jace said with a chuckle. "Though, I doubt you will need any longer."

  I shook my head. My message would be loud and clear in a matter of seconds. "Let's do this."

  Jace opened the door, and I stepped in, taking a look at Julia's ex for the first time. This was the bastard that had broken her heart, stolen her money, but brought her to me. That by far was the best thing he had ever done in his life.

  "Who the hell are you?" he asked, eyeing me as I shut the door.

  I walked over to the table and braced my hands on it, leaning close so he would hear every word I was about to say. "I'm the guy that will now be in Julia's life. I will make her happy beyond her wildest dreams, and when she goes to sleep at night, she'll dream of me. You'll become a blip in her life, one that she will ultimately forget."

  He laughed. "Why do I care what she does now? If you want my soiled goods, fine, take her. I don't need her anymore."

  His head slammed against the table before he had a chance to get the last word out, my reflex faster than I had anticipated.

  "Shit! You broke my nose!"

  I watched as he cupped his nose with his hand, attempting to stop the flow of blood that was spurting out and felt marginally satisfied. "You weren't worth her time or effort." I wasn't worth it either, but there was no way I was going to turn her loose now.

  "I'm going to sue," he said behind his cupped hand, his angry eyes glaring at me.

  I laughed, finding it hilarious. "Go ahead. Sue. I'll make sure you never see the light of day."

  I saw the fear flicker in his eyes and couldn't help but feel vindicated. This was for Julia. My Julia, not his. He never had her to begin with, and he sure as hell would never touch her again. "Got anything else, fucker?"

  He didn't respond as I turned and walked out of the room, Jace sighing as he shut the door and locked it. "Dude, how am I going to explain his nose?"

  I shrugged, a grim smile on my face. "Tell them he ran into a door or something." I had come to do what I needed to do. Julia would never know about this. But she was going to know and feel how much I cared for her for the rest of my life.

  "Well, do you feel better at least?" Jace asked as we walked down the hall.

  I nodded. "Thank you."

  "Anytime," he said, clapping me on the back. "You're a lucky bastard to have her. I hope you know that."

  That I did know. There was nothing in this world that could tell me any differently. She had saved me.

  "Alright then, I will let that shit eating grin be your answer," Jace chuckled. "Come on, let's go get your money."

  Epilogue

  Travis

  One Month Later

  I looked down at my watch, my foot tapping on the hardwood floor as I realized at this rate, we were going to be late. At least the snow was gone, and we wouldn't go sliding into the church that Hannah had picked out for the wedding. I was more looking forward to the reception and all of the food, but one had to pay their dues if they wanted to eat. Still, Tony and Hannah couldn't have asked for a better day for a wedding, if we ever got a chance to see it.

  "Julia! They will have their first child before we get there," I yelled, walking back toward the bedroom. There was a grin on my face with my words, not really caring if she took all damn day to get ready. I was used to it by now, the last month being the best fucking days of my life with Julia at my side. Now my apartment was cluttered with woman stuff again, nearly outgrowing the amount of things we had crammed into the space. Lately, I had been thinking about looking for a bigger place, like a house. I snorted as the bedroom door opened. Me, looking for a house. It was damn near unheard of. It was Julia's fault after all. Even the damn scales were blaming her lately, her cooking fattening me up and making me work out double just to keep up. The guys were starting to call me domesticated and honestly, I couldn't give a fuck less what they thought. I was happy.

  Julia stepped out, and I felt my groin tighten nicely as I took in her short black dress, the way those fuck me heels made her legs seem nice and long. Her hair was down, curled around her shoulders just the way I liked and I felt the urge to bury my hands in it, inhaling its scent. But she would likely kill me for messing it up, and I would rather not die today. "You look gorgeous."

  She eyed me as well, letting out
a soft whistle as they roved up and down my body. "You clean up pretty good, too."

  I looked down at the suit I had on, thinking that I probably could count on one hand the number of times I had worn a suit. "Yeah, well, Hannah frowned on us wearing our trunks. Trust me, we asked."

  She crossed the room and laid a hand on my chest, smoothing out my tie in the process, a grin on her face. "Well, I would be partial to the trunks, but we can't have a pissed off bride on her wedding day, can we?"

  "No, we can't," I chuckled, grabbing her hand and kissing the back of it. "Will you wear those heels tonight to bed?" I sure hope so. I already had an image in my mind that I was hoping she could create for me later on.

  She laughed. "Maybe if they don't kill my feet. Then they are going out of the window, and you will have to carry me home. Come on; we're going to be late." She started to pull away, but I pulled her back against me, my throat suddenly tight. Julia looked at me, her smile fading. "What? What's wrong?"

  "I love you," I blurted out, my collar feeling tight around my neck. "I'm fucking sorry it's taken me so long to say it." I really didn't know why I had waited so long, but she had started her job with Tina, and I had gotten back into training and the time never seemed right. But I didn't want to go another day without saying those words to her, the feeling that I had in my chest every time she walked into the room. I was a lucky bastard. She was right. This was home, and my home was with her.

  Her eyes widened. "W-what?"

  "You heard me," I said, snaking an arm around her waist, wishing we had more time than these few minutes to discuss this. "I love you. I love you like I breathe every second of this damn day. You're everything to me Julia, and I would be lost without you in my life. I thank the big man upstairs every morning because you are lying beside me."

  Her gaze softened and tears glistened in her eyes. "Oh, Travis. That was, you have no idea what you mean to me. I love you, too. So very much."

  Clearing my throat, I brushed my lips over hers before stepping back, bending down on one knee. This was the real test now. I had gotten the words out that I needed to say, but I wanted to make them more permanent. Her hand flew to her mouth as I brought out the tiny box from my suit coat pocket, opening it before her and watching as her eyes watered even more with tears. Yeah, this was right. The world was right at this moment. "I know it's soon," I said softly, looking up at her, my chest nearly bursting with love for this woman. "But I'm willing to wait however long you want to make this official. I want to stake my claim. I want to be your husband. Will you do me the greatest honor and marry me?"

  Julia

  I couldn't believe it. Travis was kneeling before me, with a dazzling ring in his hand. Not only that, he had just told me the three little words I had wanted to hear for the last month. I hadn't wanted to push him, however, knowing in my heart that he loved me. He showed me every day just how much. The last month with Travis couldn't be put into words, and I had been kinda hoping it was going to be long term very soon. It was crazy, to fall in love with a man after only knowing him for this short period of time, but nothing felt so right. This month had been magical, and I wondered why it had taken me so long to find the wonderful man before me, declaring his love and devotion to me. I wasn't worthy but was going to take it anyway.

  "Yes," I said breathlessly. "I will marry you."

  The relief on his face was palpable as he stood and pulled the ring out of the box, sliding it on my finger before wrapping me into a strong embrace. "You won't regret it," he whispered. "I'll be the best damn thing in your life since sliced bread."

  I laughed and wrapped my arms around him, inhaling his scent. That was one of the many reasons I loved him. He could keep me laughing even in the most serious of conversations. My future was going to be near perfect. "I know I won't regret it." I didn't regret anything when it came to him.

  Travis leaned down and swept me into a tender kiss that brought tears to my eyes. Screw my perfectly applied lipstick or the time I had spent on my hair; I wanted him to take me back to that bedroom so I could have my way with him. My fiancé. It didn't seem real.

  Unfortunately, we didn't have the luxury to do so right now. "We're going to be late," I whispered against his lips, my body protesting the fact that I wasn't going to stoke this fire inside of me right now. Hannah and Tony were counting on us to be there, and I had no intentions of arriving in the midst of the ceremony.

  Travis sighed and pulled back, his fingers caressing my skin through the silky material of my dress. "Damn. I should have done it tonight."

  I socked him in the shoulder lightly, the diamond catching the light. The ring was the most perfect thing I had ever seen. "No, you shouldn't have. This was perfect; it's perfect."

  Leaning his forehead against mine, Travis drew in a breath. "So, this is okay."

  I smiled tenderly, my hands sliding up his shoulders. "This is more than okay. I can't think of anything more perfect." People would talk, especially with the short time span that we had been together, but I didn't care. Hadn't they known I had been waiting my entire life for this moment?

  Finally, Travis pulled back with a groan, grabbing my hand and clasping it tightly in his. "Come on; we've got to go."

  I couldn't help but grin as he led me out of the apartment, hailing a cab before we slid inside. He gave the driver the directions to the church and leaned back in the seat, our hands clasped together between us. I wanted to tell him to screw the wedding, go back to the apartment and not leave the bed the rest of the day. He had just made me the happiest damn woman on the planet, and all I wanted to do was share the experience with him.

  However, Hannah and Tony would likely kill us for not coming to their wedding, and I was desperate to see what everyone thought of the food. I had been honored to help create a lavish wedding meal for my friend. It was my new venture, testing out a catering line for Tina's restaurant with her blessing. If all went well today, I would be moving into that realm of the business, becoming a full partner next to a woman I admired. I couldn't believe how much my life had turned in the span of a month. Kevin was in jail awaiting trial for his crimes in New York, and while I would have to testify, I wasn't scared of him, or anyone else involved anymore. They hadn't taken away my life; they had given me something far more precious in the wake of all the hurt. Besides, I would have Travis by my side when that time came, and that was all I needed. He was the strength when I had none, the man who gathered me up in his arms when the nightmares became too much.

  "What's on your mind?" Travis asked softly as the cab started to pull up to the curb in front of the church.

  I shook my head, giving him a full-fledged smile that I felt all the way to my heart. "I'm just so happy."

  He winked and kissed my hand again before climbing out, and I waited for him to open the door, my heart overflowing with love for him. Turns out Chicago wasn't so bad after all.

  Sneak Peek: Reckless: Warrior Zone Fighters Book 3

  Paul

  I watched as the bride and groom moved slowly around the dance floor, wondering how many times Tony was stepping on Hannah's feet. Tony had never been considered a graceful guy despite his moves in the cage, and I couldn't help but think that either he had taken dance lessons or Hannah was one tough chick. Still, the bastard looked happy, and I couldn't fault that too much. They were meant to be together.

  Taking a sip of my beer, I turned to look at the couple on my left, Travis and his now fiancée Julia huddled close together, another couple that had popped up in the last month. At this rate, Benji and I were doomed to have the same fucking thing happen in a matter of months.

  "Dude, what has this turned into?" Benji said as he came to stand beside me. "It's like we're running a newlywed camp instead of a fucking fighter gym."

  I couldn't help but agree. Since the exhibition match, we had put on last month, attendance was up again, with new fighters coming in every day. The concern was if we were going to have enough trainers to go around. He
ll, if we could pry them from their chicks long enough to make some money. At one time, there had been four fighters in together on a business venture to open a gym. Anthony, Benji, Travis, and I had put down our own money on the dream, and though we had struggled the last few months, things were looking up. We were making money. But it wasn't about the money. All of us had enough money to go around. This was about the next generation of fighters and honing them to carry the sport into the future.

  After all, I didn't have anything else going on in my life. Fighting had been my life as it was for most of these guys, the one thing that was constant and could be counted on when nothing else or no one else could. But now, the gym was all I had. That and the guys that were dropping like flies to the fairer sex.

  "Think we can buy out their shares?" Benji continued, a grin on his face. "This is turning into a damn circus. What happened to the bachelors? Next, they will want daycares for their kids and parental time off."

  "I wish," I answered, joking as we watched the newly wedded couple finish their dance. There was no way we would do that, but it did beg to wonder what the future was going to look like. I had no intention of being the next to fall victim to a woman's charms. I had done that long ago and got burned in the worst way possible, the pain every morning reminding me to never trust a woman again. I took women home, had sex with them, but never longer than a one night's stand. Anything longer would make them think I was interested in something more. I wasn't.