Awakened (The Fighter Series Book 3)

by TC Matson

  She warns me of all the things to stay away from and urges me toward things I need to start doing. And then she hands me the checkout paperwork and tells me to set up an appointment for an ultrasound in a few weeks to see how far along I am.

  My drive home was in slow motion as thoughts raced through my mind. The initial shock passed and is replaced with overjoy and fear. I’m scared to be a mom. Hell, I can barely take care of myself. Not knowing how Adam is going to handle the information is enough to send me into a panic attack.

  I take a deep, large breath, filling my lungs to their capacity as I pull into the driveway. The moment of truth…

  Chapter 31

  Kelsie comes through the door and immediately I can tell something is wrong. I haul myself up and throw my leg off the couch. Fucking casts…I’m ready to be out of them.

  I study her, all of her. Her movements. The lack of eye contact.

  She sets her purse down on the island but has still not made any contact with me. My jaw clenches as I dig my fingers into the cushion. Something is fucking wrong.

  She leans her back against the counter and keeps her stare on the floor, chewing her thumbnail.

  Another telltale sign something is wrong.

  “I-um…” she trails.

  “Spit it out, Kelsie. I know something’s up.”

  Her eyes flash to me and they’re swirling with worry. “I can tell you anything, right?” The words drag out.

  That was a jab to the heart, but it sets off my adrenaline. “Of course,” I answer trying to sound calm.

  She takes a seat beside me and bounces her knee.

  “The wait is agonizing. I know something is wrong. What happened?” I swallow my anger and place my hand on her leg to steady it.

  When she looks up, tears have pooled in her eyes. I brace myself for the worst.

  “I’m pregnant.” Her words are merely a whisper.

  Two words steal my breath. Stop my heart. Explodes the part of my brain where emotions crank out.

  I stare at her blankly for…who fucking knows how long.

  It’s as if the words had to take a moment to soak into my soul. Finally, they smack me dead in the fucking face. My future just got mapped out in front of me with two words. It’s a mixture of powerful conflicting emotions. I’m unprepared to be a father. Panic tugs from every nerve ending in my body. But then like I hit a switch, elation begins seeping into my veins drowning out the frightening feelings. I’m going to be dad.

  I’m going to be a dad!

  I reach, hauling her into my lap and slam my lips to hers.

  “You’re fucking pregnant?” I’m over-the-fucking-moon excited now.

  A violent relief washes over her expression and she sucks in air like she’s been sitting there holding it. “You’re…you’re not upset?”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” I kiss her again. “It’s a surprise but a damn good one.” I grip her cheeks. “Abortion isn’t an option.” I tell her sternly.

  Her eyes flash wide and she shakes her head. “No! For me either.”

  I pull her in for a hug.

  “I’m…I’m pretty scared,” she stutters in the crook of my neck.

  I clear my throat. “Me too,” I admit. “But we’ll get through it…together. I’ll be right here, right beside you the whole way.”

  “I didn’t do this on purpose.”

  I blink. “Is that what you’re scared of? You think I’d think that?” I brush her cheek with the back of my fingers. “That never crossed my mind.”

  She melts into my side and looks up under her lashes. “I love you.”

  I smile a big, toothy, proud smile. “I love you too.”

  Chapter 32

  It’s been four months since Adam’s wreck and he’s healing up great. The cast on his arm came off several weeks ago, and shortly following was the cast on his leg. He finished his physical therapy for his leg with flying colors and enormous determination. He loathed gimping around.

  Since being cleared by the doctors, he’s been travelling to North Carolina every weekend, but he isn’t allowed to do anything strenuous yet. He gets sore with certain movements, but he likes to push his luck…a lot. He’s a hardheaded man. He promised he wasn’t doing anything to hurt himself. Levi stands behind his statement.

  We haven’t spent many nights apart from each other. Adam goes home every so often, but it only lasts a night. He can’t stay away from me and honestly, I don’t want him to. We’ve grown incredibly close…fast. He was pretty persistent about moving in together, and since I know his house holds significance, I decided to move with him. It was the best thing I’d ever done.

  I felt horrible for him when he saw his car for the first time. Seeing it about buckled him to his knees. He was so heartbroken and pained by it. Later I learned that Laura had helped him name the car. She merged his two “loves” together and came up with Nora—Nova and Laura. He had to deal with the loss of his girlfriend so young, and now he was looking at a mangled mess beyond fixing. I was so overwhelmed by his sadness; I couldn’t keep from crying as he just stared at it in disbelief.

  I was a little further along than we expected. When we went for the first ultrasound I was ten weeks. It was the most incredible feeling in the world to see my baby for the first time. You could see the baby’s head, little arms and legs… I bawled from joy. The very same day we got to hear the heartbeat, and the overwhelming relief and bliss engulfed us both. A few long weeks later we saw our baby again and found out we were having a boy. Adam was speechless as he teared up with pride.

  We took a weekend to go to North Carolina to tell Levi and Paige. Adam wanted to do it in person and arranged for everyone to be there—Levi, Paige, Blain, and Lacy. A lot of back slapping and congratulations surrounded Adam as the girls hugged my neck and squealed in delight.

  And I swear I saw Levi well up when Adam asked him to be the god-father. Levi couldn’t talk for a few minutes, beaming from ear to ear. Of course, I cried like a baby watching this unfold. In that very room held so many sentimental emotions…

  Adam kept to his word. Other than leaving for Levi every weekend, he’s come to all my doctor’s appointments and has catered to my needs. Midnight hash browns, French fries with hot sauce, you name it and he’s made sure I’ve got it.

  Paige smiles nervously at me beside a very quiet Levi from across the limo. Levi holds no emotions. He’s a blank canvas right now. I’d be a mess, but I also don’t fight brute men for a living either. Adam pats my leg.

  His brown eyes are wildly excited. He leans closely. “You’re glowing.”

  I titter. “No. I’m a nervous wreck.”

  He nods toward Levi. “If he isn’t, you shouldn’t be.”

  I run my finger along the palm of his hands. “Why are you sweaty?” I smirk.

  His eyes flash wide. “The buzz of adventure.”

  I roll my eyes.

  “You’ll see.” He peeks from the corner of his eye, lifting his brow.

  Adam helps me out, and then Levi and Paige follow suit. Levi takes an exaggerated deep breath and bounces from toe to toe.

  “Ready or not, bastards, here the fuck I am.” Levi slaps Adam on the shoulder. “It’s happening, dude.”

  “Been a long time in the making.” Adam punches him in the arm and then tugs me closer to him.

  I might have failed to mention, since dropping the pregnancy ball on him, he’s become over protective, making sure I’m safe and not in any harm’s way.

  We step into a long hallway with doors on either side, one of them with Levi’s name in black print on a white sheet of paper. Stepping in behind Adam, I’m in awe at how much it resembles a little gym without the equipment. Mirrors line the back wall, and padding lines the sides and floor. There are benches against one side of the wall and lockers at the end.

  Paige tucks her arm under mine. “I’ll take her.” She pulls me away from him and to the farthest bench, away from everything. “You’ll want to stay o
ut of the way. Levi can get a little rowdy at times.”

  The room soon fills with his trainers and crazy energy. You can feel everyone’s eagerness and urgency in the air. Butterflies spread their wings in my stomach. Off in the distance you can hear the crowd and people rushing through the hallway. It feels like we’re moving in a massive blur while sitting still. We’re the squiggly lines that make it up.

  Using most of the strength in his arms, Adam holds the punching bag as Levi warms up. He told me the other day, bracing with his leg is starting to hurt. Determination drips from his expression—his tongue pushes out past his lips with every blow Levi slams into it, and then they trade a few laughs. Adam says something softly just before Levi lands a punch and it throws him into a fit of laughter.

  “This is normal.” Paige leans into me. “They’re big kids. Don’t get scared when Levi threatens Adam either.”

  I smile at her. “Thanks.”

  “You should’ve seen my first time. I was a mess and scared shitless. For the longest time, Levi didn’t let me back here until his pump up was over and he was settling down in the zone.”

  Just then Levi threatens to rearrange Adam’s face in a menacing voice.

  Paige smiles. “Told you. I swear it’s ritual, but they won’t admit it.”

  Oh my God. The people. The noise. The atmosphere. I can’t catch my breath. The place is huge, full of screaming people.

  Adam ushers Paige and me to our seats where Blain is waiting and kisses my cheek. “I’ll be back right after the fight. Don’t leave these seats,” he warns me with his glare and then looks to Blain. “Don’t let them leave these seats,” he says extremely sternly.

  Blain nods.

  He pats Paige on her shoulder and rushes off. Now, you can see the worry on her. She’s way more anxious than what she has been. She’s pale with flushed cheeks twisting a piece of string from the shredded holes in her jeans.

  “This is the worst part,” she yells. “Waiting until the end.”

  The lights go out and the roar from the crowd scares the shit out of me. It’s so loud, my hearing glitches out and goes silent. Intensity strangles me. Music blares over the speakers and blue lights swarm the crowd.

  Levi steps out of the opening with a spotlight illuminating him and his walkway. Adam is right beside him. As they walk to the ring, Levi holds his hands out to the side for the people leaning out to touch him. They pause just outside the ring and Levi strips out of his shirt while talking to a man in black. He’s there for a few moments before he bounds into the ring, jogging around it and slamming his gloves together. Adam keeps his eyes on Levi as he strolls on the edge of the padding and grips the cage, fixated on Levi. He’s joined by Perry with Harvey on the floor just by their feet. Levi hones in on Paige and with two fingers, motions for her to watch.

  She scrunches her face but blows him a kiss. Then the lights go out.

  After Levi’s opponent comes out to the screams of his fans and gets checked, the referee calls the two men in the middle, yelling something, and then they back up. Paige leans into Blain, and then the place becomes more alive with raging anticipating fans.

  As they circle each other, Justin makes the first move and jabs at Levi, missing him. It takes what feels like an eternity for something to happen, but when it does…Levi strikes quickly, landing three or four punches. Justin returns, securing each one of his punches into Levi’s face and kicking him in the ribs.

  Paige grips Blain’s arm and I’m feeling queasy from the sound it made. Justin plants Levi’s back to the mat and begins hammering down on Levi’s face. Harvey, Perry, and Adam are all yelling while Levi bucks, squirming from side to side to get away from the massive blows. Just then, the referee calls the round and Paige takes a huge gulp of air.

  I’m bouncing from side to side watching Adam give Levi water and place an ice pack between his shoulder blades. But just as soon as they rushed in, they scrambled out and the bell dings again.

  Levi takes a deep breath, tucks his chin, raises his hands to protect his face and wastes absolutely no time. He rushes Justin, firing punches and landing kicks to the legs. It looks like he caught Justin off guard, and Justin stumbles backward into the cage. Levi follows in and relentlessly tries nailing him with more punches but Justin wraps him up and pulls him close against his body.

  They both punch each other in the ribs and in the body, but for some reason the ref pulls them apart and tells them to continue.

  Justin rushes Levi this time with a big left, followed by a right. Instantly, there’s blood pouring from Levi’s face. I gasp at the sight of it, covering my mouth with my hand. I can’t watch much more of this. I feel like I’m about to puke.

  I sit, dropping my view to my fingers and start pushing my cuticles back. I have to focus on something else, or I’m going to be sick. I can feel bile rising into my throat. Paige pats my shoulder and mouths, “Are you okay?” with concern in her eyes. I smile the best I can, nodding my head to try to reassure the both of us.

  I’m shoving my skin back, not paying a bit of attention, as the crowd around me roars and yells. All of a sudden the Earth below me shakes and the screams are from deep within everyone’s gut. I glance up and Levi’s jumping on the fence with Adam leaping to him. Justin is in the background being helped up by a few men dressed in black with blue medical gloves.

  I stand to get a better view of what’s going on when Paige wraps herself around my neck screaming that Levi won. Blain has his fist in the air, hollering his delight at the top of his lungs. Everything is a blur. Everyone is moving quickly and soon the cage fills with many people.

  A tall, bulky man steps to Levi. “Levi Stiles, you just won your first fight in the professionals. Tell us what you were thinking during the fight.”

  “I was focused on Justin’s body, watching for my time to attack,” Levi answers.

  “Justin got you pretty good. You stumbled a little bit. Did that scare you at all?”

  Levi laughs. “Nah. Just woke me up.”

  “That was a pretty lucky punch. Did you know it was going to be difficult?” the reporter asks with a pretentious tone.

  I hold my breath as Levi glares at the reporter and grabs his hand holding the microphone. “Don’t doubt me. I have merely just begun.”

  He pushes the microphone back into the guy and turns toward Adam and his coaches.

  Chapter 33

  I slap the button to the elevator and the doors immediately slide open. I tug Kelsie in behind me and hit our floor number. As the doors close, I grip her hair and claim her mouth. Her body falls into me, her hand landing on my chest. I push harder against her. It’s fair warning for what’s to come.

  Ding!

  I rip my mouth from hers, leaving her in a euphoric haze. Slowly, she opens her eyes and I clinch her hand tugging us out of the elevator. I’m on a mission to get to our room as quickly as possible, and I might be slightly dragging her behind me while I do it.

  I’m back on her plump pinks kicking the hotel door shut behind us. Our hands are frantic, tugging and pulling clothes off. She tosses her bra over her shoulder as I’m yanking out of my shirt. I back her against the wall and tug at her jeans. I want her beautiful body bare.

  She pulls at my waist band, dipping her hand low and grabbing my hard cock. She moans wrapping her fingers around me and strokes. I gently squeeze her tits, tweaking her nipples between my thumb and forefinger.

  She feathers kisses from my jawline, down my chest and abs until she’s resting on her knees.

  “You’re hungry for me,” I say thickly.

  Her eyes flick up, she flashes a sexy as hell smile, and then she takes me in her mouth.

  “Holy fuck,” I groan bracing my hands on the wall above her.

  Her tongue laps my skin, dragging across the edge of my dick. She grips my balls and kneads them as she continues her bob. Her hand slides down with her mouth, then back up, gripping me tightly and sucking me hard. She’s become a fucking pro at t
his.

  I guide her head and her eyes roll up to me.

  Fuck.

  The sight.

  Her lips wrapped around me, my dick disappearing into her mouth. I growl her name as my nuts tighten from the ache to be inside of her. I thrust into her mouth holding her head still. She releases her gaze from mine and I fuck her mouth.

  “Kelsie, I’m going to come,” I warn her, continuing to pump into her mouth.

  Fuck…

  I stop, pulling her up by the arms and grasping her cheeks. “You fucking drive me insane.”

  I move us to the couch, bending her over the arm. I waste no time fulfilling my desire for her and plunge my cock into her slick heat. She hisses as I shove to my tiptoes, burying myself. Hard and deep, her body takes all of me while I drive, giving her every inch. I pull her hair, and slap her ass.

  “Ah!” she cries out in pleasure.

  Long, heavy thrusts have us both in a rapture. Her back begins to arch deeper, her legs stretching to her tip toes, and she grips the edge of the cushion.

  “Adam…” she mewls. “Imma…”

  She begins to tighten around my cock. She rocks her hips back into me and I drive sharp, jutting thrusts. Her orgasm screams through her, one hand gripping the couch, the other clawing at my hip. Her ass cheeks ripple as I pound into her with eagerness. Her hips lurch against mine and I watch as she unravels.

  I slam into her with my own violent pleasure digging my fingers into the top of her ass.

  Our breaths are a ragged mess as I drop to the couch. She crawls over to me and drops her head to my chest. I’m sweaty, she’s sweaty, and the room smells like sex. Nothing like celebrating Levi’s win with my girl.

  We catch our breaths, and I call room service, ordering us both a steak and salad. While we wait, I take her to the shower and bathe her. You have no idea how much I love to feel her silky skin against my hands. The bump of her belly, the stretching of the skin—she’s marvelously exquisite.