Meant for Me (A Second Chance standalone)

by L. P. Dover

  Lifting a questioning brow, I glanced at Tyler and then back to Jake. “What’s he talking about?”

  Jake gazed proudly around the room and smiled. “When I started this part of the club it was actually Tyler who I thought of. I knew he was training with his old man and learning how to fight. I love the sport of MMA fighting. It takes great talent, strength, and most importantly dedication to do what those guys do. With the people we have coming into the club I thought it would be a good idea to help the guys who wanted to get noticed. Some of the guys who fought in here have earned sponsorships and are on their way up to becoming well known UFC fighters.”

  “That’s great, Jake,” I uttered honestly. “If you don’t have anything to do with the dead fighters then why are you going to tuck tail and run? It would make you look guilty.”

  Sadly, he said, “I know, but until the case gets solved with the police I might not have a choice.”

  I could understand where he was coming from, but if he shut down the fighting then Mason might never get the ‘in’ he needed to figure out who was behind the deaths. I squeezed Jake’s hand to reassure him. “I agree with Ty,” I expressed firmly, “if you are doing this to help people find their breaks in life then keep doing it. You might be helping the future champion of the world and not even know it yet.”

  Jake grinned and pinched my cheek. “You always knew how to cheer me up, didn’t you?”

  “It’s just part of my charm,” I bragged. “So what are you going to do?”

  “I guess I’ll keep the fights open for now. However, if the shit starts getting really heavy for me I’ll have no choice but to shut it all down.”

  All I could say was, “I understand.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us tonight for this epic battle that’s about to take place. Tonight’s fight will be between Chase “The Charger” Benfield and Mason “The Eagle” Bradley!” The crowd roared and clapped ferociously as Chase and Mason took their places beside the announcer. With his black suit and slicked back brown hair, the announcer turned to Chase and said, “So tell me, Mr. Benfield, from what I heard before the fight you made quite an ordeal about getting in this cage with Mason. What’s up with that?”

  “Oh no,” I groaned.

  Chase leaned into the microphone and glared straight over at Mason. “Let’s just say it’s for payback that’s long overdue.”

  The crowd was intrigued, staring mesmerizingly at the stage when the announcer turned to Mason. “I see we have a grudge match tonight.”

  Mason rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders dismissively. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “Now what made you take up the name, ‘The Eagle?’ I see you have one tattooed on your arm there,” he said while nodding toward his arm.

  Mason’s gaze was on the floor of the cage, but I saw the ghost of a smile spread across his face before he lifted his head and answered, “Eagles are strong … warriors of the sky. They seek out their prey without being detected, and when they strike, they strike hard and fast.”

  The way he said it so seriously made shivers race across my skin. I knew the meaning of his words, but I knew no one else did. Seeking out his prey meant seeking out the ones responsible for the deaths, and once he found them he would strike hard and fast. I had no doubt.

  Before the bell sounded, beginning the fight, Mason took one quick glance my way and winked. The sound of the bell echoed loudly throughout the room and the moment it struck, Mason got into stance and attacked. I thought Chase would have been the one to strike first, but he didn’t; Mason beat him to it.

  The sound of flesh hitting flesh made me cringe, except at least it was Mason getting all of the good hits in. “He’s really good,” Jake announced in awe. “Why did he quit fighting?”

  As much as I hated lying to him, I went with what Mason’s record would show. “He got involved with drugs and such and had to go to rehab. I didn’t know him then so I really don’t know all the details.”

  Jake didn’t push for more information and I was thankful for that. After three rounds of brutal kicks, punches, and wrestling around on the mat, Chase finally started to wear down. I could tell Mason was getting tired, too, but he hid it well. With one last burst of energy, Chase took Mason to the mat, trying to capture him in a submission hold. He failed miserably, giving Mason the opportunity to lock him in an armbar hold.

  “This is it,” Tyler yelled. My heart pounded anxiously as I waited for Chase to submit. The second I saw Chase’s hand beat against the mat signaling his submission, I screamed for joy and bounced out of my seat along with everyone else in the arena. Mason immediately let Chase go and ran around the cage with his arms lifted victoriously.

  “Everyone, I’m happy to announce that our winner who delivered a spectacular armbar submission hold is Mason ‘The Eagle’ Bradley!” the announcer roared into the microphone.

  “Mason, you did it!” I screamed excitedly.

  The second he heard my voice he ran to the fence and jumped over it, landing in front of me on the floor. “You’re damn right I did,” he boasted, scooping me into his arms and crushing his lips to mine. He was all sweaty and hot from the fight, but I didn’t care. If he wanted everyone to see him kissing me I was all for it.

  “Let’s get out of here,” he growled low in my ear. When he let me go, the way he gazed at me with those heat-filled green eyes made my insides clench in anticipation. It was a raw and primal look that promised a night of hard, rough sex. I had never seen him so pumped with adrenaline or so full of life like he was now. It was like he was high on it.

  Tyler congratulated Mason on winning, along with many other people walking by to show their congratulations. “I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I got up there,” he admitted truthfully.

  Jake patted him on the arm. “Well, you did great, son. You should consider getting back into it … professionally.”

  Mason’s eyes lit up with hope for only one second before he sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know if that’s possible since I’ve been away from it for so long, but I’ll keep it in mind.”

  “Either way, I think you missed your calling. Would you want to fight next Friday night if you’re still in town?” Jake extended his hand and lifted a brow, waiting on an answer.

  Mason put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed while shaking Jake’s hand with the other. “I would love to, but I want the best fighter you have on your list,” he requested.

  Jake’s eyes went wide. “Are you sure about that? You know you’ll most likely go up against one of the pros. They often agree to fight for fun when someone gets a wild hair up their ass to test their worth.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Mason replied. “Set it up and I’ll be here.”

  “All right, I’ll get it scheduled,” he said to Mason, and then to me he said, “You get your rest, kitten. Make sure you get here early so you can warm up. You can change into your outfit when you get here.”

  “Is it the one I used to wear when I danced before?” I inquired eagerly.

  Jake nodded. “Of course it is. What else would the summer goddess wear? However, it’s not exactly the same one you wore. I had another one made for you since the other one is over five years old.” He grinned at us both and motioned toward the door. “Now go and get out of here. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  We strolled past him and out of the arena to the inside of the club. “Yes, let’s get out of here,” Mason insisted impatiently. “I’m dying to get your legs wrapped around me.”

  Bursting out in laughter, I smiled up at him and joked teasingly, “Is that all you want?”

  When we got out to the parking lot, instead of opening the door for me he caged me against the truck with his arms on both sides of me. We were hidden from prying eyes and I was thankful for that. He kissed me on the lips then down my neck to my bare collarbone while gripping my hips and pulling me in tighter against his hard cock. Moving his hips, he rubbed his body ag
ainst my already sensitive clit.

  “You know that’s not all that I want. I’m going to have you screaming and begging for me to take you tonight. I want to taste you … touch you until your body only craves what I can give you.” He trailed his tongue down my chest to the top mounds of my breasts, still moving his hardness between my legs. I was soaked and on the verge of orgasm, and his next words sent me over the edge.

  “I want to see your face when I make you come over and over again as I fuck you. I want to feel how wet you get when I release everything I have deep inside your body.”

  I gripped his shoulders hard as my body exploded, sending a warm rush of liquid coating the inside of my underwear. Mason moaned in my ear and bit down. “I could tell that felt good,” he teased huskily. Breathing hard, my knees grew weak as the last tremors of my orgasm had me shaking against him. Quickly, I glanced around the parking lot, making sure no one was around, and I took his hand and placed it on my bare thigh. Slowly, I lifted his hand under my dress to the wetness that saturated my black, lacy thongs. He pushed a finger inside of me and groaned, leaning his forehead to mine.

  “Fuck, you’re so wet. We need to get back to the hotel … now.”

  He slid his finger out and slowly brought it to his mouth, moaning as he sucked off every drop of my desire. “You better be ready for tonight because I’m going to enjoy every single minute of it.”

  He opened my door and shut it behind me, quickly coming around to his. We didn’t have too far to go until we got to the Bellagio, but even five minutes was excruciating. I wanted him desperately and he wanted me just as much. I had never felt that level of passion before and it was intoxicating. He said he was going to enjoy every single minute of what he was going to do to me, and there was one thing I knew for certain …

  I was going to enjoy it more.

  I was high …

  I was high from the fight, from the adrenaline that pumped through my veins with being in the cage and being noticed again for the first time in years, not to mention I kicked Chase’s ass. The fighter I used to be was still in me, but this time I fought for a different reason. I fought for the chance to be better, to be better than what I once was. I fought for the blue eyed girl whose naked flesh was wrapped around my body.

  The moment we got back to the hotel room I ripped the little black dress off her body and all of my clothes as well. I kissed her, tasting the sweetness of her tongue as it mingled with mine. She always smelled like raspberries and I knew it came from the Bath and Body Works lotion she loved to wear. It smelled so fucking good on her.

  She giggled as the stubble on my chin grazed across her neck. “Maybe you should fight more often,” she teased. “I think I like this side of you.” I liked this side of me, too.

  Eyes closed, Claire moaned and arched her back, making her perfectly plump nipples perk up higher, inviting me to them. I flicked my tongue across one of them and smiled when I saw her bite her lip. My dick was so hard it hurt, but I loved watching her squirm. I circled my tongue around her nipple before closing my lips and sucking as hard as I could. She gasped and clenched her legs tighter around me, trying to thrust her hips up. Her tits were perfect and just the right size to fit under my hand as I massaged them … so soft.

  “Does it feel good when I suck hard like that?” I asked as I kissed my way down her stomach.

  “Yes,” she breathed. “It feels so good it almost hurts.”

  As I moved down her body, tasting every inch, as I promised her I would do, she ran her fingers through my hair and held on tight. I loved it when she touched me and even more so when I could feel her shaking with the need to have me inside her. I kissed the insides of her thighs until I got to the delicious spot between her legs that was already swollen and ready to be touched. Spreading her legs wider, I teased her clit with my tongue and watched her tremble as chill bumps fanned out across her skin.

  “Please,” she begged.

  Her voice came out a strangled whisper, but it was all the motivation I needed. No more teasing … no more playing around. As deep as I could go, I tasted her and watched her face as I brought her to climax. She was so fucking perfect and she was mine … always going to be mine. I don’t know how I ever let her slip away.

  Slowly, I crawled up her body so I could gaze down at her clear blue eyes when I made love to her. “Did you like that?” I asked with a smirk on my face.

  She chuckled and wrapped her legs around my waist. “You have no idea how much,” she murmured in that seductive voice of hers. “Now I want to feel you inside me.”

  Pushing in just a little bit, I circled my hips to get her ready for me. “Like this?” I asked, thrusting in a little deeper.

  She shook her head and whispered, “No, I need more.”

  She was so tight and clenching so hard I felt like I was going to lose my fucking mind. When I entered her fully, she gripped her legs tighter around my waist and moved her hips along with mine as I thrust inside of her. I licked and sucked her nipples one after the other as I pounded my hips against hers. Her cries and moans were about to send me over the edge, especially when she groaned out my name.

  “Mason …”

  “I love you, Claire,” I murmured in her ear.

  “And I love you,” she breathed.

  The second her nails dug into my back and her muscles clenched tighter around my cock, I knew it was game over. She started to scream as her orgasm started to hit its peak, but I covered my mouth over hers and muffled her cries with my own as I came inside of her. Gazing down at her and that beautiful smile on her face, I realized there was nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for her. She was smart, funny, adventurous, and extremely tough for a female. The only thing about loving hard is falling hard when you lose it.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked quietly.

  I brushed the hair off her forehead and smiled down at her. “Because you’re everything I’ve always wanted, and now that I have you I’m so afraid of losing you.”

  Her eyes welled up and a tear fell down the side of her face. “I feel the same way, Mason,” she admitted. “I’m ready for all of this to be over so we can go home.”

  I knew exactly how she felt. I had no clue where to go or what to do. I was no closer to figuring out the case than when I first started. Lying down beside her, I pulled her to my chest and ran my fingers through her soft blonde hair.

  “It’ll all be over soon, baby. I promise,” I told her.

  She nodded and wrapped her arm around my waist. After she fell asleep I laid there for a while contemplating ways to find the opening I needed. What did the fighters who died have in common?

  Quietly, I slipped out of bed, trying hard not to wake her, and started up my laptop. They all died on a Saturday night, which had me on edge because in the next twenty-four hours it would be Saturday night, and I had no clue if there was going to be someone showing up dead.

  There had to be something that linked them all together somehow. I went down the list and searched every single thing I could find out about each fighter. It only took me getting through half the list to see a trend. The only thing that didn’t make sense was that Austin wasn’t like any of them, or maybe he was and I just didn’t know it. People changed all the time.

  Hell, I did. I’m not the same man I was before. However, I had a feeling my honor was going to keep me from getting where I needed to go. To get noticed I had to bring someone back from the past.

  The old Mason needed to return.

  “You want to do what?” Claire asked incredulously.

  She glared at me from the bathroom doorway, hands on her hips and wearing a silky blue robe that hit mid-thigh. We had to be at the club early so she could warm up and change and while she was getting ready in the bathroom I went into detail with what my plan was. Obviously, she didn’t like it.

  “It’s only when we’re out in public,” I assured her. “Trust me, I don’t want to do this, but I’ve only been in th
e cage once, and if someone out there is scouting for fighters they’re not going to want someone straight-edged like me. They would want someone cocky, someone greedy enough to accept their challenge. That’s what the other fighters were like. From what I found on the internet they were arrogant assholes.”

  Claire blew out a frustrated breath and sat beside me on the bed. “What exactly are you going to do other than be a complete dick? You’re not going to be all over other women and stuff in this act are you?”

  I couldn’t help it, but I burst out laughing and pushed her back on the bed, hovering over her. “Would you be jealous?” I teased, hoping to lighten the mood.

  She pursed her lips and glared. “No, I wouldn’t be jealous, but the last thing I would ever put up with is a guy I’m dating flirting with other women in front of me. Jake would probably kick you out of the club if he thought you treated me bad.”

  I wouldn’t consider ever doing that to her anyway. Being around other women never even crossed my mind. Gently kissing her lips, I pulled back and smiled. “Oh, Claire, you never cease to amaze me. I hadn’t planned on flirting with any other women. I’m not stupid, and furthermore, it never crossed my mind. I don’t plan on doing anything to jeopardize me and you. The only thing I need to do is be my old hotheaded and conceited self.”

  Staring at me with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, she relaxed underneath me and said, “Okay, I think I can handle that … especially if you make love to me like you did last night.”

  Shit, why did she have to say that now when we needed to get ready to leave? Groaning, I laid my forehead down on hers as my dick jumped to attention. She laughed under her breath and shook her head. “You’re insatiable, aren’t you?”

  Reluctantly, I rolled off of her and helped her off the bed. “Only for you, baby. Now go finish getting ready before we’re late. I’m ready to see you work your magic tonight.”