by T A. McKay
The Hard To Love series boxset
T.a. McKay
Contents
Worth The Fight
Cover
Foreword
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Make Me Trust
Cover
Prologue
1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10
11. Chapter 11
12. Chapter 12
13. Chapter 13
14. Chapter 14
15. Chapter 15
16. Chapter 16
17. Chapter 17
18. Chapter 18
19. Chapter 19
20. Chapter 20
21. Chapter 21
22. Chapter 22
23. Chapter 23
24. Chapter 24
25. Chapter 25
26. Chapter 26
27. Chapter 27
28. Chapter 28
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
This Isn’t Me
Cover
Prologue
1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10
11. Chapter 11
12. Chapter 12
13. Chapter 13
14. Chapter 14
15. Chapter 15
16. Chapter 16
17. Chapter 17
18. Chapter 18
19. Chapter 19
20. Chapter 20
21. Chapter 21
22. Chapter 22
23. Chapter 23
24. Chapter 24
25. Chapter 25
26. Chapter 26
27. Chapter 27
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by T.a. McKay
Worth The Fight
The ring is his home. It’s the place he feels in control.
Zeke ‘The Storm’ Raine has his life all planned out.
Fight it.
Win it.
Own it.
The plan was working, it’s almost his time to shine, to be the ultimate.
One moment was all it took to bring it all crashing down around him. One punch, one moment of distraction, one mistake by another and his dream could be a faint memory.
Bryce Tanner, one time fighter and now the coach Zeke doesn’t think he needs. Moving to a new country to take this job, and he's determined that he will succeed. Now that he's met Zeke, Bryce must make his own plans, rules that he is going to have to work hard to stick to.
Be strong.
Be professional.
Be his coach.
He just doesn’t know if he will be able to resist.
Passions run high, making their professional relationship difficult. Can they keep the outward façade while becoming more?
Now Zeke needs to decide, is he willing to walk away from what he loves?
Will he be able to win the most important fight of his life?
Worth The Fight
Copyright © T.a. McKay, 2015
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Cover art by Kari March designs~ https://www.facebook.com/Karimarchdesigns/?fref=ts
Formatting by: T.a. McKay
Editing by T.a. McKay , Ellie Aspill and Nicola Haken
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or used factiously and any resemblance to actual people, dead or alive, business, establishments, locales or events is entirely coincidental. Any reference to real events, businesses or organizations is intended only to give the fiction a sense of realism and authenticity.
All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means – electronic, mechanical, photographic (photocopying), recording or otherwise – without prior permission in writing from the author.
Pirating an author’s work is a crime and will be treated as such.
Dedication
To everyone who has ever had to hide who they are. To the people who have to live a life that isn’t theirs just to keep other people happy.
This is for you, may you find the courage to be who you really are.
Foreword
Authors note:
As much as I’ve tried to keep the facts in this book as real as possible, it remains a work of fiction so I took artistic license with parts of it. It may not be fully true to life, but sacrifices need to be made for the sake of the story. So on that note, read on … and I hope you enjoy!
Prologue
I pound my fist into the bag, enjoying the feeling of my muscles flex as I release the power that’s built up in them. My muscles contract as I pull my fist back, getting ready to strike again. This is what I love most about training, the control, the precision, and the power. There’s no better feeling in the world than connecting perfectly with the punch bag, knowing that if it were flesh, it would have left some serious damage.
People think that fighting is all about anger and rage, but it’s not. There’s a rhythm to it, a reason for every movement, it’s almost like a dance. You need to be light on your feet, agile, and have the skill to dodge every hit thrown your way. After that comes the strength and how much power you can pack into every single punch.
I feel pressure on my wrists and a burning sensation in my knuckles that lets me know that this workout will leave marks. I smirk to myself before throwing my body into a full round house kick. I apply as much force into my leg as I can and the bag jolts away from me, swaying as I feel sweat dripping down my back. I jab and duck, avoiding my imaginary opponent.
Jab, jab, duck.
Jab, jab, uppercut.
I’m lost in my rhythm, concentrating solely on making sure my form is better than perfect. I’m so consumed in what I'm doing that I don’t hear the footsteps behind me. But I don’t miss the hand that grabs onto my shoulder though. The sudden contact makes me turn and instinctively pull back my fist to punch whoever’s touching me. I manage to stop myself just before I connect with a face that’s full of shock. Ethan. He stands still as all the color drains from his cheeks and a look of panic flashes in his eyes. I would feel bad if the guy didn’t annoy me to the point of distraction.
“What?” I know there are people who might think I'm being rude if they heard me, that I'm an asshole, but little do they know that I’m being as nice to him as I can possibly manage. If I had my way and could do whatever I wanted, I would punch him every time I see his annoying little face. Especially now that he’s interrupting my training time, this is as nice as it’s going to get.
“Coach wants to see you,” he mumbles as
I turn away from him and get in a couple more hits on the bag before I remove my wraps. Ethan tries to help me but with one glare he quickly moves away. I throw my wraps at him when I pass and head towards Coach’s office. Coach’s name is actually Eddie, but I don’t think I’ve ever called him that, he even introduced himself as Coach the first time I turned up here. I can’t remember ever hearing anyone calling him by his name either, not even the guys who are older than him.
I knock on his door and enter before he can respond. He’s called me to his office so he knows I’m coming. He’s sitting behind his desk with a huge diary laid out in front of him and I know he's checking out the scheduling for the upcoming fights.
“You wanted to see me, Coach?”
He looks up from the diary with a start like he’s almost shocked to see me standing in front of him. That’s when you see the fighter he used to be. He might not have the body or stamina to be in the ring anymore, but when he focuses on a task it’s the only thing in existence. That’s what every fighter needs, there’s nothing as important as your concentration, your composure and your form. You need to have that one single goal, that drive when you get into the ring. The moment you step through the ropes the world could go up in flames and you wouldn’t notice.
“Yeah, Zeke. How’s the training going?”
I sit in the chair across the desk from him and lean back, putting my feet up on his desk. He stands and walks to the corner of his office, grabbing a towel from the rack on the wall. He throws it to me before knocking my feet off the desk. It’s our usual routine and one we’ve done a thousand times but it doesn’t make it any less comical to me. I take the towel from my lap where it landed after it hit me in the chest, and wipe the sweat from my face and shoulders as Coach walks back round to his side of the desk.
“S’all good. I’ll be ready to face Man-eater next week. And while I’m on the subject, what a stupid fucking name? How can he expect anyone to take him serious with that?”
I watch Coach take his seat again, his eyes never leaving me as he lowers himself onto the chair. “You’re still dropping your left shoulder, that’s gonna lose you the fight.”
I use all my strength to try and resist rolling my eyes. It’s the same critique I’ve been getting since I started fighting years ago, and well, this year I haven’t lost a single fight yet.
“You know who could probably help you with that? Ethan. You know, since he's your coach and all.”
I grind my teeth, my jaw aching from the sudden pressure. “Trainee coach, and one I never asked for. You know I think the guy’s an ass. He doesn’t know how to do his job and I have absolutely no need for him.”
Coach sighs and he leans forward towards me with his arms resting on the desk. “Zeke, he’s going to be your coach one day. When you hit the big time I won’t be able to give you the time you’ll need. You need someone who will be there for you, no one else.” I’ve heard this speech so many times now and, as usual, it falls on deaf ears. I don’t want Ethan as my coach, I want Eddie and I'm pretty sure when I hit the big leagues he’ll give in and train me. After all, I’ll be the one bringing in the big money. All I need to do is win the fight next week and I’ll be one step closer to hitting the UFC. That’s the dream, and the one I'm planning on living very soon. I’ve spent my entire life training for this so winning is the only option. I was good at school, and smarter than anyone realized, but when my dad made me fight I knew I had found my passion. Suddenly, there was nothing more important than my next fight.
I look out the office window and see Asha walk past, throwing her long dark hair over her shoulder as she catches me looking. She smiles at me, biting her lip and giving me that shy look that won her my attention last time. I don’t even know why she’s here, all she seems to do is strut around in her very tight gym clothes. I haven’t seen her use any of the equipment, the only thing that she seems to do is the fighters. I rise from my seat and walk to the door, more than ready to get a little relief for the day.
“Zeke, I'm not done with you yet. We need to talk about Ethan, about you letting him help you.”
I wave my hand over my shoulder, not willing to have this discussion again. It bores me and there’s something, or maybe that should be someone, much more exciting that I want to do. “It’s not something I want to talk about. The guy isn’t my coach, he never will be. You will be following me into the big leagues, old man.” I walk out of his office just in time to see a smiling Asha walk into the locker room and I feel my body harden in anticipation.
I start to follow her when I hear Eddie hollering behind me. “Hey less of the fucking old, and I'm not going anywhere, boy. You hear me?”
I smirk. It’s the same answer every single time.
Chapter 1
My knee bounces in time to the music playing through my headphones, the built up tension from my nerves is too much to keep in. I'm always like this right before a fight, the need to get out into the cage overwhelming, and it’s even worse tonight. This is the night. This is what all these years of training have been for. Tonight is the final fight with Rage, and when I win, it will pave my way into the bigger arenas, into the main stream and hopefully into the ring with the UFC. That will mean bigger fights, more money, and a lot more respect. It will take just this one win to change my life.
I hold my hands out in front of me as Ethan tapes them up. I hate him doing it, this isn’t his job and I don’t want him touching me, but the cut man is late and the officials don’t want to hold up the fight. Both fighters agreed to allow our coaches to tape us up and let the ref check them before we leave the locker room. I wanted Coach to do it, but he's already ringside which leaves me stuck in this situation with Mr. Incapable. I zone out, trying not to focus on the clusterfuck that this fight is becoming. There’s been so many things go wrong already and I haven’t even left the locker room. This isn’t helping my focus at all. I close my eyes and listen to my music, trying to clear my head. I want to be able to block out the world, but the only thing I can concentrate on is Ethan and the fact that he isn’t using the right wraps. I think all sportsmen have silly traditions once they get a winning streak, a routine that they don’t deviate from. My red Meister wraps are something I’ve been using all year and they’re not the ones currently being wound around my hands.
“They’re the wrong wraps. Take them off and get the right ones.” My voice is so loud that even I can hear myself over my music. Ethan jumps slightly and I can’t help the slight smirk of satisfaction. He doesn’t stop what he's doing so I pull my hand away and push the headphones off my head so they sit at the back of my neck.
“Maybe you didn’t hear me right. Let me explain it just one more time. You are using the wrong wraps, now go get the right ones.”
Again he doesn’t acknowledge me and he also doesn’t move to do what I ask. This kid is seriously starting to piss me off. He’s actually only a few years younger than me but with his lack of confidence I swear he acts more like a nervous teenager than a peer. I’ve tried to tell Coach that I can’t have someone like Ethan training me, the guy jumps at his own shadow and I can’t take advice from someone like that, but he won’t listen. When Ethan finally finds his voice it comes out as a squeaky mess and I'm not sure if it’s that or his next words that nearly send me into a tailspin.
“I don’t have your normal wraps, I forgot to pick them up from the training room.”
I stare at the top of his head, trying to calm the inferno that’s suddenly raging inside me. I’m a second away from ripping the little fucker’s head off when Coach walks into the dressing room.
He must sense the tension and see that I’m one breath away from losing my shit, because he walks over and places his hand firmly on my shoulder. “What’s up boys? I thought you would be finishing up by now. You don’t have much time until the intros, Zeke.”
I just glare at Ethan, hoping my eyes are burning holes through that thick skull of his. I don’t ask him to do much, I’m pretty s
elf-sufficient when I train. The only thing I need him to do is fucking sort all the fight prep. Is that really too much to ask?
“I would be finished, but someone forgot to bring the right equipment.” I make no effort to hide the anger that seeps into my tone, letting everyone within listening distance know just how pissed I am.
The hand on my shoulder tightens momentarily before letting go. “Well those look a lot like red wraps to me.” I know he can see they aren’t the right ones, the tone of his voice making it sound like he's trying to placate a two year old who isn’t getting their own way. I know that it’s a silly ritual that I’ve gotten into the habit of doing but I don’t care. It’s been working for the last ten months and I don’t want to change it now. I look at Coach, clenching my jaw as I bite my tongue. I need to stay calm. I need to keep my focus for the real fight. I hold my hands out to Ethan again and let him finish his job. I'm not happy about this and it’s the final straw. I don’t care what Coach says; the incapable fucker will be gone after this fight if I have anything to do with it.
