The Fight Club - Boxed Set

by Becca Jameson

  He narrowed his gaze. “Bullshit. You’re scared. When I asked you to marry me, I thought I was marrying a feisty woman in jeans with a dirty mouth. What happened to her?”

  “She’s pregnant.”

  The long silent pause was deafening.

  She watched his face as he blinked several times.

  Shit. Would he be mad? They weren’t even married yet. Hell, they’d only been engaged a few weeks. He’d badgered her to sell her house and move in with him for months. Sabrina had hedged. It was a huge step. She worried about not having her own private space where she didn’t have to submit to him.

  Finally Conner had weaseled that concern out of her. He’d turned one of his guest rooms into an office and sat her down inside the wonderful inviting space. “No submitting in this room. I promise. It’s your domain. I won’t ask anything of you when you’re in here. Consider it a safe room.”

  When she’d woken up the next morning in his arms, she found him kissing each of her fingers. It took her a moment to realize there was a ring on her hand. He’d slipped it on in the night.

  Sabrina bolted up in bed and lifted her hand to her face. “Conner. Oh my God.”

  He smiled. “You like it?”

  She glared at him. “Usually men ask first and then put a ring on.”

  He shrugged. “I figured this way it would be too late for you to say no.”

  She swatted him with her other hand, still staring at the enormous rock.

  “Well?”

  “Well, what?” she teased.

  “Will you marry me, Sabrina?”

  She hesitated, but only for the satisfaction of making him squirm. When it appeared he might faint—his face was so white—she put him out of his misery. “Yes.”

  Now, she stared at that same man with that same white face once again. If he fainted on her, he would crush her with his weight. “Conner?” she whispered. Shit.

  “Are you sure?” he finally asked, licking his lips. He wiggled himself lower down her body and off her waist until he straddled her hips instead. His gaze roamed down to her belly.

  “Yes.” She held her breath, waiting for him to catch up to her. She’d known for a few days. He deserved a moment.

  They’d talked about having kids. It had worried her. Conner insisted he wanted them. But they hadn’t discussed when. Obviously now wasn’t exactly the plan.

  Finally, he released her wrists and smoothed his hands down her arms until he gripped her waist with his huge palms. He wormed his way down her body until he was flat, his face hovering over her belly.

  Sabrina couldn’t breathe. She hadn’t planned to tell him like this. She knew when it happened. Damn antibiotic she’d taken last month…

  Conner eased his palms under her shirt and pushed it up to her bra. He set his lips on her bare belly and kissed it reverently. “Best news ever.”

  She exhaled. Tears escaped the corners of her eyes.

  The hottest man alive loved her. He wasn’t mad. He lifted his gaze to her. “That gives you nine months.”

  “Nine months for what?”

  “To finish that book you’re writing before we never get enough sleep again.” He grinned.

  “Conner.” She groaned. He wouldn’t leave it alone.

  “Don’t sass me, woman. I don’t care if you are pregnant. I can still take you over my knee.”

  She giggled. He was so ridiculous sometimes. She decided to goad him. “You still haven’t used that flogger on me. Maybe if I’m extra naughty. Hmm.” She bit her lip while she pondered the idea. He was still reluctant to use the flogger, saying she was too important to him to risk her emotional ability to handle that level of dominance.

  “You’re kidding, right?” He narrowed his gaze. “No way in hell I’m flogging my pregnant wife.” He shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself calling her his wife, but she figured with this new information he was liable to drag her to the justice of the peace that very afternoon.

  Besides, the word sounded awesome coming from his lips. Wife.

  He steered the conversation back to her writing. “You’ll write the book and get a publisher before that baby comes, or I’ll withhold sex for months until you do.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.” Her eyes widened.

  He nodded. “In fact, it can be an incentive. If you don’t meet a daily word count, I don’t fuck you.”

  Her mouth fell open. “You can’t do that.”

  “Watch me.” His head dipped again to nuzzle her belly. “So happy,” he muttered.

  How had her world gotten so perfect so fast? She wove her hand into his hair. “I love you.”

  “Love you too, baby.” And then his tongue was on her, inching its way south. So much for packing…

  Lust

  Chapter One

  Zane swung into the passenger side of the ambulance and somehow managed to shut the door and buckle himself in before jerking his phone out and pressing speed dial for Rider.

  Vance drove. He turned on the siren before they pulled away from the fire station and headed west. “Rider called this in?” Vance glanced at Zane, who nodded as he listened to the phone ring on the other end.

  “Come on. Come on. Pick up.”

  “Zane.”

  Zane exhaled briefly before speaking. “Rider. You hurt? Emily?”

  “No. No. We’re both fine. Called this in from my neighbor’s house. Two doors to the left. You on the call?”

  “Yep. Be there in a few minutes. What’s the situation?”

  “Emily went outside to sit on the patio and heard screaming. She yelled for me, and I ran in the direction of the noise. Her name’s Abby. She just moved in about a month ago. We’ve only met a few times. I think Emily has talked to her more than that.”

  “Dude.”

  “Yes?”

  “What’s Abby’s problem?”

  “Shit. Right.” There was a pause, and then Rider lowered his voice. “She’s trapped under her back patio.”

  “Come again?”

  Rider’s voice grew more muffled. “Apparently there were kittens under the patio whining. Abby crawled halfway under to rescue them.” He was practically whispering.

  “Rider? What the hell are you not saying? I can barely hear you. Is it a secret that your neighbor is stuck?”

  “Fuck. Man. I’m trying not to chuckle,” he mumbled. “It’s not funny. A piece of the porch slipped and pinned her underneath.”

  “And this is funny how?” Zane held on to the handle above the door as Vance rounded a corner.

  Rider cleared his throat. He sounded more serious when he spoke again. “Uh. Well…”

  “Never fucking mind, dude. We’re pulling in. Be back there in a second.” Zane ended the call and dropped the cell next to him in the console.

  “What was that about?” Vance asked as they jumped from the ambulance and made their usual fast-paced walk to the back of the truck to grab their packs.

  The Vegas heat was already stifling this morning. Zane felt the hot sun burning the back of his neck. “Not a fucking clue. Some woman is trapped under her porch. Not sure what Rider was mumbling about, but somehow he finds this humorous.”

  Vance tipped his head and grinned. “You never know. I’ve only been with the department six months myself, but Lord have I already seen my share of weirdness.” Vance heaved his pack higher up on his shoulder as they both rounded the side of the house.

  The first person Zane saw was Emily, Rider’s fiancée. She was kneeling next to the steps of the back porch, leaning forward.

  Rider grabbed Zane’s attention next. He jogged into Zane’s line of sight. “You’re gonna need some tools to extract her. I think there’s a nail jabbing her.”

  Zane nodded, furrowing his brow as he rounded the steps and came around Emily. And then he hesitated. Jesus.

  Whoever Abby was, she had the best fucking set of legs he’d ever seen, and the finest ass too, made all the more obvious by the fact that she wore cut-off jean
s that were short enough he could see the rounded globes of her amazing ass peeking out from underneath.

  And that was all he could see because the rest of her was hidden under the porch.

  Vance didn’t seem nearly as affected. He immediately kneeled at Abby’s other side and set a hand on her thigh.

  Zane gritted his teeth. For some fucked-up reason that made not one lick of sense, he didn’t like Vance fondling the sexy legs. He felt the irrational urge to swat Vance away and take his spot next to the sweetest ass he’d ever seen.

  A slightly repressed chuckle to his right made Zane whip his gaze to find Rider staring at him, his lips pursed and his eyes dancing with mirth.

  The man was right. This was not a laughing matter, but holy mother of God, Rider knew Zane well. He’d clearly been trying to find a tactful way of warning Zane about Miss Sexy Legs and hadn’t managed to get the words out before Zane arrived.

  Vance’s voice jerked Zane back to face the situation. “I think we need some tools, Zane. Call for backup.”

  Zane didn’t like the sound of that. He rushed forward, ignoring the request and kneeling on the ground behind Miss Legs, intent on figuring out what on earth had her so stuck they needed more equipment.

  Emily leaned out of his way as Zane placed one hand on the ground beside Abby’s hip and lowered his face to peer under the porch.

  Fuck.

  The first thing he noticed was the board that had slipped and fallen on her ass just below her waist. The second thing he noticed was the nail sticking out the top of the board, rusted and crooked. If that nail was as long as he suspected, a good portion of it was currently puncturing her ass.

  And then he heard her voice for the first time. She sniffled and then spoke softly. “Can you lift it off?”

  Zane twisted his gaze to Vance, who raised his eyebrows and stood. “Okay, then. I’ll call it in. You talk to the woman.”

  “Abby,” a tiny voice informed them.

  As Vance moved to step back a few paces, Zane took the spot he vacated. “Abby. Ma’am. My name’s Zane. I’m a medic with the fire department. We’re working on it. Hang tight, okay?”

  “Zane…” It sounded as though she was trying his name out on her lips.

  He leaned closer, trying to get a better look at her. But it was too dark under the steps and all he could see was a mass of black hair. “I’m right here, Abby. Hold on, hon.”

  “I’m scared. And dirty. And embarrassed.”

  Zane chuckled low. “I’m sure you are. Don’t worry. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Shit happens.” He touched the board lying across her back and started to lift it. It barely budged.

  Abby squealed. “God. Stop. Oh my God.” Her legs tensed; her toes, tucked in an old pair of sneakers, curled under to brace herself.

  Zane released the board slowly. Shit. “Okay. Okay. I won’t touch it again.” He shifted his gaze to follow the length of the board. It had dislodged from the bottom of the porch but remained wedged tight on one end. The only lucky aspect of this situation was it had stopped short of putting all of its weight on Abby. It was long and heavy.

  “It hurts so bad.” She began to cry.

  Her sobbing tore a hole in Zane, and he tried to shake the irrationality of the way he felt about this woman he’d never seen. Fine legs and a fantastic ass, albeit an impaled one, were not usually the only criteria he used to select a woman. A serious case of pure lust.

  Sirens wailed again. He knew they were getting close. “There’s a fire truck almost here, baby. They have more tools than the ambulance.” He leaned in, squeezing himself a few inches under the porch alongside her, telling himself she needed the moral support. And why the hell was he assigning her endearing nicknames? Baby? Jesus.

  A small hand, covered in dirt, wormed its way toward him and grabbed his as he reached closer to brush her hair back. He still couldn’t see her face, but he felt the wetness of her tears running down her cheeks. “It hurts, Zane.”

  “I know, baby. We’re gonna get you out of this. I promise.” The nail must be deep.

  He thought she nodded as she gripped his hand tighter. Her fingers dug into his palm. He didn’t give a fuck.

  She rested her cheek on her other arm bent under her head. “I’ve never been so humiliated in my life.”

  Zane stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. It was all he could do to soothe her. “You’re going to be fine. Think about something else.” He glanced around in the dark and spotted a flashlight next to her. It wasn’t on. He needed to talk to her to keep her calm. “Emily said you were looking for kittens. Where are they?”

  She sniffled. “Damn things ran out as soon as I wiggled under here and got stuck.”

  He chuckled at her cussing. She was feisty. He liked feisty. What are you thinking, man? Who cares if she’s feisty? “Figures. Squirrelly little things. Can’t trust them to stay still for one minute,” he teased.

  “Are you making fun of me?” She winced. “Never mind. I’d make fun of me too.”

  Zane reached for the flashlight with his free hand.

  “Batteries are dead,” she muttered.

  “Figures.”

  “Yeah. I’m not having a good day. Better watch out. The house might fall on you.” She didn’t laugh. In fact she winced again. At least he’d managed to keep her mind off her problem for a few minutes.

  Voices behind Zane told him the cavalry had arrived. He twisted his head an inch to see better, but Abby gripped him harder. “Don’t leave. I’m scared.”

  “Not going anywhere, baby,” he whispered, holding her firmly. “I’ve got you.”

  Two men from the station moved closer. He watched their feet as they shuffled forward to assess the situation.

  Zane spoke to them from his semi-hidden location. “There must be a nail sticking out the other side of that board. She’s pinned pretty good.”

  “Got it.” That voice belonged to Gavin. That meant the other legs were undoubtedly Troy’s. Good men. They would get her out of this mess, but Zane’s chest actually hurt for the pain she would endure as though she were his own wife. He stopped breathing for a second at the absurdity of that thought.

  The men discussed their options for several moments and then leaned in closer. Troy spoke. “Gonna have to hoist this board off her. We’ll use a jack. Zane, can you hold her steady when we’re ready?”

  “Yep.” He hated every bit of this. Usually he could remain completely disassociated when on a call. Always. Not usually. He was trained to separate his emotions while at work.

  Not this time. Not this woman. Not Abby.

  She whimpered again. “What’s he talking about?” she mumbled.

  Zane inched farther under the porch. He was almost in the same predicament as she was now, his back grazing against the underside of the wood. His face was nearly level with hers, though he couldn’t see her features clearly. Her hair was a tangled mess all around her, long thick locks blocking his view, concealing her further in the darkness. He could barely make out her lips, and only because she licked them. “They’re going to use a jack, kind of like a car jack, to lift the porch off you.”

  She sucked in a breath. “That’s gonna hurt like a mother fucker.”

  Zane chuckled. “Yes it is, but the alternative is spending the rest of your life under this porch in the dark waiting for the rusty nail to kill you slowly.”

  She almost giggled, her body shaking as she took in his words. “Don’t make me laugh. That hurts even more.”

  “Sorry, baby.” He stroked her hand again. “I’m going to let go of your hand and brace your legs now.”

  She gripped harder. “Not sure I like that idea.”

  “It’s not my first choice for this morning either, baby.”

  She released his grip, curling her hand into a fist and tucking it under her chest. She took a deep breath. “Zane.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m really, really stuck. It feels like a ten-inch nail is running
into my ass.”

  “I know. And we’re going to get you out from under here. And it’s going to hurt. And then I’m going to take you to the hospital and they will fix you up.”

  “Ready?” Gavin asked from above.

  Zane wiggled his hand out from under the porch and gripped Abby’s thigh right below her ass cheek. He held her tight.

  She tensed, every muscle under his hand firming. “Shit.”

  “You okay, Abby? They’re going to start lifting now.”

  “Mmm hmm. Too bad the most action I’ve had with a man in months is beneath my back porch with a nail impaling my ass, but sure. Go for it.”

  Zane chuckled. He held her tighter, gripping her thigh and biting his cheek to stave off his ridiculous reaction to her sexy ass. Her fucking perfect sexy ass. Firm. Smooth. An excellent handful. And impaled with a rusty nail, you asshole.

  Abby screamed as the jack lifted the porch. Her body jerked, but Zane held her firmly in his grip, his fingers digging in to her thigh, oh so precariously close to her pussy.

  “Son of a bitch,” she yelled. “Just fucking do it already.”

  “Can you move any faster?” Zane twisted his face to shout.

  Troy leaned over. “Trying.”

  And then the jack stopped a few inches above her ass, and Gavin spoke again. “That’s all we can do. We’re going to have to cut the nail. It’s embedded deep.”

  Abby squealed. “What did he say?”

  Zane held her hand tighter and wiggled his other arm back under the porch to brush her hair off her face again. “They have special tools to cut through the nail, Abby. It’s gonna be okay.”

  She shook her head. “No. God. No no no.”

  He held her face in his hand. “It’s the only way. Normal procedure. Without knowing how deep that nail is, we need to transport you to the hospital without removing it. Let them handle it.”

  “Oh God.” Her voice squeaked with renewed panic. “Can’t they just fucking pull it out?”

  “I wish they could, baby.” He brushed tears from her cheek. He couldn’t see her face, but he could feel her fear with his fingers. Her lips were pursed as she set her other cheek on the ground in defeat.