Bucking Bear (Pounding Hearts #3)

by Izzy Sweet

  “Grace,” he growls hotly into my ear. “The things you do to me. Your pussy feels so good wrapped around me.”

  I groan, trying to turn my face away but the thrusting of his hips increases. There’s nowhere to go, there’s no escape.

  “You’re so hot and wet,” he grunts, his balls slapping against my ass loudly.

  “Come for me, baby. Your little pussy makes me weak, I don’t know how much longer I can hold out… Fuck, I’ve never come without a rubber before.”

  And that just does it. Knowing that he’s so close to losing control himself causes me to explode.

  Vaguely I’m aware of the headboard banging against the wall as I’m gushing and moaning loudly. The earth feels like it’s moving probably because the bed is literally moving beneath us.

  Max roars, swelling, and then he’s pumping me full of hot sticky warmth.

  He came inside me. He really came inside me.

  Just as the last little wave of my release rolls through me, knowing that Max might have just put his baby inside me causes me to explode once more.

  We shudder against each other, muscles tensed and locked up in the grip of our throes.

  All at once it’s like a cord has been cut and he slumps against me, spent. The walls of my sex settle after one last, trembling spasm.

  Relaxing his grip on my wrists, he rolls onto his back, pulling me with him. I snuggle up against his chest, catching my breath.

  “See,” he says after a couple of minutes, and his voice is so rough he has to clear his throat. “I told you my walls are thick.”

  “Um,” I smirk and point up, above our heads to the giant hole that wasn’t there a few minutes ago. “They were… until they got pummeled by your headboard.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Max

  There hasn’t been a single peep from Hope’s room the entire night. At six a.m—when I walk past the room to go for a run—I see her peacefully sleeping with a stuffed animal tucked under one arm. I was telling Grace the truth last night when I said my walls are pretty thick. Though the one above my head cracking and leaving a hole sucks. Fucking figures the first night I get them both under my roof I put a hole in the wall.

  Slipping on my shoes, I head out my back door and start running. I need to get my ass into gear. Two weeks away from the title fight. Marcellus Robinson is my opponent. Dude is as serious about fighting as I am. He’s pretty fucking big too. He likes to throw his opponents around the cage as he stands up, going toe to toe with them.

  Marcellus isn’t going to be a one punch and he is out kind of guy. Shit, Wade wasn’t supposed to be one either. It’s crazy that he took one punch to the chin like that.

  I have watched the fight multiple times, I had to. There have been a couple of people questioning if the guy took a dive. Wade couldn’t have though, if you watch the replay you can clearly see his eyes roll back up into his head as he drops to the floor.

  Fuck. That was crazy shit.

  Marcellus though is going to be different, he doesn’t get caught like Wade did. He is a tried and true warrior. He comes from a hardcore training camp and has a record of eighteen and two. Those two losses were tough, bloody battles. Each one came down to decision of the judges, and each time it was a questionable loss. The dude should have been the next in line with Chase the Reaper, but that Ethan guy got past him. So Marcellus has a gigantic chip on his shoulder.

  One that he intends to destroy me with.

  I push myself hard as I run through the trees, my feet stomping down onto the pavement. I am in great shape for this fight, the last one didn’t do anything to my body.

  The laps around the lake help clear my head from sleep and from woolgathering, even if I do hate the hell out of each step I take running. Running does do more than put me in better shape, it allows me to think. Think and plan.

  Grace seems happy with how Hope’s room turned out, and Hope is head over heels about her room. So that’s all good. Now I need to focus on what Grace wants in the house. The Brittany poster will be coming down this morning, and the hole in the wall will be fixed as soon as I call someone to come out to do it. I need to also get one of those home decorator people to come out as well for Grace. She needs to get this house to what she wants in a home.

  We won’t be moving anytime soon; we are going to be here for a long time. I see Hope growing up here. I have checked around and the school district we live in is a really good one. Soon as she is in high school she will be in a really good position to go to any college she wants.

  I’m happy as can be about them moving in with me. Sure it was a bit earlier than I was pushing for but that doesn’t disrupt my plans any. We are all together, making it legal will be the next step. I want her as mine. I want Grace to wear my ring on her finger. She will be mine for good then, no chance of her getting away from me.

  I slow my running as I get to the house and I sneak back in as quietly as I can. No need to wake up my girls too early. I head to the bedroom and pass Hope’s on the way by.

  Yep, still happily asleep.

  I walk back into my bedroom and look down at my beautiful Grace. She is sleeping on her stomach, wearing my t-shirt and a pair of small sleeping shorts. Her luscious legs spread wide, her tight ass is there on display for me. I could bite it or maybe lick it. Her ass cheeks just beg for my hands to grab them tight as I thrust deep into her.

  I have never met a woman who can keep up with me and I have sure as hell have never been so damn satisfied as I am with her. She is my perfect match, in every fucking way. Sexually and mentally. She is far more intelligent than she acts sometimes and the humor she has can be as witty as it is absolutely silly. I love this woman, no doubt about that.

  Maybe I need to get the ring on that finger sooner than I thought.

  I take a quick shower then give Grace a quick kiss on the cheek as I head down to the kitchen.

  Time for breakfast. I need to get back into training today. Marcellus is out there somewhere right now training just as hard as I am. He wants the belt in the way I want it. This is going to be a fucking war.

  * * *

  The meeting with the lawyer goes as well as can be expected. We’re ushered into the office and after all the polite pleasantries are exchanged we pass over all the pictures Grace has in the folder.

  The lawyer looks uncomfortable as she shuffles through each one.

  “This really is an invasion of privacy,” she sighs. “But right now it isn’t something we can go to court with.”

  She makes a quoting motion with her hands and says, “Having you followed, isn’t really against the law. He is doing it in an ‘effort’ to ensure the safety of his daughter, or least that is what he will tell the court.”

  “But that’s crap, he is obviously doing this in order to scare Grace into doing what he wants.”

  Shaking her head, she says, “More than likely yes, but all he would need to do is ask for proof of anything he said to her.”

  Grace sits back, stunned. “But I wouldn’t lie.”

  “And I haven’t said you would. He sure will though.”

  We sit back in our seats. I feel dejected but I know we are still in a better position than Grace was fearing.

  “What about his threats of taking us to court over custody rights?”

  The lawyer nods and explains, “He can take you to court at any time, and if I’m being completely honest, in cases like this you always want to avoid going to court if possible. It can get very messy. You don’t want a judge sticking their nose in this. It could turn out differently than either of you expect.”

  Grace sighs sadly and I reach over, squeezing her hand in comfort.

  “So what do you advise we do?” I ask, feeling like all of this is just bullshit.

  “Abide by the original custody agreement and begin documenting everything he does. Keep records and proof of any times he violates his end of the agreement. Especially keep records and document any threats he makes, and immedia
tely report them to me. If at any time we feel he is a legitimate threat to either Grace or Hope, we can start a process with law enforcement. That will go a long way if it comes to defending your custody or seeking to modify his.”

  There’s this long, cold silence as we let this sink in. Taking in our worried faces, the lawyer sighs and scoots closer to Grace.

  “Grace, you are a good mother who has a steady income and a stable home environment. Hope loves you and is happy. That goes a long way with judges. Carson would have to find egregious issues to get anything changed.”

  Grace nods and I give her hand another squeeze.

  “While we don’t want to take that risk if we don’t have to, I personally feel if he does try to remove your custody he will fail. He is using scare tactics because he thinks you are weak.”

  Both of us nod our heads. We wished for more, I know, but right now I think we are both reassured as much as we can be.

  I may not have a legal right in what happens to Hope, but I sure as fuck will do everything in my power to ensure that she is safe and happy. She is going to be my daughter soon enough when I marry her mom.

  Fuck, Carson.

  Going through the courts might not be our best option but that really hasn’t changed anything. Grace has the best defense legal defense money can buy now if it comes to it. And out of the courtroom, she and Hope have me.

  Carson has been using his money as a way to influence what Grace does out of fear. That has ended. I want to see that fuck try something, anything.

  * * *

  “Jab, jab and then haymaker,” Dale shouts to me as I go through the motions with Alexander. He’s a fast fucking guy. Brett will step in next to help me go through my leg drills, but right now Alexander is moving around the ring to help me speed up my foot work as well as my charging and retreating.

  Alexander is a middleweight guy who stepped into one of our trainer/fighter spots last year as he came off a shoulder injury. He was floating around the middleweight class awhile before they started to push his limits with some tough fights. He rose to the challenge and he is getting close as hell to a title shot himself.

  I rush Alexander across the cage as I keep swinging. I’m not going full speed or strength but I notice the fucker who’s weighs eighty pounds less than me is not backing up one inch. Guy has balls of steel; he is going to make a great champion when he gets the shot.

  We are called to a halt, and I wipe my head off with a towel hanging from the side of the cage. It’s hot as fuck in here and we are sweating like pigs.

  “You keep charging like that Bear and Marcellus is going to have to give ground or stand. It’s gonna be a fucking war, brother,” Alex says.

  Nodding my head, “I plan on the war part. I don’t think this will be a one punch fight.”

  This isn’t my first time having that thought, it’s constantly there, on my mind. Since the last fight I’ve been pushing myself as hard as I can. I have to be ready for anything. Anything and everything. His camp has been as quiet as mine about training, he isn’t talking about what he wants to do to me, and I have kept myself as quiet as usual.

  It’s going to be fucked up and absolutely awesome as shit. I haven’t been this pumped for a fight since I was in my first fights.

  Excited to get hurt, it’s hard to explain—especially to Grace and Hope.

  Grace worries for me but she knows this is what I do, that this is who I am. Hope isn’t so sure about it. When I come up bruised or bleeding she gets very mad at whoever hurt me.

  She even told Dale off for it one time.

  Guy was so apologetic to the little tyrant, but as soon as she turned her back to him the fucker gave me the evilest grin I have seen. Hope doesn’t like me fighting, but she tells me I better win. So I sure as fucking hell will.

  * * *

  I look down at the scale again to make sure I haven’t gained a ghost pound in the last twenty-four hours. I am still weighing in at two hundred and sixty-four. That’s right in the weight class. Good.

  Today is weigh-ins, and I can’t be with Grace when she drops off Hope for Carson’s weekend. She has Mandy with her because they plan on going shopping for things around the house, so she is safe. But I do not want Grace around Carson anymore. Fucking bloody hell, I don’t want Hope to be there with that shithead either.

  I pull my gym shorts and t-shirt back on. Right now I’m at two-sixty-five with my clothes on, that’s good. Heading out of the bathroom, I walk over to Hope’s room. She is squatting down, playing with her dolls. Sweeping her up, I throw her over my shoulder. She squeals and giggles as I tickle her.

  “What’s my little bear want for breakfast?” I ask as I march us down the hall and stairs.

  “Pancakes! I want you to make the blueberry ones!” she yells as I tickle her again.

  Heading into the kitchen, my beautiful woman is standing at the island in the middle of the kitchen, drinking her coffee.

  “Where in the world do you two get this energy?” she moans as she watches us spin around in a small circle.

  “It’s natural in us bears, baby.”

  “You bears, huh?” she raises an eyebrow as I set Hope down on the counter.

  “Yep, Mommy. Me and Bear are bears!” Hope cheers out before letting a little roar out.

  She does it just like I do in the cage. Raising her little fists up in the air, she roars like a little angry bear.

  “Oh my god. I have to deal with two of you,” Grace groans before sitting down on a stool.

  “Yep, baby, you sure do.” I raise my fists up in the air and roar too. Granted I don’t go full blast on it, but Grace still rolls her eyes.

  “You two are incorrigible.”

  “What’s that mean, Mommy?”

  “Right now? Too much alike and too cute for words.”

  Pulling the blueberries out of the fridge, I set the tub on the counter next to the stove. Grabbing the bowls, I look down into the pancake mix box as I say, “I’m really not excited about you and Mandy not having me with you.”

  “I know, honey… We will be okay,” Grace says. She isn’t talking about what exactly is going on so that Hope doesn’t hear our displeasure with Carson.

  I do not like the idea at all.

  “Is there any chance you could do it after the weigh-ins?”

  “No, I don’t think so. We could ask, but it would be just another thing for him to use against me.”

  “Well… I still don’t like it.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Grace

  I’m actually a little glad Max can’t be with me when it’s time to drop Hope off with Carson. Besides the obvious fact that Max hates Carson’s guts, Carson would probably take it as a threat or something and cause a scene in front of Hope.

  I wish more than anything I could spare her from all of this. I wish her father could actually put her first instead of being a selfish asshole. I know she has to suspect something is up. She’s four but she’s certainly not stupid. Right now, though, she’s just sitting in the back quietly. Too quietly for her.

  Driving her to Carson’s house is killing me inside. Every mommy instinct inside of my body is telling me this isn’t right; she won’t be safe. But my hands are tied. If I don’t fulfill my side of the custody agreement, he could use it against me to take her from me. The lawyer we met with the other day was very clear that I need to continue to honor our agreement and not give him any valid reasons for coming after me.

  We could run away… the thought has crossed my mind. But we would be on the run for the rest of our lives, and we’d have to leave everyone we love behind. I don’t think I could run away from my parents or from Max, especially because it’s possible I could be carrying his baby.

  “Want me to get out with you?” Mandy asks as I pull up into Carson’s driveway.

  I shake my head immediately and sigh. “No, it’s probably best you stay in the car. This should only take a minute.”

  Mandy nods and pats me o
n the hand reassuringly.

  I turn and glance at Hope in the backseat. “Ready, honey?”

  Her lips purse into a pout and her chin drops as she glares back at me.

  She made it very clear this morning she didn’t want to come to Carson’s, she wanted to stay with Max. She knows he’s going to have to his big fight tomorrow and she is convinced he needs her.

  She’s probably right. The two of them are kindred spirits, which is hilarious in a way. There’s been more than once since we’ve moved in that I felt like the odd man out. And you know what? I don’t even mind. I couldn’t be more thrilled that the two of them care about each other so much. It just makes it that much easier for me to love them both.

  Sighing again, I push open my door and climb out of the car. Glancing towards the house I see Carson standing on his front porch, waiting.

  Opening Hope’s door, I have to unbuckle her and try to nudge her out of her booster seat.

  “It’s just for the weekend….” I whisper softly.

  “I don’t want to.”

  “Your father misses you and wants to spend time with you.”

  “Carson isn’t my father.”

  “Honey…”

  “I want Bear.”

  Stepping back, I just want to throw my hands in the air. I don’t even know how to placate her because I don’t like the situation either, and I really don’t want to drop her off and leave her here.

  “Is something wrong?” Carson asks coming up behind me.

  Great, just what I need. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from snapping at him. Exhaling slowly through my nose, I shake my head. “Hope doesn’t want to get out of the car.”

  Carson peeks inside the car and says coldly, “Come along, Hope. You know I hate to be kept waiting.”