by Ember Leigh
He murmured incoherently into my ear, drifting lazy kisses along my jaw. We breathed in sync for several minutes, my mind reeling from the experience.
Finally, when I could talk, I said, “Whoa.”
He sighed. “Yeah. That about sums it up.” Hawk pulled himself out of me, rolling off the condom. He headed for the bathroom and returned a moment later, face still flushed.
“I didn’t think you’d make me come twice in the first half hour,” he admitted, sliding into bed beside me.
“You underestimate me.”
“I thought it would have been more like twice in the first few hours.”
“Maybe our average will go down to that after a few more months,” I said. “Or after the first year. But for now? No way. Way too much sexual frustration to keep it so reserved.”
“First year, huh?” His big, rough hand smoothed over my bare belly. “You have a lot of faith in us already. I like that.”
“Well, you flew across the country to spend New Year’s Eve with me. That’s one of the most romantic things anyone has ever done. I’ll give you at least a year.”
His sharp laugh punctured the air. “A year until what? You dump me?”
“Until I move on to my next MMA celebrity crush.” I nudged him with my foot, winking. “You know that’s a lie, Hawk. You’re the first and only.”
He smiled, gaze drifting away. “You think your family with ever accept it?”
“Gonna have to.” I folded my hands underneath my head, contemplating the ceiling. “They’ll come around.”
“What about your job?”
“I’ll still work for him. I’m just going to pass off the conflicting projects to my assistant. Namely, everything that’s set to happen in the next few weeks.” I grinned at him.
“You’ve got it all planned out already.” He trailed his thumb round my belly button.
“Yeah, well, when Hawk wants you to be his girlfriend, you kinda drop everything and say yes.”
He laughed softly. “So when do I get to meet the family?”
I swatted at him. “You like to move fast.”
“I know what I want. And it’s you.” His juicy lips pressed against my lower belly.
“Well, we can have a formal meet and greet soon. Maybe on your next visit or something."
His fingertips made invisible circles over the tops of my thighs. “And what about your brother?”
“What about him?”
“You really think he’ll come around?”
I wasn’t sure—but I couldn’t let that stand in my way. “He has to. One way or another. Even if it takes ten years.” And maybe with him, it would. Brute was a big man, but he could get hurt just as badly as anyone else. His heart was as soft as his body was hard. And he’d really loved Mandy. If he believed Hawk was the bad guy…well, I might as well try to reason with him in Korean.
Hawk was quiet as he inspected the V of my legs. “What if I lost?”
I creased my brow, looking down at him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, what if I lost the next match?” He cast me a mysterious smile. “Would that help?”
I snorted, the idea percolating strangely through me. “Yeah, actually. That would be the quickest way to my brother’s heart.” Weirdly enough, it would right the scales for Brute. Because the only other thing that bothered him as much as heartbreak was losing a fight. But Hawk couldn’t do that. It would be wrong.
Hawk went quiet again, so I nudged him. “You’re not serious, right?”
His eyes glimmered dark and mischievous. “Just had to ask.”
Chapter 15
HAWK
The rematch came way faster than I planned. That week with Sadie in New York was a fast-paced dream, like the highlight reel of someone’s fabulous New York life. We celebrated the New Year, clinked champagne glasses, made out for hours at that private party in SoHo. All her friends knew about us after that, gave her the approving side-eye.
Between visiting New York every weekend and training my ass off, the days blurred together. By the time I left for Denver, Sadie and I were already saying “I love you.” She had yet to come to LA; she wanted to break the news to her family before she made that trip. Probably sometime the following month.
When we were apart, all it did was reinforce how I felt for her. We’d only been together eight weeks—eight weeks according to my count, three weeks by the official count—and I already knew: I wanted to be with her forever.
Sadie made me buoyant and excited. She made me laugh and made me think. And even though her family might struggle to see me as a son instead of a competitor, I knew I could prove myself worthy to them. Even to her brother.
The match-up was in the same Denver arena, at the same time, and seemingly with all the same fans. Like we were giving Hawk vs. Brute one collective do over. The space roared just as loud as Travis and I filed toward the stage, my hands freshly taped.
Except this time, I knew Sadie was rooting for me. She rooted for her brother too—she’d never stop doing that. And I couldn’t expect her to. From what she’d told me, Brute wasn’t coming around at all to the idea of us as a couple. He was cold with her, making mean comments. Still convinced that he’d lost the most precious woman in his life: his sister.
His belief that the whole thing was a prop to my ego was insane. I didn’t know what to do for them. Or maybe I did. I stepped into the octagon, eying Brute as he paced the far edge. The announcer walked the far edge of the ring, listing sponsors, while the ref gave us the rundown. When the bell rang, Brute and I stared at each other for a few seconds. This is it.
Brute launched at me again, coming on aggressive and swinging. All I could do was defense, until finally he slipped, and I got the upper hand. We sparred on the ground for a while, but the round ended after five minutes without a winner.
The second round progressed the same: intense physical contact with no obvious victor. Rounds three and four were more heated; we both realized shit was going down the same. Once, my fighting calm was broken by the fact that if this ended in a draw again, we’d never get out of this loop. Brute would always hate me. I’d constantly be pitted against him. It would be an infinite loop that forever sawed at Sadie and me.
Punches flew, knuckles meeting flesh, grunts puncturing the expectant hush of the crowd. Round four ended in a draw. I went to my side of the ring where Travis dribbled water into my mouth, shaking me by the arms, pepping me up for the last round.
“This is it. You’ve got him.” Travis searched out my gaze.
“I know. I know.” I looked back over my shoulder, finding Brute’s gaze waiting for me. “He got good.”
“Yes, he improved as a technical fighter, but you are the winner here,” Travis insisted.
“Right.” I blinked, seeing Sadie in my mind’s eye. It hadn’t been long, but I loved her more than I had loved a woman in my life. I’d do anything for her. The thought seared through me, leaving a painful wake. We’d already talked about her moving to LA someday.
But Brute was in the way. He’d always be in the way.
“Go get him,” Travis said, squirting more water into my mouth. He slapped my sweaty arms and sent me back out. The bell sounded for round five. The crowd whooshed around us.
I held my fists in front of my face, wondering what his approach might be. I wasn’t lying—Brute had gotten good. And I could still win this. But should I? I ducked as Brute swung—slow, a little lazy. He was tired.
I lobbed a kick to his side. He grunted, stumbling away. And then he came back, locking me between his elbows, squeezing me so hard that my vision went spotty.
I fought him off, wrestling him away until I had him against the cage. He hooked a leg around my waist and we clattered to the floor. His elbow slammed into my chest, knocking the wind out of me. The space behind my eyelids went red, a warning signal. He has the upper hand. Brute sensed it, came down hard on me. I rolled away as much as I could, trying to dodge the punches. H
e got me in the ribs, the chest, the sides.
I locked him between my legs, holding him there, and got in a few punches in my defense. Brute wavered, but he hammered down on me. The pummeling rain pushed me to submit.
But all my senses urged me to keep going. I knew the way out—could feel it through my ankle, the secret little loophole in this hold. My leg twitched but I silenced it. I went limp.
The bell rang.
Brute stood up and raised his hands in triumph. He rocketed around the octagon, flouncing as if he’d just saved the world. I rolled to my side, taking a deep breath, and pushed myself to standing.
The money belt came out a moment later and I slunk out of the ring, already limping. Travis squeezed my shoulder but didn’t say anything.
Brute came up to me a moment later, that glittery, ostentatious belt slung over his shoulder.
“Hey, buddy.” He offered a hand, one of his eyes nearly puffed shut. A cut bled freely over his other eyebrow. “Nice fight.”
I took his hand, looking at him as if he was joking. Some sort of buzzer in the palm waiting to zap me, or the cameras about to zoom in and catch him shoving a pie in my face. We shook hands calmly—normally—and then he zoomed off again, goading the crowd into celebrating his victory.
Travis and I slunk down the aisle heading toward the dressing rooms. It seemed every set of eyes in the audience watched only Brute. Like nobody even saw us leave. I collapsed into my seat in front of the desk, groaning with the effort.
“You could have gotten out of the hold,” Travis said after a few moments of unbearable silence.
“I couldn’t,” I said sharply. “He had my leg locked. The slip wouldn’t have worked.”
Travis looked about to add something more, but he just watched me instead, arms crossed. It was hard for him to accept defeat. And truthfully, it was for me too. But today was different.
“You put up a good fight,” he said at last. “Enjoy your time off. We’ll get back to training once you get back to LA.”
He let himself out, and I relaxed back into my seat, enjoying the cool quiet of the room. As always, wishing Sadie were here, or on her way here.
As if on cue, the door pushed open, and she poked her head in, eyes wide.
“Hawk?”
I grinned, opening my arms. “Come here, Sadie babe.”
She ran into my arms, burying her face in my sweaty chest. Another sign she was a keeper. “You did so well!”
“Yeah. So well that I lost.” I tried to sound pissed.
She sighed, looking up at me. “You didn’t lose on purpose, did you?”
I shot her a look. “Of course not. I wouldn’t jeopardize my career like that.”
“Good.” She nodded. “That’s what I thought.”
She settled into the seat beside me, holding onto my hand as if I might float away if she didn’t. She reached for the wet wipes at my desk, started dabbing at my wounds without my even saying anything.
I looked her up and down while she worked, at the tip of her tongue poking out of her mouth, at the elegant sweep of the hair style she’d done especially for today’s fight. My whole body warmed as I thought of the multitude of things about her that I cherished, from the angle of her toes to the way that she took care of her family.
“Brute said something to you after the fight,” she said as she swiped at some smears on my arm. “What did he say?”
“Called me buddy. Congratulated me on the fight.”
“Wow.” Her little smile sent shivers up my spine. “Sounds like he’s coming around sooner than I thought.”
A lot sooner than she thought. The seat creaked as I leaned forward, capturing her chin between my fingers. I placed a gentle kiss to her lips, one that made my belly flop. I’d never once sacrificed a fight in the name of love…in the name of anything. And yeah, it stung bad. It would be that dark cloud on my record. Brute might even hold it over my head, make it a point of conversation for years to come. And Sadie might be pissed if she found out—Brute would certainly never believe it. But it was worth it. Because Sadie was worth it.
So I guess it just had to stay my little secret.
AUTHOR NOTE
This story originally appeared in the boxed set collection, Season of Seduction, in fall 2017 through spring 2018. I’d had the idea for this fun, lighthearted romance between an MMA fighter and a spunky publicist set in Travis Holt’s world, but I wasn’t able to make the link because Breaking the Rules was published with Loose Id at the time. Once my rights came back, I fit this story into the Breaking series, where it rightfully belongs. I like these little side jaunts, and I intend to add more as the series progresses!
Thanks to my beta & editing squad for another fine job. I couldn’t do this without you all!
NEXT IN THE BREAKING SERIES…
BREAKING THE SINNER
She picked the name Gen.
As an evangelical exile who fled her community only to land in LA, Genevieve couldn’t be greener. Armed with a list of experiences she’s eager to live, it serves as her compass in the choppy waters of normal society. Until she meets Cobra. There’s nothing normal about the resident gym bad boy who struts around like he could undress her with his eyes alone.
And he goes by Cobra.
Cobra knows better than to believe in blessings. Snagging this stable job at Holt Body Fitness is the only break of luck he’s had since his life took a nosedive as a teen, but it’s just a matter of time before it goes downhill too. Which is why when ultra-innocent Gen stumbles onto his bleak path, he’s eager for the distraction provided by the oblivious bombshell. He can help her live her sinner’s list—but only so far. Because Cobra doesn’t do long-term.
They both have lives they left far behind them.
Setting three months to wade through Gen’s list of sins, the two of them plunge into a sizzling connection that makes it impossible to say goodbye. As Cobra inches nearer to securing his permanent spot at the gym, he comes even closer to a scary new reality. One that might be too good to be true. One that will force him to choose between the only life he’s ever known, and the one thing he swore to never need: love.
Coming February 2019
Stay up to date on new releases, occasional giveaways, and excessive baby and/or garden pictures: Join the EMBER LEIGH ROMANCE newsletter!
Stay connected with Ember Leigh!
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
TWITTER
GOODREADS
BOOKBUB
http://www.emberleighromance.com/
And before you go…
Please consider leaving an honest review about this book! Even just a few words or a line mean so much to us authors.
Other Books By Ember Leigh
Breaking the Rules (Breaking #1)
The Last Resort
A New York Minute
Carlos and Casey (Erotic Destinations #1)
When in Rome (Erotic Destinations #2)
Turkish Delight (Erotic Destinations #3)
Breaking The Rules
Book #1 in The Breaking Series
Amara’s move home is anything but fun: with her mom recovering from a cancer diagnosis, her only goal is to find a job in her field and support her family. But once she lays eyes on Travis Holt, she realizes her time in LA might be a lot more tolerable if she could use him to take her mind off things.
For Travis, there’s only ever been one rule: stay away from his best friend’s sister. And it wasn’t a problem until Amara moved back west all grown-up and sexier than sin. When she comes strutting around his gym every day, it’s impossible to keep his eyes—and hands—off her.
The one-off fling Amara imagined isn’t possible with a God like Holt. And once Eddie finds out, they’re suddenly cast into the turbulent waters of Something More, the unfamiliar terrain where Amara has to confront whether she can truly support someone whose career is the antithesis of everything she’s worked for in the non-profit world.
FIN
D IT ON AVAILABLE NOW AT AMAZON and in KINDLE UNLIMITED
Changing The Game
Book #2 of The Breaking Series
Lex is no longer a halfcocked hellion.
But the darkness is still inside him. He’s always known Lila was the one for him, but when that darkness led him down back alleys to drugs, dosing, and illegal fights, she did the only sane thing: walked out. Five years later, fate brings Lila back into his life. Lex is ready to prove he’s not the same guy—he’s clean, sober, successful. The darkness is little more than a memory. He thinks.
Lila just wants to play it safe.
Years after her tumultuous ex, Lila should want vanilla, but her heart craves the intensity Lexington Olivo brings. There’s never been anyone who can light her up like he does. When Lex wants a second chance, she can’t say no. But she can’t say yes, either.
Secrets from their past could ruin everything.
Because if Lila lets Lex in, it’s not just her at risk. Lex can’t be trusted until she’s sure he’s a changed man. One who’s far away from the underground.
While he’s busy proving himself, Lex’s past comes pounding on his door. The gang he used to fight for wants him back. And this time, they won’t take no for an answer.
AVAILABLE NOW AT AMAZON and in KINDLE UNLIMITED
A New York Minute
Enemies-to-Lovers Erotic Romance
