Fighter Daddy: A Bad Boy Secret Baby MMA Sports Romance (4 page)

I
'm still
mad at Lee when I get home, so I don't notice that the door was unlocked and I almost walk into Ricky.

He's sitting on my couch. Alone, surprisingly. Luckily. I think? No witnesses.

He smiles at me.

"You're home late," he says.

I
can't move
. It's unreal to see Ricky there, in my home. During our short relationship, he never came over. We were always at his place or out on the town. Now he's sitting on my couch.

He looks the same and yet different. Built like the typical mob boss that he is, thick around the waist, but strong like a boar. His hair is cut short, rising like little spikes. Round face, a thick nose and a pair of the most unnerving eyes I've ever seen. At first I thought they were kind of sexy, almost impossibly light gray, nearly white. Then I saw those eyes turn cold when I left him and now they freeze the blood in my veins.

He's dressed in an expensive suit, like always. You could almost believe he's here for a casual meeting, having dropped by after work.

When we were together, I dared to talk freely. I figured all his businesses weren't clean, but I didn't suspect the full depth of his crimes. Now I can't even look him in the eye. Every time I argued with him felt like I could have died, but I try to channel that bravery.

It doesn't mean I'm not acutely aware of how dangerous this man is. I shouldn't have let his threats slip at the dinner. I shouldn't have told Ed either, but it's okay. They don't know anything.

I made a mistake and I will deal with this myself.

"I... was at work," I say, realizing he expects a reason.

I never wanted to explain myself to him again, but here I am. People do a lot of things they don't want to when they're scared out of their minds.

"No," Ricky says.

He doesn't elaborate. He knows. So he has me followed. Oh God, if one of his guys came to Susan's house... but then he wouldn't ask.

"I visited relatives," I say as vaguely as possible.

"Oh?" Ricky asks. "What's the occasion?"

He has the amazing ability to make his voice impassive even when his tone changes. At any and all times, Ricky sounds like he doesn't care. About you. About whether you're here or there, dead or alive. His voice makes me believe he actually doesn't. Care, I mean. He decides how things should be, without feeling any particular emotion toward it. I hated it, because it meant that I, too, was nothing more than an object he'd chosen into his life at random.

"An engagement," I say, still not moving a muscle.

Ricky doesn't respond. He's looking at me intently. I can imagine what I must look like. My skirt all wrinkled, hair messed up. Trails left by my eyeliner running down my face.

"You haven't been answering my messages," he finally says, as passively as before, but his eyes are suddenly fixed on me.

"Yes, I—"

"I hope it isn't about that nonsense the other day."

"What non—"

I stop, realizing he means our breakup.

He gets up. I take a step back without realizing what I was doing. Ricky was always an intimidating man, as tall as he is wide. But he’s the powerful kind of wide, not just fat and chub where muscle should be. He walks over to me as if it's the most natural conversation we've ever had. He stops right in front of me.

"I was very worried," Ricky says.

He's so close I can feel his breath on my neck. I am so afraid I am physically shaking. He's going to kill me. I'm going to die.

"Don't do that again," he says, smirking dryly. "It is very foolish of you, but I'm a forgiving man."

He isn't. My breath catches in my throat. His words may be simple and seemingly innocent, but I hear the threat lying underneath them as clear as day.

"You have a lovely home," he says, sliding a hand around my waist and pulling me into his arms. I can't look him in those terrible cold eyes. I'm barely hiding the fact my teeth are clattering. "Don't make me come back here again."

For the most horrible second in my life I think he's going to kiss me. But only that once, I'm saved by Ricky's coldness. He lets me go and turns to leave.

"I have other business today, unfortunately. We'll see you tomorrow and talk about your debt to me. I'll send a car to your work."

The moment the door closes behind him, I sink to the floor and let out all my hopeless, desperate sorrow in mind-wracking sobs. Not getting anyone else involved has its downsides. I'm completely, utterly alone.

And for all my efforts, I am not even free. I merely found out how long my leash is.

I
wake
up around eleven with a decent headache. My first thought is that it's weird that I decided to drink that much. I know what my limit is. Obviously there was something bothering me enough that I decided to say fuck it and go for it.

It doesn't take long for my muddled brain to come up with the answer. It's the same it's been for a whole fucking month now. I don't have a goddamn defeat in the cage, but pretty little Raina knocked me out and hasn't pulled the punch yet.

For weeks now, I've lived like a man on edge. I drink furiously and train even harder, not necessarily in that order. It's not good for me, I know. If I don't want it to affect my health, I need to stop.

At first, I thought I was doing myself a favor, keeping away from her. And after the way I left, I didn't expect her to be in a good mood either. But with every day, it becomes more clear to me that I can't stay away. I need to find her and possess her, utterly.

First things first though. The room I'm in is my bedroom, in my apartment. Apparently I didn't feel like crashing at someone else's place last night. What next?

My face doesn't ache, neither does my body—I mean more than they should after the workout I had yesterday. So I didn't pick a fight either. Or I did and the other guy was a loser who couldn't even get a solid punch in.

That doesn't sound like me. I'm not a fucking bully. I don't get my kicks from beating the living shit out of a guy half my weight. That bullshit isn't for me. I want my opponents strong and capable and facing me.

My victories against guys like that are sweeter than anything. Carson was a fine fighter. Not his fault his boss is a prick. I should have sent flowers or something, maybe a nice card, gotten him all nice and furious for our next meeting.

Moving on. I roll to my side to take a look on the floor. No skirt there, no chick. My cock doesn't feel used either. Figures. I haven't brought a girl home since that night with Raina. Usually it doesn't take me much effort to pick one of the groupies or a regular chick from a bar, but lately I haven't felt like it.

F
uck
, just thinking about Raina makes me hard all over again.

Those curves that make my mouth water, eyes a man could drown in and that mouth... fuck, that girl had a vacuum for a throat even back in high school. Images come back to me, hot and horny, like she was. I take my cock in my hand, lie back on the bed, and start stroking myself.

The memory is still fresh now that I brought it back. That fucking girl... there's always this one chick you can't get out of your mind and for me that's Raina. She gives head like a champ and her pussy is so hot it burns.

I stroke myself faster, fisting my hand around my aching cock. I can feel the pressure building, closer to coming with every second. I can't even fucking decide which of the memories I want before my eyes when I finish. Raina back in the day, plunging my cock into her sweet, soft pussy, making her so wet I kept slipping out.

Or Raina a month ago, my cock deep in her cunt, making her scream and spread herself wider... my cock is so hard it fucking aches. I don't remember a girl getting me off that fast. I need to find her again, need to bend her over and drive myself into that tight cunt until she screams.

My cock is throbbing now, rock hard and ready to burst. I groan, thinking of Raina's sweet body, made for a real man. She can take whatever I can give her, I know that from experience. I'll get that again if it's the last thing I do. The certainty of that pushes me over the edge, almost feeling her wet heat around my cock and I come so hard I shake from head to toe, gasping.

Fuck. Now I need to make it happen the way I want it. She won't object much. At least her body won't.

As I come down from the high, other things from last night start to come back. Martin warning me again about Ricky Gerrard. He's still looking for me. That prick just won't quit, will he?

And I think someone called me? I remember a conversation. It had something to do with Raina.

I check my cell. Missed calls, missed texts. There's a paper on the night stand. It says:

"
10 o'clock, Mellina Fashion
."

Oh yeah, right. That was what the call was about. Now I remember. And I'm late.

I
call
the guy back while I dress. The name's Eddie or Andrew or something like that.

"It's Edward,"
says an annoyed voice at the other end.

"
You were supposed to be here at ten
," he complains. "
Mrs. Feston recommended you.
"

I don't owe this guy any explanations. He sort of hired me last night, I suppose, but he's going to have to learn I am nobody's bitch. I'll do the job, but he better stop yapping to me about stuff that doesn't matter.

"I'll be there in a sec," I tell him.

I don't yell at people on the phone either. Tough shit, acting all hardcore over a safe distance. If he still feels like complaining when I get there, I will settle it in person.

Ed, or whatever his name is, is quiet for a moment, before continuing:

"
We already had an incident. This isn't a joke, you know. I'm really worried about Raina, and I hired you because Mrs. Feston said you'd be up for it. But you can't protect her if you're not here.
"

"What incident?" I bark into the phone at the mention of Raina's name, feeling a weird surge of fear I don't normally get.

Ed seems to really like taking dramatic pauses, but if he keeps this up, I'll knock some sense into him.

"
She says it's no big deal, but I know better. I think the guy who's been bothering her did something, but Raina won't tell me.
"

"
H
ow do you know
?" I demand. "Maybe she doesn't feel like talking to you."

I expect pouting again, but Ed snaps: "
I know. She doesn't seem like herself.
"

There's something in his voice that convinces me. Raina's in trouble. That bothers me a lot more than I thought it would. Dad called me last night to ask if I'd take a small job from a guy Raina's aunt knows. I was about to say
fuck that
, when he said it was Raina's boss. I took the job to fuck with her, but now it looks like I might be actually needed. Anger rises to the surface within me. I'm not sure why, but I can't stand the idea of someone fucking around with Raina. I want her for myself. Whoever is making her life miserable is going to regret that very soon.

"I'll be there in a sec," I repeat to Ed and hang up.

It's more than a second, but I do something I haven't done in a while and hurry. I don't know anything about this guy and whether he's even real, but I'm making it my business to find out.

Mellina Fashion is in an ugly building, tall and square and oddly angled. But inside, that's a completely different world. I see a whole lot of talent moving around. Of course fashion houses have models in them. I have to take a minute to check it out. The view is not bad. Legs that keep going, asses barely covered in see-through panties, cleavages that go down like they mean it.

I see them checking me out in return. A few wink at me and I grin back. Maybe this isn't a bad job after all. How do guys even work with all this around them? When I see one of them walk up to me, I snort. Right. Because they're not interested in what the chicks have.

"Are you Lee?" the guy asks.

"You Ed?" I ask back.

"Yes," he says, obviously trying to hold onto his patience. "Come with me."

He leads me up a small staircase to where elevators wait.

"You understand that this is not, strictly speaking, an official work arrangement," he tells me. "I am doing this as a favor to Raina, but I can't exactly take this up to the board. So, I can't offer you any social—"

"I don't care."

He looks at me, eyes throwing daggers, but doesn't push it. We step into the elevator.

"All right," he says coldly. "Good. I don't ask much of you, Mr. Mason. I see that you're a... capable man. All I want is that you keep Raina safe. Please don't be late again."

I stare him down. He takes a step back, but there's not much more room to go.

"We'll see," I tell him, shrugging. "Protecting someone has fuck-all to do with being here on your schedule. You think the guy will only attack her during business hours? I'll ask her about the guy and we'll figure this out. I'll be there when I'm needed, you pay me, everybody wins."

The elevator stops at the sixth floor and we step out. Ed is a bit shaken. He's got some balls at least because he's still staring at me instead of averting his eyes.

"Fine," he says and his whiny voice makes me grin. "I won't tell you how to do your job, Mr. Mason. Please keep it in mind that the guy we're dealing with is very dangerous."

"Threatening a girl? Yeah, I bet he's a real tough guy."

"Mr. Mason, Ricky Gerrard is anything but a joke."

What do you know? The world is as small as they say.

I know exactly how funny messing with that guy is. I've seen a few idiots go up to him and brag about this and that. Then I've seen pieces of them in alleyways once he's done.

How the hell did Raina end up pissing off a guy like that?

I tell Ed nothing and walk straight to where I see Raina sitting in a corner office, leaving the annoyed little weasel behind me in the hallway. She's got some explaining to do.

R
aina looks
up as I enter and I immediately see she's been crying. Another surge of terrible fury passes my body.

"
Lee
," Raina says, surprised.

"Ricky Gerrard?" I ask her straight out.

The name makes her retreat further back into her chair and press her lips tightly together. Okay, so Eddie wasn't lying about that.

"How do you know about him?" Raina asks, frowning. "And what the hell are you doing here? After that night, you have some nerve to—"

Fuck me, even frowning makes her look hot. I'm still so mad I can barely stop myself from storming right out and bashing Ricky's face in. That would probably not be wise, considering the amount of muscle I generally see around him. Only right now, looking at Raina so terrified and almost shaking in her seat, I find myself not giving a fuck.

"Ed told me," I say. "He hired me to protect you. Want to explain to me why a guy like that is threatening you?"

Raina snarls. My cock strains against my jeans and despite everything, she looks amazing. sitting there in a form-fitting gray dress. I can see her stockings from here, the line going up under her skirt. Her long hair is falling loosely today over her shoulders and the frown on her face makes her look ferocious.

I want to mess it all up. Her clothes, her hair, her makeup. I want to take her right here and now on this table so everyone can see. Push myself into her as deeply as I can and claim her as my own, then shoot my seed all over that pretty face, showing everyone she's mine.

Before she ever says anything, explains anything, I know. I don't care what her story is and how the fuck Ricky's involved; I know only that I will have her. If that means fighting someone for her, fine. Fighting is what I do.

"He isn't threatening me," Raina says, mad as fuck. It doesn't look vicious at all. It looks hot, and goes straight to my cock. "And there's nothing to protect me from. So thank you for coming but no thank you. Tell Ed to stop overthinking everything and get the fuck out of my life."

I step forward to stand before her table and stare her down as I did Ed. It's amazing what people will reveal when I'm giving them that look. I don't even need to come up with a lame threat. They know it's in their own best interest not to bullshit me.

"I don't think so," I tell her. "Until a minute ago, I thought that your Aunt and boss are worrying too much. I figured I'd drop by, see how it really was and how much that Ed guy wants to bang you. Then teach him a lesson and be done with it."

"Don't hurt Ed—"

"Shut the fuck up. And then that snob tells me about Ricky Gerrard. Not a name someone just drops because they think it's funny. Even a little shit like him knows better. So you better start explaining before you get us both killed."

Raina's eyes flash again, but like before, instead of intimidating me it turns me on more.

"I didn't ask for your help," she snaps.

"No," I say. "But you need it. You know it and I know it. So you better ask me for help now before I walk out of here."

"You said Ed hired you..." she protests weakly, forgetting the argument about not needing me.

Figures.

"Fuck him. I ain't doing anything until you open those lips of yours and tell me exactly what I'm getting myself into."

"Afraid?" she asks, furious,
mocking
.

I reach over the table faster than she can even blink. Raina suddenly finds herself face-to-face with me, practically on top of the table, pulled right out of her chair. Her long, soft hair is in my hand, driving me out of my mind, but I push the desire aside. I bring her lips inches from mine and hiss:

"I'm not afraid of anyone, you hear me? Doesn't mean I'll die for some bitchy fit of yours either."

She snarls back at me and struggles to break free, but I have her. Outside of her office, I see a few people staring, but I don't care.

"This is
not
a fit," Raina throws at me finally. "Get the fuck off me."

"No?" I ask. "Start talking then. Convince me it isn't."

"You're hurting me. Let go, Lee."

"Start explaining and I might."

She pouts for a second more, but nods. I let her go and she slides back into her chair, trying to smooth down her hair and clothes. That was not the messing up I had in mind, but I didn't expect to be cock-blocked by the guy who practically runs the city from the underground up and who I managed to seriously piss off. Seems I wasn't the only one.

I take a seat opposite of Raina and rest my boots on her pristine table. She glares at me, but says nothing about it.

"
T
his better be good
," I tell her.