Long Shot: An MMA Stepbrother Romance (30 page)

The smile starts to form on her face, and I wonder if she’s going to laugh
at
me or if she’s pleased. She’s fooled me before. There’s no telling with Natalie. “Nope, we certainly couldn’t afford it.” She’s keeping her face blank, but those amber eyes are dancing. There’s nothing I can do but go in for the kill. I’ve already started the conversation, and there ain’t no getting out of it.

“I mean we can’t get married
now
. I mean we
could
. Could we?”

“Are you asking me to marry you? Josh McRae? Married?” She arches one of those beautiful eyebrows so high it might fly off her face.
 

“Yeah, I reckon I am. I know we’ve only been living here six months, and I know I’ve only just started fighting regulation. But the money’s rolling in and—”

“I don’t need a ring,” she says simply. She leans in and kisses me on the cheek. “And I
reckon
I don’t need a date for a wedding either.”

“So yes?” Even though I
think
she said yes, I’m still nervous. It ain’t quite like me to be nervous with a woman, but Natalie’s not like the other women I’ve known. And I guess I’ve known that for a long time.

“Yes,” she says. “Definitely yes. I love you. And yes. I believe in you, and I’ll be right there, Josh.” She kisses me, and her full pink lips melt against mine. “We’ll celebrate tonight.”

I fall back on the bed and watch her as she brushes out her hair and pulls it into a ponytail for her shift. I sit back and think about all the things I’ve accomplished in the years since I walked out on Natalie. I might not have won the battle, might not have gotten the money that would change everything—but I won the war, got the victory I always wanted.
 

“Love you,” she whispers as she walks from the bright, sunny bedroom and disappears from the front door. I close my eyes and smile—I know it wasn’t the traditional way to ask, but we’ve never been a very traditional couple.
 

I should be prepping for my meetings with sponsors and recruiters. I should be training with Ash for my next big fight. But for just right now, I’ll pause and think of Natalie. And I’ll just be happy before embarking on the next big adventure.

Stay tuned for Summer and Ash’s story:

Nobody really knows Summer Colington, not even her best friend, Natalie.
 

Far away from her home town of Manteo, small-town girl Summer Colington chose New York College of Medicine for graduate school. Her level of genius allows her to breeze through courses that make other students drop out.

Summer soon learns that New York has a lot
more
to offer someone with her type of brain—and gambling and conning become far more interesting than anything Summer can learn in med school.

She didn’t expect to get so far in.

She didn’t expect to get in trouble, that they’d send Jonathan Ash, former UFC champ and thug for the Irish mafia, to deal with her.

Hell, she never expected one bit of Jonathan Ash—and he didn’t see her coming, either.

What happens when a
bad boy
meets a
bad girl
who everyone else thinks is sweeter than Southern molasses?

Maybe he’s the only one who can handle her…

~~~~

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About the Author:

Lexi Whitlow is a small-town girl from Virginia. She spent her early years growing up between Virginia and North Carolina, playing in the dark rich dirt of Eastern North Carolina at her granddaddy's farm. She's a Southern girl at heart, and she spends her days chasing her five-year-old and her puggle and writing as much as she can between drop off and kindergarten pick-up.

The settings in Lexi’s books are all places that are near and dear to her heart—especially Manteo, North Carolina. She recommends you go and grab a beer there or book a spot on the pirate cruise if you’re ever in the Outer Banks.

She holds a master's degree in English literature from the University of Virginia, and her mom is so proud she's "using her degree."

Lexi harbors a not-so-secret love for bad boys. She loves fighters, tough-as-nails cowboys, bikers, and criminals. Her husband is a scientist... but he has the heart of a bad boy for sure.