Worth the Fight (19 page)

I smile watching
him, he has such nice family memories.  Families coming together to celebrate their success around a lake filled with love and laughter.  Something I longed for most of my younger years.

“So why did you stop coming?”

Nico’s face drops and I almost wish I didn’t ask, but I want to know everything about this man.  What makes him happy or sad, smile or frown…all of it, the good and the bad.  It’s all part of what makes the man before me. 

“Preach brought me up here after I tore apart my gym last year.  After the fight.”  He doesn’t need to explain which
fight, it’s just
the fight
.  “It was ugly.  I couldn’t sleep without nightmares without the meds and I spent days trying to outrun the memories.  It sucked.  But Preach wouldn’t leave me, no matter how many times I threatened his life and pushed him around.” 

I wait for him to continue, but nothing more comes.  “And you haven’t been back since?”

Nico shakes his head. 

“So what made you bring me up here?”

He looks down at me and smiles.  “I love this place.  Some of my best memories are here.”  He kisses me chastely on the lips before continuing.  “I’ve wanted to come back, chase away the haunted memories with new ones.  Ones that will make me forget the bad ones.”

God
, the man is beautiful.  And not just on the outside…on the inside too…and he doesn’t even have to try.  It’s just who he is.  Underneath 220 pounds of tattooed hard muscle that screams trouble is the most sensitive and beautiful soul I’ve ever met.  For the first time since I was eight years old I feel like the luckiest girl on the planet.

***

The island in the center of the large lake is small, maybe the size of a house.  But it’s beautiful, with pristine sand, a small patch of grass, and a few simple weeping trees that look like they’ve been plucked off of a postcard that reads “Hello from Paradise.”  Sitting in the center of the lake emphasizes the enormity of its size... it’s more than one hundred acres in size.  Nico tells me that Preach saved for almost twenty years to buy the property and the lake.  His father had owned a small piece of land and he’d loved the area since he was a kid.  The reasons why are obvious.

“Let’s go for a swim.”  Nico suggests.

“I don’t have my bathing suit on.”  For a second I answer as if he might not realize I’m not wearing one.  But then I see his smile.  The dirty one that shows his deep creviced dimples and I’m sure he’s had many women drop their panties without further effort.

“Don’t need one.”

“But what if someone sees.”

“Do you think I
’d let anyone get a glimpse of that fantastic ass that belongs to me, Babe?”

He has a good point.  He’s possessive and protective and there is no way t
here’s a chance that anyone might see me naked if he’s suggesting we swim without suits.  I’ve spent fifteen years being conservative, it’s time I lived a little.  I don’t respond with words.  Instead, I stand from the blanket we’re sitting on and take a step back, giving Nico a better view.  He leans back, stretching out his long body, his elbows supporting him as he positions himself for my show with a lazy grin on his face.  Slowly, I pull my t-shirt over my head, revealing a pink lace bra.  Nico doesn’t move, but his eyes rake over me with appreciation I can actually feel on my body.  It’s like a blanket of warmth and it covers me and fuels my nerve to keep on going.

I unbutton my shorts, slowly pulling the zipper down, allowing my thumb to reach up and graze the skin underneath the zipper that is still hidden. 
I’m not touching myself anywhere intimate, but it feels sexy and intimate just the same.  With an exaggerated bend, I lean over and shake my hips suggestively, allowing my shorts to skim my legs and fall to the ground. 

I stand, clad in only pink
, lacy boy shorts and a matching demi cup bra and watch as Nico’s eyes go dark.  He begins to push up from his elbows, but I raise my pointer finger and motion no, I want to give him a show. 

“Are you trying to kill me?”  Nico’s voice is husky, but he stays put as requested, even though I can see he’s working to
keep himself seated.

I reach behind me and undo my bra, slipping it off slowly before I speak.  “No, I’m trying to give you new memories t
hat will make you forget the bad ones.” 

Nico b
lows out a deep breath loudly and settles back on his elbows again.  He’s going to listen to me and let me do this for him.  I stand before him in only my lacy panties and I’m not ready to take them off.   I want to give him something to remember, something that will really sear into his brain and make him forget the last time he was here.

Reaching up, I slowly trace my breast with one hand, lazily allowing my fingernail to lightly scratch at my skin.  I’m nervous, but I want to do this, so I close my eyes and try to surrender to the moment. 

With my eyes still closed, I drag my fingernail over my swollen nipple and it swells even more under my touch.  Slowly, I raise my finger to my mouth and suck, wetting my fingers before returning to my engorged nipple and coating it with my own silky fluids.  It feels good, but I need more.  Firmly, I grasp my own nipple between my thumb and forefinger and pinch.  I feel it straight down to my toes and the sensitive skin between my legs tingles with anticipation.   Another pinch, this time with more pressure and I feel wetness between my legs and I gasp at the sensation it sends through my body in a jolt.

I’ve touched myself be
fore, but it never had such an effect on me.  I need more, more friction, and I need it fast.  My hand travels down my flat stomach and slips into the front of my panties.  They’re lace, so even though I’m still wearing them, there isn’t much that Nico can’t see. 

“Fuck.”  Nico’s gravelly voice vibrates through me, raising my arousal to a new high.   I find my clit and gently rub it, making slow small circles.  My head falls back and a low moan escapes my lips as I feel a familiar
feeling build within me.   And then he’s on me.  Touching and feeling and grabbing and biting, we go at it like wild animals.   I’m not even sure when he undressed, but I’m insanely grateful that there aren’t any clothes between us.  I feel every ounce of his rock hard body, it feels so good that I think I may find my release before we even get started. 

Nico growls as he takes my stiff nipple into his mouth and bites down hard.  Pain, just shy of too m
uch, shoots through me and my body begins to pulse on its own.  He releases my aching nipple, but only enough to suck it back into his mouth and tease me.   He swirls his tongue around, gently lathering it with attention, begging it to forgive him for the pain inflicted just moments ago.

He sucks his way from my breast up to
my neck and eventually finds my mouth.  His tongue leading mine in a dance that leaves me panting heavily when he turns his attention to my ear.  “I need inside of that pussy you made so wet for me.” 

His words set off a moan that comes from deep within me and I feel my body begin to contract.  I need him inside of me too.  Now. 
So badly.  “Please.”  I don’t even care that it comes out as begging.  I have no shame when it comes to the pleasures of this man. 

He lifts me up
into his arms before dropping down on one knee, gently positioning me on the grass.  Two seconds ago we were biting and grabbing and now he is so gentle with me.  He takes care of me first, makes sure I am okay, putting his own desire on the back burner to tend to me.  It’s one of the things that I love about him, something that’s hard to put into words and explain to your girlfriend when you’re on a rant to explain why you’ve fallen in love with a man.  He just puts me first.  Always. 

I expect to feel his warm body on top of mine, but it’s not, so I open my
eyes to see what’s taking him so long and find him looking down at me.  What I see takes my breath away.  I try to speak, but I have no words.  He’s mentally searing the moment into his brain, capturing it forever like an artist with a brush.  I can feel it.  It’s adoration and lust and love and every other heartfelt emotion rolled up into one perfect man who loves me and couldn’t hide it if he tried.

Unable to speak, I’m so filled with emotions that I can only reach up and offer him my hand.  He takes it without a word and gently steadies himself on top of me, propping himself up on his arms, his muscular forearms on either side of my face.    “I love you.”  I finally find the words for the perfect moment he’s given me.

His head comes down and he kisses me as I feel his thick head push into me.  I deepen the kiss as it smothers my whimpers as his thick cock fills me.  I know we should go slower, but I can’t wait any longer.  It’s a tight fit normally, but without the slow ease in that Nico usually controls, it’s snugger than usual.  But it feels so good, so right.  I’ll worry about being sore tomorrow.

With the base of his hard length pushed up against me, Nico steadies himself.  He wants to give me time to adjust, but I’m not waiting anymore.  I buck up the little that I can move underneath his weight, ti
lting my pelvis ever so slightly, but it allows him to sink even deeper.  A gasp slips from deep within me.

“Fuck, Babe.  Are you okay?”

“I will be if you would stop treating me like glass and get that tight ass of yours going.”  I dig my nails into his ass to accentuate my need.

Nico’s
eyebrows raise in surprise, but I’m going to get my way one way or the other.  I reclaim his mouth and bite down hard on his bottom lip, so hard I’m surprised I don’t taste blood.  But it gets his attention and it’s the attention that I want.  He pulls almost all the way out and then slams back into me…hard.  I moan.  It’s exactly what I need.

And then he does it again, this time swiveling his hips on a forceful draw down and he hits that sensitive place on the inside. I tremble as my body begins to convulse around him.  But he keeps on going, pumping in and out, in and out, each time rubbing me within an inch of my orgasm until we are both within seconds of climax.  Nico reaches between us and strokes my pulsating clit with his wide thumb and it’s enough to push me over the edge.  I moan his name as my body begins to climax, pulsating
wildly as wave after wave of bliss rolls over me.  I feel the heat of Nico’s release pour into me and I think I’m about to hit bottom, but I keep falling, his release prolonging my own.

***

By the time we leave the next evening, there is no doubt in my mind that we’ve replaced Nico’s memories with new ones that he won’t soon forget.

Elle

The last
few weeks have been, without a doubt, the happiest weeks of my life.  I’ve found a balance between my work and my time with Nico, and Lawrence actually seems happy that I’m working fewer hours these days.  His own health issues have been a soft reminder of life’s priorities and it seems to have spilled over into how he is managing the office.  The timing couldn’t be more perfect. 

I still think about my past, but I haven’t had another nightmare
since I told Nico.  It’s odd, sometimes it feels like I’ve lightened what I carry around with me, but only because Nico is sharing the weight. We talk about it openly now and it seems to help.  Each day it gets a little bit easier.

I can’t remember the last time I saw the
delivery man for dinner.  Nico’s in training for his big fight and he seems to love to feed me.  We alternate between our apartments, but we’ve slept in the same bed almost every night since we came back from Preach’s house on the lake.  I thought we had hit a high note, and things would have nowhere to go from there, but I’m finding I like the day to day ordinary with Nico almost as much as the special times.  I’m in a domestic bliss of sorts, a place I never thought I’d find.  A place that just didn’t seem in the cards for me.  But here I am…and I couldn’t be happier.

I
leave work a little early, it’s an important day for Nico.  He finally finds out who he’ll be fighting in the championship fight.  Not that the name will mean anything to me, but I want to be there for him. 

I hit traffic on the way to the gym and barely make it there before the live announcement that is going to be made on T.V.
The gym is full, but it’s not humming with its usual bevy of men hitting things or lifting poundage that exceeds my body weight.  Instead, they’re all gathered around the T.V. that hangs from the corner of the cardio area.  The sound is loud and the scene is upbeat and jovial.  As always, Nico clocks me the minute that I walk in.  He’s talking to an up-and-coming young fighter I’ve seen around before, but he watches every step I take.  I wonder if the poor guy even notices he’s lost Nico’s attention. 

“Love the suit.”  Nico wraps his arm around my waist possessively the second I approach.  I wore his favorite red suit, knowing I would be leaving the office early to go straight to see him.  The hem is a little shorter than most of my others, but I barely made it out of it the last time I wore it, so I thought he might
have taken a liking to it.  I was right.  I love that Nico finds me sexy in a suit.  Some men would be intimidated by a woman dressed for business, but not Nico.  Instead of intimidated, he finds it arousing. 

The newscasters come on and we join the others around the T.V.  The announcer talks for a little while about Nico’s career, footage plays on the screen from
the fight. 
Nico’s grip on my waist tightens as they discuss the death of his former opponent, I’m only grateful that they didn’t decide to replay the blow that ended the fight. 

Finally, the President of the MMA Fighting Association comes on the screen and reminds everyone that one week from today
the championship fight will take place.  He then makes a big to-do about opening an envelope that contains the name of the challenger, as if he didn’t already know, and the name is announced.  Trevor Crispino.  The room falls silent.  Apparently I’m the only one that the name means nothing to.  I scan the room for some indication of why Mr. Crispino’s name is met with such empathy, but everyone seems shell-shocked.  Especially Preach.  I vaguely remember Nico telling me he thought it would be a fighter named Caputo.

Nico disappears before I can ask him what is going on and suddenly the quiet room erupts in chatter.  There’s lots of “no fuckin way” comments and a few “this is bullshit, he’s not even a contender” remarks, but I’m still lost.  I make my way through to Preach, who’s still staring at the floor.  His reaction is making me feel even more panicked.

“Preach, what’s wrong with Trevor Crispino?”  I ask hesitantly, not really sure I want to hear the answer, because I know it’s bad.  Really bad. 

Preach looks up at me, his eyes are glassy and he looks sad.  My heart l
urches into my stomach.  “He’s Frankie’s brother.  The boy that died in the
the fight
.  They’re trying to make it a grudge match.  But the kid shouldn’t even be in the ring with the likes of Nico.  He’s no match.  Nico will kill ‘em.”

I’m sure t
he last words weren’t meant literally, but sometimes things that aren’t meant to come out that way, come out the way they should be spoken in the end, anyway.

***

I find Nico in his loft, sitting in the dark.  His elbows on his knees, head dropped low in his hands. I wait for a minute before I approach, wondering if he will acknowledge I’ve entered the room.  The gate on the elevator door is loud, there’s no way he didn’t hear me come in.  But he just sits there quietly, even as I make my way to him and rest my hand on his shoulders, he doesn’t move.

“You okay?”  My voice is low, but the room is so quiet, there is no mistaking that he can hear me.  Yet he doesn’t answer.

I bend down to eye level with him in the darkness.  It doesn’t matter that he can’t see me, I’ll be harder to ignore when I’m so close. 

“What can we do?”

Nico lets out a heavy rush of air before he wraps his big hand around my neck, leaning his forehead against mine.  “Just let me hold you.”

That I can do.  I only wish I had more to offer to comfort him.  His voice sounds raw and pained.  I can only imagine what he must be feeling.  If my own crushed heart and knotted stomach
are any indication, then his own pain must be unbearable.  How can they do this to him?  Put him in the cage with the brother of the man he killed? A man that is no match for his power.  Aren’t there rules or something?

My initial shock and sadness is starting to wear off and I’ve moved onto pissed.  Mad, angry, ready to take on a fight of my own.  “We’ll get you out of this.  You don’t have to do this.  This isn’t sportsmanshi
p, this is for ticket sales.”  Have they no conscience?  And what about safety?  Preach said the brother is no match, that Nico will kill him.  Aren’t they supposed to match up ability?  I hear my own breath speed up, my anger getting the best of me.

Nico chuckles quietly.  It’s barely there and I’m not even sure if what I heard is the sound of his laughter.  But then he speaks and I know that I’
m not mistaken, “Might have to keep you home for the fight…afraid you’re gonna jump in the cage and beat the crap out of the guy for me.”  I can hear the smile in his voice as he speaks.

“I might.”
  His smile is returned, even if he can’t see it.

***

I spend the next three days researching, analyzing, and generally looking for any possible loophole to get him out of the fight.  I’ve called in every favor I had and sought opinions from each and every lawyer that might remotely be able to help us.  Even William.  But we all come up with the same conclusion, the contract is airtight.  Of course, Nico can walk away from the fight and pay the penalty clause.  But he won’t do that.  Preach’s finances are on the line too.  I don’t know why I didn’t see the motive behind making Preach invested in the fight, but I didn’t.  Whoever drew up the terms of the contract new exactly what they were doing.  They knew Preach and Nico well, but not just the fighter and trainer. 

They’ve exploited the relationship between these two men on a personal level, knowing Preach would never let Nico pay his penalty and Nico would never let Preach take such a financially draining hit. 
Two stubborn men that will protect each other until the end, no matter what the cost to themselves.

And it’s gotten even worse.  Preach has decided that the fight will be good for Nico, that he needs to
move on and getting through this disaster of a fight will help him push through the remnants of emotional ties that remain.  He’s even started to get Nico to believe some of his bullshit.  That a grudge match is some sort of sick redemption…a shot at salvation. 

 
I jump when I hear the front door to the office open.  It’s after ten and I promised Regina I’d lock it behind her when she left hours ago, but I was so engrossed in what I was searching for, that I completely forgot.  But then I feel it, the unmistakable presence of the man that makes my heart rate speed up.  I’m absolutely certain that if I was hooked up to an EKG machine, it would be able to record each step closer that Nico Hunter takes in my direction. 

“The door isn’t locked.”  Nico’s voice is tense.  He’
s protective, and my lack of concern for my own safety is something I’ve learned he isn’t fond of.

“I must have forgot
ten.”  I look up, offering the lame excuse.  I watch as Nico takes in the mess that was once my office.  I have piles of papers and journals strewn all over the office and my garbage overflows with crumpled yellow legal paper where I’ve started to map out an angle to break the contract, but didn’t work in the end.

“
Big case?” His eyes gloss over my desk to accentuate what he is referring to.

“Sort of.”  I’m not lying…at the moment it’s the most important case I have.  And the reality is that it’s the only case I’ve worked on in three days.  All my other work can wait.

Nico pushes off the door frame where he rests and walks to my desk, taking a piece of paper off it, and reading a few lines before putting it back down.  He takes a pile of clipped documents from the other side of the desk and does the same thing, reading a little to get a feel for what I’ve been working on.  He knows what I’m doing, this act is for my benefit.

“Come on, we’re going home.”  He’s standing on the other side of my desk.  As much as I
love hearing Nico tell me we’re going
home,
I’m not ready yet.  I need a little more time to work my way through my latest strategy.  There has to be a way to get him out of the damn contract.

“I
’m not done yet.” 

I don’t miss Nico’s jaw clenching, it’s ridiculously sexy.  A deep line on his
chiseled cheek forms and his eyes turn a deep greenish grey.  He looks strong and menacing and I would bet most would take a step back with the scary vibe that he throws off.  But not me, I hold my ground and stay put, albeit a little more aroused than I was a minute ago.  We stare at each other, each waiting for the other to back down, and I wonder if we’re going to be here a while.  But then Nico breaks the standoff.

He doesn’t release my eyes as he stalks around my desk and pulls back my chair
, leaning his big frame down to reach my eye level.  His thick frame blocks me into my seat, one hand on each arm of my chair.  “You need to do anything before I take you out of here?”

“I…I..
.”  I was going to say that I’m almost done and just need a few minutes, but I don’t have the chance to finish my thought.  I’m lifted out of my chair and tossed over Nico’s shoulder in one fluid movement.  The barbaric move should piss me off, but instead it makes me smile.  I’m happy that my head is tossed over his back, so he can’t see that I’m actually enjoying myself.  Challenging this man has somehow become foreplay to me.

He doesn’t release me until I’m in the passenger s
eat of his car.  He buckles me in while I sit with my arms crossed over my chest, feigning anger.  After he tugs on the belt, double checking I’m secure, he kisses me chastely on the lips before jogging around to his side of the car.

“What about my car?”  I throw a little extra attitude in with my question.

“I’ll drive you to work in the morning.” 

I let out an exaggerated sigh.  “You’re bossy.”

“You’re stubborn.”  My mouth drops open at his comment, even though I know it’s true.  But Nico just finds my response amusing and chuckles.