Brett frowns down at me, a wrinkle appearing between his brows. “Yes.”
“Good,” I smile up at him. “I was afraid I dreamed you up and none of it really happened.”
His face instantly softens. “It happened.” He pulls me closer, until my hips are against his hips. “You’re going to marry me and you’re going to have my babies.”
“Now that I’m thinking clearly, you know I’m most likely not pregnant.”
“Let’s fix that.”
“We can wait,” I say softly and try to pull away. “We have plenty of time, there’s no rush.”
I’m a little afraid that Brett is just thinking with his dick and may regret this if and when I do get pregnant. Everything is happening so fast.
“No,” Brett says. “Life is short, Mandy. We’ve already lost so much time. I don’t want to waste another second.”
My heart instantly aches for him. Is he thinking about his parents? I felt so lonely out in California by myself, I felt abandoned by my own parents before I even left. But Brett, he’s lost his and they’re never coming back. I can’t even imagine how hard it was for him. How hard it still is.
If he is giving me the chance to help ease his pain, I’ll do anything I can.
“Okay,” I say and take a deep breath. Seriously, we’re going to do this. Oh, my god, we’re going to do this. I tug at his shirt, pulling it up his stomach. “But this time, I actually want to be naked.”
Brett relaxes and grins, helping me pull the shirt over his head. “I can do that.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Brett
I have completely forgotten how fucking deliriously fucking amazing it is to blow your load in a pussy with no fucking rubber on. It’s feels like I stuck my throbbing cock into a molten vice of slick walls that cradle my cock, begging for me to blow my very essence into her.
Holy fuck, I haven’t gone without a rubber since Mandy, and now I am back to not using a rubber and it’s with her. How fucked up is that, I ask myself as I slide out of bed and head for the shower. Looking down at her skirt on the floor, I grab her panties and take ‘em with me to the bathroom. I also haven’t stolen a girls panties since Mandy, either.
She tried to tell me last night we were rushing into this. I didn’t think so then and I sure as fuck don’t think so now. I know what I am getting myself into. Even if I have never really dealt with kids, I want to.
I want to be a father, and I want her to be my wife. Fuck, just knowing I was blowing my load in her and hopefully knocking her up made me cum all the harder. It’s not about sex though, this is about me wrapping my arms around the woman I want to grow old with, the person I know for a fact I can be anything and tell anything to without her judging me.
I love her. Plain and fucking simple.
* * *
Most times I take a shower in the morning to wake up. This time it was to clean off and not head into the dojo smelling like I just walked out of a sex den. I’ve gone to the gym before smelling like that, and it’s not worth it. Shit, I wish that was the worst of the shit I have gone to the dojo with. I might need to keep Mandy away from the guys until I get her a ring on her finger. She doesn’t need to hear about me coming in, wearing some stripper’s thong.
That was not a fun morning.
Shaking my head as I walk through the door, I hear a loud bellow from across the dojo, “Look, the princess has finally decided to get his ass to work!”
Fuck.
Yeah, this is going to be a tough day.
Chase walks over to me, grinning that evil grin. “NEXT!”
Double fuck. Then I hear something I really don’t want to hear. “Double next!”
That was Max, and that means they are offering a twofer. Two of them, and I am betting it’s one of me.
I don’t hear anyone else trying to get in so I look around and see a couple of frowns in my direction. Then I feel a huge fucking arm slide around my shoulders. Looking up, I see Max’s face beaming down at me.
“Aww, isn’t it my heterosexual life partner? Ready to go play?” he says as he directs me to the gym.
Fuck.
Yep, fuck.
I haven’t been putting the time in the last week at the dojo or the gym. Since seeing Mandy come back, I have been taking this training a bit too lightly. I may not be drinking, but I’m not getting myself prepared for the fucking war it’s going to be with Charlie.
Charlie is an asshole, but he’s fucking talented, and he’s the fucking champion for a reason. He’s good at the ground and pound, submitting, and he can stand. My standing though is far superior, and I am good at the other two. I am going to win, this is a mantra I have been telling myself, but have I really done it or felt it? Fuck.
I get pushed into the cage by Max and I see Chase slamming it shut. He may have retired but the hulking fuck hasn’t stopped coming to the dojo and gym sessions. This is going to be a long, long day.
I have three weeks and then it’s my fight night. Three weeks to become the champion or be pushed so far down the ladder that it could take a couple of years to get back to a title shot. These aren’t always given out to people who lose to the champ. So either I take this shot as mine or I fail.
“Take down time, baby!” Max slams his weight into me, and it’s all I can do not to fly backwards on my ass.
This fucker is just as fucking talented as Chase and he knows how to use his weight. I sprawl backwards and push him to the side as I dance to the left and away from his grasp.
This is going to be hell day; I can already tell. One of them will wear me down to a takedown, and I have to either tap or get out of the takedown. Then the other will go after me to take me down, and I will have to tap or get out of the takedown.
This is punishment time. Yep, I’ve been a bad boy not putting my all into this.
I eventually fall to Max after he sweeps me from behind and down I go. Slipping out, I get tackled from Chase and land hard on my side.
Failure, god that is a scary fucking term. This is what I have worked my whole fucking adulthood towards, maybe even my life. I have had other aspirations at one time, but those are gone. I could maybe be a teacher if this doesn’t work out, but I don’t want that. I want to fight right now and I want to win. I want to be the fucking man.
Will I let myself down if I lose this fight? Yes. Will I let my parents down? I have no clue. I miss them right now. I got Mandy back, why not them?
I stand from Chase’s takedown and this time rush at Max, not waiting for him to advance on me. Grabbing his meaty leg, I push up and tip him over onto his side where I quickly wrap him up.
A tap on my shoulder tells me he wants me off, but he’s got a wicked grin. I am feeling sassy though so I hop up and charge towards Chase. I want the fucker down, too.
What will happen when this fight is done? Do I really get to keep her?
Fuck! I need to push myself and clear everything but me and my body.
The King of the Mountain goes on for about forty-five minutes. I am gasping for breath and my workout clothes are absolutely drenched. Yep, time to tell my body to sack up. I have a lot more work today before I go home and nurse my owwies.
I work for another hour with a couple of guys at the dojo. Chase instructing and fine tuning my defense before I head out to the gym. Today is cardio day, and I need to work on keeping my heart rate up when I am fighting so I don’t slow down.
Weights, running, and then I do the torture routine Chase taught me. I start with lifting and pushing over one of those gigantic fucking tires.
Over and over. Lift, strain, then push. Lift, strain, then push.
After that, running for about a mile on the track. I do the lunges for about a half mile. I am doing this to increase my endurance. It’s the man who can give that last bit of effort that can win a fight.
I hop back to running with a guy behind me pulling backwards as I lean forward to push as hard as I can. I have to pull with this, I have to push my
body to a point where I know it won’t want to go.
Then it’s a slowdown, using the rowing machine. Five thousand meters and I feel like I am fucking dead.
Yay, time to fucking swim.
I really need to sleep now, but I don’t leave the gym ‘til about three.
Fuck. I remember shortly after Mandy left and my parents… I lived at the gym.
But this, this isn’t for fun anymore. This is to make myself hard. To make someone who can unleash hell on another man and try to hurt him. Hurt him bad.
Coming down from the rage I build in myself isn’t always easy, but pulling up in front of home and walking in to see Mandy curled up on the couch, wearing one of my t-shirts, makes me go from a homicidal fuck to a horny motherfucker in a nanosecond. Shit.
“What did you do with my panties you fucker?”
I shrug and grin.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Mandy
“Oh my god, Mandy, where have you been?” Grace asks after picking up the phone.
Brett just left for the gym so I’m in the living room, hanging out on his couch. I lean back and stare up at the ceiling, watching the fan spin round and round. “I’ve been with Brett.”
“For the past three days?” Grace asks with disbelief.
“Yes,” I smile though she can’t see it.
“Oh my god, are you guys back together?” she asks, each word increasing in pitch until it hurts my ear.
“Yes,” I tell her and yank the phone away from my ear as she squeals.
“I’m so happy for you! I was hoping you guys would work things out.”
“You were?” I ask, so not believing her.
“Yes, but I kind of kept it to myself. Though I knew if you guys were around each other enough you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off of each other.”
“How did you know that?”
“Because I’m your best friend and I know,” she says with mild exasperation. “And it’s been four years and you haven’t been with anyone else. You know that’s not normal, right? You never got over him.”
“You’re right,” I agree and sigh. “I never got over him.” Brett’s always been my weakness. I’ve fought and fought against falling too deeply in love with him but it was all a waste of energy. I need Brett just as much as I need to breathe.
“So, are you guys taking it slow, day by day?”
I laugh at that. “Not quite.”
“What do you mean?”
I laugh again and struggle to find the words to explain it. “Um, well, I guess we’re more of making up for lost time.” My face feels hot, I just know I’m blushing.
“Okay, you have to explain that. I need details.”
“Hope isn’t around, is she?” I ask. If she is then I can skip having to explain all the juicy bits I know Grace is dying to find out.
“No, she’s out with grandma.”
Damn. “Okay, well, I guess I was a little buzzed and kind of seduced him in the club…” I start and then it all comes spilling out of me. I explain leaving the club, and the condom breaking. I admit I freaked out but don’t go into too many details about what I was thinking. Grace gasps a few times, especially when I tell her Brett proposed to me.
“Are you engaged?!”
“No? Maybe? I don’t know!” I throw my hands up. “I told him to surprise me so I guess that means not yet.”
Grace starts laughing. “You should add that relationship status to Facebook.”
“Yeah,” I groan. “I’ll really confuse the fuck out of everybody if I change my status to soon-to-be engaged and maybe expecting.”
“Yeah, I bet your mom would freak the fuck out.”
I laugh, “Yeah, she would.” It’s tempting, so tempting, but I’ve learned not to poke the bear. I keep all my public stuff impersonal and low key. I’ve learned that when I don’t, my mother takes it as an excuse to try to step back into my life and get involved. She still lives in New York, more than three thousand miles away, and I like to keep her there. As long as I don’t put out anything that grabs her attention, I’m pretty sure she forgets I exist.
“My dad though is taking it better than expected.”
“Your dad knows?”
“Yeah, it couldn’t be avoided. I needed some stuff from home and Brett insisted on coming with me. While I was upstairs getting my stuff together, I’m pretty sure he and my dad had words.”
“Oh? Did they fight?”
“No, I don’t think so. I just know it was really awkward when we got there, and when I was ready to go they didn’t seem so… hostile towards each other.”
“I’m sure it will all work out.”
I can’t help but giggle at that. “Look at you, Miss Positive. What’s got you all happy and optimistic lately? Huh?”
Grace tells me flat out, “I got laid.”
Now it’s my turn to say, “Oh my god.”
Grace laughs and I ask her after my shock wears off, “Was it that huge guy? Brett’s friend?”
“Yeah, his name is Max.”
“And?” I prod.
“And?”
“It’s your turn, give it up. I want all the dirty details.”
* * *
Three weeks. I’ve successfully distracted myself for three weeks with lots of hot, unprotected sex, and moving my stuff into Brett’s house. But now I’m going nuts because I still haven’t gotten my period and I think I should have gotten it by now. I really hate myself for not keeping better track of my cycle, it was so much easier when I was on the pill.
“Come on, come on!” I urge the little stick I just peed on. “Hurry up.”
The box said to give it five minutes before checking the result but I’m watching the lines darken inside the little window like a hawk.
If the test reads negative, I just might break something. I’m tired of being stuck in the may or may not be pregnant limbo. I need to freakin’ know.
The floorboards stop creaking, Brett must have stopped pacing. “Are you okay?” he asks from the other side of the door.
Two lines appear, though the second line isn’t quite as dark as the first. Shit, what does that mean? I quickly check the box.
“Oh, shit!” I cry out.
The bathroom door suddenly flies open, the door knob gets stuck in the plaster.
“What’s wrong?” Brett asks, eyes quickly scanning the room. “Are you okay?” he asks stepping inside. He towers over me then jumps back as I jump up from the toilet.
“I’m pregnant.” I smile and wave the little stick at him.
“Let me see that,” he says, grabbing the test from my hand and checking for himself.
“You’re pregnant,” he says quietly. “Fuck yeah! You’re pregnant!” he yells a little louder. Then he just drops to the toilet I was just sitting on. “Holy fuck, I’m going to be a father.”
It must really be sinking in. I shift nervously on my feet. I hope to God he’s not regretting it now.
“Come here,” he says while reaching out, grabbing me by the hip and pulling me close.
“Are you okay?” I ask and bite my lip. Now that it’s done I can’t exactly take it back. It’s going to break my fucking heart if he tries to back out now.
He drops the stick to his lap then presses his hand against my stomach. Leaning close, he tells my belly, “I can’t wait to meet you.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Brett
It’s time. It’s here. No more training, no more could’ve, would’ve, or should’ve. No, it’s time to win or find a new job.
Fuck, I am so amped up I am having a hard time standing still as they tape up my hands, and the gaming official makes his mark on the top of my closed fists. It’s all routine for him, and it should be for me.
But I’ve got the jitters.
Chase is here with me and so is Max. One is a retired champion, and the other I think is going to become the next champion. But me? I am still the wild card. Fuck. I try to calm down and listen t
o Chase’s words, but I think even he knows it’s just not happening right now.
I don’t have to wait long though. I hear the muffled voice of the announcer going over the fight before mine’s results. It was one-sided all the way. Niklaus dropped the guy he was fighting in the first fucking round and in the first minute. I hope mine goes that way, but Charlie hasn’t been knocked out. Ever. And he has only lost three times: one to the judges, one tap out, and one referee stoppage, and those were when he was a new fighter. Fuck.
Time for me to go to work. I hear the pounding on my door and walk out with Chase and Max following behind me.
They’re pounding my entrance song: Five Finger Death Punch doing Jekyll and Hyde. I step out from behind the curtain and walk towards the ring. I see on the ring apron the love of my life, strutting that fucking body of perfection while holding up a sign announcing the main event.
I don’t think she will be doing that next month. She is pregnant and I am happy as fuck. I got her sexy ass knocked up. She is also going to marry me. I had to ask her dad for permission and he gave it. I think he was more expecting me to get into it with him over him pushing Mandy to California. I want to, but I also know he was doing what he thought best for his kid. I don’t know what else to do but accept and move past that, we can’t fix it.
Mandy has never actually seen me fight before, I think quickly, and damn, I hope she doesn’t see me get my ass handed to me on a platter.
They announce me as the challenger in the main event, and then I hear a guitar strumming Country music as Charlie makes his way to the cage. He is dancing around to the music outside the cage, and looks like he is already celebrating a victory. Cocky fuck.
I shake my head as I stand in my corner and try to stay calm like Chase was coaching me. He has been saying I can’t blow my load early, I need to stay still and wait for my opportunity. Chase says on film Charlie is good, but his stamina is shit after the first couple of rounds. He thinks I can win if I just hold out a bit. He’s right, but this game plan is putting me off a bit. I like to fucking stand and trade blows, but Charlie is known for his very hard hands.
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