The Fighting Series (Books 1-5)

by Nikki Ash

  “I love this color on you,” he says, pointing to the blood red nail polish that matches my dress. He nibbles on each toe then moves his way up to my calf, giving it a small kiss before placing my leg back down on the bed. I have no idea where he’s going to go next, but I’ve realized once I allowed him to do what he wants how nice it feels to just let him be in control. All I have to do is lie here and enjoy his touch.

  He sits up on his heels and that’s when I notice he’s not wearing his walking boot. He peels his shirt over his head leaving his amazingly hard body on display for me. I’ve seen him without his shirt on briefly at Kayla’s place but it wasn’t long enough to enjoy it. Since he’s lived here, he’s always come out of his room or bathroom dressed.

  Caleb’s body is as close to perfection as it can get. He’s in great shape from working out but not overly muscular. He has a tattoo going across his chest that reads Mi vida loca. Another one on his arm of a woman and surrounding her are clouds and roses. On his side, just under his left peck, says one word: Trust. His right nipple is pierced and I want so badly to grab it and pull on it with my teeth. He has perfect washboard abs I would love to run my tongue down. Just below his abs, his grey sweatpants hang low resting on his perfect hips. I have never wanted anybody as much as I want Caleb.

  He crawls back up my body, but instead of taking things further he lies down next to me, wrapping his body around me and pulling me close to him. He grabs my leg and pulls it up and over his thigh intertwining our legs together. He gives me another soft kiss on my lips and one more on my neck before he speaks.

  “I think I could make out with you forever.” His comment is so innocent, I can’t help but laugh. This man, who is obviously a sex god, is perfectly content with just making out.

  I point to the words on his chest. “What does this mean?”

  He looks down like he needs to see the words before answering. “It means ‘My crazy life.’ I got it when I first moved out of my dad’s house. I went right from under his roof to living with Bentley in Las Vegas. I got a job as a bouncer, the same club I was working at up until I got hurt. I went out with a bunch of guys who all worked at the club one night. I listened to them talk about their problems and realized how fucked up my life was compared to theirs. I met this Hispanic woman that night. After having a few drinks I vaguely told her about what happened between my dad and me. She told me that life can be crazy and all I can do is embrace it, but don’t ever let it own me. I got the tattoo the next day. The problem was, I did let my crazy life own me. I got the tattoo to remind me of what she said, but instead I looked at it and allowed it to keep me from living my life. Every time I looked at it, I was reminded of what my stepmom did to me and what I had to do to all those women.”

  His story is so completely heartbreaking, yet when you look at him, all you see is strength. You would never know how vulnerable he really is.

  “What about the other ones?”

  “I got the tattoo of the word trust to remind me to trust, but also to remind myself not to trust too easily. My mom and sister both lied to me, and then I trusted my stepmom and I shouldn’t have. I’ll never make that mistake again.”

  I want to ask him about his mom and sister but mentally put it aside for later.

  “This one,” he says, pointing to the one of the woman, “is of my mom. I decided I needed something positive on my body to counteract the negative shit, so I had her picture tattooed on me. She’s surrounded by flowers and clouds because she’s in heaven.”

  He brings his shoulder forward to show me another tattoo on the back of his shoulder. It’s of a young girl who is surrounded by the same clouds and flowers as his mom. “This one is of my sister, Colette. This was the last picture I have of her alive.”

  I gasp at his words. How did she die?

  It’s like he hears my question because he goes on to answer it. We lie in bed for what feels like hours while he rubs circles on my arms and my waist while he tells me stories of his sister and mom from when they were alive. He tells me about his sister lying and being raped and killed, and of his mom’s death and how she didn’t tell him she was dying until right before she died. He tells me how everything changed after they both passed away. I can’t even imagine going through half of what Caleb has been through. He’s stronger than anybody I’ve ever met.

  After he’s done telling me his stories, he asks about my family. I tell him about my sister, her recent engagement, and how she’s my best friend, about how my parents are still married and how close we are. We’ve lived in Las Vegas our entire lives. I feel guilty because even though my family isn’t perfect, we have never been through anything of what he’s been through. He notices my hesitancy while talking and grabs my chin for me to look at him.

  “Hey, don’t feel guilty for having a nice life. Never feel bad for all the good in your life.” I continue to tell him how my mom would like to meet Marco. I haven’t seen any of them in weeks because they went on a last minute trip to Seattle to visit friends of theirs. Since my dad retired last year, they’ve been spending their time traveling. I can’t wait for them to return to meet Marco. Caleb tells me we should invite them all for dinner. Eventually we fall asleep in each other’s arms.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Caleb

  While last night didn’t exactly go as planned, I would like to think it went even better. I never felt such intimacy with a woman before, and the fact that it was all felt without even having to be sexual speaks volumes about our connection. It goes against everything Gloria tried to instill in me. I look down and see Hayley’s face mashed up against my chest. Her arm is thrown over my stomach, and her tanned sexy legs are still entwined with mine. She’s snoring lightly. I notice she’s still in her tight red dress from last night. I almost feel bad that we fell asleep without her changing, but looking at her dress bunched up at her waist, giving me a view of her ass cheeks, makes it worth it.

  She stirs awake, rolling onto her back and stretching, and wipes the sleep out of her eyes. She’s absolutely beautiful inside and out, and I want her to be mine. She looks down, and when she sees her dress is bunched up, she grabs the blanket and pulls it over her, taking away my great view, which causes me to frown.

  She sees my reaction and giggles. “Don’t pout.” She leans in to give me a kiss but hesitates and backs up, unsure. She doesn’t feel comfortable being the one to initiate anything because of the times I have rejected her. I want to tell her it’s okay, but the truth is I don’t know if it is. I don’t know how I feel about not being the one in control. Last night I almost made love to her, but then I had a flashback of a time I was with another woman and I stopped. I don’t want anything Hayley and I do to be tainted with my past.

  Leaning forward, I pull her in for a kiss. It quickly builds, becoming more intense, when her phone rings ruining the moment. I give her one last chaste kiss on her cheek before heading to the bathroom.

  “I’m going to take a shower. Wanna grab breakfast?”

  “Sure, let me just call Kayla back. It’s probably about Marco since they kept him overnight.”

  After I get out of the shower, I grab a towel to dry off and head back out through Hayley’s room to go get dressed and put my walking boot back on. She’s talking to someone on the phone but stops when she sees me. In the past a woman eyeing me made me feel sick. I used to hate the thought of another woman using me for sex, but when Hayley does it, I don’t get the same feeling I used to get. I want her to look at me. I want her to want me. It’s a foreign concept, but one I welcome.

  I give her a small smile and head back to my room. After getting dressed, I hear her shower running so I grab my cellphone to see if I have any missed calls or emails. There’s an email from Jarred Harms, the prosecutor assigned to my case, letting me know we need to meet to go over my testimony before we go to court. They have scheduled a court date. He also lets me know two of the men they caught are only being tried with aggravated assault and after they f
iled an appeal were granted bail. The other two men are being charged with rape and attempted murder, so they’ll remain in jail until their hearings. I reply that I can come by next week sometime. I also make note to get an alarm system installed in here. With Hector and Santos around, and now the other two guys out on bail, it worries me to have Hayley and Marco out of my sight.

  There’s a knock at the door and when I open it, it’s a young man holding an envelope.

  “Are you Caleb Michaels?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sign here, please.” I sign, take the envelope from him, and open it up. It’s the court documents pertaining to Gloria’s lawsuit. It says I have thirty days to respond or give up my rights to the clubs. I knew these would be arriving soon, but it still pisses me off. I would burn those clubs to the ground before giving her ownership of them.

  “What’s wrong?” Hayley comes out in tight black jeans that mold to her curves and a loose off-the-shoulder cream sweater that makes me want to kiss her exposed skin. Her hair is wet from her shower and pulled into some sort of side looking braid thing. She looks just as gorgeous as she did last night in a completely different way.

  “Gloria is suing me for the clubs. I need to hire an attorney.” I sit on the couch and she walks over to sit next to me.

  “Do you want the clubs?”

  I have given this question a lot of thought, so I already know my answer. “Yeah, I do. Liz and I looked over the books and they turn a nice profit. While Gloria has done some shady shit behind the scenes, I’ve met a lot of the staff and many of these women and men need this job. I can put an end to the illegal shit she has going on and can make a steady income from these clubs. I would need to hire a new manager for the club in Boulder since I don’t want to have to fly out there often and don’t trust Gloria, as well as find a manager for the one here once I’m healed and start training again, but I think it would be good.”

  “Then you should do it. I’ll have to check out these strip clubs once they reopen. Why don’t we have my family over for dinner and I can ask my sister what she thinks since she’s an attorney. Maybe she can even represent you.”

  “That would be great, thanks.” I grab her by her hips and pull her into my lap. Now that I’ve had a taste of this woman, I can’t get enough.

  “Was that Kayla on the phone?” I ask, situating her so she’s straddling me.

  “Yes, she dropped Marco off at school. He loves spending time with Chloe. I’m so glad Kayla and Bentley are getting approved to adopt her.”

  “They’re good people. So are you. You choosing to bring Marco home and making the choice to adopt him is one of the most selfless acts I’ve witnessed. Providing him this home, a room to call his own, clothes, food… You are amazing.”

  She nuzzles her face into my shoulder, shaking her head. I pull her back up to look at her. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, it’s just… it doesn’t feel selfless… Sometimes it feels like I need Marco more than he needs me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Before he moved in here, I felt so alone.” She shrugs. “I’m not exactly young, Caleb. I’m in my thirties. I spent so many years focusing on school I never got serious with a guy, and with my younger sister getting engaged I realized maybe having my own kids won’t be possible. Adopting Marco means creating my own family. Even if I meet someone one day—taking the time to get to know him, getting married, and him wanting kids, it could be years. What if I’m too old by then and can’t have my own kids?”

  I think about everything she just said and a gut-wrenching feeling of jealousy consumes me. The thought of her meeting another man and getting married makes my hands tighten on her hips. I want to be that man. I want to be part of that family she just described. I don’t, however, want to scare her with too much too soon. Hell, these thoughts are scaring me.

  “You are amazing, and Marco is lucky to have you. I love that a family to you isn’t just biology and that you already consider Marco your child, but don’t give up on having your own kids. Plus… you aren’t that old.” I give her a wink and she glares at me crinkling her nose at the word old.

  “I’m not that old huh? How old are you?”

  “Still in my twenties,” I say nonchalantly. I’m only a few years younger than Hayley, but it’s fun to mess with her. She slaps my chest laughing and I pull her in for a kiss. Her stomach growls causing us both to laugh, so we head out to get breakfast before she goes to work.

  On our way out, I notice the car Hayley was talking about parked a few houses down but don’t mention it to her. I don’t want to scare her. It’s the same car from the day I saw Marco talking to Hector and Santos. The third guy that was there got out of that car. He was the one dressed nicer, looking out of place.

  We get to the restaurant, a little hole-in-the-wall place Hayley loves, and the waiter comes over to take our order.

  “Hey, Hayley, How are you?”

  “I’m good. You?”

  I can see the look in his eyes. He wants her. It’s obvious they know each other.

  “I’m good. I haven’t seen you in here recently.”

  “Things have been crazy busy. Can I get a coffee and the breakfast special?”

  “Sure thing,” he says, giving her a wink. Is this guy serious? Does he not see me sitting right here with her?

  “I’m going to use the restroom to wash my hands.” Hayley stands from her seat and heads toward the restrooms. Instead of taking my order, the fucker watches her ass as she walks away.

  I clear my throat loudly, causing him to turn to face me. Lifting one brow, I glare at him. “You ready to take my order or would you like to continue to stare at my woman’s ass?” Holy fuck. Did I just call her my woman? Yes, I did, because she’s mine, and she sure as fuck isn’t his.

  His eyes go wide, realizing I caught him and he at least has the decency to look a little embarrassed.

  “I want a coffee and a water, and I’ll have the breakfast special as well.”

  He nods then scurries off to put in our orders.

  When Hayley returns, instead of sitting across from her, I move into the booth next to her.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I just want to sit next to you.”

  She giggles and it makes my heart soar. I love that fucking giggle.

  The waiter sets our drinks down and lets us know our food will be out shortly.

  “The waiter has the hot’s for you.”

  “Oh, stop it!” Hayley says, backhanding my chest playfully. “I’ve been eating here for years. He just knows me.”

  “He was watching your ass while you walked away.” Hayley’s head flies back against the back of the booth and she full-on belly laughs. It reminds me of the day at the gym when I saw Stephen make her laugh like that. I love that I’m the one making her laugh now—even if what I’m saying it true and not meant to be funny.

  “Well, I can’t stop people from watching my ass,” she says, sobering up.

  “No, but I can. It’s my ass.”

  “What did you say? That you are an ass?” She laughs again.

  “Very funny. I said… It’s. My. Ass. I don’t want anybody looking at it but me.”

  “How very alpha of you.” Hayley laughs softly and then leans in and gives me a peck on my lips, but I want more. My tongue darts out and finds hers. She tastes sweet as fuck, and I can already tell she’s going to become my addiction. As we kiss, my hand lands on her thigh and I squeeze it tightly. I’ve never wanted a woman as much as I want her.

  A clanking sound causes us both to jump, and when I glance up, the waiter is loudly setting down our food. My fist tightens on Hayley’s thigh and I can feel her silently shaking with laughter.

  Taking her face into my hands, I look her in the eyes. “Mine.” Her laughter stops but her smile remains as she nods her head. Damn right, this woman is mine.

  After we finish breakfast, Hayley heads to work and I decide to have a chat with Jar
red about the car. He lets me know that unless there is any type of physical contact there isn’t much he can do. Even if it is Hector and Santos, unless they are breaking a law there is nothing we can do. He also tells me he already has a restraining order out on the men who are out on bail, requiring them to stay a thousand yards from Marco and me until the court hearing. Apparently they’re looking into Hector and Santos and the man they work for. His name is Antonio and he’s been under surveillance for a while now, but they don’t have enough evidence against him to make an arrest. At this point all we can do is keep our eyes peeled and if something more happens let him know.

  While I’m there, we go over all the specifics, the questions I’ll be asked and how I should answer. Because they’re trying all of them separately their attorneys have requested extensions. Luckily I will only have to give my recollection of the events once during my deposition. I won’t actually have to take the stand four different times unless their attorney calls me in for cross-examination.

  When I leave the courthouse, I see a text from Hayley letting me know her family’s coming for brunch this coming Sunday. This will be my first time meeting somebody’s parents, which makes me think about the fact that I don’t even really know where Hayley and I stand. That’s definitely a conversation we should have soon. I realize it’s almost three o’clock and head home to meet Marco at the bus stop since Hayley is working late.

  “Hey bud! How was your day?”

  “Really good! I wrote an essay in Language Arts and the teacher said I am a natural writer. Want to read it?”

  “Sure.”

  He pulls the essay out of his backpack and hands it to me suddenly looking nervous. I begin reading it. The topic is asking him who he looks up to. The entire essay is about me, and how he wants to be just like me. But what tugs at my heart is the fact that there is barely anything even mentioned about me as a fighter. Every example Marco gave was regarding me as a person. He writes about how much I care and how patient I am when teaching him to fight. He writes about how protective I am, referring to me saving him and Hayley the day in the parking lot. Then he writes about when I gave him twenty dollars to play video games and let him order anything he wanted from the kid’s menu. He even says it was one of the best days of his life. Damn, this kid is just so unbelievable. To most kids, twenty bucks at an arcade is a normal occurrence, but to Marco he writes about it like he was taken to Disney Land.