Fighter Daddy: A Bad Boy Secret Baby MMA Sports Romance

by Marci Fawn

  "She's not going to," Ricky growls.

  I don't know which he means. That I don't want to, or that he won't let me. Doesn't matter in the end, I suppose. But the other guy is not moved by his assurance.

  "Mr. Mason has been beneficial to me today," says Jack. "You see, he made a deal with me too. He wagered everything on his victory and I won a considerable sum today, given the odds of the match. I might do business with him again. He promised me that, and a solution to you. In return, I gave him my word he'd get the girl."

  Ricky pulls himself up straight and the gun presses more tightly against my head, hurting me. I sob. Lee edges closer, but Jack holds up his hand. His eyes are cold and when he speaks. His voice has dropped several degrees to icy.

  "Not that I need him to deal with you," he snarls. "Kidnapping, murder... it's drawing attention to our operations. I will not have it. The way I see it, your deal with Mr. Mason is valid. He pays her debt and you release the hostage. Mr. Mason has assured me that she will not talk and we can only hope your stupidity doesn't cost us too much. You will give up the girl and not pursue either of them further. This is over, Ricky. Am I making myself clear?"

  This is the friend, I realize. This was Lee's plan. I don't know who this guy is, but judging by the way Ricky still hasn't shot me, I'm guessing he has some power over him.

  But it's still Ricky. Not only is he made into a fool now, but he's publicly humiliated. I feel him shake with rage, the gun digging painfully into my temple. I whimper, struggling against his hold, but Ricky...

  Ricky is not letting me go.

  "She's mine," he growls at Jack, and I hear the refusal in his voice.

  Then Lee is there, standing right before us, staring Ricky down.

  "You willing to die for her?" he asks, snarling. "Because that is what will happen if you pull that trigger right now. I will kill you with my bare hands, you fucking piece of shit."

  The look in Lee's eyes is outright murderous. I don't doubt him. I don't think Ricky doubts him either. Jack isn't saying anything, but his silence is confirmation enough. He's siding with Lee on this one.

  It is the longest moment of my life. I wait, everyone waits, as Ricky weighs me against his own life. Then he pushes me away, straight into Lee's arms. I cling to him, burying my face into the crook of his neck. His strong arms close around me, shielding me from the world.

  "If I hear another word of this fucking joke, I know where to find you," Jack tells Ricky, and leaves.

  I keep hearing phantom gunshots, keep feeling ghostly bullets fly through us, but nothing happens. Lee puts his arm around my shoulders and we leave Ricky behind.

  We avoid the fans, the press, and the agents. Everyone. Lee keeps walking, and no one wants to stop the man who beat Sam. We walk out of there, into the fresh, clean air outside. Free.

  Lee

  I hate it, walking away from Ricky at that moment.

  I feel his loathing gaze as we go, with my hand around Raina's shoulders. The way she still trembles with delayed shock makes me want to turn back and rip Ricky's heart out, but I resist.

  Jack Brandon is a hard man and he drives hard bargains. Unlike Ricky, he's not a thug. Ricky's the mutt that bites everyone, but Jack's the man who holds the leashes. He treats people like he would treat dogs. If they do what he wants, he doesn't go back on his word.

  He made me promise that if Ricky gave up Raina, I wouldn't stir up trouble at the arena. No fights after the one with Sam.

  Every inch of me aches, but I could still kick Ricky's teeth in if I wanted to. Instead, I lead Raina away from her nightmare at last. I have other plans for Ricky. Right now it's important that Raina and the child are safe.

  The night passes by with no further incidents. We go to my place, ignore the messages beeping on my phone, and sleep. Sometime in the night, Raina receives a text from her Aunt Susan, saying she's back home too. I respond in her place, telling Susan to do nothing until I've spoken to her.

  We sleep well into the next day. My fans are probably going nuts around the city, drinking themselves blind, but I don't give a fuck. I took everything I wanted and the approval of drunks don't matter shit to me. The only man who I needed to be happy with my performance came through. That's all I care about.

  I wake first. Through closed curtains, I see it's a bright day outside. Everything is peaceful around me. I didn't think I'd ever want something like this. Domestic bliss doesn't sound like my thing, but here I am. Waking up in my own bed, Raina's hot body pressed against me in her sleep. Her arm is curled around me, her long brown hair billowing out behind her on the sheets. I pull her closer and she cuddles nearer, moaning happily.

  I never feared Sam. Fear is for men who aren't prepared to lay everything on the line. I knew what I was fighting for and it was everything I had. Ricky gave himself a pat on the back for dragging me into it, but I make my own destiny in spite of fucks like him. If I didn't want to fight Sam, I would have found a way not to.

  No, Sam didn't scare me. I was only afraid for a second yesterday, and that was when Ricky held a gun to Raina's head. Jack had warned me, but I still struggled to keep myself still. The desire to attack, to knock the weapon from his hands, was all-encompassing. I imagined myself jamming the muzzle of the gun down Ricky's throat, watching his eyes go wide with horror before I pulled the trigger.

  But Jack was right.

  I truly have it all now. My victory over Sam Unbroken means my agent won't have to bother looking for new challenges for me. He has to pick up a phone and say yes to any of the offers I know are coming even now. Soon he'll start pestering me with them, but it's his fucking job to deal with that bullshit. I'll show up and win. That's what I do.

  I think I have a new sponsor too. Jack hinted that he was pleased with my performance after the show. I can imagine what checks he cashed in from yesterday. The odds were heavily in Sam's favor. He probably took home more money than I did, but I'll make up for it. By the time I call up the agent, I imagine I'm booked for two years.

  Most importantly, I have Raina. No doubt Ricky is plotting his revenge, but I don't fear him either.

  She wakes, slowly blinking her eyes. As soon as she registers where she is, a big smile lights up her face. I enjoy it while it lasts. Soon there will be things to deal with. We need to go to an actual hospital and learn what we need to do to make sure she heals properly and that the baby is alright. Right now, I risk pulling her against me, kissing her sweet lips, savoring the feel of her like this.

  I can taste her happiness. That fucker poisoned everything about her, made her bitter and sad, but now she's free. Her gorgeous pink mouth is smiling against mine, planting small kisses on my lips playfully. Her fingers are already sneaking their way into my boxers and I push everything else aside to make her come screaming again and again.

  * * *

  We deal with the worst first. I take Raina to Susan's house. It looks different somehow without my dad. Where life has returned to Raina, it has left Susan. We find her sitting behind a kitchen table. I expect her to be crying, but the look in her eyes is defiant.

  "Are we all right now?" is all she asks.

  Raina looks at me and I nod.

  "Yes," I say. "But I need you to not fuck this up."

  "Lee," Raina shushes me, shocked, but Susan shakes her head.

  "It's all right, sweetheart. I understand we're still in danger."

  "We are not," I correct her. "But it ended yesterday, and we can't drag it back into the daylight again. That's the deal. That's what keeps us safe."

  The girls listen as I explain as vaguely as I can. I don't name Jack Brandon. Raina guesses, of course. I see a look of understanding dawning on her face and she nods.

  I tell them Ricky's hand was forced, that he fucked up, and that our protection now depends on us not fucking up the same thing.

  Then I give them the only good news I can offer Susan. That the guys who shot Dad are dead. Both of them stare at me, wide-eyed, as I assure them I
didn't arrange the murders. Jack Brandon did that, but he let me know. The man hates loose ends almost as much as he hates incompetence.

  Raina looks taken aback, but the look in Susan's eyes tells me all I need to know. She doesn't say it out loud. No promises, no thanks, no other real reaction but a nod. But I know the look. She is satisfied with the revenge.

  I had been worried I might have to be tough with her, but I see there's no reason for it. The way Susan looks at Raina, the way she looks at me when I give her my word Philip's murderers are taken care of... she understands. I believe her.

  We spend an unpleasant, sad afternoon coming up with a story for Dad's death. We bury it under layers of bureaucracy. An accident in Italy, a very tragic fall. A local cremation. I enlist Martin to help us with the official documents.

  He balks at first, but his sympathy is stronger than his need to do everything by the book. We even explain Raina's absence as her being wracked with grief. She takes a few phone calls from closer friends to calm them down.

  Her boss Ed remains an open missing person file. Martin knows the truth and is willing to let it sink to the bottom of a mountain of similar cases.

  After we've put everything else to order, Raina and I return to Ricky's.

  She protests the idea at first. I see the terror that takes ahold of her body instantly. It's how people with phobias react. They tense up so fast they call forth a lesser paralysis. I tell her it's the last time we'll ever go to that place. I even offer to go alone, but she doesn't want to let me out of her sight, so she reluctantly comes along.

  I assure her Jack Brandon has been in touch and that his protection still holds. That calms Raina down a bit.

  We choose a calmer evening to pay a visit. Not too many people, but not empty either. It's better if Ricky doesn't get ideas, and I don't want to get crowded by a new wave of fans. The agent tells me my popularity is at an all-time high.

  No shit.

  Before, I mostly did underground fights. Guys who knew me were die-hard fans. Now I'm a rising star in the MMA world. I still have moment when I don't fully believe I beat Sam. They say he's furious. Wouldn't want to be his next opponent.

  This time Raina doesn't object when I put my arm around her in the club. I see a smirk playing on her lips, driving me wild. The doctors say I need to be extra careful, because of the wound and the pregnancy as well.

  Raina thinks it's fucking funny how much it pisses me off. Gentleness isn't in my nature, but I won't hurt her. Until she's better, we have to come up with a whole lot of other ideas how to fuck without breaking her. With the ideas she comes up with, it's a wonder we get out of my apartment at all.

  We sit by the bar and wait. I didn't even bother having someone call him. Ricky knows we're here and he'll be here too.

  I see him coming and so does Raina. She tenses up, but doesn't burrow into the nook of my arm this time. She stares him down like she should. Facing your fears is the only way to overcome it.

  "You must have a death wish," Ricky says instead of a greeting.

  "We're here to say goodbye," I tell him, seeing Raina grin.

  It's a dangerous game, poking a guy like Ricky, but I can't help it. I need to hurt this prick for everything he's done. Jack Brandon has made it very fucking clear he doesn't want more corpses out of this mess, but Ricky doesn't know that.

  The look in his eyes says it all. He wants me dead as badly as I want to kill him. But we're all friends now, this fucker and me. Peace, brokered by Jack.

  "If you think I'll let a boy like you threaten me in my own—" Ricky begins, but I shake my head.

  "Stop right there," I say. "I know when a man is full of shit."

  The club is dancing around us, but I see Ricky's guys bristle at the insult. And as I figured, he stares at me, helpless to do anything.

  "You lost," I tell him, seeing the way his eyes flicker to Raina and fill with another surge of fury. "You lost everything and I want you to know that. The fight, Raina, all gone. Now Jack has his own threats and I have mine. Don't think that because I'm all nice now that I've forgotten.

  “I don't forget anything. I wanted you to know I'm going to get you one day. It won't be tomorrow or the next week, but I will make you pay. Trust me on this. I don't make empty promises. We came to say goodbye. The next time we meet, you're dead."

  Before he gets the chance to respond, Raina and I turn around and leave him behind. Raina's a bit surprised, I bet, but the smile that keeps prying the corners of her lips up says enough.

  * * *

  As these things take time to plan, Ricky lives for a while more. I keep my word to him and send him reminders. The rumors say he's been tense like a guitar string, jumping at every bang, seeing killers everywhere. Like I planned. Fear is for weaker men and he is weak.

  Jack Brandon made me promise no more corpses, but I am no one's bitch, and not his either. For all he's done for me and all that he will do in the future, I won't let him order me around with this one. Ricky killed my father. He is going to pay.

  After all, in the end it isn't me that breaks the word to Jack. Police take a sudden interest in Ricky's business after he makes so much noise. Jack can't blame me for that. Nor for the fact Ricky's nerves aren't what they used to be. With my threat and now cops banging on his doors, he's a little jumpy.

  Then the night comes when he sees me. I'm just standing there, doing nothing threatening, but Ricky is beyond himself. It's a semi-public place too, close to his club. He's on his way there. All the threats, the whole business with Raina... there is nothing left of the Ricky that thought things through. He pulls out a gun, but Martin is quicker. Everyone testifies that it was a clear-cut situation.

  Martin and I walk over to stand over Ricky's dead body, looking at the man who finally got what was coming to him. Even if we guessed he'd react like that to seeing me, who could ever be sure? Jack is not too mad. Ricky was a loose cannon and I'm sure he won't have a problem replacing him.

  It feels like I pulled the gun on him myself. It feels good.

  When I tell Raina later, she doesn't say anything for a long moment. Then she breathes out and when she looks at me, she's all herself again.

  Epilogue – Raina

  Raina

  My friends go through phases when they hear I'm dating Lee Mason.

  At some point, it's so predictable it starts to get weird.

  The first is Omg, Lee Mason, are you kidding me, do you remember what he was like in high school?

  After I assure them my memory is as good as always, they Google him, as you do. Then comes the Oh, that's why, phase when they've taken a good hard look at Lee's promo posters.

  There are quite a few these days. His match against Sam Unbroken made him a star overnight. He was popular before, but now random people recognize him on the street. Lee hates it and it amuses me. I have to squeeze his hand not to let him throw a guy into a shop window for telling him MMA is as fake as wrestling.

  I've learned to tell the moment when smoke starts to rise from his ears. Usually it helps if I show more cleavage, then Lee chuckles and finds a place for us somewhere out of sight. My growing belly doesn't bother or discourage him in any way. If anything, he's more attracted to me then ever before and I for sure am hornier than ever.

  The Oh, that's why, phase is really judgmental, but it has a small point, I suppose. It isn't his body alone that I love, but it is fucking incredible. With more matches, Lee needs to train even harder, but he loves it almost as much as he loves me. He's not the type to say it much, but I read it between the lines.

  Everything he does is so brutally honest, after all. The way he fucks me, or the way he starts growling when another guy checks me out at a bar. We don't go to bars much these days, but every now and then Lee needs to make an appearance and I tag along, drinking ice tea.

  Before the belly started to properly show, I caught a few looks. Considerably fewer guys wanted to bother me when my boyfriend pulled himself up to his full height and ga
ve them the look that makes fighters run from him in a cage.

  Very few people ever get to the last phase, which is mostly all for me. Susan understands, I think. It was a bit of a surprise for her when she found out we were dating, and we certainly didn't tell her when it really began. But she approves. I think that after everything that happened, she's glad that I have a man who can protect me.

  No, the last phase is a secret one, too intimate to share with the rest of the world. They see the Lee Mason he chooses to show to the world. Very in-your-face, quick to anger, stubborn like nobody else.

  That is not the man that lays me down on our bed every night to learn about baby stuff in secrecy. Oh, he's still there, all right. The fire burns and rages in his eyes as he takes me with the same relentless passion he has always had for me. There is no sign Lee's growing tired of me. If anything, he wants me more now that I'm totally his.

  The wound no longer concerns us much. I keep an eye on it, but Lee has a way to make me throw caution to the wind. Night after night, I keep thinking we'd try it nice and slow, but then we end up knocking the bed against the wall again. There's an actual dent there. We can't help it.

  Lee pulls my hair, holding my hands above my head as he thrusts into me, careful not to hurt me. I spread my legs around him, drawing his huge cock deeper inside me, urging him to go faster. I fight him, I always fight him, and he loves it.

  Of course I always lose, but it doesn't matter. I want to lose myself to him. He presses me down onto the sheets, making every nerve in my body sing, hitting the spot with each delicious thrust.

  I scream his name loudly, begging him to take me, to never stop and he gives me everything that I want. We don't fuck; it's something deeper than that. Lee destroys me every time, taking me apart and putting me back together, then leaving me powerless and spent in his arms.