Nate had somehow managed to regain the upper hand and had Sanchez in a prone position, grappling on the floor. I knew that ground work was where he was strongest and could do most damage.
He must have heard my yells over the scream of the crowds, heard my voice encouraging him. His lips pulled into a sly grin before he began pounding Sanchez with a series of punches so fast I could barely see each individual movement, they all blurred into one. Sanchez tried to defend, rocking this way and that, trying to knock Nate from him. But Nate was stronger, more powerful, and before I could tell what was happening, he’d locked his arms around Sanchez’s neck.
I held my breath, waiting to see what would happen next. Nate was breathing heavily, his back glistened with sweat from his exertions, but still he kept his hold. Each of his strong muscles tensed and stretched as he fought to contain Sanchez’s attempts to escape.
My breath exploded as a sob when Sanchez’s hand flew out to his side and slapped the canvas three times.
Nate’s whole body sagged with relief as his hold on Sanchez eased and he stepped away. Around us, the crowd went wild, but all I could see was Nate. My Nate. My champion.
“Ladies and gentlemen, at three minutes and thirty-two seconds of round one, your winner by submission, your golden boy, Naaaaathan Oaaaakes.” Nate’s hand was tugged into the air as the cage announcer declared him the winner. Bernie and Wes rushed into the cage, slapping his back and yelling their praise while, all around, people were screaming his name.
I stood motionless.
There was no yelling. There were no fans. It was just Nate and me. Silent tears of happiness streamed down my face as a mixture of relief, pride and overwhelming love for this man, this fighter, consumed me.
Nate’s gaze finally locked on to mine, his lips pulling up into a blinding grin. My knees felt weak, they were barely holding me upright. Nate gave me strength though. With his smile, he gave me everything. Swiping away the tears, I returned his smile, hoping he could see how proud I was of him. How much I loved him.
Our peaceful connection was broken by a compere approaching Nate with a microphone. “Nate, congratulations! How does it feel to be world champion again?”
Nate kept his eyes locked on mine as he answered. “It’s incredible.”
“It sure was. Your fans were worried there for a while that we might have been having a repeat of your last fight. Do you have anything to say to them?”
Nate’s eyes clouded and narrowed but still he kept them trained on me. “That was never going to happen. Sanchez needed to be taught a thing or two. I’ve done that tonight.”
“We’ll you certainly pulled it out of the bag when you needed to. I have to say, you looked good out here tonight. What was different this time round?”
“I finally realised what had been missing from my training routine.” He nodded in my direction, still keeping our gazes locked. “I found the missing piece and was prepared to fight for it.”
He wasn’t the only one. I hadn’t realised until I met Nate that something had been missing from my life. I’d been so determined to stay focused on my career and to impress my bosses, I’d lost sight of the possibility that there might be something just as rewarding as a satisfying job. I’d lost sight of love. In Nate, I too had found my missing piece. I’d initially thought I had to fight my feelings for him, that love had no place in my life or even in his. But in the end, I’d been prepared to fight for him and not against him.
As Nate climbed down from the cage and made his way to me, I felt an overwhelming sense of completeness. Tugging me into his arms, he captured my lips in a kiss that was both possessive and passionate. It was a kiss of victory. We’d both fought. We’d both won.
~EPILOGUE~
Nate
I stood resting against the wooden door frame of my new, custom-built gym. Across the room from me was the most beautiful sight in the world. It wasn’t the gritty, contemporary look of my new gym or the bare, brick walls that were decorated with various posters that had my attention. The large skylight windows that allowed vast amounts of sunlight in to brighten the room were special to me, but not as much as the person responsible for them was. No, the sight that had me reeling, like I’d been pummelled for ten long rounds, was the brown-haired beauty currently standing mesmerised by the latest decoration to have been hung on the wall. My belt. Or more specifically, my championship winning belt.
I’d been watching her for the past five minutes as she simply stood and stared, her lips twitching and pulling up into a beaming smile. Fuck, that smile. That was the sucker punch, every time. No matter what I was feeling or going through, with that simple smile, Liv could pull me out of whatever mood I was in. There had been many occasions where she’d rescued me from the rage that often crept over me when I’d been thinking of my parents. Other times, I’d felt pissed because yet another flake had come on to me, thinking their perky, fake tits would entice me into their bed. Fuck that! I neither wanted nor needed insincere people in my life. I wanted genuine, loyal people, those that saw me for who I was. And she did. Liv didn’t care that I was in the public eye because of my love for a sport. She embraced my sport because I loved it, and she wanted to share in that passion with me. She also didn’t care that I had a fat bank account and could give her anything she wanted. And I would, if she would only let me. However, she never did. She never asked for anything other than my love and respect, and I was happy to be allowed to shower her with both.
I couldn’t tell you precisely what it was about Olivia Buchanan that first drew me to her. Maybe it was that initial vulnerability I’d seen in her eyes as she’d tried to seem cool on the treadmill at my gym, Golden Oakes. Maybe it was the overwhelming need to protect her I’d felt when she’d fallen off the thing, stumbling over her own footing. It could have been the way my body had reacted to seeing her inquisitive eyes peeking into my private training room. There had been something refreshing about her quiet intrigue. Most of the women I trained—and a lot of the men too—were simply prepared to pay the hefty price for my time so they could brag that they’d been trained by the Nathan Oakes. It wasn’t because of what I could truly teach them but because of who I was.
Liv’s feisty attitude had definitely been part of my attraction to her too. I’d loved how she persistently challenged me and fired back with her sassy comments. It had been refreshing to have someone stand up to me without the artful bravado of the fighting world.
Pushing myself away from the doorframe of my new French gym and treatment rooms, I strolled across the room to my very sweet, very sexy, Jelly Bean—JB. I wrapped my arms around her waist. God, I loved this woman. From the very beginning, when I first propositioned her to train with me, she’d had a vivacity and inner beauty that simply radiated from her very being.
Tugging her against me, I stroked one hand underneath her perfect tits and ran my nose along the soft skin of her neck, breathing her in deeply. She always smelled delicious, like fresh berries. “What are you staring at” I asked, already knowing the answer. Even if I hadn’t been watching her, I would have known. She’d not been able to lose the proud look since Sanchez tapped out during the fight the night before. It had definitely been worth putting off retirement again to fight him just to see the look of love and adoration on her face. I’d do it again, over and over, if I could guarantee she’d never lose that expression for me.
My lips followed the path my nose had and her whole body shivered under my caress. “You know what I’m looking at.” Her smile widened as she tilted her head to the side, a silent request for more. She always wanted more.
“Bernie’s photo?” I feigned outrage.
She turned in my arms and slapped me on the chest. “No, you idiot. I was staring at your belt. It’s kind of awe inspiring.”
“Awe inspiring huh?” She was the awe inspiring one. On a daily basis she managed to surprise me. She had a definite talent for drawing—buildings, objects, scenery, it didn’t matter. It was all so
detailed and beautiful. Olivia was a true artist. Yet the real beauty of it was that she just couldn’t see how good she was. She never saw herself as better than anyone else, or put others down. Well, unless they were skinny, blonde bitches making inappropriate comments. Then she’d quite happily verbalise her opinions. Both made me love her even more.
“Yes, awe-inspiring. You, Nathan Oakes, are most definitely awe-inspiring.” She ran a finger along the small cut above my right eye. Along with a slight bruise on my right cheek, it was the only evidence I’d been in the cage the night before, a stark contrast to the bruising and swelling I’d come out with the last time, when… No, not going there. Those fucking arseholes got their just deserts for what they did to me. Well, apart from Sanchez who’d managed to weasel his way out of any wrong doing. We’d all born witness to his threats, but it hadn’t been enough for the officials. So I’d made him pay in the best way possible, humiliation in front of hundreds of thousands of people across the globe.
“You know what is awe-inspiring?” I asked, my voice sounding a little more choked than I’d intended. That’s what she did to me. She brought out a level of emotion I’d long forgotten existed.
Lifting her chin with my fingers so she would look me in the eye, I continued, “You.”
Before she had a chance to reply and refute my claim, I grabbed her hand and started walking. “Come for a walk with me.” I needed to take her down to our special spot before the evening’s guests started arriving.
Out in the courtyard, caterers rushed around putting finishing touches to the tables and decorations. Tonight was the official opening of the GO Sports & Leisure Training and Rehabilitation Centre. My centre. My dream. A place I was immensely proud of.
I knew if it hadn’t been for Bernie taking me in and pulling me from a probable life of crime, I wouldn’t be where I was today. I’d probably be in the slammer… or worse. Bernie had taught me about myself and about focusing my energies in the right way. When I had the opportunity to purchase this piece of land, I’d known what I intended to do with it. I wanted to give back and help others in an area that had given me my only real happy childhood memories.
For years, the place had remained in its disused, vineyard state, providing me with a place to crash and train when I needed peace and solitude but not living up to my hopes for it. Despite my intentions, I’d not been able to truly appreciate the land and what it could offer. It wasn’t until I came across the talents of Olivia Buchanan that I finally had a vision for the place. It was like she lit something in me. Suddenly, everything came into focus and I knew what I wanted. Just as she had done with the UK plans for GO, Liv had blown me away with her ideas and drawings. I’d never be able to thank her enough for making my dreams a reality. I would certainly try though.
We walked in silence along the landscaped path towards the river, to our place. The path led from the courtyard, where the gym and treatment rooms were located. It twisted around an accommodation block that housed ten bedrooms, each with en-suite facilities. It continued past four separate bungalows and the restaurant. Set back, away from everything, was my renovated house. Liv had been determined that the old building not be knocked down. She’d loved the rustic, old French charm of it and convinced me to simply extend and update. She had been right; the new, old home was awesome, especially when Liv was with me.
Finally, our rock came into view, and I led Liv over to it. Evening was turning into dusk. The river, darkened by the muted navy and gold sky, gently flowed past, reflecting the trees and rock faces lining both banks. From behind us, the soft sounds of laughter and music carried on the warm evening breeze. We didn’t have long. We’d need to get back to our guests so I could proudly show off Liv’s creation. This night was as much hers as it was mine, and I’d invited all her friends and family out to celebrate with us. I hoped we’d be celebrating more than the opening though.
Liv took her spot on the rock, and I settled in behind her, pulling her against my chest. She sighed in contentment.
“This view never gets old,” she said, wriggling to find a comfortable spot.
“No, it doesn’t,” I replied, craning my neck so I could see her profile. I much preferred the view of Liv to the river.
“I’m so proud of you, Nate. What you have done with this place… what you’ll be doing for so many people, it’s noble. You should be knighted or something.”
I chuckled at her ridiculous statement. I was simply providing facilities to those who needed a helping hand or a starting point. If anyone was proud, it was me. Of Liv. She had worked so hard to make a name for herself and was steadily building the new European section of Ashworth-Moore that she’d been asked to head up. She now had several people working under her and continued to build their client base abroad. My JB was going places.
“I don’t know about that, JB, but I’m happy to be your Sir anytime. All you need to do is ask.” I nipped her earlobe.
“Hmm, let me think about that… Please, Sir Oakes, let me worship at your feet. I’ve been a naughty girl, I need spanking… yeah I think not.” My chest jerked against her back with laughter.
“Oh, I don’t know, it doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.”
“Pfft. Not happening, Oakes. No knighthood for you.”
We sat in comfortable silence, in our spot, enjoying the rapidly changing landscape as the last of the sun disappeared and stars began to twinkle above us. We would need to get back to the party soon, but before we did, I had one very important thing I needed to ask.
Reaching into the inside pocket of my black suit jacket, I pulled out the small circle of platinum I’d been hiding and held it in my fist. This was the moment. After months and months of preparing, this was my final fight, the fight of my life. I had no idea if I would be celebrating my win and taking home the prize though.
My hand shook slightly as I moved it in front of Liv, keeping it fisted. She looked down, her brows pulling together with a cute confused expression, but she didn’t say anything.
“JB, you know I’m a man of few words, so I’m just gonna ask this outright.” Slowly I stretched out my fingers, revealing the platinum and diamond engagement ring. “Will you marry me?”
Her head cocked to the side before she lifted the ring from my palm and looked it over, studying it intently. My breathing stopped. I’m pretty sure my heart did too. Did she not like it? Maybe I’d misread the signs that this was what she wanted too.
For several moments she simply held the ring aloft, checking it from this angle and that. Then she slipped it on the ring finger of her left hand. “Yes,” was her easy and simple reply.
“Yes?”
“Yes, Nate. I’ll marry you. I didn’t need Mount Everest on my finger though, as beautiful as it is. I would have said yes if you’d given me the ring pull from a can of coke.”
I let out my breath and chuckled. Marriage proposal acceptance, Olivia Buchanan style. “Thank you,” I said, turning her head so I could kiss her.
“You’re welcome,” she mumbled through our kiss. I smiled against her lips.
“I love you, Olivia Buchanan.”
“And I love you, Nathan Oakes. My champion.”
About the author
E.J. Shortall was born and raised in London, England where she currently still lives with her teenage son.
Having worked in education for the better part of 12 years, EJ decided a change was needed and, following a moment of inspiration, she decided to put pen to paper and start writing her first novel, Silver Lining. Not content with just the one, she continued with book two and hopes to write many more.
She has always enjoyed reading, but found it was mostly just a holiday extravagance. Then she discovered a certain worldwide best seller, and that was it she was hooked. Reading quickly became an obsession and she couldn’t devour books fast enough. The books on her shelves and reading device range from sweet, Young Adult romances, to smouldering erotic encounters.
Aside from reading
and writing, EJ also enjoys amateur photography and cake decorating.
“I am on one amazing roller coaster ride at the moment, meeting new and wonderful people, discovering new music gems to integrate into my stories, and learning so many new skills. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me.”
To find out more about E.J. and her other titles, visit her:
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Also by E.J. Shortall
Silver Lining (Silver series book one)
Amber Merchant had it all. Living with and engaged to her teenage sweetheart, a nice house and the job of her dreams. Not anymore!
Following a devastating revelation from her Fiancé, Amber finds herself single once again and moving on. To protect herself she vows to stay away from men and guard her wounded heart.
During an evening out to celebrate her newly single life, a chance encounter with a tall, dark and handsome stranger leaves Amber’s head reeling. Intrigued by her draw to him but scared for her heart she flees.
Craig Silver, twenty nine year old CEO, is the last person Amber needs in her life. Battling his own demons, Craig is content on a life of meaningless affairs, one night stands and no commitments.
At first it seems their attraction is mutual… until she runs.
When fate intervenes and their paths cross again, Craig refuses to take no for an answer. Encouraging Amber to take a chance on a single date he sets them on a path of love, lust, truth and deception.
http://mybook.to/SilverLining
Silver Dove (Silver series book two)
Full of romance, intrigue, emotion and passion, Silver Dove is the concluding part to Craig and Amber’s story that began in Silver Lining.
Prepared to Fight Page 30