Tapping out (A Fighting Love novel Book 1)

by Nikki Ash

  “Morning.” I give her a kiss before handing our daughter over to her. She stretches her arms, her tiny tank top lifting and exposing her defined torso and shimmering belly ring. Training for this fight has toned her already toned body even more but the few stretch marks from her pregnancy are still present. Whenever I see them, it reminds me I never got to see her pregnant. I saw several pictures but I didn’t get to experience it with her and it was entirely my fault.

  She pulls her top up and takes Micaela from me. “What?”

  “I want to have another baby.” Bella’s eyes go wide and she coughs in shock.

  “Umm…” she says and I laugh.

  “Not right now. I know you have school and the UFC and you want to make a career out of it, but one day, when we are in a good place to have another baby, I want to give Micaela a brother or sister. I want to go to all your appointments with you. I want us to do it right next time.”

  Bella gives me a small smile and nods in understanding. “Ok, one day, a long time from now, we will have another baby.”

  While she feeds Micaela, I jump in the shower and get dressed, and then once she’s done I tell her to get ready. “I’ll just shower after I get back from the gym.”

  “No gym today.”

  “What? The fight is in like a week!”

  “That’s very true and tomorrow you can go back to training. But today is a family day. Now go get ready.”

  She gives me a side-eye glance but doesn’t argue.

  Once we are all packed up, we head out. About twenty minutes later, we arrive at our destination. Bella grabs Micaela and I grab the diaper bag. When we walk through the front door of the place, music fills our ears. Little kid music. There’s a register and café to the right, and to the left are see-through glass walls with a huge indoor playground inside.

  “Wow! Marco, this is so cool!” With it being close to a hundred degrees outside, I searched for stuff to do and found this place. It’s an indoor playground for toddlers and kids from ages six months to six years old. We pay the lady at the counter, sign the waiver agreeing if Micaela gets hurt we can’t sue them, and put the socks on I brought for us, since I read we would need them.

  When we enter the glassed-in playground, there are little kids running around everywhere. There’s jungle gyms and fake tree houses. There’s a huge rectangular trampoline that’s built into the ground and a big pit filled with balls. There’s an area for dress up and make believe and a kitchen with tons of fake food. Along the walls is every toddler toy imaginable from puzzles and blocks to books and light up toys.

  Micaela takes it all in for a minute before she struggles out of Bella’s grasp to get down. Bella sets her down on the soft foam ground and she starts to crawl away. We both stare at our little girl as she leaves us like she doesn’t even know us, until she stops, sits up shakily and checks to make sure we are still here. My heart constricts at the thought of one day my daughter not turning back and looking for me or feeling like she doesn’t need me.

  We spend the day playing with Micaela. We jump on the trampoline while holding her, slide down the twisty slide into the ball pit and show her every block and puzzle. We break for lunch and then go back at it again, showing her how to climb up the blow-up slide that she isn’t ready for and play in the kitchen, which her only goal is to shove every fake piece of food into her mouth to taste it. It’s a great day that ends with Micaela passed out in the back seat while we go to our next destination.

  “Thank you for finding that place. That was so much fun! I saw they do yearly memberships. I think we should get one.”

  “Sounds good, babe.”

  “Where are we going now?”

  “Dinner.”

  We pull up to the Rain Forest Café and I let the hostess know we are here for the Michaels’ party. When she takes us back, everybody yells out, “Happy Half Birthday!”

  Bella shrieks out in shock and Micaela squeals seeing all our family here.

  “What the heck is this?” Bella laughs out loud, stunned.

  “It’s Micaela’s half birthday. When I moved in with my parents, I had never had a birthday before, so my mom made up a birthday called a half birthday.”

  “I remember that! Every year you would get a birthday and a half birthday.”

  “Yep! And I thought it would be cool to continue the tradition with our daughter, so today we are celebrating her half birthday.”

  “You are such a good daddy,” Bella murmurs against my lips making my cock twitch.

  “Woman, you can’t do that in public. I might have to resort to taking you in the bathroom.”

  When she doesn’t argue and her eyebrows going up silently challenging me, I laugh. My girlfriend is always horny and she knows I love it.

  Challenge accepted.

  We have had dinner, sang Happy Half-Birthday to the birthday girl and everyone is starting to say their goodbyes. It’s now or never. “Meet me by the bathroom,” I whisper into Bella’s’ ear.

  I don’t give her a chance to argue before I disappear down the hall to the family bathroom that is situated in between the men and women’s restroom. I open the door up half way and then pull Bella inside as she walks by unsure of where to go, locking the door behind us.

  She gasps when I push her up against the sink, her hands landing on the porcelain to hold her up. Her eyes lock with mine in the mirror and I don’t waste any time pulling her shorts and panties down to her ankles. My eyes never leaving hers, I push one finger into her tight cunt while my lips press up against her neck, sucking softly on the spot that gets her going every damn time.

  With her hands still holding onto the sink, her eyes roll back as I kiss and suck on her skin. When I feel her getting wetter, I add another digit. Her pussy is already tight and with her shorts wrapped around her ankles, her legs can only open so much.

  “Fuck, baby. Your cunt is gripping the fuck out of my fingers.” I work her pussy up, getting it wet and loose. While my fingers fuck her, my thumb massages her clit. She lets out breathy moans telling me she’s close. A few seconds later, I feel her pussy tightening as she comes all over my fingers.

  Not being able to go another second without being inside of her, I unbuckle my pants and shove them, along with my briefs, down just enough to free my cock. One hand grips her hip and the other pushes her back down. Her ass pops up enough that I can slide my dick into her wet cunt from behind. And fuck it is tight like this!

  “Belles, there’s no way I’m lasting,” I warn. “You’re going to have to help me out here.” She knows exactly what I mean, her hand going to her pussy as she begins to massage her clit.

  Grabbing ahold of her hair with one hand and holding onto her hip with the other, I pump in and out of her, our eyes staying trained on each other. Her mouth is parted and her face is flushed, and fuck if she isn’t the most goddamn beautiful sight to be seen. I can feel her fingers graze my cock every so often as she rubs her clit and it only spurs me on. My thrusts get harder—more erratic—then without warning, I am bottoming out in her and coming so hard my body shakes, my legs almost giving out. She moans out my name as she comes with me, her pussy contracting around my cock, milking me until I’m bone dry.

  “I think bathroom sex is my new favorite kind of sex.” She gives me a wink and I laugh which causes me to groan because my dick is still buried inside of her.

  “I’d have to agree.”

  Thirty-Four

  Bella

  It’s fight night, or I guess day, since it’s only six in the morning. I wake up with a mix of emotions; excited to fight, scared I’m going to lose, nervous I won’t live up to being publicly known as Marco’s girlfriend. Shawna Fields and I were scheduled to fight eighteen months ago before I got pregnant. Since then, she’s won two fights. Her record is four and zero, while mine hasn’t even started. I have several wins under my belt from my amateur fights but those don’t count here. I’m nervous I’ll choke. I have been in a million tournaments over
the years. I’ve been in more fights than I can count at the gym with guys and girls but I feel like nothing I’ve experienced has prepared me for fighting at the MGM Grand. I’m excited to be given this opportunity, even knowing I’m only getting it because of Marco and the publicity our relationship is getting. Even if I lose, this is my dream! I’m determined. So damn determined! I’m going to give this fight my all. I have trained my entire life for this and I feel ready.

  Feeling suddenly pumped and needing to release some of this built-up tension, I decide maybe going for a short jog might help before we head to the arena.

  “Hey Marco.” I roll over and find Marco’s side of the bed empty. I feel the sheets and they are cold. Grabbing my phone from my nightstand, I check for any texts or phone calls and there aren’t any. Throwing the sheets off me, I go pee, then go to Micaela’s room. She’s still asleep. As she gets older she sleeps in a little later—seven o’clock being her current wake up time.

  I check the kitchen, guest room, laundry room, all while ignoring the pull in my gut that is screaming Déjà-fucking-vu. I open the door to the garage and my heart skips a beat or maybe two. His SUV is gone. Gone. I try to think about the last week. Everything has been good, better than good. There’s no reason why he would leave. Maybe he’s at the gym. But why didn’t he text or call me? There’s no way he would fucking do this to me again.

  I pull up his name and hit send. The phone goes to voicemail. No fucking way! I call again and get the voicemail again. I shoot him a text and watch the blue turn to green. His phone is off.

  I call Kaden, who has been training him. “Hey, is Marco with you?” I ask without even saying hello.

  “No, we agreed to meet at the arena later. Is everything ok?”

  “I don’t know. He’s gone. Did he maybe say something?”

  Kaden stays quiet for a moment before he says, “No, he’s been training hardcore.”

  “Ok, if you hear from him…”

  “Of course.”

  We hang up and I call my parents next. “Have you been by the gym yet?”

  “Good morning to you, Bella,” my dad chuckles.

  “Have you?”

  “No, what’s going on?” His voice turns serious.

  “Can you go by there and see if Marco is there.”

  “Bella…”

  I don’t want to say the words. If I say them they will be real and I will be a fool because my dad warned me about this.

  “Just please go check.”

  “Ok.”

  I sit down on the couch and stare at the black television screen thinking about all the possibilities but no matter which one I think of, every one of them ends with Marco being able to leave a note or send me a text. It doesn’t make sense. He loves me. He said I’m his forever. He wants to make more babies with me. He wouldn’t do this to me—to us.

  I get on Facebook and search Marco’s name. There’s nothing new from him. There’s tons of posts and tags but none of them from this morning indicating where he might be. I search for any accidents in the area but don’t find any, so I jump in the shower since Micaela is still sleeping.

  Once I’m done, I make myself a cup of coffee and by the time I’ve finished drinking it, Micaela is stirring in her crib ready to get up for the day. I go through my routine robotically. I change her, feed her, and get her dressed. I put her in her car seat and bring her to my parents’ place. I’m pulling up at the same time as my dad is. “He’s not there. Now tell me what’s going on.” I think for a moment on how to explain something I don’t understand myself, when my phone rings. I look down at it and it’s Marco.

  “Hello.”

  “Fuck! Bella.”

  “Marco, are you ok? Where are you?” Even I can hear the panic in my voice.

  “I’m at the airport. They made me turn my phone off to go through the metal detectors.” The airport. He left me again.,

  “You left without telling me again.” It’s not a question. He did. He left without a word. Again.

  “No, listen—” I hang up and shove my phone into the diaper bag not wanting to look at it. My dad starts to speak but I put my hand up.

  “I have a fight in a few hours. That is what I’m going to focus on. Unless it’s fight related, I don’t want to hear it. I’m going to the gym for a little bit. I’ll meet you at the arena.

  I give Micaela a kiss on her forehead and hand her over to my dad along with her diaper bag.

  With my earbuds in, I have Eminem’s ‘Till I collapse on repeat as I beat on the bag like it’s personally offended me. Low kick, high kick. Left hook, right hook. Knee strike. Repeat. I’m in the zone, refusing to think about Marco or why he left and is at the airport, or on an airplane at the moment. When a hand comes up and grabs my shoulder, I spin around in shock and almost punch the person.

  It’s Marco.

  Maybe I should still punch him.

  Fuck that. He’s not worth my time.

  I glare and go back to focusing on the bag. His hand grips my shoulder again, his body coming up behind me, his arms encasing me, forcing me to stop my workout. We both stand here together, in silence. My music still on full blast, the words reminding me I am fucking strong.

  After a few minutes, Marco’s face nuzzles into my sweaty neck. I can feel him shaking. I press pause on my music and remove my earbuds but don’t say a word.

  “Logan died.”

  Fuck! I knew something must have happened and I was right but it doesn’t change the fact he left.

  “He had a heart attack and they couldn’t revive him.” I hear the tears in his words. “I grabbed my cell phone and left, got to the airport, purchased a ticket, and went through the detectors.”

  Tears sting my eyes but I stay quiet. His arms are wrapped around me, and even though the gym is filled with other fighters, it feels like it’s only the two of us here right now.

  “I went through the metal detectors which is why my phone was off but the moment I sat down to wait for my flight to be called, I thought about you. I realized I’m not in this alone anymore. I’ve spent so many years running. Running from home. From you. From love. From my parents. From the reality of Logan’s condition. From my injuries.

  “Fuck, Bella. I started to freak out when I realized what I did and I came right back. I swear I did. My phone had no service and as soon as I got to my car and had service I called you. I’m so sorry, baby.” He didn’t leave. I know he almost did but he didn’t leave. He thought about me and came back.

  “Please tell me you’ll forgive me.”

  “You came back.” The tears fall in relief. To some people, him leaving would be enough to be mad, but to me, him coming back is what I’m going to focus on. His best friend died and in the midst of freaking out, he remembered me and came home. Marco isn’t perfect, and expecting him to be is ridiculous.

  “I did. I need you so much, Belles.” I can feel Marco’s tears running down my neck as he cries, so I turn around to look at him. His cheeks have tear stains and his eyes are bloodshot. I put my arms around his neck and hug him tight.

  “You have me, Marco.” His body visibly relaxes at my words. “But you can’t keep fighting me, fighting us.”

  Marco grabs my chin with his thumb and forefinger. “It’s why I’m here right now. I promise you baby, this is me tapping out. I’m done fighting. You have me, all of me.”

  “Don’t let Antoine hear that. He might think you’ve gone soft.”

  Marco smiles cockily. “The only person I’ll ever be submitting to will be you.” His lips crash into mine, his kiss sending shivers down my spine. It ends too quickly, with both of us panting.

  “What time does your flight leave for San Diego?”

  Marco looks at me confused. “Not for another two hours but I’m not going.”

  “Yes, you are. We are.”

  He envelops me into a tight hug before he pulls back and says, “Baby, I appreciate that so fucking much but we’re going to the MGM Grand for our
fight. Once we are both done kicking some ass, we will book a flight together.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Fuck yeah, I’m sure. And when I win this fight tonight, I’m dedicating it to Logan.”

  Thirty-Five

  Marco

  It’s round three—the final round—with only two minutes left. Bella has held her own like the damn good fighter she is. Shawna, who has four fights and wins under her belt, has gotten her on the ground several times but Bella has managed to get out every time. Bella and Shawna are currently going toe-to-toe. Bella is throwing punches and Shawna is trying to get her onto the ground. If something doesn’t happen in the next minute and a half, the decision will go to the judges and while Bella has fought hard, Shawna will win with the points.

  The women circle each other, throwing punches that aren’t connecting. Then out of nowhere, Bella comes in for a kick to the back of Shawna’s thigh. She connects but Shawna is quicker and kicks back only she misses, leaving room for Bella to take a shot. Bella’s fist connects with Shawna’s face and Shawna flies backward landing on her back. Holy shit!

  Bella follows through, and with one more punch to Shawna’s face, Bella knocks her the fuck out, the referee grabbing Bella to pull her off and declaring her the winner by knockout! The crowd goes crazy and her dad and I are both running up to her.

  I grab her gently by her neck and bring her in for a kiss, ignoring the chants and screams around us. I can taste the blood from her cut lip as I pick her up into my arms, her legs wrapping around my waist, and kiss my woman with everything I have. Too soon, I am forced to put her down to let my mom clean her up. The commentator asks her a few questions and then we head out of the octagon and back to the locker room so I can warm up for my fight. Since mine is the main card event, I have nine more fights until my own, which can be hours from now.

  When my mom insists that she check out Bella completely, they leave to the showers. It’s just Cooper and me in the locker room since Kaden is filling out paper work and Liz is at home with Micaela and the other kids.