“Fix her up and have her escorted off the premises.” He spared her one last look before turning and walking me inside his sanctuary. Life was complete for now. We had each other and would fight anything else that came our way. Together, team Kade.
Epilogue
Two years later
I watched as Arson helped a young boy with his punches on the bag at the dojo. The boy’s tongue was between his teeth as he concentrated and tried really hard to punch that bag like Arson had shown him to do.
He was patient and adjusted the boy’s hand over, then the little one tried again. He did it right and jumped in the air in victory, then realized he had acted boyishly and composed himself. I laughed. Many of the boys looked up to Arson as a role model, a man to be like when they got older.
Arson heard my laugh and turned to see me. He ruffled the kid’s hair and started walking toward me. Even after two years, he still made my skin heat and my insides burn. His arms opened and I jumped into them. I relished his heat and hard body pressed against mine.
“I didn’t think you would be getting back in until tonight Princess. Come on, let’s go to my office.” He turned, taking me by the hand toward his office in the back. I looked around at all the kids practicing martial arts. It warmed my heart to see Arson’s dream flourishing. As soon as we entered the office and the door was closed, we pounced.
It had been a week since I’d last seen him, and it was a week too long. I had kept fighting until I’d made it to the top and gained the title, until the night before when I’d announced my retirement from the UFC.
I was done with that world and now all I wanted was to join my husband in his quest to share his knowledge of the sport we loved so much. We kissed in a hurried frenzy; there was no time to take it a step further because someone was always knocking on his door for something.
“I missed you.” I moaned between kisses. His hands found my breasts and I arched into them, needing his touch like air.
“You’re back for good Princess. No need to miss me anymore.” He moved his mouth down my jaw and onto my neck. I shivered and gripped his biceps for support. He was short-circuiting my brain; I’d come there for a reason, but had forgotten what it was. His hands moved around my waist and gripped my ass, pushing me against his straining cock. Oh yeah, now I remember.
“I want a baby Arson.” I moaned. His hands stilled and he leaned back to look at me. I smiled at his reaction. He had wanted to get me pregnant years before in Vegas, and honestly I had thought about it often but hadn’t been quite ready to give up fighting. Now I was done, and I wanted a baby—like stat.
“Seriously?” He was stunned. I smiled and nodded.
“I’m ready if you are.” I was giving him what he wanted, or at least I hoped he still wanted that.
“Fuck yeah. Don’t make any noise Princess.” He lifted me up and set me on his desk. Operation Make a Baby was a go.
Bonus scene.
Arson’s POV as he sees Rayne for the first time, AKA The Year Ago Secret.
“Tonight is fine. No, the price hasn’t changed. I’ll come to you, and yes I have the address. Goodbye.” I pressed end on my phone and tossed it into the locker I had placed my stuff in. Tonight I would be meeting with Emily, a forty-year-old bored housewife of some politician.
She was paying to have the famous Arson Kade at her disposal. I was getting laid and paid so I really couldn’t complain.
My phone buzzed, signaling I had a text. I sighed and grabbed it again, wishing I could just leave my phone off, but I couldn’t. I owed it to Julianne to keep the business going strong—the business of sex, the oldest business in history.
Julianne: Good luck tonight.
I glanced at her text and turned my screen off again. I was starting to get tired of her proposals for a relationship, one where she still shared me. Hell, even if she wanted me to herself—which I was starting to feel like she was hinting at—I wouldn’t want it. Julianne had taken me in and taught me things, but in the end she was not the apple of my eye, as some would say. She was just a pussy to fuck, a debt to be paid.
I looked around the locker room and noticed a few other fighters who had finished their events packing up their shit. I didn’t care to be around anyone right then so I walked out of the room and toward a door that would let me get some fresh air.
I heard the cheer of the crowd as I passed a door that led to the cage.
“Rayne Jackson kicks high, but Tasha Talon blocks the kick.”
Those names brought me to a stop. I’d heard about those two women in the MMA world. They were the top dogs, warriors of the sport. Curiosity had me walking back toward the door and walking through it. I wanted to see what these women could do. I admired women who became fighters. It took guts, and some steel balls. Not many women would sign up to get their asses handed to them often.
I watched as a black-haired woman and a blonde went at it. The raven woman gripped the blonde and flipped her over her body. She immediately went to the ground with her and tried to throw punches, but the blonde got out and was up and
pulling back. The raven rose to her feet and put her hands up in position. My gaze moved to the jumbo screen above them and tried to get a better look. I wondered who was Rayne and who was Tasha.
The blonde was all right looking; she was bleeding from her nose and her right eye was swollen. Her fist came out and tried to get a hit on Raven girl. When she pulled back, I felt some strange feeling in my chest seeing the raven girl. She was fierce, but calm. Her black hair was pulled back and her eyes were watching the blonde with a calculated focus. She was good-looking, but it was almost as if her fighter’s spirit was calling out to mine. Strange.
The blonde was getting desperate. Her face held something dangerous. She was angry, and wanted to destroy the raven girl. That was not good.
The two clashed in a mix of kicks and punches. I could tell the raven girl was into muay thai. She moved with complete grace. Legends of old say that the greatest of warriors were the best dancers. Yin and yang, together as one. This girl was the embodiment of that.
The blonde kicked and hit low on her leg. I knew it had broken the raven’s bone, but then she was up against the fence. The fight should have ended by then, but there were no screams coming from the raven girl. Seconds later the blonde had wrapped her leg around the knee of the injured leg and twisted. They fell to the ground and the match was called.
“Tasha Talon wins the match, but wait here. Rayne Jackson is hurt and she is not getting up!” The announcer’s voice was full of concern. My heart started hammering in my chest. I walked down toward the cage to get closer, no one paying any mind to me. All eyes were on Rayne.
I got maybe a hundred feet away but couldn’t see her. All the trainers, her coach, and a med team were looking her over. I heard no cries of pain, but I knew what those moves could do. She was hurt, badly. The crowd around her started to disperse. I waited to see what was going on along with the rest of the arena.
Something inside me snapped when I saw her. Her hair was a mess, and there was a bruise under her right eye, but not too bad. Her green eyes were beautiful as they stared down at her knee, which was turning all sorts of colors all the way down her leg. It was worse than even I had thought. That injury was career ending. What surprised me was she had tears falling down her cheeks but she was still brave and held on. I was right, she was a true warrior.
A few of the men helped scoop her up and carry her out of the cage. She refused to be on a gurney. A man with a microphone reached her; he was pushed off to the side, but not before she grabbed the mic and spoke.
“I will be back! This isn’t the end for me,” she hissed and handed the mic back to the guy. The crowd erupted into cheers. She had won their hearts and souls.
I knew what that something was that had snapped. It was something I’d dreamed but had never thought would ever happen to someone like me.
I had fallen in love with Rayne Jackson. As strange as it wa
s, I hadn’t even met her yet, but I wanted to be immersed her world, surrounded by her and her passion.
She had shown me the most passion I had ever seen in a person, and I wanted that directed toward me. I didn’t care what I had to do. Rayne Jackson was mine. I thought about her spirit and character.
She would never go for Arson Kade, the manwhore of MMA. No, she needed a strong man. A man to be there for her, and only her. Flowers and fucks.
With resolve in my soul, I walked back to the locker room and called Emily.
“Sorry, tonight’s not going to work. I’m leaving the business. For good.” I didn’t wait for her reply. I didn’t care. I needed to become the man Rayne Jackson would love.
She was already mine, she just didn’t know it yet.
I made my vow to the universe: Rayne Jackson, the love of my life, I’m coming for you.
I heard my name being called and left for the cage. It was time for the new Arson Kade to make his appearance.
Evergreen by Jessica Florence
(keep reading for a preview)
It was supposed to be an easy stake out. Until a bunch of bachelorettes mobbed me, changing my life forever.
I couldn't get Andi Slaton, with her red hair, blue eyes, and cotton candy flavored lip gloss out of my head.
But when she offers herself to aid the FBI to help me take down the biggest criminal family in Tampa, Florida, my very sanity is put to the test watching her spend time with my arch enemy.
She's everything I want, I will be everything to her. We will be Evergreen.
**** Keep reading
Just another day with another asshole who thought he could shit on the law and just keep dancing. I shook my head and grabbed my glass of water from the bar. I brought the drink to my lips as I gazed around the nightclub. I hated it here. But when you worked for the FBI, you went where they told you, and right now I was sitting in a room full of fog and lights flashing on the people swaying around on the dance floor.
Ybor City.
Located in Tampa, Florida, where the stupid come to play.
I’d been watching this guy trade off drugs in a VIP booth for about an hour. But it wasn’t him I wanted. I wanted his boss, whomy intel told me was going to show up at this club tonight. I turned my gaze back to the crowd, not wanting to draw attention to myself by staring at the guy. Girls were everywhere, scantily clad and grinding themselves against guys that probably wouldn’t even remember their names after tonight.
“So just a water tonight, huh, stud?”
The female bartender stared at me, obviously trying to start up a conversation. I gave her a half-hearted smile back,but I had no interest in her. She was cute, probably about five foot four, blonde hair with pink streaks framing her pixie-like face. Her breasts were pushed up on display by her uniform. But unless she turned out to be the drug dealer’s boss, I had no time for her.
“Just the water,” I answered her politely.
I downed what little drink I had left and headed toward dance floor. I wasn’t much of a dancer anymore—that was something of the past—but I needed to be inconspicuous.
A tall brunette wiggled her way over to me. While keeping an eye on my guy, I moved lightly with her as she ground against me. I sawmy target nod at another guy heading in his direction. I wrapped my dance partner’s arms around my neck and moved us to face the men. She laughed and continued to wiggle against my obviously-not-entertained dick.
The new man was shorter than the other. He had a few days’ worth of facial hair growing and a tribal tattoo on his neck.
Easy to remember. Not a very smart decision on his part.
I watched as the two men shook hands and sat down. I kept my position on the dance floor until both men got up and headed toward the door.
“Mm, baby, you move so good,” the brunette I was dancing with said. “Why don’t you and I get out of here? I don’t live too far.”
She was smiling at me seductively. I took her hands, which were roaming over my chest, off me.
“Thank you for the dance.”
I nodded and walked away. I heard her yell at me, but I didn’t care. I had to keep an eye on my target and his new companion. They were taking a right out of the door of the club. I waited a few seconds and then followed them.
I pulled out my phone and sent my man Rex a text on their location. He would pull a “Bump and Tag” on our tattooed friend.
Two minutes later I saw a drunken man stumble into the men. I heard some curse words exchanged, and then the drunken man stumbled back in my direction. Nice one. Rex, the man pretending to be drunk, nodded as he passed me. I pulled out my phone and logged into the suspects’ signal. Thank God for technology.
Just then I stumbled into the middle of a group of women who were shrieking about someone getting married tomorrow. One of the women elbowed me as I passed through, causing me drop my phone and lose sight of the dealers. I tried to get a location visually but couldn’t see them.
“Fuck!” I cursed.
“Well, that’s one hell of a thank you,” a feminine voice said behind me.
I turned around to tell whatever chick had elbowed me to go to hell but was brought up short when I saw her.
Flaming red hair was piled on top of her oval face. Her blue eyes stared at me intensely. My gaze fell to her pink, pouty lips. Her lower lip was slightly bigger than her top. My thoughts immediately took a turn into the gutter. I imagined all the ways I could tease those lips, tasting them, the way they would look wrapped around my dick. I kept going with my gaze. Her skin was a sweet cream color. A blue corset wrapped around her petite frame, and a pink tutu with pink and blue checkered socks encased her long legs. Then, the outfit finally ended with “fuck me” black heels. I never would have thought all that combined in one package would be sexy, but, damn, I was all about this cotton candy woman.
“I appreciate you stripping me down with your eyes here, but I have a celebration to get back to, so here, please.”
I looked back up at her face in confusion. Then I realized she was holding my phone out to me.
“I’m an asshole. Thanks,” I told her as I grabbed my phone from her delicate hand.
“Nice to meet you, asshole. I’m Candy Tease tonight. So maybe you aren’t normally an asshole.”
She smiled at me. I found myself wanting to play with her.
“Candy Tease. I can see where you get your name.”
And I wasn’t talking about her outfit. Although I was sure that was what she thought I was talking about. She looked sweet as hell, and I definitely wanted a taste. My dick was throbbing at the thought of just how sweet she was. The sweetest of honey.
“I don’t think you do.It’s actually a secret.” She winked at me.
That was all the warning I had before she gripped my shirt, pulling me toward her and crushing her lips to mine. She moaned against my lips. I groaned. After the initial shock hit me, I gave back to her as much as she was giving me. Her lips tasted sweet, with a flavor I couldn’t place. Those perfect lips parted, and I sure as hell took advantage of that, my tongue caressing hers.
Holy fuck, this woman was amazing!
She suddenly pulled back a bit so that our lips were barely touching. “Cotton candy-flavored lip gloss,” she whispered against me.
Then she did the strangest thing. She turned around and walked away.
What the hell?
I stood there stunned. I could still taste her. No fucking way was I going to let her walk away. She made a turn into a nightclub ahead. I started to follow her, then stopped and pulled out my phone. Those assholes were still being tracked, thank Christ. I pulled up Rex’s number and pressed call.
He answered on the first ring. “What happened?”
“I got mobbed by a group of bachelorettes and lost sight of the targets. Nice work on the tag, by the way.” I laughed remembering him stumbling like a fool.
“Yeah, well, it worked. I’ll keep tabs on our guys. It looks like they�
�re on the road, going south on 75. Talk to you tomorrow.”
Not much we could do now until they stopped.
“Sounds good.”
With that taken care of, I had some unfinished business to attend to. I walked like a man on a mission. I had one thought driving me. Cotton candy.
About the Author
Jessica Florence, Kaleidoscope of Romance
Writer of Surviving Valentine, Of The Heart trilogy, Evergreen, Guiding lights, The Final KO.
When she's not writing her next invigorating story. You can find her running her own business, and spending time with her husband and daughter in southwest Florida.
Jessica loves to interact with her readers, find her on
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[email protected]
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