Meant for Me (A Second Chance standalone)

by L. P. Dover

  Chase landed on the ground, gasping for air, except that didn’t stop Wade from delivering a swift kick to his ribs. Bending down, Wade lifted Chase by his shirt and hissed in his face, “That girl over there that you tried to mess with happens to be one of my closest friends, asshole. What’s worse is that you brought her out here, alone, to do who knows what with her and I can only imagine what that could’ve been. If anything would’ve happened to her you’d be dead right now.”

  Letting him go, Wade turned away from him and started to come toward me, but stopped when Chase’s words froze him in place. “I was only doing what you told me to do,” he hissed. “You told me to fuck with Mason any way I knew how, and I did. I went after his bitch. I wasn’t going to do anything to her.”

  I gasped while Mason tensed beside me, ready to fight again if need be. How could Wade do something like that? What was the point?

  Glaring back and forth from me to Chase, Wade settled on Chase and snapped, “Wait … what? She’s not with him, dumb ass.”

  Chase spat a mouth full of blood onto the ground and coughed. “Why don’t you ask her then?”

  The whole crowd around us watched like vultures, their eyes wide in amusement and anticipation waiting on the next part of the show. That clearly made Wade angrier and you could not only hear it, but feel it when he shouted, “I want everyone to back up, now! The show’s over, so either go inside or leave before I make you look like him.” He pointed to Chase to emphasize his request.

  The people in the crowd slowly dispersed, except a couple of guys Wade must’ve known and of course, Erick. Whatever he and Mason talked about in private it had better be something good to at least make up for the night being a complete disaster. Once everyone was gone, Wade settled his gaze on me, and lifted an angry finger toward Mason. “You’re actually with this guy, Claire? Are you serious? Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked venomously.

  Was he actually getting angry with me after everything that just happened? His friend attacked me and his only concern was why I didn’t tell him I was dating Mason? Whatever it was, either the sound of my teeth clenching together or the blood rushing to my face, Mason could see that I was about to explode and grabbed my hand to keep me in place by his side. I really wanted to break another bottle over someone’s head and this time it was going to be Wade’s.

  Mason spoke softly in my ear, “Claire, let’s just go. You’ve already been through enough, and if I stay here any longer I’m liable to beat the shit out of your friend and I’d rather not hurt you that way.”

  “No, not yet,” I argued, shaking my head, “I need to say this first.”

  Mason nodded, letting go of my hand, and stepped back a pace to give me room.

  Taking a deep breath, I glared at Wade and went off, “Let’s get something clear, who I’m with or who I’m seeing is none of your damn business. Second, I don’t know why you have a problem with Mason when I know he hasn’t done anything to you, maybe its jealousy, I don’t know, but getting your little crony to do your bidding is just sad. It’s wrong and completely immoral. I never thought you would stoop so low.”

  Desperately, he tried to reach for me, but I jerked away. He let his hand fall, and for a moment I could see the trepidation in his eyes, but then they hardened just as quickly. “It’s not like that, Claire. You don’t understand,” he argued.

  “It doesn’t matter,” I spat. “I’m done here, and I’m done with you. Good-bye, Wade.”

  I turned to Mason, who kept his complete attention on me, not even acknowledging Wade, and put his arm around my shoulders. “Let’s go,” he murmured.

  I didn’t want Mason to have to go into our hotel with bloody hands, so before leaving the house he quickly washed up and we left it all behind. By the time we got to the truck, I was a nervous wreck. Everything came crashing down and I let myself go, bursting into tears. Mason reached over and held my hand as we began the fifteen minute drive back to the hotel in complete silence; the silence was deafening.

  It wasn’t until we pulled into the parking lot at the hotel that he finally spoke, “I can’t believe I wasn’t there to protect you. I wanted to kill him, Claire. Just the thought of what he could’ve done to you set my blood on fire. I don’t think I could handle it if anything were to happen to you, not when this is my fight. You shouldn’t have to suffer because of me. Which is why …”

  He stopped mid-sentence and turned to stare at me with his somber gaze. I knew what he was going to say because his eyes said it all. Little did he know that I still had some fight in me. I wasn’t going to let him win and I wasn’t going to let him send me home, but it didn’t stop me from asking, “You want to send me home, don’t you?”

  He sighed and nodded his head, his voice rough with conflicting emotions. “I’m sorry, Claire, but it’s for the best. It’s too dangerous for you to be involved. I need to know that you’re safe and away from here … away from me, and the best place for that is back in California.”

  Defeated, I leaned my head against the seat and stared at him, a lone tear escaping the corner of my eye. “I don’t think I can do that,” I cried. “Not when everything is coming together and you’re so close. From what I understand, Friday night is going to be an important fight for you and I don’t want to miss it. You may not need me there, but I need to be. I can’t miss it, Mason.” He still hadn’t even told me what Erick said in their little talk.

  Groaning, Mason reached over and twirled a lock of my hair through his fingers. “I had a feeling you would say something like that. There’s only one other option.”

  “What would that be?” I wondered.

  “It’s simple,” he explained. “We need to compromise and I need you to be reasonable. Can you do that?”

  Narrowing my gaze, I crossed my arms over my chest and breathed out a heavy sigh. “I think I’m a very reasonable person,” I noted halfheartedly.

  Mason scoffed, his facial expression claiming otherwise. “Okay, fine, I’m a little hard to reason with, but I do know how to compromise. However, before I do that I need you to tell me something first.”

  “Anything,” he replied. “What do you want to know?”

  “I want you to tell me what you and Erick talked about, and if you think Wade is a part of it.” Almost hesitantly, he stared at me for a moment as if contemplating his next words. “I want the truth, Mason. I need to know if you’re going to be okay.”

  Please tell me you’re going to be okay.

  Claire wanted the truth.

  I gave her the truth, but not all of it. I left out the part about Erick offering me a spot at MMA Pride if I won the upcoming fight against Matt Reynolds. When she found out I kept the truth from her, I could only hope she would understand my reasoning. She needed to leave, that was for certain. If Chase could get to her to hurt me, then there’s no telling who else would do the same thing. I made it very clear last night that I would fight for her, and whatever happened with Erick and his sick plans I didn’t want her anywhere near it; hence, the reason she was leaving on a plane back to California the Saturday morning after the fight.

  The terms of the compromise were simple and thankfully she agreed to them all. For the rest of the week we were both going to stay away from the club until Friday night for the fight, and once we were there she promised to stay with Tyler and Jake in plain sight. In return, I promised to make it up to her in any way she wanted, and of course, her first request was for me to fuck her. Those were her exact words.

  Needless to say, my dick got rock hard the second she said that. However, to torture me she decided to take an excruciatingly long shower first. “Claire, if you don’t hurry up I’m going to come in there and fuck you in the shower. You have one minute,” I shouted impatiently.

  She giggled and that was all it took. I marched toward the bathroom only to be stopped by the sound of my phone. “Dammit,” I hissed. “I can never catch a break.”

  Snatching my phone off the bedside dresser, I saw th
at the incoming call was from Tyler. “This better be good,” I barked into the phone. “I’m kind of busy here.”

  Tyler bellowed, and by the sound of the fumble I’d say he dropped the phone. “Oh shit, man, sorry about that. Give my regards to Claire. I didn’t mean to interrupt your play time,” he said jokingly.

  “Get to it, Tyler. What do you want?”

  “Dude, calm down, I’m trying to help you here. The fight is Friday night, right?” he asked, but it sounded more like a statement.

  “Yeah, and your point,” I remarked. I had other things on my mind at the moment like the naked woman I was about to wrap around my cock.

  He chuckled again. “My point is this … you need to be prepared and my father and I want to help you.”

  “Help me how exactly?”

  “You need to train as hard as you can and you’re not going to be able to do that in the hotel gym by yourself. My father’s going to coach you and I’m going to be your sparring partner. Come on, what do you say?”

  “Why are you doing this for me?” I asked skeptically.

  Don’t get me wrong, Tyler was a good guy, but he didn’t know me for shit other than the short amount of time I’d spent with him. He had no reason to want to see me succeed.

  “It was my father’s idea, Mason. He saw something in you. He said it reminded him of himself when he won his boxing championships back in the day. Not to mention it’s a perk for me because I can beat your ass every day to help you get prepared.”

  I scoffed. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that.”

  “Anyway,” he started again, ignoring my comment, “Claire deserves a winner and we can make you one again. Who knows, maybe this could be your big break going against Matt Reynolds … that’s sure to get some eyes looking your way.”

  Yeah, the wrong ones, I thought. Dripping wet, Claire stepped into the bathroom doorway with her hands on her hips, pursing her lips.

  “Should I just tend to myself since the call is more important?” she teased. She licked her lips, gazing down at my growing cock, and then turned on her heel to head back for the shower. I almost lost it the second she started to moan. Holy shit, she’s fucking killing me.

  “Okay, Tyler, I’m in. What time do you want me there?” I asked hurriedly.

  “Every day at three o’clock starting today.”

  “I’ll be there,” I said and immediately hung up.

  Throwing my phone on the bed, I rushed straight into the bathroom. The shower doors were fogged up, but I could still see the outline of Claire giving me a show by rubbing her breasts. “It’s about time you got in here,” she said, opening the doors.

  “You can blame it all on Tyler. He was the one who called,” I informed her.

  “What did he want with you?”

  “He and his dad are going to help me train this week to get ready for the fight. So you and I will be going to the gym every afternoon.”

  “Fun,” she mumbled, smirking devilishly. With hooded eyes, she took her soap and started rubbing it over her breasts and then down to in between her legs.

  “Shit,” I groaned, not being able to take my eyes away. “I think I might need to stay out here and stare at you a little longer. I could sit here and watch you touch yourself all day,” I said, stepping into the shower.

  Giggling, she took the soapy washcloth and rubbed it on my arms and my stomach before moving around me to get my back. It felt so damn good, especially when she reached around and cupped my balls with one hand and wrapped her fingers around my cock with the other.

  “Well, I’ll definitely have to remember you like that. At least it got you to come into the shower quicker.” She pressed her tits to my back and worked her hands up and down, over and over. She was relentless and she wasn’t stopping.

  Placing my hands on the shower wall, I leaned forward and groaned. “Claire, I’m going to come if you don’t stop.”

  “I don’t want to stop,” she muttered, moving faster. “I want you to come.”

  I could feel it coming, and it was coming fast. Her hands were like magic, squeezing so tight it could almost pass for the tightness between her legs. “Ah, fuck!” I shouted. Closing my eyes, my body jerked when her relentless pace made me explode. She slowed her rhythm as the last of my release spurt out and washed away.

  “How did that feel?” she asked, bending underneath my arm so she could face me. I had her caged in my arms with water dripping all over her body, down her breasts to the slit between her legs.

  Pushing her against the wall, I opened her mouth with my lips and licked the water off with my tongue. She wrapped her arms around my neck and held on tight as I grabbed her thighs and lifted her above my waist, spreading her wide.

  She gasped as I pushed her against the wall again, gazing down at me with heat-filled eyes. “You said you wanted to get fucked. Are you ready?” I growled huskily.

  She moaned breathlessly, “Oh yes, Mason, please.”

  I sucked on her nipple and bit down at the same time I pushed into her hard. She screamed out and dug her nails in my back, holding on tight as I thrust inside of her hard and fast. The harder I licked and sucked her nipples, the tighter she clenched around my cock. Her breasts were her weakness and I loved that I could get her off by tasting and teasing them.

  Wrapping her legs tighter around my waist, I took my hands off her ass and leaned against the wall so I could push harder. “Is … this … what you wanted?” I asked in between kisses to her lips on down to her neck.

  Moaning, she nodded her head quickly. “Yes. It feels so good.”

  Rocking my hips more vigorously, she countered my motions, moving her body along with mine. Her flesh clenched and tightened around my cock, and I knew she was close … so was I. “I’m going to come so hard in you, Claire, and you’re going to feel every single drop explode inside of you.”

  Claire lowered her lips to my neck and bit down, screaming out her orgasm, as I pounded harder, coming inside of her. I held her against the shower wall, breathing hard, letting the aftershocks of our orgasms ebb off before lowering her feet to the floor.

  She swayed when I set her down and gazed dreamily into my eyes. “I needed that,” she uttered, smiling lazily up at me.

  “So did I,” I admitted honestly. “I think shower sex might be one of my favorites.”

  Claire laughed and kissed me again. “I think it’s one of mine, too. Now let’s go get something to eat.”

  By the time we got dressed and ate our room service breakfast, my phone rang with another call. This time it was Ryan Griffin. “Hey,” I said, answering the phone. “What’s going on?”

  “Well, for starters, Summer is starting to come around. She asked for you,” he said.

  My eyes went wide. “Are you serious? Has she said anything?” Claire perked up and turned to face me.

  He sighed. “No, she won’t talk to anyone else or tell us what happened. I just got here and tried to talk to her, but she refuses. She only wants to talk to you. She’s pretty shaken up. Also, I wanted to talk to you about Erick Young.”

  “What did you find?”

  “That’s the thing, Mason. I found nothing. I can’t find a single thing on a guy named Erick Young. It’s like he’s a ghost.”

  Grabbing the keys to the truck, and with Claire on my heels, we rushed out of the room. “I’ll be right there,” I told him, and hung up the phone.

  Ryan was pacing back and forth when Claire and I showed up at the hospital. “When did you get the call she was awake and asking for me?” I asked, rushing up to him.

  “It was about an hour ago. As soon as I got the call I came straight here and called you. Hopefully, she’ll give us something to go on. Her sister is flying over from Virginia to stay with her until she can be released.”

  “That’s good. At least she won’t be alone,” I agreed.

  Hopefully, with her sister coming it would help her cope and heal with the loss of Austin. I really needed to tell him about E
rick and everything that happened, except I didn’t want Claire around when I told him. Feeling guilty as hell, I turned to her and smiled apologetically. “Baby, do you mind getting me a cup of coffee, please? I could really use it right now.”

  Her eyes went wide, skeptical. “Oh, I didn’t think you drank it. I hadn’t seen you drink any the whole time we’ve been here,” she noted diligently.

  I should’ve known I couldn’t get anything by her. She was a very perceptive person, seeing things that no one would expect, so I answered as best as I could, “Actually, I hardly ever drink it these days, but today I’m going to need it if I’m going to get through the day.”

  Appeased by my answer, she nodded and turned to Ryan. “Would you like a cup, too, Mr. Griffin?” she asked politely.

  “I would, thank you.”

  “Okay, I’ll be right back.” She smiled at us both and turned on her heel, heading straight for the elevator. As soon as she disappeared behind the door, Ryan chuckled and slapped me on the shoulder.

  “All right, she’s gone. I knew exactly what you were doing. What do you need to tell me that you didn’t want to say around her?”

  Sighing, I averted my gaze away from the elevator to him and replied, “I finally talked one on one with our guy. He wanted to offer me a spot at MMA Pride, but only if I win the fight this Friday night.”

  “So, is that it? You win, you get the contract?” he questioned.

  I glanced at the elevator quickly to make sure Claire hadn’t returned before speaking again. “No, that’s not all. He told me that winning is the first step and that after the fight he would tell me what the next step is. I don’t know what it is just yet, but I think we can assume it’s another fight.”

  “Shit,” he grumbled. “Make sure you keep your tracker on at all times. Keep in touch with me as much as possible, and if I don’t hear from you I’ll find you.”