by Ashley Jade
She grabbed his hand and looked up at me. "I love him, Jackson."
I grunted and downed the rest of my beer before I reached over and grabbed Mike by his shoulders. "Outside...now."
He let go of Lilly's hand and followed me out to the porch.
The old wooden swing seat creaked under our weight when we sat down. "You're 22...she's 18."
He laughed. "I know. But it's really not that much of an age difference anymore, especially now that she's legal.” He looked down at his feet. “Besides, I've loved her since she was 14."
My stomach knotted and I balled my fists. "That's disgusting."
He rolled his eyes. "Obviously, I didn't do anything about it, asshole,” he said. “It’s not like that. It’s more than sex."
My entire body tensed at those words and I stood up.
I was about two seconds away from knocking his lights out when he shouted, "Which we still haven't had, I swear!"
We both breathed a sigh of relief then. "Look, I know I'm going to spend the rest of my life with her. Now the only question is whether you're going to be happy and support us, or if it's going to come to blows and we're going to ruin a friendship over it. Not to mention, possibly ruining your relationship with your sister."
I shook my head. "You're a fucking prick."
He gave me a wry smile. "No, I'm not, Jackson. If I was, you would have knocked my ass out already. You know I'm a good guy. You know I'll take care of her. I'm your best friend for crying out loud."
I crossed my arms over my chest. "You hurt her, I'll kill you. You knock her up before she's 30, I'll kill you. If you cheat on her, I'll kill you. If you ever make her cry...I'll kill you."
He looked me in the eyes. "If I ever do any of those things; then, I wouldn't want to live anyway." He paused. "So, does this mean we have your blessing?"
I halfheartedly gave a nod as I heard Lilly come bouncing out the front door.
Her smile was infectious and her eyes were gleaming.
She wrapped her arms around me tighter than she ever had before.
"I love you, big brother...this is the best birthday ever!"
I sighed and returned her hug.
***
For two years Mike kept his promise.
He treated her like gold and I'd never seen Lilly happier.
Both Mike and I continued to train hard, trying to make it big in the MMA world.
We trained at one of the best gyms and had a coach who swore our big break was right around the corner.
He was right.
Mike was closing in on a deal with a big time sponsor, and I was about to sign a pretty big endorsement deal with a sponsor myself.
My first professional fight was scheduled for one week away.
At almost 24, my dreams were finally coming true.
I was so wrapped up in my own world...I never noticed the signs.
I never noticed when my sister’s innocent blue eyes lost their sparkle.
I never noticed when her bubbly personality changed.
I almost didn't notice when she stopped showing up to watch us train.
"What's up with my sister? I haven't talked to her in like two weeks. She hasn't shown up here lately...why is that?" I asked Mike as we headed to the locker room after a training session.
Mike shrugged. "I don't know, she's been studying really hard. I think she wanted to go shopping today. She said something about wanting to get a new outfit for the big fight next week."
I laughed. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Her boyfriend and big brother are having their first professional fight on the very same night."
I knew that no matter how hard Lilly's intense course load at Harvard was, she wouldn't miss the fight for the world.
He looked down and I watched as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Yeah..."
Something was off.
I put my hand on his shoulder. "What's going on?"
He shrugged me off and walked toward the showers. "Just a little nervous is all," he called out.
I finished showering before he did.
I walked over to our lockers and proceeded to get dressed.
He stupidly left his locker half open...and that's when I noticed it.
A tiny bottle of something that wasn't labeled...along with a needle.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was.
Steroids.
I swiped it from his locker and waited for him to come out.
"What the fuck are you doing, Mike? Are you trying to ruin your career before it even starts?" I screamed.
He looked around the locker room. "Keep your fucking voice down. What if coach hears you?" he hissed as he reached for the bottle.
I pulled back. "Over my dead body. No way am I letting you ruin everything you've worked so hard for. What the fuck is the matter with you? I never thought you would do something like this!"
He punched the locker beside him. "Everybody in the sports industry uses, Jackson. I'm going to stop after I win the next few fights...it's just enough to put me on the map."
"You're an idiot. You're about to sign a deal with a big sponsor! You don't think they're going to test you for roids? Even more than that, you're ruining the integrity of the sport. All sports. Passion is what should be flowing through your body...not this shit."
"Look, some of us don't have it like you do. Some of us need a little help from time to time. And I’m not the only athlete to ever try it, most have. It’s just a little pick me up."
I shook my head and glared at him. "This isn't a 'pick me up', this shit will send you straight to hell in a hand-basket. Train better, work harder...don't do this shit."
He sighed and slumped down on the bench. "You're right. I fucked up, I've just been so nervous and I'm second guessing myself. I don't want to lose."
I sat down next to him. "I understand. What makes you think I'm not feeling the same way? This is a huge deal for us, and it's normal to be nervous. Use that nervous energy as positive fuel. This shit will ruin your life."
He nodded. "Don't tell Lilly about this, please."
"I won't. Besides, if she knew, the fight next week would be the least of your worries. I'm pretty sure she'd kick your ass so bad you wouldn't be able to train for weeks."
He grinned and began changing into his street clothes. "Yup, you're right about that. God, I love that woman."
***
Blood.
So much blood. Everywhere.
Author Page
I'm a lover of romance, erotica, dark romance, oxford comma's, the em dash, peanut butter on my cookies and anything thought provoking...except for math.
I've always read books growing up and after having a strange dream one night; I decided to just go for it and publish my first series.
Little did I know, I would end up falling head over heels in love with writing and it would own and soothe my soul.
If I'm not paying off student loan debt, working, or writing a novel—you can usually find me listening to music and pondering the meaning of life.
Check my amazon page and Facebook page for future novels.
I recently became hip and joined Twitter, so you can find me there, too.
Check my amazon page for future novels.
Also, feel free to start a discussion board/or leave a review if you're so inclined.
I value and appreciate all my fans reviews, thoughts, and discussions, as well as their time. Each and every single one of you are important to me.
Thanks for believing in me and giving me a shot. It has meant more to me than you'll ever know.
~ Happy Reading ~
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashley-Jade/788137781302982?ref=hl
Other Books Written By Ashley Jade (all available on Amazon)
What Happens In the Dark (Book 1)
Comes To Light (What Happens in The Dark Series, Book 2)
Against The Darkest Shadow(What Happens in The Dark Series, Book 3)
/> The Black Widow Club
The Twisted Fate series (books 1-4)
Acknowledgments
I like to keep these short and sweet.
First and foremost: Thank you my amazing fans...seriously, you rock! You’ll never know how much you all mean to me.
I can never thank you enough for sticking it out with me and hopefully now, I’m starting to make it worth your while and delivering the goods.
Either way, I’ll keep trying and giving you everything I’ve got.
I also vow never to make a book of mine above $2.99 while I’m still an un-signed indie author. If I ever lose my mind, you have every right to call me out on every social media site there is.
Check out my facebook page and amazon page for more updates and new series/more novels. I love connecting with my fans! You guys give me that extra ‘push’ whenever I feel defeated.
I also like to give out arc’s from time to time.
A special thank you to my Hammie: You are my love, my muse, my everything. I couldn't have done this without you.