by Lea Hart
“Is that true of the other fighters you represent?”
The doors whooshed open and they stepped out. “No, just my brother.”
“Makes sense. My mom has a hard time watching my matches. Always has.”
“Do you remember very much from your title fights?”
“Bits and pieces. Being in the cage is like no other experience, and the only memories I have are small snippets. I can recall some jabs I took, the feeling of my glove smashing into my opponent’s body, and the feel of the cage digging into my back. But it’s all fragmented pieces and not the whole fight.”
“Bruce has said the same thing. My younger brother is a SEAL, and he describes being in combat much the same way. Adrenaline takes over and all you have is thousands of hours of training to carry you through.”
Bree heard her name and spotted Tony. She watched him move through the crowd and waved him over. “Hi, Tiger.” Stepping away from Matt, she gave him a hug. “Are you ready to schmooze with the nice folks paying you an obscene amount of money?”
“Of course. Looking forward to it,” Tony replied with a wink.
Bree watched his eyes flit over her shoulder and wondered why there was a river of tension between him and the other fighter. As far as she knew, they didn’t cross paths very often. He took her hand and started leading her down the hall as he spoke into her ear.
“What the hell are you doing with Matt Hall? The guy goes through women faster than I go through Gatorade.”
“I’m not doing a thing. Bruce didn’t want me wandering around alone, so he enlisted him to keep watch. You know how overprotective he is.” Well, at least she knew his name now.
“I do. Which makes me wonder why he thought Matt would be a good choice. He’s an unapologetic man-whore. He’s the last person I’d choose to be anywhere near you.”
“We’ll talk about it later.” She stopped and waited for Matt to catch up. Whatever was going on wasn’t going to be solved in the next five minutes, and no one needed to be in a snit when they walked into the suite. “Come on, guys. Let’s go shake some hands and play nice.”
Matt took her hand and grinned at Tony like he didn’t have a care in the world. Interesting. Whatever had gone on between the two of them had riled Tony enough to hold on to her and not enough for Matt to take notice. Had to be about a woman. Which made her wonder how true Tony’s words were. If Matt was half as bad as Tony suggested, then she needed to steer clear.
Looking down at their conjoined hands, she felt a moment’s regret, because his big hand sure felt good. She squared her shoulders and realized that the fact she felt anything was good news and the thing she should focus on. And, not the big, sexy man steering her through the crowd. Definitely not him.
CHAPTER TWO
Sunday, January 8th
Matt waded through the crowd and searched for Bree. The club at the Wynn was lit up in blue and green in honor of Bruce’s win. It was his fifth time winning the belt and his sponsors had gone all out for the celebration.
Intrigue was the hottest club at the moment and the place was packed. The rocks that framed the lagoon at the back of the club were lit up with the UFC logo, which told anyone who cared to notice that Fight Night was serious business. It had taken three rounds for Bruce to knock his opponent out, and it was, by far, one of the best matches Matt had ever seen.
The fact that Bree had sat next to him for most of it only made the whole experience better. Tony had given him dirty looks the whole time and he figured a conversation was past due. He had no argument with the guy, but clearly, Tony didn’t feel the same way. Whatever. It wasn’t anything that was going to make him lose sleep at night. They’d hash it out eventually.
In the meantime, he had more important things to worry about, like finding Bree. The sooner the better too, because the last thing he wanted was for some other guy to be taking up her time. He strode through the crowd and tried to find his dream girl. No luck so far. When they had parted after the fight, he’d wondered if she was trying to ditch him because her excuse about changing clothes seemed flimsy. Guess he would find out soon enough.
Stretching to his full height, he tried to spot Bruce or Tony. At six-three, he could usually see over the crowd with no problem and tonight was no exception. He finally spotted Bruce in a knot of people and hoped like hell Bree was nearby.
As he trudged through the throng, he was stopped several times by people offering congratulations and propositions. He smiled and tried to move as quickly as he could without offending anyone. By the time he made it across the club, he had no idea if he’d succeeded or failed. And, honestly, he didn’t care all that much. Because when he got close to Bruce, he spotted Bree.
She was in a corner booth, surrounded by some UFC executives, and looked like a flower in the middle of a bunch of weeds. She had changed and wore a beautiful peach dress that made his mouth water. Her hair was down and flowed just past her tan shoulders, which answered his question from earlier; there would be enough to fist. If ever he was lucky enough to have a chance.
When her eyes lifted, he caught her gaze, grinned, and motioned that he was going to wait. Hell, he’d wait for however long it took. Minutes, hours, a couple of days…didn’t make any difference to him. He was a man who never gave up when he saw something he wanted, and Bree was exactly what he wanted. Letting out a breath, he took one last glance at her legs and imagined them wrapped around his waist. Yeah, no doubt about it, she was his dream girl.
Relaxing, he leaned against the post and accepted a beer from the passing waitress. He hardly ever drank because he spent most of his time training for a fight. But meeting Bree and spending time with her was reason for celebration.
His friend Tim came over and they started to catch up. Then several other fighters from their team joined them. It was great to hang out, but he found his attention wavering. Out of the corner of his eye, he kept catching glimpses of her smile or her tan legs, and he found his eyes glued to her more than once.
Tim elbowed him and raised his eyebrows. “Tell me you’re not making a play for Bree Andrews.”
“I’m not playing,” he responded with irritation. Why in the hell should Tim care what he was doing? Did he think he wasn’t good enough for her?
“Are you sure you’re ready for a woman like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Bree’s the real deal. The girl went to Stanford.”
“I can handle a smart woman. Just because I didn’t graduate from college doesn’t mean that I’m dumb. She could be interested in me.”
Tim put his hands up and shook his head. “All I’m saying is that she deserves a good man after the year she’s had.”
“What happened?”
“Last year, her fiancé called off the wedding a month before it was supposed to happen.”
He glanced over his shoulder, looked at the prettiest woman he’d ever seen, and wondered what kind of asshole would do that to her. “Did Bruce kill the son of a bitch?”
“No. But Bryce almost did.”
“Is that the SEAL?”
“Yeah. He’s a good man. I met him when I was still an instructor down at Coronado,” Tim responded.
“That’s right. You were on the Teams.” Matt noticed some of the men starting to get up in Bree’s group and hoped like hell she was going to have some time for him. He hadn’t gotten any real clear signals yet, so he had no idea if he had a shot with her or not.
“Whatever you have in mind, it better be filled with good intentions,” Tim said. “Bruce and Bryce have gone into overdrive when it comes to protecting their sister.”
“Understood,” Matt replied as he kept an eye on Bree. He didn’t know what he wanted with Bree, but he sure as hell was going to do his best to see that he had a chance to find out. He’d always been a fighter with a ton of patience. And it seemed that Bree was the sort of woman who might need all kinds of it. Which was fine.
It was like his matches—one step
at a time, one strike at a time, one round at a time. All you had to do was be the one standing at the end. And he’d like to see if Bree’s hand was the one he’d be holding when the final bell rang.
***
Bree watched the UFC executives depart and let out a breath. Dealing with the new owners was a lot easier than she’d expected. The fact that WME-IMG had a long history of success let her know the sport was going to benefit from the new management team. MMA was mainstream now and the shadowy days of the sport were a thing of the past. Decisions about matches were still made by executives in back rooms, but the rest of the sport was as legitimate as any other.
Unfortunately, the ownership change still meant there was little an agent could do for fighters when they received an offer because, for the most part, it was a take-it-or-leave-it deal. Granted, Tony, her brother, and a couple of others had some sway when they agreed to a fight. But they were the exception and not the rule.
Glancing around the club, she noticed how packed it had become. She drained her club soda and then slipped her iPad into her purse. Intrigue wasn’t the best place to have a business conversation, but she couldn’t very well refuse when the UFC men showed up and suggested it. Her brother’s title fight had been a huge success for the company, and they wanted to start negotiating his next contract. He had only two months on his current one, and tonight’s discussion was meant to cement Bruce’s loyalty to the company. She hadn’t promised them anything and hadn’t refused anything either. It wasn’t like he was going to defect to Bellator, but he had some leverage and she meant to make the most of it.
There had been talk about Mick Bannon, the lightweight champion, hosting his own fight. If he pulled it off, then it was going to change the landscape for a lot of fighters. And, her brother would be one of them.
The folks at UFC knew that, and she expected Bruce’s next contract negotiations were going to be as bloody as one of his fights. No one had ever successfully gone against the UFC and she didn’t know what it would take to win. But it sure would be interesting to find out.
She stood and saw Matt break away from his group and head in her direction. He’d been glued to her since the fight and it looked like it wasn’t going stop anytime soon. Checking her watch, she realized it was two in the morning, and way past her bedtime.
“Do you want anything to drink?” Matt inquired as he took her hand.
“No, thank you. I’m going to call it a night, go to my room, and order room service. I haven’t eaten since breakfast and I’m starved.”
“Let me take you over to the café. They’re open twenty-four hours and we can grab a sandwich.”
He gave her such a sweet, hopeful smile that she found herself unable to refuse. Maybe all the things Tony had said about him were not true. A lot of it sounded like gossip, and maybe she should find out for herself what was factual and what wasn’t. “All right. That sounds great.”
“Let’s get out of here,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Leading her away from the crush of people that were lining the dance floor, he held tightly.
The moment they cleared the front entrance of the club and stepped into the hall, flashes went off as a pack of photographers started snapping pictures. Matt tightened his hold on Bree, gave them a smile, and then waved to the crowd standing behind ropes. The Fight Night celebration inside Intrigue was by invitation only, but that didn’t keep fight fans away. There were people lined up three deep behind the ropes and security was tight. A roar went up as Matt gave another wave, and a large group started chanting his name.
“You should sign some autographs,” Bree said as she started to step away.
“Not tonight. I have a pretty woman who needs to be fed,” he whispered into her ear. He kissed her cheek and gave one last wave as the blinding lights from the flashes made them both stand still.
A couple of photographers shouted questions, and Matt ignored them and turned them down the hall. Another fighter must’ve walked out because the photographers turned without protest.
Bree took a breath. “Didn’t expect that.” Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed some fans trying to get his attention. “Are you sure you want to leave?”
“Yeah. Absolutely.” He waved and continued walking.
“There are a lot of people who would love to spend some time with you. Are they going to follow us?”
“I don’t think so. They would have to walk all the way around the hotel because security has this hallway shut down. They probably figure we’re heading up to our room and it’s not worth the five-mile hike.”
“Is that how far it is to get back to the front of the hotel?”
“Probably pretty close. The head of security explained what they did the last time I was at one of these things. There were a couple of guys who were jacked up and looking for an argument, and I wanted to know if I was going to have a problem when I left the club.”
“Have you had a problem with overly enthusiastic fans before?”
“Not really. Some guys get off by talking shit and I do everything I can not to give in to it. Any confrontation I got into with a fan would end up hurting my career.”
“That’s true. I’ve seen that kind of thing cause a ton of problems. I defended a client last year when a fan claimed he was hurt in a bar fight. We won the case but still had a lot of bad publicity to overcome.”
Matt lifted an eyebrow. “How did you prove your client was innocent?”
“Security footage from the camera inside the bar.” Bree adjusted her bag on her shoulder and grinned. “People don’t realize that cameras are everywhere and getting away with false claims isn’t as easy as it used to be.”
“Having fans is a double-edged sword. Truth is, I’m not great at the whole thing. I never know what to say when people come up and gush all over me. Some guys love that shit, but I’m not one of them. Half the time I figure I’ve disappointed them, and I walk away feeling like I didn’t live up to the image they had in their mind.”
“What do you think they want?”
He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck as they walked down the hall toward the center of the hotel. “I’m not sure. In the cage, I’m a focused fighting machine doing everything I can to annihilate the man in front of me. When I step out, I’m a surfer from Santa Cruz who grew up in the shadow of his brothers.” He shrugged and gave her a smile. “I’m not real comfortable with people fanning.”
“Makes sense.” As they passed a row of shops, Bree noticed lots of people window shopping. Who in their right mind was up at two in the morning looking at store windows? Though the shoes in the Chanel window certainly caught her attention, no matter how tired she was. “Does that sort of thing happen often?”
“You mean people screaming my name?”
“Yes.”
“In most of my life, no, but when I’m in Vegas at a UFC event, then yes.”
The sound of the casino filtered through the hall along with the smell of cigarette smoke, and Bree wondered if she’d have time to throw some money in the slots before she left. Looking around, she tried to determine if people recognized Matt. She didn’t notice anyone looking their way, so she figured they were safe for now. “Do you gamble, Matt?”
“Not really. I play poker with some buddies from high school and that’s about it. My career is excitement enough. And if that doesn’t get my adrenaline pumping, then I can always go up to Mavericks and try the big waves.”
“You’re not kidding. Those waves are death waiting to happen.” A surprised look crossed his face and she wondered why. “What…you think a girl from Mobile, Alabama doesn’t know about the waves at Mavericks?” Laughing, she punched him lightly on his arm. “I’ve been in Palo Alto since I was eighteen, and I spent many of those years dating every cute surfer I could find. I’ve been up at Mavericks when it’s pumping and seen a man or two get real close to death.” When he lifted his eyebrow and chuckled, she wondered why he liked that comment so much.
“I walked into that one.”
He took up her hand and placed a small kiss against her knuckles. “Can’t take it back. You revealed the truth.”
“I am a woman with many mysterious layers and I’ve revealed exactly nothing.” When he snorted and tightened his hold, she wondered what she was in for. He was deadly handsome, had a sense of humor, and seemed to be interested. If she wasn’t careful, she might fall for him, and that’s the last thing she wanted to happen. “Where are those sandwiches? I’m starving and about to fall over.”
“We’re almost there. Why didn’t you eat earlier? They had a huge spread in the Adidas suite.”
“I can’t eat before or during my brother’s fights. I get too nervous.” They passed several restaurants and then were thankfully at their destination. There was only one other couple sitting in the café as they walked in. “I could eat a horse.”
“No horse on the menu. Let’s see what else they have.”
Matt stood behind her and leaned his head on top of hers as they looked up at the menu. His big hand rested on her waist and all she could smell was…him. Scrumptious. She, on the other hand, probably smelled like smoke and bourbon. One of the UFC executives had spilled his drink on her lap and she reeked like a distillery. “I’m going to have a turkey sandwich and a brownie. How about you?”
“I’ll have the same. I’m not trying to cut weight, so I can indulge.”
They placed their orders and then sat at a table near the back. “So, are you a true middleweight, or are you a light heavyweight who has to diet?”
Leaning back, he balanced his chair on two legs. “I’m a true middleweight. One hundred eighty-five is my best fighting weight.”
“You’re tall, so I wasn’t sure. At six-three you could be heavier and still be effective.”
“Can’t believe I’m talking to a girl about weight on a date. Usually, I can come up with something more interesting to discuss.”