Raw Passion (MMA Sports Romance)

by Chase, PJ

  It was like Colin had gotten hit by a ton of bricks. Colin could tell he was going to be in a world of hurt in the morning. But if Colin wasn't careful, things could get out of hand in a hurry. If Roderick was able to land a direct shot to Colin's face, it would be lights out. And after backing Colin up to the cage, that's just what Roderick was aiming for.

  Even though the fight had just started, Roderick was looking to end it in a hurry. It was like Roderick was trying to break the record for the quickest knockout in history. And if Colin wasn't careful, Roderick would do it.

  But Roderick was in such a hurry to make it a quick fight that he was almost too zealous. Colin knew that if he could just fend off this initial push that he'd have his opening to strike. Then again, that was a big if.

  That being said, Roderick had Colin just the way he wanted him. Or so it seemed. Colin may not have been as young and agile as he used to be, but he still had the speed left in him for one surprise move. So as Roderick went to deliver a crushing right cross to Colin's face, Colin was able to roll away from the punch at the last minute. With Roderick whiffing on the punch, that left him off balance for a second.

  That left a slim opening for Colin. It was possibly the only opening he would get. So Colin realized he had to take advantage of it. It was now or never. So Colin decided to go all in. He managed all the leverage he could, then sprung forward, tackling Roderick like a linebacker trying to sack a quarterback. And amazingly, it worked.

  It was just like Colin's trainer had predicted. Colin was known as a stand up fighter. So no one, the least Roderick, ever expected Colin to bust out a wrestling move. Roderick looked completely taken by surprise. And that element of surprise cost him.

  Colin was able to tackle Roderick and wrestle him to the ground. It was a dubious first for Roderick. No pro fighter had ever been able to get Roderick off of his feet. But Colin wasn't done. He was able to get Roderick down on the mat, but that didn't mean Roderick was going to stay there. Colin knew he had to keep Roderick on the mat. That he had to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him.

  Colin had to get Roderick in a choke hold, and fast. But Roderick tried to get up as quickly as possible. Colin threw a quick punch to Roderick's face to slow him down. That gave Colin just enough time to try and put on choke hold on Roderick. But it wasn't easy. Roderick was as strong a fighter as Colin had ever fought. And he was a slippery guy. As Colin tried to get to get the choke hold on, Roderick kept managing to slip out of it. At the same time though, Colin was able to wrap his legs around Roderick and keep him from getting to his feet.

  Despite Roderick's best efforts to slip away, Colin was finally able to get him in a choke hold. All of a sudden it was a whole new fight. It was a position that Roderick had never been in before. The crowd reacted with stunned silence. They couldn't believe it. This was just unprecedented.

  Colin had no time to revel though. He had to try to finish the job. He'd defied the odds and gotten Roderick to the mat, but it wouldn't mean anything if Roderick was able to free himself. So Colin applied as much pressure as he could. He tightened his grip, trying to force Roderick into submission.

  Roderick kept squirming though. He kept swinging his fists back trying to land a punch to Colin's face that would free him from the choke hold. Roderick was damn strong. Colin didn't know how much longer he could hold his grip. How much longer he could keep Roderick down. Colin could feel his grip slipping. He could sense Roderick getting close to breaking free. And if Roderick was able to slip out of the choke hold, Colin would be in deep shit.

  Colin knew he had to dig deep. That he had to use all he had left in his tank to try to finish Roderick off. Colin mustered all the might he could to choke Roderick out. And that last push made all the difference.

  Colin was able to tighten his choke hold. Suddenly he could feel Roderick weakening. He knew it was working. He knew he just needed to hold out a little longer. That if he held his grip a few seconds more, he'd be able to taste the most unprecedented victory in MMA history.

  Then, it finally happened. Against all odds, Roderick tapped out. He'd had enough. The fight was over. Colin won.

  It was amazing. Colin almost couldn't believe it. As Colin rose to his feet, he felt like he was walking on air. He did it. He actually did it. Roderick was undefeated no more. What seemed so impossible just a few minutes before was all too real suddenly. Colin didn't just get his title shot, he actually won.

  It was the perfect ending. The perfect way to go out. And Colin was completely on top of the world.

  Epilogue

  Julie and Colin laid in bed after the fight, with a post coital glow to them. Julie looked at Colin's new MMA championship title belt still in awe, then saw Colin gazing at her.

  "So what do you want to do now, champ?" Julie asked, playfully.

  "You mean other than stay in bed with you? Because I can do that forever," Colin said, kissing her neck.

  "You're pretty frisky for a guy that just had a title fight," Julie mentioned.

  "What can I say? When I'm around you, I'm never short of energy," Colin said, now running his hands down her body.

  "You know, I knew you could do it," Julie replied.

  "Thanks to you," Colin said.

  "That's sweet, but I wasn't the one in that cage taking on that beast," Julie explained.

  "True. But you're the one that made me believe in myself again when I needed it the most. You gave me the strength to overcome the odds. And for that you deserve all the credit in the world," Colin said.

  "Just when I think you can't get any sweeter, you find a way," Julie replied.

  "Hey, if the fight tonight proved anything, it's that anything is possible," Colin said.

  "It's still amazing to think what you just did. Do you realize you just shocked the world?" Julie replied.

  "I guess it hasn't sunk in yet. I'm still kind of in shock myself," Colin said.

  "So is the world. What a way to go out," Julie replied.

  "My parents always said there's no better way to go out than on top," Colin remarked.

  Julie then gazed into Colin's eyes.

  "That's funny. Because whenever we're in bed, you always like to be on the bottom," Julie replied.

  Colin then gave Julie a deep kiss.

  "Who's the frisky one now?" Colin asked.

  "What can I say? I just can't help myself around you," Julie admitted.

  "You know, a man can never hear that enough," Colin said.

  "Will you just kiss me already?" Julie replied, playfully.

  Colin then gave Julie a deep kiss.

  "Any other requests?" Colin asked.

  Julie smiled. "Well, if you're not going to put up a fight, then I can think of a couple."

  "Are you kidding? My fighting days are over," Colin said.

  "By the way, now that you've conquered mixed martial arts, what are you going to do now?" Julie asked.

  Colin was at a crossroads in his life. He was done fighting. He'd reached the pinnacle of the sport. He'd gone out on top. And with his professional dream finally coming true, he was ready to move on to his personal dreams. To live a happy, fulfilling life with the woman that he loved.

  At the same time, Julie had finally found the love she'd been waiting for. Her life was as happy as can be. It seemed like things were only going to get better and better. And she didn't ever want that to change

  Colin then gazed into Julie's eyes. "I'm not sure. But I know everything will be fine as long as I'm with you."

  The End.

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  Texan University had only won two college football national championships in its entire hundred and fifty year history. Brett Stanton was a part of the team both times--the first time as the team captain and star quarterback, and the second time thirty-one years later as the head coach. There wasn't anyone in the town of Juniper Flats that didn't know Brett's name. He was an absolute legend. Everywhere he went, he was greeted with fanfare. Restaurants named menu items after him. Fans bought him drinks at every bar he went to. And it wouldn't be long before the school built a statue in his honor.

  See, because college football was practically a religion in Juniper Flats, Texas. On Saturdays, the whole town would shut down for a game. Tailgating was expected. And anything less than a win from the hometown Fighting Armadillos was a wild disappointment. With those kinds of expectations, the pressure on the players and the coaching staff was immense. But Brett seemed to thrive under clutch situations.

  When Brett was the quarterback for the team, he led the Armadillos on a comeback for the ages. Down by four with only five seconds left in the fourth quarter, Brett escaped an almost surefire sack and threw a thirty yard touchdown pass as time expired to cap off an eleven point fourth quarter comeback to win the schools first national championship.

  If his legend wasn't large enough after that, just last year Brett led the Armadillos to an undefeated season as the head coach, finished off by a blowout thirty to six victory in the national championship game. After that, in a state like Texas where football was king, Brett Stanton was more popular than the governor.

  It was certainly a good time to be Brett Stanton, but being one of his kids was a whole different story. With his wife Isabel, Brett had three daughters--Alyssa, Vikki, and Maureen. Thanks to Brett's multi million dollar salary, the girls had a very comfortable childhood. There was never a worry about money. But the hours of a head football coach were long. During the season, it seemed like Brett spent more time with his coaching staff at the stadium than he did at home with his kids. And the pressure to always win meant that even when Brett was home, his mind was a lot of the time still focused on work.

  It was more than that though. Being a child of the most famous person in Juniper Flats meant that the girls were always going to be in the shadow of their father's achievements. At school, so much of the time it seemed like instead of being Alyssa, Vikki, or Maureen they were just Brett's daughters. It was hard to forge their own identities with that kind of cloud hanging over them. Not to mention everyone in town always wanted to talk about football with them. But they were girls. They wanted to talk about girly things every once in a while. What their father did or didn't do on third down and long in last weeks game was hardly what they wanted to spend their time talking about.

  There were also a lot of Monday morning quarterbacks at school. Boys that were all too eager to criticize Brett to the girls face as if the girls had any sway over what happened in a game. For Alyssa Stanton, eighteen years of that led to football burnout. She didn't want to think about football. She didn't want to think about football. She wanted to escape the sport and the town to forge her own path.

  That did not go over well at home. Alyssa was the first born. The one that carried the weight of her fathers expectations. And those expectations were pretty clear. Todd Driscoll was a blue chip quarterback recruit that also happened to have grown up right down the street from Alyssa. Their families were friends with each other. They hosted barbecues on the fourth of July and rang in the New Year together. Alyssa and Todd were the same age, in the same class, and in Brett's eyes--the perfect romantic match for each other. Todd had already been offered a full scholarship to Texan University, and was expected to start at quarterback no later than his sophomore year. Alyssa's mother Isabel meanwhile was thinking further down the road, imagining wedding bells already.

  Then there was the matter of Alyssa's professional future. Brett was a charitable man, so when he got his first big coaching contract, he set up an organization called the Brett Stanton Foundation. Currently his wife Isabel was running it. But it was clear that Alyssa was to be groomed to take over the position one day. Yup, Alyssa's parents had gone and planned out her future for her. The problem was, no one bothered to ask Alyssa what she wanted. But Alyssa's decisions were about to shake up the family forever.

  Chapter Two

  "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

  Alyssa Stanton's dreams were so vivid, so life like, so real that Alyssa sometimes mistook them for real life. Especially when her dream man spoke to her like that. Then again, Alyssa had always believed words like that were meant for women far more pretty than her. More captivating. More show stopping. But mostly, women that weren't her. Alyssa wasn't out for attention. She didn't want to be noticed. She didn't run her mouth off like she was on some crazy reality show. Alyssa was brought up not to act like a fool. Not to bring drama down on every situation. Not to tarnish the family reputation.

  Apparently the drama queens didn't get everything after all, because an unmistakable hunk stood before her with a sultry look in his eyes. And what a delicious man Alyssa had caught the eye of. The guy had a body that looked like it was a gift from the Gods. Perfectly sculpted. Designed to make a woman's heart skip a beat. As if he was an underwear model. And damn would he look good in his underwear. But the guy was more than just an unmistakable catch. He also had a warm, comforting smile, dazzling deep blue eyes, and soft kissable lips.

  Alyssa could imagine those lips pressing against hers, his tongue giving her a wild delight. His hands deftly moving down her body, leaving her itching for the right touch. It would be absolute bliss. The kind of love that changed a woman. Rewired her for untamed desire. And Alyssa would never be able to get enough.

  Alyssa was instantly smitten. She could tell that life would never be the same. That her days would be filled with happy surprises. And that her nights would never be short of passion. Such a find was hard to come by. He seemed almost too good to be true. Yet there he was standing in front of her in the suburbs of Chicago.

  Amazingly enough, the world had not collapsed with Alyssa's departure from Juniper Flats. She was still walking and talking, living and breathing same as ever. Alyssa and the man laid in the grass, peering into each others eyes while holding one another. A brisk breeze gave Alyssa goose bumps and a good excuse to cozy up. The flowers were in bloom around them, adding an intoxicating perfume scent to the air. It was perfect. The guy gave Alyssa a soft kiss on her lips, which gave way to a deep tongue kiss. The man then ran his fingers through Alyssa's hair as he gazed into her eyes.

  "I'm the most beautiful woman you've ever seen?" Alyssa replied, in disbelief.

  But the man nodded. "Without a doubt."

  "How many women have you seen?" Alyssa joked.

  "Enough to know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you," the man answered. He had nothing but the right answers.

  "How lucky am I to have a man like you in my life?" Alyssa asked.

  "Trust me. The pleasure is all mine," the man responded.

  There was no keeping a smile off of Alyssa's face at that point. It was almost too good to be true. "Do you ever feel like you're living in a dream?"

  "I am. Your dream," the man answered.

  "What?" Alyssa asked.

  "Alyssa, this is all a dream," the man continued.

  Chapter Three

  Before Alyssa knew it, she awoke back at her folks house in Juniper Flats with no dream man in sight. It was the most rude of awakenings. And reality hardly planned to take it easy on her. Alyssa knew it was too much to ask for reality to live up to her dreams. But it was another thing for her real life to not even compare to the torrid thoughts in her head. Alyssa found herself all too single.

  A lot of Alyssa's friends told her it was because her standards were too high. But why wouldn't she have high standards? What, was she supposed to just settle for any old guy? Alyssa wasn't about to do that. When it came to gi
ving her heart away, opening up, and entrusting someone to appreciate her feelings, only the right man would do. To be fair though, Alyssa didn't feel like she was being unreasonable. And in her mind, her standards were pretty low. She just wanted a little romance. She wanted to find a man that would love and respect her. That listened to her. That had a good sense of humor, but wasn't a goofball. That was smart, but not pretentious. That was in good shape, but didn't spend more time polishing his guns than being with her. That was sweet and caring. And of course was easy on the eyes.

  Alyssa hadn't found that man yet. Not even by a long shot. Although she'd had a number of boyfriends in the past. So many of them seemed to be fumbling their way through life. One thought he was just the coolest thing ever. Another thought that playing video games was a good idea for a date. Then finally there was the bad boy that proved to be way more edgy than Alyssa was prepared for. But even though the few guys that Alyssa had dated all had strikingly different personalities, one thing about them was all too similar. They all acted as if a successful relationship was all about how many make out sessions they could sneak in. As much as Alyssa loved kissing, that didn't mean she wanted to spend all her time being tongued and groped. She wanted a man, not just a hormonal powder keg. But finding a good man in Juniper Flats had proved harder than Alyssa even expected.

  Alyssa also made it a point not to date football players. The ones she'd met were all so cocky. And when they weren't spending their time being obsessed with themselves, they were spending it focused on playing a stupid game. Alyssa wasn't interested in taking a backseat to some stupid little ball with laces on it. She wanted to be the focus. And the more time a guy spent pouring over his playbook, the less time he'd have to pour over her.

  Alyssa wanted to pretend that her father had nothing to do with her aversion to football players, but the fact was that he absolutely did. More than either of her siblings, Alyssa resented how much time her father had spent away from the family when she was growing up. If it wasn't practice, it was watching game film, or coming up with new plays. Almost every night her father seemed to work late. And that wasn't even just during the season. In the off season, there was plenty more work to do. Her father had to go on recruiting trips.