by Lane Hart
“Yep,” Jude answers. “All he wanted was to get back in the cage.”
“Wow,” I mutter as I look around the arena at all the people who come to see Jax fight. Not only that, they all brought items that will help the local food pantry.
“Have you seen the competition? Do you think anyone can beat him?” Logan asks Jude.
“Nah. Doubt it. There was a minimum weight requirement of a hundred and seventy pounds, no max, and all competitors have to be registered as a trained MMA fighter. Some of these guys may be decent, but I don’t think they can beat Jax.”
“Good,” I mutter.
“Come on,” Jude says. “I’ll get you two a seat up front in his corner.”
“Thanks, Jude,” I tell him as Logan and I follow him over to where some of the other Havoc guys are hanging out.
A few minutes later, the lights dim, and then green and red spotlights start dancing around us. Everyone gets to their feet when the announcer holding a microphone in the center of the octagon comes over the PA system and starts explaining what Jude just told us before introducing the contenders, one right after another. All the men come out in a line together and fill the cage as the crowd applauds.
“And now, the man you’ve all been waiting for, Jackson “The Mauler” Malone!” the announcer belts out.
The whole place goes dark, and the cheers grow ten times louder. Even over the noise, I immediately recognize Jax’s fight song when the first chords of “You’re Going Down” by the Sick Puppies blasts through the stillness.
The spotlight hits Jax when he comes out of the tunnel. And just seeing him here, in his element, causes butterflies in my stomach. He’s definitely the hottest Santa Claus I’ve ever seen with his scruffy jet-black beard grown out, wearing a red velvet outfit lined with white. The top is unbuttoned and opened, showing off his sexy chest and chiseled abs that are mine to lick anytime I want. Even the Santa hat somehow works for him.
I don’t know if it’s jealousy from hearing all the screaming women yelling for him or what, but I want him so bad right now that I could rip his Santa outfit off and climb him here in front of everyone.
“Wait, what’s stopping me?” I ask aloud.
“Huh?” Logan asks, but I’m already moving toward the aisle where Jax is coming down with Jude and his dad behind him.
“Page?” Jax says, his dark eyes going wide in surprise when he comes to a stop. “You came.”
I don’t reply before I walk up to him and wind my arms around his neck to kiss him hard, with lots of tongue. Jax kisses me back just as deeply while holding me tightly to his hard, barely clothed body. It takes me a moment to remember we’re in public with thousands of people watching. Finally, I make myself pull back.
“Thanks for coming, princess,” he says.
“Good luck,” I tell him, letting my arms caress down his biceps before letting him go completely.
“I love you,” he says, eyes sad and worried. Not about the fights he’s about to endure, but for us.
“I love you too,” I tell him since that’s never been in doubt.
With one last kiss, I step aside so that he can get to the cage and return to my seat.
“The Santa thing working for you?” my brother asks.
“Oh yeah,” I reply, still out of breath from our kiss.
Seeing Jax enter the cage to applause, with the way he stands so tall and strong is a huge turn on. He’s so tough, so bad ass.
Then I remember what he told me that first week in my office right after we met five years ago, that he had to fight, not to earn a living but to keep the demons out. That’s why he’s been so moody. Well, that and no sex because I’m out like a light by eight o’clock every night. God, I miss caffeine.
I know Jax has missed being in the cage, and I’m proud of him for being brave enough to take on so many fighters in one night for such a good cause. It just reminds me that despite his tough exterior, Jax is a good man on the inside, and that I don’t have anything to fear, even when I finally tell him our news.
My hand goes to my lower belly, and I’m certain that it’s time for me to finally tell Jax.
I’ll do it tonight, if he makes it through all these fights.
But really, I don’t think there’s a chance in hell of anyone beating my husband tonight.
For the first three rounds, I’m sure I’m right as Jax easily takes out each opponent in under sixty seconds. It’s not until the fourth fight that I feel my heart climb into my throat, leaving me breathless and nauseous when I see what enters the cage.
As the fourth guy is announced, I cast a skeptical look at Jude, remembering what he said earlier as one of the biggest men I’ve ever seen in my life stomps into the spotlight. “One hundred seventy pounds minimum, but…no max. That’s what you said he agreed to?” I yell at Jude, practically screeching to be heard over the cheers of the crowd.
“In his defense, we thought only humans would show up,” Jude yells back with a grin. “We didn’t think it was enough money to drag an ogre out of its swamp!”
The sound of the bell jerks our attention back to the cage. Jax steps forward with his gloved hand extended towards the giant in a show of good sportsmanship, but the man slaps the offered greeting aside. As Jax recoils in self-preservation, the hairy-chested behemoth brings his right fist around in a massive haymaker, his arm so long Jax has to leap backward and to the other side of the cage to avoid him.
The brute shifts to the left awkwardly when his fist misses its target, his own weight seeming to almost spin him around. Jax lunges forward, fists cocked and ready to put another opponent to sleep, when Jude suddenly screamed, “JAX, NO!”
The giant bends his knees, and it becomes obvious that the haymaker had been a feint. Still perfectly balanced, he springs forward to catch Jax’s charge, his hairy bulk carrying my husband down to the canvas. Jax squirms underneath the crushing weight as the filthy ogre crawls forward, struggling to mount him.
“JAX!” Jude roars, as I struggle to even draw breath. “THE TITLE FIGHT! REMEMBER OUR TITLE FIGHT!”
Jax and I both understood what he meant immediately. Jax’s only loss had been to his brother Jude, who had perfected his wrestling technique. After years of sparring and training with each other, the brothers had learned their own weaknesses and knew how to counter them. Jax’s arm appears underneath one of the giant’s sweating armpits, snaking around to grab his other forearm which was already crushing into the man’s flabby neck. Securing his grip, the muscles in Jax’s biceps ripple and bulge as he chokes the fight out of his opponent.
The giant throws two half-hearted punches into Jax’s iron-cast abs, but after just a few seconds he taps frantically against the arm strangling him. As Jax releases the hold, the man flops over onto his back, gasping and shuddering for breath. Jax scrambles to his feet, grinning broadly as his gaze lands on Jude and me, giving us a double thumbs-up.
After eight more rounds, Jax has barely broken into another sweat, and the only blood on him is from other men. No one else has done more than land a kick or jab against my world champion who grins and winks at me as each challenger is escorted out between rounds.
I know it shouldn’t be, but seeing my husband beat up twelve men for the past hour was sexy as fuck.
Chapter Seventeen
Jax
Well, that was easier than I thought, I think to myself after the last competitor hits the canvas and doesn’t get back up.
My only concern is that hurting twelve men in a row would be repulsive to my wife, which would be damn depressing after that incredibly hot kiss earlier. One that hinted at more of the good stuff to come later tonight.
Has Page changed her mind?
Only one way to find out, after my arm is raised for the twelfth time in a row. And fuck does it feel amazing to be back here in the cage, doing what I do best, with the crowd urging me on. I’ve missed this adrenaline rush, this thrill and excitement in my life. Not that I need it every day to
fuel my ego, but every once in a while, it’s…nice. Really fucking nice, and it makes me feel less like the villain and more like the hero. Let’s just hope my wife agrees with that sentiment.
After I drain a bottle of water and towel off the sweat dripping from my forehead, I jog down the steps of the cage and straight for her. Page is already on her feet, and the smile on her face makes me think we’re still on even ground.
“Hey,” I say when I come to a stop in front of her, unsure if she wants my sweat all over her sweater dress.
“Hey,” she says before she hugs me, telling me she doesn’t mind. “Congratulations times twelve.”
“Thanks,” I say as I continue to hold her, not ready to let her go but wanting to kiss her. I lean back just enough to capture her lips and do just that. Behind my cup, my cock grows hard and threatens to punch its way out.
“I need you, princess,” I whisper against her lips.
“I need you…to come home,” she says, making my heart stop.
“For good?” I ask for clarification. “I’m pretty sure all the jerk was knocked out of me for at least a few months.”
“For good,” she agrees. “I’ve missed you, and I’m sorry, Jax.”
“Me too, princess,” I tell her. “God, I’ve missed you, and I’m sorry I hit that fucker in public at your party, but I’m not sorry I did it.”
“I know, he crossed the line,” she agrees. “Some may even say he deserved it.”
“He did,” I assure her. “But I shouldn’t have let him provoke me then and there with everyone around.”
“Right, well, I want to forget his name and that night,” she says. “And the last few weeks without you. I may have been…emotional and probably a tad unstable.”
“Same here,” I tell her. “Now I can’t wait to get you home.”
“Me too,” she agrees. “You need to finish up here?”
“Yeah, it’ll probably take about an hour to wrap it up and get a shower.”
“Why don’t I take Logan home and then come back and pick you up?” she offers.
“Sounds great, princess. I’ll see you in a few,” I tell her with a quick kiss, only because the faster I finish up my shit here, the quicker I can get home with my wife and get her into bed.
Chapter Eighteen
Page
“Oh my God, yes,” I moan when Jax fills me again. The two of us have spent the last few hours in our bed, naked, sweaty and making up for lost time. I’m glad I haven’t told him the news yet, because he would’ve held back, been too gentle with me, when I needed him to take me hard and fast and desperate tonight.
“So good,” he says above me when he pounds inside me. “This is where I belong…Right. Fucking. Here!”
“Yes!” I scream when he hits that spot deep inside of me that makes me see stars. My fingernails dig into his back muscles and my legs wrap around his waist as he gives me exactly what I need.
Makeup sex is the best.
Makeup sex after Jax has a fight is even better.
“I loved seeing you…in the cage tonight,” I tell him. “So fucking hot…and badass.”
“Oh really?” he asks, nipping at my bottom lip and giving it a tug.
“I thought I’d…I’d turned you into a soft, Mr. Mom,” I tell him, and he shoves inside me hard enough to contradict that statement.
“Can’t I be both?” he asks while he fucks me. “A badass Mr. Mom who can still make my wife scream my name quietly so our son won’t hear us?”
“God, yes,” I agree. “I love Daddy Jax so much. And Fighter Jax. And…and all of you, Jax.”
“I love all of you too, princess,” he says with a grin when he presses my knees to my chest and speeds up his thrusts. “Now come for your badass fighter one more time.”
“Jax!” I cry out as I splinter apart underneath him when I feel his hot seed pulsing inside me. No wonder I got pregnant using a condom the first time and then on birth control pills the second. My husband’s cum is just as potent and powerful as the man himself.
“Page,” he whispers against my ear as we both catch our breath. “I can’t lose you.”
“Never again,” I assure him, running my fingers through his hair and just enjoying the weight of his hard muscles on top of me. But I need to get this off my chest after waiting for so long. “Jax?”
“Oh, sorry,” he says as he pushes himself off of me to lie on his side next to me.
“No, it’s not that,” I tell him. “It’s just…”
“What?” he asks, sweeping a few strands of my sweaty hair behind my ear.
“I…I have a present I want you to open,” I say.
“Tonight?” he asks. “But Christmas isn’t for a few more days.”
“I know, but I want you to open this one now, while it’s just the two of us.”
“Okay, princess,” he agrees, so I roll to my side so I can get up.
I slip on my black robe in the bathroom, and then I go over and open up my panty drawer to dig out the long, slender, gift-wrapped box.
“Is it a necklace?” Jax asks with a grin when he sits up in bed and sees it in my hand.
“Um, no. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to wear it,” I assure him as I climb up on the mattress and offer it to him.
“Open it right now?” he asks with an arched eyebrow.
“Yes.”
Without another word, he finally rips off the red and green wrapping paper to get to the jewelry box.
…
Jax
I honestly had no idea what was inside the long box, but I sure as hell wasn’t expecting to see the blue and white stick. One with the word “Pregnant” staring back at me.
“Pregnant,” I repeat as I pull the stick out of the box. “You…you’re pregnant?” I look up and ask Page, who nods.
“We are pregnant, Jax.”
“We’re having another baby?” I say, because it still hasn’t sunk in yet.
“Yes.”
I look back down at the stick that doesn’t leave any room for argument.
“How long have you known?” I ask.
“A few weeks,” Page says with a wince. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I wasn’t sure how you would react to another unplanned pregnancy. You were so upset, and I thought it would make it worse.”
“You’ve been here, in this house, pregnant and alone?” I ask in dismay.
“Yes.”
“What…what if something had happened?” I say. “Have you been to the doctor? Wait, that’s why you went to the doctor?”
“Yes, how did you know?”
“Because I hired a PI to follow you,” I admit. “When he said you had been to the doctor, I didn’t even think about it…”
“You hired a PI to follow me?” she asks through narrowed eyes.
“All water under the bridge, princess. We’re having a baby!” I exclaim as I tackle her back down onto the bed.
“You’re not upset?” she asks from underneath me.
“I want you to keep giving me babies. I’ll never be upset about that,” I tell her. “Xavier is gonna love having a brother. Or a sister. Maybe this one’s a girl. I bet it will be!”
“You do?” she asks. “You want a girl?”
“Sure, why not?” I ask, so damn excited I could explode. “Fuck, princess. If you weren’t already knocked up, I would put a baby in you right now,” I tell her. “I can’t believe it. Does anyone else know?” I ask, figuring she’s already told her family, and maybe Jude…
“No one knows, other than the doctor,” she replies. “I wanted you to be the first to find out this time.”
“Thank you, princess,” I say in relief, unsure why that means so much, but it does. Now we can tell our family together.
“But let’s go back to the PI for a second…” Page starts.
“I was an asshole. I admit that, and you’ll forgive me,” I tell her.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she says on a sigh. “Y
ou may be an asshole sometimes, but you’re the sweetest asshole I’ve ever met, and I love you.”
Chuckling, I tell her, “I love you too, Page. If you let me fight, I’ll do better, I promise.”
“Okay,” she agrees, easier than I expected.
“Thank you, princess.”
“If you really want to make it up to me, put on that Santa outfit again and let me sit on your lap.”
“Were you naughty or nice this year?” I ask her, trailing a hand down her stomach, pausing a second over where our baby is growing and then continuing down between her legs.
“Naughty. So naughty,” she says with a grin.
“Good, that’s how Santa Jax likes it,” I tell her with a growl before I rock her world again.
Epilogue
Jax
Nineteen years later…
“Shit! This is a bad idea, isn’t it? Do you think there’s still time to stop the fight?” I ask Page, who’s sitting next to me in the front row with her hand clenching mine tightly.
“I’m pretty sure it’s too late now,” she mutters, her knee bouncing with nervousness while gnawing the hell out of her bottom lip.
“Let me go to the locker room and see,” I say as I jump up, but Page jerks on my hand and tugs me back down.
“You can’t, Jax. We have to let this happen,” Page tells me. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. This is your child we’re talking about. Kicking ass is a genetic trait.”
“Yeah. Right,” I agree on an exhale. “I just didn’t think it would be so hard to watch.”
“You’re not gonna jump in the cage and stop the fight, are you?” Page asks with a grin, wrinkles crinkling around her eyes because we’ve laughed a lot together over the last nineteen years. And she’s still just as beautiful as the day I met her.
“No, I’m not gonna jump in the cage. Well, probably not,” I tell her honestly. “It’s just, I always thought if one of them were going to fight, it would be Xavier, you know? I think I could handle that…”