Epilogue

FOUR MONTHS LATER…

“Honey, the real estate agent is on the phone,” Francesca yelled.

“Take a message or just make a decision without me. Class is about to start,” he yelled back from the other room.

Tony was surrounded by kids. They were all bowing in their little white karate uniforms. Within a month of the last fight, Tony held a press conference announcing his retirement, and at Slade and Francesca’s encouragement he’d begun teaching children’s karate, kickboxing, and jiu jitsu classes at WtF Academy. He was also helping Slade train a few big-name fighters who had started training at WtF. And just like that he’d changed careers. He couldn’t remember ever being happier.

“So remember, moms and dads, there won’t be classes for two weeks,” he said at the end of the session. The kids sighed and booed as they left.

When everyone was gone, he turned to Francesca. “So this time in two days you’ll be Mrs. Marino. I feel bad about leaving the kids.”

“Yeah, I know. But it’s only two weeks. Getting cold feet?”

“Never,” he said.

“The real estate agent emailed an offer for the house. You have to sign it later.”

“Okay, and I saw the envelope come in. Did you open it?”

“No, I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be, mi amor. Let’s go.” They walked into the office to open the envelope from the University of Tampa Law School together. As soon as Tony had won the fight and decided to retire, he’d encouraged her to apply to law school. She’d been anxious about the whole thing, but then she spoke with her father, who said that the only thing he cared about was her happiness; everything else would work itself out. So she’d applied, and now here she was, with the decision in her hand.

Tony opened it, read it, and smiled.

“You start school in three months!” he cheered.

She ripped the letter from his hand and looked at it. “Oh my God, I can’t believe it!” He picked her up and swung her around. “You sure that you and Slade can handle the gym without me?”

“Don’t worry—we’ve talked to Slade and he knows. He understands. We’ve got this.”

The wedding was beautiful. She didn’t have much family, but Tony had flown in the few she did have. All of his nieces were in the wedding party as well as Chrissy, who was her maid of honor. Also in attendance were Slade and Jessica, Jack, JL, Violet, Travis, and Cain, who was Tony’s best man. The wedding was a simple ceremony at the beach followed by a fun reception at a hotel.

As the hour grew late, most of the guests had left, except for their friends, who sat around drinking and laughing. “I can’t believe you got married before me,” Jessica said in mock dismay.

“I don’t know why you’re taking so long to plan your damn wedding,” Violet said.

Jessica sighed, and everyone laughed.

“What’s up with you, Cain?” JL asked. “You didn’t dance once.”

He shrugged.

“You think we can have words?” Chrissy teased.

“I gave a toast.”

“It was short,” Violet said.

“Not everyone needs to talk so much,” Cain said to Violet.

“You’re such a jerk, you know that?” Violet replied as everyone eyed them.

“Sorry.” Cain looked at his drink. “Sorry,” he repeated.

“Hey, Enzo, looks like you had fun, though,” Chrissy said.

He smiled. “Yeah, I hadn’t seen my family in a while. It was nice.”

“I think she was talking about the women you danced with,” Jack said.

“Yeah, that was fun too.” He smiled at JL, who turned her head.

“Those are my cousins, so behave.” Tony playfully smacked his shoulder.

“Just a dance, bro. Relax.” Enzo held his hands out.

They kept drinking and talking until it was time to go.

The ten days in Aruba were perfect. They made love during the night, slept in most days, ate fresh fruits and fish. It was heaven.

“I wonder if Jack and Chrissy’s crazy dog, Drogo, is terrorizing our cats,” Francesca mused aloud as they lounged in their hotel bed.

“Probably.” He laughed. “I hate that dog. Although Winston’s bigger than Drogo.”

“Everyone hates that dog. It only likes Chrissy.” She kissed her way down his chest. “I miss our cats.”

“I don’t.”

She slapped him on the chest. “Yes, you do. Don’t lie.”

“Maybe a little.”

She sat up, straddling him. “Do you think this was all too quick? I mean, you didn’t even propose.”

“I gave my man card to you in an arena full of spectators. Are you complaining?”

She trailed her fingers along his chest and said. “No! No. That was a good day, wasn’t it?”

He laced his fingers behind his head. “The best day. I was one happy Cubanito. I do recall you promising to do something for me if I won.”

She groaned. “I was wondering when you’d bring that up.”

“I’m calling it in right now.” He reached for her waist and lifted her close to his face, leaving her with no other choice but to grab on to the headboard or fall. He slid her panties to the side and moved his fingers over her slick pussy.

“I think I’ve corrupted you.”

“I think you have.”

“So, now that you’re corrupted, I hope you let me do all sorts of terrible things to your body.”

“The naughtier the better.”

“Hush and strip.”

She made as if to protest, but he crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow. She let out a breath, as if it were the biggest undertaking in the world to strip. Once she was naked he signaled to the floor. “On your knees.”

She didn’t hesitate in getting on her knees. He pulled off his white linen pants, threw them aside, and palmed his cock. “Open up.” Since the day he’d asked her to surrender to him in the bedroom, she had. He never questioned her outside the bedroom, but once it was just the two of them, she’d learned to gladly relinquish all control. In return, he took care of all her needs, knowing her body better than she did herself. She licked her lips and opened her mouth as he inched the head of his penis closer. He gently slid it into her mouth as her tongue swirled around. “I know sucking me off makes you wet. I bet if I touch you right now you’d be dripping.”

She hummed around his cock as she continued to lick and suck. Not wanting to come in her mouth, he pulled out and lifted her up and onto the bed. “I didn’t get to finish,” she pouted.

“You will.” He winked. “But I want to eat your pussy first.”

He pushed her down, spread her wide open, and began to feast. When she was about to lose it, he stopped. She leaned up on her elbows to see him palming himself, his eyes zeroed in on her pussy. “You’re killing me here, honey,” she told him, breathing hard.

He chuckled before moving closer and sliding inside her. Both moaned and held still for a second before he began to rock in and out. Long gone was the timid girl in the bedroom; Francesca gave as good as she got. He might have been in charge, but she’d learned a few moves in the last few months. She clenched her inner muscles, then brought her hands to her clit and began to rub. “Fuck, cariño. Keep touching yourself,” he grunted as he continued to move in and out, his eyes fixed on the way he disappeared inside her. When she couldn’t hold back anymore, she clenched so hard around him that he followed right behind, his body collapsing on top of her.

“I don’t think you’re getting this whole I’m-in-charge-in-the-bedroom thing. What the hell was that?”

“I’ve been practicing my Kegels. It’s good, right?”

He shook his head. His wife was beautiful, funny, sexy, and the most uncontrollable woman he’d ever met. He wouldn’t change her for the world.

It was their last day in Aruba, “Shit, look. I just got a text from Slade. Cain’s gone. He left. Won’t be back for months.”

“Where the hell did he go?”

Francesca was typing into her phone. “Slade says he’s going somewhere in the Middle East.”

“Fuck. That doesn’t sound good.”

“Poor Violet.”

“She’ll be fine. They’re just friends,” Tony said.

Francesca laughed. “You think I’m blind when it comes to love? Honey, if you can’t tell that those two are in love, then you must’ve hit your head really hard in the last fight.”

“I don’t know about other people. All I know is that you had my heart before you even wanted it, mi amor.”

“Well, I’m glad I did, ’cause now that I have it, I’m never letting it go.”

For the first time in her life, she didn’t want to fight. She didn’t want to take over. It was the most breathtakingly fulfilling and beautiful experience of her life.