“Ray, I know I don’t deserve another chance with you, but I’m asking anyway. Can we try again and see how it goes?”

She nods her head. “Yes,” she whispers.

Rising, I tug Reagan up from her chair, into my arms. Our lips crash into each other. I can taste her tears in our kiss and feel how much she loves me - even if she’s too scared to say the words. Maybe I don’t deserve them right now, but I will. I’ll make her see that we’re meant to be together.

My arms squeeze her so tight it must be borderline painful, but I never want to let her go. She tears her mouth away when the smell of smoke assails her nose. “The steaks are burning,” she yells, panicked.

I chuckle, glancing over at the flames shooting out both sides of the grill. “Fuck the steaks. I have my girl back and that’s all that matters.” Releasing her, I shut off the grill.

“Yeah, but you lured me over here with the promise of steak and potatoes. I thought you were a man of your word,” she teases and comes to stand next to me.

I scoop her up in his arms. “I also promised you could try out my hot tub,” I say carrying her in that direction with purpose in my stride. I pause beside the churning water; the smell of chlorine is strong. I hold her over the water.

“You wouldn’t.”

Splash.

“Sure, I would.” I laugh at the look of surprise on her face as she rises from where she landed in the middle of the large, round hot tub. She glances down at her drenched clothes and wrings out the wet ends of her long hair. Gripping the bottom edge, she pulls the wet, clingy shirt up and tugs it over her head. Throwing it on the patio, she stands with her hands on her hips in a white bra and soaked jean cutoff shorts.

“Fuck. You’re gorgeous.” I tear the wife beater over my head, dropping it without another thought and tuck my knees when I leap over the side, landing on my feet next to her. Cupping her tits, my thumbs flick over taut nipples through the sheer material of her bra.

Her hands move between us, fingertips landing on my stomach, as she lovingly caresses over each muscle I’ve earned with countless hours in the gym.

Unhooking her bra, I rip it down her arms and throw it onto a nearby wicker bench. My fingers return to undo her shorts then pull the wet material down her long golden legs. She adds a little wiggle to help - or maybe that’s just to drive me fucking crazy. She lifts each leg out one at a time and throws her shorts over her shoulder without looking back. Cupping her curvy ass through the wet lace of her panties, I squeeze each cheek. “Your ass is the sexiest fucking thing. Watching it drives me crazy. When I see you walk across the gym, all I can think about is having my cock right here.” I run a finger down the middle of her ass causing a shiver to run up her spine. I smile, loving the way her body reacts to me. “I bet you love tormenting me with those tight skirts you wear,” I whisper, resting my forehead against hers. “You do don’t you. Tell me,” I command, my voice growing deeper.

“Yes. I like the way your eyes follow me around the gym. You look at me like you’re starved for me.”

I grip her ass harder, fingers digging into each cheek. “I am starved for you. I’ll never get enough of your pussy no matter how much I take it.” My fingers grip each side of her panties, tearing them off. Her hands move between us to push down my bathing suit. Once it passes mid-thigh I sink to the bench, pulling her down on my lap. Her thighs fall to either side of mine as I kick off my shorts. They rise to float around on the surface of the water while she grinds against my rock-hard cock. Lifting her, I line myself up with her wet entrance. Slowly, she slides down my steel hard length. We both moan once I’m buried to the hilt.

My fingers dig into the tender skin of her hips, holding her in place. “Go slow,” I growl. “You feel so fucking good. I never want this to end.”

She gently rolls her hips, rocking back and forth, riding my cock. I bury my face in her tits, sucking her nipples until she moans. “I missed you so fucking much, Ray.” Sliding a hand up her spine to bury my fingers in her hair, my lips move up to tease the delicate skin on her neck. She arches back and grips my head, holding my lips in place. “You always did like me to kiss your neck.” I smile, my mouth against her skin.

“Yes,” she moans. She grinds down onto me harder. My hand slips between us, my thumb pressing and circling her clit. She gasps. “That’s it, come on, Ray.” The fingers of my other hand grip her hip, as my hips raise to thrust inside her. “This pussy is mine. It’s always been mine.”

Her nails dig into my shoulders, raking down my back as she trembles through her orgasm. My teeth bite into the delicate skin of her neck as I come hard and fast.

Reagan’s arms wrap around me, holding our chests tight together. Our hearts beat in sync and I know no matter how long she wants to protect herself, the matching beat of her heart is the same as whispering she loves me in my ear. I know she loves me and she always will. We belong together. She’s not ready to say those three words to me, but I’ll wait forever to hear them.

* * *

We ended up having pizza delivered and I promised to cook her steak again soon. Next time she’ll have to be less of a distraction if she wants them to be edible.

She reaches over to the nightstand and picks up her phone. Glancing at the screen, she frowns.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes, it’s just Moira. She sent me some pics of an apartment that might work for me.”

“Ray, I was serious about you moving in here. Although, now I want you to move in as my girlfriend not a roommate,” I say, as I caress her hair.

She returns her phone to the nightstand and lies down on my chest. After we ate our pizza we came in my bedroom to watch some television and cuddle in my king size bed.

She raises her head and rests her chin on my chest, staring up into my eyes. “I don’t know; it would have been fun being your roommate. Lots of drunken nights and wandering into the wrong bedroom.” She wiggles her eyebrows, making me laugh.

“We can always play roommate. I’m not adverse to a little role playing.”

“Are you sure you really want me to move in with you? We’re just getting to know each other again. What if you realize you don’t like the grown up me?” she asks, concern in her gaze.

“Ray, I love every single part that makes you who you are.” My fingers continue to slide through her long tresses. “We’ve wasted four years of our lives already. I know I hurt you and I’ll spend forever trying to make it up to you. You might not be ready, but I don’t want to miss another second with you. You’re the most important thing to me.” I shake my head regretfully. “I never should have pushed you away. I was trying to do right by you.”

“I don’t want to keep rehashing the past, none of that matters now. We can never get that time back, and like you, I want to make the most of every moment we have together.” She slides her hand over my chest and up to cup my cheek in her palm. “Maybe I can stay over and we can do the role-playing thing we talked about until I know for sure.”

* * *

The next few days pass with Ray and I inseparable, except for when we’re both at work. She refused to officially move in until after the fight. She’s worried she’ll disrupt my daily routine. I’m not sure why she’s so concerned when we’ve spent every available moment we can together and it hasn’t done anything to harm my training. If anything, being with her enhances it. I’m no longer just fighting for my future; I’m fighting for ours.

My eyes follow her wherever she goes at the gym and we’re spending enough time together that people are starting to notice. Jimmy is one of those people.

“Have a seat,” he tells me, nodding toward the chair in front of his desk. Sinking down, I sigh, knowing exactly what I’ve been summoned to his office about.

“I noticed you and my daughter have been spending a lot of time together. Is she the reason why you’re losing your edge?”

His question throws me and pisses me off. My training has been on point for the past two weeks. There was a period of adjustment when Reagan first started working here, but since we had sex, everything’s been great. “I don’t know what you mean. I’ve been having great results.” Crossing my arms over my chest in feigned nonchalance, I lean back in the chair.

“No-No, you did the right thing all those years ago when you ended things with Reagan. You never would’ve gotten this far with a girlfriend holding you back.” He leans forward, resting his arms on his desk. “Women are a distraction you couldn’t afford then and you can’t now either.”

“You know Jimmy, I used to think you were right. I used to buy into everything you were selling, but I’m an adult now. I make my own choices and this time I’m choosing Reagan. She’s the most important thing to me.” Rising to my feet, I brace my hands on his desk and lean toward him. “I might owe you for everything you’ve done for my MMA career, but I’ll never forgive you for manipulating me into breaking up with Reagan. I was dumb enough to fall for it and that’s on me. But you never once thought about how much your daughter would be hurt. I broke her heart and for that I’ll never be able to forgive myself or you for your part in it.”

Jimmy looks stunned and we stare in silence for what feels like far too long.

“Get out of my office and go train.” Jimmy speaks slowly, seriously.

* * *

Antonio Sousa is a twenty-seven-year-old fighter from Brazil, who’s been living and training in Las Vegas for the last five years. He’s the current Light Heavyweight Champion and is undefeated in seven fights over the last two years, four of them title defenses. Like many Brazilian fighters before him, Antonio has a world class ground game but unlike most he often chooses to stand and bang, picking his opponents apart with a dizzying array of brutal strike combinations. Antonio talks a big game and backs it up in the cage every time. He’s a nightmare opponent who goes by the nickname Pitbull.

The films we study of his fights are helpful but intimidating. Pitbull is ferocious and he doesn’t lose. His picture is never far away during my training sessions. Jimmy always seems to have one handy to shove in my face or in my line of sight, along with constant reminders of what I’ll need to do to win.

This close to the fight we’re working on cardio and some last-minute technique drills. The contact in my sparring sessions is purposely light. The last thing I need is a training injury to keep me from this fight. Jimmy barks and complains through a solid hour of kickboxing work, forty-five minutes of jujitsu and thirty minutes freestyle inside the cage. I’m covered in sweat but my three training partners are panting faster than I am and I feel strong. I still have six pounds to cut before the weigh-in but I can do that with one afternoon inside the sauna, so it’s not a concern. I stop and stare at my reflection in the mirrored wall. I have never felt so dialed in and laser-focused. With the fight now just days away, I’m ready.