I was super pumped the next day and I was ready to whip Lopez’s ass.  I’d had a great night with Brielle and I was looking forward to spending time with her the following night.  First I had to get my win out of the way and then I was free to be all about Brielle for a while.

 

The fight was scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m. and by 7:15 I could hardly stand still.  All I could think about was catching Lopez off guard with my first kick and I was ready to get started.  Zach pumped me up with the awesome speech he gave me before each fight and he made sure I had my head in the fight and not anywhere else.  There was nothing clouding my thoughts except visions of Lopez tapping out in the ring.

 

We were the last names on the card which meant they saved the best for last.  When our names were finally called I was ready to kick ass.  They announced Lopez and then they announced me.

 

“Are you ready for Trouble!  I said are you ready for Trouble!”  The announcer was yelling into the mic at the top of his lungs as we entered the cage.

 

The crowd was on their feet and I could barely hear my thoughts the cheers were so loud. 

 

Lopez danced around me, which pissed me off, so I quickly brought him down with a swift kick to his right leg.  It took a few seconds for him to get up and I could see that he wasn’t expecting that.  He swung left and I ducked and clocked him in his stomach followed with an uppercut to the jaw.  He stumbled and I danced back and forth waiting for him to recover.  It was time for me to let him get a couple of good shots in because I wanted to make sure the crowd had a good show.  I could easily have kicked his ass and won within the next two minutes, but people would be pissed and would feel like they paid a lot of money for nothing.

 

I braced myself for a few hits and Lopez swung and got me in the side and then right in the jaw.  I doubled over, making the audience think he had really hurt me, and decided to let him get in a couple more before I finished him.  He hit me in the stomach and kicked me in the thigh but with the training Zach had taught me, it didn’t hurt one bit.  My body was as tough as Teflon and after that kick it was time to let him have it.

 

I could tell that he was feeling a bit cocky and he dropped his defenses for a second, and that is when I roared in like a tornado.  I hit all of the key vulnerable spots; stomach, throat, thigh, kidneys, and face and it didn’t stop.  I went at him with one hit or kick after another and within two minutes Lopez tapped out.  The crowd cheered as I was declared the winner and as I gazed out at everyone, Brielle’s gorgeous green eyes were smiling at me from the front row.  They were the prettiest eyes I had ever seen and I was in heaven as those sparklers stared back at me.

 

Zach ushered me back into my dressing room and the doctor stopped by to check me out after he checked on Lopez.

 

“Is he okay?”  I always asked about my opponents because while I always wanted to win, I never wanted to kill anybody.

 

“He’s fine, nothing is broken.  His eye will be swollen shut for a while and he’ll have some nasty bruising, but he’ll heal in a couple of weeks.  You on the other hand don’t look like you were in a fight at all.  A nice ice bath tonight will have you feeling great tomorrow.”

 

“Thanks doc.”

 

As soon as he left, Zach gave me a fist bump and rubbed my shoulder.

 

“That’s my boy!  I knew you could do this.  You continue like this Declan and you are going to be unstoppable all over the world!”

 

“Thanks man.  Hey, you’re part of the reason I’m so good.  Without my Navy SEAL training and your training I know I wouldn’t be here, so we are going to be unstoppable all over the world!”

 

“For sure, dude!”

 

“Hey, will you do me a favor?”

 

“Yeah, anything.”

 

“Will you go get Brielle and bring her back here?  She was sitting front row center, so she’s probably around there somewhere.”

 

“No problem.  Be back in a flash!”

 

Two minutes later there was a knock at my door and when I opened it, she took my breath away.  I don’t know if it was because the pressure of the fight was over, or if it was because I knew we would have uninterrupted, stress free time together the next night, but I felt a different level of happiness in that moment.  I couldn’t wait to soak in the ice bath and move on to the next day.

 

“You were amazing out there, Declan.  I was completely mesmerized.  Did you get hurt when he hit you?”

 

“Nah, it was part of the show.  I had to let the audience think he was winning because that makes for a much more entertaining fight.”

 

“So you knew you could beat him?”

 

“Yep, without question.”

 

She cocked her head to the side and I could see the worry on her face.  “How long does it take for you to know that?”

 

“Not to sound cocky, but I know it the second I get in the ring.  Losing is not an option.”

 

“Well, I’m really happy you didn’t lose tonight and I’m even happier that you didn’t get hurt.”

 

I pulled her toward me and wrapped my arms around her waist as I stared into her gorgeous eyes.

 

“I’m really happy you’re here and that you watched the fight.  Thanks.”

 

I gently kissed her lips, lingering for just a couple of seconds.  I didn’t want to get myself worked up and I knew if the kiss had lasted any longer I wouldn’t be able to stop.  I couldn’t wait to be with her, but it wasn’t going to happen in my dressing room.  She deserved better than that.

 

She smiled at me and my heart melted.  “You’re welcome.”  She wrapped her arms around my neck and held me close.  “I really am happy you weren’t hurt, Declan.  The doctor checked you out, right?”

 

“Yep.  He said an ice bath and some rest and I should be good as new tomorrow.”

 

“Okay, well I don’t want to hold you up so I better get going.  Do what you need to do, soak in your ice bath and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

“Okay.  I will swing by your room, I mean come across the hall,” I gave her a quick wink and a smile, “around 5:00 and we can grab an early dinner, if that’s okay.”

 

“Yeah, that sounds great.”

 

“Okay good, because after dinner I would love to go for a walk with you on the beach our last night here.”

 

She gave me a huge smile and, man, the way she looked at me made me feel like a million bucks.

 

“Sounds perfect.”  She rested her hand on my shoulders and gave me a gentle peck on the lips.  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

When the door closed behind her I ran my hands through my hair and let out a deep sigh.  Five o’clock the next day could not come fast enough.