Fighting for a Second Chance (Fighting #1) Read online

  “Hope this is ok. I didn’t plan to spend the night out so I don’t have any clothes to change into.”

  “No, I mean yeah, that’s cool.” I respond trying not to sound like the inexperienced teenager I am and pray he doesn’t notice.

  I walk around to the empty side of the bed and climb in with Cooper. I wonder if he can tell this will be my first time sleeping with a guy. I can only imagine how many women he has slept with. I shake off the thought because it really doesn’t matter. Not quite sure how I am supposed to lie down, I roll onto my side awkwardly away from him. He doesn’t seem to notice how nervous I am as he pulls me closer to him, spooning me from behind.

  “Mmm…are you tired?” he asks me softly.

  Wrapped up tightly in this mans arms makes me feel so protected. I can feel his bulge again through our clothes and I know he is turned on. I feel my cheeks heat up. Thank goodness it’s dark in here and I am facing away from him or my blush would give away just how inexperienced I am.

  “I am exhausted but I feel energized at the same time. I want to go to sleep but I feel like I could stay awake all night. It must be the alcohol.”

  He laughs softly into my hair. “What do you usually do when you can’t fall asleep?”

  “Ok, don’t laugh at me. I usually count.”

  “Count?”

  “You know sheep or pigs, or some farm animal until I pass out.”

  He closes his arms around me, kisses me softly on my temple, and begins counting.

  “One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, four sheep…”

  I can’t help but chuckle at this man counting sheep to help me fall asleep. My body relaxes and eventually I hear Cooper whisper in my ear “Good night, Liz.”

  This feels better than I could have ever imagined. I never thought I could feel so safe and wanted by a man to the point I feel choked up and can’t even respond. With his soft breathing in my ear I let sleep overtake me.

  Chapter Three

  Cooper

  I wake up and look around trying to remember where I am; I feel warm skin under me and I look down at her. I can’t help but smile at her rare innocence. She was so adorable last night when we got back to her room. I doubt at her age she is a virgin but she is definitely inexperienced. I am not a man-whore by any means but I have definitely had my fair share of women in my bed. What red-blooded twenty two year old male hasn’t?

  My mind goes back to when I first saw her walking to the end of the line at the club. I knew I had to have her in my arms. The way she smiled shyly made me want her to smile like that at me. I didn’t even notice who she was smiling at because I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. The way her beautiful curves shown through the tight yet modest little black number she had on, leaving everything yet nothing to the imagination. It was a tug-of-war between sexy and innocent. She doesn’t even realize how banging her body is.

  When I watched her dancing on the bottom floor, the way she moved, like she has no idea how fucking sexy everything about her is was a complete turn on. And when I got closer and her brown eyes connected with mine, I knew I was done for. I would give this girl anything she wanted. I wasn’t looking for love. Only here for a UFC conference for a few more days, I was just looking for a hook-up, someone to help me forget about all the stress of my real life but this girl could never be a simple fuck. She is meant to be cherished, and adored, and loved completely; something I am not capable of. It isn’t in my DNA.

  I look back down at her and see she is still snoring softly with her backside rubbing up against my dick. I groan softly at the feel of her perfect ass up against me and get up to take a piss.

  While in the bathroom I decide a quick shower is necessary, and then I put back on my clothes from last night because let’s face it; I don’t have any other clothes here with me, and if I don’t put something more on I am going to be tempted to take hers off. The truth is I never stay the night with a female. Staying leads to commitment and commitment isn’t something I will ever be able to give, and I don’t want to lead anyone on.

  Looking at her still sleeping perfection, I decide to get room service for breakfast. Unsure of what she eats I order a little of everything and give them my credit card to cover the bill.

  I pull out my phone and check for any messages. There are a few texts from Kaden reminding me of when our flight leaves and asking if I got laid. I ignore those. There’s one text from my mom congratulating me on my win. A little late mom, that was almost a week ago! She is probably drinking, again. The last text is from my dad, asking if we need anyone to come by to help with the move. I text him back quickly to let him know it is all taken care of and I will see him in a couple days at the new training center. Just thinking about my dad puts me in a foul mood.

  I shake off the aggravation that I feel brewing from just the little contact I had with him and I put my phone back into my pocket. I notice Liz start to stir awake as she begins to stretch her legs and pull her arms over her head. The sheet that was wrapped around her entire body starts to move downwards. By the way, she is totally a bed and sheet-hogger.

  Under the sheets she is wearing a cute light pink tank top with her nipples poking out through the thin material and tiny cotton polka dotted matching shorts. Everything about her screams innocent. Her eyes come into focus and after a second, a small shy smile spreads across her face and I think she is remembering last night.

  “I ordered us breakfast. It should be here any minute.”

  “Oh, thank you.”

  She gets up to use the restroom and while she is in there the food arrives. The guy wheels the trays inside and I reach into my wallet to tip him before he leaves. Grabbing everything from the cart I move it all out onto the terrace so we can eat outdoors.

  We enjoy breakfast in companionable silence. It is insane how comfortable I am around this girl, like I could just stay here in this fake cocoon forever with her. I can’t remember a time I felt like this around a woman. Usually I am out the door before the sun comes up. I only have until tomorrow but I think I would really enjoy spending some more time with her. I decide to bring it up. The worst she says is no.

  “I was wondering…” at the same time she says, “Do you think…” We both look at each other and laugh.

  Like I said, it’s just so damn comfortable with her.

  “Go ahead, you first” she says smiling.

  “Well, I was wondering if you might want to spend the day with me. My flight leaves tomorrow morning but I would love to spend what time I have left here with you.”

  Her face falters for a split second and if I weren’t staring at her I wouldn’t have even noticed. She immediately catches it and gives me a wide smile.

  “Yes, I would love to spend today with you.”

  I’m not sure if her fallen smile was due to me wanting to spend the day with her or because I said I am leaving tomorrow. I am obviously hoping for the latter but either way she is on board for spending the day with me so I will take it.

  In another world this would be the start of something new and beautiful but this girl is just starting out in life. Having just graduated she has her whole life ahead of her and she definitely doesn’t need to be bogged down by the drama of my life. From the little I know of her I can already tell she is the whole package and deserves the whole “ever after” shit all women want.

  I can’t give her the ever after but I can give her today. When we part ways I will be moving forward towards advancing my pro career as a UFC fighter in Vegas, and Liz will have the entire world at her fingertips. With the grueling training days there’s no room for anything but fighting. I have worked my entire life to get here and with all these recent wins under my belt I can finally see the light. Fighting is all I have.

  When I leave here I will be going back into the devil’s lair. I spent the last four years away but in order to advance my career I have finally come to my senses and made a deal with the devil himself. My dad might as well not even be my dad. He is the
owner of one of the most elite UFC training centers and has decided to open one up in Las Vegas. I have been training at a smaller center in Colorado for the last few years but now with my recent wins my current trainer isn’t pushing me the way I need him to in order to advance my career and that’s where my dad comes in. Kaden is a huge trainer at one of my dad’s gyms and my best friend.

  I will be moving to Vegas to train at my dad’s facility with Kaden. Bentley and Caleb have decided to make the move as well. I know it is the right move but the thought of being this close to my parents again is making me sick to my stomach.

  In my dad’s eyes I am just a fighter that can potentially make money now that I have proven myself. My mom has been drunk since my dad caught her cheating and left her ten years ago. My dad was a fighter back in the day and rarely ever home. Since the day he caught my mom cheating he has drilled it into my head that fighters shouldn’t be in relationships and they definitely shouldn’t be married.

  According to him you can’t have both and be successful. Fighting isn’t a nine-to-five job. Some days I am in the gym for thirteen to fourteen hours whether it is to workout, train, or just to watch fights and learn about my opponent. I go home to eat and sleep, and I am back at it again the next day.

  Watching what my parents went through years ago, I will never put a woman or myself in that position.

  “So, what are you in Miami for?” Her question breaks me out of my thoughts. I look at her and realize she has no idea who I am. I am not in the top ranking yet in my weight class but since my wins recently and the fact that I am undefeated, people are starting to notice me when I am out in public. Women are definitely starting to notice me. It is nice to be around a girl who doesn’t just want me because I am a fighter.

  “I am here for work.” I respond vaguely hope she won’t ask anymore questions. She seems content with that answer so I quickly change the subject.

  “You mentioned you graduated. What’s next for you?”

  She thinks for a moment and replies just as vaguely.

  “Kayla and I are moving in together.”

  We finish up our breakfast and decide to start our day at the pool. While she is changing into her suit I run downstairs to the resort shop to purchase one as well.

  When I get to the resort shop I notice the cutest stuffed animals for sale that remind me of her counting sheep. None of them are farm animals but there are a few I think Liz might like. I grab one along with a swimsuit and head to check out.

  When I get back up to the room, I knock since I don’t have a key and she answers the door in her bright blue two piece polka dotted bikini that instantly has me hard. What is with this girl and polka dots and why the hell do they turn me on so much? I knew she had a hot body in that dress last night but now that it is all on display I am speechless.

  After running my eyes over her body for the second time I decide I have to say something. She must think I am nuts just standing here staring at her.

  “God damn, Liz. Are you sure you want to go to the pool in that? I hear skin cancer is on the rise. Maybe we should stay inside. I can think of better use of our time up in this room where the UV rays won’t kill us” I choke out while trying to adjust myself without making it look obvious.

  It takes her a second to catch the meaning behind my words and she starts to laugh, and not just any laugh. She is practically doubled over with tears rolling down her face laughing at me. I didn’t think it was that funny. I was just trying to save her life… and my dick from remaining painfully hard all day.

  “You are silly. Go get changed and we will head down to the pool. I hate the beach.” See. Fucking innocent.

  “Wait, here I saw this and thought of you. Something to remember our time together by.”

  She stares at the flamingo. “Umm… ok, you are going to have to explain.”

  “It’s a flamingo. You said you count animals. So the next time you can’t sleep you can count flamingos and think of me.”

  Her smile widens as she hugs the flamingo close to her and proceeds to give me a kiss on the cheek.

  “Thank you, Coop.”

  As I get changed in the bathroom I almost consider taking a cold shower real quick but she knows I already took one earlier, and I really don’t want to have to explain that.

  Chapter Four

  Liz

  We get down to the pool area and luckily it’s not too packed. We find two lounge chairs side-by-side, and lay down next to each other. I didn’t even think I would see Cooper after last night and now I am spending the entire day with him. He didn’t mention anything about tonight but I am hoping he will spend the night again.

  Last night I had way too much to drink and he was so sweet not to take advantage but today I have no intention of getting drunk and I am not planning on leaving here a virgin. I know Cooper isn’t my forever but like Kayla says; there is nothing wrong with having a damn good for-now.

  We spend the day lounging by the pool. Cooper looks absolutely delicious in a bathing suit. He is amazingly fit. The way his suit hangs down just right exposing that perfect V that I thought was only found on guys in my romance books, makes me want to attack him right here. Whatever he does for a living must involve him staying in shape because he mentioned he works an obscene amount of hours leaving him barely any time for a social life.

  We order drinks by the pool; he orders Jack and coke and I order those cute fruity frozen drinks with the umbrellas in them to keep me hydrated. They are so yummy; I doubt they have much alcohol in them.

  I am watching Cooper swim laps in the pool while I am reading my latest romance novel when he comes over to the edge and splashes me just a little.

  “Hey! Watch out for my iPad. If it gets ruined it will be the death of you as well” I say jokingly as I turn it off and put it in my beach bag.

  My phone goes off and I quickly check it to see if it’s Kayla. It is. She confirms she is spending the day with Kaden and Bentley and will see me later. I type back a quick ok and go join Cooper in the pool.

  Putting one foot in the pool I realize it is freezing. I thought it would be warm in Miami in the middle of May! This is exactly why I stay away from the water. Cooper laughs at me and explains a huge rainstorm came through recently and it caused the pools and oceans to get colder. He grabs a hold of me by my waist and pulls me into the water holding me close. I use him as my human buoy to hold me up. My legs are wrapped around him as we float lazily in the water. His hands are gently massaging circles on my ass as he holds me close to him nuzzling his face into my neck. I am so relaxed in his arms I almost start to drift off when I can feel the same bulge from last night push between my legs. I need a distraction.

  “What is your favorite color?” I ask him out of nowhere.

  He looks at me like I am crazy but then responds. “Um, if I had to pick I would say black, I guess.”

  “Black isn’t a color, silly. It’s a shade.”

  He chuckles at my fact. “Well then Black is my favorite shade.”

  I let him keep his answer and ask another question.

  “What is your favorite food?”

  He thinks for a moment and responds with a bit of a frown. “Definitely my mom’s lasagna when she used to cook.”

  I get stuck on the part about his mom but decide to leave it alone. I have noticed he doesn’t like to talk about his parents or his life outside of us right here and now.

  “Yum, lasagna is good. What is your favorite movie?”

  He stills his hands from rubbing on my ass and gives me a smirk. “Are we playing twenty questions? Because if we are, I am pretty sure it’s supposed to work both ways.”

  “I am just trying to get to know you. My favorite color is pink and my favorite food is Crème brûlée. Now what’s your favorite movie?”

  He gives me a soft kiss to my lips and when I think he is going to continue it is over too fast. “Batman. My favorite movie is Batman. I could watch it every day.”

  I la
ugh at that.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing, just imagining a grown man watching Batman!”

  “Hey, now! Have you seen Batman? Batman is not just for kids. He is a grown man himself who saves Gotham from all the bad guys.”

  I laugh even harder. “Ok, ok. It’s a grown man movie, and no, I haven’t seen it.”

  “You’ve never seen it? Then you don’t get to judge!”

  “Ha ha! Ok, Coop. I will take your word for it. What do you like to do in your free time?”

  “Wait, first, tell me what your favorite movie is.”

  “Ok, don’t make fun of me but Love and Basketball is my favorite movie.”

  “So, you like basketball?”

  Oh, boy he is totally going to make fun of me. “No, I just love how the girl is so strong, and how over years they love each other, and in the end are finally together. Ok, now tell me what you do in your free time.”

  He doesn’t even think about it when he says, “ Work out. I love to work out and do MMA.”

  “What’s MMA?” I ask.

  “Mixed Martial Arts.”

  “Oh! Like The Karate Kid?”

  He bursts out laughing. “So you’ve seen The Karate Kid but not Batman! Yes, like that movie, I guess. What do you enjoy doing?”

  I have to think about this because I don’t want him to realize I am an eighteen, recent high school graduate, with no job. I decide to just be honest. “I enjoy reading but books can be expensive so when I find a book I really like I usually read it several times. ”

  “That’s commitment right there.” He says with mock seriousness.

  “Oh hush!” I say moving out of his arms. I get just far enough away to splash him with the pool water. His face is drenched and the water is dripping down his hair. Cooper’s gaze heats with intensity causing me to back up a little more. I am not sure what he is going to do so I wait in anticipation. As soon as the words “It’s on” leave his mouth I take off but before I can even swim two feet away he jumps at me and grabs me by the waist spinning me around. I close my eyes tight so when the chlorine hits me it won’t burn my eyes, but no water comes.